AB Foods stock heads into the open after a 9.1% slide

At the close on September 10, 2026, AB Foods stock fell 9.1% in London to GBX 1,835.50, underperforming the FTSE 100 as Primark guidance and a deeper sugar loss outlook weighed on the shares. Trading volume was elevated as investors digested the new forecasts.

AB Foods stock closed at GBX 1,835.50 on the London Stock Exchange on September 10, 2026, down 9.1% from the previous session. Per data for the FTSE 100, the index moved less on the day, meaning the stock markedly underperformed its home benchmark.

September 10, 2026 in numbers

Associated British Foods plc (ISIN GB0006731235, LSE: ABF) saw its shares drop sharply on September 10, 2026 after the company issued a trading update that tempered expectations for key divisions. As Yahoo Finance reported on September 10, 2026, the stock slumped more than 10 percent in early trading to around 1,808.5 pence after weaker Primark sales in continental Europe and a deteriorating outlook for its Sugar division overshadowed other positives. A market wrap by Euronext noted that Associated British Foods was the worst performer in the FTSE 100 with a 7.9 percent slide after forecasting a decline in fourth-quarter like-for-like sales at budget fashion chain Primark. According to Investing.com, the company now expects Primark like-for-like sales to fall about 3 percent in the fourth quarter to September 12, 2026 and signaled that full-year earnings per share should still come in ahead of expectations. The same update indicated that the sugar unit is likely to record an adjusted operating loss toward the upper end of a previously guided range, adding to investor concerns.

Exchange data for September 10, 2026 showed AB Foods closing at GBX 1,835.50, within the intraday range that saw the shares trade near 1,808 pence at the session low and above that level at the high. Volume on the London Stock Exchange was markedly higher than in the preceding days, underscoring the strong reaction to the guidance change. The close left the stock below a published five-day level of GBX 1,860.00 and extended its year-to-date decline, while the FTSE 100 finished the same session with a far smaller percentage move, highlighting the stock specific nature of the selloff.

Guidance and macro focus today

Today, September 11, 2026, AB Foods remains in focus as investors continue to assess the implications of Thursday's trading update for Primark and the Sugar and Grocery divisions. The company has scheduled an investor and analyst call linked to the September 2026 trading update, with details outlined in its own release, as Associated British Foods noted in its announcement. Looking slightly ahead, full-year results are planned for November 3, 2026, providing the next major checkpoint for the group following this guidance revision, according to the earnings schedule cited by Investing.com. Broader European equity sentiment and interest rate expectations around forthcoming European Central Bank decisions may also play a role in trading today given AB Foods' exposure to consumer demand across the region, with Thursday's session already showing how sector and macro signals can interact with company specific news.