Plastics profile manufacturer Deceuninck (Hooglede-Gits / Belgium; www.deceuninck.com) is sticking to its positive sales and earnings forecast for 2008, despite the sharp deterioration of the US market in Q1. “We expect higher turnover for the year as a whole and a significant rise in earnings," CEO Clemens de Meersman said. The company will publish half-year results for 2008 on 31 July 2008.

The 36% decline in US profiles sales in the first three months of 2008 was more pronounced than expected, according to Deceuninck. In January and February alone, the number of construction permits issued in the US dropped by 25% against the 2007 period. The figures confirm the CEO’s prediction earlier this year that a quick stabilisation of the US construction business was unlikely. The Belgian company said its European business was unable to compensate entirely for the poor US performance in the first quarter.

On the whole, Deceuninck’s performance was surprisingly stable in Q1, with sales at EUR 136.6m (EUR 142m), thanks primarily to good figures from eastern Europe, where turnover rose by 7% – in some of the region’s markets by as much as 25%. Pan-European turnover (including Turkey) increased by 2.8% and volume sales by 4% in terms of volume, indicating a successful pass-through of feedstock price increases.