Sales hit US$3.8bn for Dairy Farm International Holdings Ltd in the first half of 2008, an improvement of 18 per cent on the previous half-yearly result.

The leading pan-Asian retailer also added 167 new outlets to its portfolio, including the first Giant hypermarket in Brunei. The group boasts a total of 4,359 outlets across Asia, including chains like 7-Eleven, Wellcome and Mannings.

Hong Kong and Malaysia are two markets where Dairy Farm is performing well, and growth is continuing in China despite rising material costs.

The company says the remainder of the year looks positive even with the current challenging economic climate.