Laura Ashley sees FY in line

16th Dec 2009 07:48

Laura Ashley said it expects full year trading to be broadly in line with company expectations. In the first 19 weeks of the second half to 12 December 2009, total UK retail sales increased by 8.8% year-on-year while like-for-like sales increased by 4.9%, helped by promotional activity and an increase in retail outlets.Laura Ashley's e-Commerce sales increased 47.5% while Mail Order sales fell 23.7%. In today's company statement the retailer said, "In a retail environment that remains challenging, we will continue to focus on our strong brand and product offering in addition to improving operational efficiencies." It added that no major developments have occurred in its franchising or licensing channels since the last announcement.