DFS Furniture has reported a strong first-half performance.
In a trading update covering the 26 weeks to 28 December 2025, the furniture retailer said it expects underlying profit before tax to come in at £30–31m, representing a year-on-year increase of £13–14m.
Order intake for the period rose 2.3%, with both the DFS and Sofology brands delivering growth.
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Gross sales recognised on delivery are expected to be up around 8.7% year on year.
Chief executive Tim Stacey said: “Our three key enablers of scale and vertical integration, utilising data and harnessing our unique culture are strengthening our market leading proposition and driving order intake across both DFS and Sofology in a broadly flat market.
“We have continued to make good progress growing our gross margins and managing our cost base effectively. As a result, I am pleased to report an upgrade to our full year profit expectations following a strong first half performance.”
The retailer said trading through the key Winter sale period has started in line with expectations. While acknowledging ongoing uncertainty in the macroeconomic and consumer environment, DFS has upgraded its full-year outlook, now expecting underlying PBT to be in the range of £43–50m, ahead of current market consensus of £41m.
Stacey added: “I am confident that the business is well positioned to continue delivering against our strategy and we remain committed to achieving our medium term targets of £1.4bn revenue and 8% PBT margin and delivering attractive returns for our shareholders as the market recovers.”
Separately, DFS confirmed the appointment of Dominique Highfield as its new chief financial officer, joining in May 2026. Highfield is currently CFO at Bloom & Wild and has previously held senior roles at Purplebricks, Pentland and Amazon. Interim CFO Marie Wall will step down following a transition period.
The group will publish its interim results on 19 March.
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