Chilean retailer Cencosud has announced that its net profit climbed 20 per cent through the third quarter of 2012, up 20 per cent on the previous year to US$109.9m.

According to Cencosud, the higher figure was the result of higher operating income and greater income from foreign exchange variations.

Sales for the quarter increased 18 per cent to US$3.6bn, boosted by the consolidation of Prezunic and Johnson, double digit like-for-like sales in Argentina, and the presence of 76 more stores than in 2011, Planet Retail reported.