Car-parts retailer Halfords has beaten the high street gloom with a 4.3 per cent uplift in like-for-like sales for the year.
Full-year pre-tax profit rose eight per cent to £90.2 million, beating analyst forecasts, and the retailer said it is confident about its prospects for the current financial year.
Analysts had expected a profit of between 83.5 million pounds and 90.0 million, according to Reuters.
Halfords said it saw strong sales growth across all its categories - car maintenance, car enhancement and leisure – with car maintenance and cycling performing particularly well.
In a statement, acting joint managing directors Nick Wharton and Paul McClenaghan, said: "Automotive sales since the year-end have been in line with expectation, with sales of leisure products having gained momentum following the slow start to the season that was impacted by a cold and wet April."
Halfords said it opened 29 stores over the year, with three of these in the Czech Republic.
Shares in the retailer, which floated in 2004, rose 2.81 per cent on the London Stock Exchange in morning trading.
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