9 February 2017 – Trading update
The group has issued a trading update covering the three months to 31 December which has revealed that revenues have risen to £1.6bn from £1.4bn whilst the underlying operating loss remained a constant £49m. This loss is normal given the nature of the business with most profit being made in the summer months when more people go on holiday. The company has stated that current trading is on track with 82% of the 2016/17 winter programme being sold, in line with expectations, whilst summer 2017 is 31% sold with bookings up 9% on last year. The company has expanded its holiday offering to Greece and other smaller European destinations in line with strong demand. Adjusted pre-tax profits for the year to 30 September 2017 are expected to rise to £194m (2016: £168m), with earnings per share on the same basis increasing to 10.4p (2016: 8.5p). The shares remain a BUY.