Baumax reports growth of group sales in the first quarter of 2002 by two per cent on the same period last year to € 178.7 mio. Sales went down by seven per cent to € 105.8 mio in Austria. The company puts responsibility for this development down to consumer caution following the changeover to the euro and to the closure of three branches that had become too small. In contrast to this, however, sales in Central Europe grew by 18 per cent to a total of € 72.9 mio.