Dixons Carphone shares erase gains after error

Image copyright
Getty Images

Dixons Carphone’s shares slipped after it said its earlier report of a rise in sales before Christmas was wrong.

Sales for the last 10 weeks of 2019 actually fell by 2% rather than going up by 2% as the company told investors earlier on Tuesday.

The shares were up 2% after gains of up to 5% earlier in the day.

A rise in sales of supersize 65-inch TVs could not outpace a sharp fall in Dixons Carphone’s struggling mobile phone business, where revenue fell 9%.

The fall in its phone arm is in line with expectations, and Dixons Carphone has said that it expects this to be a “trough” year for the mobile phone business.

Mobile sales have been under pressure because people are moving away from high-value monthly contracts and are upgrading their handsets less frequently.

The fall in sales follows a familiar trend.

Recent data from the British Retail Consortium revealed that retail sales fell for the first time in a quarter of a century last year.

And John Lewis recently warned that its staff bonus may be in doubt after reporting Christmas sales at its department stores dropped by 2%.

Image copyright
Currys PC World

Dixons chief executive Alex Baldock hailed its Gaming Battlegrounds computer game experiences, which he said was helping gather more customers.

However, he told City analysts that he was “not counting” on an improvement in the UK shopping market.

Source link