Essilor: first-half 2004 results

Essilor has announced its provisional consolidated sales for the six months ended June 30, 2004: sales reached 1,133.1 million Euros, an increase of 9.9 percent, taking into account the negative 3.8 percent currency effect. Excluding the currency effect, sales rose 13.6 percent.

Sales in North America were 463.3 million Euros (+8.8 percent), in Europe reached 558.1 million Euros (+5.3 percent despite a 15 percent decline in business in Germany), in the Asia-Pacific region 86.2 million Euros (+13,7 percent), and in the rest of Latin America sales were 25.5 million Euros (+19 percent).

Excluding Germany, sales would have been up 7.4% like-for-like in Europe. In particular, France reported very good results for the half, as did the United Kingdom and countries in Southern and Eastern Europe.