JD Sports has stated that its profit guidance is in line with market expectations, despite Hargreaves Lansdown describing the sports retailer’s sales performance as "underwhelming" over the peak festive season.

In the nine weeks to 3 January, JD Sports’ group like-for-like (LFL) sales dropped by 1.8% year-on-year, following a 1.7% decline in Q3.

Although the company recorded a 1.5% increase in Q4 LFL sales in North America, which is its largest market, this growth was offset by LFL sales shrinking by 3.4% and 5.3% in Europe and the UK, respectively.

JD Sports said that weaker UK sales were a result of a volatile consumer backdrop, with “resilient Black Friday and peak holiday season event-driven demand” more than offset by weakness in the first half of December.

Chief executive officer at JD Sports Fashion, Régis Schultz said: "Overall sales during the peak period were in line with our expectations, against a volatile consumer backdrop.

"We responded decisively in the final weeks of the period by choosing to make targeted price investments, and we saw improved sales in the immediate run-up to Christmas Day and the period after, demonstrating the strong customer appeal of JD Sports and its complementary fascias, in a challenging market."

JD Sports is expecting profit before tax to reach market expectations of £849m in the current financial year, and has initiated free cash flow guidance of £400m.

In the 2027 financial year, the retailer said it will accelerate initiatives across several divisions to strengthen its customer proposition and will maintain its core trading disciplines, with a focus on cost efficiency and productivity to support operating margin expansion.

Following the announcement, shares in JD Sports jumped by 4.5%.

Equity analyst at Hargreaves Lansdown, Aarin Chiekrie, stated that JD Sports had suffered in the final quarter of its financial year.

He concluded: "JD Sports hasn’t kicked 2026 off in style, with a relatively underwhelming sales performance over the peak festive season. The group had entered the period on the back foot, having lowered its full-year profit guidance back in November due to weak macroeconomic and consumer data.

"That trend continued over Christmas, with trading in the UK remaining a major pain point. UK consumers are simply cutting back on the discretionary items JD Sports sells as their spending power comes under pressure."

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