Shoe Zone’s underlying pre-tax earnings slid to £9.6m in the year to October 5 2019, versus £11.3m the previous year. Sales inched up 0.9% to £162m.

Shoe Zone chief executive Anthony Smith, who returned to running the business last year, said he was confident in the retailer’s potential but called for government action to address the burden of business rates, which have soared over the last decade.