Praktiker grows by over three per cent

In the 2005 financial year, Praktiker Bau- und Heimwerkermärkte Holding AG (excluding Austria and franchise stores) recorded total sales up by 3.4 per cent to € 3.03 bn (previous year: € 2.93 bn), and EBITA up by 31.6 per cent to € 105.8 mio (previous year: € 80.4 mio). As the company stated at today's press briefing on annual results in Frankfurt/M, the fourth quarter 2005 went particularly positively, with sales revenue of € 716.8 mio (previous year: € 671.5 mio) and EBITA of € 23.8 mio (previous year: € 22.4 mio).
Investment will focus € 86.3 mio on expanding international activities and opening new stores, especially in two countries, Bulgaria and Romania. In the German operation, which makes up 74.6 of group sales, sales revenue increased by approx. 0.7 per cent to € 2.26 bn, and international sales went up by 2.3 per cent to € 769.5 mio. International earnings were 13.7 per cent higher than the previous year, having risen to € 51.5 mio.