THE focus on the retail sector will continue next week, with updates due from Debenhams, JD Sports Fashion and French Connection.
Debenhams should reap a sales boost from the impact of the warmer summer on seasonal fashion lines when it updates on recent trading tomorrow.
The department store chain will report back on trading since late June, with surging temperatures expected to have lifted sales after a weather-hit spring.
The update, which comes ahead of full annual results due out next month, follows a lacklustre March to June period for the chain of about 240 stores.
Analysts at Nomura expect Debenhams to post underlying sales growth of 2.1% for the year to the start of September, as improved recent trading helps compensate for the spring slump.
Sportswear retailer JD Sports Fashion is set to report a slow path to recovery in its Blacks and Millets outdoor division when it posts first-half results on Wednesday.
JD has been overhauling the outdoor business by moving its headquarters to Bury, where the group is based, and changing its management.
But weakness in its outdoor and fashion arms contrasted with "robust" trading in its core sports business, which grew like-for-like sales 7% during the period.
JD, which has more than 800 stores across the UK, Ireland, France and Spain, could announce further expansion in Europe.
Online fashion firm ASOS is expected to report back on more solid trading on Thursday after recently notching up its best UK sales growth in four years.
The appeal among its core twenty-something customer base has shown no signs of waning, with the firm reporting a 39% leap in UK sales and 48% hike in international revenues over its third quarter to May 31, driving a 45% hike in total retail sales.
An overhauled summer range is likely to have provided a boost to first half trading at fashion retailer French Connection as the group's revival plans begin to pay off.
The chain, which reports half-year figures on Wednesday, recently revealed "broadly flat" UK and European retail like-for-like sales in the first quarter - a marked recovery from the 7% plunge in the previous financial year.
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