In the fashion label's latest television and cinema ad campaign, two women are shown kissing and tearing each other's clothes off in between exchanging kicks and punches

French Connection, the retailer that shocked shoppers with its FCUK-prefixed advertising slogan, has seen a further collapse in sales and profits just weeks after its latest television advert provoked howls of outrage from offended viewers.

The violence and sexual imagery portrayed in the video that showed two women beating each other up before being soaked with water and then embracing has failed to entice customers back to French Connection's stores. At its annual shareholder meeting, the group admitted that profits would again miss forecasts.

The two women fighting in French Connection's latest campaign, which is plastered over the side of London buses and taxis, are meant to represent a quote from Yves Saint Laurent, the French designer, who once said: "Fashion fades, style is eternal." The battle pits fashion against style; the reconciliatory kiss suggests that neither wins.

Retail analysts blamed part of the recent sales decline on the campaign. Matthew McEachran, at Investec Securities, said: "I personally had no inclination to go anywhere near a store after I saw that advert. The video looked cheap and not very design-led." Nick Bubb, at Evolution Group, said: "It left me confused."

Source: Susie Mesure, Retail Correspondent Independent Online Edition Published: 11 May 2006 http://news.independent.co.uk/media/article363608.ece