Jacques Vert makes pre-tax profit of £5.1m

The retailer, which owns Jacques Vert, Windsmoor, Planet and Precis, had posted a loss of £2.9m the previous year because of exceptional charges including £3.8m for coming out of onerous leases.

Retail sales 4% rose to £115.3m during the latest period and like-for-like sales were up 2.8%.

Jacques Vert continued to deliver higher sales in the nine weeks since April 24 when retail sales climbed 3.9% and like-for-like sales rose 1.5%.

The retailer will resume paying a dividend after 15 years as a result of its improving performance. The board has proposed a final dividend of 0.65p per share.

Jacques Vert swill invest around £3m in its etail operations, which will include an upgrade of its online platform.

Jacques Vert chairman Steve Bodger, said: “These are a strong set of results and a return to the dividend list after an absence of 15 years is a sign of the confidence we have in the business.

“These results, together with the progress that the group has made during the year, demonstrate that the group is now well positioned to take advantage of any opportunities that may arise in what is likely to be an unpredictable year ahead.”