The High Street might be in crisis but JD Sports keeps chugging along.
The retailer, derided by some as purveyors of fashion for the youthful and idle, again showed it is possible to keep sales rising even in the face of a prolonged economic downturn.
In the three months to November 20, sales were up 1.5%, with a clear preference from shoppers for sport rather than fashion items. JD said: “The trading environment in our markets remains tough and particularly so for [fashion],” adding that sports goods rose 3.5% in the 16-week period whereas fashion dropped 6.6%.
JD raised eyebrows when it took on struggling outdoor goods group Blacks at the start of the year. It insisted today that the future is bright: “We have commenced investment into the Blacks stores and early signs are encouraging.”
As usual, JD said full-year results are “substantially dependent” on trading through the Christmas period, particularly the last two weeks of December.
