Liverpool-based online retail and financial services firm The Very Group, owner of Littlewoods, has announced “resilient Christmas and Black Friday trading results” for the six weeks to December 27, 2025.

In November, The Very Group announced the completion of a transaction under which investment firm Carlyle became the company’s owner, with international media group IMI continuing as a key stakeholder.

The deal marked the end of the Barclay family’s involvement in the business.

“The Group’s flagship brand Very UK delivered retail sales growth of +1.9% year-on-year,” said the company.

“This was driven by strong performances in standout categories such as Home (+7.9% YoY) and Toys and Beauty (+6.4% YoY).

“Nintendo Switch 2, perfumes and Meta Quest 3S were among the best-selling items, with beauty gifts sets and coffee machines also performing well.

“Black Friday was the Group’s best trading day since the pandemic.”

The Very Group CEO Robbie Feather said: “We know that Christmas is one of the most important times of the year for the families we serve and, here at Very, we’re proud to have been able to help customers make the season extra special.

“By bringing together our great assortment of products, competitive prices and flexible ways to pay, we’ve delivered a strong performance during the Christmas and Black Friday trading period.

“Despite a challenging and competitive market, we’re delighted to see topline growth with Very UK sales increasing +1.9%, which includes a strong performance across Home, Toys and Beauty.

“Plus, we’re pleased to have been able to give more customers the flexibility to spread the cost this Christmas. Our results over the period reflect the appeal to our customers of our multi-category retail and flexible payments offering.

“This resilient performance, including our best trading day since Covid, has been made possible thanks to the ongoing commitment and hard work of colleagues from across the business.

“As we look to the future, we continue to focus on delivering our strategic priorities, including driving innovation while leveraging technology and data to improve our customer offering.

“We are confident that our proposition will remain valued by customers and we enter 2026 with a great range of product offers that our customers will love, and we are well placed operationally to navigate the unpredictable nature of the market.”