Swiss retail co-operative Migros has posted a 10% rise in underlying annual profits thanks to rising sales and tighter cost control.
The company booked EBIT of CHF1.04bn (US$1.02bn), a rise of 10.1% on the year. Turnover climbed 6.2% to CHF22.7bn.
Migros said higher retail sales and “optimization measures” throughout the supply chain had boosted earnings.
Retail sales rose 5.9% to CHF18.5bn, although sales from Migros’ core retail co-operatives inched up by only 1.3% as the company cut prices and reduced selling space.
Discount chain Denner , in which Migros bought a 70% stake last autumn, generated some CHF688 in sales during the last three months of the year.
Group net profit fell 4.5% year-on-year to CHF801m after Migros benefited from one-off gains in 2006.
