French retail giant Auchan saw its earnings climb in the first half of the year boosted by a one-off gain and continued growth in Asia and central and eastern Europe.
Earnings in the six months to the end of June were up 31.6% to EUR356m (US$470.3m), the retailer reported today (30 August). The increase was driven by a EUR119m capital gain from the sale of seven shopping centres and retail parks in France. Excluding non-recurring items, profits rose by 3%.
Operating profit saw growth of 14.8% to EUR583m, attributable to non-recurring items in 2013. Sales rose 3.4% to EUR23.15bn.
Hypermarket sales were up 2.8% to EUR18.2m, but fell slightly on a same-store basis by 0.7%. Supermarket sales climbed 4.3% to EUR3.9bn and edged up 0.1% on a like-for-like basis.
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