Translate the newspaper item from English into Russian. Use a dictionary. Hennes & Mauritz, the international fashion retailer, yesterday reported stronger-than-expected sales growth in July and said market conditions were

Hennes & Mauritz, the international fashion retailer, yesterday reported stronger-than-expected sales growth in July and said market conditions were improving in its US stores.

Sales in July were 18 per cent above the same month a year earlier and, although the company didn't release like-for-like figures, it said that it had only increased the number of stores by 10 per cent during the period.

The company also said it did not expect any material impact from the floods in Europe – Austria and Germany account for more than a third of sales – which had closed some stores.

Leif Persson, chief financial officer, said the sales increase had been broadly the same across most countries. The group has more than 800 stores in Europe and the US.

In the past year, the company has worked to cut inventories to reduce the need for discounted sales. 'We have probably had the right garments in the shops and we have been able to display them well. We have not had a lot of old garments around and this gives the new item a better visibility, Mr Persson said.

H & M entered the US market in March 2000 and has struggled with costs and lower-than-expected sales. Mr Persson said growth in the first half had been 'a little bit slower' than in the rest of the group, but that it was 'getting better all the time'.

Earlier this year, the company said it was halving the pace of its US expansion in order to focus on existing stores. It now has 34 in the US and is expected to open another eight or nine before the end of the year.

Sagra Maceira de Rosen, analyst at JP Morgan, said: H & M typically outperforms higher-priced rivals in weak market conditions as shoppers seek cheaper purchases.

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