Comet sees signs of recovery

Electrical retailer Comet offered signs of an “improved performance” today, despite reporting a fall in third quarter sales.

In the three months to October 31 the chain’s turnover fell by 0.8% to £358.2m (€522m), down 3.1% on a like-for-like basis.

Its owner Kesa Electricals said this represented an improvement over the first half of the year when like for like sales fell by 4.8%.

Chief executive Jean-Noel Labroue said the group, which also includes the Darty and BUT electrical chains in France, delivered “satisfactory sales” during the period and that Comet had slightly improved its market share.

The store’s 249 branches suffered from the sector-wide slump in white goods sales but has seen a growth in new technologies such as flat screen televisions and digital radio.