# Halfords hikes profit outlook thanks to warm weather boost

By Susannah Streeter — 2026-08-27

With Halfords announcing that the prolonged and hot summer helped upgrade its annual profit outlook, with a rise in customer demand for bikes, camping and air conditioning services, Susannah Streeter, chief investment strategist at Wealth Club said that it remains to be seen “how much of the improvement reflects underlying strength in the business”.

She said: “The sun is shining on Halfords with shares accelerating after the retailer upgraded its profit expectations with the heatwave bringing in a swelling tide of purchases. The company now expects underlying pre-tax profit for the year to come in between £55 million and £65 million, ahead of the previous market consensus of around £52.6 million.

“As temperatures rose, bikes and camping equipment sold like hot cakes, as people made the most of the heat on weekend trips and UK staycations. The record-breaking weather also saw a surge in demand for aircon services for cars, to keep motorists and passengers cool. Halfords said the unusually warm weather generated incremental profit in the mid-single-digit millions of pounds. Shares surged up to 14 per cent in early trading, but some gains were pared back as investors appeared to assess the longer-term implications for the company.

“The weather accounts for a large bulk of the profit upgrade, so there is still a question mark over how much of the improvement reflects underlying strength in the business. Management says some of the gains from this summer of spend will be invested in technology and marketing, but with profits expected to be heavily weighted towards the first half, the challenge will be keeping the wheels turning once the heat windfall fades.”

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