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Outstanding financial results for The Entertainer to year end January 2018 and 25% total sales growth at the half year

04/10/2018

The Entertainer, the fastest-growing, family-owned high street toy retailer in the UK, has today posted a 38% YOY profit increase for the 12-month period ending January 2018. The retailer, which now has 148 stores across the UK, delivered a total sales increase across all channels of 7.4% with LFL store sales being broadly flat. TheToyShop.com, The Entertainer’s online platform, reported a 28% sales increase.

In the same period, The Entertainer paid out profit-related bonuses of £1.9m to its employees. The company’s policy of tithing profits resulted in donations of £1.3m and along with other schemes such as Payroll Giving, ‘Pennies’ and carrier bag donations, their total charitable donations exceeded £2m for the first time.

Gary Grant, Founder and Chairman of The Entertainer, comments, “I’m delighted with these results and credit our continued success to a combination of tight cost control, the strength of our own label offering, our skill at capitalising on trends such as L.O.L. Dolls and our enthusiastic, loyal staff.

Looking at current trading, I’m encouraged that at our half year 2018/19 total sales increased by 25% with LFL store sales growth of 12% and, following the successful re-platform of our website, online sales are trading 21% up on last year. Our growth agenda will continue, and we will be looking at every opportunity to expand both nationally and internationally”.

Current year store growth will see a further 12 new stores open along with 10 existing stores being refitted/relocated, including the re-opening of its global flagship Westfield London store following a £750,000 make-over. A successful trial with Matalan during 2017 has also seen 59 in-store toy departments opened during September.

The board are very optimistic about the financial outcome for the current trading year.


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For further press information and to book interview time with Gary Grant, please contact the press office on: entertainer@speedcomms.com

About the Entertainer

The Entertainer was founded in 1981 in Amersham, Buckinghamshire by husband and wife team, Gary and Catherine Grant, who instilled the driving force and mission; to be the best-loved toyshop – one child, one community at a time. Today, it continues to be a privately-owned company and is renowned for being the largest independent toy retailer in the UK with a total of 145 stores. As well as a strong High Street presence, The Entertainer has a successful website platform (TheToyShop.com) which offers a 30-minute click and collect service and has 22 million visits annually and growing. The Entertainer is also recognised for its charitable giving. Each year it tithes 10% of its net annual profit to charity, in addition employees are encouraged to donate directly through Payroll Giving. The Entertainer is also an active member of the Pennies scheme, the digital upgrade of the traditional charity box, which enables customers to donate a few pence to charity at the point of sale when paying by card. On average, this generates £5,000 of customer donations to Children’s hospitals each week. The Entertainer currently employs over 1200 staff across the stores and a further 160 in the Head Office in Amersham, Buckinghamshire.