(Comment from the Chairman of the Management Board on the search for new shareholders, clarification on the 2021 net profit)
PARIS (Agefi-Dow Jones)–Digital assistance service provider Solutions 30 released its detailed financial statements for the 2021 financial year on Wednesday, which show a drop in its operating profit, as well as its activity in the first quarter ended at the end of March.
Over the past financial year as a whole, adjusted gross operating profit (Ebitda) stood at 82.4 million euros, down 23% compared to 2020.
This decrease is due to the slowdown of the group’s activities in France, where deployments of fiber optics and smart meters are stalling, while the group faces costs related to the ramp-up of these activities in other markets. in Europe.
“The start-up phases of major contracts, as currently in Benelux or Italy, require the establishment of a new organization, the definition of reinforced processes, the adaptation of IT tools and the recruitment and training of teams field,” Solutions 30 said.
In 2021, the operating margin (adjusted EBITDA) thus fell to 9.4%, compared to 13% in 2020. The group generated a net profit of 21.5 million euros, against 34.5 million a year earlier. .
“The challenge for the next few months will be to seize market opportunities throughout Europe, then to put in place the tools, processes and teams that will enable this growth to be achieved under good conditions, as we have already made in France between 2015 and 2020”, added Solutions 30.
The group expects the start of a “new phase of dynamic growth” from the second half of 2022, and intends to quickly return to double-digit operating margins.
In the first quarter ended at the end of March, activity still marked time in France, and weighed on the group’s revenues. The turnover of Solutions 30 for the first three of the year was down 1.1% over one year, at 222.7 million euros.
The chairman of the management board of Solutions 30, Gianbeppi Fortis, clarified during a conference call that the group was still looking for new reference shareholders in order to consolidate its capital. Solutions 30 began considering its capital structure in the spring of 2021 when its stock price collapsed following the refusal of its auditor, EY Luxembourg, to issue an opinion on its 2020 accounts.
“We have since held discussions with a certain number of investors but the latter were awaiting the publication of certified accounts, which is now done”, underlined the leader, specifying however that the current rise in interest rates made the conclusion of a more complex capital operation.
The stock had been buoyed last week by speculation of an interest from the Bain Capital fund to take over the group.
-Francois Schott, Agefi-Dow Jones; +33 1 41 27 47 92; [email protected] ed: LBO
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April 27, 2022 13:01 ET (17:01 GMT)