Card Factory (LSE:CARD) said it expects Adjusted PBT in FY27 to be in line with current market consensus of about £58.2m as it published preliminary results for the year ended 31 January.
The group's revenue rose 7.4% to £582.7m in FY26 while Adjusted PBT fell 15.2% to £56m, with softer high‑street footfall in the second half hitting peak trading.
"We are encouraged by the positive contributions of our acquired businesses, with the acquisition of Funky Pigeon accelerating our digital capabilities and strengthening our platform for future online growth," said Darcy Willson‑Rymer, Chief Executive.
Total digital sales were £20.6m including £13.5m from Funky Pigeon, wholesale revenue increased to £47.2m (FY25: £22.2m) after Garven and Garlanna, and total store sales grew 1.5% with 27 net new stores taking the estate to 1,117.
It generated strong free cash flow of £40.7m (98.9% of adjusted earnings), invested £19.4m of capex, and net debt rose £9m to £67.9m after the Funky Pigeon acquisition, dividends and buyback.
The Board recommended a final dividend of 3.7p, taking total FY26 dividend to 5.0p (FY25: 4.8p), and committed to a £15m share buyback to return surplus cash and enhance EPS.
Management said the 'Simplify & Scale' programme delivered £21m of benefits in FY26 and will continue to mitigate inflationary pressures while supporting medium‑term mid‑to‑high single‑digit Adjusted PBT growth per annum.
Trading for the first three months of FY27, excluding incremental benefit from Funky Pigeon, was in line with the prior year and the company said 100% of its foreign currency and 80% of energy requirements are hedged for the remainder of FY27.
