I don't see any disaster here. In fact, it may prove quite...

I don't see any disaster here. In fact, it may prove quite promising.

Prior to Covid this company saw earnings per share of $0.053 in 2018 and $0.055 in 2019.
Then, when Covid struck and general behavior and buying patterns were changed, the EPS rose to $0.087 in 2020 and $0.142 in 2021.
These were quite meteoric rises and were attributed in the main to the fact that people were stuck at home and cut their own hair etc.
But what happened in 2022 and 2023 were more important as the EPS hovered around $0.132 in 2022 and $0.131 in 2023.
So, the business has more than doubled its shareholder return since the start of Covid and is, in fact, holding the numbers up at those levels even though the "stay at home" requirements are well behind us.
Today they advised that their revenue sits behind last year's numbers for the same time, by a percentage in the mid-single digits.
This is about the same result as the highly regarded Nick Scali reported the other day along with a few other retailers who have provided updates in October.
Of course, their success or otherwise will hinge around their performance through the Black Friday and Xmas period.
If they can finish their 2024 year with a revenue that is behind last year's result by a percentage in single digits only, they could be considered to have made a step change of a permanent nature which is a great sign.
They're an extremely well-run company in a tough area of the commercial world so I'll watch with interest.