The management of the Lafuma Group is quite confident that its results will improve markedly as of the first half of the current financial year, which began on Oct. 1, although its revenues are likely to be down slightly. The net profit remained unchanged at €1.6 million for the year ended last Sept. 30 on lower consolidated revenues of €254.8 million, down by 2.8 percent from the year before. The second half was worse than the first one. The more technical products performed better than the more fashion and lifestyle-oriented offerings such as those of Oxbow, whose sales fell by 14.2 percent to €67.3 million. Better results are expected following the elimination of 130 jobs at the company’s French operations, partly offset by the addition of about 50 employees at its factories in Morocco and China. Excluding restructuring charges, the group’s fixed operating costs declined by €5.7 million last year, and its net debt fell to €70.9 million from €92.4 million, improving the debt/equity ratio to 64 percent. Cost savings of more than €6 million are budgeted for this year. Tthe company’s retail operations have been showing a good momentum lately, although they are just about breaking even. Their sales grew last year by nearly 17 percent, representing 16 percent of the total turnover (more in The OutDoor Industry Compass)