• Sales in Germany virtually at prior-year level
• Recession and weak currencies curb sales in Eastern Europe
• Good financial starting position for 2010

Kirkel – 7 January 2010. According to preliminary data, Praktiker Bau- und Heimwerkermärkte Holding AG achieved net Group sales of around 3.7 billion euros in the 2009 financial year. The decline in year-on-year comparison, of 6.2 percent (currency-adjusted: 3.3 percent) was within the range anticipated by Management.

Sales in the 2009 financial year were affected by a significant decline in demand in almost all countries of the Group’s international portfolio, but most of all in crisis-ridden Eastern Europe. As a result, net sales generated in international business dropped 15.6 percent to about 1.05 billion euros. Expressed in local currency, international sales decreased 6.7 percent. Comprehensive devaluations of East European currencies prompted further falls in sales in the order of 8.9 percentage points. Without these negative currency effects, Group net sales would only have missed the prior-year mark by 3.3 percent.

In Germany by contrast, business proved to be comparatively stable despite the economic crisis. Net sales reached a total of around 2.62 billion euros, which is only slightly below the previous year’s level. The two brands Praktiker and Max Bahr reported a minus of 1.8 and 1.7 percent, respectively.

Wolfgang Werner, Chairman of the Management Board and CEO of Praktiker Bau- und Heimwerkermärkte Holding AG, describes the situation as follows: “The difficult economic environment and the devaluation of the East European currencies have left their mark. Despite this, as matters stand now, we shall reach our most important goals, namely achieving a reasonable positive result (EBITA) and keeping our liquidity at a comfortably high level. We owe this satisfactory situation to the cost cutting measures we initiated early on, combined with a conservative capex policy and active management of inventories. We have thus achieved a sound financial position which will allow us to start investing more strongly in the future of our company again in 2010. The measures we are defining now within the scope of the “Praktiker 2013” initiative will give us an additional impulse.”

Fourth quarter: fewer promotional campaigns at Praktiker Germany; no turnaround yet in the international business

In the period from October to December 2009, the Praktiker brand offered - like in the third quarter - fewer discount promotions than in the same prior-year period. Accordingly, its sales fell 9.3 percent (like for like minus 10.4 percent). In the first nine months, sales had still been slightly above the previous year’s mark, both in absolute terms and like for like.

Sales of the Max Bahr brand in the fourth quarter, of minus 0.9 percent (minus 1.1 percent on a like-for-like basis), were only just below the prior-year level and thus took a more favorable course than in the first nine months of the year.

In international business, a turnaround was not beginning to show yet in the fourth quarter. Sales dropped 17.1 percent. Like for like, a minus of 18.9 percent was registered outside Germany in the fourth quarter. This means that on a like-for-like basis, the decline in sales was at the level of the first nine months. In the fourth quarter there were two countries indicating a positive sales trend: Turkey and Luxembourg, contrasting with the above-average decline in sales in East European markets like Bulgaria, Hungary and Ukraine.

All in all, net sales of the Praktiker Group between October and December 2009 fell 10.3 percent short of the comparable prior-year period (like for like: minus 11.4 percent).

In the fourth quarter, one store was added to the portfolio of Max Bahr outlets in Germany which now comprises 77 locations. Praktiker opened two new stores and closed four locations. In total, the store portfolio of the sales divisions Praktiker and extra BAU+HOBBY comprised 258 locations as of 31 December 2009. Outside Germany (104 stores) the first outlet in Albany was opened in the fourth quarter.

The final sales figures and the complete consolidated financial statements will be published by the Praktiker Group on 26 March 2010.

Sales Figures* 2009 and Q4 2009

in € m	Q4 2009	Q4 2008	Change in % (€)		Change in % (local currency)
			abs	lfl	abs	lfl
Group	800	892	-10.3	-11.4	-8.7	-9.9
Germany	549	590	-6.9	-8.0	-6.9	-8.0
Praktiker	384	424	-9.3	-10.4	-9.3	-10.4
Max Bahr	145	146	-0.9	-1.1	-0.9	-1.1
International	251	302	-17.1	-18.9	-12.6	-14.3

* preliminary figures

Development of Number of Stores 2009

Stores	31 Dec 09	31 Dec 08	Change
Germany	335	336	-1
Praktiker**	258	260	-2
Max Bahr	77	76	1
International	104	100	4
Luxembourg	3	3	0
Greece	11	11	0
Poland	21	20	1
Hungary	19	19	0
Turkey	11	10	1
Romania	26	25	1
Bulgaria	9	9	0
Ukraine	3	3	0
Albania	1	0	1
Praktiker Group	439	436	3
** incl. 19 extra BAU+HOBBY stores

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