 A mild November was not good news |
Premier Foods, the firm behind brands such as Branston and Oxo, says sales have been affected by the unseasonably mild weather in November. The firm, which is buying rival food firm RHM in a �1.2bn deal, said sales for the year as a whole would be at the lower end of expectations as a result.
Nevertheless, it is still expecting annual sales growth of 20%.
Premier bought Campbells Soup's UK arm earlier this year and will acquire brands such as Hovis in the RHM deal.
'Opportunities'
In a trading update ahead of its full-year results in March, Premier said trading in recent months had been affected by the milder-than-expected weather and increased costs.
But it added that like-for-like sales growth, excluding sales from products acquired during the year, was in line with expectations.
"2006 has been a year of transformation for Premier," said its chief executive Robert Schofield. "We are excited by all the opportunities that bringing these two great businesses [Premier Foods and RHM] together will offer."
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