South Africa's Dis-Chem Pharmacies posts annual profit jump, declares final dividend

JOHANNESBURG, May 30 (Reuters) - South African pharmacy chain Dis-Chem Pharmacies (DCPJ.J), opens new tab reported a 20% increase in full-year earnings on Friday, and also declared a final dividend of 27.85 cents.
The group's headline earnings per share, a key profit measure in South Africa, increased to 137.5 cents for the year ended February 28, up from 114.6 cents a year earlier, supported by an 18.3% growth in operating profit.
"The biggest contributor to earnings growth during this period was effective cost management, particularly payroll cost," Dis-Chem said in a statement.
Group revenue increased 8% to 39.2 billion rand ($2.20 billion), with retail revenue rising nearly 6% to 33.6 billion rand and comparable pharmacy store revenue growing 4.2%.
Wholesale revenue grew 9.9%, while wholesale sales to external customers — including The Local Choice franchises and independent clients — jumped 22.1%, driven by new customer acquisitions and stronger support from the existing base, the group said.
($1 = 17.8397 rand)

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