Figures against tough climate
Laminate and wood flooring retailer Floors 2 Go has unveiled a slump in pre-tax profits and like-for-like sales this morning, but said it was still on course to meet expectations for the full year.

The group, posted a pre-tax profit of£580,000 for the six months to June 30, down from£750,000 the year before. Like-for-like sales fell 8.6 per cent over the period, with the first quarter 19.7 per cent down and the second quarter 2.2 per cent up.

Chief executive Simon Farnsworth maintained that the future of the specialist flooring market had good long-term potential and that trading conditions had shown levels of improvement in recent months. He said: 'Despite difficult market conditions in the first half, Floors 2 Go remained operationally robust with lower average store costs and strong cash generation.'

Current trading at the business has been stronger, with like-for-like sales up 6.1 per and total sales up 9.7 per cent since the half year end to September 3.

Farnworth added that: 'There remains a further opportunity to develop the brand, particularly in London and the Southeast of England.'

Floors 2 Go has pledged to roll out a customer fitting service across its entire 139 store porfolio by the end of the year. The retailer has also launched a trade card to capitalise on the proffesional building market and improve repeat business.