Nuremberg, 15 May 2014 – In the first quarter of the year, the GfK Group achieved a significant increase in all profit indicators, despite a sales decrease, and has confirmed its forecast for the year. Compared with the same quarter in the previous year, adjusted operating income rose by 2.7 percent to €23.6 million. The margin climbed to 7.0 percent in the first quarter (versus 6.6 percent in the same period of the previous year). Cash flow from operating activities was almost doubled to total €18.3 million. In view of the strategic new direction in the Consumer Experiences sector, Group sales in organic terms were down by 0.7 percent in the first quarter of 2014. Currency effects depressed overall growth to -3.7 percent.
Matthias Hartmann, CEO of GfK SE, explained: “The first quarter was satisfactory overall. All profit indicators are pointing in the right direction. Although the strategic realignment of the product portfolio affected the sales trend, it has already had the intended positive effect on the company’s performance.”
GfK’s business is in a phase of realignment. In the Consumer Experiences sector, the focus is on improving income and the margin, whereas the high-profit Consumer Choices sector continues to pursue its growth strategy. This course proved successful for GfK in the first quarter of 2014.
Trends in the sectors
The Consumer Choices sector achieved like-for-like sales growth in organic terms of 4.2 percent in the first quarter of 2014. However, currency effects reduced sales growth to 1.3 percent, so that sales totaled €141.6 million. Income increased 10.9 percent in organic terms and 3.8 percent through currency effects. Despite expenses for new products and the modernization of the IT platform, the margin climbed further from 16.5 percent in the same period of the previous year to 16.9 percent in the first quarter of 2014.
As part of the company transformation, the Consumer Experiences sector achieved sales with new, innovative products and technology. This also resulted in business with higher margins. Compared with the same period in the previous year, the sector’s margin almost doubled to 2.3 percent in the first quarter of 2014. Sales were down 6.9 percent in total on the figure for the previous year’s quarter to €192.5 million. Of this, 3.2 percentage points were attributable to currency effects and 3.8 percentage points to the trend in organic terms, which was partly the result of a weaker level of incoming orders at the end of 2013. However, the trend in incoming orders has been positive in almost all of the regions since the beginning of this year.
Regional trends
Business in the CENTRAL EASTERN EUROPE/META (Middle East, Turkey and Africa) region once again developed positively. An organic sales increase of 11.5 percent was achieved, although this strong trend was countered by marked currency effects. Overall, sales therefore increased by only 1.2 percent to €30.4 million. The newly established consumer panel in Turkey has already produced the first sales revenue.
Currency effects were even more dramatic in the LATIN AMERICA region, where growth in organic terms amounted to a good 10 percent but overall growth was down by 9 percent. Sales totaled €12.7 million. At present, a panel to measure TV ratings is being set up in Brazil. From the second half of 2015 onwards, the contract, which was signed at the end of 2013, is expected to generate sales revenue.
In the region with the highest sales volume, NORTHERN EUROPE, sales decreased by 2.8 percent from €140.3 million to €136.3 million. At €62.9 million, sales in the region SOUTHERN AND WESTERN EUROPE fell 2.2 percent short of the previous year’s figure.
In the NORTH AMERICA region, sales declined by 11.8 percent to €56.2 million. Of this, currency effects accounted for 4.3 percentage points. However, sales were also 7.5 percent down in organic terms. This was partly caused by a delay in the recognition of revenues following the implementation of new in-house IT systems.
In ASIA AND THE PACIFIC, sales increased organically by 11.5 percent. Currency effects also reduced growth in this region to 2.2 percent, totaling €36.4 million. The pleasing business development in China contributed to sales growth, in particular. At the same time, the radio research contract in Australia also generated the first sales revenue.
Key indicators
SALES were down 3.7 percent to €334.9 million, mainly as a result of currency effects. In organic terms, a decrease of 0.7 percent was recorded. Although sales in the Consumer Experiences sector declined by 3.8 percent in organic terms, the Consumer Choices sector achieved an organic increase of 4.2 percentage points. At -3.1 percent, significant effects from currency developments at Group level primarily resulted from the devaluation of various Asian and Latin American currencies, as well as the strong euro against the US dollar.
ADJUSTED OPERATING INCOME rose by 2.7 percent to €23.6 million in the first three months of 2014 (first quarter of 2013: €23.0 million). Here too, currency effects had a negative impact. In organic terms, income was up by 9.3 percent. Both sectors contributed to this growth. With the rise in income, the GfK Group MARGIN was also up by 0.4 percentage points compared with the same quarter in the previous year to 7.0 percent. A 7.5 percent rise was achieved in EBITDA while the increase in CONSOLIDATED TOTAL INCOME was even more marked – up 13.3 percent to €10.0 million.
The CASH FLOW FROM OPERATING ACTIVITIES for the first three months of 2014 increased significantly to €18.3 million (after €9.5 million in the first quarter of 2013). Working capital was reduced by €12.9 million.
Outlook
GfK expects overall global economic growth to continue to increase slightly in the course of this year, even if uncertainties persist in individual regions.
By the end of the year, GfK intends to complete the key projects for its ongoing transformation.
GfK is expecting organic growth of 1 percent to 2 percent for 2014 and a margin (adjusted operating income in relation to sales) of between 12 percent and 12.5 percent.
At the end of March 2014, a total of 59.1 percent of the annual sales required to achieve the forecast had already been posted or were in the order book (previous year: invoicing based coverage 56.6 percent).
The full quarterly report is available at:
http://www.gfk.com/investors/publications/Pages/reports.aspx
About GfK
GfK is the trusted source of relevant market and consumer information that enables its clients to make smarter decisions. More than 13,000 market research experts combine their passion with GfK’s 80 years of data science experience. This allows GfK to deliver vital global insights matched with local market intelligence from more than 100 countries. By using innovative technologies and data sciences, GfK turns big data into smart data, enabling its clients to improve their competitive edge and enrich consumers’ experiences and choices.
For more information, please visit www.gfk.com or follow GfK on Twitter: www.twitter.com/gfk_en