E-commerce growth buoyed an otherwise disappointing quarter and first half of the year for American retailer Chico’s. Comparable store sales, which for Chico’s include e-commerce, dropped 3.1 per cent in the second quarter and 3.7 per cent in the first half of the year.

Total sales declined 7.3 per cent year-over-year in the second quarter and 7.6 per cent for the first six months of 2016.

New positions were added in the quarter in key areas such as digital and business analytics. Some of those positions were filled in-house, and others are still waiting to be filled.

Chico’s web sales rose two per cent in 2015 compared to 2014.

Chico’s isn’t the only apparel merchant in the US whose online sales are growing while sales offline and companywide decline. For the second quarter, youth apparel merchant Abercrombie & Fitch saw a 4.2 per cent decline in total sales amid a 4.9 per cent jump in e-commerce sales. For Guess e-commerce sales in the Americas grew 4.9 per cent, while store sales fell 3.1 per cent.

Macy’s posted double digit gains in online sales in the second quarter amid a 3.9 per cent decline in sales companywide.

The web last year accounted for 17 per cent of total apparel sales in the US, up from 14.8 per cent the previous year.