Johannesburg - South Africa’s leading health and cosmetics retailer Clicks said on Thursday that diluted headline earnings per share for the first half of the year rose 12.8 percent to 177.6 cents.
The interim dividend was up 22.4 percent to 65.5 cents, despite the group’s trading being challenged by cash-strapped and value-conscious consumers.
Clicks said it expected diluted EPS for the full year to rise by 10-15 percent.
Group turnover rose 14.1 percent to to R10.7 billion, while operating expenses in retail were 11.5 percent higher due to increased investment in stores, staff and advertising costs.
“‘Trading conditions are expected to remain unchanged in the second half of the year with consumer disposable income under continued pressure. Load shedding in the winter months poses a further risk to sales in the second half of the year,” Clicks said in a statement.
ANA