ALSO increases net profit by 32.4 percent in the first half of the year

Emmen, Switzerland, July 27, 2017

The ALSO Group has earned a net profit of 36.9 million euros in the first half of the year, an increase of 32.4 percent compared to the same period in the previous year. Profit before taxes (EBT) climbed by 27.6 percent to 51.4 million euros. Net sales increased by 9.5 percent to 4 130 million euros.

"Our clear strategy, determined management as well as our implementation-focused employees constitute the backbone of our sustained success. This is how we will continue to excel even in an altered competitive environment," said Gustavo Möller-Hergt, CEO of ALSO Holding AG (SIX: ALSN).

Central Europe market segment
In the Central Europe market segment, which encompasses Germany, France, Austria, and Switzerland, net sales rose by nine percent to 2 549 million euros. In these countries, ALSO generated an EBT margin of 1.3 percent compared to 1.5 percent in the previous year. Investments in staff in Switzerland to expand the Solutions business and to handle new service contracts with Swisscom, Sunrise, and Media Markt are temporarily leading to a slight reduction of the EBT margin. 

Northern/Eastern Europe market segment
The Northern/Eastern Europe market segment, which includes Belgium, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Latvia, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Sweden, and Slovenia, improved significantly compared to the previous year. Net sales rose by 13.6 percent to 1 794 million euros and the EBT margin increased to 1.0 percent compared to 0.4 percent in the previous year. Operational measures and investments in Poland and Finland, as well as those involved in building up the Competence Center Supplies, have contributed to the positive development of this segment.

Outstanding development of Solutions and Services
In the first half of the year, the Solutions business grew by approximately 10 percent and the Services business grew by approximately 40 percent compared to the same period in the previous year. Of particular note are IT as a Service ("Consumptional Business") and Logistics as a Service, which developed favorably by 45 percent and 60 percent, respectively.

2017 Outlook
ALSO is confident that it will be successful in a more competitive environment also in the second half of the year, increasing both its net sales as well as Group net profit for the entire year compared to the previous year. 

Direct link to the press release: https://www.also.com/goto/20170727en

Direct link to the Interim Report 2017: https://www.also.com/goto/20170727enir

Contact person:
Brunswick Group GmbH
Simon Hertwig
Phone: +49 89 80 99 025 25
Email: [email protected]  

ALSO Holding AG (Emmen/Switzerland) brings providers and buyers of the ICT industry together. The company offers services at all levels of the ICT value chain from a single source. In the European B2B marketplace, ALSO bundles logistics services, financial services, supply services, solution services, digital services, and IT services together into individual service packages. ALSO's portfolio contains more than 188 000 articles from some 500 vendors. The Group has around 3 520 employees throughout Europe (annual average 2016). In fiscal year 2016 (closing on December 31), the company generated net sales of 8.0 billion euros. The majority shareholder of ALSO Holding AG is the Droege Group, Düsseldorf, Germany. Further information is available at http://www.also.com

Droege Group AG
(Major shareholder)
Droege Group AG (founded in 1988) is an independent advisory and investment company entirely family-owned. The company acts as a specialist for tailor-made transformation programs aiming to enhance corporate value. Droege Group AG combines its corporate family-run structure and capital strength into a family-equity business model. The group carries out direct investments with own equity in corporate subsidiaries and medium-sized companies in "special situations". With the guiding principle "Implementation - following all the rules of art," the group is a pioneer of implementation-oriented corporate development. Droege Group AG proves its implementation excellence daily within its own portfolio. The entrepreneurial platforms of the Droege Group AG are aligned to current megatrends (knowledge, connectivity, prevention, demography, shopping 4.0, future work). Enthusiasm for quality, innovation and speed determines the company's development. As a result the Droege Group AG has successfully positioned itself within the market, both nationally and internationally and operates in 30 countries. More information: https://www.droege-group.com 

Disclaimer
This press release contains forward-looking statements which are based on current assumptions and forecasts of the ALSO management. Known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other factors could lead to material differences between the forward-looking statements made here and the actual development, in particular the results, financial situation, and performance of our Group. The Group accepts no responsibility for updating these forward-looking statements or adapting them to future events or developments.