Hornbach raises international content

It was the second quarter of the financial year in particular that brought Hornbach a sales boost. From June to August the trading group’s DIY and garden stores increased their net sales by 13.9 per cent over the comparable period in 2003 for a total of € 555.3 mio. Sales over the first six months of the financial year add up to € 1.1405 bn, which represents an increase of 11.7 per cent. Sales generated by existing retail space grew by 4.1 per cent throughout Europe and 3.1 per cent in Germany. The international proportion of sales rose to 32.5 per cent from 31.9 per cent last year.
Profits have grown out of all proportion to sales. Hornbach Baumarkt AG more than doubled consolidated earnings before taxes and extraordinary items, with an increase of 110.3 per cent to € 32.6 mio. Pre-tax earnings referring to the months of March to August come to € 73.1 mio and are 53.2 per cent higher than the comparable figure for the previous year.