Gear4music: Yorkshire firm 'well prepared' for key Christmas period as revenues lift
Yorkshire-based musical instrument retailer, Gear4music, has said it is “well prepared” for the key Christmas trading period, as the company saw its revenues lift.
Gear4music saw its revenues lift six per cent year-on-year to £85.4m for the six months ending September 30. The figures came against what the firm described as “very strong prior-year comparatives”.
In the UK, Gear4music saw revenues lift three per cent to £51m, while the firm’s revenues for Europe and the rest of the world lifted 11 per cent to £34.4m.
Speaking on the results, Gear4music's executive chair, Andrew Wass, said: "We are pleased to report further revenue and gross profit growth in the first half, building on the significant progress achieved in FY26 and against very strong prior-year comparatives.
“Our performance reflects the strength of our customer proposition in a challenging environment for discretionary consumer spending.
“We are well prepared for the important peak trading period. With this key part of the year still ahead, the Board continues to expect the Group's financial performance for the year ending 31 March 2027 to be in line with consensus market expectations."
It came as Gear4music said it expected its earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) to land at £5.7m in the half year, down from £6.5m a year prior.
The firm said the shift represented previously reported setup costs associated with its new automated UK warehouse/
Market expectations for Gear4music’s full-year results prior to the latest announcement saw the firm posting revenue of £200.2m, EBITDA of £16.0m and profit before tax of £6.0m.
The company is set to report its interim results for the six months ended 30 September 2026 on 17 November 2026.
It comes as Gear4music is also making a string of major investments into its online platform.
Mr Wass added: “We continue to invest in our e-commerce platform and operational capabilities to support sustainable, profitable growth over the medium and longer term.
“The development of our new automated UK warehouse continues to progress and is an important part of this investment, with the anticipated initial setup costs reflected in our first-half earnings.”
Speaking to The Yorkshire Post in June, Mr Wass hailed the major opportunities presented by the new distribution centre, as he confirmed that the company would be looking to add jobs as it invests in the site.
The musical instrument retailer first announced plans for its new distribution centre in November, with the company later confirming that it was investing an estimated £10.2m into the first phase automation and fit-out at the new site.
Mr Wass told The Yorkshire Post: Mr Wass: “We are employing new people at the new site, and we're very much retaining what we've got from York as well.
“I think the nice thing with this is that long term its going to make our business much more efficient.”