Profits fell by more than a quarter at Syston-based Dunelm with the company blaming a "challenging retail environment".The UK's leading homewares retailer said sales dipped 1.6 per cent from £430 million to £423.1 million in the 26 weeks to December 31, excluding newly opened stores, but including revenues generated by its recently acquired Wordstores chain.Excluding Worldstores, which owns the Kiddicare and Achica brands, sales nudged up 1 per cent from £452.4 million to £460.5 million.Read more: Homewares retailer snaps up online rival Group pre-tax profits fell 26 per cent to £55.9 million.Chief executive John Browett tried to make the best out of a disappointing situation, saying he was confident Dunelm "will emerge as an even stronger market leader".He said: "We are in a transitional year for Dunelm and it has been a particularly busy first half – whilst we are operating in a challenging retail environment, especially in homewares, we remain focused on investing in and developing our business for the future."
We are still in the midst of this exciting journey, and whilst trading was slightly softer than we would have liked due to a weaker market, we continue to increase our share and are confident that we will emerge as an even stronger market leader."Mr Browett said he remained committed to his long term plans for the business."We have opened five new stores in the period and have more openings and refits planned in the second half," he said.Dunelm delivered more promising online sales.Home delivery revenues grew by more than 20 per cent to £33.7 million, excluding Worldstores, up from £28.1 million for the same time last year.Read more: Dunelm reports healthy Christmas salesMr Browett said: "Our home delivery channel continues to perform well and our acquisition of Worldstores will accelerate our online capabilities and growth potential."We have significant opportunities to improve performance through various initiatives and will continue to invest."Dunelm's business model remains one that is hard to replicate, and we continue to generate significant levels of cash for shareholders, allowing a further increase in the dividend."
Investors did not share Mr Browett's confidence this morning, with many opting to sell out of the business. This pushed the share price to a 12-month low of around 625p.Skip to main content Skip to accessibility help More than 10 in stock Standard delivery within 5 working days More information on international delivery Returns are free - Sort By: Name – Sort by: Name – Descending Sort By: Price – Sort by: Price – Descending Sort By: New – Sort by: New – Descending Sort By: Order per View – Sort by: Order per View – DescendingFREE Standard Delivery On orders over £40 FREE Next Day Click & Collect On orders over £20 International Delivery Find out moreTreat your sofa to a new look Is your sofa looking a bit old and tired? Or are you just ready for a different look? Our range of sofa covers give you a quick and easy way to renew your sofa and the whole room. Check out our covers for armchairs and footstools, too, if you fancy more changes to your seating.
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A mattress topper sits on top of a mattress, offering a layer of memory foam or extra padding. When we surveyed 937 mattress topper owners (April 2016), nearly half of them said their topper made their mattress a little more comfortable, and four in ten said it made it much more comfortable. Overall, some 84% of owners agreed that their topper had improved the comfort of their mattress. But you'll want to make sure you're buying a good-quality mattress topper, and that starts with choosing a trusted brand.You can buy a mattress topper for as little as £20, although most cost more than that. So make sure your money is well spent - use our survey results to choose the right one for your budget.members have rated their mattress toppers on how comfortable they are, how well they matched the description, and value for money. We’ve awarded customer scores to all the leading brands: Dunelm, Ikea, John Lewis, Marks and Spencer, Silentnight and The White Company. As you can see from the table below, there's a difference of 18 percentage points between the highest and lowest-scoring brands.
members should log in now to unlock the full results. If you're not already a member, you can get instant access to this and all our other independent reviews by signing up for a £1 trial of Which?. Mattress topper brands survey results How well it matched the description Table notes:Sample sizes: Dunelm (147), Ikea (84), John Lewis (219), Marks and Spencer (60), Silentnight (44), The White Company (31)members have full access to all our reviews - log in now if you're already a member, or try a trial subscription to Which? to get instant access to our site.When you sign up, you'll get access to this exclusive review as well as thousands of others.We test products in the way you use them, looking at quality and ease of use without being bamboozled by manufacturers' claims.We buy every product we test and don't accept any advertising.When you join Which? you get a monthly magazine, you can phone our legal service and money helpline, and you can access Which? Local, where members share recommendations for services in your area.