The State has for the moment given step suiteThe objective is always the new authority to be operational in midFebruaryA plan which should then be extended to the PQROr as industrial Roland Junck has been provenThis singular destiny nothing does the portended a prioriAs the Dalai Lama he travels to the WestCustomer relationship is also on the groundHowever the difficulties in regulating this market are manyOnly the Office of Thrift Savings disappearsI think the exemplarity and joint effortsThe action of Danone caracolait yesterday at the Paris Stock Exchange to levels that the Group has ever known. The title closed to 105,10 EUR 4.37, 9 more than at the time of rumours of Pepsico's OPA last July. The group led by Franck Riboud is not better protected today that last year against potential appetites outside with a capital very crumbled, even if the French firm Eurazeo increased its stake of 3.68 to 5.10 on 4 April last, and has now 8,59 of voting rights. On the other hand, the regular assessment of the title in increased the purchase price, Franck Riboud considered one of the best defenses anti-OPA.
The market welcomed the doubling of the net result, share of the group, increased from EUR 346 million a year to 704 million in the first half of 2006 and the increase in turnover "best in the history of the group" of 9 to EUR 7.22 billion. Operating income current preserved activities made rose 22.3 to EUR 614 million. Danone said the increase in organic growth of 6.4 against 5.3 expected. In view of the scores registered on the first six months, the Group revised its forecasts for the year, building now on 7-8 of the organic growth against an initial range of 5 to 6.
New frontiers
Sales in Asia, where Danone holds 51 of Wahaha, the second mark of the best sold the world bottled water and cookies Tiger, leader in this area, are strong growth ( 20) to 1.35 billion. Black point for the group in recent years, the French market has confirmed its recovery. "Our sales in France and we have increased our share of market in the second quarter while our turnover decreased 7 eighteen months ago," welcomes a collaborator of Franck Riboud. A development that deserves to be hailed a ultra-fresh market still difficult.
The strategy was to focus the efforts of three products marketing has proven pay. Sales of organic yoghurt Activia increased 8 Taillefine of 13 and 10 Danette. In the United States, after the setbacks suffered two years ago in the water sector, the Group decided to focus on dairy products, which it wants to make "a very large activity". Successful launch for Activia (ex-Bio), which has carved out a market share of 5 in six months and promises to relieve us a turnover of 100 million over the year.
In each of its branches of activity, beverages, dairy products and cookies, even if this last pole is always less dynamic, the overall results are increasing. Franck Riboud is betting on the ability of his group to "continue his development at a rate high in 2006" and prepares new frontiers in America and in Central Asia including. Several acquisitions of small to medium importance are imminent, which will complement the recent strengthening of its interests in beverages in China with Hui Yuan and Algeria. The group still has more than half of the 600 million euros that it planned to invest in its external growth in 2006.
