Amer Sports Corporation
STOCK EXCHANGE RELEASE
October 22, 2015 at 1:00 pm
Amer Sports Corporation Interim Report January-September 2015
JULY-SEPTEMBER 2015
- Net sales EUR 713.7 million (July-September 2014: 645.8). In local currencies, net sales increased by 5%. Excluding acquisitions, net sales increased by 4%.
- Gross margin 47.0% (44.7).
- EBIT EUR 103.5 million (87.6 excluding non-recurring items, NRI).
- Earnings per share EUR 0.59 (0.49 excl. NRI).
- Free cash flow EUR -92.2 million (-84.8).
- Outlook for 2015 unchanged.
JANUARY-SEPTEMBER 2015
- Net sales EUR 1,750.7 million (January-September 2014: 1,523.4). In local currencies, net sales increased by 6%. Excluding acquisitions, net sales increased by 5%.
- Gross margin 45.9% (44.4).
- EBIT excluding non-recurring items EUR 128.1 million (90.6). Non-recurring items were EUR -8.0 million (-19.5).
- Earnings per share excluding NRI EUR 0.63 (0.39). Earnings per share were EUR 0.58 (0.27).
- Free cash flow EUR -37.7 million (-79.3).
OUTLOOK
In 2015, Amer Sports' net sales in local currencies is expected to increase and EBIT margin excluding non-recurring items to improve from 2014, despite challenging market conditions. The company will continue to focus on apparel and footwear growth, consumer-driven product and marketing innovation, commercial expansion and operational excellence.
KEY FIGURES
| EUR million | 7-9/2015 | 7-9/2014 | 1-9/2015 | 1-9/2014 | 2014 |
| Net sales | 713.7 | 645.8 | 1,750.7 | 1,523.4 | 2,228.7 |
| Gross profit | 335.2 | 288.5 | 802.9 | 675.8 | 979.0 |
| Gross profit % | 47.0 | 44.7 | 45.9 | 44.4 | 43.9 |
| EBIT excluding NRI | 103.5 | 87.6 | 128.1 | 90.6 | 168.3 |
| EBIT % excluding NRI | 14.5 | 13.6 | 7.3 | 5.9 | 7.6 |
| NRI*) | - | -18.3 | -8.0 | -19.5 | -54.2 |
| EBIT total | 103.5 | 69.3 | 120.1 | 71.1 | 114.1 |
| EBIT % | 14.5 | 10.7 | 6.9 | 4.7 | 5.1 |
| Financing income and expenses | -7.7 | -8.8 | -25.4 | -25.9 | -37.1 |
| Earnings before taxes | 95.8 | 60.5 | 94.7 | 45.2 | 77.0 |
| Net result | 69.1 | 43.3 | 68.3 | 32.4 | 55.4 |
| Earnings per share excluding NRI, EUR | 0.59 | 0.49 | 0.63 | 0.39 | 0.80 |
| Free cash flow**) | -92.2 | -84.8 | -37.7 | -79.3 | 53.5 |
| Equity ratio, % at period end | 36.6 | 39.2 | 38.8 | ||
| Net debt/equity at period end | 0.70 | 0.66 | 0.50 | ||
| Personnel at period end | 7,981 | 7,606 | 7,630 | ||
| Average rates used, EUR/USD | 1.11 | 1.33 | 1.12 | 1.36 | 1.33 |
*) Non-recurring items (NRI) are exceptional transactions that are not related to normal business operations. The most common non-recurring items are capital gains, exceptional write-downs, provisions for planned restructuring, and penalties. Non-recurring items are normally specified individually if they have a material impact on EBIT.
**) Cash flow from operating activities - net capital expenditures (total capital expenditure less proceeds from sale of assets)
HEIKKI TAKALA, PRESIDENT AND CEO:
We continued to grow profitably in the 3rd quarter, driven again by Footwear, Apparel, Business to Consumer and China. Also Ball Sports delivered strong profitable growth behind healthier fundamentals following Ball Sports' new strategy. Importantly, our quarterly cadence in 2015 is quite different compared to 2014, with Footwear and Apparel deliveries peaking in Q3 in 2015, and Winter Sports Equipment and Sports Instruments peaking in Q4. In Fitness we continued to focus on profitability whilst preparing for acceleration in 2016 with important new building blocks, for example Queenax functional training acquisition, and our Spinning licensing deal.
In August we announced a new five-year strategic glidepath toward 2020 with focus on accelerating profitable growth especially in the five prioritized areas: Apparel and Footwear, US, China, Business to Consumer, and digitally connected devices and services. We are already increasing our investment and capability injection to enable the acceleration. As examples we have strengthened our Retail opening pipeline, fueled investment into digital products and services, and recruited critical talent, latest the Group Chief Digital Officer. We see attractive upside potential for the company, and we now put all our effort into realizing the potential, guided by our new strategic glidepath.
For further information, please contact:
Heikki Takala, President and CEO, tel. +358 20 712 2510
Jussi Siitonen, CFO, tel. +358 20 712 2511
Päivi Antola, Director, Corporate Communications and IR, tel. +358 20 712 2537
TELEPHONE CONFERENCE
A replay of the conference call and a transcript will be available later at the same internet address. The replay number is +44 (0)20 3427 0598, passcode 3949676#.
FINANCIAL STATEMENTS BULLETIN 2015
Amer Sports will publish its financial statements bulletin 2015 on Wednesday, February 3, 2016 at approximately 1:00 pm Finnish time.
INVESTOR RELATIONS NEWSLETTER
Subscribe to Amer Sports Investor Relations Newsletter at www.amersports.com/investors/subscribe.
DISTRIBUTION
NASDAQ OMX Helsinki, main media, www.amersports.com
AMER SPORTS
Amer Sports (www.amersports.com) is a sporting goods company with internationally recognized brands including Salomon, Wilson, Atomic, Arc'teryx, Mavic, Suunto, and Precor. The company's technically advanced sports equipment, footwear, and apparel improve performance and increase the enjoyment of sports and outdoor activities. The Group's business is balanced by its broad portfolio of sports and products and a presence in all major markets. Amer Sports shares are listed on the NASDAQ Helsinki stock exchange (AMEAS).
