Sales on high at Mountain Warehouse

The group said sales were up 24.7 per cent, year-on-year, to £59.3 million in the six months to 30 August, helped by the cool, wet summer. It means that the firm has delivered record half-year results for a third successive year.

Pre-tax profits rose 31 per cent to £4.3m, while the company’s “fully-integrated, multi-channel approach” continued to perform well, with internet sales up 41.3 per cent. Online now accounts for almost a fifth of revenue.

During 2015, 34 new stores are opening, or already open, taking the total to 225 by Christmas.

The firm said growth in the second-half of the year had shown no sign of easing, with the six weeks from the end of H1 also seeing “significantly positive growth” in like-for-like sales.

Mountain Warehouse has also continued its international growth with the launch of direct sales into the Chinese market through Alibaba’s T-mall website.

Mark Neale, Mountain Warehouse’s founder and chief executive, said: “We have had another amazing six months, helped by the wet August but with our summer products also selling well earlier in the season. Our cycling and running ranges also continued to perform strongly and well ahead of last year.

“I’m delighted to say, as we head into autumn, that this has continued which means that 2015 is shaping up to be another record year.”