PEPKOR Holdings, the owner of South African clothing brands PEP and Ackermans, reported a 6.5% rise in first-quarter revenue, helped by 132 new stores that it opened in the period and the acquisition of Brazilian retailer Avenida. But its like-for-like sales were hit by power cuts. Retailers in South Africa have been hit not only by inflationary pressure on consumers but also by rolling power cuts forcing retailers to pay more for backup power supply. "The impact of load shedding (power cuts) was more pronounced in the rural and deeper outlying areas where the group's retail footprint has higher representation,"…