The Dutch Maxeda Group increased DIY sales in the first half of its financial year by 6.6 per cent over last year's figure to € 729 mio. EBITDA rose by 17.2 per cent to € 75 mio. The total number of stores increased by four to 335. The group has more than 130 Praxis and 73 Formido stores in the Netherlands and is market leader in Belgium with 115 Brico outlets.