Grocery sales at Finland's Kesko Group were up 4.5% in July 2021, the retailer has said, while the group's Kespro wholesale operation increased 12.4% during the month.
Grocery sales totalled €514.9 million during the period, with grocery sales at K-food stores rising by 2.5%, and trade also increasing in K-Citymarket's home and specialty goods segments.
Overall, Kesko Group saw sales increase 8.3% in July, to €954.6 million, while comparable sales growth was 6.2%.
The group also saw an improved performance across all its operations – in its construction and building services arm, sales were up 8.7% to €350.7 million at local currencies.
Construction and building services sales were up 6.6% in Finland, and 12.0% in other countries, it added.
Its car trade also saw a boost, with sales up 6.2% to €91.1 million, despite the overall Finnish car trade market decreasing in July compared to the previous year.
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January To July
In the period from January to July 2021, Kesko's grocery sales were up 3.1%, it said, while construction and building services rose by 12.7% and its car trade was up 28.1%.
Overall, in the January to July period, sales are up 8.7% on the previous year.
“Kesko's sales increased by a comparable 6.2% in July," commented Mikko Helander, Kesko's president and CEO. "Sales in the grocery trade increased by 4.5%. In the construction and building services trade, sales increased by a comparable 8.7% due to the strong development of the corporate customer trade. In the car trade, sales increased by 6.2% and market share strengthened."
© 2021 European Supermarket Magazine. Article by Stephen Wynne-Jones. For more Retail news, click here. Click subscribe to sign up to ESM: European Supermarket Magazine.