[THE INVESTOR] The earnings of Lotte Himart, South Korea’s electronics retailer, is expected to improve in the third quarter, driven by sales of seasonal home appliance products such air conditioner and stronger product lines, a local securities firm said on Sept. 22.

According to Meritz Securities, the retailer’s sales is likely to increase 7.6 percent on-year to 1.14 trillion won (US$1.36 billion) in the June-September period while operating profit will grow 15.5 percent to 64.9 billion won.

“The firm’s Q3 earnings is projected to surpass market consensus thanks to the government’s tax incentive policy on electronic goods as well as robust sales of air conditioners during the summer season,” said Yang Ji-hye, an analyst at Meritz Securities.

By Park Han-na (hnpark@heraldcorp.com)