St.Helens The Heart of the North West

McBride Plc, the private label household and personal care products manufacturer reported a 46 per cent rise in pre-tax profit to £29.3m from £19.7m.

Miles Roberts, chief executive, said: "McBride has delivered growth in sales and profits in the past year and Private Label has grown share in all our markets. Our Western Continental Europe business has performed particularly well with good growth in France and Italy.

It said the business had been strengthened with efficiency improvements including a £20m investment in automation and the closure of factories in Coventry and Warrington, whose production was transferred to a personal care plant in St Helens which was acquired in 2008, saving about £1m per year in overheads.

The company's results statement added: “The UK business had a good year in terms of sales but nonetheless faced the ongoing challenge of increasing input costs, particularly due to the weakness of sterling against the euro.

“Investment was made in new production capacity and in increased automation of our factories. New product development resources were increased and resulted in the development of some innovative new products during the year, notably soluble sachets of laundry liquid, concentrated low temperature laundry gel, encapsulated fabric conditioner and a range of branded products with strong environmental credentials under the brand 'Greenforce'. New personal care ranges were developed for Marks & Spencer and Superdrug.”

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