KEY POINTS:
New Zealand's biggest retailer, the Warehouse Group has revised downwards expected annual after-tax earnings by about 10 per cent.
The key contributing factor was a marked downturn in consumer spending since the latter part of May, which had significantly reduced the company's sales and margin expectations for the remainder of this financial year, the company said today.
After-tax earnings for the year ending July 27 were now expected to be between $84 million and $88 million, including reversal of warranty provisions of $7.2 million. The previous range was $94 million to $98 million.
For The Warehouse stores, sales for the month of May were 4.8 per cent ahead of last year on a same store basis, reflecting an expected improvement in performance following a difficult third quarter.
Customers responded well during the period to a strong seasonal offer in both apparel and home products, the company said.
But consumer confidence and retail spending had deteriorated markedly in recent weeks in response to increasing inflationary pressures on fuel and cost of living.
The company's June and July sales were now forecast to fall well below previous expectations.
At Warehouse Stationery sales for May and June month to date were 7.7 per cent below the same period last year.
The Warehouse downgrade comes one day after number two retailer Briscoe Group warned shareholders to expect up to an 80 per cent drop in half year net profit after tax.
In an update to the market yesterday, the operator of Briscoes Homeware, Living & Giving and Rebel Sport stores said it expected net profit after tax for the six months ended July 27 to be between $2 and $3 million. The group had posted a $10.5 million profit for the same period last year.
Managing director Rod Duke said like other retailers, it has been experiencing extremely difficult trading conditions, with consumer confidence at its lowest in 17 years.
Duke expected the challenging times to continue, with second half results expected to be lower than last year's. But the percentage decline would not be nearly as large as the first half's, he said.
Briscoe shares ended yesterday down 11c at 99c.
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As retail trouble spreads across the country, one big firm has announced expansion plans.
Hardware retailer Bunnings Warehouse, owned by Australian conglomerate Wesfarmers, it has six new stores planned, which should mean 500 new jobs.
Company general manager Brad Cranston said the fifth of its Auckland stores will be built in Westgate, Waitakere City.
"We are pleased to announce plans for this new store for West Auckland. Westgate and the wider West Auckland region is certainly an area of constant growth," Crantson said in a press release.
Bunnings Warehouse has recently unveiled development plans for four further stores in Wellington, Upper Hutt, Gisborne and Dunedin.
"The New Zealand market is extremely competitive," said Cranston. "But we have a proven and robust business model that enables us to deliver value to customers. The success of recent new stores in Christchurch and Auckland's Mt Roskill is encouraging and fuelling our commitment to continue at least open three new stores per year," he said.
Cranston said that while plans and locations are not finalised, Bunnings see the Hawke's Bay, Taranaki, South Auckland and Auckland's North Shore as potential areas for further stores.
-NZPA/ERROL KIONG
