Casino store

French grocery retailer Casino has revealed that its sales climbed sharply in the first quarter of 2012, boosted in the main by international growth but also by improvements in the group's domestic market.

For the three-month period, overall sales grew 11.3 per cent to €8.7bn, with sustained organic growth of 6.6 per cent excluding petrol.

The group oversaw continued double-digit growth in international markets, with sales up 11.9 per cent to €4.2bn, driven by performance in Latin America and Asia.

In France, meanwhile, Casino enjoyed 'good business development' with organic sales growth of 2 per cent, boosted by convenience store formats in particular, such as Casino supermarkets, Monoprix, Franprix and superettes.