Posted February 20, 2012
Saint Gobain sales climb 5%
Saint Gobain reported profits of 1.2 billion euros ($1.58 billion) in 2011, as sales grew by 5 percent to 42 billion euros ($55.5 billion).
Sales in North America increased by 5.5% for the year, buoyed primarily by High-Performance Materials, and by sales volume growth for Construction Products.
The operating margin dipped slightly in North America, to 10.4% of sales compared to 10.7% of sales the previous year, due to a steep rise in raw material and energy costs.
“We were able to curb the impact of soaring raw material and energy costs by increasing our sales prices, and as a result, delivered another sharp rise in earnings for the year. The economic outlook for 2012 is still uncertain. However, providing the economic and financial crisis does not escalate, trading should remain satisfactory on our principal markets," said Pierre-André de Chalendar, chairman and chief executive officer.
