Credit sales growth looks good at TFG

Image credit: Sunday Times

The retail group's credit sales rose 6.8% in the half-year ended September, from 2.5% growth in the corresponding period.

The improvement comes as the group has gained a strong footing by targeting shoppers who buy with cash rather than store credit - a defensive strategy in tough economic and credit cycles designed to reduce the effect of card defaults.

It also allows the group to benefit from rising interest income and an upsurge in customers when the cycle turns.

"While we continued to benefit from strong cash sales growth of 15.8% ... we are pleased with the improvement in credit turnover growth. This has not been driven by an influx of new accounts, our new account growth is actually flat. We are getting a greater yield out of the customers on our database and that shows a greater willingness for them to spend," CEO Doug Murray said.

To manage its books through the tough credit cycle and rein in impairment rates, TFG and rival Truworths as early as 2012 made it tougher to get credit at their stores with stricter criteria.

"There is clearly a slowdown in terms of the credit write-offs or bad debt... Overall household debt is lower than it was last year," Murray said.

At TFG, which owns more than 18 retail chains including Fabiani, Totalsports and @home, cash sales now make up 46% of total sales.

Earlier this month, figures from Truworths indicated positive volume growth as cash purchases outpaced credit sales.

TFG's headline earnings per share from continuing operations rose 16.6% to 470.2c as the group opened as many as 120 stores in the half year.

The retailer achieved sales growth of 10.8% with comparable sales growth of 5.3%, excluding the contribution from Phase Eight - the UK clothing chain it bought earlier this year. An interim dividend of 306c was declared, a 16% rise.