“Sales grew in all Kesko divisions in January. In grocery trade, sales growth was particularly strong in Kespro. Sales were at a good level in building and technical trade. In car trade, sales clearly outperformed the market,” says Kesko’s President and CEO Mikko Helander.
Sales in the grocery trade division totalled €483.1 million in January, an increase of 12.2%. Grocery sales to K Group grocery stores increased by 6.7% year-on-year. Sales growth was positively impacted by precautions to ensure product availability. Sales in K-Citymarket’s home and speciality goods (non-food) increased. Kespro’s sales grew by 49.3%, in part due to the fact that the comparison period was impacted by pandemic-related restrictions.
Sales in the building and technical trade division totalled €337.2 million in January, an increase of 5.3% in comparable terms in local currencies. Excluding sports trade, sales for the building and technical trade division grew by 6.5% in comparable terms. Sales grew in comparable terms by 10.5% in Finland and by 2.7% in Sweden, and were flat year-on-year in Norway. Sports trade sales decreased by 14.0%. Reported sales in the building and technical trade division increased by 3.8%.
Sales in the car trade division totalled €83.7 million in January, an increase of 19.1%. In January, registrations of new cars in Finland were down by 9.0% in passenger cars and 15.2% in vans compared to the year before. The number of used cars sold in Finland decreased by 1.1% year-on-year.
Kesko Group's sales in January totalled €901.8 million, representing an increase of 10.1% in comparable terms.
Kesko Group's sales in euros, excluding VAT, in January 2023:
| January 2023 | Comparable | ||
| € million | Change, % | change, % | |
| Grocery trade, total | 483.1 | +12.2 | +12.2 |
| Building and technical trade, Finland | 188.6 | +7.8 | +7.8 |
| Building and technical trade, other countries | 148.6 | -0.9 | +2.5 |
| Building and technical trade, total | 337.2 | +3.8 | +5.3 |
| Car trade, total | 83.7 | +19.1 | +19.1 |
| Common functions and eliminations | -2.2 | ||
| Grand total | 901.8 | +9.5 | +10.1 |
| Finland, total | 753.2 | +11.9 | +11.9 |
| Other countries, total | 148.6 | -0.9 | +2.5 |
| Grand total | 901.8 | +9.5 | +10.1 |
Change % indicates the change when compared to the corresponding period of the previous year. The comparable change % has been calculated in local currencies and excluding the impact of acquisitions and divestments completed in 2022.
The reported sales for Kesko Group include the acquisitions completed in 2022, in accordance with the dates of completion. In 2022, Kesko completed the acquisitions of the Swedish Kungälvs Trävaruaktiebolag in March, Föllinge Såg AB and Djurbergs Järnhandel Aktiebolag in September, and XL-BYGG Bergslagen AB in October, as well as the acquisition of the Norwegian Seljord Elektriske AS in June.
The number of delivery days in January 2023 was up by 1 year-on-year in Kesko’s grocery trade and in building and technical trade in Finland, Sweden and Norway. Saturdays are wholesale delivery days in grocery trade, but not in building and technical trade. Under normal circumstances, one delivery day has an approximately 2-4% impact on Kesko’s wholesale, depending on the division. The number or timing of delivery days in car trade does not have a similar impact on sales.
Car trade market statistics by the Finnish Information Centre of Automobile Sector.
Kesko publishes advance information on the retail sales of K Group stores quarterly in connection with interim reports.
Further information is available from Hanna Jaakkola, Vice President, Investor Relations, tel. +358 105 323 540, and Eva Kaukinen, Vice President, Group Controller, tel. +358 105 322 338.
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