UK Stock Market News: Dunelm, Computacenter, Johnson Services

Three key news stories unfolding as the UK stock market opens. Check out our companies reporting diary for upcoming results from FTSE 350 and selected international stocks.

1. Hot weather holds back early FY27 sales at Dunelm

Full year results are out from Dunelm LON:DNLM this morning with revenues up 3%, gross margins improved by 10 basis points and digital sales now accounting for 42% of income. Management do note that trading in the first six weeks of FY27 was softer than had been expected, as a result of the hot weather, whilst in a separate note today, a three year strategic plan was also unveiled. This will see £100m of unproductive cost removed from the business by FY29, maintaining margin and boosting ROCE.

2. Record H1 posted at Computacenter

Computacenter LON:CCC issued interim numbers today with gross invoiced income up 59% and gross profits some 30% higher in what is being seen as a record first half. That was also significantly ahead of expectations with strong pipeline conversion and growing customer demand both contributing. There’s a record order backlog at the end of the trading period and management now expect FY26 pre tax profits to be at least £380m, that’s significantly ahead of current expectations around the £340m range.

3. Despite macroeconomic challenges, Johnson Services profits move up

Interims from Johnson Services Group LON:JSG show revenues up fractionally but margin improvement has boosted adjusted operating profits by almost 4%. That comes despite the well-reported macroeconomic headwinds and a weaker than expected performance in the hospitality sector. Full year targets with operating margin of at least 14% have been reiterated.

In case you missed it

Today we start with SigmaRoc, where stronger margins, lower debt and an €118m acquisition of Lithuanian dolomite producer Dolomitas are combining to strengthen the group’s European growth story. Meanwhile, Grainger continues to benefit from strong rental demand, with occupancy holding at 96% and its Build to Rent pipeline providing a clear route to further earnings growth.

For investors looking for ideas, our latest five UK value stocks feature highlights a group of smaller companies where improving earnings, cash flow or margins could provide the catalyst for a re-rating.

Beyond equities, Norway’s $2.3tn sovereign wealth fund is considering a significant reduction in its government bond allocation – a move that could have wider implications for fixed-income investors.

And finally, our 2027 commodity outlook explores the forces shaping gold, copper, oil and agricultural markets, while we take a closer look at the increasingly important physical infrastructure themes powering the AI boom.

Watch out for updates today from Computacenter, Dunelm, Itaconix and STV and check our company diary for updates due out later in the week.

In a rather uneventful day yesterday the AIM All Share traded sideways in a very narrow channel. With US markets closed that could have been suppressing sentiment, but the negative news stories for the UK economy didn’t seem to be taking much of a toll either. The index ended down less than half a point at 799.50.