Card Factory has posted a 46.4% decline in pre-tax profit in its H1 results, which slipped to £7.5m.

The greetings card and gifts retailer reported that the figure was down from £14m in the corresponding six-month period to 31 July last year.

Despite the fall in profit, Card Factory did record a 5.9% jump in revenue, which grew from £233.8m to £247.6m. The retailer said its reported store revenue growth of 2.9%, including the contribution of 30 net new stores year-on-year, of which 13 were opened in its latest H1 period.

Looking to H2, Card Factory said its expectations would remain “unchanged” despite a challenging consumer environment. The company said its pre-tax profit would follow a similar second-half weighting profile to its FY25, when it posted £64.1m for the full year.

“Our resilient first half performance against a challenging retail backdrop demonstrates the effective execution of our growth strategy and our ability to navigate inflationary pressures,” Card Factory CEO, Darcy Willson-Rymer, commented.

“Our core stores business performed positively during the period, supported by new store openings, while our ongoing range development resonated strongly with customers, driving successful spring seasons.

Willson-Rymer also suggested that with the peak festive season ahead, the company was “well prepared” for its most important trading period.

“Building on the success of our H1 seasonal performance, we have strong plans in place for H2 to deliver on our quality and value proposition including new Christmas ranges and a significantly expanded Halloween range,” added Willson-Rymer.

“These plans, combined with our ongoing productivity and efficiency programme, mean our expectations for the full year remain unchanged.”

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