Finland's Kesko Group has announced that group sales totalled €901 million in January 2023, an increase of 10.1% in comparable terms.
Sales in the group's grocery trade totalled €483 million in January, an increased of 12.2%. Grocery sales at K-food stores grew by 6.7% compared to the previous year.
Kesko claimed sales were boosted in part by ensuring the availability of products.
Its Kespro wholesale business saw sales growth of 49.3%, which was influenced by the coronavirus restrictions in force during the comparison period.
Sales Growth 'In All Sectors'
"In January, sales increased in all industries," commented Mikko Helander, Kesko's president and CEO. "In the grocery trade, Kespro's sales growth in particular was strong. Sales in the building and technical trade were at a good level. In the car trade, sales were clearly stronger than in the market."
Sales in Kesko's building and technical trade division totalled €337.2 million in January and increased by 5.3% in comparable terms in local currencies. Sales in the building and technical trade excluding the sports trade grew by 6.5% in comparable terms.
Elsewhere, car sales in January amounted to €83.7 million and increased by 19.1%.
In January, 9.0% fewer new passenger cars and 15.2% fewer vans were registered in Finland than in the year before, Kesko said.
Kesko Group's reported sales include acquisitions completed in 2022, the group said, which includes the takeover of Kungälvs Trävaruaktiebolag, Föllinge Såg AB, Djurbergs Järnhandel Aktiebolag, and XL-BYGG Bergslagen AB in Sweden, and Seljord Elektriske AS in Norway.
© 2023 European Supermarket Magazine – your source for the latest retail news. Article by Robert McHugh. Click subscribe to sign up to ESM: European Supermarket Magazine.
