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Bossard Group reported sales of CHF127.1 million for its first quarter 2012. In local currencies, this represented an increase of 0.6 percent on a very strong Quarter 1 result in 2011.

Expressed in Swiss Francs, sales for the quarter fell 2.2 percent compared to the same period 2011. However, Bossard saw the market environment improved compared to the second half of 2011. Q1 2012 showed increases in local currency of 9.9 percent compared with Q3 2011, and 13.4 percent compared with Q4.
By region, Bossard said, sales development differed substantially. Sales in America showed positive growth; sales in Europe and Asia decreased year on year.
European sales for the first quarter reached CHF70.1 million (58.4 million euros) - in local currencies 1.5 percent lower than in Quarter 1 of the prior year. Conversely, demand picked up again compared to the second half of 2011. On average, sales in local currencies rose by more than 11 percent as against Q3 and Q4 2011.
In America demand continued to develop positively. The Group's sales in the first quarter of 2012 totalled CHF38.1 million (31.7 million euros), an increase year-on-year of 7.9 percent in local currencies. Compared to the previous two quarters, average sales growth was in excess of 20 percent. The Group said it had benefited from the continuing good demand from existing and newly acquired customers.
Demand in Asia remained volatile. After sales had improved somewhat in the fourth quarter of 2011, they fell again in the first three months of the current business year. Sales Q1 2012 were CHF18.9 million (15.7 million euros), down 4.5 percent in local currencies compared to the same period in the prior year.
Bossard said demand would probably continue to differ regionally in the next few months but it was encouraged positively by the recovery compared with the second half of 2011. Bossard Group's target for the full year is still to achieve sales growth in local currencies in the region of 5 percent to 8 percent.