Sales of trainers and tracksuits at JD Sports are sprinting along, but the group’s camping and other clothing stores haven’t quite broken out into a jog so far this year.
“Robust” was the verdict on business at JD’s eponymous stores, which sold 7% more box-white trainers, hoodies and other sports clothes that most buyers never intend to play sport in during the 18 weeks to 8 June.
But Bank and Scotts, JD offshoots that sell brands including Superdry, Pauls Boutique, and Lipsy, suffered a 5% decline in sales in that same period — and the retailer warned that this fashion division would post a higher loss in the first half as a result.
It wasn’t much better news at its outdoor stores, Millets and Blacks, which JD said “have recorded positive like for like sales, [but] at a significant margin sacrifice.”
JD — which bought all of Blacks Leisure’s 290 stores out of administration for £20 million in January — admitted profitability at its outdoor brands was still “a work in progress” and warned that the division will make “a substantial but significantly reduced loss” in the year.
Still, those trainer sales at JD branches means the JD Sports Fashion group overall expects to hit City expectations. But shares fell 4.5p to 885.5p.
