Year-on-year group sales at French retailer Casino jumped 14.6 per cent for the second quarter of 2008, boosted by strong growth of 4.2 per cent in France.

Casino supermarkets reported a sales increase of 9.1 per cent compared with 2007, with Monoprix delivering a 'satisfactory' performance as sales rose 2.5 per cent.

Géant, the group's hypermarket chain, saw sales growth of 0.4 per cent on a same-store basis, despite a fall in food sales of 1.2 per cent attributed to a shift towards private label products and price investments.

'The lacklustre retail environment and the rise in gasoline prices accentuated the trends observed in the French retail market in recent months, with consumers continuing to show a marked preference for convenience and discount formats, as well as for private labels and value-line products,' a Casino Group statement said.

In international markets, sales increased by 41 per cent, led by the full consolidation of Super de Boer and Exito. In Brazil, CBD reported a 7.3 per cent increase in same-store sales for the second-quarter period.

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