Marks & Spencer has seen a drop in online sales as its new website experienced “settling in” issues.

Chief executive Marc Bolland said that the impact on sales had been anticipated and that he was encouraged by the group’s overall performance after clothing sales continued to improve in the quarter.

Sales at M&S.com were down 8.1% in the 13 weeks to 28 June and like-for-like sales of non-food products, including clothing and homeware, fell 1.5%.

However, the fall was offset by a continued strong performance in food sales, which increased 1.7%.

The new website was launched in February, but has been hit by a series of glitches, including forcing all six million registered users to re-register.

Mr Bolland said: "We have seen a continued improvement in clothing, although as anticipated the settling in of the new M&S.com site has had an impact on sales.

"We are pleased that the womenswear business was in growth, driven by full price sales, in line with our increased focus on margin.

"Our food business had another great quarter, continuing to outperform the market, through our focus on differentiation through quality and innovation."