Bonmarché Q1 sales hit by weak summer clothing demand

By

Barbara Santamaria

Published
Jul 28, 2016

Womenswear retailer Bonmarché said sales for the first quarter declined by 3.6% due to continued poor weather in the 13 weeks to end of June.

Sales were down by 8.1% on a like-for-like basis, compared to a decline of 1.7% recorded in the first quarter of 2015.

“Sales were down 3.6% in a challenging quarter, due to a lack of strong demand across our high summer clothing categories,” said Beth Butterwick, CEO of Bonmarché. “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.”

The value retailer said its expectations for the full year remain unchanged, as it hopes trading conditions will normalise through the autumn season.