TRADING UPDATE:
Third-quarter sales increase helps lift Lewis out of slump
Lewis Group’s share price jumped 33% last week after the furniture retailer announced improved quarterly sales. The group houses the Lewis furniture store chain, Best Home and Electric, as well as Beares brands. It operates in Lesotho, Botswana, Namibia and Swaziland and mostly sells to lower-income consumers on in-store credit. The retailer said last Monday store sales for the quarter to December grew 9.8% compared with the prior period. The update signalled relief for the company after a turbulent 2017 on the bourse where it lost 37.3%. Lewis said it was satisfied with sales and collections performance in the third quarter of its 2018 financial year despite the continued challenging trading and economic conditions. In addition, the National Credit Act’s affordability assessment regulations had had an adverse effect. It reported a marginal increase in revenue of 0.7% during the quarter, a turnaround from the 3.2% decline it reported in its interim results for the six months to Sept...
Would you like to comment on this article?
Sign up (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.
Subscribe now to unlock this article.
Support BusinessLIVE’s award-winning journalism for R129 per month (digital access only).
There’s never been a more important time to support independent journalism in SA. Our subscription packages now offer an ad-free experience for readers.
Cancel anytime.
Questions? Email helpdesk@businesslive.co.za or call 0860 52 52 00. Got a subscription voucher? Redeem it now.