N Brown, the group that own JD Williams, Jacamo and SimplyBe has reported a decline in its annual profits due to difficult marketing conditions and a costly shift to a digital-first format.
Figures show that pre-tax profits fell to £72.2million in the year to March 2016, however revenue increased 3.5% to £866.2million and online figures increased 15% year-on-year.
Chief executive, Angela Spindler, said: "It has been a very busy year for N Brown as we continue to transform the way we operate as a fashion retailer – from being mail-order led, to a business that puts digital first. We are mid-way through this journey and are delighted to see the benefits coming through, importantly delivering 11% profit growth in the second half of the year.
"Looking forward, whilst we face challenging market conditions for the fashion sector overall, and trading since the year end has been subdued, we remain confident in our ability to make further progress this year. This is based on the strong appeal of our specialist fit proposition, continuous improvement in the customer experience and changes in customer shopping behaviour, driven by targeted marketing."
The clothing retailer, which employs TV presenter Lorraine Kelly and cricketer Andrew Flintoff as models, has been made to issue two profit warnings within six months in 2015, as annual profits decreased 21%.
