Bunzl on track for record year of buying firms Mr Roney said that as Bunzl increased its geographical footprint it was finding more opportunities to buy companies. "We bought our first business in Mexico with Vicsa last year and the first question we asked was 'who is your best competitor,"" Mr Roney said. They said 'we've got this great one in Monterrey - Espomega, owned by the Shapiro family. We met them and bought the business. It's very profitable - more than double group margins. Industrial production is growing very quickly in Mexico and safety is the place to be. Espomega is expected to have about £26.5m of sales this year. He said Bunzl used similar tactics to add TFS, with £8m of annual sales, to MDA, the UK promotional products supplier bought earlier this year that is roughly three times its size. Total group revenues rose 13pc last half to £2.96bn - or 11pc in constant currencies - with all but 1.9pc of that growth coming from acquisitions. Operating profits were 12pc higher at £151m. Mr Roney said Bunzl, which operates in 27 countries selling low-cost everyday items to six sectors including grocery, food service and safety, was seeing improving market conditions almost everywhere. The exception was Australia, reeling from the commodity slowdown. He said "we're feeling a bit more wind in our backs" in North America, where sales jumped 14pc to £1.65bn and operating profits increased by 12pc to £98.6m, while "we are seeing a slight pick up, though nothing dramatic in the UK." While revenues rose just 1pc in the UK and Ireland, operating profits increased by 8pc thanks to better gross margins. Continental European sales rose 2.5pc. Thanks to a buying spree, operating profits from the rest of the world division rose 48pc to £22m on sales up 38pc to £250m. It now accounts for 11pc of profits. Mr Roney said he felt "pretty positive" over Bunzl's prospects, highlighted by the group's decision to raise the interim dividend by 14pc to 10p. Paul Jones, a Panmure Gordon analyst, said: "We expect further deals in the second half. These should be taken well - especially if sizeable - given the balance sheet strength and opportunity to increase margins as integration occurs. The shares rose 26p to £13.80.