Africa-Press – South-Africa. Pharmacy retailer Clicks’ half-year earnings jumped by 26%, as sales picked up by 13.6% over the six months to end-February.
Clicks’ headline earnings per share rose from 370.6 cents in the 2021 half-year, to 466.9 cents in 2022.
However, Clicks’ CEO Bertina Engelbrecht warned that the rest of the year will be constrained as consumers face increasing financial pressures and load shedding continues to disrupt operations.
The company increased its interim dividend by more than 26% to 180 cents per share in line with the earnings growth. Despite paying out R1.3 billion in dividends, and buying back shares, the company still has a R838 million cash pile.
Clicks opened its 800th store in March, and grew its pharmacy footprint by 45 new outlets, to bring it to a total of 646. Some 50% of South Africans now have access to a Clicks pharmacy within 5.5 km of their homes.
Clicks plans to open 28 more stores this year.
The group’s clubcard membership grew to 9.5 million active members, which represent 81% of the group’s sales in the six months. Its distribution business, United Pharmaceutical Distributors (UPD) increased its turnover by 6.7%, to R14.2 billion in the half year.
The retailer is one of many South African businesses that were impacted by the July unrest in 2021, and has since received a R710 million damages settlement from the South African Special Risks Insurance Association.
Its share price was up almost a percent to R323.87 on Thursday morning.
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