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Investing.com -- Kingfisher raised its full-year profit guidance on Tuesday after posting a 10.2% increase in first-half earnings, helped by solid demand in the U.K, sending its shares soaring more than 19% in early London trading.
The home improvement retailer, which owns B&Q and Screwfix in the U.K. as well as Castorama and Brico Depot in France and other markets, said it now expects adjusted pretax profit at the “upper end” of its £480 million to £540 million range, compared with £528 million in 2024/25.
Adjusted pretax profit came in at £368 million for the six months to July 31, with sales up 1% to £6.81 billion.
Underlying like-for-like sales rose 1.9%, with the second quarter showing 1.4% growth. B&Q and Screwfix reported like-for-like gains of 4.4% and 3.0% respectively, aided by favorable weather that lifted sales of outdoor products.
Retail profit margin increased by 40 basis points to 6.6% in the first half, supported by stronger gross margin and cost initiatives, leading to 16.5% adjusted EPS growth to 15.3 pence.
The company said it gained market share in the U.K., France, and Spain.
“Our expectations for our markets for the year remain consistent with what we outlined in March, whilst mindful of mixed consumer sentiment and political uncertainty,” Chief Executive Thierry Garnier said.
Kingfisher also announced it is accelerating its £300 million share buyback program, now scheduled to complete by March 2026.
Statutory pretax profit rose 4.1% to £338 million, while free cash flow climbed 13.5% to £478 million.