Last year was a watershed year for Gorenje, as we got a new 100-percent owner, the Chinese corporation Hisense. Thus, we became a part of a global, financially very stable corporate group, which affords us significant potential for Gorenje's future growth and development, access to new markets, new technologies and procurement sources, and many other synergies. In 2018, we thus invested immense effort into the strategic project, both in the first part of the year until the completion of the takeover, and in the remaining part when we worked with the new strategic owner on the challenging and extensive process of integration with the Hisense group. The very search for a strategic partner and the ensuing integration activities, however, resulted in considerable fluctuation in our downstream and upstream markets.
The
strategic process was carried out swiftly and efficiently, and both the
shareholders and other stakeholders were pleased upon its completion. However,
the process also involved uncertainty; first with regard to the outcome of the
strategic process, and later with respect to Gorenje's future role in the great
Hisense family. This uncertainty left our partners, customers, and suppliers in
a reserved stance, and our competition was quick to take advantage of the
situation. As a result, we were forced to increase our commercial investments
to maintain our market position and presence in the distribution channels, and
to offer additional incentives to our partners, which in turn had a profoundly
negative effect on Gorenje Group's performance last year. We saw a similar
situation regarding material and component sourcing.
Growth in Eastern Europe, drop in OEM
business
In
2018, our sales revenue amounted to EUR 1.184 billion, of which
EUR 1.074 billion, or 91 percent, was generated in our core activity
of domestic appliances. Our revenue increased in particular in the markets of
Eastern Europe (with the highest growth rates in Hungary, Ukraine, Bulgaria,
and the Czech Republic) and in the markets where we are marketing products
under the Asko brand.
We
continued to invest into development, earmarking 2.5 percent of our total
revenue (EUR 30 million) for this purpose, in order to support growth and
improve the structure of sales; the same amount was invested last year into
marketing.
Sales
of premium products accounted for 27.8 percent of total revenue, while the
share of innovative appliances in total revenue increased to 22.7 percent.
Key new developments in 2018 included the new generations of premium washing
machines and dryers, premium dishwashers, gas cooking hobs and built-in
refrigerators, and new versions of dishwashers for industrial customers. We
also introduced our ConnectLife platform that is the foundation of the future
smart home for all appliances and devices offered by our Group.
In
the first half of the year, performance was consistent with the budgeted
dynamics; in the second half, however, it was very adversely affected by
uncertainty among our partners with regard to the outcome of the strategic
process, and it worsened as a result. The largest decline was seen in
industrial (OEM) deals, as customers trod very warily when doing business with
Gorenje, for reasons referred to above. Without the decline of OEM deals,
revenue in our core activity would have grown relative to the year before.
Revenue
was lower than a year earlier in Western Europe where we felt the effect of
strong competition, particularly in the Benelux countries, and labour costs
pressures. As sales decreased, results from operations were negatively impacted
by the unchanged amount of fixed costs that were impossible to adjust to the
lower-than-planned sales in such a short period of time.
Hence, our bottom line for 2018 was a net loss
of EUR 37.3 million. In
this amount the net profit of the companies with discontinued operations is
included (EUR 2.9 million). Considering
the negative impact of the one-off and extraordinary events (EUR 74.4 million)
and the positive effect of coal trade business (EUR 0.5 million), the net loss
in 2018 is EUR 111.2 million.
Non-recurring and extraordinary events had the most pronounced
effect on Gorenje Group's performance
In the process of integration
into the Hisense Group and adjusting to its business strategies, modes of
operation, assumptions, and estimation methodologies, we also changed some
accounting estimates that now differ from those effective before the takeover. As a result, assumptions and
methodologies of accounting estimates changed considerably. Their adjustment
upon integration in to the Hisense Group had many one-off and extraordinary
effects on Gorenje Group's results, which, in total, amounted to a loss of EUR
74.4 million in 2018.
With Hisense's support, considerable financial
stabilization of Gorenje Group's financial structure
After
a successfully completed acquisition and entry of the strategic owner, Gorenje
withdrew its shares from the Ljubljana and Warsaw Stock Exchange last year, and
Gorenje's transformation into a limited liability company in 2019 completes the
strategic process.
Consolidation
of Gorenje ownership within the powerful and financially highly stable Hisense
Group brings many benefits to Gorenje Group's future operations, and
facilitates further development and growth in the fiercely competitive white
goods industry.
With
the support by the strategic owner, we conducted important refinancing of our
Group at the end of 2018. Thus, average interest rate margin will be lower by
approximately a quarter in 2019 than it was in 2018, which will have a
considerable effect on the Group's profitability. In the refinancing process,
Hisense Home Appliance Holding offered the required financial support in the
amount of over EUR 100 million to Gorenje Group and thus ensured its
long-term financial stability and solvency. The owner will maintain at least
EUR 100 million of internal financing as long as the net financial liabilities
to EBITDA ratio is above 3.0.
Consistently
with our strategic policy of focusing on our core activity, we continued to
divest our non-core businesses last year. This involved the divestment of
Gorenje Surovina, complete with its subsidiaries, and our stake in Gorenje
Projekt and GGE Netherlands B.V.
Major potential for development and growth
of Gorenje's and Hisense's own brands
Hisense
Group's scope of operations, advantages in the global upstream and downstream
channels, and high technological and development competences in smart and
digital white goods are an excellent match for Gorenje's range of products and
manufacturing capacity in Europe. Both groups' distribution channels in Europe
are mutually complementing: Gorenje has a strong position in Eastern Europe,
while Hisense has a solid standing in Western Europe. This is a source of significant
potential for further development of both groups' own brands in their existing
and new markets, and for increase of Gorenje Group's scope of operations,
efficiency, and profitability, while also contributing to the expansion of
Hisense Group's operations.