Carrefour sales rise 5.5% in Q1

Paris French retail giant Carrefour said its sales rose for the first time in 18 months in first quarter 2010, up 5.5% compared with a year, earlier, despite a "challenging" market environment.

The company said revenues based on current exchange rates rose to euro23.96 billion (US$32.52 billion), from euro22.7 billion a year earlier.

Sales surged in the emerging markets of China, up 7.9%, and Brazil, up 40.5%, while sales in Spain, Italy and Belgium all declined. Growth was strong in smaller Carrefour markets in Turkey and Poland.

In its biggest single market -- France -- sales edged up 2.1% to euro9.79 billion, largely behind strong gains at its supermarkets despite a drop in sales at hypermarkets.