The department store said online sales in the three months to the end of April increased 62 per cent contributing to a 4.8 per cent overall sales increase. Online sales in the full-year to the end of January increased 53 per cent.
However, gross profit increased 3.9 per cent to £84.8 million suggesting that the retailer is struggling to translate strong sales growth to profit.
The UK clothing industry was exceptionally promotional in Spring because of unseasonably cold weather. However, some traditional retailers are also struggling to integrate new internet businesses into their systems.
One analyst said the rise of click and collect was an example of how difficult it was to translate online success to the bottom line. 'Click and collect is being touted as the next big thing by retailers but the items often have to be delivered to stores individually - at a cost which is very difficult to pass on to consumers,' he said.
House of Fraser parent Highland Group Holdings recently published accounts that showed sales in the year to January increased 1.4 per cent to £695.5 million. Pre-tax profit in the year was £8.2 million compared to a loss of £18.3 million the previous year. Operating profit increased 9 per cent to £20.6 million. Gross sales, including concessions run by brands within stores, are about £1.2 billion.
Online sales accounted for 11 per cent of group sales last year rising to about 20 per cent in womenswear. About a third of internet sales come from 'click and collect'.
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