Shares in car accessory and bike retailer Halfords (LON:HFD) motored as it boosted Christmas sales and left annual profit forecasts unchanged.
The retailer, which in November unveiled lower first-half profit and predicted flat profits in 2016/17, reported a 0.3% rise in group like-for-like sales in the 15 weeks to January 15. They rose 1.2% in the 41 weeks of the year to date.
In cycling, growth in sales of bikes and cycle repair more than offset a small decline in parts, accessories and clothing, Halfords said.
In motoring, mild weather hit car maintenance sales, but a strong performance in sales of wiper blades and bulbs, and continued growth in fitting services, partially offset that.
The chain's Autocentres arm increased service, maintenance and repair revenue, but faced lower tyre prices.
Halfords said it was still expecting annual group pre-tax profit to be between £78mln and £82mln.
Retail gross margins were still set to fall -25 to -75 basis points, but retail operating costs should rise less than expected.
Chief executive Jill McDonald said the chain racked up a record day online over the Black Friday weekend and its highest day for total sales on December 23.
"We are pleased with the Group's performance, given the unprecedented weather conditions," she said.
Shares rose 30.5p, or 9.4%, to 355.5p. Broker Investec said "flat" retail LFL sales should have reassured investors despite the sales hit from mild weather.
Investec's Kate Calvert said: "We believe the job of modernising Halfords is far from complete and that the current strategy should return it back to sustainable single-digit growth."