A slight improvement in Carpetright’s UK performance was wiped out by a drop in sales at its Dutch stores, the company said today.

Total group sales decreased by 2.2% to £222.2 million, with the UK business improving, seeing just a 2.2% decline against a drop of 2.4% in the rest of Europe.

Commenting on the results, Lord Harris, executive chairman, said: "Against a backdrop of volatile trading conditions, our first half performance reflects an improvement in profits in the UK, driven by the continued success of our self-help initiatives, offset by a move into loss in our Rest of Europe business, primarily from a continuation of very difficult trading conditions in the Netherlands.