French Connection winter fashions help sales to recover

Nov 30 (Reuters) - French Connection Group Plc reported a slight rise in sales at stores in Britain and the rest of Europe ahead of the key Christmas shopping season, putting it on track to match market expectations for its full-year results.

Shares (Berlin: DI6.BE - news) of French Connection (LSE: FCCN.L - news) rose about 25 percent, making the stock the biggest gainer on the London Stock Exchange (Other OTC: LDNXF - news) on Monday.

For the 16 weeks ended Nov. 21, the high street fashion chain reported a 0.2 percent rise in like-for-like retail sales in the UK and Europe, as its winter collection drew in shoppers.

This compares with a 6.1 percent drop in the comparable 16-week period last year.

"While we still have the all-important Christmas period to come, we expect the results for the full year to be in line with market expectations," Chief Executive Stephen Marks said in a statement. (Reporting by Esha Vaish in Bengaluru; Editing by Robin Paxton)