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U.K. (FTSE) Retail Distributors Industry Analysis

UpdatedJul 28, 2026
DataAggregated Company Financials
Companies6
  • 7D2.5%
  • 3M0.6%
  • 1Y-0.07%
  • YTD4.5%

Over the last 7 days, the Retail Distributors industry has risen 2.5%, driven by gains from Inchcape of 2.8%. Meanwhile, Likewise Group actually underperformed within the industry, shrinking 9.7% in the last week. Overall in the last year, the industry is flat. Looking forward, earnings are forecast to grow by 6.9% annually.

Industry Valuation and Performance

Has the U.K. Retail Distributors Industry valuation changed over the past few years?

DateMarket CapRevenueEarningsPEAbsolute PEPS
Wed, 29 Jul 2026UK£3.3bUK£11.2bUK£257.0m10.5x12.9x0.3x
Fri, 26 Jun 2026UK£3.3bUK£11.2bUK£260.8m9.6x12.5x0.3x
Sun, 24 May 2026UK£3.4bUK£11.2bUK£261.7m10.3x13.2x0.3x
Tue, 21 Apr 2026UK£3.4bUK£11.2bUK£262.5m10.1x12.8x0.3x
Thu, 19 Mar 2026UK£3.3bUK£11.3bUK£293.2m7.3x11.2x0.3x
Sat, 14 Feb 2026UK£3.5bUK£11.1bUK£302.2m7.7x11.6x0.3x
Mon, 12 Jan 2026UK£3.3bUK£11.1bUK£302.2m7.8x11x0.3x
Wed, 10 Dec 2025UK£3.2bUK£11.1bUK£302.2m8.8x10.7x0.3x
Fri, 07 Nov 2025UK£3.2bUK£11.0bUK£303.9m9.1x10.6x0.3x
Sun, 05 Oct 2025UK£3.0bUK£10.0bUK£276.8m9x10.8x0.3x
Tue, 02 Sep 2025UK£2.8bUK£10.0bUK£287.3m9x9.9x0.3x
Thu, 31 Jul 2025UK£3.0bUK£10.0bUK£287.3m9.3x10.4x0.3x
Sat, 28 Jun 2025UK£3.1bUK£10.4bUK£277.7m9.9x11.2x0.3x
Mon, 26 May 2025UK£3.0bUK£10.4bUK£277.7m9.1x10.6x0.3x
Wed, 23 Apr 2025UK£3.0bUK£10.4bUK£277.9m9x10.8x0.3x
Fri, 21 Mar 2025UK£3.2bUK£10.4bUK£281.4m8.8x11.4x0.3x
Sun, 16 Feb 2025UK£3.1bUK£12.8bUK£302.2m9x10.2x0.2x
Tue, 14 Jan 2025UK£3.4bUK£12.8bUK£302.2m9.6x11.1x0.3x
Thu, 12 Dec 2024UK£3.6bUK£12.8bUK£301.8m10x12x0.3x
Sat, 09 Nov 2024UK£3.5bUK£12.7bUK£300.3m10.7x11.5x0.3x
Mon, 07 Oct 2024UK£3.6bUK£12.8bUK£297.0m10.5x12.1x0.3x
Wed, 04 Sep 2024UK£3.9bUK£12.8bUK£316.7m12.2x12.3x0.3x
Fri, 02 Aug 2024UK£4.1bUK£12.8bUK£316.7m12.6x12.8x0.3x
Sun, 30 Jun 2024UK£3.5bUK£12.6bUK£303.2m11.4x11.6x0.3x
Tue, 28 May 2024UK£3.8bUK£12.6bUK£303.2m12.6x12.7x0.3x
Thu, 25 Apr 2024UK£3.4bUK£12.6bUK£301.0m11.3x11.4x0.3x
Sat, 23 Mar 2024UK£3.3bUK£12.6bUK£301.2m10.5x11x0.3x
Mon, 19 Feb 2024UK£3.2bUK£11.1bUK£273.2m9.3x11.7x0.3x
Wed, 17 Jan 2024UK£3.3bUK£11.1bUK£273.2m9.3x12.2x0.3x
Fri, 15 Dec 2023UK£3.4bUK£11.1bUK£273.2m9.5x12.3x0.3x
Sun, 12 Nov 2023UK£3.1bUK£11.0bUK£267.2m9.5x11.6x0.3x
Tue, 10 Oct 2023UK£3.4bUK£11.0bUK£264.5m9.5x12.8x0.3x
Thu, 07 Sep 2023UK£3.6bUK£11.0bUK£265.1m10x13.7x0.3x
Sat, 05 Aug 2023UK£3.7bUK£11.0bUK£278.7m10.1x13.4x0.3x
Price to Earnings Ratio

