Dickins & Jones to close
House of Fraser this morning blamed tough trading conditions for a fall in like-for- like sales of 3.2 per cent in the 19 weeks to June 11.

The department store chain said in an AGM statement that store openings at Croydon, Maidstone and Dublin, as well as the acquisition of Jenners in Edinburgh, had helped boost total sales.

While fashion performed well, with total sales up 3.6 per cent, trading in home was less good, down 1.4 per cent in total.

House of Fraser also revealed that it has sold the lease on the Dickins & Jones site on London's Regent Street to Shearer Property Group and Delancey Estates.

The shop, one of the West End's landmark department stores, will close for redevelopment next January. House of Fraser said that a rent review in 2002 had adversely affected the store's performance.

The retailer also confirmed plans to anchor the new Broadmead shopping centre in Bristol with a 140,000 sq ft (13,005 sq m) outlet.