Halfords upgrades profit outlook after strong summer trading

Retail & Consumer Retail Written by: Ephrem Joseph 07:35 Thu 27 Aug 2026 --> Disclaimer No investment advice About this content Editorial Standards & Policies Share article About this content × About Ephrem Joseph Ephrem began his journalistic journey at Proactive in June 2021. With a strong academic background in Information Technology, his expertise particularly lies in the field of Cyber Security, Management Information Systems and Computer Forensics. Before joining Proactive, Ephrem worked as a researcher and lecturer at a number of leading universities, including the University of Portsmouth's Institute of Criminal Justice Studies, the University of Winchester’s Institute of Policing, and Jain... Read more About the publisher Proactive financial news and online broadcast teams provide fast, accessible, informative and actionable business and finance news content to a global investment audience. All our content is produced independently by our experienced and qualified teams of news journalists. Proactive news team spans the world’s key finance and investing hubs with bureaus and studios in London, New York, Toronto, Vancouver, Sydney and Perth. We are experts in medium and small-cap markets, we also keep our community up to date with blue-chip companies, commodities and broader investment stories. This is content that excites and engages motivated private investors. The team delivers news and unique insights across the market including but not confined to: biotech and pharma, mining and natural resources, battery metals, oil and gas, crypto and emerging digital and EV technologies. Use of technology Proactive has always been a forward looking and enthusiastic technology adopter. Our human content creators are equipped with many decades of valuable expertise and experience. The team also has access to and use technologies to assist and enhance workflows. Proactive will on occasion use automation and software tools, including generative AI. Nevertheless, all content published by Proactive is edited and authored by humans, in line with best practice in regard to content production and search engine optimisation. Halfords Group PLC ( LSE:HFD ) View Price & Profile Halfords upgrades profit outlook after strong summer trading Published: 07:35 27 Aug 2026 BST Halfords Group PLC (LSE:HFD) has upgraded its profit expectations for the current year after stronger-than-expected trading, helped by momentum across the underlying business and unusually warm summer weather. The motoring and cycling retailer now expects underlying profit before tax of between £55 million and £65 million for the year, ahead of current market consensus of £52.6 million. The previous analyst range stood at £48.9 million to £55.1 million, meaning even the bottom end of Halfords’ new guidance is around the top of earlier expectations. Halfords said trading had continued to outperform in recent months, building on the strong performance highlighted alongside its full-year results. Growth reflected progress against the group’s strategic priorities as well as particularly strong demand for seasonal products during the warmer weather. The company estimated the heightened seasonal demand contributed an additional profit benefit in the mid-single-digit millions of pounds. As a result, Halfords expects earnings for the current year to be more heavily weighted towards the first half. It plans to step up investment in technology and marketing during the second half, which will affect the phasing of profit during the remainder of the year. Halfords operates 370 retail stores, two Tredz performance cycling stores and 496 consumer garages, alongside its fleet, mobile servicing and digital operations. The company is due to provide its next trading update, covering the 26 weeks to 2 October, on 21 October 2026. Continue reading