JYSK sets new turnover record despite corona challenges

With a turnover of 32.6 billion DKK, JYSK has once again set a new record in the financial year 2020/21 despite closed stores and restrictions.

During JYSK’s financial year from 1 September 2020 to 31 August 2021, JYSK and other nonfood retailers have faced a lot of challenges.

Nevertheless, JYSK can once again present an all-time high turnover of 32.6 billion DKK, even though the company has been challenged – especially in Germany, which is JYSK's biggest market, and where the stores were closed for a period of more than four months.

“I am very pleased that we have been able to increase turnover by 7 percent despite the fact that our stores have been temporarily closed in almost all markets. I see this both as a result of customers in Europe spending more on home furnishing in general, and as a result of my colleagues around the countries being quick to adapt to a new situation and focus more on online sales and Click & Collect,” says Jan Bøgh, President & CEO of JYSK.

Online sales increased significantly

This is supported by the fact that online sales have increased by 43 percent during the financial year. This is in addition to JYSK’s Click & Collect solution, where customers order from home and pay in the store when the products are picked up.

“Because customers pay in the store, it does not count as online sales in JYSK in terms of accounting, but it is obvious that the interaction between our webshops and physical stores has been absolutely crucial for us to be able to raise our turnover in the past financial year,” says Jan Bøgh.

Additional customers

He is also pleased by the fact that JYSK has been able to say "hello" to 230,000 additional customers compared with the previous financial year.

"We are very pleased with this, as it has been achieved despite the restrictions and closing of stores in many countries. This has caused the number of customers to decrease in some countries, and it makes me extra proud that we have managed to compensate and increase the number of customers so significantly in other countries. Now the challenge will be to hold on to the new customers, while returning to the previous level in the countries where the closures resulted in a loss of customers,” says Jan Bøgh.

He is also pleased that JYSK has succeeded in significantly increasing both the number of customers and sales in some of the countries where JYSK has only in recent years begun to open stores.

This applies to, among other countries, Ireland and Belgium, where growth is very high despite the fact that JYSK has not been able to open as many stores as planned due to restrictions.

Thus, at the end of the financial year, JYSK had 3,085 stores, which is 136 more than the year before.

Big plans

That number must be increased in the coming years, where JYSK, in addition to opening new stores, will convert a large number of stores to the latest concept. The plan is that all stores will have been converted by the end of August 2024.

At the same time, there is a special focus on Germany, where almost 1,000 stores will already be rebranded on 27 September this year from DÄNISCHES BETTENLAGER to JYSK.

"It is a huge investment. Both physically in rebuilding and updating stores, changes in the range in Germany and the whole communication and marketing task of getting our German customers used to a new name. It comes on top of a year in which we have experienced a declining turnover in Germany due to the long shutdown, so it is a big task that awaits,” says Jan Bøgh.