South African retail group Massmart on Thursday reported a 16% increase in headline earnings per share to 341 cents for the year ended June 2005, from 293,1 cents for the corresponding period a year ago.
A final dividend of 72 cents per share was declared, making a total dividend of 183 cents from 159 cents a year ago.
The I-Net Bridge consensus forecast of analysts was for headline earnings per share of 349.8 cents and a total dividend of 179,9 cents.
Sales increased by 12% to R26,6-billion, 5,8% of which was from 17 foreign stores, while trading profit was 19% higher at R1,009-billion, exceeding the R1-billion mark for the first time.
About 44% of the year’s growth was organic, Massmart said.
During the year, the store network was increased to 219, with the acquisition and opening of 62 new stores with estimated annual sales of R2,6-billion.
In addition, Federated Timbers, De la Rey and Servistar were acquired with effect from June 1 2005.
The management of Massmart continues to implement the three-pillar strategy, which has been at the heart of the group’s progress for 17 years: aggressive organic and acquisitive growth; value-adding collaboration between focused trading entities; and incentivisation for alignment.
Massmart said this year’s annual review resulted in Vision 2008, which will see a number of strategic and operational performance improvements emphasising growth in Massmart’s higher margin businesses, including the opening of 35 new stores between July 2005 and June 2008 with estimated sales of R3,2-billion.
Looking ahead, the group said while there has been a gradual downward trend in retail sales growth as reported by Statistics South Africa since October last year, Massmart’s strategies and budgets have been founded on the belief that the South African economy is being irrevocably transformed and that good retail growth will persist for some time, in the absence of a marked deterioration in exogenous factors — the oil price being of particular concern at present.
“Our confidence in our country and our company is evident in a record R495-million capital expenditure programme planned for the current year, planned to add at least 147 388 square metres, in support of budgeted sales exceeding R30-billion,” it said.
For the eight weeks to August 21 2005, Massmart’s total sales grew by 16,2%, sales before acquisitions grew by 9% and comparable store sales grew by 8%, with profit growth significantly ahead of sales growth and last year. — I-Net Bridge