Villeroy & Boch

Apr 25, 2023

Message : INTERIM REPORT Consolidated revenue down 7.7 % year-on-year to € 229.3 million due to economic factors. EBIT at € 19.6 million, by 3.9 % slightly below previous year. Full-yearearnings forecast for 2023 still confirmed. THE GROUP 231.4 ‐ 6,196 FTE Return on net operating assets as at 31 December 2022 Change in accounting for emission allowances in accordance with IAS 8.14 (for explanations, see Annual report 2022, section 6.1.1, Accounting policies) German Securities Code Numbers (WKN): 765 720, 765 723 ISIN: DE0007657207, DE0007657231 Phone: +49 6864 81-1227• Fax: +49 6864 81-71227 INTERIM MANAGEMENT REPORT OF THE VILLEROY&BOCH GROUP FOR THE FIRST QUARTER OF 2023 GENERAL CONDITIONS OF THE GROUP The basic information on the Group as presented in the 2022 Group management report remains unchanged. ECONOMIC REPORT General economic conditions Global economic development slowed further in the first three months of the 2023 financial year. Although the situation on the energy markets and supply chains eased considerably, the ramifications of the ongoing war in Ukraine and high inflation are continuing to have a pronounced impact on the world economy. In Europe in particular, high inflation led to a loss of purcha-sing power and reluctance on the part of consu-mers, resulting in a tangible decline in private consumer spending. Germany was especially hard hit by this development. This was exacerbated by the negative impact of the continuous rise in interest rates on the propensity to invest. Course of business and position of the Villeroy&Boch Group Based on the past first quarter of the 2023 financial year, the Management Board of Villeroy&Boch AG still considers the economic position of the Group to be positive on the whole. We generated consolidated revenue (including licence income) of € 229.3 million in the first quarter of 2023. Due to economic factors, this was € 19.2 million or 7.7 % less than the very good figure for the first quarter of the previous year. Adjusted for currency effects, i.e. using the same exchange rates as for the previous year, revenue fell by 6.9 %. Negative currency effects, particularly relating to the Swedish krona and the Chinese yuan, outweighed the positive effects of the stronger US dollar compared with the previous year. Currency effects differed between the two divisions. Revenue in our main region of EMEA (Europe, Middle East, Africa) declined by 10.7 % or 22.1 million. This is due in particular to the weak performance in Germany, where our reve- nue fell by 14.3 % or € 11.1 million. By contrast, revenue in Southern Europe increased by 23.6 % or € 2.3 million. Overseas, we recorded revenue growth of 6.8 %. Our revenue in the Asia/Pacific region increased by 16.6 % or € 5.1 million. Incoming orders increase in the first quarter of 2023, rising by € 5.7 million as against 31 December 2022 to € 143.0 million. Orders on hand in the Bathroom&Wellness Division amounted to € 113.7 million as the order situation in Europe returned to normal (31 December 2022: € 116.9 million). By contrast, the resurgent project business in China had a positive effect. Orders on hand in the Dining&Lifestyle Division amounted to € 29.3 million (31 Decem- ber 2022: € 20.4 million). This increase was due in particular to the orders that have been already placed for our Christmas range, which we successfully presented at the "Inspiration Days" in February 2023 along with the latest trends, our new products and this year's anniversary collection. We generated EBIT of € 19.6 million in the first quarter of 2023, down only slightly on the previous year (€ 20.4 million). We are pleased to have been able to largely offset the weak revenue performance through lower procurement costs and savings in our structural costs. The Group's rolling return on net operating assets was 31.0 % as at 31 March 2023 (31 December 2022: 31.5 %). The reason for Villeroy & Boch AG the slight decline was the increase in net operating assets. The following section contains further information on development in the divisions, particularly with regard to revenue and earnings. Course of business and position of the division Bathroom&Wellness The Bathroom&Wellness Division generated revenue of € 150.8 million in the first quarter of 2023, down 12.4 % on the extremely strong first quarter of the previous year (€ 172.1 million). Revenue declined by 11.1 % on a constant currency basis, with negative currency effects resulting from the Swedish krona and the Chinese yuan in particular. The downturn in revenue was observed in all business areas. It was particularly pronounced in our ceramic sanitary ware business (€ -8.8 mil- lion) due to the economic slowdown in Europe and in our wellness business (€ -7.1 million), where revenue from outdoor hot tubs declined especially due to the statutory restriction in Germany in connection with the energy crisis. By contrast, new products such as toilets with new flush technology met with a positive market response. Thanks to the sustained strength of our project business, we achieved substantial revenue growth in Asia with market-specific products including our ViClean shower toilets in particular. The Bathroom&Wellness Division started the first quarter of 2023 with an operating profit (EBIT) of € 17.4 million and was thus almost at the previous year's level (€ 17.7 million). The downturn in