British car part and bike retailer Halfords has said car interior gadgets such as satellite navigation and i-Pod connectors drove up its sales in the current financial year.
In a trading statement, it said annual profits for the year to March 30 would be in line with expectations.
Halfords, which has around 420 stores selling engine oil and bike tyres to tents and audio equipment, said like-for-like sales had risen 5.3% over the year despite a continuing drop in margins. Total sales, including new stores, were up 9%.
On average analysts currently expect the firm to make an underlying pre-tax profit of £82.3m.
Chief executive Ian McLeod said the firm was looking to increase the number of its stores in the UK by another 30% and said the firm was also sizing up the rest of Eastern Europe with the firm's first stores in the Czech Republic set to open this year.
'We think there is scope for about 550 Halford stores across the UK and Ireland,' he said.
