Sales growth coming from the east

After the first nine months of the current year Baumax, the Austrian leader of the DIY market, has announced very varied business trends at home and abroad. Sales in Austria declined by 3.8 per cent to € 389.1 mio compared with the previous year. In contrast, the company achieved a 23 per cent leap in sales with its stores in central and eastern Europe for a total of € 284.1 mio; this development is attributed by management to a positive economic climate through these countries’ impending entry into the EU. This signifies a 5.9 per cent increase for the group’s total sales of € 673.2 mio. The company’s result from ordinary activities has grown by three per cent to € 9.5 mio.