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Story Box-ID: 28235

METRO AG Benrather Straße 18-20 40213 Düsseldorf, Deutschland http://www.metrogroup.de
Ansprechpartner:in METRO AG +49 211 68864252
Logo der Firma METRO AG
METRO AG

METRO Group with record sales growth

Trading Statement fourth quarter / FY 2007

(lifePR) (Düsseldorf, )
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- Group sales grow by 10.0 percent to €65.9 billion
- International sales continue double-digit increase by 13.6 percent to €38.0 billion and reach a share of 57.7 percent
- Eastern Europe and Asia with around €3.5 billion sales growth
- Strong organic expansion with 139 new store openings
- Q4 2007: Sales growth of 8.3 percent with satisfactory Christmas trading
- Outlook of 6 percent to 8 percent EBIT growth confirmed

In FY 2007 (1 January - 31 December) METRO Group increased sales by 10.0 percent to €65.9 billion according to preliminary and unaudited figures. Organic sales of METRO Group, i.e. excluding the acquisitions of Wal-Mart Germany and Géant in Poland, increased by 7.1 percent. The currency effects amounted to +0.2 percentage points. In Germany sales grew by 5.5 percent to €27.9 billion. Organic sales growth was 0.4 percent.

"The significant 2007 sales growth is a good foundation for further long-term value enhancement of METRO Group", said Dr. Eckhard Cordes, CEO of METRO AG. "Considering the good development in 2006, also thanks to pullforward effects ahead of the VAT increase, we are satisfied with the 2007 Christmas trading."

International sales grew by 13.6 percent and reached a new record share of 57.7 percent. Organic international sales rose by 12.3 percent. The currency effects amounted to +0.4 percentage points. Western Europe showed good sales growth. Sales in Eastern Europe and Asia/Africa grew significantly by around 25%.

In Q4 2007 METRO Group increased sales by 8.3 percent to €19.9 billion. Excluding the acquisitions, sales rose by 7.7 percent. The currency effects amounted to +0.2 percentage points.

Sales in Germany in Q4 2007 rose by 1.5 percent. In this context it should be noted that sales of the acquired operations of Wal-Mart Germany were consolidated in November 2006 for the first time. Organic sales grew by 0.6 percent compared to a very good prior year basis. Against the backdrop of good Christmas trading in 2006, which benefited especially from pull-forward effects ahead of the VAT increase, business on the whole developed satisfactorily.

International sales increased by 13.8 percent in Q4 2007. The international share of sales reached 58.0 percent. Organic sales increased by 13.3 percent. The currency effects amounted to +0.3 percentage points. In Western Europe sales grew by 6.2 percent and developed better than the trend in the first nine months. An increase of 23.9 percent in Eastern Europe nearly reached the high level achieved in the prior quarters. METRO Group again showed a significant growth rate of 26.9 percent in Asia/Africa.

Metro Cash & Carry increased sales by 6.0 percent in FY 2007 and therewith emphasized its global market leadership in self-service wholesale. The sales growth was in line with the medium-term target.

Sales growth in Q4 2007 was 7.1 percent and thus above-average. In Germany sales grew slightly. Business in Western Europe as well as Eastern Europe showed growth acceleration compared to the preceding quarters. Likefor-like sales in Eastern Europe continued to show a very good development. In Q4 2007 24 new store openings took place – including the 600th store worldwide in Siberia. Metro Cash & Carry is now present in 29 countries following the market entry into Pakistan. In Russia six new stores were opened. In France, China and the Ukraine three stores each were opened. In Italy one store was closed and two were opened. The store network in Germany, Belgium, Greece, Morocco, Poland, Turkey and Pakistan was extended by one new store each.

In FY 2007 sales at Real, the market leader in the German and Polish hypermarket segment, grew by 21.0 percent mainly due to the acquired hypermarkets of Wal-Mart Germany and Géant in Poland. But also organic sales grew significantly by 3.9 percent. In particular the accelerated selective expansion in Eastern Europe contributed to this sales growth. Here, Real generated sales of €2.3 billion in 2007.

