Central Garden & Pet tries controlling costs

Despite Central Garden & Pet Company reporting a 2% decline in net sales for pet products during its first quarter compared with the fiscal 2009 period, the company's chairman and CEO William Brown noted that the entire company has made progress in reducing working capital, improving gross margins and controlling costs.

"We reduced our investment in working capital by US$98 million compared with this time last year and lowered debt by US$84 million," Brown said.