Sunderland-based furniture and floorings company ScS Group said its revenue increased 2.6% to £147.9 million in the the 26 weeks ended January 28, 2023, while

The firm said underlying loss before tax was £4.7 million, an improvement of £0.9 million “and typical of H1 performance, which includes significant marketing expenditure to support the winter sale and where profitability is substantially H2 weighted.”

Interim dividend is unchanged at 4.5p.

ScS Group CEO Steve Carson said: “The group made good strategic progress in the first six months of the financial year and continued to take market share.

“We are pleased with the strength of our winter sale performance and the subsequent increase in order momentum over the last two months.

“The macroeconomic environment continues to be challenging and we are mindful of the pressures faced by many of our customers.

“Therefore, continuing to focus on our value driven proposition is more important than ever so that everyone is able to create the home they love.

“The board continues to believe that progress with the group’s strategy, ongoing cost management and a robust balance sheet places it in a strong financial and operational position.

“The outlook, therefore, is positive and ScS remains on track to deliver full year profit before tax in line with market expectations.”