Half year sales rise for The Works

The group, which has its headquarters in Coleshill, Birmingham and stores across the West Midlands, said trading was up 3.5 per cent on a like-for-like basis.

Online sales were down 16.9 per cent for the arts, crafts, toys, books and stationery chain but still ahead 50 per cent on pre-Covid levels.

Sales in both channels were adversely affected during May by operational issues in the aftermath of the cyber security incident in March.

There was particularly strong growth in the summer, when the refreshed outdoor play range performed well, followed by a record 'Back to School' season.

The expansion of the book offer has been a great success, with recent new titles such as Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Diper Overlode by Jeff Kinney, The Bullet That Missed by Richard Osman and It Starts With Us by Colleen Hoover being particularly strong sellers.

Gavin Peck, chief executive of The Works, said: "We have delivered a resilient performance in the first half with positive sales growth overall, demonstrating continued progress against our 'better, not just bigger' strategy. Our more customer-focused product proposition has continued to resonate, supported by the hard work and fantastic customer service delivered by our colleagues, helping to offset the challenging trading conditions being seen across the market.

"Although it is very difficult to predict what Christmas will look like this year, we believe that the great products and fantastic value we offer will be more important than ever, with families still looking to celebrate Christmas but in a more affordable way. The Works has proven itself to be a resilient business and we remain confident in our ability to make progress on our strategy and deliver growth in the medium term, supported by a robust balance sheet."

The full results and an update on Christmas trading will be announced on January 20.