DRY cleaning to facilities management operator Johnson Service Group expects to hit annual targets when it announces full year results in September, it said today.

The Preston Brook-based business also revealed that the dry cleaning operation should exceed profit forecasts, thanks to more normal weather conditions in January compared with the previous year when heavy snows and ice caused severe disruption.

Based in Prescot, the dry cleaning arm is expected to see like-for-like sales fall by about 1%, but a combination of better weather conditions and cost controls should produce an operating profit “slightly ahead of the same period last year” the group said today.

The textile rental division continued to perform strongly in the first half of the year, which should continue throughout the balance of the year, today’s trading update revealed.

And revenues and operating profits from facilities management have been boosted by PFI (public finance initiative) contracts acquired during 2010.

“We remain confident about the prospects for this division,” the board said.

Following a tax repayment of £5.8m the group also confirmed that net debt by the end of this month is expected to show a “significant reduction” from the £59.5m at December 2010.