Posti Group’s strategy is advancing – the industry and the market are undergoing a dramatic transformation

POSTI GROUP CORPORATION’S FINANCIAL STATEMENTS RELEASE, FEBRUARY 13, 2015 AT 10:00 A.M. (EET)     

Posti Group Corporation’s Financial Statements and Board of Directors’ Report for 2014

October–December 2014

• The Group’s net sales decreased by 7.0% to EUR 491.7 (528.8) million in October–December.
• Net sales decreased by 2.7% in Itella Mail Communications, by 9.0% in Itella Logistics and by 26.7% in Itella Russia, and increased by 2.6% in OpusCapita. Measured in local currency, Itella Russia’s net sales increased by 0.7%.
• Posti Group’s operating result before non-recurring items was EUR 23.5 (26.3) million, representing 4.8% (5.0%) of net sales. The operating result before non-recurring items improved to EUR 35.8 (33.8) million in Itella Mail Communications, but decreased to EUR -11.0 (-8.9) million in Itella Logistics, to EUR 2.1 (2.4) million in Itella Russia and to EUR 3.4 (4.3) million in OpusCapita.
• Posti Group’s operating result for the fourth quarter was EUR 10.9 (12.3) million, or 2.2% (2.3%) of net sales. Non-recurring items recognized during the period totaled EUR 12.6 (14.0) million.
• A new one-year collective agreement was signed for mail communications and logistics area in the end of October. The agreement covers approximately 18,000 employees.
• In late 2014, Posti gave up air and sea freight in Scandinavia as well as service warehouses in Denmark and outsourced the distribution logistics within Scandinavia. Service warehouses in Sweden and Norway will be given up in 2015.
• On October 1, 2014, OpusCapita acquired the Norwegian Norian Group.

Year 2014

• Posti Group’s net sales decreased by 6.0% to EUR 1,858.7 (1,976.8) million. In local currencies, the decrease in net sales was 3.5%. International operations constituted 26.9% (28.9%) of net sales.
• Net sales decreased by 1.9% in Itella Mail Communications, by 8.7% in Itella Logistics, by 16.3% in Itella Russia, and by 1.4% in OpusCapita. Measured in local currency, Itella Russia’s net sales increased by 0.7%.
• The operating result before non-recurring items improved slightly and amounted to EUR 50.8 (50.5) million, or 2.7% (2.6%) of net sales.
• The operating result decreased to EUR 5.8 (9.9) million, or 0.3% (0.5%) of net sales. The operating result was affected by EUR 45.0 (40.5) million in non-recurring items, of which EUR 25.8 (17.5) million was related to personnel restructuring, with other non-recurring items totaling EUR 19.2 (23.0) million.
• The result before taxes was EUR -4.6 (-2.4) million.
• The Group’s cash flow from operating activities improved, amounting to EUR 93.2 (81.4) million before investments.
• Gearing was 17.2% (21.1%). Equity ratio stood at 45.9% (47.5%). The substantial depreciation of the ruble had a negative effect on the equity ratio.
• In August, Posti launched a new, EUR 75 million performance improvement program for 2015–2016. Throughout the year, the company conducted several cooperation negotiations, and the number of employees decreased by 2,588 year-on-year.
• The Board of Directors proposes to the Annual General Meeting that no dividend be distributed for 2014.

*) Non-IFRS = excluding non-recurring items

Heikki Malinen, President and CEO:

“In 2014, we implemented our new strategy systematically. Its key goal is to transform our company into a modern, customer-oriented and high-quality postal and logistics service provider. A part of this renewal process was the changing of Itella’s name to Posti at the beginning of this year. I am very pleased that the name change has received such positive feedback from the public and our customers. The name change has proved to be the right decision.

During the past year, accelerating digitization affected the Group’s operations more profoundly than ever before. The total volume of addressed letter items declined by 10% and that of newspapers by 13%. In the next few years, the transformation of communications and the postal industry will continue and be at least as challenging as it is at the moment. If letter and publication delivery volumes decrease at the pace of 10% per year, it will mean at least EUR 60 million of lost net sales for Posti annually.

Digitization also offers Posti new growth opportunities. Thanks to increasing e-commerce, we delivered a record-breaking number of parcels, nearly 33 million, last year. The number of users of the electronic mailbox Netposti increased by 10% to nearly 600,000. Digitization also benefits OpusCapita, a provider of financial accounting outsourcing services and automation solutions, as electronic invoices and cloud services related to financial accounting automation, which form part of its offering, are growing strongly. Indeed, OpusCapita is an important cornerstone for Posti’s strategy, which looks ahead to 2020.

The Group’s non-IFRS operating result improved to EUR 50.8 million. The structural changes and adjustments carried out during the year increased non-recurring items, which decreased the operating result from the previous year. In Mail Communications, the result remained good, thanks to savings, efficiency improvement measures and price increases. In Logistics, net sales decreased by 8.7%. The decrease was due to the very difficult market situation and intense competition in logistics and trade.

A positive highlight is Itella Russia, which achieved a profitable result in an extremely challenging market situation. Itella Russia’s euro-denominated net sales declined due to the substantial depreciation of the ruble. However, this year is becoming a difficult one as the Russian economy is sliding into recession. The weak ruble, the decreasing oil price and sanctions affect the Russian economy and consumer purchasing power negatively, which decreases demand for logistics services.

Last year, adjustment to the transformation of the postal industry and logistics required, unfortunately, the Group to make extensive personnel reductions that were carried out in as responsible and controlled manner as possible. Through the Uusi polku (New path) program, we have supported the personnel financially and offered retraining coaching.

In Logistics, we also took extensive efficiency improvement measures and eliminated highly unprofitable operations in Scandinavia, for example. Logistics managed to improve its result, although the operating result still showed a clear loss. Continued economic recession has made a fast turnaround more difficult. Efficiency improvement measures will be continued with a new program aiming to ensure the Group’s profitability through the recession. We are focusing on our core business operations instead of expansion.”

APPENDICES
Financial Statements Release and the Board of Directors’ Report (PDF)
Corporate Governance Statement 2014 (PDF)

FURTHER INFORMATION
Heikki Malinen, President and CEO, and Sari Helander, CFO
Tel. +358 20 452 3366 (MediaDesk)

DISTRIBUTION
NASDAQ OMX Helsinki
Key media
www.posti.com/financials

FINANCIAL CALENDAR IN 2015
Interim Report Q1/2013, April 30
Interim Report Q2/2013, July 17
Interim Report Q3/2014, November 2

IMAGES AND LOGOS
www.posti.com/media

Posti Group is your first choice in postal, logistics and e-commerce services. We manage the flow of commerce and everyday life in 11 countries. Our net sales in 2014 amounted to EUR 1,859 million. We employ approximately 23,000 professionals who serve our customers in Finland under the name Posti and in other countries under the name Itella. www.posti.com.