DEBENHAMS has blamed bruising trading conditions for the slower sales growth seen at the department store chain over the past 16 weeks.
The group, which has 235 stores in 27 countries, said like-for-like sales were flat in the period to last Saturday, having risen 3.1 per cent in the prior half-year.
Chief executive Michael Sharp described the performance as robust and said there had been a high degree of volatility caused by the poor spring weather, which dampened demand for new season ranges.