Sunderland-based furniture and floorings retailer ScS Group said on Thursday its order book at January 25 was £148 million — double the size it was a year ago — driven by “the ongoing demand and supply chain challenges which have extended product lead times.”

In a trading update for the 26 weeks ended January 29, 2022, SCS Group said: “The group traded well through the important winter sale period and order intake for the first half of the year was in line with the board’s expectations, with one year like-for-like order intake growth of 16.6%.

“Two year like-for-like order intake is in line with that achieved in the pre-pandemic 26 week period to 25 January 2020.

“The group’s online offering and appeal to customers continues to strengthen, with online order growth of 55.8% compared to the equivalent 26 week period to 25 January 2020.

“The group’s order book has grown significantly against previous comparative periods, driven by the ongoing demand and supply chain challenges which have extended product lead times.

“As at 29 January 2022, the Group’s order book is double the size it was at 25 January 2020, at £148.0m.

“The group is working closely with suppliers to mitigate the risk of continued supply chain disruption in the second half of the financial year.

“The board is pleased with the group’s bookings performance to date and it remains on track to meet full year expectations.”