Woolworths says it is beginning to see some "green shoots" in its Australian operations, with significant changes in store for David Jones and Country Road Group. But the retailer warned that despite this encouraging trend, trading conditions in that market would remain difficult for the rest of the year. CEO Ian Moir said Country Road Group had gone through "a really tough three years". "We’ve spent a lot of time in the business. It’s really beginning to make a difference. "We are starting to see green shoots and that’s not in just Country Road itself, but also within Witchery. Those two businesses are the biggest and were also the problem children and they are beginning to behave," said Moir. The Country Road Group houses Country Road, Trenery, Trenery and Mimco. In the 26 weeks ended December 25, David Jones’ sales grew 4% and comparable sales 0.5% in Australian dollars. Country Road Group sales were 0.9% lower than the prior period due to high levels of promotional activity, Woo...
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