Coles Myer

MELBOURNE: despite tough retail conditions retailing giant Coles Myer's first quarter sales have risen 5.6 per cent to $9 billion. Chief executive John Fletcher said comparative store sales in food and liquor were in line with expectations while in the non-food businesses, Myer, Target and officeworks continued to grow comparative sales, while Kmart was affected by the sector-wide impact of rising fuel prices on consumer sentiment and spending. The company said it remains on track to reach its 2005/06 earnings targets of $800 million before capital management.

:Brazin
SYDNEY: Music, DVD and apparel retailer Brazin has announced total sales for the quarter have jumped 16.3 per cent to $114 million. Comparative sales from continuing operations were however slightly below expectations due to the decline in consumer spending. The company says it remains optomistic Christmas trading will be solid.

:Westfield Group
SYDNEY: Despite slowing retail sales Westfield has reported increased revenue growth in all global markets except the UK during the September quarter. During the period, speciality sales rose 5.7 per cent in the US and 2.1 per cent in Australia, while dropping 1.4 per cent in the UK. The $2.6 billion company cuurently boasts 130 shopping centres around the world.

:Miller's Retail
SYDNEY: Embattled retailer Miller's Retail has reported a 0.5 per cent increase in total sales revenue for the September quarter compared to the previous corresponding period. On a like-for-like basis, store sales rose by three per cent. Miller's, whose operations are split between clothing and discount variety stores, announced plans in late September to sell almost 20 per cent of its variety division. To date, a total of 24 stores have been closed, with another 56 expected to go before the end of this financial year.

:Pacific Brands
MELBOURNE: Apparel wholesaling group Pacific Brands has announced that sales in branded goods - which make up 90 per cent of group sales - were up 1.5 per cent for the 2005 year, including sales in the group's troubled outerwear and sport division. If outerwear and sport were taken out of the equation branded sales growth was nearly 4 per cent, an encouraging result in a climate of marked price deflation, said Pacific Brands CEO Paul Moore.