Sales increased by 1 per cent to£36.3 million for the year to December 30. Pre-tax profit was£5.6 million, including a one-off property sale, or£5.3 million excluding the property deal, down from£5.8 million the year before.
However, the company pointed out that second-half sales were up 15 per cent compared with 2004 and up 3.5 per cent on a like-for-like basis, with internet sales up 21 per cent.
Jersey-based Flying Brands operates flower delivery service Flying Flowers and mail-order gardening brand Gardening Direct, as well as specialist entertainment offers such as Listen2Books, Benham and Silverminds Direct.
'Despite the trading difficulties encountered by Gardening Direct's spring
campaign, the year as a whole saw the business move forward substantially,' said Flying Brands chief executive Mark Dugdale. 'We can now claim to be a genuine dual-channel retailer, with our internet sales increasing to£3.5 million, 11 per cent of our total core business sales. We see this channel becoming a key source of new customers.'
Chairman Alan Fryer is stepping down, to be replaced by Paul Fraser.
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