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Group like-for-like sales down 1.8% over 9 weeks to Jan 3

*

North America like-for-like sales up 1.5%

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UK like-for-like sales down 5.3%, Europe down 3.4%

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Expects 2025/26 profit in line with market expectations

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Expects 'muted market growth' in 2026/27

(Adds shares in paragraph 5, details in 8 to 10)

By ‌James Davey

LONDON, Jan 21 (Reuters) - British sportswear retailer

JD Sports Fashion on Wednesday reported a fall in

underlying sales ​over the key Christmas trading period, as

stronger demand in the United States was ‍outweighed by weaker

trends in the UK and Europe.

The FTSE ⁠100-listed group, which ⁠makes about 40% of its

revenue in North America through its JD Sports, Hibbett, DTLR

and Shoe Palace ‌stores, said sales on a like-for-like basis ​fell

1.8% in the nine weeks to January 3, versus a 1.7% fall in the

third quarter.

Like-for-like sales were up 1.5% in North ⁠America but down

5.3% in the UK ‍and down ​3.4% in Europe. They rose 2.8% in Asia

Pacific.

The group said it saw continued resilience in apparel sales

but soft trading in footwear in what ‍CEO Regis Schultz called a

"volatile consumer backdrop".

Shares in JD Sports were up 2.2% in early trading, paring

losses over the last year to 4.4% that reflects pressure on the

group's core, younger and less affluent customer base, a market

driven by discounts and a drop-off in demand for Nike ( NKE )

products, which make up about ​45% ‍of its sales.

JD SPORTS WARNS OF SUBDUED GROWTH AHEAD

The group expects a year to end-January 2026 profit before

tax and adjusting items to be ​in line with current market

expectations of 849 million pounds ($1.14 billion), down from

the 923 million pounds made in 2024/25.

It also cautioned it currently anticipates a period of

"muted market growth" in its 2026/27 year.

It said this assessment was based on the weak spending

outlook for its core customer demographic and because its major

brand partners are in "the early stages of ​the innovation

pipeline".

But the group said it still expected to outperform the

market.

Trading updates

this month from Tesco ( TSCDF ),

Sainsbury's ( JSNSF )

, Marks & Spencer ( MAKSF ) and Primark have

shown Britons prioritised festive food but thought twice about

spending on clothing and gifts ‍for Christmas.

($1 = 0.7444 pounds)