Consumer electricals andbmobile phone retailer Dixons Carphone has edged up its guidance for annual profit on the back of strong Christmas trading.
The firm said it expected a 2015-16 pretax profit of £440-450m compared to analysts' previous average forecast of £440m and the £381m made in 2014-15.
Dixons Carphone trades as Currys, PC World and Carphone Warehouse in the UK and Ireland, Elkjop and El Giganten in Nordic countries and Kotsovolos in Greece.
It said sales at stores open over a year rose 5% in the 10 weeks to January 9, ahead of analysts' average forecast of a rise of 3%.
Like-for-like sales rose 5%, 3% and 9% in the UK & Ireland, Nordics and Southern Europe divisions respectively, with market share won in all territories.
Dixons Carphone, formed through a merger in 2014, also updated on strategic progress, signalling an intention to bring its three brands under one roof.
It said it would merge the remaining PC World and Currys stores and insert a Carphone Warehouse offering, which would reduce store store numbers by 134 but result in an anticipated neutral or better impact on sales and staff numbers.
A spokesperson for the company said it has 115 stores in Ireland and this will reduce to 100 under the new plan. No jobs are expected to be cut, however.
The company's new strategy will require an investment of £50m and a provision of about £70m in 2015-16, but would boost profit by about £20m from the 2017-18 year.
The group also said the Sprint store trial in the US had been successful and it had reached agreement to activate the full joint venture to manage a targeted 500 stores.
A new distribution agreement with TalkTalk in the UK has also been signed.
