Croatian Confectioner Kras 9-mo Cons Net Profit Rises 5.0%

Consolidated revenues edged down 1.2% to 721 million kuna through September while costs fell by roughly the same rate to 696 million kuna, Kras said in a statement posted on its website on Wednesday.

Domestic sales totalled 413 million kuna over the review period with markets abroad contributing 290 million kuna in sales, up 10.4% on the year, the statement said.

The company said it boosted exports to the U.S., Canada, Australia, Saudi Arabia and Sweden in the first nine months of 2009.

Earnings per share totalled 12.96 kuna through September.

Zagreb-based Kras (www.kras.hr) exports half of the 33,000 tonnes of confectionery it produces annually, according to data from the company's website.

Kras shares were not traded on the Zagreb bourse on Thursday. They closed unchanged at 271 kuna on Wednesday.

($=7.2294 Croatian kuna)