London, Feb 16, 2026, 12:50 GMT — Regular session
- Associated British Foods shares down about 1.3% in mid-session trade
- UK inflation data due Feb. 18; retail sales follow on Feb. 20
- Primark trends in Europe remain the key swing factor ahead of ABF results in April
Associated British Foods shares fell on Monday, bucking a firmer tone in London’s blue-chip index as investors focused on the next run of UK data and what it could mean for consumer spending. By 1250 GMT, ABF was down 1.3% at 1,941 pence, after trading as low as 1,936.8 pence, while the FTSE 100 was up 0.4%. (Investing)
It matters because Primark is ABF’s biggest shop window with investors and it lives and dies on how shoppers feel about their pay packets. Rate-cut bets have crept back into the UK market narrative, but the next inflation and spending prints can still move that view around fast. (Reuters)
With U.S. markets shut for Washington’s Birthday, some desks in Europe expected thinner cross-asset signals at the start of the week. That can leave domestic data and stock-specific stories doing more of the work. (New York Stock Exchange)
ABF has not had fresh company news on Monday, but the January reset still hangs over the stock. In an update on Jan. 8, chief executive George Weston said Primark had “a challenging start” and that trading “remained weak” in continental Europe; ABF also said it expected group adjusted operating profit and adjusted earnings per share to be below last year. (Adjusted figures strip out some one-off items.) (ABF Corporate)
A follow-up statement on Jan. 22 put more numbers on the hit: Primark like-for-like sales fell 2.7% in the 16 weeks to Jan. 3, while total Primark sales rose 1%, dragged by Europe despite better trading in the UK and Ireland. (ABF Corporate)
The broader read-through for Primark is that shoppers still look strained. S&P Global’s UK consumer sentiment index sat at 44.8 in February, still below the 50 mark that signals improving confidence, and economist Maryam Baluch flagged rising debt worries and tighter loan availability. (The Guardian)
Investors in ABF are also watching the group’s U.S.-exposed food ingredients and grocery businesses, where the company has pointed to weaker demand in some categories. Any sign that the slowdown is spreading beyond Europe retail would likely keep pressure on the shares.
The risk, though, cuts both ways. If inflation stays sticky and the Bank of England has less room to ease, the squeeze on budgets can linger into spring; if Europe demand firms up instead, Primark can surprise on volumes even in a soft market.
The next near-term markers are official: UK consumer price inflation for January is due at 0700 GMT on Feb. 18, followed by the January retail sales report at 0700 GMT on Feb. 20. (Office for National Statistics)
For ABF itself, the next hard catalyst is its interim results announcement on April 21 at 0700 London time, when investors will look for evidence that Primark’s Europe wobble is fading rather than settling in. (ABF Corporate)
