South Africa's Lewis Group blames H1 profit dip on mining slowdown, drought

South African furniture retailer Lewis Group on Monday reported a 13 percent drop in first-half profit, sending its shares falling, and blamed slow sales on a struggling mining sector and a drought. The mining sector in Africa's most industrialised economy has been hit by low global metal prices and power shortages that have led to shaft closures and job losses. The country is also in the grip of a drought that has seen crop output fall sharply.