Bad weather blamed for slide in sales at Bonmarché

Like-for-like (“LFL”) sales declined by 8.1 per cent with the Wakefield-based group and blamed bad weather for the decline.

A spokesman said: “It is not unusual for external conditions to create significant variations in quarterly performance, and therefore our expectation for the full year remains unchanged on the assumption that trading conditions normalise through the autumn season. The Company’s financial position remains sound.

Beth Butterwick, chief executive, said: “Sales were down 3.6% in a challenging quarter, due to a lack of strong demand across our high summer clothing categories. We continue to focus on creating a more modern experience for our

customers through the execution of our five strategic pillars for growth: brand development and customer acquisition, product development, channels to market, systems and processes, and people and culture. Our expectation for the full year remains unchanged, on the assumption that trading conditions normalise through the autumn season.”

Ms Butterwick is due to step down next month and will be replaced by Helen Connolly, previously a senior buyer for Asda’s George clothing range.

Ms Butterwick is taking on a new role at upmarket fashion retailer Karen Millen.