date:Jan 16, 2014
billion), beating forecasts and helped by higher prices for cocoa beans, cocoa butter and milk powder.
However, its sales volumes rose 19.5 percent, below the 21.1 percent forecast by analysts, and excluding the Petra Foods business it bought in December 2012, volumes were up just 4.6 percent, down from 8.3 percent the same time the year before.
The Swiss-based company blamed the slowdown on a tough year-on-year comparison, as well as fewer new deals to make chocolate for third parties. Bottle