Sosandar plc, the Wilmslow-based fashion firm run by former magazine publishers Ali Hall and Julie Lavington, said sales fell as it held firm on pricing, but its loss narrowed as it kept a lid on costs. 

The company said revenue for the first half of the year was £16.2 million, down from £22.2 million in the same period a year ago. It made a pre-tax loss of £0.7 million, compared with a loss of £1.3 million a year ago. 

It said it will continue to transition away from price promotional activity outside the major scheduled sale events and said it expects “to deliver a further large upwards swing in profitability in the second half of the year.”

Hall and Lavington said: “Trading in the second half of the financial year to date has been encouraging, across all our channels, as we head into peak season. In the lead up to Christmas we have seen extremely strong sales of occasionwear, knitwear, including knitted dresses, and denim.”

“Looking ahead, we remain incredibly excited for what lies ahead for Sosandar as we take advantage of the multiple opportunities available to us, and we take the Sosandar brand to more customers across the UK and worldwide and continue on our journey to become one of the largest womenswear brands globally.”

The company said trading in the second half of the financial year has been in line with full year market expectations of revenue of £40.5 million and profit before tax of £1 million.