Sales sizzle at sausage maker Cranswick The company, which sells brands including Jamie Oliver and Weight Watchers, reported a 7pc rise in total sales for the year to March 31. This includes sales at premium meat producer Kingston Foods, which it acquired in June 2012. Underlying sales last year increased by 5pc, while total sales for the three months to March 31, when Tesco and other supermarkets admitted some of their beef products contained horsemeat, rose 15pc, the company said in a trading statement yesterday. Cranswick welcomed recent moves by some retailers to build more transparent supply chains. "We're a premium product, we've got a robust supply chain, predominantly supplying British product in the premium end of the market," said Mark Bottomley, Cranswick's finance director. I think given recent events, that's what the British consumer and the retailers are looking for. "I think what we've seen is a move into fresh, quality products where they can have some assurance that they know where it's come from," said Mr Bottomley. Cranswick will announce its full-year results in May, but said yesterday that operating margins would be "broadly in line with those reported in the previous financial year." The company also said that it would continue "targeted" expansion abroad, having recently been awarded an export license to China. The company is also close to completing an Australian export deal. Cranswick's strong fourth quarter performance was driven by new business wins, when it secured contracts to supply pork to Asda and Marks & Spencer. "Cranswick's Q4 update shows a strong close to the year in what is typically a quiet quarter," said Nicola Mallard, an analyst at Investec. However, the shares slipped 3, to 1,012p, which analysts said reflected concerns over future pig prices. The market faces extra upward pressure from the introduction of EU animal welfare regulations that have are prompted some Continental producers to cease trading. Some analysts have forecast that prices will top the record 161p per kilogram reached in December 2012.