Pretax profit for the six months ended Aug. 3 fell to 36.4 million pounds from 38.1 million pounds a year earlier.

Revenue fell 3.8 percent to 479.3 million pounds.

The marketing and distribution business accounted for about 80 percent of Premier's total turnover last year.

Premier Farnell sells roughly half a million products ranging from batteries to CCTV cameras in more than 100 countries through its websites including Newark, Farnell and element 14.

(Reporting by Noor Zainab Hussain in Bangalore; Editing by Gopakumar Warrier)