Metro Group has put an end to negotiations with potential buyers of its department store chain Galeria Kaufhof along with its Sportarena chain. Olaf Koch, the group's chief executive, explained that the situation on the financial markets does not create the appropriate environment for such a transaction. The preliminary figures for the fiscal year 2011 will show a slight decrease in sales of 0.8 percent to €66.7 billion. The drop was partially due to a relatively poor Christmas season in various European countries.

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