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Massmart sees lower earnings, shares plunge

Johannesburg - Massmart Holdings [JSE:MSM], the South African unit of Wal-Mart Stores, said on Tuesday its first-half earnings fell as much as 29%, sending the retailer's shares almost 7% lower.

Massmart said in a statement it expected headline earnings of between 159.4 cents and 178c per share for the 26 weeks to June 29, compared with 225.2c a year earlier.

Headline earnings per share (Heps), the main measure of profit in SA, excludes certain one-time items.

The decline highlights the squeeze felt by cash-strapped consumers, who are struggling with the rising cost of living.

Larger rival Shoprite has also been hit by low consumer spending. On Tuesday it reported its slowest profit growth in 15 years for the year to June.

In morning trade on Wednesday, Massmart's shares fell 6.7% to R136.80.

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