Dis-Chem has been quick to jump on the e-tail bandwagon, more than tripling online sales in the first four months of its financial year as some customers remain reluctant to venture out to do their shopping. However, after a big decline in footfall at shopping centre-based stores during last year’s lockdown, it’s seen a recovery in customers there too.
Sales at its older stores located in regional shopping centres are still down on last year – although the 2% decline is an improvement on the 8% contraction for the period between March and August 2020. Its convenience centres, those based outside malls, grew like-for-like sales by 10.2%. Online sales surged 219% from the same period last year.
Dis-Chem’s wholesale business has also been doing very well, with revenue jumping 20% to R8.6-billion over the 22-week period. While a lot of those sales are back to its own retail stores, its growing distribution network and sales to independent pharmacies have also supported the growth.