Shoppers shun FCUK logo

Sales at fashion retailer French Connection have gone into freefall after a backlash against its notorious "fcuk" logo.

The chain warned the City that turnover slumped 17 per cent in February and early this month at the start of the crucial spring season.

Founder Stephen Marks blamed "very difficult" trading on the high street for the "very disappointing" collapse in sales. The recent cold snap had kept shoppers away, he added.

Operations manager Neil Williams said spring sales suffered because the stores had too much basic clothing like plain knitwear and not enough key fashion items. "The stores looked a little boring and the product wasn't attractive enough," he said.

However, there has been growing concern in the City that consumers are shunning the company's "tired and tacky" fcuk brand. A defiant Mr Marks said today there were no plans to ditch the brand, launched in 1997.

The latest setback comes after a disastrous 12 months for a tycoon who has deliberately courted controversy. In November, French Connection's shares crashed by a quarter when a profits warning wiped £80 million off the company's value.

In June Mr Marks, 58, was forced to finance a divorce from his wife of 10 years, Alisa, by selling nine million shares in the company at £4.30 each.

At nearly £40million, it was one of the most expensive divorces in British legal history. The designer and his wife, who is 20 years his junior, had been thought to have one of the most enduring relationships in the fashion industry.

But in December 2003 she left their £10million home with their three children. Mr Marks had met Alisa, a former fashion journalist for Elle and Marie Claire, at a party and the business benefited from her input on styling and fashion shoots.

Today Mr Marks put a brave face on the dismal sales figures and defended the company's current ranges. He said: "I don't think we have a problem at the moment and we are getting good feedback from customers. It's difficult to sell things when customers have to walk through a snowstorm to buy them.

"We have been very upfront about everything and I hope this is just a blip in our nine-year record of rising profits." As well as having to cope with the winter weather, Mr Marks, who is chairman and chief executive, said trading over the past five weeks had suffered as the group cleared its unwanted winter ranges.

Shoppers shunned French Connection in the runup to Christmas because its ranges were not fashionable enough.

There has been speculation that the Icelandic retailer, Baugur, might be eyeing the group but Mr Marks dismissed this. With 42 per cent of the company, he remains the major shareholder.

The French Connection figures came as the British Retail Consortium warned that like-for-like sales fell 0.3 per cent in February, the third decline in four months.