Record results in second quarter

As at 30 June 2006 the consolidated sales of Baywa, Germany, exceeded company results for the first six months of 2005 by 9.7 per cent, reaching a figure of € 3.36 bn. Sales in the building segment increased by 13.8 per cent to € 821 mio. According to information from the company, half of this growth came from the new builders' merchant outlets and half from an improved market performance. The group also grew sales figures in the DIY and garden segment. The half-yearly result as at 30 June of - € 4.6 mio (previous year: - € 2.4 mio) has only limited significance because it includes a merger loss of € 2.3 mio. What is more, the cost of implementing the new strategic concept for the DIY and garden stores also had a detrimental affect on the segment's results.