DFS Furniture has warned that its full-year profits could land across a wider range of outcomes after demand for sofas softened further through the autumn.
The UK's biggest upholstered furniture retailer said continued pressure on household budgets and weaker consumer confidence had hit the market in the seven weeks since its annual results in September.
At that point, DFS said group order intake for the first 12 weeks of its 2027 financial year was down 2.5% on the previous year, in line with its expectations.
It did not give an updated order figure for the 19 weeks to 8 November.
The company admitted it had "not been immune" to the tougher climate but said its two main brands, DFS and Sofology, were still outperforming rivals.
That claim rests on banking data from Lloyds covering 14 specialist upholstery retailers.
DFS is now spending on targeted promotions to lift conversion rates, meaning the share of shoppers who actually buy, ahead of Black Friday and its Winter Sale, while keeping tight control of costs.
Fluctuating footfall, fragile consumer confidence and the early stage of the financial year mean profit expectations "naturally carry a wider range of potential outcomes", the group said.
Investors will get a fuller picture on 21 January, when DFS publishes its half-year trading statement.
There was better news from the group's push into homewares beyond sofas and chairs.
Its fifth mezzanine, an extra floor of selling space, opened at the DFS Leeds Birstall showroom in October and is trading in line with expectations.
DFS sees mezzanine expansion as a low-risk way to grow this part of the business.
Tim Stacey, chief executive, said the consumer environment had remained challenging through the autumn.
"As we enter the important upcoming trading periods, we are focused on what we can control," he said.
