Red figures

The British DIY chain Homebase completed the first six months of the 2008/2009 financial year (to 30 August) with sales down by 2.9 per cent to £ 829.3 mio (€ 1.053 bn). Like-for-like sales were 10.3 per cent down by comparison with the same period last year. Information from Home Retail Group, the parent company of Homebase, says that the poor weather in the first quarter had a negative effect on seasonal sales, which saw like-for-like losses of around 20 per cent. The group mentions sales losses in the high single digits in the case of non-seasonal product categories. Homebase's operating profit shows a decline of 37 per cent to £ 29.5 mio (€ 37.5 mio).