Retailer Next has warned that full-year profits could take a hit after overall sales for the first quarter fell 0.9%.
Sales at the chain's shops plunged 4.7% as it pointed to March and April's cold weather dampening demand for its clothing.
The company also said the lacklustre figures could indicate a wider slowdown in consumer spending.
"The poor performance of the last six weeks may be indicative of weaker underlying demand for clothing and potentially wider slowdown in consumer spending," Next said.
Sales at the Next Directory catalogue business also slowed, coming in at 4.2%.
Next cut its annual full-price sales guidance to between -3.5% and +3.5%, also warning that pre-tax profit could fall by as much as 8.9% to £748m. Its estimate at the higher range is a 3.7% rise to £852m.
While Next said that this week's better weather had seen an improvement in trading, it nevertheless warned that it is possible that "sales will deteriorate further".
Chief executive Simon Wolfson warned in January that 2016 would be challenging after the firm reported a sales slump over Christmas.
