Homeware retailer Dusk planning £300m London float - report

(Sharecast News) - Homeware retailer Dusk is reportedly planning a £300m float on the London Stock Exchange.

According to Sky News, Dusk is in the process of appointing advisers to manage an initial public offering which could take place as soon as the second half of this year.

The timing of an IPO on the London Stock Exchange would be subject to market conditions, Sky said.

Headquartered in Yorkshire, Dusk has been buoyed by rapid expansion without having needed to fund it by raising external capital. The company has amassed a 2 million-strong customer base, with repeat customers now accounting for over half of all transactions.

One source told Sky it had begun seriously examining the potential for an IPO, with the company expected to be valued at somewhere in the region of £300m. That would put its equity roughly on a par with that of DFS Furniture, which has a market capitalisation of just over £300m.

It was understood that Dusk's founder and executive chair Jason Walker plans to remain a major shareholder after the company goes public.

The company's chief executive, Chris Read, recently told The Times that its "continued focus on style, quality and affordability, alongside an operating model that enables us to stay close to our customers, means we can continue to serve them well and further consolidate our position as the market disruptor."

Dusk's ability to launch a London flotation will in part depend on market conditions. Sky pointed out that online travel agent Loveholidays was forced to postpone its listing earlier this year because of the war in Iran, while others slated to go public include the RAC and Waterstones.

Bankers say the prospects of those becoming listed companies during the course of 2026 are increasingly precarious, Sky said.