Finland's Kesko Group has reported an 11.7% year-on-year growth in comparable sales to €969.1 million in April.
The company's grocery trade division generated sales worth €473.2 million, with a marginal decline of 0.2% on a comparable basis.
Grocery sales at K-food stores decreased by 6.9%, while the timing of Easter affected wholesale.
K-Citymarket's home and specialty goods trade saw an increase in sales. The company's foodservice arm, Kespro reported a 48.5% increase in sales in April.
The company's construction and building services trade reported sales amounting to €402.1 million, up 20.6% in local currencies on a comparable basis.
Sales in the construction and building services trade, excluding specialty trade, increased by 17.1% on a comparable basis.
In the specialty trade, leisure trade sales increased by 127.0%. Reported sales in the construction and building services trade increased by 8.6%.
In April 2021, the number of delivery days in Kesko's grocery trade and the construction and building services trade in Finland, Sweden and Norway was the same as in the previous year, Kesko added.
Year-To-Date Performance
Between January to April, sales in the grocery trade (excluding VAT) amounted to €1.8 billion, up 1.9% year-on-year on a comparable basis.
In Finland, the construction and building technology trade reported a comparable growth of 10.5% to €757 million, while other countries saw a 13.2% comparable growth to €602 million.
In January-April 2021, Kesko's grocery trade and construction and building services trade in Finland, Sweden and Norway had one less delivery day than in the previous year, the company said.
The effect of one delivery day on Kesko's wholesale sales under normal conditions, depending on the industry, is approximately 2%-4%.
