Greencore, now a convenience food business, saw operating profits rise 11.4% to £82.9m (€104m). This was on the back of revenue growth of 6.4% to £1,273.5m. The group is undertaking a significant investment programme in the US as it builds a food to go business of real scale.

EBITA margins were 6.5% and up 30bps year-on-year. Adjusted EPS was up 13.6% to 15.9p. Exceptional items of £9.9m related to US site exit costs, while £6.5m related to the disposal of a desserts business.

Proposed final dividend per share is 3.25p, giving a total dividend of 5.45p.

Despite the increase in capital expenditure, the group delivered strong performance on cash generation, where net debt decreased by £20.7m to £212.1m.