Furnishings group Homestyle hailed a makeover of its own for putting a gloss on sales figures.

The retailer said its reward for upgrading the Harveys furniture stores which it bought in 2000 had been an 11 per cent rise in group like-for-like sales.

Homestyle also has Bensons beds and Rosebys home textiles in its portfolio and all divisions have met hopes so far this year.

There are Harveys' stores in Chichester, Crawley and Newhaven and Bensons' in Brighton and Eastbourne.

All but 20 of Homestyle's 180 Harveys stores have been refurbished and the revamped outlets are trading significantly ahead of the other shops.

The company said in a trading statement like-for-like sales in the Harveys division were up 18 per cent in the 26 weeks to August 31.

Stores refurbished more than a year ago had remained popular with a six per cent increase in like-for-like sales.

The group has improved product ranges, enhanced the layout and presentation of its stores and provided staff with better training following the £135.6 million acquisition in July 2000.

Chief executive Mich-ael Rosenblatt said he drew most encouragement from the performance of the other divisions at a time when the focus was on Harveys.

The group's 145 Bensons stores had improved like-for-like sales by nine per cent while 30 Rosebys outlets were three per cent stronger.

Mr Rosenblatt said conditions on the High Street remained solid.

He said: "Various television shows have raised awareness of what is possible in a home for a relatively small amount of money."

Across the group, total sales were 12 per cent higher than a year earlier at £275 million.