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Robinson Expects 2026 Operating Profit of £1.2m to £1.6m

Robinson (LON: RBN), the Chesterfield-based maker of plastic and rigid paperboard packaging, expects underlying operating profit of £1.2m to £1.6m for the year ending 31 December 2026. Underlying operating profit is operating profit before other items.

The trading and surplus property update came at 7am today, before the market opened. Revenue is about £59m, 6% ahead of 2025, while volumes are 1% lower.

RBN.LSE

Two divisions account for the weaker trading. In Paperbox, a lack of new business and lower orders from key customers leave sales an estimated £1.0m lower.

UK Plastics expects sales £1.3m lower, citing a smaller share of volumes from a customer it supplies jointly with another maker, a filling-line breakdown at another large customer, and softer seasonal demand in warmer weather.

Energy costs also rose by more than anticipated, which the company attributed to the conflict in the Middle East. Denmark is in line with expectations, while Poland remains challenging.

Robinson said it is reviewing ways to cut costs:

In response to lower customer demand, the Group is reviewing opportunities to reduce costs.

Robinson plc

Excluding any benefit from those potential actions, the board expects 2027 profitability to be in line with 2026. It retained its target underlying operating margin of 6-8%.

The update also covered surplus property, meaning unused land and buildings the company is selling. Sales have generated cash proceeds of £1.5m in 2026 to date.

One further sale has been delayed to the second quarter of 2027. Another is still expected to exchange and complete, the legal steps that finalise a sale, within the next three months. Disposals will lift reported profit before tax for 2026.

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