11th Feb 2025 09:22
(Alliance News) - Dunelm Group PLC on Tuesday said Nick Wilkinson will step down from the chief executive officer role as it noted it was encouraged by early trading in the second financial half.
The Syston, Leicestershire-based home furnishings retailer said pretax profit in the half-year to December 28 inched up 0.2% to GBP123.2 million from GBP123.0 million.
Revenue improved 2.4% to USD893.7 million from USD872.5 million. Dunelm upped its interim dividend by 3.1% to 16.5 pence per share from 16.0p. It also announced another 35.0p per share special dividend, like it did a year prior.
Dunelm labelled it a "good performance in a challenging environment".
"We remain confident in our advantaged business model and are progressing with our strategic plans, whilst staying mindful of a challenging sector backdrop and a cautious consumer. We are encouraged by early trading in the second half," it added.
Outgoing CEO Wilkinson said the firm will open its 200th store in the second half.
The company expects pretax profit for the full-year in line with consensus, which it puts at GBP209 million, up 2.0% from GBP205 million in financial 2024.
Wilkinson is to leave the CEO role and retire from full-time executive life, Dunelm said.
"The board will commence a formal and thorough recruitment process for Nick's successor, considering both internal and external candidates, and will provide an update in due course. Nick will remain in role until a successor is appointed, continuing to drive business performance and ensuring a smooth and orderly transition, supported by his executive team," Dunelm added.
Dunelm shares fell 0.4% to 967.50 pence each on Tuesday morning in London.
By Tom Budszus, Alliance News slot editor
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