London, England, December 13, 2005--Carpet retailer Carpetright rolled out an 18.9% decline in first-half profit as it struggles against challenging market conditions, according to ShareCast.
Pre-tax profit fell to £24.9m for the 26 weeks to 29 October from £30.7m the year before. Sales for the period fell to £215m from £235m the year before. The interim dividend was maintained at 19.0p.
"Despite weak market conditions the Group has continued to deliver robust operating profits and cash-flows," it said in company statement.
"The Group is well positioned to grow sales and profits as soon as the market improves," it added.
Carpetright continues to invest in new stores and its underlying infrastructure, both in the UK and Europe, and plans to open two stores in Poland in the second half.
