Fashion chain New Look hit by ‘unseasonably’ bad weather

Sequin dress from New Look. Picture: James Hardisty.

High street fashion chain New Look suffered a 10.1 per cent fall in like-for-like sales in the three months to June 29, compared with a year earlier.

Bosses blamed the unseasonably bad weather in May and June for the slump, along with consumer uncertainty, but insisted a turnaround of the retailer was still on track.

Alistair McGeorge, executive chairman of New Look, said trading “was marked by continued consumer uncertainty and, being a seasonal business, we were clearly not immune from what has been the most unseasonable May and June on record, impacting footfall across the retail sector.”

He added that sales since June have improved, rising 2.2 per cent on a like-for-like basis in the eight weeks to August 24. Focus would now turn to recruiting new talent to the business and improving supply chains, the company said.