Painting by numbers
Last year paint producer FFiL nieżka posted a profit of zł.31.6 million, a growth of 12.5 percent on 2005's figure of zł.28.1 million. Sales revenue grew 7.9 percent in 2006 year-on-year, coming in at zł.411.6 million.
These results are the product of an exceptional fourth-quarter performance - not typically the industry's high season. The company (whose name translates as "Snowball") reported Q4 sales revenue that exceeded the result from the previous year by 13.6 percent. "The mild winter, which allowed for construction and renovation works to take place, helped us achieve these positive results," stated Piotr Mikrut, nieżka's president.
Last year was also important for the company's foreign expansion. In August it opened a subsidiary in Romania, called nieżka Romania. It was also the first full year of operations for its plant in the Ukrainian town of Yavoriv. nieżka currently runs three foreign plants - two in Ukraine, which enjoy a 15-percent market share, and one in Belarus, with a 10-percent market share.
The company's president is optimistic about the future of the company in the flourishing Polish economy. "The economic boom should benefit construction companies and therefore increase profits for producers of finishing materials," Mikrut hopes.
