Mr. Bricolage further ups the pace

Mr. Bricolage, the French DIY retail group, achieved gross sales of € 1.219 bn in the year 2002. This corresponds to growth of 7.2 per cent, and 6.4 per cent in like-for-like terms. The rate of increase in the fourth quarter amounted to 6.3 per cent on a volume of € 302.8 mio. At the end of the year the group had 353 stores, 36 of them locations operated by central office. These company-run businesses increased their sales in 2002 by 19 per cent to € 116 mio. Not taken into account are the sales of the Groupe Tabur, which was taken over with effect from 1 October 2002. Its B3 and Bricogite marketing formats recorded sales of € 183.9 mio. Of the 52 stores in France on the fixed date of 31 December, at least 42 will change over to the Mr. Bricolage line and two to the Catena badge in the course of the current year. No decision has yet been made in the case of eight other outlets. The 163 stores belonging to the Catena brand, which was part of the former Groupe Tabur, achieved sales of € 135.6 mio last year.