Here are four cheap UK shares I’m considering buying today. Each costs less than £5 a share.
Get bowled over
The popularity of tenpin bowling in the UK was rocketing before the Covid-19 outbreak. Judging by recent trading levels at Ten Entertainment Group, it seems like the appeal of skittling pins remains pretty mighty too. Like-for-like sales at the company soared 30% year-on-year during September and October, with Ten Entertainment enjoying record demand over the recent half-term holiday.
Ten Entertainment is expecting sales growth to remain at double-digit levels in 2022 too, compared with pre-pandemic levels. And it plans to keep expanding to exploit this buoyant market, with four new centres earmarked for next year alone. I think the leisure giant’s a great buy for me, despite the ongoing threat of fresh Covid-19 lockdowns. Right now, it trades around 260p per share.
The IRN giant
I’m sure AG Barr’s (LSE: BAG) marketing team must have been on cloud nine during the COP26 convention in Glasgow. Delegates from across the globe have been rushing onto social media to give their verdict on its IRN-BRU beverage. The orange fizzy drink is one of Britain’s favourite brands and recent publicity has helped broaden its global audience.
Barr isn’t all about IRN-BRU though. Its other beloved labels include Rubicon, Snapple and Tizer, products that carry exceptional brand power that keeps volumes ticking over during good times and bad. They also allow the business to raise prices at all points of the economic cycle. I’d buy Barr despite the fact it faces immense competition from industry giants like The Coca-Cola Company. Today the business trades at 495p per share.
Take control
Strix Group’s operations might not be the most exciting out there. This cheap UK share manufactures safety control mechanisms that stop kettles become a hazard. However, the rate at which revenues are growing at this market leader are anything but boring. Reported sales between January and June rocketed almost 25% higher versus the same 2019 period.
A catastrophic failure of its products could hit demand hard, of course. But although past form is no guarantee of future performance, I’m encouraged by Strix’s great track record on this front. The business trades at 290p per share today.
Pipe dreams
I’m also considering using recent share price weakness at Victorian Plumbing Group (LSE: VIC) as a chance to grab a bargain. At 160p per share, the bathroom products manufacturer is trading at a near-40% discount to June’s IPO price. While trading here has cooled recently compared with that during Covid-19 lockdowns, I think the market has overreacted to this slowdown.
Spending on home improvements remains strong in the UK. And, pleasingly for Victorian Plumbing, expenditure on bathroom products in particular is tipped to remain solid. A July report by Volkswagen suggested Britons will spend £135bn on home improvements over the next 12 months, with bathroom renovations third on the list of most-desired upgrades.
I think Victorian Plumbing’s a great stock to own, despite the threat posed by other major industry players like B&Q and Wickes.