Robinson Webster Holdings - which owns fashion retailers Jigsaw and The Shop at Bluebird - posted a pre-tax loss of £783,000 over the year to 30 September 2017, down from a £2.7 million profit the previous year.

Group sales of clothing and accessories increased 9.5 per cent to £103.7 million, driven by e-commerce sales up £8.6 million to £27.6 million, while in-store sales were also up £488,000 to £76.2 million.

Jigsaw’s online sales rose 45 per cent to £15.9 million, with the jump attributed to more sales coming via John Lewis’ website, rising two per cent to £5.7 million.

The group’s statement blamed falling profits on headwinds, which led to a reduction in consumer confidence and footfall on the High Street. To counter this, Robinson Webster said it will focus on international online sales to offset the costs incurred in the UK.

“In order to reduce its overall exposure to fixed costs and increase variable costs, the group is increasing its activities that are not dependent on the UK High Street, including e-commerce and licensing,” read the report.

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