In the black overall across the first half-year

Kingfisher concluded the first half of its financial year 2013/2014 (to 3 August) with total sales of 4.3 per cent year-on-year. However, the result was a loss of 0.8 per cent like-for-like and in constant currencies. The group’s total sales of ₤ 5.716 bn included ₤ 2.306 bn from its French operations. Growth there came to 4.5 per cent, though there was a fall of 2.4 per cent like-for-like. In Britain and Ireland the group’s sales totalled ₤ 2.270 bn, or 0.3 per cent more than in the same period last year. Here again there was a like-for-like decline of 1.0 per cent. The bottom line looks predominantly positive in the other international markets. The result in Poland was an overall increase of 3.1 per cent to ₤ 557 mio, despite a like-for-like fall of 0.2 per cent. The Castorama stores in Russia increased their sales by 12.4 per cent to € 225 mio, or 10.5 per cent like-for-like. The Turkish Koçtaş chain, in which Kingfisher has a fifty per cent stake, reported sales of ₤ 172 mio, an increase of 5.1 per cent on the same period last year and 3.5 per cent more like-for-like. Although the Spanish Brico Dépôt stores reported sales up by 13.5 per cent to ₤ 153 mio following new openings, they actually contracted by 6.0 per cent like-for-like. In China the B&Q stores achieved growth of 9.5 per cent (10.2 per cent like-for-like) for a total of ₤ 194 mio. The Bricostore outlets in Romania acquired by the group in April reported sales of € eleven mio.