The U.K. parent of Finish Line, DTLR Villa and Shoe Palace is now expecting that pre-tax profit for the fiscal year ending Jan. 29 will be at least £875 million ($1,197 mm), well ahead of earlier guidance of £750 million. Same store sales were up more than 10% in the 22 weeks ended Jan. 1, driven by solid results from the Black Friday through Christmas period, and gross margins were said to be about the same as last year. JD credited its strong vendor relationships for keeping it adequately stocked despite supply chain disruptions.

Fully £100 million of the projected profits ... Log in to view full article.