© Reuters. FILE PHOTO: A social distancing information sign is seen at a Dunelm store, in St Albans, Britain October 15, 2020. REUTERS/Peter Cziborra
(Reuters) – Dunelm (LON:) would pay a special dividend, the British homeware and furniture retailer said on Wednesday, after it posted a record pretax profit in the first half of the year, benefitting from robust demand.
The special dividend of 37 pence per share is the group’s second one in six months.
Dunelm posted a 25.3% jump in profit before tax to 140.8 million pounds ($190.83 million) for the 26 weeks ended Dec. 25, citing “very encouraging” store sales for the period, in line with a January forecast of around 140 million pounds.
Gross margin rose to 52.8%, fuelled by higher full-price sales of seasonal ranges and reflecting in part the impact of COVID-19 lockdowns on margins last year.
The group, which grew into one of Britain’s largest homeware retailers with over 170 stores countrywide, also underlined British consumers’ increased interest in home improvement, which would help its annual pretax profit meet market…
