Difficult trading conditions in Ireland

Sales in the retail division of the Irish Grafton Group from January to October 2011 were down by 5.7 per cent compared with the same period in the previous year. The home improvement chains Woodie’s DIY and Atlantic Homecare form part of the division. Speciality retail sales in Ireland declined by 7.7 per cent. In Great Britain, where the group is active in DIY and plumbing as well as operating nine cement works and achieves 70 per cent of its sales, it increased its sales by 4.8 per cent.