earnings due to revenue development was offset by falling procurement prices, especially for energy. The rolling return on net operating assets declined to 32.7 % (31 December 2022: 35.6 %) as a result of the lower level of earnings and the growth in net assets. Dining&Lifestyle The Dining&Lifestyle Division generated revenue of € 77.7 million in the first quarter of 2023 up 3.0 % on the previous year. Revenue increased by 2.6 % on a constant currency basis, with positive currency effects resulting from the US dollar in particular. We generated revenue growth across almost all sales channels in the first quarter of 2023. Our project business with hotel and restaurant customers saw particularly strong growth of 2.7 million on the back of our pronounced focus on the high-end segment. Thanks in particular to the encouraging revenue development and cost savings, the Dining&Life- style Division ended the quarter with operating EBIT of € 5.6 million, up € 1.9 million on the previous year (€ 3.7 million). The rolling operating return on net assets increased to 36.1 % as a result of the increase in operating result (31 December 2022: 35.4 %). Capital structure Our equity increased by € 14.8 million as against the end of 2022, amounting to € 387.3 million as at 31 March 2023. The rise in equity is mainly due to the Group result of € 12.8 million generated in the first quarter of 2023. At 40.9 %, our equity ratio (including non-controlling interests) was therefore 2.9 percentage points higher than in the previous year (31 De- cember 2022: 38.0 %). Investments We invested € 6.0 million in property, plant and equipment and intangible assets in the first quarter of 2023 (previous year: € 3.3 million). The Bathroom&Wellness Division accounted for € 4.3 million, with the remaining € 1.7 million attributable to the Dining&Lifestyle Division. Investment activity in the Bathroom&Wellness Division concentrated on pressure casting machines and a photovoltaic system in Hungary Villeroy & Boch AG and a new vertical moulding machine in Belgium. Investment in the Dining&Lifestyle Division mainly related to the modernisation of the production facilities in Merzig and Torgau, the acquisition of new pressing tools and the moderni- sation of our own retail stores. The Group had obligations to acquire property, plant and equipment and intangible assets in the amount of € 21.2 million as at the end of the reporting period (previous year: € 15.3 million). Net liquidity Taking into account our financial liabilities of € 75.2 million, the cash and bank balances of € 200.9 million resulted in net liquidity of 125.7 million as at 31 March 2023 (31 De- cember 2022: € 141.2 million). We also have unused credit facilities of € 282.4 million at our disposal. Balance sheet structure 980.2 million as at 31 December 2022, a decrease of € 32.8 million. The share of total assets attributable to non-cur- rent assets increased slightly to 30.1 % (31 De- cember 2022: 29.3 %). Current assets decreased by € 32.7 million as against 31 December 2022. This was mainly due to the decrease in cash and cash equivalents (€ -25.7 million) and trade receivables (€ -15.3 million) and the increase in inventories (€ +5.0 million) and other current assets (€ +3.3 mil- lion). On the equity and liabilities side of the statement of financial position, the biggest changes as against the end of 2022 were within current liabilities (€ -43.8 million), with a reduction in other current liabilities (-24.9 million €), current financial liabilities (-10.2 million €) and current personnel provisions (-7.8 million €). Non-current liabilities decreased by a total of 3.8 million, mainly due to the reduction of other long-term liabilities (€ -2.4 million) and the usual utilisation of pension provisions (€ -1.2million). REPORT ON RISKS AND OPPORTUNITIES The risks and opportunities described in the 2022 annual report are unchanged. As previously, a regular, focused re-examination of all risk areas is continuously performed. The relaxation of the procurement markets and the resulting decrease in purchase prices, especially for energy, meant the corresponding risks declined earlier than anticipated. However, the economic environment continued to deteriorate, especially in Europe. There remains considerable uncertainty regarding the potential consequences of the war in Ukraine. There is no evidence of any individual risks that could endanger the continued existence of the Group at this time. Outside of our operating business, we still believe that there is earnings potential in the development and marketing of our property in Luxembourg that is no longer required for operating purposes. OUTLOOK FOR THE CURRENT FINANCIAL YEAR The International Monetary Fund (IMF) expects the global economy to continue to slow. According to its most recent World Economic Outlook published in April, the war in Ukraine and high inflation are inhibiting the economic recovery, resulting in a slight downward revision of the global economic growth forecast for 2023 to 2.8 %. Based on business performance in the first three months of the current financial year, the Management Board of Villeroy&Boch AG now expects consolidated revenue for 2023 to be at the same level as in the previous year (amended forecast). The forecasts regarding the operating result, the return on net operating assets and capital expenditure remain unchanged. Villeroy & Boch AG