Hawesko Group expects stable business performance overall
 

- Outlook for 2020: online wine channels booming in the coronavirus pandemic; B2B suffering under government constraints on the hospitality industry

- 6% increase in sales and nearly 20% increase in online sales in fiscal year 2019

- EBIT 2019 rises 5.1% to € 29.1 million, free cash flow rises strongly from € 10.7 million to € 31.6 million

- Unchanged dividend of € 1.30 per share proposed

Hamburg, 23 April 2020. The management board of Hawesko Holding AG (HAW, HAWG.DE, DE0006042708) expressed satisfaction with fiscal year 2019 at today's annual financial press conference. Based on the continuing demand for wine and the robust business model of the Hawesko Group, the management board is confident about fiscal year 2020, which will be formatively influenced by the coronavirus pandemic. Previous investments in the digital future are now bearing fruit in this exceptional situation.

Thanks to the diversified portfolio of the Hawesko Group, with the different business models affected to varying degrees by the coronavirus crisis, the start of fiscal year 2020 has been positive. Online business is booming and performance in the Retail segment is stable while the wholesale segment, as a supplier to the hospitality industry, is now facing major challenges. The restaurant/catering clients of the B2B segment were forced to close down their operations almost completely. In the Retail segment, the complete shutdown of bricks-and-mortar stores in Austria adversely impacted the performance of Wein & Co., while Jacques' in Germany is affected only minimally by the restrictions imposed and is enjoying very strong sales. The E-commerce segment, on the other hand, is pleased with sales increases of about 50% on average. 'We could sell even more, but the logistical structures are currently pushing their limits. We are working hard to deliver all orders to our customers as quickly as possible,' said CEO Thorsten Hermelink. Currently, negative effects can be only partially compensated by positive ones. The management board expects the situation to return to normal over the course of the year, but a reliable forecast for the current fiscal year is not possible at present.

In fiscal year 2019, consolidated sales rose by 6.0% to € 556.0 million, while the consolidated operating result (EBIT) increased by 5.1% to € 29.1 million. The acquisition of the Austrian company Wein & Co. in October 2018 played a major role in the growth in sales. The Retail segment posted a sales increase of 18.0% to € 203.3 million. On a like-for-like basis (i.e. only Jacquesʼ), sales growth was 3.6%. The operating result (EBIT) of the segment rose from € 15.0 million in the previous year to € 18.0 million in the year under review. In the E-commerce segment, sales increased by 5.0% to € 174.0 million, while EBIT amounted to € 12.5 million (previous year: € 7.6 million), including income of € 4.0 million from the sale of a property. The B2B segment had to cope with weak demand as well as with temporary challenges due to the relocation of the warehouse, so that segment sales declined by 4.1% from the previous year to € 178.6 million. EBIT in this segment amounted to € 6.4 million (previous year: € 10.5 million). Holding, corporate and logistics costs totalled € 7.7 million (previous year: € 5.4 million).

Consolidated net income after deductions for taxes and non-controlling interests amounted to € 15.8 million (previous year: € 22.0 million), corresponding to € 1.76 per share (previous year: € 2.45, adjusted for financial income € 2.19). The consolidated balance sheet total amounted to € 394.9 million after the application of the new IFRS 16 accounting standard (2018: € 289.0 million), so that the equity ratio dropped to 28% (2018: 39%). The investments in intangible and tangible assets amounted to € 7.7 million (previous year: € 5.5 million). Free cash flow amounted to € 31.6 million (previous year: € 10.7 million including the acquisition of Wein & Co.).

As a perfectly healthy company, Hawesko Holding AG is well-equipped to handle the current challenges. The management board plans to propose a dividend of € 1.30 per share - unchanged from the previous year - to the annual general meeting of shareholders, which has been postponed until autumn due to the coronavirus restrictions.

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The statutory group accounts for 2019 are available for download at https://www.hawesko-holding.com/en/investors/.

Hawesko Holding AG is a leading purveyor of premium wines and champagnes. In fiscal year 2019, the Group employed 1,200 persons in the company's three sales channels: Retail (Jacques' Wein-Depot), B2B (Wein Wolf and CWD Champagner- und Wein-Distributionsgesellschaft) and E-commerce (particularly HAWESKO and Vinos). The shares of Hawesko Holding AG are listed on the Hanseatic Stock Exchange in Hamburg as well as in the Prime Standard segment of the Frankfurt Stock Exchange.

Publisher:

Hawesko Holding AG
Elbkaihaus
Grosse Elbstrasse 145d
22767 Hamburg

Internet: hawesko-holding.com (Company information)
hawesko.de (Online shop)
jacques.de (Jacques' Wein-Depot information and online shop)
vinos.de (Spanish wines)
wirwinzer.de (German wines directly from the producers)
weinco.at (Online shop)

Press and Investor Relations:

Thomas Hutchinson
Phone: +49 (0)40 30 39 21 00
Fax +49 (0)40 30 39 21 05
E-mail: ir@hawesko-holding.com