PRIVATE health care group Bupa has hailed its international expansion a success as sales hit a record £3.37bn.
Bupa, whose interests include health insurance, hospitals, care homes for the elderly and health assessments, said its overseas operations - including its recently-acquired Australian section - accounted for 32 per cent of the group's operating profits.
Pre-tax profits were £134.5m for the year to December 31, up from £103.6m, while turnover was up 19.7 per cent.
Bupa's overseas sales accounted for 28 per cent of overall group turnover, compared with 22 per cent in 2002.
Val Gooding, chief executive, said that as well as helping boost profits, the international division had been useful in terms of spreading risk across the business.
But she said: "The fact that our international business has grown does not mean we have starved our UK business."
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