MANNHEIM (dpa-AFX) - Lubricant manufacturer Fuchs benefited from its business expansion and recent acquisitions in the first quarter of 2025. Sales climbed by five percent year-on-year to €924 million in the first three months, the MDax-listed company announced on Wednesday in Mannheim. However, operating profit (EBIT) rose only slightly to €108 million. The corresponding margin shrank from 12.2 to 11.7 percent. The company attributed this to, among other things, the acquisitions it had made and one-off start-up costs for its large customer business. Bottom line, net profit remained at 77 million euros.
"With our strong, largely independent regional centers in Europe, China, and the US, we believe we are ideally positioned even in the current trade dispute," said CEO Stefan Fuchs. The direct impact on the company's sales is manageable. However, it remains difficult to estimate the extent to which further escalation will affect the global economy and thus indirectly also Fuchs' business. Although the company sees diverse growth potential, it is continuing to take a cautious approach due to the economic situation. He confirmed the targets for the current year./mne/jha/