13.4x


Total Market Cap: UK£3.7bTotal Earnings: UK£278.7mTotal Revenue: UK£11.0bTotal Market Cap vs Earnings and Revenue0%0%0%
U.K. Retail Distributors Industry Price to Earnings3Y Average 11.7x202420252026
Current Industry PE
  • Investors are optimistic on the British Retail Distributors industry, and appear confident in long term growth rates.
  • The industry is trading at a PE ratio of 12.9x which is higher than its 3-year average PE of 11.7x.
  • The industry is trading close to its 3-year average PS ratio of 0.29x.
Past Earnings Growth
  • The earnings for companies in the Retail Distributors industry have declined 2.7% per year over the last three years.
  • Meanwhile revenues have remained mostly flat.
  • This means that although sales have remained flat, either the cost of doing business or the level of investment back into businesses has increased, which has decreased profits.

Industry Trends

Which industries have driven the changes within the U.K. Consumer Discretionary industry?

GB Market2.33%
Consumer Discretionary1.11%
Retail Distributors2.52%
Distributors2.52%
Industry PEThere are no additional sub-industries under this industry.
Forecasted GrowthThere are no additional sub-industries under this industry.

Top Stock Gainers and Losers

Which companies have driven the market over the last 7 days?

CompanyLast Price7D1YValuation
INCH InchcapeUK£8.262.8%
+UK£78.4m		16.8%PE12.5x
SNWS Smiths NewsUK£0.712.0%
+UK£3.4m		25.2%PE6.3x
ULTP Ultimate ProductsUK£0.572.9%
+UK£1.3m		-3.4%PE12.1x
HEAD Headlam GroupUK£0.0520.8%
+UK£32.1k		-93.5%PS0.008x

Latest News

LIKE
UK£0.34
Likewise Group
7D
-9.7%
1Y
31.4%
INCH
UK£8.26
Inchcape
7D
2.8%
1Y
16.8%
SUP
UK£1.31
Supreme
7D
-3.3%
1Y
-31.0%
HEAD
UK£0.052
Headlam Group
7D
0.8%
1Y
-93.5%
New Narrative • Jul 22

Refocused Core Customers And Asset Sales Will Position This Distributor For Stronger Future Earnings

Catalysts About Headlam Group Headlam Group is a U.K. floorcoverings distributor focused on supplying independent retailers and contractors. What are the underlying business or industry changes driving this perspective?
ULTP
UK£0.57
Ultimate Products
7D
2.9%
1Y
-3.4%
Narrative Update • Jun 23

ULTP: CEO Transition And Stable Outlook Will Support Future Rerating

Analysts have maintained their £1.65 price target for Ultimate Products, citing relatively stable assumptions around discount rate, revenue growth, profit margin and future P/E in their updated models. What’s in the News for Ultimate Products Ultimate Products announced the appointment of Simon Harrison as Chief Executive Officer, following a search process to identify a successor to long-serving CEO Andrew Gossage.
SNWS
UK£0.71
Smiths News
7D
2.0%
1Y
25.2%