MR BRICOLAGE (EPA:ALMRB) - Mr.Bricolage: 2019 business and turnover

Transparency directive : regulatory news

26/02/2020 17:45

2019 BUSINESS AND TURNOVER

Orléans, 26 February 2020 - Mr.Bricolage SA, which groups together local
independent home improvement and gardening stores, is releasing its full-year
turnover for 2019, up 2.5% to EUR247.1m, driven by the longstanding core
Network Services business. Following the implementation of the final phases of
the plan to divest the directly-owned stores, as announced on 30 December 2019,
the "Retail" business is presented in accordance with IFRS 5(1), the 2018 data
have been restated to be comparable.

* Thanks to the work carried out to modernize the brand and ensure a healthier
  position for the Group, the appeal of the Mr.Bricolage networks is being
  further strengthened and development is being ramped up. At 31 December 2019,
  the Group had 778 points of sale in France and other countries, with a net
  balance of +14 stores versus 2018. At 31 January 2020, the 61 new members and
  affiliates brought on board took the network up to 837 stores.

* In France, the volume of business is outperforming the market (+1.8% for the
  2019 Banque de France home improvement superstore index(2)) with +2.8% growth
  on a like-for-like store basis (restated for the directly-owned stores sold,
  currently being sold or planned for closure).

* In 2019, the Mr.Bricolage Group continued moving forward with its realignment
  around its longstanding core Network Services business, rolling out the plan
  to divest its 65 directly-owned stores. As announced on 30 December, the
  final sales are underway and talks are ongoing with employee representatives
  from the five stores(3) that have not found buyers and whose closure is
  being considered (Allonne, Brive-Mazaud, Lexy, La-Roche-sur-Yon and
  Montereau-Fault-Yonne).

* The resized Mr.Bricolage Group is now focused exclusively on supporting and
  developing the performance of the member and affiliate stores, through its
  Network Services business. Turnover for this activity climbed to EUR213.9m in
  2019, up 6.2%. Alongside this, the 4 pillars concept, already deployed in 10
  stores and currently being put in place in several others, is proving its
  relevance, with rapid improvements in performance for the stores that have
  been modernized.

* On 24 February 2020, the Euronext Listing Board approved the request for
  Mr.Bricolage's ordinary shares to be admitted for trading on the Euronext
  Growth Paris market. Following the General Meeting's approval on 22 January
  2020, and the Board of Directors' decision on the same day, Mr.Bricolage's
  ordinary shares will be admitted to Euronext Growth Paris from the start of
  trading on 24 March 2020 (see press release from 22 January 2020).

(1) The procedures to audit the 2019 financial statements are underway and the
accounts will be approved by the Board of Directors during a meeting at the end
of March 2020. The financial statements for 2019 are presented in accordance
with IFRS 5, reclassifying income from the stores sold or in the process of
being sold (with a firm offer) in 2019 on a separate line on the income
statement.
(2) Source: Banque de France, 12 months to end-December 2019, on a
like-for-like basis.
(3) The Orléans store was closed on 30 January 2020.

I - TURNOVER

Following the implementation of the final phases of the plan to divest the
directly-owned stores, as announced on 30 December 2019, the Retail business is
presented in accordance with IFRS 5(1), the 2018 data have been restated to be
comparable. Under these conditions, the Group's turnover is up 2.5% from 2018
to EUR247.1m, driven by growth in the Network Services business.

The Group's good performances, in terms of both the efforts made internally and
those supporting the network's growth, will help drive improvements in the
current operating profit for the Group, which will however be affected, to a
considerably lesser extent than in 2018, by the final impacts of the divestment
plan.

Consolidated turnover (EURm),   31 Dec 2019       31 Dec 2018        Change
currently being audited       Reported IFRS 5   Restated IFRS 5  Like-for-like

Retail                                   33.2              39.7         -16.4%
- Directly-owned stores                  27.8              31.4         -11.7%
- Online sales                            5.4               8.3         -34.2%
Network Services                        213.9             201.4          +6.2%
- Goods                                 145.3             133.8          +8.6%
- Services                               68.7              67.7          +1.5%
Total turnover                          247.1             241.1          +2.5%

In line with the divestment plan, the Retail business represents EUR33.2m, down
16.4% from 2018. With the application of IFRS 5, turnover includes the balance
for the six stores that have not received offers from buyers at 31 December
2019.

With regard to online sales, the gradual closure of the Jardin de Catherine
site in 2019 masks the increase in the volume of business (+16.9%) for the
www.mrbricolage.fr e-commerce activity, which was completely reconfigured in
2018.

Effectively positioned to support the gradual integration of the previous
directly-owned stores and the growth in the member and affiliate networks, the
Network Services business recorded 6.2% growth in 2019 (EUR213.9m), driven
by:
- The EUR11.5m (+8.6%) increase in sales of goods linked to the range
   changes, the development of the own-brand "Inventiv" and the opening up of
   the warehouses to the Briconautes and affiliate points of sale;
- The EUR1.0m (+1.5%) growth in services linked to the increase in the volume
   of business and purchases for the networks' points of sale.

