Pirelli pretax sales, earnings up in 2000

MILAN, Italy (Feb. 12)—Pirelli S.p.A. ended fiscal 2000 with a 22-percent increase in pretax earnings, while sales rose 15 percent, according to preliminary results the company released. Pretax earnings hit $760 million, and sales rose to $6.9 billion, yielding an 11-percent earnings ratio, Pirelli said, without divulging details of its separate divisions. According to the firm´s nine-month earnings report, the Tire Business Staff Reported a slight dip in earnings for the period to go with a 7.3-percent decline in sales.