Retail boost helps Farmers, Progressive

The company says sales at its Farmers stores, helped by the sales of the new Botany store and the conversion of former Deka outlets, rose by 13% for the three months ended July, with same store sales rising 5.3%.

During the quarter the FAL says 9 former Deka stores were converted to Farmers stores, bringing the total number of completed conversions to 12, with one other conversion underway. To date, 27 other Deka store have been closed.

Its Progressive food division also saw sales rise.

Progressive's supermarkets - Foodtown, 3 Guys and Coustdown - together grew sales by 7.8% for the period, strengthening the positive trend of the three prior quarters.

On a same-store basis sales rose 7.5% for the quarter and are up 6.4% for the year.

Excluding the Rattray Cash and Carry business, which was sold in the second quarter, Foodland says wholesale sales in New Zealand were 9.9% higher for the quarter and 10.7% higher on a year-to-date basis, reflecting strong trading performances by the Freshchoice and SuperValue franchise groups.

Back in its home territory of Western Australian the company's wholesale growth rates were even more impressive, rising 14.2%, while same-store sales at its Action supermarkets increased by 5.9%.

The Commerce Commission last month cleared Progressive Enterprises to acquire the Woolworths chain of supermarkets but Hong Kong-based food distributor, Dairy Farm, which owns the chain, is yet to announce if any deal will go ahead.

Earlier in the year Dairy Farm said it had received an unsolicited and unexpected expression of interest from Foodland but needed to consider the merits of any offer.

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