II - NET DEBT

At 31 December 2019, the Group's net debt totaled EUR78.6m, compared with
EUR96.1m at end-2018. The Group has used its drawdown capacity under the credit
agreement from 16 October 2019. At 31 December 2019, the Group's net debt
excluding the impact of IFRS 16 came to EUR88.0m, versus EUR103.6m at end-2018.
The Group's cash position shows a significant year-on-year increase to
EUR34.2m, including its use of the EUR3.0m overdraft line, in accordance with
the Group's expectations.

III - NETWORKS

At end-2019, the volume of business came to EUR1,968.6m, up +1.4% on a
like-for-like store basis. At 31 December 2019, the network had a total of 778
points of sale. At 31 January 2020, the 61 new members- entrepreneurs and
affiliates brought on board took the network up to 837 stores.

In France (86.7% of the total volume of business), the volume of business on a
like-for-like store basis, restated for directly-owned stores (already sold,
currently being sold or planned for closure) is up +2.8%, outperforming the
market (+1.8% for the Banque de France home improvement superstore index in
2019). Moreover, the results measured for the stores modernized in 2019 in line
with the 4 pillars concept are promising and reflect the relevance of the
proximity positioning, which is a core feature of the Mr.Bricolage Group's
business. On a like-for-like basis for member stores that switched to the 4
pillars concept in 2019, turnover growth represents over 10%.

On international markets (13.3% of the total volume of business), the network
has 70 stores, compared with 69 at end-2018, following the opening of the
seventh Mr.Bricolage brand store by the Brico Invest group in Morocco in
November. Following a rationalization phase in 2017, the international network
(EUR262.4m) shows solid performances, with +4.2% growth on a like-for-like
store basis. Belgium (45 stores) represents 55% of the international volume of
business and is up +3.7% on a like-for-like store basis, with the same level of
growth achieved by Bulgaria (11 stores, 23.5% of the international volume of
business).

The volume of business for online sales, in line with turnover, was impacted by
the gradual closure of the Jardin de Catherine site in 2019, masking the
increase in the volume of business (+16.9%) for the www.mrbricolage.fr
e-commerce activity, which was completely reconfigured in 2018.

                                             31 Dec   Change on     Change on
                                 Number of    2019   total store like-for-like
Volume of business incl. taxes    stores     (EURm)     basis      store basis

In-store sales                      778     1,960.0     -1.1%        +1.4%
France (a)                          708     1,697.6     -2.0%        +0.9%
France excl. directly-owned
stores (b)                          652     1,432.6     -0.2%        +2.8%
International (c)                    70       262.4     +5.6%        +4.2%
Total sales excl. directly-owned
stores                              765     1,872.6     -0.4%        +1.9%
Online sales (d)                      -         8.6    -24.0%           NA
Total                               778     1,968.6     -1.2%        +1.4%

(a) With 298 Mr.Bricolage brand stores (including 13 directly-owned stores),
104 Les Briconautes brand stores (directly-owned store sold in 2019) and 306
affiliate stores under independent brands.
(b) Includes (a) after deducting the volume of business for the directly-owned
stores (43 bought out by the network and 13 remaining at 31 December 2019).
(c) 70 Mr.Bricolage brand stores in nine countries: Andorra (1), Belgium (45),
Bulgaria (11), Cyprus (1), Ivory Coast (1), Macedonia (1), Madagascar (1),
Mauritius (2), Morocco (7).
(d) "Online sales" include home delivery sales and sales collected from Mr.
Bricolage store collection points.

III - Mr.Bricolage Group outlook for 2020

Realigned around its core "Network Services" business, in 2020, 40 years after
the brand was launched, the Group is moving forward with four main goals,
continuing to build on its REBOND roadmap:
* Implementing the proposed shutdowns and closures presented above under the
  best possible conditions;
* Continuing to optimize network services and accelerating the development of
  value-creating actions: renewing the product selection and pricing management
  tools, standardizing the information systems, maintaining marketing
  investments in the Inventiv brand and in-store footfall, and deploying the
  new customer services platform;
* Continuing to develop the network of branded and affiliate stores to achieve
  the ambition for 1,000 points of sale by 2028;
* Accelerating the rollout and implementation of the "4 pillars" concept across
  the network. To date, 10 Mr.Bricolage stores offer the four retail pillars.

Financial diary
* 2019 full-year earnings: Thursday, March 26, 2020, after trading.

About Mr.Bricolage
The Mr.Bricolage Group, which develops the well-known brands Mr.Bricolage and
Les Briconautes, is the French specialist for local independent DIY retail,
with 837 outlets (as of Jan. 31st, 2020) operating under the brands or through
affiliates. Internationally, the Group is present in nine other countries with
70 stores. The Mr.Bricolage SA shares will be admitted for trading on Euronext
Growth Paris (ISIN: FR0004034320 - MRB) from 24 March 2020.

Contacts
* Corporate press
  - Anne-Claire Moyer, Mr.Bricolage - anne-claire.moyer@mrbricolage.fr
  - Louise Chaulin - louise.chaulin@gmail.com - 07 83 35 96 93
* Financial press, investors
  - Marie Calleux, Calyptus - mrbricolage@calyptus.net - 01 53 65 68 68

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13/03/2024 18:00

MR BRICOLAGE (EPA:ALMRB) - Mr.Bricolage: 2019 business and turnover

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