date:Feb 14, 2014
South African retailer Woolworths reported a 17 percent rise in first-half profit on Thursday as its well-heeled customers splashed out on luxury goods even as the rest of the consumer market grapples with high personal debt.
Woolworths, which sells upscale food products and clothing, said headline earnings per share totalled 192.4 South African cents in the six months to end-December compared with 164.2 cents a year earlier. ($1 = 10.9883 South African rand)
Headline earnings are the main pro