European shares fell in early deals on Wednesday after a slew of weak updates weighed on British firms Travis Perkins and Reckitt Benckiser, while Akzo Nobel’s results were hit by a weak pound.
The pan-European STOXX 600 index fell 0.4 per cent, following a 1.5 per cent rise in the previous session.
Building materials supplier
The company also said that it would close more than 30 branches.
Consumer goods maker Reckitt Benckiser also fell, down nearly 3 per cent after reporting a bigger than expected slowdown in underlying third-quarter sales growth.
Price pressures and a drop in the value of sterling hit Dutch coatings and paints maker Akzo Nobel , which retreated 2.5 per cent after reporting a slide in quarterly sales.
However, among the risers, Sweden’s Intrum Justitia jumped more than 6 per cent after a well-received set of results.