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Grafton Group plc Trading Update Strong Trading in First Half and Increased Operating Profit Guidance for Continuing Operations Grafton Group plc ( " Grafton " or " the Group " ) , the international building materials distributor and DIY retailer , issues this trading update for the period from 1 January 2021 to 30 June 2021 in advance of its half year results which will be released on 25 August 2021 . Highlights ● Completed acquisition of IKH in Finland Disposal of the Traditional Merchanting business in Great Britain announced on 1 July 2021 for an enterprise value of £ 520 million ( the " Discontinued Operations " ) Revenue growth ahead of expectations in May and June Group Adjusted operating profit¹ for the year in continuing operations upgraded to circa £ 240 million All branches , stores and manufacturing plants now fully operational Covid - 19 Update The health and safety of our colleagues and customers is our number one priority and we continue to operate in line with the Covid - 19 guidance provided locally by Governments and health authorities in the countries where we operate . Trading Performance Group revenue for the half year was £ 1.55 billion , an increase of 46.5 per cent from £ 1.06 billion in the first half of 2020 , a period that was impacted by the temporary closure of branches , stores and manufacturing plants in the UK and Ireland except for the provision of materials to essential services . Group revenue was 18.0 per cent higher compared to same period in 2019 . The strong revenue growth trends , in continuing operations , that developed in March and April were sustained in May and June led by Woodie's in Ireland and Selco in the UK . The strength of our customer propositions together with good underlying demand in the residential repair , maintenance and improvement ( " RMI " ) and new housing markets contributed to this very encouraging performance . This outcome was achieved despite pressure on supply chains caused by increased international demand for building materials , limitations on manufacturing capacity , a shortage of certain raw materials and container shipping logistics issues that affected the movement of goods internationally . These procurement challenges resulted in shortages of core building materials , an extension of delivery lead times , certain products being placed on allocation and a sharp increase in product price inflation across a range of categories in the UK and Ireland . Discontinued Operations The Group completed its planned disposals having recently announced that it had entered into an agreement to divest the Traditional Merchanting business in Great Britain which will be classified as a discontinued operation in the Half Year and Full Year results in line with International Financial Reporting Standards . Revenue in the Discontinued Operations increased by 47.4 per cent to £ 522.9 million on the first half of 2020 and was up by 0.3 per cent on the first half of 2019. There was a solid recovery in trading in the half year with average daily like - for like revenue ahead of the first half of 2019 by 5.2 per cent . Increase in Operating Profit Guidance for the Continuing Operations Following a stronger than anticipated first half performance , together with the inclusion of the expected second half returns from the IKH acquisition , we now upgrade our expectations for Group adjusted operating profit¹ for the current financial year in continuing operations to circa £ 240 million . This is close to the current consensus² forecasts of £ 243 million which itself includes operating profit attributable to the Discontinued Operations .