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Bijou Brigitte modische Accessoires : Half-year financial report as of 30 June 2021 (

Bijou Brigitte modische Accessoires : Half-year financial report as of 30 June 2021

Bijou Brigitte Modische Accessoires AgSeptember 16, 20215
Bijou Brigitte modische Accessoires : Half-year financial report as of 30 June 2021 (

About this update from Bijou Brigitte Modische Accessoires Ag

Overview Sales of EUR 63.4 million (previous year: EUR 82.8 million) EBT of EUR -27.2 million (previous year: EUR -30.3 million) Total of 954 stores (31 December 2020: 990) Comparative forecast for the 2021 financial year INTERIM GROUP MANAGEMENT REPORT FUNDAMENTALS OF THE GROUP The Group's fundamentals have not materially changed compared to the group management report as of 31 December 2020. ECONOMIC REPORT Overall economic conditions Despite the third wave of coronavirus infections, the global economy remained on its path of growth in the first months of 2021. The effects of the pandemic were largely limited to the service sector; industrial production and global trade continued to expand vigorously until spring. This momentum was ultimately curbed by product bottlenecks and logistical problems that manifested in steep price increases for raw materials, intermediate goods and transport services. 1 In the first quarter of the year, the economic development in Europe exceeded all expectations. Through effective measures to contain the corona- virus and progress in vaccination campaigns, the EU member States managed to reopen their economies in the second quarter. This has a particularly positive impact in the service sector, and private consumption also increased. 2 In the first half of 2021, the gears of the German economy also started to slowly turn again after the economic recovery ground to a halt in the wake of the third wave of the coronavirus pandemic. 3 Increased private and public consumer spending in particular contributed to the economic recovery from the second quarter onwards. Compared to the previous year, the price-adjusted GDP in the second quarter of 2021 was 9.6 per cent higher than in the second quarter of 2020; adjusted for price and cal- endar, the increase was of 9.2 per cent. Neverthe- less, it was not possible to return to pre-crisis levels. 4 The German retail industry is slowly recovering but still remained considerably below the pre-crisis lev- els. In the period from January to June 2021, the entire retail industry recorded actual overall growth of per cent compared with the same period of the previous year. In this respect, the first six months of this year were marked by lockdown-related business closures. This affected brick-and-mortar retail trade (not including food) in particular. For example, the textile/apparel/footwear sector again had to bear a per cent drop in sales. 5 Conversely, online trade with goods was able to continue on its growth course and recorded an increase in sales of 23.2 per cent in the first half of 2021. 6 1 Kiel Institute for the World Economy: Kiel I nstitute Economic Outlook 4 German Federal Statistical Office: Press release no. 365, 30/7/2021 No. 79, 17.6.2021 5 German Federal Statistical Office: Press release no. 366, 2/8/2021 2 European Commission: Economic forecast summer 2021, 7.7.2021 3Federation of German Industries (BDI): Quarterly report Germany QII 2021 2 Business trend and position Business development of the Group as a whole Measures taken by governments to slow the spread of the coronavirus sent brick-and-mortar retail sales plummeting in the first six months of 2021. A combination of enforced temporary store closures and consumer uncertainty had a negative impact on the development of the Bijou Brigitte Group's sales and profit particularly in the first quarter of 2021. In the reporting period, Group sales fell by 23.4 per cent from EUR 82.8 million in the previous year to EUR 63.4 million. Business trend by segment In the first half of 2021, the segments of the Group developed very differently depending on the respective duration of the state-imposed store clo- sures. While sales in the German segment fell by 49.7 per cent from EUR 44.5 million to EUR 22.4 million, sales in the Spanish segment increased by 24.5 per cent to EUR 11.7 million following sales in the amount of EUR 9.4 million in the previous year. In Italy, the Group achieved a sales volume of EUR 8.8 million (previous year: EUR 6.5 million; +35.4 per cent). Por- tugal reported sales of EUR 1.7 million, down by 5.6 per cent on the prior-year figure of EUR 1.8 million. Compared with sales of EUR 7.5 million in the previous year, sales in the French segment increased by 1.3 per cent