"We were able to continue writing our success story," said Chairman Andres Ruff at the Rheine-based firm's annual press conference in Düsseldorf. A sticking point continues to be the notably increased prices on the raw materials world market. "We expect further price increases and a volatility that is hard to anticipate," said Ruff. "We'll have to pass this on to consumers in the form of higher prices."
Segments of the firm developed variously at home and abroad. At home, the core business, apetito AG, continued to develop positively. Institutional catering did particularly well, with a near double-digit increase. Retailing remained beset with competitive and price pressures, which resulted in a decline in the sale of frozen ready meals. The COSTA brand, on the other hand, firmed up its market leadership in certain premium fish specialties.
Business abroad once again developed positively. In the Netherlands, apetito B.V. saw growth, and Bonfait B.V., which had declined in the previous year, showed a slight increase. In Great Britain, apetito Ltd. was successful once more and marked up record sales. The care market is one of the most promising in Britain. The company has established itself in retirement homes, and has developed a completely new menu-choice system for the clinic market. Under it patients can get the food they select served within minutes. Business also showed strong growth in France and Canada, and the foreign share of the apetito group's revenue was up slightly, to 31%.
Increases were once again shown by apetito catering B.V & Co. KG, and the affiliate services even racked up double-digit growth. Service segments accounted for 24% of the apetito group's total sales.
The group made its greatest property investments ever last year. Fully of 30.4 million euros went into the expansion and modernization of facilities, and the investment will be high once again in 2012. Additional expenditures are planned, for example, at the Rheine logistics center, which is expected to be completed by the end of the year. Important plans are in place for developing the market and maintaining sustainable growth. Product innovations were launched in the German retail market, and there was the new menu-choice system in the British clinic market.
Once more in the past year apetito was focussed strongly on sustainability. Its report in that field got a German award for the detailed manner in which it presented its activities. Various efforts in Britain and France also got praise. The agenda included environmental matters, measures for better family-job compatibility and a targeted social engagement. These efforts were well received by the personnel, as was demonstrated by the accolade "Best Employer" that was awarded apetito at the beginning of 2012.
