Posted: Aug. 1, 2012, 6:40 p.m. EDT
Central Garden & Pet Co. today reported steep increases in third-quarter sales and profits, with much of the credit going to the company’s pet segment and higher demand for flea and tick products.
The Walnut Creek, Calif.-based manufacturer of branded products for the lawn, garden and pet supplies markets booked net sales of $533.8 million in the third quarter, an increase of 10 percent from the same period a year ago. Operating income was $49 million, compared to $36.6 million a year earlier, a 34 percent jump.
“We now have generated top-line growth in six of the last seven quarters," said Gus Halas, president and CEO of Central Operating Companies.
“Our
pet segment performed well during the quarter, benefitting from expanded distribution, product innovation and favorable weather for pest-control products.”
Net sales in the pet segment increased by 19 percent from the same period a year ago, to $271.3 million. The segment’s branded product sales were $228.9 million, and sales of other manufacturers’ products were $42.4 million.
For the nine months ending June 23, the company reported net sales of $1.30 billion, an increase of 4 percent over the comparable 2011 period. Branded products sales equaled $1.09 billion, rising 3 percent.
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