Metro Net Sales Falls, Sika Sales Climb 13%

Nigel Thomas
13 Jan, 2015
New York City

Areva and consortium lost nuclear decommissioning contract worth about

[R]4:00 PM Frankfurt – Areva and consortium lost nuclear decommissioning contract worth about £9 billion. Metro first-quarter sales fell 2% to €18 billion. Sika said net sales in the year climbed 13% to 5.6 billion Swiss francs. WM Morrison jumped after positive outlook.[/R]

In London trading, FTSE 100 index gained 0.7% or 49.07 to 6,550.49 and in Frankfurt the DAX index climbed 1.9% or 181.26 to 9,963.16.

In Paris, CAC 40 index jumped 1.7% or 71.24 to 4,299.48.

Areva SA gained 1.3% to €9.78 on media report that France-based technological solutions for nuclear power generation, U.K.-based Amec Foster Wheeler Plc and the U.S.-based engineering group URS Corporation lost nuclear decommissioning contract worth about £9 billion or $13.6 billion, as the Department of Energy and Climate Change said it was ""working with industry experts for other options.""

Metro AG soared 6.4% to €27.20 after the Germany-based discount store chain operator reported sales in the first-quarter ending in the December fell 2.2% to €18.3 billion compared to €18.7 billion.

The company said sales from the cash & carry segment dropped 3.6% to €8.2 billion and sales in the Media-Saturn business climbed 4.1% to €6.9 billion.

Sika AG climbed 4.3% to 3,126 francs in the Switzerland-based specialty chemicals maker said sales in the fourth-quarter ending in December declined 5.1% compared to 17.8% surge in a year ago period.

Net sales in the year climbed 13% to 5.57 billion Swiss francs while operating result for the year forecasted to exceed 600 million Swiss francs.

The chemicals maker reported sales from the Asia/Pacific region surged 12.8% to 1 billion Swiss francs that is for the first time, as majority of the countries achieved double-digit sales growth.

WM Morrison Supermarkets Plc jumped 4.4% to 184.70 pence after the U.K.-based food retailer said total sales in six-week period ending in January 4 fell 1.3%.

The retailer reiterate its previous forecast for the underlying pre-tax profit in the range of £335 million to £365 million after property disposal proceeds of £400 million to £500 million and year-end net debt of £2.3 billion to £2.4 billion.