King,however,is happy for customers to lead the way on whether they shop online or in store.
“You know,if it’s a billion-and-a-half[in sales],we won’t be unhappy either. It will be whatever the customer decides it will be. We’re fine either way,” he said.
Myer’s online sales declined 9.8 per cent compared with the same COVID-affected period last year,but at $382.3 million for the half,sales are still up 31.5 per cent over the past three years.
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King said the group’s new robotic national distribution centre,set to operate in Victoria from midyear,would further boost profitability.
“For us it will be quicker,faster and less costly. It will allow us to consolidate orders – which actually is great for the customer;so rather than picking from several stores and[shoppers] get two or three packages,they’ll now get one or a very limited number of boxes,” he said.
Myer shares surged on Thursday after the group rewarded investors with a 4¢ special dividend after it revealed profits had more than doubled to $65 million for the six months to the end of January. Sales rose 24.2 per cent to a record $1.8 billion,while earnings before interest and tax jumped from $206.8 million in 2022 to $240.7 million.