Minus despite new openings

The British DIY retailer Homebase, which is part of the Home Retail Group, has completed the third quarter (to 6 January 2007) of the current financial year with a sales deficit of 0.2 per cent. Sales were 2.9 per cent down in like-for-like terms. The company opened two new stores in the period under consideration, so that it now has 307 sales outlets in operation. The sales deficit for the first three quarters comes to 2.8 per cent in same-store terms. However, the company achieved 0.8 per cent more sales overall than in the comparable period of the previous financial year.