Ted Baker Plc, UK fashion brand, reported a drop of 18.4 per cent in its pre-tax profit for the first six months of the year, but said its performance was better than expected owing to the strong performance of its UK arm.

Ted Baker's pre-tax profit dropped to £6 million as compared with £7.4 million last year.

The group said its retail sales soared by 15 per cent in the first half ended August 15. But, sales of menswear plunged by 105 per cent to £39.7 million.

Sales jumped by 16.6 per cent to settle at £56.1 million in the UK and Europe, while wholesale sales slipped to £15.3, losing 16.3 per cent.

Sales of Womenswear soared 18 per cent to settle at £36.9 million.

Speaking about the results, Ray Kelvin, Ted Baker's CEO, said, "The group's performance in the first half of the year has been better than expected given the difficult trading environment."

Shares in Ted Baker have gained around 25 per cent over the last year.

The group has kept the interim dividend untouched at5.25p.