JD Sports reports mixed Christmas trading performance
JD Sports has reported organic sales growth of 1.4% in its fourth quarter to date after posting a mixed like-for-like sales performance in its Christmas trading period.
In the nine weeks to 3 January, like-for-like sales fell by 1.8%, broadly in line with performance in the third quarter. While like-for-likes declined by 5.3% in the UK and 3.4% in Europe, trading improved in the retailer’s largest market of North America, where sales rose by 1.5%. Sales in Asia Pacific increased by 2.8%.
Subscribe to TRBJD Sports said it continued to see resilience in clothing sales during the period, driven by the strength of its product range, although footwear sales were softer as expected due to end-of-cycle product headwinds.
Regis Schultz, chief executive of JD Sports, said: “Overall sales during the peak period were in line with our expectations, against a volatile consumer backdrop.
“Black Friday saw strong customer engagement across all regions, but demand softened in the first half of December, particularly in Europe and the UK.
“We responded decisively in the final weeks of the period by choosing to make targeted price investments, and we saw improved sales in the immediate run-up to Christmas Day and the period after, demonstrating the strong customer appeal of JD and its complementary fascias, in a challenging market.”
Looking ahead, the retailer said it remains focused on delivering against its strategic objectives. These include the rollout of new ecommerce platforms in the UK and Europe from 2026, following successful implementations in the US and Italy. The group is also ramping up automation at its Heerlen distribution centre to support store replenishment across JD Europe.
Shultz added: “We remain confident that our agile, multi-brand, cross-category approach will enable us to outperform the market, and deliver strong cash flows and enhanced shareholder returns. For FY26, we expect full year profit before tax and adjusting items to be in line with current market expectations, and free cash flow of c.£400 million, underpinned by disciplined execution and a strong balance sheet.”
