More restrained in second half

The French Bricorama group increased its sales in the year 2003 by 3.8 per cent to € 566.98 mio. The company reports that both the fourth and third quarters were characterised by a more restrained business trend. This resulted in sales in France shrinking by 0.7 per cent from October to December, though an increase of 2.06 per cent remained for the full year. By contrast, the company’s involvement in the Benelux countries saw positive progress. It recorded growth of 4.8 per cent in the fourth quarter, and an increase of 7.3 per cent for the full year. Above-average increases of 8.7 per cent were achieved by the locations that were converted to the Gamma and Karwei brands on 1 January 2003.