LONDON - British luxury brand Mulberry said its first-half loss had widened, blaming investment costs and a tough UK trading environment.

The firm said on Wednesday it made a loss before tax of 9.9 million pounds ($12.7 million) in the 26 weeks to Sept. 28. Overall revenue was flat at 68.9 million pounds, with UK sales down 4% and international sales up 12%.

The company said it had posted a loss of 8.2 million pounds in the first half of last year.

Though retail sales were currently reflecting similar trends Mulberry said it expected to trade profitably and generate cash in the second half.

($1 = 0.7815 pounds)

(Reporting by James Davey; editing by Kate Holton) ((james.davey@thomsonreuters.com))