09/16/2008 15h29
Nutrin resumes acquisitions plan
Valor Econômico 09/16/2008
Nutrin, a company of collective meals of Americana (SP), has ambitious plans for the next three years. It intends to leave behind the image of a regional brand and achieve the status of a national company, besides tripling its sales. The purpose is to exceed the R$ 100 million (US$ 51.8 million) achieved in 2007 to something between R$ 300 million (US$ 184 million) and R$ 350 million (US$ 214.7 million) in 2011. The company plans to position itself behind only the four major companies of the sector, GRSA, Gran Sapore, Puras and Sodexo, which are at a far higher level of sales, from R$ 700 million (US$ 429.5 million) to R$ 1.3 billion (US$ 797.5 million). Today, Graf calculates that Nutrin is between the sixth and seventh place in the ranking, in a market that had a turnover of R$ 8.4 billion (US$ 4.4 billion) in 2007 and should grow 12% this year. In order to advance quickly, the company started considering making acquisitions again. The sector is much spread. Besides 100 companies with strong performance, there are nearly 1.9 thousand micro- and small-sized companies in operation, according to data from the Brazilian Association of Collective Meals Companies (Aberc). Another priority established by Graf is the implementation of a distribution center (DC), in order to decrease the vulnerability due to the oscillation in the prices of raw materials. Instead of being made at each corporate restaurant for a group of different companies, a great deal of the deliveries will be concentrated in the DC, and that will allow reducing the number of suppliers spread throughout the country (they are currently 600). The project will be implemented during six months together with a partner in the area of logistics. The reduction of suppliers should reach 13% until the end of the year and 30% until the end of the process. The company is also investing in training, in the development of meals - so as to give new use to ingredients such as soy -, and in the revitalization of the restaurants, with changes in layout and furniture. This year, R$ 5.5 million (US$ 3.4 million) is being invested, not counting possible acquisitions. Graf intends to focus the operations in the main business, ruling out, at a first moment, the diversification to the retail that the company was studying in the beginning of the year. The focus will be the achievement of major corporate accounts, deepening the national presence of the company. Nutrin is currently in eight States, with 220 restaurants and has clients as Colgate, Cargill, Melhoramentos and Schering. The company has 2.2 thousand employees.
