DSG's megastores plan pays off with sales rise

The owner of Currys and PC World said its transformation plans were on track after it reported a 6 per cent rise in sales for the 28 weeks to 1 May. DSG International said it was particularly encouraged by trading in UK electricals, the Nordic countries and Spain and Italy.

It has launched new format stores such as Currys Megastores and combined Currys and PC World 2-in-1 shops as it attempts to attract customers with wider ranges and improved standards of service.

Like-for-like sales in the UK and Ireland electricals business rose 6 per cent in the 28 weeks to 1 May. This was down on the 8 per cent improvement seen over Christmas, but analysts said this was still a decent performance given the impact of snow and the weak electricals market. The PC World computing business posted a sales drop of 5 per cent, below the fall of 3 per cent seen in January.

DSG is facing up to increased competition following the arrival of the US electronics firm Best Buy. Its shares rose 6 per cent to 30p after the update yesterday.