• Flexibles: growth in challenging market
    Flexibles: growth in challenging market
Close×

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

Australia’s food ministers have voted to begin the process of making the Health Star Rating (HSR) system mandatory on eligible packaged foods, after new monitoring showed the voluntary scheme fell well short of its agreed uptake target and has struggled to build consistent consumer confidence.

South-east Melbourne’s largest speculative cold storage facility has been launched to the leasing market, with Hale Capital Partners’ 27,291sqm “Adapt” project at Oakleigh South targeting completion in December 2026.

Asahi Beverages and Toll Group have launched what they describe as Australia’s largest single-location electric “route-to-market” heavy vehicle fleet, rolling out five battery-electric rigid trucks to service metropolitan beverage deliveries across Perth.