US-based leather outerwear, accessories and apparel company Wilsons The Leather Experts Inc. has reported sales of $16.5 million for the five-week period ended July 7 compared with $17.4 million for the five weeks ended July 1, 2006. Year-to-date sales decreased 20.7% to $85.5 million compared with $107.8 million for the same period last year.

Despite a long struggle to improve its figures, chairman and chief executive officer Michael Searles said: “Our new branded product will begin arriving toward the end of next month and we hope to see a lift in our transaction volume as that strategy takes hold.”