Laura Ashley like-for-like sales up 7 percent

Releasing its interim results for the 26 weeks period to August 1, 2015, Laura Ashley said that its profit before taxation stood at 8.4 million pounds (12.9 million dollars. Total group sales were down 3 percent to 139.7 million pounds (214.7 million dollars but like-for-like retail sales were up by 7 percent. Online revenue increased by 4.5 percent.

Commenting on the results, Tan Sri Dr Khoo Kay Peng, Chairman, said, “I am pleased to report that our business has maintained the robust performance of recent years with a healthy increase in like-for-like, retail sales. Our UK business, buoyed by a strong performance from our online channel, has shown resilience and potential for continued growth. The hotel is realising its potential and is proving to be a valuable asset to the brand.”

”We are encouraged as we enter the second half of the year. We will continue to work with our overseas franchisees to ensure that we maximise the international opportunities for our franchise partners and the Group. Development and improvement of our digital platform, which has been a core Group strategy over recent years, will remain a key focus as we strive to deliver a high quality, multi- channel experience for our customers,” he added.

The company announced an interim dividend of one pence per share.