Johannesburg – Furniture retailer Lewis said yesterday that while lower interest rates, stabilising food prices and higher real wage increases were positive for consumers, short-time and retrenchments remained a risk for sustained improvement.

Lewis chief executive Johan Enslin said the credit environment remained challenging.

Earlier, Lewis reported a 3,9% fall in headline earnings to 290,5c a share for the six months to the end of September. – I-Net Bridge