Sales at Mars Ireland fell by 5.6 per cent in the 12 months to end December 2013, down to €127.7 million, as the food giant struggled with “extremely challenging” trading conditions in Ireland.

Margins at the food manufacturer, which includes brands such as Twix, Mars and Snickers, as well as Dolmio and Uncle Ben’s, also declined, falling back by 3.7 per cent, reflective of the pressure on prices in the sector. Pre-tax profits slid by 44 per cent down to €5.5 million.

Employment at the confectioner remained steady, rising to 131 from 123 in the previous year. Employee costs, including executive directors, fell back by €300,000 to €10 million, or €78,358 per employee.

Mars paid a dividend of €2,000 in 2013, down from €10 million in 2012.

Meanwhile, Mars also announced today that it has successfully completed its acquisition of the IAMS(R), EUKANUBA(R) and NATURA(R) brands in North America, Latin America and other select countries, from Procter & Gamble. Mars Petcare, the largest business for Mars, is one of the world’s leading pet food and veterinary care providers and employs more than 35,000 employees across 50 countries.

Mars focuses on four key categories in Ireland: food, chocolate, petcare and gum.