Warpaint London shares slump 14% as first-half sales fall and revenue outlook softens

Retail & Consumer Fashion & Brands Written by: Ephrem Joseph 04:10 Wed 23 Sep 2026 --> Proactive has a commercial relationship with Warpaint London PLC. This article was produced independently under Proactive's Editorial Standards Policy . 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. Warpaint London PLC ( AIM:W7L ) View Price & Profile Warpaint London shares slump 14% as first-half sales fall and revenue outlook softens Published: 04:10 23 Sep 2026 EDT Warpaint London PLC (AIM:W7L) shares fell 14% to 192.5p after the cosmetics group reported a steep decline in first-half sales and said full-year revenue was now expected towards the lower end of market forecasts. Revenue for the six months to June fell 17.8% to £40.5 million from £49.3 million, reflecting weaker consumer spending, cautious retailer ordering and the timing of customer orders. Adjusted EBITDA dropped 36.4% to £6.8 million, while profit before tax declined 33.2% to £4.9 million. The weaker top line was partly offset by an improvement in gross margin, which increased 230 basis points to 47.3%. Warpaint said this reflected sourcing improvements, new product development and a one-off benefit from Barry M inventory acquired at a discount. Cash generation also improved, with operating cash flow rising 81% to £7.4 million and cash at the period end reaching £20.7 million. The company remains debt free and increased its interim dividend by 6.3% to 4.25p per share. Warpaint's trading improved in the third quarter, with sales expected to rise around 5% to £28.5 million, supported by stronger Christmas gifting activity and further expansion with retailers including Rossmann, Tesco, Superdrug and Walmart. However, the board now expects full-year revenue to be towards the lower end of the current £103.3 million to £112.6 million market range, while adjusted EBITDA is still expected to remain within analysts’ £22.4 million to £24 million range. Continue reading