hc slingsby plc said tuesday that pretax profit in the first five months of the year rose due to increased sales but retained a cautious outlook on a competitive market and macroeconomic factors the industrial and commercial equipment supplier said sales for the five months ended may 31 rose 8 onyear and an improved gross profit margin has led pretax profit for the period to rise to around 170000 pounds 208267 from around gbp70000 a year prior the market remains competitive and the company remains particularly cautious due to significant uncertainty remaining around the aftermath of the coronavirus pandemic the effects of high inflation on the uk economy and the russian invasion of ukraine it said it was unclear what effect these factors will have on demand going forward slingsby said it continues to experience significant cost increases across its product range as well as higher shipping costs and delays which it expects to persist and hurt gross margins for the rest of the year