OREANDA-NEWS. On 13 April 2009 was announced, that JSC "The Seventh Continent" (further referred to as the Company) 1Q 2009 trade sales in ruble terms increased 11% YoY. The growth in sales in ruble terms in the hypermarket format for 1Q 2009 reached 39%. The growth in regional sales in ruble terms for 1Q 2009 reached 20% YoY.

Based on management accounts the Company's 1Q 2009 gross retail sales[1] reached 11 467 mn. rubles or USD 338 mn.

The average ticket in the Company's stores for the 1Q 2009 has grown 8% compared with the 1Q 2008. 1Q 2009 growth in number of customers reached 4%.

Like-For-Like sales (LFL) increased 1.8%, number of customers (LFL) growth -3.6%, average ticket (LFL) has grown 5.6%.

As of the end of 1Q 2009 the selling space of the Company's stores under the brands "The Seventh Continent" (supermarkets), "Nash Hypermarket" ("Our Hypermarket") and "Prostore" accounts for 181,5 th. sq. m. and increased 9% compared with the same period of 2008.

During 1Q 2009 the Company opened 1 store in the hypermarket format "Nash hypermarket" (Our hypermarket) in Moscow (address: Dmitrovskoe highway, building 163 "A"). Total selling space of the opened hypermarket is about 10.5 th. sq. m. In the same period the Company closed two stores in the supermarket format due to their low financial results.