Minus at year’s end

Despite sales downswings in December, the Finnish Kesko Group still completed the 2012 financial year in its builders’ merchant and DIY division with a sales increase of 3.8 per cent to € 2.8998 bn. Sales of € 1.2620 bn in Finland remained 0.4 per cent below the previous year’s result. Sales achieved abroad rose by 7.3 per cent to € 1.6379 bn. December brought the Kesko division a sales fall of 15.0 per cent in the home market in Finland and of 0.9 per cent in the international markets.