Furniture Retailers Warn of Falling Sales as Cost of Living Crisis Dents Big-Ticket Spending

• DFS warns of £10m lower profits and £65m lower sales as demand for high-cost household goods weakens significantly • Wickes also reports challenging consumer environment for larger purchases, with sales at established stores down 0.3% • Multiple factors affecting consumer confidence and spending, including cost of living crisis, rising interest rates, economic uncertainty • DFS says about 25% fewer sofas being sold in UK now compared to pre-pandemic • Wickes buys 51% of solar power installer to enter growing market for home energy solutions