"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