First-quarter deficit

Bricorama, the French DIY retail group, achieved sales of € 139.9 mio in the first quarter. This amounts to a drop of 1.5 per cent over the corresponding period last year. A drop of 4 per cent to € 99.4 mio was reported in France, which reflects the generally weak consumer trend and adverse weather conditions. In Belgium and the Netherlands, where the company acts in the marketplace as a franchisee of Intergamma, sales rose by 4.7 per cent to € 39.6 mio. Business went smoothly in Spain, where sales came to € 900 000. The group's second Spanish store was inaugurated in Vinaros just this April.