Nisa Truck

Nisa’s strong promotional drive over Christmas has paid dividends for the company

Nisa has reported strong sales over the Christmas trading period.

The group grew total sales by 2.7% to £235.6m for the 10 weeks to 1 January and saw a 3.2% boost in volume to £19.1m.

The figures given exclude former member My Local, which filed for administration in June.

Nisa credited much of the positive performance to the success of own-label fresh produce, which delivered a 17.1% sales increase for the group and was boosted by the Festive Five promotion offering popular Christmas veg at 39p.

“I’m very pleased that we have been able to provide significantly greater investment in our promotions this Christmas to assist our members trading this festive period,” said Nisa CEO Nick Read.

The group pulled in 77 new store openings compared with 54 for the same period last year and also achieved a significant improvement in profitability, with EBITDA up 38% to £718,000 compared with £520,000 in 2015 and a loss of £2.4m in 2014.

“We believe we have delivered a strong promotional mix to drive sales and footfall in our members’ stores. This has been possible due to the strong momentum the business has now built in its three-year strategy, which has seen Nisa invest in and improve operational efficiencies while also delivering a consistently improving financial position.”

In November, the buying group won a contract to supply 298 McColl’s stores it acquired from the Co-op and secured a two-year deal with Bourne Leisure to supply 39 Butlin’s and Haven holiday park sites.