Tesco PLC, Marks and Spencer, Whitbread and ASOS set to report as

On Jan 15, 2022

Retailers including Sainsbury’s and Boohoo, consumer favourites likes Games Workshop and housebuilders Persimmon and Taylor Wimpey are among those reporting as the 2022 financial calendar gets busy

After the festive holiday break, retailers of all stripes are queueing to inform investors in the coming week how this key period went for them, with Tesco, Marks & Spencer, JD Sports, ASOS among them.

Other sector themes to look out for include updates from a handful of housebuilders, including Persimmon and Vistry; insights into travel trends via Premier Inn owner Whitbread, into omicron-related stay-at-home delivery habits from Just Eat, and into the much-mentioned staffing shortages seen in the second half last year via a pair of recruiters.

Tuesday 11 January

Santa’s Workshop?

Following a quiet Monday in the diary, Tuesday is slightly busier, with Games Workshop Group PLC (LSE:GAW) another company that can offer insights into how some consumer habits are enduring amid the pandemic’s current wave.

The FTSE 100-listed tabletop gaming outfit has already said that half-year sales will be not less than £190mln and profit before tax at least £86mln.

Given capacity constraints, higher freight costs, supply chain disruption and impact from restrictions such as in Australia, investors will be hoping to hear that management are confident of a much stronger performance in the second half as £500mln of investment is pumped into manufacturing and logistics.

With some major launches coming up in coming months, broker Peel Hunt said this could provide a further boost.

Staffing insights

Amid much talked about staff shortages in many sectors of the UK economy, this should provide a good backdrop for recruitment firms Robert Walters (LSE:RWA) PLC and PageGroup (LSE:PAGE) PLC to give fourth-quarter updates on Tuesday and Wednesday respectively.

Indeed, both recruiters issued statements last month indicating that business is buoyant.

Robert Walters (LSE:RWA) said profit before tax was “expected to be comfortably ahead of market expectations”. The market is currently expecting earnings before interest and tax (EBIT) to be around £47.mln.

PageGroup (LSE:PAGE), meanwhile, said full-year operating profit should reach £165mln, up from £17mln in 2020. The consensus forecast for underling earnings (EBITDA) is £208mln.

Wednesday 12 January

Will Sainsbury’s continue to underwhelm?

Wednesday’s retail sector, with statements expected from blue chips J Sainsburys PLC and JD Sports Fashion PLC (LSE:JD.), along with sofa seller DFS Furniture (LSE:DFS) PLC.

The first trading updates from the retail sector are likely to confirm a pretty miserable festive season on the high street, said analysts at AJ Bell.

But for food retailers, Christmas seemed to be “executed pretty well for shoppers”, said broker Shore Capital, though they cautioned that costs – especially labour – are the main determining factor behind the earnings…