EANS-Adhoc: ESCADA AG
ESCADA publishes Annual Financial Statements 2007/2008
and key figures for 1st quarter of fiscal year 2008/2009 - capital reduction
planned
Disclosure announcement transmitted by euro adhoc. The issuer is responsible for the content of this announcement.
Annual Figures/Quarterly Figures/Capital Measures
17.03.2009
Munich, 17.03.09 - ESCADA Group generated sales of 582.1 million euros in fiscal year 2007/2008, which is 15.2% less than last year's total of 686.1 million euros. The currency-adjusted decline was 13.1%. The business performance was affected by an increasingly more difficult market environment for the luxury goods industry, which itself was aggravated by the financial crisis. In addition, the earnings situation was burdened in the amount of 42.8 million euros through special items and restructuring costs as well as unscheduled depreciation on goodwill, other assets and deferred taxes.
Due to an amendment in reporting, earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization (EBITDA) amounted to 8.2 million euros after 35.5 million euros the previous year. This includes negative special effects in the amount of 11.3 million euros (previous year: 32.7 million euros), incurred for personnel measures, the termination of business contracts and the complete separation of the ESCADA and PRIMERA organizations. Attention must be given to the fact that these expenditures are no longer recognized as one-time expenses all grouped together in one position below the EBITDA, but are allocated to the corresponding cost and income positions. After allowances for these special items and restructuring costs EBITDA totaled 19.5 million euros and was thus in line with the announcement made in December (previous year: 68.2 million euros).
The Group closes the fiscal year with a loss after taxes of 70.3 million euros, following a loss of 27.0 million euros the previous year.
As had been expected the negative sales trend continued throughout the first quarter of 2008/2009 (November to January) given the current market developments, but nonetheless weakened compared with the same quarter one year ago. At 131.5 million euros, consolidated sales were 7.5% down on the first quarter of fiscal 2007/2008 (142.1 million euros), which then had registered a year-on-year fall of 11.8%. EBITDA of 5.5 million euros (Q1 2006/2008: 6.8 million euros) includes income in the amount of 13.4 million euros generated from the sale of assets not required for operations. The Group shows a quarterly loss after taxes of 6.3 million euros (Q1 2007/2008: -4.0 million euros). For the full fiscal year 2008/2009 the Board of Management estimates that Group sales will decline in a range between a high single-digit and a lower double-digit percentage rate. Given the systemic lead times of over a year in the fashion industry, the first positive effects from the currently ongoing principal reorientation of the ESCADA Group cannot be expected before the second half of the calendar year 2009 at the earliest.
The Board of Management and the Supervisory Board have decided to propose to the company's shareholders' meeting on April 28, 2009 a reduction in the company's capital stock of 48.91 million euros, from 107.02 million euros to 58.11 million euros. The simplified capital reduction is to be implemented by reducing the calculated portion of each share in the capital stock from the present 5.12 euros per share to 2.78 euros per share, without any change in the number of shares. The capital reduction serves to remove the shortage of subscribed capital of ESCADA AG. This shortage is the result of the 48.9 million euros balance sheet loss recorded in the annual financial statement of the company for fiscal year 2007/2008. The reduction of the calculated portion of each share in the capital stock will furthermore facilitate the issue of new shares, as the price of such new shares issued under a capital increase may not fall below the calculated portion of each share. The agenda for the shareholders' meeting will be published on March 18, 2009.
The Annual Report for fiscal year 2007/2008 is available for download from the company's website under http://investor-relations.escada.com and on the websites of the Deutsche Börse under www.deutsche-boerse.com.
end of announcement euro adhoc
Further inquiry note:
Yara Kes
Investor Relations
Tel.: +49 (0) 89 9944 1336
e-mail: yara.kes@de.escada.com
Branche: Clothing
ISIN: DE0005692107
WKN: 569210
Index: SDAX, CDAX, Classic All Share, Prime All Share
Börsen: Börse Berlin / Open Market
Börse Hamburg / Open Market
Börse Stuttgart / Open Market
Börse Düsseldorf / Open Market
Börse Frankfurt / regulated dealing/prime standard
Börse München / regulated dealing