B&Q owner Kingfisher has revealed adjusted pre-tax profits for the six months to August 1 will be between £285m and £290m.

The DIY chain owner was forced to report the headline figure early after draft results leaked out on Monday due to an “administrative error”.

The profit haul compares to £214m earned during the same period last year.

Kingfisher said this year’s interim retail profit would be in the range of £345m to £350m, broadly made up of UK and Ireland £148m, France £146m and “other international” £53m.

Kingfisher will release its interim results on September 17, as planned, when it will provide more details on sales. It added the rest of the financial year is expected to see “challenging trading”.

The firm, which also owns Screwfix and French DIY chain Castorama, reported in July that like-for-like sales in the 10 weeks to July 11 were down 2%.

But market share had improved, with B&Q being boosted by competitors withdrawing from bigger-ticket areas, such as kitchens and bathrooms.

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