Company raises full-year guidance following ‘excellent’ six-month performance across its distribution and shipping operations, with Italy and the Iberian Peninsula driving results
Italian supplier Orsero Group says its recent focus on selling more high value-added product categories continues to drive its business forward, after it posted “excellent” half-year results with revenue and profit growth up significantly on the previous year.
Consolidated net sales for the six-month period rose 13.6 per cent to €845.2mn, apparently driven by robust performance in its produce distribution business, especially Italy, Spain and Portugal.
With the French market also showing “resilience”, its adjusted EBITDA was 18.4 per cent higher at €48.4mn, while adjusted net profit rose 30.9 per cent year on year to €20.9mn.
The company noted higher volumes in key categories such as kiwifruit, grapes, fresh-cut produce and bananas, and attributed the improved performance to improved pricing and a better product mix.
Its shipping business, meanwhile, also delivered higher revenues and margins despite higher costs and operational challenges.
Given the strong first-half performance, the group said it had raised its full-year guidance and expecting revenues between €1.65bn and €1.69bn, adjusted EBITDA between €82mn and €86mn, and adjusted net profit of €30mn-€32mn.
The company also said it planned to make around €19mn–€21mn in operating investments this year.
‘Very positive’
CEO Raffaella Orsero and the group’s co-CEO and CFO Matteo Colombini commented: “The first half of 2025 saw a very positive performance of the Distribution [business unit], both in terms of revenues and margins, across all geographies, with Italy and the Iberian Peninsula driving the group’s results and France showing good resilience.”
They added: “The second quarter contributed significantly to the result, with revenues well above expectations, thanks to the increase in the average selling price and volumes sold – in line with the results achieved in the first quarter of 2025.
“The kiwifruit, table grapes, fresh-cut and exotic fruit campaigns performed particularly well, confirming the validity of the group’s strategy of strengthening high value-added product categories and the greater growth in consumption on which the group has long held a leading position in its reference markets.
“The banana produce also registered an above expectations result, thanks to a balance between supply and demand, particularly in the traditional channel, which continues to be a stronghold that balances and protects the group’s results.
“The Shipping [business unit] saw an increase in revenues and margins compared to the first half of 2024, despite higher costs resulting from cyclical dry docking of the fleet; both the reefer and dry cargo routes recorded excellent transport volumes and maintained punctual, high-quality service in a very complicated maritime context, especially in the second quarter of the year, and characterised by significant delays on the part of the main maritime carriers.”
They concluded: “The group’s business model has once again proven to be effective, with a solid and balanced financial structure that allows it to make strategic investments aimed at continuously improving the group’s operations.
“Based on the excellent results achieved in these first six months, we believe we can further improve our expectations for the current year by increasing the economic targets of the 2025 financial guidance.”
