FTSE 250 movers: Dunelm slumps; Computacenter gains
By Frank Prenesti
Date: Tuesday 09 Sep 2025
(Sharecast News) - FTSE 250 (MCX) 21,592.21 0.08%
Homewares retailer Dunelm reported modest full-year top-line growth on Monday but noted a cautious start to the new financial year, stating that while it was "pleased with early trading", it had yet to see signs of a sustained consumer recovery.
Dunelm said revenues had risen 3.8% to £1.77bn in the year ended 28 June, while pre-tax profits ticked up 2.7% to £211.0m. Gross margins improved by 60 basis points to 52.4%, supported by disciplined buying and strong sell-through of seasonal ranges. Diluted earnings per share increased 3.2% to 76.8p.
The FTSE 250-listed firm said digital sales made up 40% of total revenues, up from 37% a year earlier, driven by growth in Click & Collect and enhanced online capabilities. However, net debt, on the other hand, increased to £102.0m from £55.6m, following investment in new stores, the acquisition of Home Focus in Ireland, and the purchase of the Designers Guild brand and archive.
Dunelm proposed a final dividend of 28.0p per share, taking its FY ordinary payout to 44.5p, up 2.3%. Including a special dividend of 35.0p paid in April, total dividends declared for the year were 79.5p per share.
However, Dunelm also stated that it although it has continued to gain share in a homewares and furniture market which grew slightly for the first time since FY22, it was yet to see signs of a wider consumer recovery so far in FY26, with consumer confidence remaining "lacklustre".
Miner Hochschild gained as Anglo American announced a merger with Canada's Teck Resources.
Computacenter posted a dip in first-half pre-tax profit on Tuesday but struck an upbeat note on the outlook and said it expects some recovery in public sector activity in Germany.
In the six months to the end of June, adjusted pre-tax profit fell 3.8% to £81.5m. Revenue rose 30.8% to £3.99bn, with gross invoiced income 27% higher at £5.67bn.
Gross profit increased 8.6% to £504.2m. Computacenter said this was driven by excellent growth in North America and good growth in the UK, partly offset by softer performances in Germany and particularly France.
The company hailed a record first half in North America, with operating profit nearly doubling against an easier comparative. This was achieved through a combination of buoyant hyperscale customer demand as well as growth in volumes with enterprise customers across a variety of sectors, it said.
Chief executive Mike Norris said: "We executed well during the first half delivering growth in both Technology Sourcing and Services against a backdrop of significant macroeconomic and political uncertainty. Furthermore, we have significantly expanded our base of major customers over the past year, reinforcing our resilience and positioning ourselves for sustainable growth.
"Building on the strong momentum seen during the second half of 2024, North America delivered another record performance, with growth across all areas. We remain excited about both the short and long-term growth opportunity in this market. We are also pleased to see the UK return to growth following a renewed focus on our target customers. While public sector activity in Germany has been subdued we are confident in both the strength of our team and our customer relationships and we anticipate some recovery in public sector activity in Germany in the second half."
Computacenter pointed to a "healthy" order backlog position and said it has made a strong start to its third quarter, especially in North America. As a result, it still expects growth in adjusted operating profit for the full year.
FTSE 250 - Risers
Lion Finance Group (BGEO) 7,555.00p 5.66%
Investec (INVP) 575.50p 5.50%
PRS Reit (The) (PRSR) 103.00p 5.10%
Hochschild Mining (HOC) 342.00p 5.04%
Kainos Group (KNOS) 914.00p 4.28%
Computacenter (CCC) 2,392.00p 4.09%
Raspberry PI Holdings (RPI) 433.70p 3.95%
Oxford Nanopore Technologies (ONT) 168.30p 3.82%
Coats Group (COA) 79.90p 3.77%
PPHE Hotel Group Ltd (PPH) 1,400.00p 3.55%
FTSE 250 - Fallers
Dunelm Group (DNLM) 1,112.00p -9.22%
Abrdn (ABDN) 178.20p -4.81%
Gamma Communications (GAMA) 1,004.00p -4.20%
Future (FUTR) 734.50p -3.86%
Jupiter Fund Management (JUP) 114.80p -3.20%
Bakkavor Group (BAKK) 216.00p -3.14%
Trainline (TRN) 259.40p -2.85%
C&C Group (CDI) (CCR) 167.20p -2.79%
HGCapital Trust (HGT) 486.00p -2.41%
Burberry Group (BRBY) 1,198.50p -2.32%
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