Bradford-based digital department store Freemans announces bumper Christmas despite ‘continued pressures’ on customers

Bradford-based digital department store, Freemans, has announced a jump in Christmas sales despite what the company’s CEO has described as one of the “toughest” financial quarters she can recall.
Michael Crossland
By Michael Crossland
Published 30th Jan 2024, 16:45 BST

Sales figures at Freemans rose 5 per cent when compared to last year for the eight weeks to the 31 December 2023,

The results come against a challenging backdrop for the wider retail sector this Christmas, as reports from the Office of National Statistics showed a 3.2 per cent month-on-month drop in December sales.

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Ann Steer, CEO of Freemans, said: “The last quarter was one of the toughest I can recall, with continued pressures on the customer’s purse. As such I am delighted with the strong growth that we have delivered over Black Friday and Christmas.

Freemans has announced a jump in Christmas sales despite what the company’s CEO has described as one of the “toughest” quarters she can recall. Image shows a still from the company's Made You Look ad campaign.Freemans has announced a jump in Christmas sales despite what the company’s CEO has described as one of the “toughest” quarters she can recall. Image shows a still from the company's Made You Look ad campaign.
Freemans has announced a jump in Christmas sales despite what the company’s CEO has described as one of the “toughest” quarters she can recall. Image shows a still from the company's Made You Look ad campaign.

“Sales were so encouraging that it allowed us to come out of sale earlier than last year and start the new season focusing on full price rather than discounting clearance.”

The announcement comes after last year, Freemans announced that it would drop its physical catalogue for the first time in its 118-year history. The firm also engaged in what it described as an “aggressive digital transformation journey”.

Ms Steer added: “Our announcement to drop the catalogue, something that in the past has been central to both our business and firmly embedded within the nation’s shopping habits for over a century, was very clearly the right thing to do with customers old and new responding well to our digital first approach.”

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