JD Sports said more than 20 of its stores in the UK have closed in the past year as it aims to have ‘fewer, bigger, better’ shops – and it warned the situation in the Middle East could soon ‘contribute to direct cost pressures’
JD Sports Fashion confirmed it has closed more than 20 of its stores across the UK.
The sports retailer operates 4,811 stores worldwide and has warned that geopolitical factors, including the situation in the Middle East, could have an impact on its profits and overall costs.
JD said higher costs could also push up prices and weaken customer demand. The store closures, which took place over the past year, comes as the company aims to have “fewer, bigger, better” shops.
While JD said the Iran war has had no “direct exposure” on the business so far, with it only having a handful of franchised stores in the region, the company warned that “heightened uncertainty” could eventually “contribute to direct cost pressures”, Manchester Evening News reports.
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JD said: “Over time, the potential future impacts of heightened uncertainty may contribute to direct cost pressures, including energy and fuel costs across our store and logistics networks, respectively, as well as potential indirect impacts on pricing and consumer demand should input cost inflation emerge.”
As it faces uncertainty, the retailer said it was providing a wider range of profit guidance for the next financial year. It is now forecasting a pre-tax profit of between £750million and £850million.
This would mark a decline from the £852million pre-tax profit the company made for the year to the end of January 2026, which was down 6.4% compared with the previous year. Total organic sales for the group, which excludes the impact of acquisitions, increased by 2.1% year on year to £12.66billion.
In the UK, JD blamed the decline of organic sales on a “tough consumer backdrop”. Since the end of the financial year, JD also said cold and wet weather had dampened sales. It said trading in April was “volatile”, with a strong Easter performance followed by fewer visitors to shops
Regis Schultz, JD’s chief executive, said: “We delivered a resilient performance, achieving organic sales growth of 2.1% despite tough market conditions.
“Our deep understanding of our customers and lifestyle trends give us a clear view of how they want to shop and spend, allowing us to consistently deliver the right products, in the right places and at the right prices.
“Whilst we continue to expect muted market growth in FY27 (2027 financial year), we remain confident in JD Group’s medium‑term trajectory, underpinned by our strong brand partnerships and agile, multi‑brand model.”
