Dixons' UK and Ireland operations make profits in fiscal H1 2013 for the first time in 5 years as the entire group sees pre-tax losses worth £22.2 million, down from £25.3m a year earlier.
Total losses before taxes reach £79.5m after one accounts net-underlying charges of £57.3m, £45.2m of which come from the writedown in the "goodwill value" of a struggling PIXmania.
The retailer claims it had an "encouraging" start to the fiscal year, even if total group sales remain flat (at £3.29 billion) for the period. Dixons blames such results on S. Europe (Italy, Greece, Turkey) and PIXmania, where sales drop by -13% and -15% respectively.
Group CEO Sebastian James however promises the retailer is "taking action to improve [PIXMania's] poor performance.
UK & Ireland sales grow by 2%, while N. Europe (Nordics and C. Europe) grow by 6%.
The retailer also sees improvement in online retail, even after the closure of the Dixons.co.uk website-- group multichannel sales grow by 39% while Currys & PC World online sales are up by 38%.
Meanwhile in what perhaps is a show of schadenfreude, James says "we are outpacing our competitors, and have seen Comet enter administration in the UK and Expert exiting the market in Sweden."
Now Dixons prepares for the holiday seasons, with tablets, smart TVs and "other technology" for potential customers to look forward to.