Central Garden & Pet Company announced results for its first quarter ended December 27, 2008.

"In a challenging environment, we made progress managing working capital and controlling costs," noted William Brown, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. "In the quarter, we reduced our investment in working capital by $48 million compared to last year. We lowered selling, general and administrative expenses by $8 million and were able to reduce our loss per fully diluted share in the quarter to 9 cents compared to 11 cents a year ago, after excluding the goodwill and other asset impairment charges, and the gain on sale of properties, and litigation settlement proceeds in the prior year period. However, there remains considerable room for improvement in order to recoup lost margin and ultimately drive 'on profile' performance."

The Company reported net sales of $293 million in the quarter, a decline of seven percent compared to $314 million in the comparable fiscal 2008 period. The Company reported an operating loss of $2.7 million, compared to a loss of $391 million in the year ago period.