N Brown H1 revenues marginally fall by 0.6 percent

REPORT_ N Brown Group, the online, catalogue and stores retailer, while providing a trading update for the 26 weeks to August 30, 2014 said, revenues

were down by 0.6 percent or below 0.5 percent on like-for-like basis. JD Williams brand sales were down 3 percent in the half but number of new customers went up 20 percent for this season to date. Lorraine Kelly and Kelly Brook were appointed brand ambassadors for JD Williams & Simply Be during the period under review.

Said Angela Spindler, Chief Executive, commenting on the results, “During the second quarter we have sharply accelerated the pace of our drive to be the global retailer famous for making shopping for fashion easy and enjoyable regardless of size.”

Performance of Simply Be and Jacamo fashion ranges were up 4 percent and 10 percent respectively. Store like-for-like sales were strong at over 17 percent. Demand for company’s product range in the USA was up 16 percent and active customer base increased by 3.7 percent.

Home & Gift sales were down 9 percent, with improved profitability, due to planned reduction in non-core home and electrical ranges. Adjustments to Simply Be & JD Williams fashion ranges impacted sales in the first half. Marketing investment in catalogues was reduced by 24 percent.

Online remains key channel of the company and participation grew again to just over 58 percent in the quarter. Traffic from mobile devices and tablets continued to grow and now account for 48 percent of the total (up from 35 percent last year) and 36.5 percent of demand (up from 26 percent).

Store channel too continued to perform well, delivering like-for-like growth of 17 percent for the half. Company’s new store in Belfast opened in August and delivered record opening sales. Another one is in the pipeline on Oxford Street. Company further plans to open three stores before Christmas, taking the total to 14 stores by the end of calendar year.

N Brown Group plc will be announcing interim results to the August 30, 2014 on the October 9, 2014.