Suntory’s Frucor posts 31 percent drop in FY profit, halves dividend as costs rise

Suntory’s Frucor posts 31 percent  drop in FY profit, halves dividend as costs rise
July 8 (BusinessDesk) – Frucor Beverages, whose parent Suntory Beverage & Food debuted on the Tokyo Stock Exchange last week, posted a 31 percent decline in annual profit as costs rose and sales fell. The New Zealand bottler of Gatorade, V, Just Juice, h2go and Pepsi soft drinks reported a profit of $22.6 million in calendar 2012, down from $32.8 million a year earlier. Sales declined 2.3 percent to $405.8 million. Frucor declined to comment on its results, posted with the Companies Office, which show it paid dividends of $10.9 million last...