Powerful growth

Rautakesko announces a net turnover of € 541 mio for the fourth quarter of 2006, which amounts to an increase of 13.7 per cent on the same period of the previous year. The Finnish company reveals that sales were up by 32.2 per cent to € 2.129 bn for 2006 as a whole. The two chains acquired in July 2005, Byggmakker Norge (previously Norgros) of Norway and Stroymaster of Russia, accounted for 18.9 per cent of the overall growth. The international share of sales came to 61.3 per cent, and the operating profit experienced an increase of 77.6 per cent to € 139.3 mio.