![\"LONDON,](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/1_A-scene-outside-JD-sport-shop-The-Prime-Minister-announced.jpg\")
<\/p>\nJD Sports has closed 24 UK stores as the retailer warned global uncertainty and rising costs could impact profits.<\/p>\n
A JD sport shop(Image: SOPA Images, SOPA Images\/LightRocket via Getty Images)<\/p>\n
JD Sports, one of Ireland’s biggest sports retailers<\/a>, has confirmed that it recently closed more than 20 of its stores in the UK.<\/p>\n This comes as the UK-based retailer, which operates 31 stores across Ireland, warned that geopolitical factors could have an impact on its profits and overall costs.<\/p>\n While Irish customers can breathe a sigh of relief, the retailer reported it is facing a drop in its annual earnings, and has warned war in the Middle East <\/a>could create higher costs, pushing up prices and weakening customer demand.<\/p>\n Issuing a caution on the uncertain geopolitical situation, JD also confirmed it had closed 24 stores across the UK over the past year. The stores closed as JD<\/a> aims to have “fewer, bigger, better” shops.<\/p>\n The sports brand said the Iran war<\/a> has had no “direct exposure” on the business so far, with it only having a handful of franchised stores in the region.<\/p>\n However the company warned that “heightened uncertainty” could eventually “contribute to direct cost pressures”, Manchester Evening News<\/a> reports.<\/p>\n A spokesperson said: “Over time, the potential future impacts of heightened uncertainty may contribute to direct cost pressures, including energy and fuel costs across our store and logistics networks, respectively, as well as potential indirect impacts on pricing and consumer demand should input cost inflation emerge.”<\/p>\n As it faces uncertainty, the retailer said it was providing a wider range of profit guidance for the next financial year than it was previously planning. It is now forecasting a pre-tax profit of between \u00a3750 million (\u20ac867m) and \u00a3850 million (\u20ac983m).<\/p>\n JD Sports(Image: Sean Hansford | Manchester Evening News)<\/p>\n This would mark a decline from the \u00a3852 million (\u20ac985) pre-tax profit that the company made for the year to the end of January 2026, which was down 6.4% compared with the previous year. Total organic sales for the group, which excludes the impact of acquisitions, increased by 2.1% year on year to \u00a312.66 billion (\u20ac14.64bn).<\/p>\n In the UK, JD blamed the decline of organic sales on a “tough consumer backdrop”. Since the end of the financial year, JD also said cold and wet weather had dampened sales.<\/p>\n![\"Preview](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/0_050625JDsports5.jpg\")
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