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| Version 1 | Version 2 |
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| Woolworths sees festive sales dip | Woolworths sees festive sales dip |
| (about 6 hours later) | |
| Woolworths has reported a 4.6% drop in like-for-like sales over the key Christmas trading period. | Woolworths has reported a 4.6% drop in like-for-like sales over the key Christmas trading period. |
| The troubled High Street retailer said it experienced weakness in CD, DVD and seasonal confectionery sales during the six weeks to 13 January. | The troubled High Street retailer said it experienced weakness in CD, DVD and seasonal confectionery sales during the six weeks to 13 January. |
| Woolworths warned in December that its full-year profits would plunge if its like-for-like sales, which ignore the effect of new stores, did not improve. | Woolworths warned in December that its full-year profits would plunge if its like-for-like sales, which ignore the effect of new stores, did not improve. |
| The firm is facing tough competition in its market from the likes of Tesco. | The firm is facing tough competition in its market from the likes of Tesco. |
| The latest fall in sales at Woolworths follows a previously reported drop of 6.5% for the 18 weeks to the beginning of December. | The latest fall in sales at Woolworths follows a previously reported drop of 6.5% for the 18 weeks to the beginning of December. |
| Book deal | Book deal |
| Woolworths retail found some of its traditional markets more difficult, leading to disappointing like-for-like sale over the Christmas weeks Trevor Bish-Jones, Woolworths chief executive class="" href="http://newsvote.bbc.co.uk/1/shared/fds/hi/business/market_data/shares/3/23481/intraday.stm">Check Woolworths shares class="" href="http://newsvote.bbc.co.uk/1/shared/fds/hi/business/market_data/shares/3/23481/intraday.stm">Does Woolies have a future? | |
| Woolworths said its most difficult sales areas over the festive period had been "CD, DVD and seasonal confectionery product categories where market weakness was driven by marked price deflation". | Woolworths said its most difficult sales areas over the festive period had been "CD, DVD and seasonal confectionery product categories where market weakness was driven by marked price deflation". |
| "Woolworths retail found some of its traditional markets more difficult, leading to disappointing like-for-like sales over the Christmas weeks," said chief executive Trevor Bish-Jones. | "Woolworths retail found some of its traditional markets more difficult, leading to disappointing like-for-like sales over the Christmas weeks," said chief executive Trevor Bish-Jones. |
| "Despite this, stock levels have been well controlled and we continue to improve gross margins." | "Despite this, stock levels have been well controlled and we continue to improve gross margins." |
| Separately, the firm said it was buying book wholesaler Bertram Group for £29m ($56.9m), in a bid to strengthen its entertainment wholesale business. | Separately, the firm said it was buying book wholesaler Bertram Group for £29m ($56.9m), in a bid to strengthen its entertainment wholesale business. |
| Woolworths added that its audio-visual publishing business 2Entertain, a joint venture with the BBC's commercial arm BBC Worldwide, had benefited from DVD sales of natural history series Planet Earth. | Woolworths added that its audio-visual publishing business 2Entertain, a joint venture with the BBC's commercial arm BBC Worldwide, had benefited from DVD sales of natural history series Planet Earth. |