Lawson Bullish After Strong First Half

Japanese retail giant Lawson has raised its full-year net profit forecast after strong tobacco and private label sales contributed to an impressive first half. Amid a challenging economic climate and weak consumer confidence, Lawson is targeting FY09 operating revenues of JPY352bn (US$3.5bn) - a 16.9% year-on-year (y-o-y) increase - and full-year net profit of JPY23.9bn (US$237.7mn), an increase of 8.1%. However, achieving these aims is going to necessitate a change of strategy from the convenience specialist.

To read the full article, please choose one of the following options: