PC sales down for DSGi

Although solid growth in group revenues sends shares soaring

On the ball: DSGi chief executive John Browett said he was looking forward to opportunities that will be offered by the World Cup

UK computing sales continue to be a blot on DSGi’s copybook.

The electricals giant pleasantly surprised the market this morning by unveiling an eight per cent jump in sales for its second half to 1 May.

Sales were up six per cent on a like-for-like basis.

However, revenues generated from its UK Computing segment - which comprises PC World, DSGi Business and The TechGuys - continue to head south.

UK Computing sales were down five per cent on the previous year on a like-for-like basis and slid by 11 per cent in total.

DSGi also pleased investors by confirming that full-year underlying group pre-tax profit is set to be in line with market expectations of £80-90m. The retailer’s share price has jumped by about seven per cent today.

Chief executive John Browett said: “Whilst we remain cautious about the consumer environment for 2010, we are looking forward to the opportunities offered by this year's World Cup, with a strong line-up of products and compelling offers in place.”

The firm also revealed it has delivered £50m of its previously announced £200m, four-year cost saving programme.