Stronger sales and improved margins have helped Flight Centre lift its net profit 23 per cent.

The travel agency group’s 2012/13 profit was $246 million, up from $200 million the previous year.

Revenue was up nine per cent to $1.99 billion.

Graham Turner, MD of Flight Centre, said the company recorded profits in all 10 countries it operates in for the third consecutive year.

Sales of both leisure and corporate travel increased 20 per cent.

The company also improved its margins and kept costs under control, he said.

“Key result drivers for 2012/13 included business growth, margin improvement, productivity enhancements and diversity,” he said in a statement on Tuesday.

The company was targeting a pre-tax profit of between $370 million and $385 million for the 2013/14 financial year, he said.

That would mark an eight to 12 per cent improvement on the $350 million pre-tax profit Flight Centre recorded for 2012/13.

The company expects to grow its sales network by between eight and 10 per cent this year.

“FLT (Flight Centre) is a growth-focused company and has set its sights on delivering improved top and bottom-line results and enhanced shareholder returns during 2013/14,”  Turner said.

The company declared a fully-franked final dividend of 91 cents. That’s up 28 per cent on the 2012 final dividend of 71 cents and takes the full year distribution to $1.37 a share.

AAP