FTSE 250 movers: Trustpilot slumps; Wickes surges

15th Sep 2026 13:38

(Sharecast News) - FTSE 250 (MCX) 23,833.28 -0.01%

Trustpilot posted a rise in first-half profit and revenue and said it was on track to meet full-year guidance, but shares slumped as the online review website acknowledged a couple of accounting issues.

In the six months to the end of June, pre-tax profit rose 32% to $4.3m, with revenue up 23% at $151.4m and bookings 22% higher at $171.2m.

Adjusted earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation were up 46% to a record $26.3m.

Chief executive Adrian Blair said: "AI is proving a significant tailwind for Trustpilot. As consumers increasingly use AI to discover and evaluate businesses, trusted, independent feedback is becoming even more valuable to businesses. Trustpilot's scale and authority as the #1 cited review platform globally means our content is increasingly visible in AI-generated answers.

"We are innovating at an unprecedented pace to capitalise on this shift and help businesses succeed in the AI-driven world. The recent launch of our refreshed Product Review Pages has given businesses a new layer of AI visibility, and through our expanded partnership with Shopify we are embedding trust data directly into the commerce ecosystem.

"We enter the second half with confidence in our full-year guidance and the long-term opportunity ahead."

Despite the upbeat tone, the shares tumbled as Trustpilot pointed to a $1m provision for historical US sales taxes. The company said it had reassessed its historical US state sales tax positions and identified an exposure where sales tax had not been applied to certain customer invoices in prior years.

Trustpilot also said it recently identified that technical guidance on the determination of distributable reserves was incorrectly applied and that the same issue also affected funding provided by the company to its Employee Benefit Trust to acquire shares for employee incentive arrangements.

This has no impact on the consolidated results, net assets or cash position, or on the company's current trading. However, it will need to convene a general meeting to seek shareholder approval to ratify the relevant purchases.

DIY chain Wickes said it was on track to meet expectations of a 10% jump in adjusted annual profit despite an uncertain consumer environment.

The company on Tuesday posted a 1.1% rise in earnings to £27.6m for the six months to June 27. Like for like sales rose 0.7%.

Revenue rose 2.1% to £865.3m, with LFL sales up 0.7% as wet Q1 weather held back retail demand before a modest Q2 recovery.

Retail revenue edged 0.8% higher to £639.8m, though LFL fell 0.3%. TradePro remained strong, up 5%, while DIY sales were broadly flat.

Digital convenience continued to attract customers, with Click & Collect and Home Delivery rising 7% in Q2.

D&I delivered revenue increased 5.7% to £225.5m, marking a fifth straight quarter of growth, driven by Lifestyle Kitchens and Bespoke Bathrooms.

Project volumes rose, though ordered sales by value were slightly lower as customers were more cautious on larger Bespoke Kitchen purchases.

Wickes is expecting full-year adjusted profit before tax of £54.6m, with a range of £52.8m to £56.0m, according to a company-compiled consensus.

Kier Group also advanced as it said FY27 earnings were set to be at the top end of the board's expectations and announced it will not be making any more investments in new property developments as it focuses on its core businesses of infrastructure and construction.

Recruiters Michael Page and Hays both fell on weak UK jobs data.

FTSE 250 - Risers

Wickes Group (WIX) 193.60p 9.63%

Kier Group (KIE) 259.80p 4.76%

AEP Plantations (AEP) 202.50p 3.21%

Victrex plc (VCT) 960.00p 2.78%

Ocado Group (OCDO) 211.80p 2.42%

RHI Magnesita N.V. (DI) (RHIM) 2,855.00p 2.33%

WH Smith (SMWH) 372.80p 2.31%

Workspace Group (WKP) 358.00p 2.17%

Travis Perkins (TPK) 589.50p 2.16%

B&M European Value Retail (BME) 235.20p 1.99%

FTSE 250 - Fallers

Trustpilot Group (TRST) 217.40p -16.65%

CMC Markets (CMCX) 699.00p -5.29%

Globaldata (DATA) 56.20p -4.10%

Wizz Air Holdings (WIZZ) 943.00p -3.58%

Pollen Street Group Limited (POLN) 800.00p -3.26%

Auction Technology Group (ATG) 432.60p -2.74%

Michael Page (PAGE) 210.60p -2.68%

Hays (HAS) 65.85p -2.52%

Trainline (TRN) 197.80p -2.27%

Breedon Group (BREE) 310.80p -2.26%