Atria reports record sales in 2025

Atria reports record sales in 2025

Finnish food group Atria reported record net sales and adjusted operating profit for 2025 on Thursday, citing efficiency gains at its new poultry plant in western Finland and the start of poultry exports to China at the end of 2024 as key drivers, reported Xinhua. Atria's full-year net sales rose to 1.81 billion euros up from 1.76 billion euros in 2024. Adjusted operating profit increased to 69.9 million euros from 65.4 million euros a year earlier. "The year 2025 was strong for Atria and successful in many ways. Both net sales and profits were at the highest level in the group's history," Chief Executive Officer Kai Gyllstrom said in a statement. Gyllstrom said the performance reflected improved efficiency in poultry production and the concentration of operations at the group's new Nurmo plant in western Finland. He added that strong net sales growth in the second half of 2025 and the start of chicken exports to China in late 2024 supported profitability. Looking ahead, Atria flagged volatility in Europe's pork market, animal disease risks and weak consumer confidence in its home markets as key uncertainties. It also said the impacts of African swine fever in Estonia weighed on results. Atria is a major Nordic food company with operations in Finland, Sweden, Denmark and Estonia. The Finnish group began exporting chicken meat to China in December 2024 after securing approval during Finnish President Alexander Stubb's visit to the country. The company has said the move offers significant growth potential, citing China's large market and rising demand for imported protein products.

Finland starts lithium mining after years of delay

Finland starts lithium mining after years of delay

Finnish mining company Keliber has begun lithium extraction in Kaustinen, western Finland, after several years of delay, reported Xinhua, quoting national broadcaster Yle on Thursday. According to Yle, the 800 million euro project is Europe's first battery-grade lithium processing operation and is expected to create about 350 jobs. While Portugal has large lithium reserves, it lacks refining capacity, and Serbia suspended its domestic lithium project last November. Keliber, established 25 years ago, postponed the project several times due to funding shortages. A turning point came in November 2022, when South Africa's Sibanye-Stillwater acquired an 80 percent stake in Keliber via investment, while state-owned Finnish Minerals Group retained the remaining 20 percent. Keliber CEO Hannu Hautala told Yle that being the first to introduce European production is a competitive advantage, citing shorter delivery distances compared with imports from outside Europe. Lithium-ion batteries are used in mobile phones, electric toothbrushes, electric vehicles, buses, and rail transport backup power systems. Their application is expected to expand further in large-scale industrial energy storage systems in the future. According to Yle, in addition to the open-pit mine already in operation, Keliber plans to open six other mining areas around Kaustinen.