Patterson Companies has reported a 9% increase in consolidated sales for its fourth quarter of fiscal 2011 (end-April 30), with the sales of Patterson Dental Supply totaling $573.1 million, up 5% from $547.3 million in the same period of 2010.
Sales of consumable dental supplies and printed office products rose 3% from last year's fourth quarter. Meanwhile, sales of dental equipment and software increased 11% from the year-earlier level, paced by midteen sales growth of new-technology equipment, including Cerec dental restorative systems and digital radiography products.
Basic dental equipment, including chairs, units, and lights, posted single-digit growth in the fourth quarter, while sales of other services and products, consisting primarily of technical service parts and labor, software support services, and artificial teeth, increased 4% from last year's fourth quarter, excluding the impact of the equipment financing business.
"We believe the fundamentals of the North American dental market are continuing to strengthen, as evidenced by our improved consumables sales growth in recent periods," said President and CEO Scott P. Anderson.
