Sales of SAMOON-Collection remained more or less unchanged at EUR 19.3 million, which represents 6.5 percent of total sales. At 35.8 percent, the strongest sales growth was reported by the Group's retail segment, which comprises the sales revenues of the 56 HOUSES OF GERRY WEBER managed by the company itself.
The fastest-growing segment of the GERRY WEBER Group owes this strong increase to both numerous new store openings and growth in the existing HOUSES OF GERRY WEBER. The HOUSES OF GERRY WEBER that already existed in the previous year boosted their sales revenues by 8.0 percent in the first nine months of 2006/2007.
The double-digit increase in Group sales went hand in hand with a clearly disproportionate improvement in all earnings figures. Earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) climbed 27.0 percent from the previous year's EUR 27.0 million to EUR 34.3 million. Earnings before interest and taxes (EBIT) climbed from EUR 21.9 million to EUR 27.1 million, which represents an increase of 23.3 percent.
At EUR 23.8 million, the result from ordinary activities (EBT) was up 24.8 percent on the previous year's EUR 19.1 million, with a commensurate increase in the respective margins. Net profit for the period amounted to EUR 13.3 million, up 17.8 percent on the previous year's EUR 11.3 million. DVFA earnings per share rose by EUR 0.09 to EUR 0.57.
The disproportionate increase in profitability is primarily attributable to the GERRY WEBER Group's unique market position. In addition, the company was able to streamline its processes and optimise its procurement structures.
In line with its fast growth, the company also continued to expand its workforce. As of the reporting date, the number of employees was up from the previous year's 1,816 to 1,951 on July 31, 2007. Most of the new jobs were created in the retail segment.
The GERRY WEBER Group projects a double-digit increase in sales and earnings also for the fiscal year 2007/2008. On a 5-year horizon, sales are expected to double, while the EBIT margin should rise to 15 percent.
The company will therefore continue to expand its retail activities and increase the number of HOUSES OF GERRY WEBER to between 300 and 400. At the same time, the expansion of the mono-brand stores for TAIFUN-Collection, SAMOON-Collection and GERRY WEBER EDITION will be pushed ahead.
Moreover, 130 additional shop-in-shops have been established in the current fiscal year to date, with another 260 to follow by the end of October 2007.
Gerry Weber International AG
marketing@alchempro.com
