Ramsdens FY26 profit guidance upgraded again as gold prices and core trading stay strong
Ramsdens has put out another upbeat trading update, and the headline is hard to miss: the board now expects FY26 profit before tax to land at at least £28.5 million, with a possible top end of £31.5 million if the gold price stays favourable and summer travel demand holds up.
That is a meaningful step up from the £24.1 million consensus market forecast that existed before this announcement. In plain English, analysts were already expecting a good year, and Ramsdens is now saying it should beat that by a decent margin.
Even more striking, the company says H1 FY26 profit performance will exceed FY25 full year. It has not disclosed the exact FY25 full-year profit in this RNS, but that statement tells you the first half has been exceptionally strong.
Key numbers from the Ramsdens trading update investors should focus on
| Metric | Figure | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| FY26 profit before tax guidance | £28.5 million to £31.5 million | Higher than previous market expectations and points to strong earnings momentum |
| Prior consensus FY26 profit before tax | £24.1 million | The new range sits well above what the market had pencilled in |
| Gold price vs last year | 50% ahead for several weeks in H1 FY26, currently c.40% ahead | A major tailwind for precious metals buying |
| Weight of gold purchased | c.50% higher year on year | Shows volumes are rising as well as prices |
| Jewellery retail revenue | Approximately 25% ahead year on year | Good sign that demand is broad, not just gold-driven |
| Pawnbroking loan book | Approximately £14.1 million | Up 24% from £11.4 million at September year end |
| Currency commission | c.9% lower year to date | A weak spot as online and card sales carry lower margins |
| Expected new store openings in FY26 | 10 to 12 | Suggests management is still pushing growth despite macro uncertainty |
Why Ramsdens is doing so well: gold, pawnbroking and jewellery are all pulling their weight
The big engine here is the purchase of precious metals division. Ramsdens buys gold and other precious metals from customers, so when the gold price is high, the value flowing through that part of the business can rise sharply. This year it has had a double boost: much higher gold prices and a much higher weight of gold being purchased.
That matters because it suggests this is not just a price story. Ramsdens is also seeing more customer activity, helped by marketing efforts as well as the economic backdrop, which often pushes people to sell gold when prices look attractive.
Pawnbroking is also doing very nicely. The company says demand for pawnbroking loans continued strongly, with record new lending again in March and April, pushing the loan book to around £14.1 million.
For retail investors, the loan book is simply the total value of loans currently outstanding. A rising loan book can be a positive sign because it gives the business more earning assets, although it also needs to be managed carefully.
Jewellery retail is another bright spot. Revenue is running about 25% ahead year on year, and gross margins are slightly improved. Gross margin is the proportion of sales left after direct product costs, so an improvement here tells you growth is not being bought cheaply.
The weaker area in this Ramsdens update: foreign currency margins are under pressure
Not every line is moving the right way. Ramsdens says the total amount of currency exchanged year to date is only marginally back on last year, but commission is around 9% lower.
The reason is mix. More customers are shifting towards online and currency card sales, and those are lower-margin products. Margin is just the slice of profit made on each transaction, so even if volumes are holding up reasonably well, the profit taken from those sales can still soften.
This is worth watching because foreign currency is one of Ramsdens’ core segments. It is still performing well enough overall, but this part of the update shows that not all growth is equal.
Management is upbeat, but Ramsdens is right to flag risks around gold volatility and summer travel
I think the tone of this statement is sensibly optimistic. Ramsdens is clearly trading ahead of expectations, but management has not thrown caution out the window.
The board specifically points to geopolitical and economic uncertainty, which has made the gold price volatile. That cuts both ways. A very high gold price has been a gift to the precious metals business, but if it drops back sharply, that tailwind may fade.
There is also a travel-related warning tucked into the statement. Ramsdens notes recent reports around fuel shortages impacting flights over the summer, which could hit international travel and therefore foreign currency sales.
That is a very fair caveat. The top end of guidance, £31.5 million, appears to rely in part on two things holding up: gold prices remaining favourable and summer currency volumes being in line with last year. If either wobbles, the business still expects at least £28.5 million, but perhaps not the bull case.
What this profit upgrade means for Ramsdens shareholders
The most positive takeaway is diversification. Ramsdens is not relying on one single lever. Gold buying has been exceptional, yes, but pawnbroking is growing strongly, jewellery retail is ahead, and foreign currency volumes are broadly resilient even if margins are under some pressure.
That gives the update a bit more substance than a one-off commodity boost alone. In my view, this is the sort of trading statement shareholders like to see: strong current performance, multiple engines working, and enough caution from management to make the guidance feel credible rather than promotional.
The gap versus consensus is also important. The new guidance range of £28.5 million to £31.5 million compares with prior consensus of £24.1 million. That means Ramsdens is pointing to a result around 18% to 31% above what the market had expected before this announcement.
That sort of upgrade usually matters because share prices tend to follow earnings over time. One trading update does not settle everything, but repeated upgrades are rarely ignored for long.
Store openings add another layer to the Ramsdens growth story
There is also steady expansion in the estate. New stores in Wakefield, Hull and Sheerness are trading well, with additional stores recently opened in Ashford and Abergavenny.
Two more stores in Newark and Hereford are in shop fit and due to open later in May, and another two have legally completed and are awaiting fit-out start dates. Altogether, Ramsdens expects to open between 10 and 12 new stores in FY26.
That is encouraging because it shows management is still investing for growth rather than simply banking a good run in gold. It also suggests confidence in customer demand across the group’s four core areas.
What to watch next ahead of Ramsdens interim results in June
The next key date is 3 June 2026, when Ramsdens will publish its interim results for the six months ended 31 March 2026. That should give investors a fuller breakdown of how much each division is contributing and whether margins are holding up across the group.
There will also be a live presentation via Investor Meet Company on 4 June 2026 at 5.00pm BST. For private investors, that is often a useful chance to hear management’s tone directly and see what questions they are willing to tackle.
My overall view is straightforward. This is a strongly positive update, backed by hard numbers, with the main negative being that part of the outperformance is tied to a gold price that can move around quickly. Even so, Ramsdens looks to be trading with real momentum, and its diversified model is doing exactly what it is supposed to do.
