Branded sportswear and fashion apparel retailer, John David Group said like for like sales for the 24 weeks to July 15 had improved in both its Fascia groups.
It said it remained confident current trading was in line with expectations.
In an AGM trading update, the company said its non-Allsports Sports Fascia stores were now up by four per cent, having benefited to some extent from the World Cup. The Fashion Fascias are down by 0.6 per cent.
That was a big improvement on May when John David Group reported like for like sales growth of 2.1 per cent in Sports Fascias excluding the then newly acquired Allsports stores for the 13 weeks ended April 29 and saw like for like sales in Fashion Fascias adrift 5.2 per cent. Overall gross margins continue to improve gradually in both divisions and operating costs are in line.
The company said the overall performance of the acquired Allsports property portfolio, which continues to be refocussed, remained satisfactory.
Progress also continues to be made with the rationalisation of the store portfolio from which a further 11 outlets - eight Sport and three Fashion - have been closed since the year end and two small stores have been opened on the Sports side.
Last month the group paid £5 million for 14 airport stores in various terminals at Heathrow, Gatwick and Stansted from Hargreaves (Sports). In May JD Sports was rewarded for its decision to focus more on sportswear after it reported higher profits and sales. An 18 per cent increase in operating profits to £20.1 million at JD was applauded by analysts. However, JD said its results would have been better if losses of £2.5 million from its 46 fashion outlets did not have to be absorbed.
Pretax profits were one per cent higher at £3.65 million compared with £3.6 million a year earlier, while overall sales for the year to January 28 rose to £490.3 million from £471.7 million a year earlier.
JD has isolated the fashion division, which includes the stores acquired from RD Scott in December 2004, with its own management team and separate stock.
The company will release its interim results on September 28.
