Global retailer JD Sports has suffered a sales decline in its fiscal half-year, with the sole region of growth being in Asia Pacific (Apac).

Recording $11.1 billion (£5.89 billion) in sales for the six months ending August 1, JD Sports’ half-year total was down 0.7 per cent on fiscal 2026. North America made up the largest portion of these sales, but Apac was the only region to increase sales on an organic basis year-on-year, and it did so by 10.7 per cent.

Régis Schultz, CEO of JD Sports, called it “a resilient performance against a challenging backdrop of consumer cost-of-living pressures”.

“We remained focused on ‘controlling the controllables’ – progressing our strategy at pace while maintaining tight cost and capital discipline,” he added.

The same period, however, brought a near 75 per cent increase in profit before tax. The half-year sum of $454 million, up from $260 million, marked a rebound from last year’s figure, which was hampered by a $307 million, one-off charge.

“We achieved several strategic milestones in the period. We continued to broaden our product proposition, with apparel and accessories growing to 36 per cent of group sales, alongside strong momentum in performance-based running and newer footwear styles,” Schultz said.

“While the trading environment remains tough, I am encouraged by the progress we are making and confident in our strategic execution. My thanks go to all our colleagues worldwide for their continued hard work and focus.”

JD Sports’ physical store presence continues to drive the business , contributing 79 per cent of total sales in the half-year.

Source link