At the General Meeting on 29 June 2011, the Shareholders of Emperia Holding resolved to distribute the dividend for 2010 at PLN 2.63 per share. The company will allocate 40% of its net consolidated earnings for that purpose. The cost of the dividend distributed will total PLN 39.2 million. The record date for dividend distribution is 25 August 2011 and the dividend payment date is 9 September 2011.
In 2010, the Emperia Trading Group recorded a 7 percent increase in sales revenues to PLN 5.9 billion, with a concurrent improvement of both EBITDA and net earnings. EBITDA was up by 16.6 percent to PLN 205.8 million, and net earnings by 42 percent to PLN 98.5 million.
“Emperia distributes dividend to its shareholders every year. In the course of the previous years, because we had been investing so much in the development of the holding and our portfolio companies, dividend distributions had amounted to 20 percent of net earnings. Last year was highly successful for the entire Emperia Group. We have never been so strong. Both the wholesale and the retail business are in great shape. Consequently, we decided to increase dividend distribution to 40 percent. The remainder of the profit will be consistently invested in the Group’s operations,” said Artur Kawa, Chairman of Management Board, Emperia Holding SA.
The first quarter of 2011 was equally good for the Emperia Group. In that period, the Emperia Trading Group generated PLN 1.46 billion in sales revenues, up by 5 percent, and net earnings of PLN 11.27 million, down by 9.3 percent, on the same period of last year.
On 20 June 2011, Emperia Holding launched the process of sale of the retail business, comprising the Stokrotka, Delima, Społem Tychy, and Maro Markety store chains, by an open auction. According to the Management Board, the value of the company’s retail subsidiaries totals at least PLN 900 million.
The key criteria for evaluation of the bids submitted by potential investors include:
“There is a strong interest in our supermarkets, particularly from financial investors. The decision to select a new partner will be made if the conditions offered are very attractive and the transaction is justified in business terms. We intend to complete the sale of the retail business in the first quarter of 2012. Until then, we will continue the intensive development of the supermarket segment”, added Artur Kawa.
The timetable of auctioning off the retail business is as follows:
At the moment, the retail business of the Emperia Group, made up of the Stokrotka, Delima, Społem Tychy, and Maro Markety store chains, consists of 235 outlets. Despite the launch of the sale process, the company is constantly on the look-out for new locations as well as being in talks with chains interested in joining the Group.
Company Summary:
The Emperia Trading Group is one of the largest and most active trading groups in Poland. It engages in retail and wholesale distribution of food products, cosmetics, and household chemical products, it is involved in property management and development. Emperia, which has been present in the Polish market since 1990, operates nationally and has a workforce of nearly 14 thousand. Emperia Holding SA, a public company quoted on the Warsaw Stock Exchenge, is the Group’s holding company.
The Tradis Wholesale (Distribution) Group engages in wholesale distribution of FMCG products through cash&carry locations and Distribution Centres throughout Poland. The wide range of food products, cosmetics, and household chemical products, attractive trade terms, state-of-the-art IT and logistic systems, and continuous efforts to meet clients expectations make it the leading trade partner for over 50 thousand Polish retailers.
The subsidiaries of the Tradis Wholesale (Distribution) Group engage in the distribution of FMCG products. In addition, the Group, in collaboration with Polish retailers, operates franchise chains of shops and supermarkets of varying formats. Tradis is also the strategic partner to Społem cooperatives, and jointly with them runs modern cooperative retail operations in Poland. As at 31 March 2011, the number of franchisees operating as part of Tradis Wholesale Division totalled 4,158.
The Tradis Wholesale (Distribution) Group comprises the following companies: Tradis, Ambra, DEF (distribution of FMCG products), Detal Koncept (franchisor for Groszek and Milea chains), Euro Sklep, Lewiatan, and Koliber (drugstore chain).
The operations of the distribution subsidiaries fall geographically or functionally into eight regions. They include 63 branches comprising distribution centres, service centres, and cash&carry locations of the aggregate area of some 306 thousand sq. m.
The Stokrotka/Delima Supermarket Division comprises supermarkets located in residential estates, mini shopping centres, and shopping malls. The supermarkets operated by Emperia’s retail division offer from 500 to 1,400 sq. m of selling space and from 4,000 to 10,000 assortment items, including retail products, cosmetics, household chemical products, alcohol, and fresh products: bakery products, meat products, fruit, and vegetables. Local products, typically produced in the region of store location, complement the offering.
Stokrotka Sp. z o.o. is one of the most rapidly developing retail chains in Poland. As at 3 June 2011, the number of locations operated by the retail division was as follows:
The Real Property Division is responsible for Emperia Trading Group’s properties. It invests exclusively in supermarkets, cash&carry locations, distribution centres, and mini shopping malls. The division manages Emperia’s real properties, procures new locations, and engages in real property development.
A number of awards and distinctions have been conferred upon the Emperia Trading Group, including the Pearl of Polish Stock Exchange 2009 title after the Group had been ranked seventh in the ranking list of Gazeta Giełdy „Parkiet”. Gazeta Finansowa ranked Emperia 30th among 500 Largest Companies in Poland and Puls Biznesu placed it 39th among Public Companies of 2009. Emperia is ranked 36th in Rzeczpospolita’s 500 List and 31st among Polityka’s Five Hundred for 2009. The Group has been placed second among TOP 50 of FMCG trade and third among 50 best Polish retailers by Detal Dzisiaj. In 2010, Tradis, the wholesale division of the Emperia Trading Group, was awarded the Golden Receipt prize by Polish retailers in the FMCG Wholesale Leader category, and the Stokrotka chain was awarded the Customers Golden Laurels in the National Supermarket Chain category.