Carpetright’s third profits warning in last six months

The floor coverings retailer said signs of improvement reported earlier this year had tailed off to leave UK like-for-like sales flat in the eight weeks to last Saturday, compared with the 1.9 per cent improvement seen in January.

Shares dived 8 per cent after the company said underlying profits for the year to the end of April will be in the range of £3.5m to £5.5m, against £9.7m a year earlier.

As well as the slow recovery in the UK, Carpetright has continued to face difficult trading conditions in the Netherlands, which is the company’s second biggest market with 95 stores.

Executive chairman Lord Harris said: “In our last trading statement, we reported that like-for-like sales in the UK were volatile, and this remains the case.

“Nevertheless, based on previous experience we had expected to see some recovery as UK housing transaction volumes improved.

“In the event, this has yet to materialise and the momentum established in the third quarter was not sustained.”

The retail industry veteran made a dramatic return to the helm after the shock departure of chief executive Darren Shapland last October.

He added: “With the important Easter trading period still to come, we are continuing to concentrate on a range of self-help measures as we seek to improve the group’s performance.”

Like-for-like sales in Carpetright’s division covering the Netherlands, Belgium and Ireland fell by 5.3 per cent in the eight weeks, widening to 8.5 per cent lower when including currency movements.

Carpetright employs around 200 staff at its 48 stores in Yorkshire and the Humber.