Lalique Group announces its 2023 results - Seite 3

Segment results
The Lalique segment recorded solid sales of EUR 98.4 million for 2023, a 3% improvement on the prior-year period. This development reflects higher sales in the crystal business (up 5%), while sales in the perfume business were 5% down on the strong 2022, owing to a restructuring of distribution in certain markets and the fact that additional perfume sales opportunities had to remain unexploited as a result of insufficient inventory levels. In the gastronomy and hospitality field, the Group’s three establishments – the Villa René Lalique and the Château Hochberg in Alsace and the Château Lafaurie-Peyraguey Lalique hotel-restaurant in the Bordeaux region – all reported encouraging business demand. On the expenditure side, personnel costs were up 6% year-on-year while other operating expenses increased by 9%. Profitability was significantly stronger in the second half of the year compared to the first, which saw the segment contend not only with higher costs (especially on the energy and salary fronts) but also with disruptions to production in the crystal business following a technical problem with the electrodes in the new furnace. Following the negative first-half EBIT of EUR -1.7 million, the Lalique segment reported a positive full-year EBIT for 2023 of EUR 1.2 million (2022: EUR 4.3 million, or EUR 2.6 million excluding the year’s extraordinary income item).

Ultrasun achieved sales of EUR 16.4 million for 2023, a 10% year-on-year improvement. The segment thus further continued its recovery since the pandemic, which had brought a decline in the demand for sunscreen products. The prime growth drivers in the year under review included the UK market, where sales increases were seen in all distribution channels and the online share of total sales rose to about a third, and the Swiss market, where Ultrasun’s point-of-sale focus on pharmacies and drugstores helped raise sales to new record highs. Very strong sales growth was also seen in Germany, both at physical points of sale and on online channels. While production costs were up in the face of general inflation, operating expenses saw a slight year-on-year decline, with higher personnel costs offset by lower other operating expense. The segment’s EBIT for the year amounted to EUR 0.6 million (2022: EUR 0.5 million).