In Q4 2007 sales grew by 10.3 percent. The acquisitions were consolidated in November 2006 for the first time. Accordingly, Q4 sales growth was below the rate of the first nine months. Organic sales growth, however, was 7.2 percent and even exceeded the level of the first three quarters. Like-for-like sales in Germany showed a positive development with 2.4 percent growth. The current 37 concept stores again delivered above-average growth rates. Real in Eastern Europe achieved higher organic, as well as like-for-like, growth rates than in the first nine months. In Q4 2007 eight Real hypermarkets were opened, of which five were in Romania. In Poland and Turkey one store each was opened. In Germany one Real hypermarket was opened and five stores were disposed of, thereof four Extra supermarkets.

Europe’s leading consumer electronics retailer, Media Markt and Saturn, continued to strengthen its market position with a significant sales growth of 13.0 percent in FY 2007. Currently, the store network comprises more than 700 stores.

In Q4 2007 the sales growth rate was 10.9 percent against the backdrop of a very good prior year quarter. Like-for-like sales growth was below the trend of the first nine months. This is mainly due to the very high prior year sales level, which benefited from the pull-forward effects prior to the VAT increase in Germany. Especially game consoles, digital cameras, TVs and MP3-players were bestsellers in the Christmas business. Sales in Western and Eastern Europe developed broadly in line with the trend of the first nine months. With 44 new store openings, a new quarterly record was achieved – one new consumer electronics store opened almost every other day in Q4 2007. In December, the 700th store worldwide was opened in Samara, Russia. Media Markt and Saturn continued to strengthen its market position in Germany with four new store openings. The store network in Russia and Italy was extended by six stores each, in Poland and Sweden by four stores each. In Belgium and Spain three stores each were opened. In the Netherlands, France, Portugal, Austria, Greece, Hungary and Turkey two stores each were opened.

In FY 2007, sales at Galeria Kaufhof, the concept leader in the German department store segment, were slightly below prior year’s level due to the burden of the VAT increase. However, gross sales were slightly above prior year’s level.

In Q4 2007 like-for-like sales developed better than in the first nine months. Gross sales exceeded the level of the prior year quarter. All in all, the trend of the last quarters continued. Considering the effects from the VAT increase, Christmas trading was in line with expectations.

In total, 139 stores were opened. This is a new record for METRO Group. The growth drivers continued their expansion programme. Metro Cash & Carry opened 32 stores. The original target of around 40 store openings could not be met due to unforeseeable occurrences and delays in Pakistan, China and India. Real opened 17 hypermarkets, thereof 14 from the accelerated selective expansion in Eastern Europe. 36 stores at Real were closed respectively disposed of in the course of the store network optimisation, thereof 14 former Wal-Mart stores and 13 Extra supermarkets. Media Markt and Saturn opened considerably more stores than originally planned. All in all, 84 stores were opened. At the end of 2007, METRO Group operated 2,469 stores in 31 countries.

In December 2007, the real estate of 12 Real hypermarkets in Germany was sold to a real estate investor for the amount of €243 million as part of the active real estate portfolio management.

METRO AG

METRO Group is one of the most important international retailing companies. In 2006 the group reached sales of about € 66 billion. The company has a headcount of some 270,000 employees and operates more than 2,400 outlets in 31 countries. The operating business is performed by the sales brands which operate independently in the market: Metro/Makro Cash & Carry – world market leader in cash & carry wholesale, Real hypermarkets and Extra supermarkets, Media Markt and Saturn – market leader in consumer electronics centers in Europe, and Galeria Kaufhof department stores. More information at: www.metrogroup.de.

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Für die oben stehenden Stories, das angezeigte Event bzw. das Stellenangebot sowie für das angezeigte Bild- und Tonmaterial ist allein der jeweils angegebene Herausgeber (siehe Firmeninfo bei Klick auf Bild/Titel oder Firmeninfo rechte Spalte) verantwortlich. Dieser ist in der Regel auch Urheber der Texte sowie der angehängten Bild-, Ton- und Informationsmaterialien. Die Nutzung von hier veröffentlichten Informationen zur Eigeninformation und redaktionellen Weiterverarbeitung ist in der Regel kostenfrei. Bitte klären Sie vor einer Weiterverwendung urheberrechtliche Fragen mit dem angegebenen Herausgeber. Bei Veröffentlichung senden Sie bitte ein Belegexemplar an service@lifepr.de.