Nov 7 (Reuters) - Warehouse and freight provider WincantonPlc reported a 2 percent dip in revenue as demand fromthe UK retail sector continued to remain sluggish.
The company, which caters to clients such as Unilever Plc, Tesco and Marks & Spencer, said salesfell to 542.3 million pounds ($872 million) in the six monthsended Sept. 30 from 551.2 million pounds a year earlier.
Pretax profit rose about 28 percent to 9.7 million poundsduring the six-month period.
Revenue from the retail sector, which accounts for about 60percent of its business, was flat during the period and it didnot expect an improvement in the industry this year, ChiefExecutive Eric Born said on a call.
However, the company said it won contracts from Valero andTilda Rice during the period and expected to continue trading inline with market expectations.
Wincanton, which has been grappling with high levels ofdebt, said it reduced net debt by about 29 percent to 87.2million pounds.
Shares in the company were unchanged at 130 pence at 0841GMT on the London Stock Exchange on Thursday.
Tesco (TSCO)
Marks & Spencer (MKS)