A FASHION retailer has posted phenomenal sales in the first quarter as it pushed ahead with its ambitious expansion plans.

Boohoo's sales at the online fashion retailer, which has a major base on the Heasandford Industrial Estate in Burnley and comprises Boohoo, Pretty Little Thing, and Nasty Gal - jumped 53 per cent to £183.6 million in the three months to May 31.

Sales in the UK jumped 49 per cent, up from £74.6 million to £110.7 million, while its sales in the US were up 75 per cent to £31.4 million.

The Boohoo brand brought in £97.2 million, while Pretty Little Thing and Nasty Gal delivered £79.2 million and £7.2 million respectively in the first quarter of the financial year.

Despite the strong sales growth, Boohoo's shares fell by 4.1 per cent in early trading to 211p.

The group said it would grow full-year revenue by between 35 per cent and 40 per cent, with underlying earnings expected to rise by up to 10 per cent.

The Lancashire Telegraph got an exclusive tour around the new facility in January, which will eventually see the group's workforce rise to 2,600.

The centre is the hub for all the brands which include Boohoo, Boohoo man, Pretty Little Thing and Nasty Gal.

Last year, the business invested millions of pounds in staff amenities including a restaurant, gym and yoga studio.

The investment was part of a expansion which saw construction begin on a new facility in preparation for the introduction of automatic pickers which Logistics Director Tony Burley said will boost the company's productivity.

They said the company's extension and automation of its Burnley distribution centre would be finished by the end of the financial year, and that Pretty Little Thing would move into its own warehouse in the second half of the year.

Mahmud Kamani and Carol Kane, joint chief executives of Boohoo, said: "Our infrastructure continues to see record levels of investment as we invest ahead of our growth curve and develop a distribution network capable of supporting £3billion of net sales globally."