IG Design (IGR) has revealed a marked step up in earnings despite rising input costs. Closure of paper and cardboard plants in Asia have led to a drop off in supply, accelerating price increases. But mitigating actions taken by the greeting card and gift packaging group have been effective, pushing adjusted operating profit up 33 per cent at constant currencies. This stands in contrast to more prosaic top-line growth – ergo unit profitability is on the rise. The net operating margin has climbed 140 basis points to 7 per cent over the year, but chief executive Paul Fineman sees further growth ahead, and is predicting it will reach 8 per cent in the next 12-24 months.
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