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Home Retail Group stated that trading conditions are likely to remain difficult during the final six months of the period.
However, shares in the firm climbed during the afternoon session of stock market trading in London, rising 3.9p to 311.9p at 15:10 BST.
Terry Duddy, chief executive of the business, commented: "We continue to plan cautiously for consumer demand over the remainder of the financial year."
He added that "adverse currency movements" are set to have a greater impact on trading than they did in the first half, during which Home Retail Group's sales rose three per cent to £2,805 million.
Operating and distribution costs were trimmed by three per cent to £986 million and Mr Duddy observed that the results had exceeded expectations.
