• Flexibles: growth in challenging market
    Flexibles: growth in challenging market
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Revenue at Pro-Pac Packaging rose by five per cent in the quarter to December 31, driven by new flexibles customers, in what the company said was a challenging market.

Sales rose to $81.1m for the quarter, up from $77.8m in the previous three months, with flexibles up to $63.9m from $60.6m, while specialty packaging was steady at $17.2m.

Pro-Pac said the trading environment “continues to be challenging” as the cost of living crisis impacts on discretionary spending for consumers.

Cashflow at Pro-Pac for the quarter was an outflow of $2m, predominantly due to a seasonal increase in net working capital for the quarter. The company’s payments included $2.5m for a new printing press, with installation completed this month; it will be operational by the end of this quarter.

Pro-Pac has $2.5m in cash on hand, and of its $39m in financing facilities, it has unused credit facilities of $16.8m, including $5.6m from a government grant.

During the quarter it made $3.4m in payments to related parties, including $385,000 to directors and execs, and $3m to Visy “on arm’s length terms”.

Food & Drink Business

Wine Australia and Wine Victoria will put almost $887,000 over three years into projects covering sustainability, biosecurity, business data and export insights for Victorian grapegrowers and winemakers.

McCain Foods has turned over a full 24-hour production run at its Ballarat plant to Foodbank Australia, producing 120,000 meals valued at more than $790,000.

The Australian Beverages Council has committed the non-alcoholic drinks industry to lifting low and no sugar drinks to 70 per cent of water-based beverage sales by 2030, up from 65 per cent in 2024. The target is the centrepiece of the council’s Beverage Choices Roadmap to 2030 (BCR30), launched by CEO Geoff Parker at its annual Drinks Industry Dialogue in Sydney yesterday.