Against this background , Hope said the group was glad it had rationalised and destocked even though this had pressed margins , which had slipped to 9.5 percent from 11.3 percent a year ago .
<response> Against this background , <person>Hope</person> said the group was glad it had rationalised and destocked even though this had pressed margins , which had slipped to 9.5 percent from 11.3 percent a year ago . </response>