Helsinki, Finland, 2016-Jul-16 — /EPR Retail News/ — S Group’s sales excluding taxes increased by 1.7% in January–June and stood at EUR 5,336 million. Deregulated opening hours and price reductions attracted more customers to supermarkets, and S Group’s total sales increased as well.
“We are pleased with the deregulation of opening hours. More flexible shopping hours have been well received by our customers. Sales increased in our large and small stores alike, with the total number of customers growing by 8 per cent,” says Taavi Heikkilä, CEO of SOK. S Group’s grocery sales in Finland increased by 4.2% and stood at EUR 3,315 million, with the growth rate clearly outpacing that of the other operators in the sector. In addition, considering the general economic situation, sales in S Group’s other business operations developed favourably. However, sales in grocery stores located at ABC service stations decreased slightly due to the deregulation of opening hours.
S Group’s result for January–June 2016 will be announced on Monday 8 August 2016.
S Group’s retail sales excluding taxes, Jan–Jun 2016
| Business area | Sales (EUR million, entire S Group) | Change in comparison to Jan–Jun 2015 (%) |
| Supermarket trade | 3,764 | +3.8 |
| Service station store and fuel sales | 735 | -6.6 |
| Travel industry and hospitality business | 376 | -1.5 |
| Department store and speciality store trade | 136 | -1.1 |
| Hardware trade | 93 | -3.2 |
| Other | 232 | +5.5 |
| S-Group total | 5,336 | +1.7 |
Contact:
Taavi Heikkilä
CEO
SOK
tel.: +358 10 76 80200
Jari Annala
Senior Vice President
CFO
SOK Finance and Administration
tel. +358 10 76 82040
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- S Group’s retail sales increased by 1.7% in January–June
Source: S Group