Saint-Gobain: First Quarter 2004 Sales Up 5%, Confirms Target For Year

Global glass and building materials group Saint-Gobain welcomed "satisfactory" sales growth in the first quarter of 2004, despite the negative impact of currency effects. The Group announced that its consolidate sales for the first quarter were EUR 7,233M (6,986M), representing an increase of 3.5% on an actual structure basis, and 1.3% based on a comparable structure. At constant exchange rates, sales were up 7.4% on an actual structure basis and 5.1% on a comparable structure. The Group attributed the increase to a significant 5.1% rise in sales volumes in most of its geographic areas, while sales prices held firm.