One of the UK's best-known retailers has today warned of continuing market volatility in its latest trading update.

International department store group Debenhams, which has a store in Gloucester, reported an increase of 0.9 per cent in like-for-like sales in the 15 weeks up to 17 June

It also reported a digital sales growth of 7.9 per cent, driven by mobile demand, over the same period.

Debenhams CEO Sergio Bucher said the company had introduced a number of strategies, including its Fix the Basics plan, to improve the business.

This has included establishing a training programme to support up to 2,000 employees switching to customer‐facing roles, implementing direct‐to‐floor deliveries, which will cut replenishment times from eight days to two, and completing the transition to a single warehouse management system.

Mr Bucher said: "We are making progress in implementing our exciting and ambitious new strategy, Debenhams Redesigned, which will make us the destination for social shopping.

"We have already started to deliver changes that will improve service for our customers and simplify and focus our operations.

"As industry data has confirmed, May was a tough month for retailers and we continue to see volatility in trading week to week.

"As a result we are focused on delivering cost control and self‐help through our Fix the Basics plan."