Leifheit AG: Preliminary figures for 2013 show slight growth

Leifheit: Preliminary figures for 2013 show slight growth

- Adjusted group turnover rises 1.0%
- Brand Business grows, Volume Business remains stable
- At 27.7% E-Commerce sales channel continues to achieve high growth rates
- In 2014 Leifheit is concentrating on brands and margin

Nassau, 6 February 2014 - According to preliminary calculations, the Leifheit Group achieved adjusted sales totalling EUR 219.5 million in the financial year 2013, an increase of 1.0% on the previous year. Without the adjustment of the terminated business with Dr Oetker Bakeware, group turnover is expected to be EUR 220.9 million.

Whilst in the financial year of 2013 demand in the domestic market of Germany remained stable, satisfactory growth rates in Leifheit's Central European focus countries of France, Austria, Czech Republic and Scandinavia were the reason behind the slightly positive turnover development in the Leifheit Group. In contrast, decreases in demand slowed business development in the Netherlands, Italy and Russia.

Brand Business +1.1%, Volume Business +0.4%

In 2013, the Brand Business, the larger of the two Leifheit business areas, grew 1.1% on the previous year with a turnover of EUR 172.8 million. This area includes the brands Leifheit and Soehnle. In the volume business segment, in which the activities of the subsidiaries Birambeau and Herby as well as the Project Business are bundled, the preliminary figures for 2013 show a turnover increase of 0.4% to EUR 46.7 million.

Once again, e-commerce proved to be a reliable growth driver: with an increase of 27.7%, double-digit growth rates were again achieved through this sales channel in 2013.

2014: concentration on brand and margin

Based on the preliminary figures for the financial year Leifheit still expects earnings before interest and taxes (EBIT) at least at the level of the adjusted EBIT of 2012. This amounted to EUR 13.0 million. The company will publish the final, audited figures for the financial year 2013 on 27 March 2014.

Regarding the current financial year 2014, Leifheit expects a stable development of the business. 'Leifheit will increasingly focus on the Brand Business and manage the Volume Business particularly from the standpoint of profitability. In a nutshell, we are focusing on brand and margins in 2014,' says Thomas Radke, CEO of Leifheit AG.

Product innovation at Ambiente

At this year's international consumer goods fair Ambiente in Frankfurt, Leifheit will as always present the latest product innovations from the categories of cleaning, laundry care, kitchen goods and wellbeing: An addition to the assortment of the current bestseller, the Leifheit window vacuum cleaner, an innovative floor mop 'Profi Collect', a new generation of ironing table series 'AirBoard' with an extremely low weight or the fresh food system 'Fresh & Slim', which has already been chosen as the Kitchen Innovation of the Year 2014, will be presented among many other innovations.

Leifheit will also present intelligent shopper marketing concepts at Ambiente. As part of the Leifheit initiative POS Excellence, 70 new Leifheit shop-in-shop systems have now been set up in retail stores in Germany and Europe. The Group has thus already achieved tangible successes: participating retailers have booked average turnover increases of up to 50% in the presentation area. In addition, the marketing campaign 'Winner Types 2014' is entering the implementation phase, where consumers speak for Leifheit products.

About Leifheit

Founded in 1959, Leifheit AG is one of the leading European brand suppliers of household items. The company stands for high-quality, innovative products with great utility and pioneering design in the sectors of cleaning, laundry care, kitchen goods and wellbeing. Leifheit and Soehnle are among the best known brands in Germany. Other than in the Brand Business, Leifheit AG operates in the service-oriented Volume Business via its French subsidiaries Birambeau and Herby. The Leifheit Group including its international branches employs a staff of about 1,000. For more information on Leifheit, please visit www.leifheit.com.