Baywa maintains previous year’s level like-for-like

Last year the DIY and garden store division of the German Baywa chain recorded sales of € 431.1 mio, or 2.7 per cent down on the previous year. It maintained last year’s level in like-for-like terms. The result from ordinary activities fell by € 5.2 mio to a pre-tax loss of € 2.5 mio. This loss results from a reassessment of the product categories in relation to building materials. According to the company, the operations of the DIY and garden stores were slightly in the positive region. For the year 2009 the company expects the DIY and garden store division’s current retail area to produce a largely constant sales trend. Moreover, Baywa is holding talks on a joint venture or some other solution with a bigger organisation, since the division has too small a volume compared to the big players in the sector. The franchise business is not affected by this move.