AN upbeat note on prospects has been sounded by the chief executive of the Luxembourg-based company which owns discount retailers B&M and Heron Foods - two stores popular with North East Lincolnshire shoppers.
According to chief executive Alex Russo, trading of its Christmas merchandise, including toys, was "excellent", and he is confident that performance will prove resilient during the rest of 2025.
In a statement, he says: "Our performance reflects disciplined operational execution across our businesses, driving volume and in turn profit growth.
"The business remains undistracted by the current economic headlines.
"Our operating model is well set up to give customers exceptional value when they need it most."
He continues: "Our strategy is clear - we are an everyday low-price discounter with a laser-like focus in keeping excellence in retail standards and lowest costs."
The company has come a long way since founders Malcolm Billington and Brian Mayman opened their first store in 1978.
It now has almost 900 stores across Britain and 104 in France (where it originally traded under the name Babou).
In September 2023, the company acquired 51 former Wilko stores but not the one in Cleethorpes where the premises were not large enough, nor the one in Grimsby top Town where it already has a premises.
There has been occasional speculation that it might be tempted to open a store on part of the site occupied by the former Pleasure Island theme park, but there is no prospect of this while the Lidl-led redevelopment scheme remains snarled in planning red tape.
Elsewhere, the company says it is on track to open 73 new stores in the coming months - 17 Heron Foods plus 45 B&Ms in the UK and 11 in France.
Some of the products in the company's extensive winter range
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