Furniture and fashion chain Laura Ashley has reported a rise in pre-tax profit of around 1,000 per cent in the half year ended 31 July.

The group said that pre-tax profits rose from £1.1 million in the same period last year to £10.5 million this year. Total sales increased by 5.7 per cent to £127.8 million.

During the period the group re-launched its website, which led to an increase in online revenue of 63 per cent. In total 12 per cent of Laura Ashley sales are conducted online, up from seven per cent in the whole of last year.

Like for like sales of furniture rose 9.2 per cent, while like for like sales of home accessories increased 5.2 per cent.