Record construction orders at Bouygues

French contractor Bouygues reported a solid performance during the first six months of the year, with record orders in its construction business and a reversal of last year's net loss in its road-building division.

The construction business reported a 4% year-on-year increase in sales to €4.7 billion - a figure that reflected a 5% increase in sales in France and a 2% increase in international sales.

The division's first half net profit rose 6% to €94 million and the order book stood at a record €15.5 billion, 12% higher than at 30 June, 2010. Bouygues said 52% of the order book represented business for international markets.

Meanwhile, Bouygues' road building division, Colas, benefited from favourable weather conditions in France and was able to turn around last year's first half loss of €28 million into a net profit of €2 million for the first six months of this year.

The company said markets in central Europe remained "challenging", and added that harsh weather conditions in North America had delayed the execution of contracts in the order book and impacted worksite productivity.

Colas' first half sales were up 8% year-on-year to €5.4 billion, reflecting a 15% increase in France and a 3% decrease in international markets. The order book stood at €7.2 billion at the end of June, 2011 - a stable result compared to the same point last year.