BRF and Carrefour are among companies with quarterly results affected by the Teamsters ' strike

SAO PAULO (Reuters)-The quarterly results of companies in sectors ranging from animal protein to shopping malls, such as BRF and JBS will be permeated by the effects of the strike of truck drivers who left the country paralysed during 11 days in late May. As a result of the strike, about 167 meat industry factories stopped operations, causing 3 billion reais in losses to processing companies of pork and chicken, according to estimates of the Association that represents the industry, ABPA. That came on top of the Brazilian Government's decision to suspend the export of some units of the BRF and European Union ban on imports of Brazilian meat products that scared investors. "For the second quarter, we expect that most of these companies, especially the BRF, but also the JBS, show pressures on margins compared to the previous year," said Benjamin Theurer, an analyst at Barclays, in Mexico City. Although the strike lasted less than two weeks, the side effects lasted much longer, added Theurer, with queues of ships waiting to enter the ports retreating slowly. BTG Pactual analysts already believe that the earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization (Ebitda) of BRF fall about of 32% compared to the previous year. Further down the supply chain, retailers of food as the GPA < and Carrefour Brazil PCAR4.SA <, belonging respectively to the French Casino Guichard Perrachon SA and Carrefour SA, also will feel the impact. "High turnover products, commodities, products that win virtually daily, were hit by the strike in two weeks," said Rogerio Soares, partner at Eneas Pestana & Associates, one of the leading consultancies in Brazil retail. A number of other sectors exposed to the retail, shopping center operators, including BR Malls Participações and Iguatemi, must also show effects of the Teamsters ' walkout in the results. NOT EVERYTHING was bad macroeconomic scenario, however, was not entirely negative in the second quarter. In anticipation of the start of the World Cup of Russia, the sales of a number of sectors, including breweries as Ambev and the network of furniture and appliances Magazine Luiza, soared. Besides, some companies have seen positive effects of the truckers ' strike. The ban on poultry meat exports to the EU led to extremely aggressive pricing policies in the domestic market. But the truckers ' strike has reduced the supply of farms which were forced to cull millions of animals, reducing sobreoferta pressure on the domestic market, said Theurer, of Barclays. In early July, the GPA has published strong revenue growth, despite the strike of truck drivers have achieved 0,7% of the total sales of the group. The performance was supported by Assam atacarejo flag. As many food and beverage companies have failed to deliver their products directly to customers as a result of the strike, these customers turned to the atacarejo. "Atacarejo stores helped to fill this vacuum," said Soares.