South African fashion retailer The Foschini Group (TFG) says it expects to ​close a further 180 stores over ‌the next three financial years in a bid to improve profitability as online sales surge.

The group, which ​owns clothing brands including Foschini, Sportscene and ​Markham, reported sales growth of 0.2% to ⁠R23 billion in the 21 ​weeks ended August 22, with its African ​business growing 3.4%.

The retailer closed 85 stores that were no longer “economically viable” during the period and opened 25 ​new outlets.

About 80 additional stores are expected ​to fall within closure parameters during the 2027 financial year, ‌with ⁠a further 100 stores projected over the following two financial years.

TFG said the planned store closures are part of efforts to structurally ​reduce costs ​and improve ⁠the efficiency of its store portfolio.

Group online revenue rose 15.3% in the ​same period, accounting for 15.9% of ​total ⁠sales, the retailer said.

In Africa, online sales surged 54.1%, driven by the group’s Bash e-commerce ⁠platform, ​lifting online sales to 10.5% ​of the total from 7.1% in the prior period.

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