Homebase’s total sales were down 2.5% to £475m in the 18 weeks to December 31, 2011.
In a trading statement Homebase parent company Home Retail Group said the DIY retailer had seen “resilient” sales in a volatile and demanding trading environment.
Sales for the 44 weeks ended December 31 reached £1.31bn, a reduction of 2.1% over the prior year and down 1.3% on a like-for-like basis. Group benchmark pre-tax profits for the full year are expected to be around the mid-point of the analysts’ range of £78-125m.
The Homebase branch network stayed the same at 342 during the final 18 weeks of the year.
“Big ticket sales were down and continued to be impacted by the challenging market, while sales for the remaining categories were broadly flat,” said Home Retail Group.
