AGM Statement

Greencore Group PLC 09 February 2006 GREENCORE GROUP PLC ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING CHAIRMAN'S SUPPLEMENTARY STATEMENT At the Annual General Meeting of Greencore Group plc to be held today, the chairman, Ned Sullivan, will make the following statement: Greencore made significant progress in 2005. Profits before tax, amortisation and exceptional costs grew by 6.4%, headline earnings per share grew by 4.3%, and the Group continued to demonstrate strong cash generation characteristics. The Ingredients division, however, faced a particularly challenging market environment in 2005. The uncertainty surrounding the EU sugar regime and significant over-capacity in EU malt markets led to a reduction in divisional operating profits of 11.2% to €41.4m. Management actions ensured that cash generation continued to be strong. The level of uncertainty and pricing pressure observed in European sugar markets in 2005 has increased significantly in 2006 as processors position themselves for the post reform marketplace. This will impact negatively on the 2006 performance of the Ingredients division. A consequence of the reformed EU Sugar regime agreed last November is that neither sugar growing nor processing have a long-term future in Ireland. Greencore is planning for a 2006/2007 processing campaign but our ability to do this is dependent on a number of factors, including the certainty of a full beet crop and clarification on some important regulatory issues. The Greencore Sugar team is in active discussions to resolve these issues and will make a final decision as soon as possible but in any event by early March. The outcome of these discussions will impact on divisional profitability in 2006, but more significantly in 2007. The Convenience Foods division, which represents nearly two thirds of the Group's profits, performed strongly, with like-for-like profits up 16.4% to €67.7m. The Group competes in attractive categories and our strategy of combining aggressive product innovation, broad channel exposure and 'Total Lowest Cost' drove like-for-like sales growth of 7.5% and sustained healthy margin performance. This represents excellent progress and, with the division now accounting for 62% of Group continuing operating profit, up from 56% in 2004, this division represents the future of Greencore. Many of the positive trends observed in Convenience Foods in 2005 have continued into 2006 and the division is performing well. We expect to deliver above market growth rates. Against a background of demanding trading and input cost environments, our strong market positions and execution skills are ensuring that margins are maintained. In summary, the Board is confident about the future prospects of the Group. Whilst there will be significant change in the Ingredients portfolio in the near term and a resulting impact on the profitability of that division, the current performance and long term prospects of Convenience Foods provide cause for optimism. Over time, we expect to be able to exploit more fully our market leading positions in Convenience Foods, with the business benefiting from an increased focus and investment. E.F. Sullivan Chairman 09 February 2006 CONTACT: Patrick Coveney, Chief Financial Officer Tel: +353 1 605 1018 (up to 10am) Billy Murphy/Joe Carmody, Drury Communications Tel: +353 1 260 5000 Mark Garraway/Anthony Parker, College Hill Tel: +44 207 457 2020 This information is provided by RNS The company news service from the London Stock Exchange
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