Caterer Alpha Airports has not suffered from weakening consumer spending during the first months of the year.

It has issued upbeat trading figures for the first 17 weeks of 2005, with group sales 8% higher than the same period last year.
 
In the UK, sales jumped 7% compared with 2004, driven by passenger volume growth at regional airports.
 
Chairman Graham Frost was also positive about the financial aftermath of the Asian tsunami.

“The expected downturn in international retail sales has not been as great as we feared, however it remains still too early to comment on the full year trend,” he said.
 
International retail sales at Alpha-operated sites, excluding acquisitions, rose by 10%.

 
The chairman forecast further growth in the rest of the year, with stronger performance in the second half.
 
 

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