At the Annual General Meeting to be held on 25 June 2026, the Card Factory Plc Board will recommend to shareholders a resolution to pay a final dividend of 3.7 pence per share for the year. If approved, the dividend will be paid on 3 July 2026, with a record date of 29 May 2026.
Other financial highlights include:
Total Group revenue growth of +7.4% to £582.7 million, supported by positive contributions from acquired businesses.
o Total store sales growth of +1.5%, including +27 net new stores year-on-year.
o LFL store sales broadly flat at -0.2% with higher average basket values, driven by targeted pricing actions and ongoing mix shift, offset by fewer transactions due to low consumer confidence which particularly affected H2 footfall in our peak Christmas trading period.
o Category performance reflected a -0.9% LFL decline in cards, impacting attached gifting (gifts -1.9% LFL), while celebration essentials grew +1.7% LFL.
o Revenue from wholesale partnerships of £47.2 million (FY25: £22.2 million) includes annualisation of prior-year acquisitions of Garven and Garlanna, which have performed in line with the expected acquisition economics.
o Total digital sales of £20.6 million includes £13.5 million contribution from Funky Pigeon, YoY revenue decline at cardfactory.co.uk, and closure of Getting Personal, as we focus on strengthening profitability.
Adjusted PBT of £56.0 million down -15.2%, reflecting impact of UK footfall on stores transactions and sales in key trading season; our 'Simplify & Scale' programme continued to mitigate a significant proportion of cost inflation.
Strong cash performance in FY26, free cash flow of £40.7 million, reflecting improved working capital performance year-on-year and disciplined capital investment, which offset lower trading income.
FY26 capex of £19.4m, below target range, reflecting prioritisation of spend, including significant investment in new store till point of sale (PoS) system to enhance productivity and future service propositions.
Net Debt increased £9.0 million to £67.9 million, after acquisition of Funky Pigeon, dividends and share buyback.
Commitment to return surplus cash via £15 million share buyback, which is expected to enhance EPS.
