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Bergen Brunswig Reports Record Profits for Quarter

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Citing a strong performance by its consumer electronics division, Bergen Brunswig Corp. reported record profits of $6.4 million for the second quarter, up 8.5% from the $5.9 million reported a year earlier. Revenues for the period ended Feb. 28 were $752 million, about 27% higher than the $594 million posted last year.

For the first six months of its fiscal 1986, the Orange-based company, a distributor of medical supplies and home electronic devices, posted net earnings of $12.6 million, up 11.5% from $11.3 million. Revenues were $1.5 billion, up 36% from $1.1 billion.

Emil P. Martini Jr., Bergen Brunswig’s chairman and chief executive, attributed the performance in part to the “excellent results” posted by Commtron, the company’s consumer electronics division.

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Profits for the division, which is the nation’s largest distributor of prerecorded video cassettes, rose 72% to $4 million for the quarter while sales increased 48% to $116 million.

Martini also cited the “continuing strong showing” of the company’s drug wholesaling division, which had a profit increase of 22% to $15.6 million on a 25% sales increase to $567 million.

The medical equipment division reported a 14% sales increase to $69 million, but profits remained flat at $1.4 million because of competitive pressures and the costs of consolidating recent acquisitions into its operations.

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Martini said profits of the three combined business segments were running significantly ahead of last year and projected both record earnings and sales for the entire fiscal 1986.

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