to total EUR 7.6 million. The "Other countries" segment recorded sales of EUR 11.2 mil- lion (previous year: EUR 13.2 million; -15.2 per cent). Changes to the store network As of 30 June 2021, the Bijou Brigitte Group's store network consisted of 954 stores (31 December 2020: 990). Four stores were opened in the first six months of the year, while 40 were closed. As part of the moves to streamline the store network, most of the store closures took place in Spain, followed by Ger- many, France and Italy. Overall, 3 branches were renovated and/or optimised. One store was relocated to a new site. As of 30 June 2021, the store network comprised 503 concessions (31 December 2020: 495). Earnings position In the first half of 2021, the state measures to combat the coronavirus pandemic had massively impacted the development of the Bijou Brigitte Group's sales and profit. Due to the 23.4 per cent drop in sales, the Group posted a loss of EUR 27.2 million before income taxes (previous year: loss of EUR 30.3 mil- lion). Other operating income improved from EUR 2.1 million to EUR 4.1 million, a trend that can be primarily explained by the use of coronavirus-related state aid on liabilities due. The third round of coronavirus bridging aid from the German federal government is not included in that figure. The cost of materials was equivalent to 21.2 per cent of sales in the first half of 2021 (previous year: 19.1 per cent). The increase resulted primarily from higher devaluations and increased freight costs. In the reporting period, personnel costs dropped by 11.5 per cent from EUR 34.3 million to EUR 30.4 mil- lion. This is mainly explained by the pandemic-re- lated decrease in the number of employees as well as the short-time work ordered by the Group and the resulting payments of short-time allowances. As a result of store closures, the number of full-time equivalent employees of the Bijou Brigitte Group fell to 2,212 as of 30 June 2021 (31 December 2020: 2,542). Impairment of intangible assets, depreciation of property, plant and equipment and amortisation of rights of use amounted to EUR 24.9 million in the first half of 2021, compared to EUR 32.2 million in the previous year. The decline is primarily due to the re- duction of the store network as well as impairment effects from the previous and current financial years. 3 The item "Other operating expenses" was down 22.2 per cent in the first six months of 2021, falling from EUR 30.4 million (H1 2020) to EUR 23.6 million. This trend was mainly due to the reduction of the sales commission, the realisation of savings potential such as the reduction of promotional costs as well as effects from the pandemic-related store closures. The financial result showed a slight improvement from EUR -2.7 million in the previous year to EUR - 2.3 million. Group earnings after income taxes in the first half of 2021 amounted to EUR -20.7 million (previous year: EUR -25,1 million). Financial position Cash flow from operating activities developed in the reporting period as of the end of June to EUR - 8.7 million (30 June 2020: EUR -18.6 million). This development is primarily due to the pandemic-re- lated reduced loss from operating activities. Cash flow from investing activities came to EUR -0.8 million compared with EUR -3.9 million on 30 June 2020, mainly due to fewer renovations and new store openings in the first half of 2021. In the first half of 2021, cash flow from financing activities amounted to EUR -20.4 million (previous year: EUR -23,2 million). This change is mainly due to negotiated rent reductions as well as store clo- sures. The Group does not have any loans with banks or other credit institutions. Available overdraft facilities remained the same as in the previous year and were not utilised in the first half of 2021. Net assets Non-current assets decreased to EUR 160.7 million in the reporting period (31 December 2020: EUR 175.0 million), due in particular to the reduction in the network of stores. Inventories increased slightly year-on-year and amounted to EUR 62.9 million (31 December 2020: EUR 61.7 million). The slight increase in inventories resulted mainly from the lower sales during the lock- down phase in the first half of 2021. Current assets (excluding cash) grew by EUR 2.8 million from EUR 72.8 million to EUR 75.6 million on 31 December 2020. This is primarily attributable to the increased other financial assets. Cash and cash equivalents fell by 27.0 per cent from EUR 109.6 million (31 December 2020) to EUR 80.0 million at the end of the reporting period. This is attributable primarily to the loss associated with lower sales due to the coronavirus crisis in the first half of 2021. The global