French supermarket operator Groupe Hyparlo has reported a fall in consolidated turnover for the first half to €494.6m (US$553.6m), from €528m in the year-ago period.

The company said sales on its domestic market rose to €471.3m from €456.8m. Sales at its operations in Romania increased to €23.3m from €21.3m a year earlier.

The company sold its Italian operations at the beginning of 2003. Those operations generated turnover of €49.9m in the first half of 2002, reported the French News Digest.