Johannesburg - South African consumers have become increasingly price sensitive, listed retailer Shoprite said on Tuesday.

This was as a result of job losses and the high cost of living, the group said as it released its results for the 12 months ended June 30, 2009.
Shoprite said difficult trading conditions had been exacerbated by a worsening security situation.
"Escalating crime has forced the group to greatly increase security measures to safeguard our assets and ensure customers shop in a safe environment," it said.
Nevertheless, the retailer said trading profit rose 28.1% to R2.94bn for the period under review.
Turnover was up 24.5% from R47.65bn to R59.31bn while diluted headline earnings per share rose 30.9% to 390.8 cents.
Looking ahead, Shoprite said it expected trading conditions in its new financial year to be "challenging".
"There is as yet no substantial evidence that South Africa is starting to move out of the recession and even if that were to be the case, such a recovery will take time to work through the economy as a whole."

Shoprite said it was concerned about the increasing number of unemployed people, now at nine million, and about the government's ability, "in the light of lower tax revenues", to continue supporting the poor through social grants to the extent it did at present.