Wed 15th Oct 2014 - Caffe Nero reports rise in sales and ebitda Caffe Nero reports rise in sales and ebitda: The coffee shop operator Caffe Nero Group has reported turnover growth of 8.8% to £222.4m in the year to 31 May 2014, with like-for-like sales up 2.7%. The company opened 36 stores and closed five, a net increase of 31 stores or 5.7% of the overall estate. Caffe Nero has 548 sites operating in 247 UK towns and cities. It said it believed there was potential in the UK for at least 750 Caffe Nero stores, or 27% more than at present. A total of 40 new stores will open this year. Store margin improved slightly at 24.4% (2013: 24.1%). Ebitda rose by 9.2% to £38.1m (2013: 34.9m). Ebitda margin remained unchanged at 17.1%. Store profit increased by 10.4% in the year. The company said: “The group was able to grow ebitda by £3.2m (9.2%) due to the continued expansion of stores, maturity of younger existing stores and careful cost management in the business.” Profit before tax increased by 11.4% to £23.5m (2013: £21.1m). Caffe Nero has begun an expansion into Ireland and the United States. The highest paid director earned £437,000 and the company employs 3,887 staff in the UK. Masala World operator reports turnover and profit rise: MW Eat, the operator of Masala World, has reported pre-tax profit of £2.4m in the year to 30 March 2014, up from £2.06m the year before. Turnover rose to £20.47m from £19.07m the year before. The company paid a dividend of £2.8m. Heineken recognised as climate change leader: Heineken has been recognised as a world leader for both transparency and corporate action on climate change by CDP, an international NGO that is world's largest publisher on corporate climate change information. Heineken has been included as a member of "The A List: The CDP Climate Performance Leadership Index 2014". The index features 187 global listed companies demonstrating a "superior" approach to climate change mitigation. Climate performance leaders of the A List index are actively investing to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions and collectively have decreased their total (absolute) emissions by 33 million metric tons in the past reporting year. Company disclosures to CDP are marked out of a total of 100 after independent assessment against CDP's scoring methodology. Heineken achieved a score of 99, elevating the company to the top 10% of organisations and guaranteeing it a place on the leadership index. Sean O'Neill, Heineken's chief corporate relations officer, said: "We are proud to be recognised as a world leader for both transparency and action on climate change by CDP. To be included in the top quartile for each category is testament to the progress we are making in relation to 'brewing a better world', our global approach to sustainable development, and to the commitment of our employees, who continually raise the bar on our performance."