Byggmax tests new store concept

Swedish DIY retailer Byggmax concluded the first quarter with sales down by 4.3 per cent to SEK 431.9 mio. Net sales in comparable-store terms declined by as much as 8.8 per cent. The company opened one store in the first quarter and has plans for seven or eight more to follow in the second quarter. Altogether Byggmax intends to open between 10 and 15 new stores over the course of the current year. At present the company is working on a new store concept. A first outlet has already undergone conversion, which resulted in the addition of 1 000 more items to the range stocked. Also new is a showroom for the group’s online product offer.