Plus figure for first six months

Rautakesko, the DIY and building division of the Finnish trading group Kesko, has completed the first half of 2008 with sales growth of eight per cent over the same period last year, despite falling aggregate sales in June. The total value amounted to € 1.3406 bn. Sales in Finland declined by 7.6 per cent in the month of June, and rose by 2.3 per cent altogether abroad. Stroymaster alone, the group’s subsidiary in Russia, recorded gains of 29.9 per cent.