Carpetright boss Darren Shapland’s improvement plan, initiated when he took up the role a year ago, looks as if it is paying off.

Carpetright boss Darren Shapland’s improvement plan, initiated when he took up the role a year ago, looks as if it is paying off.

Threadbare trading in the Netherlands hit full-year performance but in the UK like-for-likes rose as did margin. While the retailer booked almost £15m of exceptionals such as onerous lease provisions, underlying operating profit increased 42.5%.

The improvements, as has often been the case in recent tough times, have been down to self-help measures that simultaneously brought down costs and generated business.

For instance Carpetright managed to reduce rents by an average of 10% as leases came up for renewal. There should be more to come on that front as 20% of its estate is up for renewal over the next five years.

And the retailer seized opportunity by establishing a presence in the beds category. Beds now account for nearly 7% of total UK sales and for 10.8% of the sales mix in stores where they are sold.

It’s not quite sweet dreams for Carpetright yet – the retailer remains on many brokers’ sell lists - but neither is it a complete nightmare in Purfleet.

Dixons’ results show some spark

Dixons’ prelims last week showed the retailer retains its heavyweight status in the rumble in the electricals jungle.

The market leader certainly took a hit on its pureplay Pixmania business, which racked up a loss of £31m. However the retailer is acting to address the problems there and in difficult markets such as Turkey.

But in its core domestic and Nordic divisions performed well. The retailer is doing a good job, in group chief executive Seb James’ words’, of “monetising conversations” by acting as a bridge between supplier and consumer – a position that its store estate enables it to do through the provision of informed advice and service.

An ever smaller price differential between Dixons and pureplay rivals, and improvements to its own digital and multichannel operations, add to the retailer’s strengths.

Dixons may be the last man standing among the specialists but unlike some other retailers that have been in a similar position, it looks more like a champ than punch-drunk.