Dairy Crest has revealed that its first half performance had been solid and said that it expects results to be in line with expectations.


In a pre-close trading statement the group said its Cathedral City and Country Life brands had performed strongly, adding that the Country Life brand had been extended into both the cheese and organic milk categories.


The company said that sales of its branded spreads have been flat, with a weak performance from its Utterly Butterly and St. Ivel Gold brands offsetting growth of the Country Life brand.


In cheese, the company’s Cathedral City cheddar brand delivered double-digit growth during the half. However, Dairy Crest said that there has been some downward pressure on cheese pricing, mainly at the commodity end of the market, as a consequence of higher industry cheese stocks.


In the dairy category Dairy Crest said it continues to focus in increasing margins in its milk retail unit, while the company said that the doorstep delivery business was boosted by the acquisition of Midlands Co-op Dairies and Arla London Foodservice.

How well do you really know your competitors?

Access the most comprehensive Company Profiles on the market, powered by GlobalData. Save hours of research. Gain competitive edge.

Company Profile – free sample

Thank you!

Your download email will arrive shortly

Not ready to buy yet? Download a free sample

We are confident about the unique quality of our Company Profiles. However, we want you to make the most beneficial decision for your business, so we offer a free sample that you can download by submitting the below form

By GlobalData
Visit our Privacy Policy for more information about our services, how we may use, process and share your personal data, including information of your rights in respect of your personal data and how you can unsubscribe from future marketing communications. Our services are intended for corporate subscribers and you warrant that the email address submitted is your corporate email address.

Dairy Crest said that it expects to reep the rewards from its recent acquisition of the Express Dairies business from Arla Foods and the proposed sale of Dairy Crest’s own label cheese business in the second half of the year.