Schiff Nutrition Q1 Sales Increases

Schiff Nutrition International has reported a net sales of $48.6m for the three months ended August 31, 2009, an increase when compared to $47.8m for the same period in fiscal 2009.

The company has reported that the gross profit for the quarter decreased to $19.1m, compared to $17.8m for the first quarter of 2009.

The company has reported a net income of $4.4m, or $0.15 per diluted share for the fiscal 2010 first quarter, compared to net income of $3.2m, or $0.11 per diluted share for the fiscal 2009 first quarter.

Bruce Wood, president and CEO of Schiff Nutrition, said: “We were encouraged with our first quarter results. We experienced overall net sales growth of just under 2% in the first quarter versus the year ago period, as strong performance on our branded business more than offset a decline in private label sales volume. We also registered significant improvement in operating income, primarily due to an increase in gross profit from a more favorable quarter over quarter product sales mix.

“We were solidly profitable even as the competitive environment and economic conditions remained very challenging. Our increasingly strong balance sheet enabled us to return to our shareholders the $0.50 per share special dividend on August 28, 2009. We believe we are well positioned to support our brands and compete aggressively over the long term.”