Matalan has good Q2 but supply chain issues hamper sales

By

Sandra Halliday

Published
Oct 19, 2021

Matalan revenues rose fast in the latest quarter, but they could have risen faster if not for supply chain issues. The company is staying cautious as logistics problems continue to frustrate its efforts to get the product customers want into its stores. 

The omnichannel retailer said the last few months have seen stock coming into the UK being delayed and the situation isn’t yet improving.

But first those results. The discounter reported that sales from its 228 stores and webstore rose to £264.7 million from £258 million year-on-year in the second quarter.

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And it made a £35 million in operating profit in the three months to the end of August, compared to a £36 million loss a year ago and a £15.9 million profit in this year’s first quarter. Q2 was its first full quarter without lockdowns and showed just what can be achieved now that consumers are feeling more confident about shopping again.

And in further signs of life getting back to normal, it said its dress ranges were popular and it “saw a real recovery in smart and formalwear as more people returned to the office and freshened up their work wardrobe”. Both dresses and office clothing were weak a year ago as people continued to work from home, despite there being no lockdowns in the UK.

But as mentioned, supply chain issues are a blot on the brightening landscape. Executive chairman Steve Johnson said: “Over the last few months we have been feeling the impact of disruption within the inbound product supply chain, delaying the flow of stock into the UK and adding extra costs into the process. We are working closely with suppliers and partners to manage and mitigate the effects of this.

“The combination of the negative impact of product delays coupled with the very positive reaction of our customers to great new product when it does arrive means that we expect availability to remain somewhat compromised over the coming months.”