VWR Funding Inc., the parent company of laboratory supplies and equipment distributor VWR International, Radnor, PA, reported sales for 2014 of $4.4 billion, a 4.5 percent increase compared to the previous year. Profit was $152.6 million, compared to $14.1 million in 2013.
Sales for the fourth quarter were $1.1 billion, a year-over-year increase of 4 percent. Profit was $48.8 million, compared to a loss of $3.2 million for the same period a year ago.
Sales in the Americas grew 8.9 percent year-over-year to $611.4 million in the fourth quarter and increased 3.3 percent to $2.4 billion for the full year. Sales in EMEA-APAC decreased 1.5 percent to $490.2 million in the quarter, but rose 6 percent to $2 billion in 2014.
"Our fourth quarter saw acceleration in our growth trend in the Americas segment, with 7.2 percent organic revenue growth, fueled by strong sales to Biopharma customers and robust private label product sales," said Manuel Brocke-Benz, president and CEO. "The fourth quarter topped off a highly successful year for VWR. The year benefited from recent investments in our management team, IT systems and infrastructure."
