The German Metro Group announced had closed the first quarter of 2012 in the black, with its sales rising to €15.6bn, up by 2.2 percent compared to the same period of 2011. The result has been affected mostly by the expansion of the Real and Makro network along with foreign exchange fluctuations, the company said. The group’s sales outside Germany have increased by 2.6 percent to €9.6bn. In West Europe, sales were down by 1.2 percent over the period, reaching €4.7bn, while in CEE region the figure was €4bn, 3.5 percent up than in 2010.
