Air Liquide 9 mos sales up 12% at FF27.8bn

31 October 1997 18:18  [Source: ICIS news]

LONDON (CNI)--French industrial and medical gases group Air Liquide Friday announced first nine months consolidated sales of FF27.82bn ($4.69bn), up 12.1% on the corresponding period of last year.

New gas contracts, a new acquisition by its chemicals and sundries division plus favourable exchange rate movements were largely responsible for the improved performance, explained Air Liquide.

Gas sales were up 13.1% at FF20.47bn due to new supply contracts through pipelines in Europe, and to growth in North America and Asia. North American growth was also a factor in the 11.1% rise to FF3.07bn in the welding division's sales. The chemicals division registered an impressive 19% rise in sales to FF3.36bn, due in particular to the acquisition of Schülke & Mayer, a leading supplier in Germany of products used in hospital disinfection.

In direct contrast with the chemicals division, however, was the engineering and construction business which suffered a 19.5% decline in sales from FF1.14bn to FF917m.

Air Liquide concluded its brief statement on January-September sales figures by forecasting that the "monetary adjustments which have occurred since July in Southeast Asia should not have any effect on the group's growth in 1997".

By: Neil Sinclair
+44 20 8652 3214

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