Grafton Group told shareholders at its agm today that trading for the four months to the end of April has been in line with expectations.
The building materials group said its Irish Merchanting business has had an "excellent start to the year" on the back of record levels of activity in the residential construction and repair and maintenance markets.
Grafton also said that DIY sales remain buoyant despite increasing competition in the sector.
In related news, the group has announced the appointment of Peter Wood (59) as non-executive director with effect from July 1st, 2006.