10.1% growth in the last quarter 2010
Organic and international growth continues.
Micropole, a European company specializing in the Business Intelligence, Web & IT, ERP and CRM, achieved a turnover of 29.5 million euro in the 4th quarter of 2010, an increase of 10,1 % over the last quarter 2009.
Over FY 2010, the overall turnover rose by 8.8 % to stand at 102.5 million euro. On a like-for-like basis, the annual turnover stands at €100.5 m, an increase of 6.8%. Notably due to its anticipation of the upturn from the end of 2009, Micropole has again out-performed market growth for IS consulting and services companies, estimated at less than 2%*. Its positioning on high value-added and innovating services has attracted new clients and contributes to the loyalty of corporations in the Banking /Insurance Manufacturing and Telecom sectors.
All Micropole’s businesses showed growth in 2010. The Business Intelligence branch had an excellent year, buoyed up by innovative projects (BI mobile, Search Based Applications…), and resurgence in corporate interest for performance management solutions to boost performance. The Web & IT business (e-commerce, business applications …) also achieved high performance, with numerous large-scale projects associating new combined offers such as dematerialization of business processes and Master Data Management (MDM). The training side, Micropole Institut, continued its strong growth at +10%, supported by the e-learning offer and in spite of an unfavorable
environment (notably transport strikes) during the last quarter. Regional development continues at a rapid pace of almost 15%, influenced also by the creation of Micropoles’ Northern agency in 2010
The French ERP market was more complex over the first half-year, with an overall drop in license sales noted by all vendors. Micropole’s ERP business , which accounts for roughly 10 % of group turnover, was dented, but nonetheless was able to record moderate growth in 2010, increasing over the second half-year. Micropole intends to pursue the strengthening of this business, as demonstrated by the recent buyout of OASIS, a Belgian service company specialized in the ERP SAP offer , a certified SAP Gold Partner with a turnover in the region of 4 million euro.
From a financial perspective, Micropole fundamentals remain satisfactory, with improved operating margins over the latter half of the year, and net debt at almost zero, enabling financing of future organic and external growth.
« Breaking through the 100 million euro ceiling is certainly symbolic, but also fitting for our entry into a new expansion phase, the beginnings of which were seen in 2010. In line with our forecast of February 2010, IT investment is again on the rise, companies having realized that their Information systems are more than ever at the heart of their sales activities and their development. Emerging communication channels which have taken off in 2010- I’m referring to mobile terminals and other connected tablets- provide only one example of new areas to which our business know-how can be applied. We therefore have every reason to think that 2011 will be a very good year, both in terms of
organic business growth and in terms of our international development » says Christian Poyau, Micropole CEO
