Reference no: EM132811423

Question - This an excerpt from the Management Discussion & Analysis section of the annual report of Company X:

Sales for 2009 were $24.3 billion, an increase of 5.2% from 2008. Our sales growth is mainly attributed to non-comparable sales from our acquisition of Corporate Express. This sales growth was partially offset by lower sales to existing customers in our delivery businesses and, to a much lesser extent, a decrease in comparable store sales in our retail businesses on lower average order size and the negative impact of foreign exchange rates of $80.4 million. Gross Profit: Gross profit as a percentage of sales was 26.7% for 2009 compared to 27.1% for 2008. The decrease in gross profit rate primarily reflects the inclusion of the full year results of Corporate Express, whose gross profit rate was lower than our pre-existing businesses and, to a lesser extent, an unfavorable product mix as customers purchased fewer discretionary products with higher margins, partially offset by increased buying synergies. Selling, General and Administrative Expenses: Selling, general and administrative expenses as a percentage of sales for 2009 were 20.2% compared to 20.1% for 2008.

Based on the information above, what was the change in the Operating Income from 2008 to 2009?