The chief executive of Bonmarche, Beth Butterwick, has said that she is “pleased” with the company’s performance in the first half of the year, in which like-for-like sales grew 2%, which included like-for-like growth of 6.1% in the second quarter.
Pre-tax profits were £6.4 million before exceptional items, flat on last year, however Ms Butterwick said that progress was being made throughout the store estate, with a modernisation plan which will see 140 locations to be refreshed with new branding by the year-end. Online sales grew by 4.2% in the period.
Ms Butterwick said in a statement: "Bonmarché’s performance for the first half of the year has been satisfactory and we have made further progress against our strategic objectives. I am pleased with the improvement in store like-for-like sales, which is a testament to the value of our loyal customer base, in a market which remains challenging. I am also pleased with the progress being made by the new marketing and multi-channel teams to turn around online sales.”
