Briscoe Group owns Briscoes Homeware and Rebel Sport.
Briscoe Group has reported record sales for its fourth quarter after strong homeware and sporting goods purchases over the holiday period, although margins had to remain competitive to achieve it.
For the period from October 27, 2025 to January 25, 2026, Briscoe Group reported unaudited group sales of $256.6 million, 4.58% ahead of the $245.3m reported in the prior corresponding period.
Rebel Sport drove the result with sporting goods sales in the quarter lifting by 6.46% compared to last year, while Briscoes Homeware sales lifted by 3.45%.
At the end of November, the group opened its new flagship Rebel X store, after transforming its existing Panmure Rebel Sport site.
With the final-quarter results in, Briscoe Group is reporting total unaudited sales for the full year of $798.8m, 0.93% above the $791.5m it made the year prior.
Both segments delivered positive sales growth over the year, with homeware sales up 1.42% and sporting goods up 0.13%.
The group’s share price on the New Zealand Stock Exchange was up 1.63% by midday to $5.00.
Briscoe Group managing director Rod Duke said it was particularly pleasing to see both homeware and sporting goods return positive sales growth for the full year.
“In a year marked by persistent pressure on consumer sentiment and discretionary spending – coupled with the group tracking behind last year’s sales for the first nine months – delivering strong fourth-quarter growth and achieving record full-year sales is an outstanding result,” Duke said.
Duke said despite the competitive retail environment, a key objective for the group was to reduce the year-on-year decline in its gross margin percentage.
At the company’s half-year result, the group had invested 154 basis points of gross margin to maintain flat sales.
Duke said that through targeted promotional adjustments and a focus on specific trading opportunities, the group had managed to halve its margin decline, falling by 75 basis points across the second half, while also delivering 1.95% sales growth over the same period.
He expected the full-year group gross profit margin to close at around 39.2%.
Online sales managed to reach 20.04% of total group sales, breaching 20% for the first time in the group’s history, following its successful migration to a new Adobe platform earlier in the year.
Turnover in stock for the business had also made progress, with closing inventories at least $5m below 2024.
Duke said the group remained firmly committed to rigorous management of inventory and costs.
“I am also pleased to report that total store and overhead expenses will finish less than 1.5% higher than last year – an excellent outcome in an environment where rising business costs have been widely reported.”
Interest income for the year is expected to be roughly $3.2m less than last year, due to lower interest rates and reduced cash holdings.
Key to that reduction is the group’s ongoing progress on the construction of its new Drury distribution centre, which Duke said remained on schedule and within budget.
Looking ahead to the business’ full year result, Duke said the group’s full-year net profit after tax would be in line with previous guidance and is expected to fall within the range of $59m to $60m.
“The team continues to do an exceptional job balancing gross margin investment, driving sales and maintaining tight cost control.
“At the same time, we continue to advance our strategic initiatives and although our fourth-quarter performance is encouraging, ongoing economic recovery and consumer confidence will be important in sustaining momentum.”
Briscoe Group will report its full-year result on March 11, 2026.
Tom Raynel is a multimedia business journalist for the Herald, covering small business, retail and tourism.