EMIA region drags down Bridgestone’s second quarter

Bridgestone’s key financial metrics show the suffering of the world’s number one tyre manufacturer from the effects of the Covid pandemic. Sales fell by 32.4 per cent worldwide in the second quarter. The group also slipped into the red, reporting a return on sales of -0.3 per cent and a deficit of 41.5 billion Japanese yen (-330.4 million euros). Business in the EMIA region (Europe, Russia, Middle East, India and Africa) had a disproportionately high impact on Bridgestone’s results. While EMIA sales fell by -36.3 per cent compared to the group as a whole, the operating profit collapsed dramatically and at the end of the second quarter stood for a return on sales of -11.5 per cent.