US footwear and apparel company the Jones Group has reported a 55% jump in second-quarter net profit, despite revenue declining slightly over the period.

The owner of the Nine West, Anne Klein, Rachel Roy and Kurt Geiger brands today (25 July) said net income surged to US$8.1m over the quarter ended 30 June. Sales fell to $855m from $887m in the same period of the prior year.

SG&A expenses fell 9.4% to US$304m and the company recorded significantly lower financing costs of $8.8m against $37m in the same period of last year.

The Company reported adjusted earnings per share of $0.22 for the second quarter of 2012, compared with adjusted earnings per share of $0.33 for the same period last year.

“We are pleased with the results we achieved in the second quarter, particularly our improved gross margin, which exceeded expectations,” said CEO Wesley Card. ”Our gross margin improvement of 180 basis points was the result of the inclusion of Kurt Geiger for a full quarter, improvement in many segments as a result of conservative inventory planning and control.”

The company said its board has declared a regular quarterly cash dividend of $0.05 per share to all common stockholders of record as of August 10, 2012, for payment on August 24, 2012.