Rebel's loyalty database is one of the driving factors for its strong performance during the first half, Super Retail Group (SRG) has reported.
In the first half of FY21, Rebel's Active Club Members increased 12% to 3.08 million members who represented 67% of Rebel sales.
The focus on loyalty is a group-wide strategy, with SRG recognising that loyalty customers have a higher average transaction value (ATV) than non-members.
The member database is also outpacing store growth, with loyalty members growing at a rate four times faster than store growth across the group, over the past four years.
Reflecting on the results, SRG CEO and Group MD Anthony Heraghty praised the efforts of the team.
"We are pleased with a first half financial performance characterised by robust top-line growth, higher gross margin and strong operating leverage.
"We would like to again thank all of our team members whose unwavering efforts have enabled us to meet the unique challenges of COVID-19, capitalise on the unprecedented level of consumer demand and deliver a record result," he said.
In the first half, Rebel reported total sales growth of 17% to $623.7 million, driven by like-for-like sales, which were up 17.1%.
According to the report, Rebel's like-for-like sales were driven by transaction growth and higher ATV.
However, it's not just loyalty driving Rebel's performance, with a strong omnichannel strategy also playing a key role in sales.
"Our omni-retail capability has been instrumental in enabling the Group to pivot towards shifting consumer spending habits and deliver profitable growth, underpinned by strong digital sales," Heraghty added.
SRG reported that across the group, 93% of total sales involved a customer visiting a store.
For Rebel, 81% of sales occur in-store, 6% are click and collect, while 13% are delivered to the home.
These results further demonstrate the importance of the in-store experience, which Rebel has invested heavily into over the past year.
The Rebel rcx concept was rolled out to key stores in Parramatta and Doncaster, and as reported by Ragtrader, helped the business increase ATV by 20% in-store.
According to the report, the market can expect to see this concept rolled out to further stores this year.
In the half, Rebel's online sales increased by 102.1% to $119.9 million and represented 19% of total sales.
By product segment, fitness and hardgoods delivered the strongest growth, while apparel and footwear sales accelerated as COVID restrictions eased.
The best performing states for the retailer were Queensland and NSW.
Rebel's segment EBITDA increased by 74% to $119.0 million and segment EBIT increased by 85.5% to $99.6 million.
Meanwhile, segment EBIT margin improved by 610bps to 16%.
During the period, Rebel opened one store and closed four, closing out the half with 157 stores.
Overall, SRG reported that total group sales lifted 23% to $1.78 billion.