The Foschini Group on Friday said online sales neared 15% of total retail sales in the half-year ended 30 September 2025.

Group online sales climbed by 55.3% to contribute 14.7% to total sales, up from 10.7% in the same six-month period a year ago, lifted by its acquisition of UK fashion and lifestyle brand White Stuff. TFG Africa’s online sales climbed by 40.2%, driven by its Bash platform.

Group sales climbed by 12.7% to R29.2-billion (3.5% excluding White Stuff), while headline earnings per share fell 21.3% to 292.6c.

“Trading conditions remain challenging across Africa, the UK and Australia, with sales growth of 12.7% supported mainly by the acquisition of White Stuff,” TFG said.

“In Africa, market sales declined sharply in June and September, with gross margins pressured by clearance activities to liquidate remaining winter stock after slower sales.

“In the UK and Australia, continued cost-of-living pressures contributed to subdued sales and margin contraction in the first quarter, before both exhibited a consistently improving trend through the second quarter.”

Markdowns

Winter clearance markdowns, necessitated by a tougher-than-expected trading environment, reduced gross margins by 90 basis points, which resulted in negative operating leverage, leading to a 9.7% decline in segmental earnings before interest and tax.

TFG declared an interim dividend of R1.30/share, down 18.8% from the R1.60/share paid a year ago.

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“While the first half has been difficult, the group remains focused on operational resilience, prudent capital allocation and leveraging its platform strengths and digital channels to drive growth,” the group said. – © 2025 NewsCentral Media

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