Bensons for Beds - with stores in Gloucester and Cheltenham - has announced a return to 'operating profitability' and says it saw two-year like-for-like growth of 10.5 per cent in the key seven-week trading period ending 15th January.

The nationwide bed and mattress retailer has turned an operating loss of £24.9 million for the ten months to April 2021, into an operating profit of £1.6 million for the five months to the end of September 2021.

The retailer saw orders reach record levels in the autumn followed by double digit sales growth from the August bank holiday through to its post-Christmas peak.

That strong performance has continued into the new year, both in-store and online.

Online sales are still in strong double digit like-for-like growth compared to 2019.

Nationally, Bensons opened eight new stores in December, including five relocations - part of 20 new openings over the previous 12 months, taking the total number of stores to 179.

Around 35 new stores and relocations are planned for 2022, with 15 in the first half of the year as Bensons accelerates its growth plans.

Product innovations included a vegan-friendly mattress collection 'Naturals Solutions' by Slumberland and Airstream by Slumberland, a pocket sprung mattress with a layer of luxury 'greener' memory foam.

Slumberland collections, Eco Solutions & Clima Latex, were launched as part of a five-strong range of mattresses that benefit from Pro-Bio - Slumberland's 100% natural protection from allergens, bacteria, and dust mites, keeping mattresses fresh and clean.

Bensons has begun to re-engineer its supply chain as it sources more products in the UK to cut lead times for customers and protect them from global shipping delays. In 2021, around 65 per cent of its products were manufactured in the UK.

Bensons is backed by Alteri, the specialist European retail sector investor, establishing Bensons as a standalone business in 2020.

For the five months to 30 September 2021, it turned over £101.9 million and delivered an operating profit of £1.6 million, a step-on from the 10-month trading period to 30 April 2021 where it generated revenue of £148.4 million and an operating loss on continuing operations of £24.9 million.

Ian Shepherd, chairman of Bensons for Beds, said its transformation plans are built around being an 'omnichannel retailer'.

He said: "Though some macroeconomic uncertainty remains, the business is well positioned to push ahead with its transformation and to deliver the growth we have set for ourselves."

Mark Jackson, Bensons for Beds chief executive, said: "Our return to profitability is an important milestone, it's simply a consequence of doing the right thing by customers.

"Our transformation is not yet complete. In the year ahead we'll keep focused on our customers, on how they want to shop with us - online and offline - and on making their experience as they invest in their sleep, as easy as it can be."