DGAP-News: Berentzen-Gruppe Aktiengesellschaft publishes preliminary operating results and outlook

Press release No. 4/2022

Berentzen-Gruppe Aktiengesellschaft publishes preliminary operating results and outlook

Earnings rise significantly in 2021 - forecast for 2022 presented

- Consolidated revenues come to EUR 146.1 million

- Consolidated earnings (consolidated EBIT) climb considerably to EUR 6.7 million

- 2022 financial year: Significant increase in consolidated revenues, with consolidated earnings (EBIT) expected to stand between EUR 5.0 and EUR 8.0 million

Haselünne, February 3, 2022 - Berentzen-Gruppe Aktiengesellschaft, which is listed on the regulated market (General Standard) of the Frankfurt Stock Exchange (ISIN: DE0005201602), today published its preliminary, not yet audited operating results for the 2021 financial year as well as its outlook for the 2022 financial year.

The corporate group is expected to have generated consolidated revenues of EUR 146.1 million in the 2021 financial year (2020: EUR 154.6 million), while consolidated earnings before interest and taxes (consolidated EBIT) are expected to have come to EUR 6.7 million - up by 28.8% compared with the 2020 financial year (EUR 5.2 million). Consolidated earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortisation (consolidated EBITDA) are expected to have risen to EUR 15.4 million (2020: EUR 14.1 million).

"We are very pleased with the consolidated earnings achieved given the ongoing challenges caused by the coronavirus pandemic over the past year. At EUR 6.7 million, our consolidated EBIT even hit the upper end of the forecast range for the 2021 financial year, which was increased last October", says Oliver Schwegmann, member of the Executive Board of Berentzen-Gruppe Aktiengesellschaft, adding that consolidated revenues and the consolidated EBITDA were also within the expected ranges.

"Following a difficult start to the 2021 financial year with a continuous lockdown lasting well into April, we managed to expand our strategic business activities and thus considerably increase our profitability over the course of the year. Overall, this enabled us to significantly improve our earnings compared with the previous year", says Oliver Schwegmann. Adjusted to take into account the termination - already communicated multiple times - of a contract bottling agreement, consolidated revenues also increased slightly by 1%.

Outlook for the 2022 financial year

For the 2022 financial year, Berentzen-Gruppe Aktiengesellschaft expects to achieve consolidated revenues in the range of EUR 154.0 million to EUR 162.0 million, a consolidated EBIT between EUR 5.0 million and EUR 8.0 million and a consolidated EBITDA between EUR 14.0 million and EUR 17.0 million.

"We believe that social life and thus also our business volume will take off again over the further course of the year, despite the current spread of the Omicron variant. We are therefore expecting significantly higher consolidated revenues than in the 2021 financial year", explains Oliver Schwegmann, pointing out, however, that the Berentzen Group also cannot escape the extremely difficult conditions in the sourcing markets. These conditions currently include massive hikes in energy and commodity prices as well as disruptions to supply chains, he says, which is resulting in exceptionally high costs overall. On top of this, he adds, with high purchase prices fluctuating greatly and unable to be fixed for the majority of the financial year - as is usually the case - the corporate group needs to work with a somewhat larger range for forecast earnings. "On the whole, however, we are keeping to our target of ensuring sustainable growth. It is therefore important, after two years of the pandemic and the strict cost management approach taken as a result, to invest more heavily into our long-term growth drivers of personnel, sales and marketing", says Oliver Schwegmann. As a result, he says, the earnings ratios consolidated EBIT and consolidated EBITDA are forecast to reach roughly the same level as in the 2021 financial year, despite the increase in revenues expected.

The preliminary operating results of BerentzenGruppe Aktiengesellschaft are subject to verification by the independent auditor and approval by the Supervisory Board. The final operating results and further information about the 2021 financial year and the 2022 forecast will be published according to plan on March 24, 2022 with the 2021 Annual Report.

About the Berentzen Group:
The Berentzen Group is a broad-based beverage company operating in the following three segments: Spirits, Non-alcoholic Beverages, and Fresh Juice Systems. The Berentzen Group is one of the oldest producers of spirits in Germany with a corporate history going back over 250 years. Today, it has a worldwide presence in more than 60 countries with well-known brands like Berentzen and Puschkin and attractively priced private-label products. In its Non-alcoholic Beverages segment, the corporate group produces mineral waters, carbonated and non-carbonated soft drinks under its own brands. It also has more than 50 years of experience in the franchise business, currently acting as franchisee for the Sinalco brand. In addition, the Berentzen Group markets innovative juice systems under the Citrocasa brand in its third segment, thus serving the fast-growing market for modern, health-oriented beverages. The Berentzen-Gruppe Aktiengesellschaft share (ISIN DE0005201602) is listed on the regulated market (General Standard) of the Frankfurt Stock Exchange.

Further information is available at

Berentzen-Gruppe Aktiengesellschaft
Thorsten Schmitt
Corporate Communications
& Investor Relations
Tel. +49 (0) 5961 502 215
pr@berentzen.de
ir@berentzen.de
www.berentzen-gruppe.de