Bergen Brunswig Reports Record Profits for Quarter

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.

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.

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.