A surge in sales of insulation for outerwear in Europe and a shift in buying patterns by retailers propelled net sales to grow by nearly 50 percent at Primaloft Products in the fourth quarter ended Dec. 31, according to parent company Albany International.
Albany International reported net sales at Primaloft jumped 47.1 percent to $5.22 million in the fourth quarter ended Dec. 31. Operating income at the business reached $2.23 million, up more than sixfold from the fourth quarter of 2010.
“PrimaLoft Products also had a strong Q4, with sales and income well ahead of the comparable period last year,” said Joe Morone, president and CEO for Albany Internaitonal. “Growth was especially strong in sales of insulation for outerwear in Europe. More generally, it appears that the normal seasonal pattern for sales in this business has shifted, with retailers in North America and Europe placing orders for outerwear earlier than in past years, pulling sales forward. Order patterns point to another year of strong growth for this segment in 2012.”
