Bossard : First half of 2018 – first results

Accelerated growth in second quarter - sales and net income at new record highs

The Bossard Group continues its high-level growth. In the second quarter, the Group posted an impressive 15.1 percent sales growth to CHF 225.9 million after 10.9 percent in the first quarter. Sales in the first half of 2018 rose by 13.0 percent to CHF 446.3 million. This boost in performance reflects the high growth in sales across all three market regions: Europe, America and Asia. The results for the first half of 2018 also underscore once more the profitability-oriented growth strategy that Bossard is following: Excluding last year's extraordinary income of CHF 4,5 million net from a real-estate sale, net income in the first half of 2018 rose an impressive 20.4 percent to a new record high of CHF 49.0 million.

Business in Europe accounted for about 58 percent of total sales in the first half of the year and contributed substantially to the above-average performance. In Europe, the Bossard Group boosted sales by 16.7 percent to CHF 260.5 million (+10.4 percent in local currency). In the second quarter of 2018, growth dynamics kept trending upward with a gain of 18.7 percent to CHF 128.4 million (+12.8 percent in local currency). Bossard's development in all major markets has contributed significantly to the Group's strong performance.

The America business posted strong gains in the first half of the year as well. Sales rose by 4.5 percent to CHF 119.5 million, which translated into an even higher 7.7 percent in local currency. The strong trend for the America business continued in the second quarter: Sales rose by 7.0 percent to CHF 61.4 million, the equivalent of 9.0 percent in local currency. This growth is broad-based across the entire customer base.

In Asia, the investments made in past years to expand the distribution network continue to pay off. Sales in the first half of the year grew by a healthy 15.3 percent to CHF 66.3 million (+11.8 percent in local currency). The second quarter figures also reflect high demand in this region of the world, as evidenced by the 17.6 percent increase in sales to CHF 36.1 million (+14.0 percent in local currency). China, the most important market in Asia, was a major contributor to this substantial increase.

The Bossard Group's high sales growth overall drove yet another marked increase in net income. The results, excluding last year's extraordinary income of CHF 4,5 million net from a real-estate sale, once again demonstrate that Bossard's profitability-oriented strategy is on the right track. On a comparable basis, net income rose by 20,4 percent to a new record high of CHF 49.0 million.

Bossard will publish the detailed semi-annual report 2018 on August 22, 2018.

Net sales 2nd quarter			change in %
in CHF million	2018	2017	in CHF	in local currency
Europe	128.4	108.2	18.7%	12.8%
America	61.4	57.4	7.0%	9.0%
Asia	36.1	30.7	17.6%	14.0%
Group	225.9	196.3	15.1%	11.9%

Net sales January - June			change in %
in CHF million	2018	2017	in CHF	in local currency
Europe	260.5	223.3	16.7 %	10.4%
America	119.5	114.3	4.5 %	7.7%
Asia	66.3	57.5	15.3%	11.8%
Group	446.3	395.1	13.0%	9.1%

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