Autogrill: net profits up 75% in nine months

Milan, 10 November 2016 - Meeting today, the board of directors of Autogrill S.p.A. (Milan: AGL IM) examined and approved the consolidated results as of 30 September 2016. 

The Group achieved significant growth in sales in the first nine months of 2016 thanks to excellent performance in the airport channel in North America and the International area. Consolidated revenues were up 4.3% (4.9% at constant rates) compared to the same period the previous year, at nearly €3.3 billion, with EBITDA at €320.2m^[1] up 11.4% (up 12.1% at constant rates).

The EBITDA margin moved up from 9.1% in the first nine months of 2015 to 9.8%^[2] in 2016 thanks to the significant improvement in Europe. The net result reached €97.6m, up by over 70%.

Net cash flow generation after investments amounted to €149.1m, up 36.3% on the same period the previous year. A dividend pay-out of over €30m was made to shareholders in June 2016.

Over the period, the Group closed a series of operations that brought about a further improvement to its portfolio. In North America, it strengthened its leadership in the concession foodservice sector with new contracts and renewals and the acquisition of CMS[3], and entered the airport convenience sector by completing its acquisition of Stellar Partners in October. In the International area, the Group secured a number of new contracts in the airport channel. In Europe, it continued to optimize its business by disposing of its French railway station operations and starting to negotiate the sale (completed in November) of its motorway service areas in The Netherlands, which included important hotel business which was “non-core” for Autogrill. In Italy, lastly, it continued its renewal of motorway sub-concessions and recorded a retention rate, with renewals and new contracts to date, of over 80% of sales with respect to contracts up for tender and already re-assigned by concessionaires.

Outlook for 2016

In the first 43 weeks^[4] of the year sales^[5] were up 4.3% (up 4.9% at constant rates) on the same period in 2015.

In October 2016, in the United States the Group finalized its acquisition of Stellar Partners, an operator of retail points of sale in various US airports, while at the beginning of November it completed the disposal of Autogrill Nederland BV, the company that managed its operations on Dutch motorways.

The Group confirms the guidance issued to the market. Assuming a euro/US dollar rate of 1.10, it expects revenues for full-year 2016 to be between €4,465m and €4,565m, EBITDA[6] between €411m and €426m and capital expenditure of around 5% of revenues.