UK industrial supplier RS Group flags weaker revenue on tariffs impact

Wed, 25th Mar 2026 10:00

March 25 (Reuters) - British industrial and electronic components supplier RS Group warned on Wednesday of lower like-for-like revenue in the reporting ‌year ending on March 31 as U.S. tariff uncertainty prompted its larger customers in ⁠Mexico to delay orders. The tariffs imposed ⁠by U.S. President Donald Trump last year left global companies exposed to mounting costs for most of 2025, with their impact continuing well into the new year. While the Supreme Court ‌invalidated most of the tariffs last month, the uncertainty remains.

* Shares in RS Group, which supplies cables, protective equipment, and measurement tools, fell 4.8% as of 0925 GMT.

* It forecast lower second-half revenue for its Americas unit, even as it expects the EMEA and APAC regions to ‌grow in the period.

* Mexico contributed nearly 7% of its annual revenue last year.

* The London-based firm expects its ‌LFL revenue to dip 0.6% for the year ending March 31, from 2.90 billion pounds ($3.88 billion) it made a year ago.

* Analysts had expected the firm's revenue to rise to 2.92 billion pounds, according to a company-compiled ‌consensus.

* RS Group, however, expects adjusted pretax profit marginally above average market expectations of 241 million pounds, backed by margin expansion and cost controls.

* ⁠RS ⁠had already said in November that concerns ‌over tariffs in Mexico had resulted in large customers deferring expenditure, impacting its revenues.

* Business supplies distributor Bunzl earlier this month said its Mexico safety business also ‌logged flat sales and lower margins due to tariffs impacting business confidence.