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FINANCIAL YEAR ACTIVITY
The Ibersol Group catering business comprises Silva
Carvalho Catering, Solinca and Sugestões e Opções,
with two production centres, both ISO 22000 certified,
and two warehouses in Albarraque and Maia.
These two centres, which strictly comply with all food hy-
giene and safety regulations, were responsible for pre-
paring the food for over 1,160 events, serving 330,000
customers.
All the same, while complying with food hygiene and
safety regulations is of critical importance, the main
goal was to create exceptionally high quality food using
creative and innovative techniques.
All catering events are considered important and all our
teams are firmly committed to striving for perfection.
Ibersol is the only group with truly national coverage,
benefitting from a team of exceptional professionals
in all departments — the commercial area, operations,
kitchens, warehouses, and logistics. Furthermore, our
employees are prepared to take on any kind of event, in
any part of the country.
In 2013 the market continued to shrink, due to the chal-
lenging economic environment which is being felt both
domestically and across Europe.
This trend was particularly intense in the Portuguese
market where companies held fewer events or small-
er-sized events, and government bodies cut the number
of events requiring catering services sharply.
The fact that companies and individuals have fewer
available financial resources has had a major impact on
pricing, with clients opting for more economical solu-
tions for their events.
As medium and large-sized catered events require sig-
nificant planning ahead of time, we have detected some
initial signs that 2014 may see some improvement.
Rigorous cost control on all levels and a strict budget
for each event has allowed for improvements in profit
margins.
In parallel, the comprehensive restructuring plan car-
ried out in 2011 allowed for a significant improvement
in the overall profitability of the business.
In 2013 the operation at the Centro de Congressos de
Lisboa (Lisbon Convention Centre) showed signs of a re-
bound, with indications of rising sales volumes. It appears
that national and international companies are starting to
return to regular events, reversing the trend of recent
years, where said events were virtually non-existent.
The exclusivity of the Centro de Congressos de Lisboa
and the partnerships with the Centro de Congresso do
Estoril, Centro de Congressos do Freeport, Exponor, Eu-
roparque, Alfandega do Porto, FIL Parque das Nações
and the Palácio da Bolsa among others, clearly put us
in a leadership position in this market, giving us a pres-
ence at the country’s major convention venues.
The exclusive concession of the Cabins and VIP Area at
the Dragão stadium in recent years evidences the con-
sistency and quality of our business in the sports seg-
ment. In this particular case, we have clearly met the
high standards of a very demanding client.
In the individual segment, the search for new sites to
hold weddings and private parties and stepped-up digi-
tal communication efforts were carried out at the begin-
ning of 2012 and only showed modest results in 2013.
We head into 2014 with the same prudence with
which we started 2013, aware that completing the
internal restructuring process will allow us to better
meet our customers’ needs. This may entail providing
our services at small events or taking on large-scale
challenges.
