(AOF) – Fnac Darty has unveiled third-quarter 2022 revenue of 1.849 billion euros, down 0.3% in reported data and down 1.3% like-for-like. The distributor specifies that it was notably impacted by a shift in sales compared to last year for around -60 basis points. The good performance of in-store sales during the quarter partly offset the consolidation of the digital business, which represents 21% of total group sales.
The group’s gross margin rate increased by 70 basis points over the first nine months of the year, driven mainly by the recovery in ticketing activity, the positive impact of services in connection with Darty Max and a more favorable product mix. Excluding the dilutive technical impact of the franchise, the gross margin rate increased by approximately 90 basis points over the first nine months.
For the end of the year, Fnac Darty remains particularly focused on optimizing its gross margin rate thanks to its ability to continue to pass on price increases and the control of its operating costs in a context of particularly high inflation. in the second semester. It provides for the continuation of performance plans which “will make it possible to best offset the impact of inflation”.
Finally, Fnac Darty is continuing to execute its Everyday strategic plan with a view to achieving its cumulative free operating cash flow objectives of around €500 million over the 2021-2023 period and at least €240 million euros on an annual basis from 2025.
AOF – LEARN MORE
Key points
– First French distributor, born in 2016, of technical products and household appliances under the Fnac and Darty brands and second web distributor;
– Activity of €8 billion split between technical products (49%), editorial products (16%), household appliances (22%) and other products & services;
– Strong presence in France & Switzerland (83% of sales), the Iberian Peninsula (9%) and Belgium & Luxembourg and first steps in Africa in Senegal;
– Responsible digital distributor business model;
– Open capital with the German Ceconomy as the 1st shareholder, followed by the insurer Indexia, Enrique Martinez being managing director and Jacques Veyrat chairing the board of 14 members;
– Financial position under control with €1.2 billion in cash and €1.6 billion in equity, compared to €1.1 billion in net debt
Challenges
– New Everyday strategic plan based on 3 pillars by 2025: digitization, via 50% of investments, in omnichannel distribution by placing sellers at the center of advice and targeting 30% of sales on the web / support for customers towards more sustainable products via the sustainability score (reliability, availability of spare parts, repair) / deployment of DartyMax, repair service by subscription (targeted 2M subscribers) / cumulative free self-financing of €500m over 2021-23 and €240m annually from 2025 ;
– Data-oriented innovation strategy and open innovation: improvement of knowledge and quality of data and partnership with Google on the use of data, network of partner venture capital funds and Digital Factory;
– Environmental strategy: halving of CO2 emissions in 2030 vs 2019 / circular economy with the extension of the life cycle of products (DartyMax repair subscription, “Darty sustainable choice” label, deployment of WeFix repair services in partnership with Apple) and resale of second-hand books in partnership with La Bourse aux livres / partnership with Valeco to increase the share of green energy and with the Raise Seed for Good seed fund integrating ESG criteria into its support;
– Customer loyalty with 10 million members, including 7 million in France;
– Expanded diversification after kitchen furniture at Darty and mobility, establishment of home spaces, games and toys in stores;
– Rise to 26% of sales in France from online purchases, coupled with the opening of 55 stores, bringing the total to 957.
Challenges
– Strong competitive risk from Amazon;
– Ability to maintain supply despite difficulties in supply chains;
– Spin-offs from partnerships with Google Cloud and, in Switzerland, with the Manor network;
– 2022 expectations confirmed after an increase in profitability in the 1st quarter: caution on market trends but acceleration of the Everyday plan by capitalizing on the omnichannel sector, cost control and continued subscriptions;
– Dividend of €2 for 2021.
big concerns
According to the Federation of specialized trade, Procos, activity from January to May is very significantly down compared to the same period in 2019, at – 8.8%. Store traffic in May 2022 remained lower than in May 2019, but the decline was limited to 6.5%, much better than in April (-19.6% compared to April 2019). In a very uncertain context, several elements weigh on the profitability of companies, in particular the increase in the cost of electricity and the indexation of rents, even if the composition of the ILC (commercial rent index) has been modified. Previously it was composed of 50% inflation, 25% construction cost index and 25% change in retail turnover. From now on, it will only take into account inflation and the cost of construction because the previous formula included sales made by the ‘pure players’ of the Net, which increased the rents of physical stores.