Bulgaria's tobacco giant Bulgartabac Holding reported sales of 13 598 billion pieces for the first nine months of the year. The sales figure represents a 6.47 per cent year-on-year markup, the company said in a filing with the Bulgarian Stock Exchange (BSE).
In value terms, sales of the group went up by 6.47 per cent on the year to 214.8 billion leva.

Domestic sales, however, were on the decline. Blagoevgrad-BT, Sofia-BT, Plovdiv Cigarette Factory AD and Slance Stara Zagora-Tabak AD reported a decline by 5.11 per cent to 10 391 billion pieces. Value-wise, sales shed 2.9 per cent on the year to 172.308 billion leva.

Foreign sales, however, increased by 76 per cent on the year to 3207 billion pieces and by 83.7 per cent on the year to 42.491 billion leva.
The bottom line performance for Bulgartabac Holding's subsidiaries for the first nine months of the year is as follows. Blagoevgrad-BT AD reported a net profit of 25.899 billion leva versus 15.439 billion leva in the same period a year ago. Sofia BT AD netted 6.826 billion leva as against 3.150 billion leva in the prior-year period. Slance Stara Zagora-Tabak AD reported a net profit of 2.843 billion leva, up from 2.271 billion leva in January-September 2006.

Plovdiv Cigarette Factory AD reported a net profit of 1.395 billion leva, a decline from 4.274 billion leva in the first nine months of last year. Pleven-BT AD reported net profit of 14 000 leva, a decrease against 94 000 leva in January-September last year.