Dixons gets a lockdown lift as shoppers flock online

WORKING from home turbocharged demand for electrical goods at Dixons Carphone during the lockdown.

Online sales more than tripled while stores were closed, and have continued to trade at twice last year’s levels since the high streets reopened.

Analysts said the shift was a clear sign of people redirecting their spending from leisure activities towards home improvements and their new working environment.

Sales of computers and home appliances, including refrigerators and bread makers, surged during the initial period of lockdown as people began working from home.

The FTSE 250 retailer has cashed in from the move to home working, which is set to continue as many companies has said they will not ask staff to return to the office until next year.

Rival AO World has also signalled continued sales growth, as have homeware sellers such as DFS. Overall sales in Dixons’ electricals division grew by 12pc in the 17 weeks to August 29 in the UK and Ireland, the firm said. This was despite a 90pc fall in sales at travel hub stores, which remain mostly shut thanks to the collapse in commuters and international tourists.

It also recorded a 56pc drop in its mobile phone division, following the closure of 531 High Street stores in March – a move that resulted in 2,900 redundancies.

Chief executive Alex Baldock said: ‘In the UK and Ireland alone we grew online sales by more than £500m in four months, growth that stayed strong even as stores reopened.

‘We’ve started the year well, but nobody knows what the future holds and, like many, we remain cautious in our outlook.’

Dixons Carphone surprised the City yesterday by announcing a plan to list a minority stake in its Nordic business.

The move would ‘shine a light on the value of the Nordics business’, bosses said yesterday, pointing to an impressive 49pc jump in online sales in the 17 weeks to August 29.