Overview
- JD Sports, which reported results Thursday, posted revenue of £12.66bn for FY26 with adjusted pre‑tax profit down to £852m.
- It forecast pre‑tax profit of £750m to £850m for FY27 to reflect uncertainty linked to the Iran–Middle East conflict, despite only a small franchised presence in the region.
- UK trading weakened with organic sales down 2.5% and like‑for‑like sales down 3.9%, and the group closed 24 UK stores as part of a ‘fewer, bigger, better’ strategy.
- Management flagged volatile April trading after wet weather and said footwear sales were held back by product‑cycle timing, so it expects muted growth this year.
- Analysts say JD is shifting from rapid rollout to cash returns, noting strong free cash flow, net cash on the balance sheet, higher dividends, and a share buyback.