Sales firm at Travis Perkins

9th May 2011 08:41

Builders' merchant Travis Perkins said revenue rose 5.9% for the four months ended April 2011 as it gained a bigger market share.The owner of DIY and home improvement products supplier Wickes said it was pleased with the overall progress of the group despite markets that continue to offer little or no growth."We continue to take market share against a tough market backdrop, confirming the sustainable strength of our organic growth strategy," said chief executive Geoff Cooper in Monday's company statement.The DIY retailer said like for like revenue at its builders merchanting division rose 12.8%. At Wickes sales were up by 1.9% while at its plumbing and heating business BSS sales rose 2.3%. Current trading is in line with management expectations as a strong sales performance outweighed a slightly lower gross margin in merchanting, the group said.Travis Perkins said its underlying net debt fell to £50m to £724m in the first four months of the year.CJ