Assessing the quality of corporate growth within the framework of sustainable growth

The article provides a comparative analysis and assessment of the balanced pace of development of two leading companies in the Russian confectionery industry – JSC Ferrero Russia and LLC PERFETTI VAN MELLE. The study is based on the calculation of sustainable growth coefficients (SGR) based on the James Van Horn model for a three–year period (2022-2024). The methodology includes a detailed analysis of the components of the SGR formula – return on sales, asset turnover, profit reinvestment ratio and financial leverage, which allowed us to identify key drivers and constraints of growth. The key step of the study was to compare the obtained theoretical SGR indicators with the actual revenue growth rates, which made it possible to assess the degree of realization of the companies’ internal financial potential and identify strategic risks. The calculations revealed a fundamental problem common to both companies – a steady decline in asset turnover, constraining their growth potential – which, however, led to opposite strategic imbalances. Ferrero Russia JSC has identified a conservative model in which the actual growth rate is significantly lower than the internal potential (SGR), which indicates the non-use of financial reserves for market expansion. PERFETTI VAN MELLE LLC is characterized by the paradox of unrealized potential: an extremely high SGR, supported by outstanding profitability, contrasts with low actual growth rates, which indicates a critical gap between asset investments and their returns. Based on the results of the analysis, targeted recommendations were formulated for management: for the first company – to enhance the use of financial potential, for the second – to optimize asset management and increase their efficiency to achieve balanced and sustainable development.