Sales shortfall in France

Nearly double-digit sales losses have been announced by FMB, a French DIY retail association, for the DIY sector in the first quarter. With reference to the Banque de France, a figure of 9.03 per cent is put on the decline compared with the same period last year. According to the bank’s statistics, the sector’s sales were 0.15 per cent down last year. FEDIYMA, the European umbrella organisation, had published differentiated figures from Unibal, the French manufacturers’ association, beforehand. These showed that DIY retail sales grew by two per cent in 2012, but were down by 2.1 per cent like-for-like.