Brown & Jackson reborn as Instore

Brown & Jackson has announced it is going to change its name to Instore, in line with its fascia revamp. The retailer will tell shareholders today its like-for-like sales for the eight weeks to July 23 are up 3 per cent. However, same-store sales for the 21 weeks to the same date are down 2.7 per cent, because of strong year-on-year comparatives, the retailer said.

During the eight-week period, the retailer improved margins, compared with the same time last year, with markdowns reduced significantly.

Brown & Jackson chairman Christo Wiese said the transition to a new distribution centre had affected the retailer's branch stock management temporarily, but that the problem was solved in June.

He added that the conversion of its Poundstretcher stores to the Instore fascia was progressing as planned. He said: 'Our Instore rollout has continued, with 17 stores converted and 5 stores added. There are now 109 stores trading under the Instore brand, which represents 45 per cent of total turnover. We are pleased with this performance because it is against strong comparatives last year and compares favourably with the overall marketplace.'