Negative quarterly figures

Homebase, the British DIY chain, recorded sales of £ 391 mio (€ 562 mio) in the second quarter of the current financial year, which is 6.2 per cent down on the same period last year. Sales are down by 8 per cent in like-for-like terms, a fact that the parent company Home Retail Group attributes to the poor weather, resulting in sales of seasonal articles falling by 20 per cent. Homebase reports turnover of £ 854 mio (€ 1.228 bn) for the first six months. This amounts to a decrease of 0.3 per cent on the same period last year, or 2.5 per cent like-for-like.