Clarks profits 'pass £100m barrier'

Profits at the Clarks shoe-shop chain have broken through the £100m barrier for the first time in its 186-year history after the group was boosted by overseas sales, it was reported today.

The retailer, which is based in Street, Somerset, saw pre-tax profits jump by 28% to £108.7 million on the back of a 9% rise in sales to £1.28 billion – the equivalent to selling an extra 2.9 million pairs of shoes, according to newspaper reports.