oods, one of the world's leading rice and pasta manufacturers, say that consolidated net profit for the 2013 fiscal year dropped 16% to €132.7 million.The group, which also sells many different brands of sauces, said this week that the fall was due to negative comparatives with last year when it booked very strong capital gain on the back of its Nomen rice company.
The company said that the Nomen sale also affected turnover in 2013, as it fell 1.2% to €1.96 billion.
However, in a statement released by the company, Ebro's outlook remained positive.
"Although the consolidated results have been dented by all the external factors that have hampered the rice division, the overall balance and evolution of Ebro during 2013 have been very positive, since in a sector increasingly dominated by private label, its brands have hung on to their leading positions through intense work in innovation, commercial and marketing aspects."
