Laura Ashley beats the recession with sales rise Laura Ashley makes 40pc of its products in the UK, Mr Anglim added, meaning it has been able to "respond quickly to trends and success," particularly for decorating products such as fabric, curtains and paint. The rise in sales includes a 6.1pc increase at Laura Ashley's 211 UK shops, and a 21.4pc rise in ecommerce revenues after the company overhauled its website. Like-for-like UK sales for the company rose 3.9pc. The strong growth in home accessories and decorating sales was slightly offset by a 0.3pc like-for-like fall in furniture during the period. Fashion sales remained flat despite a robust performance from the company's dresses, knitwear and blouses. Fashion represents roughly 20pc of Laura Ashley's business in the UK, while furniture contributes 30pc. The remaining half of the company's sales come from home accessories and decorating. Kwan Cheong Ng, chief executive, said: "As we enter the second half of the year, we have seen the momentum of the first half of the year maintained with UK like-for-like sales growth of 4.2pc for the 32 weeks to September 8. While we remain mindful of the broader consumer environment and its challenges, we are confident that this progress can be maintained. Laura Ashley will pay an interim dividend of 1p, the same as last year, on October 30.