Australian-domiciled jeweller Michael Hill International's 320 outlets reported an almost 7% increase in revenue to $A112.4million ($NZ119.2million), for the first quarter to September trading period.
Group sales from all stores - 300 Michael Hill across New Zealand, Australia, Canada and the US and 20 Emma & Roe outlets - rose 6.8% from $A112.4million to $A120.1million.
Revenue from Michael Hill, all stores, in Australia rose 2.9% to $A66.5million, New Zealand rose 2.5% to $NZ23.6million, Canada was up 7.6% to $C17.2million, but in the US, revenue dipped 2.2% to $US2.81million.
The dual-listed Michael Hill shares were unchanged at $1.73 on the NZX, following the announcement.
All store revenue for the relatively new Emma & Roe brand rose 78.2% from $A1.43 million a year ago to $A2.56million. There are plans to open four new stores in time for Christmas, and a further four outlets by late 2017.
Michael Hill chief financial officer and acting chief executive Phil Taylor said three new Michael Hill stores opened during the quarter, taking the full tally to 300. there were plans to open five more before Christmas and nine more during the second half of 2017.
''The first quarter is not a crucial period for the business or for our full-year results, but the results achieved across both brands were a satisfactory outcome,'' he said in the trading update.
Mr Taylor said the Australian component of the group achieved same store sales growth of 1.3% for the quarter.
''Retail continues to be challenging in Australia. However, on a positive note, September was the strongest of the three months,'' he said.
He noted US same-store sales were down, but following the appointment of Canadian president Brett Halliday to oversee US operations, he expected growth to resume there in the months ahead.
During 2016, the jewellery chain posted a 30% decline in annual profit to $A19.6million after it had to account for tax adjustments, BusinessDesk reported.
