Poor retail performance

Home Depot increased its overall sales in the third quarter by 11.3 per cent to US $ 23.1 bn (€ 16.63 bn). For the retail business of its 2 104 stores (1 854 of which are DIY stores) the Group reported a sales increase of 1.1 per cent to US $ 19.7 bn (€ 15.4 bn), but a drop of 5.1 per cent in like-for-like sales. The Group’s operating profits fell by 0.1 per cent to US $ 2.70 bn (€ 2.10 bn). Sales during the first nine months of the current financial year rose by 13.8 per cent to US $ 70.57 bn (€ 55.04 bn), while the increase of 10.3 per cent in operating profits equates to US $ 8.07 bn (€ 6.30 bn).