• Annual sales of the Praktiker Group up 3.4 % to Euro 3.03 bn / growth of like-for-like sales: Germany 0.7 %, abroad 3.9 %
  
  
• Group sales in Q4 2005 up 6.8 % to Euro 717 mn / growth of like-for-like sales: Germany 3.7 %, abroad 8.0 %br />
  
• Promotion campaigns in Germany resulted in additional market shares also in Q4 2005
  
  
• Good basis for further EBITA rise in 2005

Kirkel – 17 January 2006. According to preliminary figures the Praktiker Group was able to raise its sales in the past fiscal year (1 Jan – 31 Dec 2005) from Euro 2.93 to 3.03 billion, equivalent to a plus of 3.4 percent. Like-for-like, the increase stood at 1.5 %. Even in the highly competitive German market Praktiker Bau- und Heimwerkermärkte Holding AG was able to win new market shares with like-for-like sales up 0.7 %. Abroad, the accelerated expansion of Praktiker resulted in a sales growth of 12.3 % (like-for-like 3.9 %). The share of international business rose form 23.4 to 25.4 % in 2005.

This development was decisively influenced by the favorable course of business in the fourth quarter, which – like-for-like – pushed group sales up 4.9 percent and domestic sales up 3.7 percent. Clear impulses for the domestic business resulted from the targeted promotion activities (“10.000 Days Praktiker”, “20 Percent on Everything – Except Pet Food”). Overall, sales of the Praktiker Group between October and December 2005 rose by 6.8 percent to Euro 717 million compared with the same period last year. International business in the fourth quarter contributed a total of Euro 214 million (+15 %, like-for-like +8.0 %). A significant share in sales was attributed to the new expansion countries Romania and Bulgaria.

“Our company’s performance shows that we are ideally positioned in Germany and abroad”, stressed Wolfgang Werner, CEO of Praktiker Bau- und Heimwerkermärkte Holding AG. “With our price-aggressive strategy we have been able to further consolidate our market position in Germany. In Eastern Europe, too, Praktiker has performed excellently. This makes us confident about our further expansion in these growth markets”. Overall, the sales performance of the fiscal year just ended was in line with expectations and forms a solid basis for a further rise of the group EBITA in 2005.

Store network 2005

As at 31 December 2005, the store network of Praktiker Bau- und Heimwerkermärkte Holding AG comprised exactly 340 locations of which 275 in Germany and 65 abroad. On balance, the total number of Praktiker stores (including 22 TopBau stores) has thus increased by five compared with the prior year. Eight new openings in Eastern Europe (Romania 4, Bulgaria 3, Poland 1) contrasted with four closures, one displacement and one opening in Germany.

Contact:

Harald Günter
PRAKTIKER
Bau- und Heimwerkermärkte Holding AG
Am Tannenwald 2
D - 66459 Kirkel
Tel: 06849/95-2030
Fax: 06849/95-1139
E-Mail: GuenterH@Praktiker.de
Investorrelations@Praktiker.de

Sales in 2005 and Q4 2005*

*preliminary figures

Store Network Development 2005

Additional Information

Praktiker Bau- und Heimwerkermärkte Holding AG will publish the Annual Report for the fiscal year 2005 on 4 April 2006.

FINANCIAL CALENDAR 2006*

* preliminary

Here the Trading Statement can be downloaded.