House of Fraser has returned to profit for the first time in a decade after some strong sales and refinancing by its Chinese owners. The group achieved profits of £1.3 m in the year to end January compared to a loss of £2.9m the year before, as sales rose 4.2% to £1.3 billion. Online sales rose 27% to account for a fifth of the total. According to management, the online business has reached a scale where it is becoming more economic. The company will open its first overseas website in Australia before the summer. Stores will also be opened in China with the first in Nanjing this year and the second next year in Xuzhou.