Laura Ashley's profits plummet
The company said pre-tax profit tumbled from £22.8m to £6.3m in the year to June 30, although its comparable 2016 numbers ran over 74 weeks.
Like-for-like sales fell 3.1 per cent while total group sales dropped 30 per cent to £277m.
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Hide AdChairman Khoo Kay Peng said: “Trading conditions have been challenging for the year ended 30 June 2017.
“The impact of weak sterling has also contributed to the overall fall in profit which the group has experienced.”
The collapse in sterling following the UK’s decision to quit the European Union last year has ramped up import costs for retailers, which have then passed the pain on to consumers.
The net result has been falling retail sales as squeezed shoppers cut back on spending.
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Hide AdAs well as challenging trading, the firm said sales were hit by the closure of 22 concessions in Homebase during the period.