* Underlying profit 328 million pounds, vs forecast 320 million * Says weak consumer demand, lower pound to hit margins
* Full-year dividend kept at 14.7 pence
* Shares fall as much as 4.3 percent (Adds company, analyst comments, detail, background, shares)
By Mark Potter
LONDON, April 29 (Reuters) - Britain's Home Retail posted a 24 percent drop in annual profit on Wednesday and warned weak consumer demand and a lower pound could lead to an even bigger fall this financial year, knocking its shares. The owner of catalogue-based Argos stores and the Homebase do-it-yourself chain said it would raise prices, cut costs and curb investment in a bid to cope with higher import costs.
But the firm, which sources around 80 percent of products abroad, said it was not seeking to change analysts' consensus forecast for the current financial year, which suggests profits could fall by a further 40 percent.
"Our main worry is the impact sterling may have on product pricing and therefore the impact it may have on consumer demand," Chief Executive Terry Duddy told reporters.
Britain's retailers have been hit hard by a deep economic recession, though there have been signs recently that the worst may be over and retail stocks have rallied over 40 percent this year on hopes of a recovery.
Music and books retailer HMV said on Wednesday its full-year profit would be towards the upper end of analysts' expectations.
Home Retail, however, has been hit by its exposure to discretionary areas of spending and to "big ticket" items like furniture and bathrooms which have been particularly shunned.
Profit before tax and one-off items fell 24 percent to 328 million pounds ($478 million) in the year ended Feb. 28.
That was above analysts' median forecast of 320 million pounds in a Reuters estimates poll. But Duddy said he did not expect analysts' consensus for the current financial year of about 190 million pounds to change much.
"Comments are sufficiently cautious in our view to result in further pressure on 2009/10 consensus estimates," Credit Suisse analysts said. Their profit forecast is 161 million pounds.
Home Retail shares, which had risen about a third in value since mid-March, fell as much as 4.3 percent to 258.5 pence, valuing the business at about 2.4 billion pounds.
CUTBACKS
Sales fell 1 percent to 5.9 billion pounds, while the full-year dividend was kept at 14.7 pence a share.
Including an exceptional charge of 694 million pounds, mostly related to a non-cash asset write-downs at Homebase, Home Retail made an operating loss of 402 million pounds.
The firm said it had typically held or gained market share, and it had benefited from the demise of rivals such as toys-to-DVDs firm Woolworths and furniture group MFI.
But competition has been stiff. B&Q, Britain's No.1 home improvements chain ahead of Homebase, announced on Wednesday its biggest-ever round of May price cuts, worth 15 million pounds.
Home Retail said it would bear down on costs to offset the tough trading conditions. It has already announced initiatives aimed at achieving 50 million pounds of annualised cost savings, and Duddy said the firm would look at doing more if necessary.
Capital spending will be cut to between 100 million and 125 million pounds, from 132 million in the year just ended, and the group will also raise some prices, although it declined to give further details.
Nonetheless, Duddy said the group expected gross profit margins to fall by around 150 basis points at Argos this financial year and by about 200 basis points at Homebase.
Home Retail shares have approximately halved in value over the past two years, but have outperformed the DJ Stoxx European retail index by about 25 percent over the last 12 months, helped by the group's lack of debt.
The firm had net cash of 284 million pounds at Feb. 28.
Argos sells more than 18,000 products from over 700 stores which are set out in twice-yearly catalogues which the firm estimates adorn coffee tables in two thirds of British homes.
Homebase runs more than 300 out-of-town stores. (Editing by Dan Lalor and Rupert Winchester) ($1 = 0.6866 pound)