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Lewis Group reported an 11.1% increase in total revenue in the nine months to December 2025, supported by a 7.1% rise in merchandise sales and a 9.1% increase in credit sales, which accounted for 69.4% of total turnover.<\/p>\n
In a trading update published on Sens on Tuesday, the furniture and appliance retailer noted merchandise sales in the third quarter to December climbed 7.8%, supported by strong Black Friday trading across all brands, following growth of 8.9% and 4.6% in the first and second quarters, respectively.<\/p>\n
Read: Lewis Group delivers 67% profit surge<\/p>\n
Lewis shares traded at\u00a0R96.78 at around 10am, up 2.96% from the previous day.<\/p>\n
Comparable store sales rose by 4.3% for the nine months and by 4.9% in the third quarter.<\/p>\n
Other revenue, including effective interest income, ancillary services, and insurance revenue, increased by 16.2% for the nine months and by 15.2% in the third quarter, benefiting from strong credit sales in recent years.<\/p>\n
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The numbers suggest that retailers with strong in-house credit offerings have been more resilient amid constrained consumer spending, as shoppers increasingly rely on instalment-based purchases to manage pressure on household budgets.<\/p>\n
The group notes its collection rate remained resilient at 78.3%, slightly lower than the 79.6% recorded in December 2024 and in line with the half-year to September 2025.<\/p>\n
Debtor costs increased by 14.8% for the nine months and by 16.9% in the third quarter, mainly due to growth in the debtors\u2019 book and continued macroeconomic pressure on consumers.<\/p>\n
Read: Interest rate cut provides some festive cheer for cash-strapped South Africans<\/p>\n
Pepkor challenge<\/strong><\/p>\n Lewis recently secured the right to intervene in merger proceedings relating to Pepkor\u2019s proposed R3.2 billion acquisition of Shoprite\u2019s furniture business.<\/p>\n ADVERTISEMENT:<\/p>\n CONTINUE READING BELOW<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n In January, the Constitutional Court ruled in favour of Lewis, allowing it to participate fully in the Competition Tribunal proceedings.<\/p>\n Read: Pepkor-Shoprite Furniture merger gets provisional green light<\/p>\n The retailer had sought to intervene on the basis that the transaction could be anti-competitive and harmful to consumers.<\/p>\n The court did not grant Lewis the right to block the transaction, and the outcome will rest with the tribunal.<\/p>\n Pepkor and Shoprite opposed Lewis\u2019s involvement, arguing that it was using competition law to delay or derail the deal.<\/p>\n Follow Moneyweb\u2019s in-depth finance and business news on WhatsApp here.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n