Hallenstein Glasson half year profit falls
Clothing retailer's half-year net profit fell 16.5% to $7.14 million. Glassons is the culprit.
Clothing retailer Hallenstein Glasson's half year net profit fell 16.5 percent to $7.14 million, as sales for Glassons in this country and Australia were weaker than expected in the key Christmas trading period.
Revenue for the six months to February 1 dropped 1.7 percent from a year earlier to $100.61m.
Chairman of directors Warren Bell said Glasson sales during Christmas were critical to the company's profit and in the latest period it had struggled to achieve targets.
Competition had been particularly intense in women's apparel and the company had to meet the market to ensure inventory levels remained under control, Mr Bell said.
At the end of the summer season inventories were $14.25m, compared with $13.57m last year.
Both Hallensteins and Storm had traded well during the Christmas period and their results reflected that.
Cash reserves reduced during the period from $34.94m to $20.18m, with a significant portion of that due to changes in terms of supply with some key offshore suppliers, the company said.
Volatility in cotton prices meant that in order to secure fixed contracts on future orders suppliers had to be paid earlier than in the past.
The company's interim dividend is unchanged at 14c per share.
While the $8.35m being paid out in dividends was $1.21m higher than profit after tax for the period, it could be comfortably managed given the group's cash reserves, the company said.
NZPA and NBR staff
Thu, 24 Mar 2011
Thu, 24 Mar 2011
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Hallenstein Glasson half year profit falls
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