ScS has narrowed its half-year losses following “significant” improvements in total order numbers as its ecommerce platform gained traction.

The furniture specialist said EBITDA improved by £2m in the 26 weeks to January 23 compared to the same period last year, although it still recorded a £1m loss.

It posted an operating loss of £3.4m compared to a £5.3m deficit in the first half of 2015.

ScS said its total order intake advanced 9.1% on a like-for-like basis, driving a 10.2% hike in gross sales to £145.4m.

Gross profit jumped 13% to £64.8m during the period, helped by an increase in gross margin from 43.4% to 44.6%.

ScS’s online gross sales registered a 17.3% uplift to £4.3m as “further development” of its ecommerce platform bore fruit.

Sales at its House of Fraser concessions also spiked 18.1% as ScS hailed the impact of the move to “build consumer awareness” of the business.

After increasing its full-year profit forecast back in January, ScS reaffirmed its belief that results for the financial year will be “modestly ahead of market expectations,” despite having the key May bank holiday weekend still to come.

Sales order intake for the wider 37-week period, including Easter, was up 12%.

Boss David Knight said: “We are delighted to be reporting significant growth across all areas of the group in the first half of the current financial year.

“These results demonstrate the progress that has been made in developing ScS into a strong national brand with three very clear retail offers – upholstered furniture, flooring and our House of Fraser concessions, all supported by an improving online platform.

“Looking to the future, we are excited about our growth prospects, including the continued growth from our concession agreement with House of Fraser, our flooring offering and online proposition.”

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