Metro Group suffered a 2.3 percent sales decline to €30.8 billion in the first half of this year, including a 3.6 percent drop in the second quarter. Excluding divested operations, sales declined by 0.1 percent in the six months, with a 2.1 percent drop for its cash & carry operations to €14.8 billion. The group turned around a profit of €17 million in the half-year from a loss of €98 million in the corresponding 2012 period, mainly due to extraordinary gains. The Galeria Kaufhof subsidiary, which operates several sports stores in addition to its department stores, saw its sales decline by 1.3 percent to around €1.4 billion during the six-month period, but with a 0.8 percent progress on a same-store basis. Due to special charges, Kaufhof booked a loss of €23 million, compared with a loss of €34 million in the period a year ago. The group anticipates slight growth and better operating results for the full year.

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