PARK Group, best known for its Christmas hampers, has issued a chilly set of figures for the first half of its financial year.

The Merseyside-based financial services and marketing group, which includes Park Online, Nelson, saw sales fall from £22.8 million to £18.3 million in the six months to the end of September, and its pre-tax losses increase from £7.1 million in the red to £8.3 million.

Chairman Peter Johnson, said: "With close attention to the need to generate cash and to keep costs under control, I am confident that in due course the company will emerge with a sound foundation on which to build a more profitable and stable business."

Last month a fire damaged part of Park Online's factory, but the plant's day-to-day operation was not affected.