Musical equipment retailer Gear4music (Holdings) PLC (LON:G4M) saw sales soar in the run up to the key Christmas trading period.
Total sales jumped 42% to £34.6mln in the four months to December 31, up from £24.4mln in the same period a year earlier.
READ: Gear4music sees strong sales but at a cost
That growth was driven largely by stronger demand abroad, with Europe and rest of world sales climbing by more than two-thirds to £15.8mln (2016: £9.4mln).
Gear4music’s home UK market is still comfortably the biggest revenue driver, generating sales of £18.8mln in the period – a 25% year-on-year increase (2016: £15.0mln).
Customer figures rise
Revenue growth was underpinned by a sharp rise in active customers, which jumped 38% to 450,000 come the end of December.
“We are very pleased with our trading performance over the last four months, with sales growth of 42% building on the 44% achieved in the first half, and trading for the year to date is in line with the board's expectation,” said chief executive Andrew Wass.
“This has been achieved as we continue to invest in our customer proposition, marketing, people and websites, all with a view to enhancing our long-term growth prospects.”
Wass added: “We are confident that the Group will continue to grow rapidly over the medium and longer term, as we continue our mission to become the best musical instrument and equipment retailer in Europe.”
Shares were down 2.9% to 750p early on Friday.