Furnishing fabrics, wallpapers and furniture supplier Colefax Group PLC has reported a downturn in UK sales.

According to its latest trading update at its Annual General Meeting, David Green, Chief Executive, commented: “In the Group’s core Fabric Division, sales for the 21 weeks to 20 September 2024 were down by 2% but up by 1% on a constant currency basis.

“Sales in the US, which is our largest market accounting for 65% of the Fabric Division total, were up by 5%, sales in the UK were down by 12% and sales in Europe were down by 2%, all on a constant currency basis.

“We are just entering our important autumn selling season and expect current sales trends to continue. The sales performance in the US is slightly better than we expected at the start of the year but the benefit will be offset by a significantly weaker US dollar exchange rate.

“Overall, we expect the Group’s performance for the financial year to remain in line with market expectations.”