BOULDER, Colo.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Second paragraph, second sentence should read: An increase in year-over-year global sales helped fuel a 40.5% rise in total combined FY18 revenue for The a2 Milk Company™ (ATM.NZ A2M.AU), which posted a 58.5% gain in operating EBITDA in its results for the first four months (instead of: An increase in year-over-year global sales helped fuel a 40% rise in total combined FY18 revenue for The a2 Milk Company™ (ATM.NZ A2M.AU), which posted a 45.9% gain in operating EBITDA in its results for the first four months).
The corrected release reads:
THE a2 Milk Company™ ANNOUNCES STRONG RESULTS AND SIGNIFICANT INCREASE IN DISTRIBUTION TO MAJOR US RETAILERS CAPITALIZING ON RISING CONSUMER DEMAND
The a2 Milk Company™ today announced strong results at its Annual Meeting in Australia. The US region continues to escalate momentum in consumer demand with another major expansion of its distribution to retailers across the United States.
At its Annual Meeting held in Melbourne, the Australian headquartered dairy nutrition company reported its results for the first four months of the 2019 fiscal year. An increase in year-over-year global sales helped fuel a 40.5% rise in total combined FY18 revenue for The a2 Milk Company™ (ATM.NZ A2M.AU), which posted a 58.5% gain in operating EBITDA in its results for the first four months.
In addition, the company reported that the US region is continuing to build strong brand awareness with an increased distribution by 50% since the end of June 2018 to 9000 stores and sales velocities in both new & existing accounts continuing to build.
Jayne Hrdlicka, The a2 Milk Company™ Global Managing Director and CEO said, “Pleasingly recent research is showing the a2 Milk® brand in the US is successfully growing category consumption, sourcing volume across multiple product segments and trading up consumers from conventional milk. This is in line with our experience in Australia. It’s encouraging as it shows our ability to build a broad scale brand that is ripe for further growth and expansion.”
Consumers can now find a2 Milk®, at more than 1,000 Food Lion stores throughout the Southeast as well as at select Costco and Walmart outlets. Other major grocers carrying a2 Milk® products include Wegmans, Stop & Shop, Giant Carlisle, Giant Landover, Whole Foods Market, Market Basket, Sprouts, Safeway, King Soopers, Target, Ralphs, Publix, ShopRite and The Fresh Market.
The a2 Milk Company™ continues to extend the geographic reach of its U.S. distribution network across California, the Northeast and the Southeast, with plans for expansion throughout the Southwest, West and Midwest. a2 Milk® products are now available in almost all 50 states and the District of Columbia.
“The growth that The a2 Milk Company™ has experienced since launching its U.S. expansion in January represents a true validation of our consumer proposition,” said Blake Waltrip, CEO of The a2 Milk Company™ U.S. “The belief in the power of our product by a high caliber retailer like Food Lion bears out the promise of the a2 Milk® brand and takes us yet another step closer to bringing American consumers back to dairy, helping dairy farmers in the process. We remain committed to providing solutions that can help more people enjoy the nutritional goodness that only comes from real and natural milk.”
Ordinary cows’ milk consumed in America contains a mix of two main types of beta-casein proteins, A1 and A2 protein. Published research suggests that a2 Milk® may help avoid tummy discomfort in some people. That’s because a2 Milk® contains only the A2 protein type and no A1.
The a2 Milk Company™ works with local U.S. dairy farmers to identify cows that only naturally produce the A2 protein type and process their milk separately, making it possible for those with sensitivities to enjoy real, cows’ milk. The a2 Milk Company™ takes pride in paying a premium to U.S. farmers for their 100 percent pure natural cows’ milk.
For more information on The a2 Milk Company™, its products and location availability, please visit a2milk.com
About The a2 Milk Company™
The a2 Milk Corporation was founded in 2000 in New Zealand by Dr. Corran McLachlan after a scientific research showed that proteins in milk affect people differently. Specifically, he noted that ordinary cows produce milk contains 2 different beta-casein protein types, called A1 and A2.
a2 Milk® naturally contains only the A2 protein type and no A1. Published research suggests that a2 Milk® may help avoid stomach discomfort in some people.
Since its foundation the company has flourished in its home market Australia, where it is the leading premium milk brand with over 10% of the total supermarket milk category and more recently has become market leader in infant formula with ~33% value share. This success has also translated into the China market with 5.6% share of the lucrative China infant formula category estimated to be approximately USD $18 billion.
The a2 Milk Company™ works closely with all their U.S. farmers and all their farms are certified by Validus for animal welfare. The a2 Milk Company pays a premium to all its farmers when sourcing A1 protein free milk in Australia, New Zealand, UK and the U.S.
a2 Milk® products include Whole, 2% Reduced Fat, Chocolate 2% Reduced Fat and 1% Low Fat.
The a2 Milk Company™ currently has distribution in more than 9,000 stores across the US including Costco, Walmart, Wegmans, Stop & Shop, Giant Carlisle, Giant Landover, Whole Foods Market, Food Lion, Market Basket, Sprouts, Safeway, King Soopers, Target, Ralphs, Publix, ShopRite and The Fresh Market.
For more information on The a2 Milk Company™, its products and location availability, please visit a2milk.com.
