JD SPORTS Fashion said "significant improvement" at Blacks and Millets had lifted the outdoor brands out of the red following a two-year struggle. It said the pair achieved a break-even position in the second half of the year to February 1, compared with losses of £4.9 million a year earlier, and that it expected further improvement this year. Across the group, annual underlying profits were 27 per cent higher at £77m as continued strong growth for core sports retail brands Jd and Size? more than offset bigger losses at its fashion division of Bank and Scotts.