Growth of floorspace in France

Information from Unibal reveals that 2005 was a good year for the French DIY retail sector up to the end of September: it counted 92 new openings, compared to 60 last year. The total number of stores is consequently up by 4 per cent, and retail space has grown by 5.1 per cent. The average sales area has expanded by 1 per cent to 2 219 m². Stores between 2 500 m² and 5 000 m² in size have seen the greatest amount of progress, with the opening of 16 stores in this category. That is 8.5 per cent up on the previous year's figure, while the increase in floorspace comes to 7.4 per cent.