Grupo Casa Saba Announces Sales and Operating Income Increased 14.05% and 13.45%, Re...( Financial Highlights: (All fig...),Health

Financial Highlights:

(All figures are expressed in millions of Mexican pesos as of December 31, 2007. Comparisons are made with the same period of 2007, unless otherwise stated. Figures may vary due to rounding practices. "bp" stands for basis points)

- Sales for the quarter totaled $6,959.41 million

- Gross income increased 34.45%

- Gross margin for the quarter was 10.64%

- Quarterly operating expenses as a percentage of sales were 7.19%

- The operating margin for the quarter was 3.46%

- Net profit for the quarter reached $210.09 million

- Cash and cash equivalents at the end of the quarter was $315.42 million

MEXICO CITY, July 28 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Grupo Casa Saba ("Saba", "GCS", "the Company" or "the Group"), one of the leading Mexican distributors of pharmaceutical products, beauty aids, personal care and consumer goods, general merchandise, publications and other products announces its consolidated financial and operating results for the second quarter of 2008.

QUARTERLY EARNINGS

NET SALES

During the second quarter, GCS's sales were $6,959.41 million, an increase of 14.05%.

Sales for our Private Pharma division grew 13.62% during the second quarter of 2008, due to the consolidation of investments made within the sector over the past several months, including the most recent acquisition of Drogasmil Medicamento e Perfumeria, S.A.(1), a Brazilian pharmacy chain.

Sales in our Health, Beauty, Consumer Goods, General Merchandise and Others division rose 10.52% compared to the second quarter of 2007. This growth was primarily the result of the acquisition of new lines of consumer products that we distribute on an exclusive basis.

Sales in our Government Pharma division increased 58.91% due to a significant increase in the number of units sold, primarily to PEMEX.

Publication sales decreased 1.31% as a result of lower unit sales. This de
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