impact of the coronavirus pandemic had a negative impact on balance sheet items as of 30 June 2021 to varying degrees. Total assets fell by EUR 41.2 million to EUR 316.2 million on the reporting date of 30 June 2021 from EUR 357.4 million (31 December 2020). On 30 June 2021, Group equity amounted to EUR 175.0 million compared to EUR 195.3 million on 31 December 2020. The ratio of equity in relation to total assets was therefore 55.3 per cent (31 December 2020: 54.6 per cent). Non-current liabilities declined by EUR 15.6 million to EUR 85.8 million (30 June 2021) from EUR 101.4 million (31 December 2020), mainly due to the lower lease liabilities resulting from the reduction in the network of stores. Overall statement of the Management Board on the economic situation of the Bijou Brigitte Group The first half of 2021 was dominated by the corona- virus crisis for the Bijou Brigitte Group. The measures taken by governments to contain the coronavirus pandemic, especially shop closures, had a massive 4 negative effect on the net assets, financial position and results of operations of Bijou Brigitte. At EUR 63.4 million, the Group reported a 23.4 per cent drop in sales overall compared with the same period of the previous year (30 June 2020: EUR 82,8 million). In this respect, the development of the Group's seg- ments differed considerably in the first half of 2021 depending on the duration of the respective state- imposed store closures. While sales in Germany de- clined almost by 50 per cent, sales in Spain and Italy increased by 24.5 per cent and 35.4 per cent, re- spectively. We have seen the first signs of recovery following the reopening of all stores at the end of May. This trend is also carried by improved con- sumer sentiment. Even back in the early days of the coronavirus crisis, the Management Board took all of the necessary steps to keep costs to a minimum. Savings potential was exploited with regard to staff and rent, with the company taking advantage of government subsidies and negotiating with its landlords in particular. Thanks to these measures, the loss in the first half of 2021 was limited to EUR 27.2 million before income taxes (previous year: loss of EUR 30.3 million). Cost reduction potential will continue to be exploited wherever reasonable going forward. In the second half of 2021, the Group will continue to focus on offsetting the negative impact of the coronavirus crisis on its business and keeping any effects to a mini- mum. First, the measures successfully implemented in the 2020 financial year will remain in place in order to give customers an attractive incentive to buy again. Second, the store network on all the markets of the Group will be further consolidated. The Management Board of Bijou Brigitte considers the Group's situation to still be stable, and does not expect to see any threat to its ability to continue as a going concern. Given the uncertainty surrounding how the crisis will unfold and the impact that it will have on the retail industry and the consumer cli- mate, which is currently impossible to predict, it still remains difficult to arrive at an overall assessment. OPPORTUNITIES AND RISK REPORT Bijou Brigitte presented all risks that could threaten the continued existence of the company or have a significant adverse effect on its net assets, financial and earnings position, with the risk management methods applied, in the risk management report on page 38 et seq. of the 2020 Annual Report. At the start of the year, there was merely one change in relation to the assessment of opportunities and risks. "Data protection" was newly included as a risk in the risk assessment in the 2021 financial year. The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) valid across Europe must be implemented by all companies. Violations of this regulation can result in considerable fines. The data protection officer at Bijou Brigitte regularly reviews the adherence to the applicable regulations and the implementation of the internal data protection directive, especially regarding the processing of sensible data. Furthermore, awareness for the entire topic of data protection is created among senior executives and employees, who also receive regular training with respect to the applicable regulations. The risk was classified as "low". FORECAST REPORT Expected development of general economic conditions Despite the ongoing pandemic, the global economy continued to develop positively in the first half of 2021. Accordingly, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) expects the global economic performance to increase by 6.0 per cent in 2021 compared to the 5

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