Wesfarmers first-half profit dives as Omicron disrupts business

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Last month, Wesfarmers flagged that a wave of Omicron infections in the country reduced physical traffic at its stores, weakening retail trading at its Kmart Group and Officeworks divisions.

The Perth-based conglomerate’s half-year net profit after tax from continuing operations stood at A$1.21 billion ($870.8 million), compared with A$1.41 billion a year earlier.

“The group has continued to incur additional costs and experience stock availability impacts as a result of ongoing global supply chain disruptions, elevated team member absenteeism and delays with third party logistics providers,” it said.

The Kmart Group, which made up roughly a third of total revenue in fiscal 2021 and lost about a quarter of its store trading days in the first half, saw its pre-tax earnings tumble 63.4% to A$178 million.

Wesfarmers paid an interim dividend of 80 Australian cents per share, compared with 88 cents last year.

($1 = 1.3895 Australian dollars)