Angling Direct hails record Black Friday, opens new Barnsley store

Angling Direct hailed a record Black Friday performance on Monday, as it announced the opening of a new store in Barnsley.

The fishing tackle and equipment retailer said it achieved a record performance over the Black Friday week, with total sales up 11.3% on the same period a year ago to £1.86m. In the week from 25 November to 2 December, it supplied 5,862 new customers, with Black Friday transactions 28.9% higher at 18,204.

Profit during the period rose 49.5% on last year as it took a "selective" approach to discounting items, with a 10% maximum discount being applied across the core product ranges.

The company said it continues to trade in line with market expectations and management is confident that it will continue to deliver growth through the second half of the year.

Chief executive officer Darren Bailey said: "We are delighted to report that trading remains strong, which is due to recent store openings, enhanced operational performances both in store and online, and our targeted approach towards Black Friday, which resulted in a record performance."

The retailer also said it had opened a new store in Barnsley, South Yorkshire, over the weekend, taking the total number of stores to 33.

At 0950 GMT, the shares were up 4.7% at 69.12p.