A fall in second-quarter earnings has failed to stop employee-owned US retailer Publix from reporting half-year profits.

Publix, which operates 1,055 stores in the south of the US, said today (1 August) its net earnings dipped 0.2% in the second quarter of 2012 to US$381.6m.

However, the retailer booked a 1.3% rise in first-half earnings to $791m.

A 3.2% increase in second-quarter sales to $6.8bn led to a 3.7% gain in the first half to $13.4bn.

Quarterly comparable-store sales were up 1.9%. In the first half, comparable-store sales rose 2.6%.