Wednesday, March 17, 2021

S.Africa’s food producer Libstar annual profit drops on higher pandemic-related costs

Libstar, producer of Denny mushrooms and Lancewood dairy products, said normalised operating profit fell to 774 million rand in the 12 months ended Dec. 31 from 890 million rand a year earlier. 

Normalised headline earnings per share from continuing operations fell 13.8% to 71.3 cents.

The expenses were related to donations to needy communities, personnel-related expenses and costs of personal protective equipment. Including other items, operating expenses increased by 22.0% to 2.1 billion rand, Libstar said.

Revenue for the company’s retail and wholesale customer division, its biggest contributor to sales, grew by 12.3% on strong demand for home-cooking products, as consumers ate out less due to lockdowns. 

But these restrictions hit its food service division, its second-biggest sales contributor, with revenue slumping 23.8% due to the shutdown of restaurants and eateries in the second quarter, as well as subsequent continued lower occupancy rates in the wake of the pandemic.

Export revenue increased by 6%, while industrial and contract manufacturing revenue declined by 0.9%, mainly due to subdued demand from national and multinational brand owners.

Overall, total group revenue for the year grew 4% to 10.3 billion rand.

Libstar, which contract manufactures Kellogg’s noodles and Pringles snacks, declared a cash dividend of 25 cents per share, same as the previous year.

 

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