Jersey-based home shopping group Flying Brands will say at its AGM today that sales in its garden division in the year to May 7 hit £10.3m, down slightly on the £10.5m for the same period last year.

Web orders continued to improve, up from £2.1m last year to £2.6m and now represents 24.9% of its total orders.

Flying Brands will hold its delayed AGM today after it was put back due to travel disruption caused by the volcanic ash.

It said that since its last update on April 20, when it said its garden division was behind expectations due to the bad weather, the division has begun to trade ahead of last year, a trend it expects to continue.

Its other divisions have traded in line with expectations.

The hit to Flying Brand’s garden division however means that it expects profit expectations for the year to be “a considerable challenge”.