Retail giant B&M has upped its predicted earnings after reporting "particularly encouraging" sales ahead of the 'Golden Quarter'.
The Liverpool-headquartered firm said in a trading update on Wednesday that while group revenues have been "broadly in line" with market expectations, gross margins have been stronger than originally anticipated in the UK business.
A statement said: "Performance of general merchandise and seasonal categories has been particularly encouraging.
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"Sell-through rates in those categories have been high and accordingly end of season markdowns have been limited."
As a result, it said the group now expects adjusted EBITDA for the six months to 25 September 2021 to be in the range of £275m to £285m.
The previous estimate was £235m.
The statement added: "Although the group is well positioned for the upcoming Golden Quarter, trading patterns and strength of customer demand remain highly uncertain for the balance of FY22."
The firm said it will provide further detail in its interim results on November 11.
