With group sales up 11 per cent in the six months to July, Walker Greenbank (WGB) is on track to record its sixth consecutive year of double-digit revenue growth. The market has come to expect that sort of achievement from the interior furnishings group, however, and sent the shares up just 1 per cent in response to these interim results.
Demand for Walker's "quintessentially British products" remained buoyant in both the UK and international markets, thanks in large part to a 16 per cent leap in worldwide sales of the Harlequin brand. Strong sales to third-party suppliers also helped boost profits in the manufacturing division by 15 per cent to £1.8m. But the standout performance came from the US, where the completion of Walker's flagship New York showroom contributed to a 30 per cent surge in like-for-like sales - although the gain reduces to 20 per cent on a constant-currency basis.