METTLACH (dpa-AFX) - With the takeover of the Belgian bathroom product manufacturer Ideal Standard, the ceramics manufacturer Villeroy & Boch has significantly increased its turnover in the first quarter. At a good 277 million euros, sales were almost 21 percent higher than in the first three months of last year, the Group announced on Wednesday in Mettlach, Saarland. Ideal Standard contributed sales of a good 57 million euros to Group sales from March 1.

At around 23 million euros, earnings before interest and taxes (EBIT) were up slightly by 0.4 percent on the previous year. The Group result fell by almost 44% to a good 7 million euros. The number of employees grew by more than 100 percent to around 12,500.

According to Villeroy & Boch, the market environment continues to be characterized by a high degree of uncertainty. Due to the takeover, the company continues to expect a significant increase in sales, EBIT and investments in the current year. The acquisition of Ideal Standard was the largest in the history of Villeroy & Boch./rtt/DP/zb