CALIDA HOLDING AG CALIDA GROUP press release
Half year 2018: revenue growth and additional market shares
More than 10% of revenue generated online
In the first half of 2018, the CALIDA GROUP achieved significant revenue growth and captured additional market shares under persistently challenging market conditions. Operating profit remained virtually stable despite substantial investments in brands and sales systems. All brands developed positively. The online business was significantly expanded.
CALIDA Holding AG increased its stake in LAFUMA to 87.7%.
"We successfully managed the fundamental market changes in the reporting period through targeted investments. As part of our multi-brand strategy, our focus is on clearly positioning the individual brands, promoting innovation, anticipating customer needs and developing sales channels by adapting them to the changing consumer behaviour," explained Reiner Pichler, CEO of the CALIDA GROUP.
Net sales increased in the first half of 2018 in comparison to the corresponding prior-year period by 10.7% to CHF 194.3 million or 3.5% adjusted for exchange rate effects. The CALIDA GROUP thus once again outperformed the market.
At 23.0%, the operating contribution margin was maintained at the level of the prior year despite investments in partnership models with key accounts.
At CHF 5.5 million, operating profit (EBIT) remained roughly at the level of the prior year (CHF 5.8 million). This is primarily attributable to investments in the sales organisation, e-commerce and marketing.
Net income in the reporting year decreased 25.1% to CHF 4.4 million due to positive one-time effects from tax and valuation of foreign currency positions in the prior year. After repurchasing shares in LAFUMA from minority shareholders, the solid equity ratio stands at 56.1%.
As part of the strategic positioning of the CALIDA GROUP, the further development of the online sales was one of the main objectives in the reporting period. The integration of the German online retail specialist REICH ONLINE acquired in the prior year was completed with the merger of the online platforms at www.calida.com. Growth of 60.1% was achieved in e-commerce in the first six months of the current year. The share of online business in total revenue increased from 7.1% to 10.2% compared to the prior year. This does not include online sales of CALIDA GROUP products by retail customers and online traders.
A further highlight in 2018 is the 60th anniversary of the luxury lingerie brand AUBADE that was taken as an opportunity to invest in brand awareness and internationalisation. The newly developed store concept was also implemented in the shop-in-shop area.
A third focal point in the reporting period was the expansion of the brand presence of MILLET (specialising in mountain sports apparel and equipment) in Japan and China, associated with the expansion of e-commerce activities in these countries.
The performance of the brands of the CALIDA GROUP was varied in the reporting period, but all brands developed favourably in line with the strategic priorities of the Group.
In the reporting period, CALIDA Holding AG expanded its shareholding in the French subsidiary LAFUMA listed in Paris. In mid-March 2018, the shareholding of 7.6% was acquired from Jean-Pierre Millet, a long-standing anchor shareholder of LAFUMA.
With the acquisition of the shareholding in LAFUMA from CDC Enterprise Elan PME on 14 June 2018, CALIDA Holding increased its share in LAFUMA by a further 8.5%.
With these two additional purchases in the first half of 2018, the CALIDA GROUP now holds 87.7% in the leading French outdoor clothing group LAFUMA.
Further substantial investments in e-commerce, internationalisation, sales organisation and marketing are expected to have an impact on the financial statements of the CALIDA GROUP. As for the outlook for the second half of the year, stable revenue development and slightly lower earnings are expected.
The half-year report 2018 is available on the website at:
http://www.calidagroup.com/investors/financial-reports
| Provider | Channel | Contact | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
EQS Group Ltd., Switzerland switzerland.eqs.com |
newsbox.ch www.newsbox.ch |
Provider/Channel related enquiries cs.switzerland@eqs.com +41 41 763 00 50 |
