An East Lancashire bed company has reported positive growth over the past 12 months, with sales up seven per cent.

Bensons for Beds, based in Huncoat, has said it is in a strong position despite the tough sales market in the past 18 months caused by the cost of living crisis.

The full year like-for-like sales figure of seven per cent growth for the year ending September 30 follows consistent sales in each quarter of the year, and comes off the back of a strategy put in place to deal with the changing market.

Over the past 12 months, Bensons has seen a growth in market share in its core categories, and has made significant gains through online sales, which are up 22 per cent year on year.

It has opened 14 new stores in the past year and has seen its customer satisfaction scores improve by 15 per cent thanks to investment in customer service and delivery.

The purchase of mattress brand eveSleep has also boosted sales, with the brand returned to profitability in under a year, and the launch of new products in the Slumberland range and new exclusive products, including sofa beds and TV beds, has boosted consumer interest.

Nick Collard, chief executive for Bensons for Beds said: “The last 12 months has been tough for the retail sector as the cost of living continues to hit consumer spending hard.

“We planned for this, and alongside last year’s acquisition of eveSleep, this has put us in a strong position to offer a breadth of quality sleep solutions at affordable prices - delivering an even more profitable business through consistent and steady growth.

“Going into next year we are conscious the market will remain challenging, particularly for big ticket items, but as a business we have confidence that what we are doing is delivering positive results. 

“Bensons is a great brand, and we have a massive opportunity to transform it into the ultimate sleep solution specialist that caters to today’s and tomorrow’s consumer.

“In 2024, we will continue to focus on the areas that are in our control; building our reputation for delivering great value through excellent customer experience and stylish, quality products at affordable prices, matched to all types of sleepers.”