Supermarket group Super de Boer booked net profit of €6m in the first six months of this year, unchanged from the year-earlier period and better than analysts had expected.

The company said it was pleased with the earnings, which were made with fewer stores. Sales were up marginally at €947m. Excluding franchise operations, group sales reached €759m.
Meanwhile, food wholesaler and supermarket operator Sligro said it also booked a marginal increase in sales at just over €1bn. Net profit was down slightly at €27m, compared with €29m in the 2008 first half.