Clearly ahead in France

Kingfisher is looking back on sales growth of 13.3 per cent in the third quarter of the current financial year (to 1 November 2003). The increase amounts to 9.2 per cent in constant currencies and 3.6 per cent on a comparable basis. Europe’s number one admits to having suffered adverse effects from the heatwave across western Europe in the summer. However, like-for-like sales growth improved again in October, according to an update from the group.
Sales figures in the United Kingdom have moved up by a total of 8.2 per cent, or 2.7 per cent in comparable terms. The British group’s growth in France is even clearer: the figures show an increase of 18.8 per cent overall, 7.5 per cent on a constant currency basis and 4.0 per cent in like-for-like terms. The stores in Poland, Italy and China have grown consolidated sales by 28.5 per cent (22.8 per cent in constant currencies); they were 7.8 per cent ahead in same-store terms.