The increasing popularity of robotic vacuum cleaners has helped retail chain Godfreys post a small rise in annual revenue in 2021-22 even though its store network has shrunk since the business changed hands in mid-2018.

Chief executive David Lee said the convenience factor for households is behind the growth in sales of the robotic vacuum cleaner, and he expects the trend to keep accelerating after consumers lifted their spending on the cleaning category in the first two years of the pandemic.