Higher revenues, but also a decline in energy and key inputs helped Kofola to deliver a strong first quarter
The beverage family, which completed two interesting acquisitions in the first quarter, has a busy start to the season. The company has launched the functional mineral water Korunní in a can and also new children's drink Jupík SPARKY. In view of the overall positive outlook, the company decided to submit a proposal to the General Meeting to approve a dividend of CZK 13.50 per share before tax. The EBITDA outlook for 2024 remains unchanged for the time being.
Kofola ČeskoSlovensko had a successful start to the year. “The first quarter of 2024 was successful. Rising household consumption helped to drive sales growth of 11%. It was able to eliminate the impact of the price increase, which was caused by a nonsensical VAT increase only on soft drinks, while sweets and other sugar-containing foods were not affected. The largest increase was in the retail and impulse formats. In addition to the strongest brand Kofola, whose sales grew by 19%, the mineral water Ondrášovka and the energy drink Semtex also performed well,“ says Daniel Buryš, CEO of Kofola in the Czech Republic and Slovakia. Kofola Group's total EBITDA increased by 21.6% compared to the first quarter of 2023, mainly due to higher revenues and stabilization of energy and selected material input prices.
The subsidiary Radenska Adriatic also recorded double-digit sales growth. Its sales volume exceeded the plan mainly due to excellent commercial execution, including the successful launch of two new flavors in the Radenska FunctionALL functional beverage segment and the redesign of the visual identity of the Oraketa brand and Pepsi portfolio products, which Radenska distributes on the Croatian and Slovenian markets. EBITDA in this Adriatic pillar improved by more than 20% compared to last year, which was also here made possible by stable raw material and energy prices.
The Fresh & Herbs pillar of the Kofola Group also built on last year's successful year. UGO continues to be profitable, with the Fresh division´s sales up 23% in the first quartal. “We are helped to improve productivity in the healthy fast food segment by, among other things, the ongoing digitization process. We are gradually increasing the number of digital kiosks, thanks to which people can conveniently order their favourite products,“ says Marek Farník, founder of UGO. The producer of herbal teas and cosmetics, LEROS, has also exceeded the originally expected plans. “Our main sales channels (pharmacy, gastro, retail and e-shop) are performing above plan, as well as above last year´s level. We are preparing for the unseasonal summer months so that we do not lose our lead,“ says Martin Mateáš, CEO of LEROS. Overall, the sales of Kofola's Fresh & Herbs pillar have been above CZK 1 billion for the last 12 months, which clearly confirms the growth strategy.
The Kofola Group has also made a number of new acquisitions this year. It became a co-owner of Mixa Vending, a family-owned company in the beverage and snack vending business. A key acquisition was the entry into the brewing business with the purchase of Pivovary CZ Group. “The acquisition of Breweries was completed in early March. Theintegration of the new business into the Kofola Group is currently underway. Our biggest priority is to successfully get through this season,“ says René Musila, who has become CEO of the independently managed pillar of the group.
The outlook for the family-owned beverage company Kofola is also promising. “April was also a strong month, with sales above last year. We are confident that we will be able to achieve our annual targets, also thanks to the new products we have prepared for the season,“ comments Jannis Samaras, owner and CEO of the Kofola Group, on the outlook.
The iconic Kofola brand gained a new graphic identity in the first quarter. The aim was to preserve tradition but also to increase relevance with a younger target audience. Other innovations on the Czechoslovak market include the launch of a new modern can format (sleek) across the portfolio. Among Kofola's product innovations, we can mention the functional mineral water Korunní or the children's drink without preservatives, colourings and sweeteners, Jupík SPARKY. After the success of last year's energy drink Semtex EXTREM, which uses guarana and matcha instead of taurine, Kofola and rapper Separ are now launching another flavor, Passion Fruit. For gastronomy, Kofola has expanded its Targa Florio range of lemonades and tonics with a ginger tonic made from Sicilian ingredients. New flavors of Prager's kombucha have also been added to Kofola's offer.
In view of the company's results and outlook, the Board of Directors of Kofola ČeskoSlovensko a.s. decided to submit a proposal for a dividend of CZK 13.50 per share before tax to the General Meeting. The date of the meeting to decide on the proposal has been set for 28 June 2024. The relevant date for participation in the General Meeting is 21 June 2024 and for exercising the right to dividend is 10 July 2024. The EBITDA outlook remains unchanged for the time being, i.e. in the range of CZK 1.55 - 1.80 billion.
The results of the Kofola Group (1Q 2024):