A STRONG START

摘要

IT HAS BEEN a strong start to 2019 for Brenntag with the acquisition of Martin Company in the US and widespread growth in the first quarter. Three of Brenntag's operating regions showed solid growth, contributing to increases in operating gross profit and operating EBITDA at the group level. The most positive regions for growth have been Asia Pacific, North America and Latin America. The Europe, Middle East and Africa IEMEA] region, however, displayed weaker performance due mainly to lower demand. "A slowdown in global economic momentum was already evident at the end of 2018 and, as expected, this trend impacted on our results in the first quarter of 2019," says CEO Steve Holland. "In our EMEA region in particular, we recorded a decrease in demand, which is reflected in earnings, However, even amid these conditions, Brenntag achieved stable results overall due to our global diversification."