THE GROUP IS EXPANDING ITS STRATEGY AROUND ITS INTERNATIONAL ACTIVITIES AND ITS HIGH VALUE-ADDED BUSINESS OFFERINGS
| In millions of euros - IFRS standards (*) | June 30, 2012 | June 30, 2011 |
|---|---|---|
| Turnover | 61.3 | 58.1 |
| current operating income | 2.2 | 2.8 |
| As a% of turnover | 3.6% | 4.9% |
| Other operating income and expenses | (0.7) | (0.2) |
| bottom line | (0.1) | (0.1) |
| Taxes | (0.6) | (0.6) |
| Net profit | 0.8 | 1.9 |
Micropole, a consulting and engineering group present in Europe and Asia, specializing in Business Intelligence, e-Business, ERP and CRM, announces a 5.5% increase in revenues for the first half of 2012 with a slight decline in the current operating margin compared to 2011. In a difficult context in France for the entire consulting and IT services market, Micropole, backed by its solid financial structure and its latest investments in Belgium and China, announces the reinforcement of its strategy around its international activities and its high value-added business offerings, and intends to continue to outperform the market in the second half of the year.
Analysis of the first half of 2012
Micropole posted consolidated revenues of €61.3 million, representing growth of 5.5% compared to H1 2011. Over the same period, the Group recorded a current operating income of EUR 2.2 million, representing 3.6% of revenues, compared to 4.9% in H1 2011. Net income amounted to 0.8 million euros, compared with 1.9 million euros in 2011. These figures include the activity of the Belgian company Velixis, which was wholly acquired by Micropole and whose accounts were integrated on April 1.
Like those of all its competitors, the group's activities were exposed to a sharp slowdown in investments in several sectors (banks, insurance companies, telecom operators, etc.). Even though all of the group's subsidiaries signed a number of promising projects during the first half of the year, business was mixed, including in the regions and in training.
- In France, the macroeconomic and political context, as well as a negative working day effect, weighed significantly on activity.
- Business in Belgium and Luxembourg continues to grow strongly, driven by a portfolio of internationally established clients.
- For the first time, business in Switzerland was heavily affected by the crisis in the banking sector.
- Following the opening of an office in Beijing in June, Micropole China is continuing its development with promising medium-term prospects. Major marketing initiatives have been undertaken, including the organization of two BI forums (Shanghai in the spring and Beijing in the fall). The group has also established commercial links with major Chinese banks during a roadshow in September.
The Group's activities also developed differently in the first half of the year:
- Business Intelligence, a high value-added offer, has been the subject of sustained demand, particularly for budget and financial management solutions - strategic for companies in times of crisis - in which Micropole is the European leader.
- The e-Business and management applications activities suffered from postponed investments by our customers.
- The ERP and CRM offerings have been successful in signing strategic projects with high multi-year recurrence, ensuring good sales prospects in France, Belgium and Switzerland.
Amplification of the strategy and outlook for H2 2012
In a deteriorated macroeconomic context, only those sectors driven by strong innovation and international orientation (luxury goods, aeronautics, industry, etc.) have proven to be dynamic.
Based on these observations, and taking into account Micropole's historical positioning, the group intends to further strengthen its international presence and is working on the verticalization of its offers in order to bring even more value to its clients. Micropole will therefore accelerate the development of innovative packaged solutions based on its functional and sectoral expertise.
" Supported by our international client portfolio, we expect the outlook for the last quarter to start improving and we intend to continue to outperform the market, while remaining vigilant to changes in the global economic environment," commented Christian Poyau, Chairman and CEO of Micropole.
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