ScS saw orders jump by 79% compared with 2019 between April and June and limited the annual decline to under 10%.
Orders from 4 April to 12 June were 79% higher than in 2019 and 370.8% higher than 2020, when stores were closed for the majority of the period.
Orders from 24 January to 3 April were 86.2% lower than 2019 and 82.9% lower than 2020.
Combined orders for the 46 week period were 9.5% lower than in 2019 and 10.6% higher than 2020.
The chain says it plans to restore the dividend, beginning in July.
‘The board is encouraged by the group’s strong trading performance since re-opening. The group is well positioned to maximise opportunities for growth. The group has a robust balance sheet and the re-introduction of dividends today reflects the board’s confidence in the business going forward. As such, and given the strength of the current order book, the board’s outlook for FY22 is substantially better than current market forecasts.’
