Blue Star reports net loss of Rs 94 lakh in Dec quarter

Air conditioner maker Blue Star Tuesday reported a consolidated net loss of Rs 94 lakh for the December 2018 quarter, on account of one-time expenses and cost overruns.

The company had registered a net profit of Rs 13.36 crore in the corresponding period a year ago, Blue Star said in a BSE filing.

However, its total income was up 18.56 per cent to Rs 1,109.34 crore during the quarter, against Rs 935.60 crore in the year-ago quarter.

"The company reported a net loss of Rs 0.94 crore for the quarter due to one-time expenses on the company's Platinum Jubilee celebrations of Rs 7.17 crore and provision of Rs 14.46 crore towards exposure in its joint venture in Oman," said Bluestar.

It further added: "In view of cost overruns in the projects executed by the joint venture and the unattractive business potential in Oman, the company has decided to exit the joint venture. Accordingly, as a prudent measure, the entire residual exposure has been provided for."
On the outlook, Blue Star Chairman Suneel M Advani said: "I am confident that the continuing value engineering initiatives, rejigging of the product portfolio and several cost correction measures will yield improvement in profitability in the months ahead."