Swatch Group com o melhor semestre de sempre

O maior grupo de relojoaria do mundo, o Swatch Group, acaba de apresentar os resultados referentes ao período de Janeiro a Junho e, com um lucro operacional que aumentou uns impressionantes 81,4 por cento face ao ano passado, registou o melhor semestre de sempre na sua história.

Lido no Fédération Horlogére:

After losing the pace slightly as a result of the financial and economic crisis, the Swatch Group is once more riding on a wave of success thanks to an excellent first half-year performance in 2010 which holds promise of another record year.

With a gross turnover of 3,031 million francs from January to June this year, the Swatch Group achieved what is quite simply the best half-year in its history. Sales rose by 22.2% compared to the first six months of 2009 and by 2.0% compared to the record first half of 2008. And operating and net profit were equally impressive with increases of 81.4% to 626 million and 54.5% to 465 million respectively. This is despite the sharp rise in the price of gold and a traditionally very cautious policy in terms of price increases for the consumer.

This unexpected result – most observers forecasted a low-key emergence from the crisis for the sector – was due mainly to the watch and jewellery division (19 brands), which saw its sales surge by 30.6% to 2,572 million francs, thereby enabling the group to record an operating profit of 547 million (+90.6%) and to win new market share.

The production segment for its part recorded a gross turnover of 761 million francs (-5.1%) and an operating profit of 65 million (-12.2%). This downturn is explained by the fact that demand for movements and components is out of phase with demand for watches, particularly as regards third parties (-22.2% compared to an increase of 7.0% for group brands). It should be noted however that orders have once more reached the level of previous years and that for some companies this level has even been exceeded. The sector’s turnover should therefore improve gradually between now and the end of the year.

Lastly, electronic systems saw sales increase by 12.5% to 207 million francs in the first half of 2010. Profitability meanwhile achieved a tenfold increase, rising from 2 to 20 million.

Regarding the future, the group remains steadfastly optimistic (growth was steady in July), and is banking on solid second-half results in terms of both sales and profit. Its greatest challenge will be to quickly resolve problems relating to production capacity which are already evident in some sectors. It also intends to continue its development policy on a global scale in terms of retail sales, with in particular the forthcoming opening of a Breguet store on the Bahnhofstrasse in Zurich.