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News Release 18 February 2021 Wesfarmers 2021 Half - year results Financial highlights Half - year ended 31 December ( $ m ) 2020 2019 Variance % Results from continuing operations excluding significant itemsª Revenue 17,774 15,249 16.6 Earnings before interest and tax 2,171 1,734 25.2 Earnings before interest and tax ( after interest on lease liabilities ) 2,057 1,615 27.4 Net profit after tax 1,414 1,127 25.5 Basic earnings per share ( cps ) 125.0 99.6 25.5 Results including discontinued operations and significant itemsa Net profit after tax 1,390 1,210 14.9 Basic earnings per share ( cps ) 122.9 106.9 14.9 Operating cash flows 2,216 2,131 4.0 Interim ordinary dividend ( fully - franked , cps ) 88 75 17.3 a Further detail on significant items and discontinued operations is set out on page 21 of the 2021 Half - year Report . Wesfarmers Limited has reported a statutory net profit after tax ( NPAT ) of $ 1,390 million for the half - year ended 31 December 2020. NPAT from continuing operations , excluding significant items , increased 25.5 per cent to $ 1,414 million . Wesfarmers Managing Director Rob Scott said it was pleasing to have reported strong sales and earnings growth across the retail businesses , as well as an improvement in the performance of Industrial and Safety , during a period of continued disruption and uncertainty due to COVID - 19 . " Bunnings , Kmart Group and Officeworks delivered strong trading results for the half , reflecting their ability to adapt to changing customer preferences and provide a safe environment for customers and team members . In line with Wesfarmers ' objective of delivering superior and sustainable long - term returns , the retail divisions continued to invest in building deeper customer relationships and trust by providing greater value , service and convenience for customers during a period in which many Australian households faced significant challenges and uncertainty . " The result in Chemicals , Energy and Fertilisers ( WesCEF ) reflected a solid operating performance , while Industrial and Safety reported an improvement in the performance of Blackwoods . " Pleasing progress on the Group's data and digital agenda in recent years supported strong online sales growth and digital engagement during the half . Total online sales across the Group more than doubled for the half , excluding Catch . Including the Catch marketplace , online sales of $ 2.0 billion were recorded for the half . " Good progress to accelerate the growth of Kmart and address the performance in Target continued during the half and , on a combined basis , Kmart and Target delivered a record earnings result for the period . Sales and transaction volume uplifts from Target stores that have been converted to Kmart stores continue to be very encouraging , and 19 stores were converted during the half . Target's profitability improved significantly , supported by strong demand and the ongoing simplification of the business . " The Group maintained its commitment to sustainable long - term value creation during the half . Across the Group , Scope 1 and 2 emissions reduced by eight per cent . Wesfarmers also employed approximately 9,500 more team members at the end of December 2020 compared with the prior corresponding period , reflecting continued investment in customer service and digital capabilities across the Group , as well as increased levels of activity in the retail businesses . Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander team member numbers increased by 800 , continuing the Group's progress towards achieving employment parity of three per cent by 2022. "