• Correction: Bolloré :2020 results

    Source: Nasdaq GlobeNewswire / 04 Mar 2021 10:40:00   America/Chicago

    BOLLORÉ

    PRESS RELEASE

     

    2020 resultsMarch 4, 2021 

    Good results for all Bolloré Group
    business activities in 2020
    in the context of the COVID-19 health crisis

    • Revenue: €24,109 million, -3% (-3% at constant scope and exchange rates).
    • Adjusted operating income (EBITA(1)): €2,043 million +25% (+23% at constant scope and exchange rates):
    ·Bolloré Transport & Logistics:€607m,-5%
    ·Communication (Vivendi):€1,627m,+7%
    ·Electricity Storage and Systems:-€102m,versus -€434m (+76%)
    • Net income: €1,563 million, up (+11%) (not including a capital gain on the sale on March 31, 2020, of 10% of Universal Music Group’s (UMG) on the basis of an enterprise value of €30 billion for 100%, recognised in equity for €2.8 billion), and net income Group share of €426 million, up 79%.
    • Net debt: €9,136 million, compared with €8,720 million at 31 December 2019, of which €4,183 million for Bolloré excluding Vivendi, down €473 million year on year and €4,953 million for Vivendi, before the receipt of €2.8 billion for the sale of the further 10% of Universal Music Group on  January 31, 2021.
    • Liquidity remained at a high level: €9.2 billion as of January 31, 2021, including €2.9 billion at Bolloré level. Gearing: 35%.
    • Proposed dividend: €0.06 per share (of which a €0.02 interim already paid in September 2020) identical to that paid in respect of 2019.

     

    2020 results

    Bolloré's Board of Directors approved the financial statements for 2020 at its meeting on March 4, 2021,.

    2020 revenue amounted to €24,109 million, down 3% at constant scope and exchange rates:

    • Transport and Logistics: €5,820 million, up 1%:
      • Bolloré Logistics: +8%, benefiting from the strong performance of air freight activities, largely absorbing the slight decline in sea freight activities;
      • Bolloré Africa Logistics: -10%, a result of the contraction in logistics business and the impact of the end of the Douala Terminal (DIT) concession in Cameroon;
         
    • Oil Logistics: €1,900 million, -29%, owing to the decrease in oil-product prices and volumes;
       
    • Communication (Vivendi): €16,085 million, -1%, despite the growth of UMG (+5%), which failed to fully offset the decline in other activities;
       
    • Electricity Storage and Systems: €280 million, -3%, due to the decline in IER's industrial activities, impacted by the health crisis.

    On a reported basis, revenue decreased 3%, including +€378 million in changes in scope (integration of Editis and M7 at Vivendi and sale from Bolloré Ports France and Wifirst) and -€289 million in foreign exchange impacts (resulting from the decline in the US dollar and other currencies).

    Adjusted operating income (EBITA(2)) came out at €2,043 million, up 25% (+23% at constant scope and exchange rates) with:

    • Transport and Logistics: €551 million, -2%, given the end of the concession of the Douala Terminal (DIT) in Cameroon and the contraction in logistics business in Africa, partially offset by the good performance in freight forwarding, mainly in the air sector, and port terminals;
       
    • Oil Logistics: €56 million, stable, growth in earnings from distribution and storage activities having been offset by a negative inventory effect in 2020;
       
    • Communication (Vivendi): 1,627 million, +4%, thanks to good performances by UMG and Canal+ Group;
       
    • Electricity Storage and Systems: -€102 million an improvement of €332 million compared with 2019, including significant exceptional impairments as part of the strategic redeployment in batteries, buses and stationary systems.

    Financial income amounted to €622 million, compared with €17 million in 2019. It mainly included +€591 million generated by the revaluation of Spotify and Tencent Music securities (vs. €139 million in 2019).

    The share of the net income of equity-accounted non-operating companies totalled -€32 million, compared with €98 million in 2019, and includes:

    • -€172 million for Mediobanca, corresponding to the fall in the share price, offset as regards financial income by a profit of +€159 million corresponding to the hedges initiated on the securities and the impact of the end of the equity method for the equity interest;
       
    • +€126 million for Telecom Italia.

    After accounting for -€677 million in tax, compared with +€35 million of tax income in 2019 which included €473 million of repayments of foreign tax credits at Vivendi, consolidated net income amounted to €1,563 million, compared with €1,408 million in 2019, up by 11%. Net income Group share came out at €426 million, compared with €237 million in 2019, up by 79%.

    Equity came out at €25,984 million, stable compared with 2019, including the impact of the sale of 10% of the share capital of UMG to Tencent (+€2.8 billion), offset by the buybacks of Group shares (Vivendi and Blue Solution) and the dividends paid.

    Net debt totalled €9,136 million, compared with €8,720 million at December 31, 2019, owing to an increase in Vivendi's debt (+€889 million) and before receiving €2.8 billion from the disposal of a further 10% of UMG on January 31, 2021. The debt of Bolloré excluding Vivendi decreased by €473 million year on year to €4,183 million.

    On this basis, gearing stands at 35%, compared with 34% at end-2019.

    At end-January 2021, following the sale of a further 10% of UMG share capital for €2.8 billion and a further 2% of Mediobanca share capital for €0.2 billion, the Group’s liquidity position, undrawn confirmed lines and liquid investments, represented €2.9 billion for Bolloré and €9.2 billion including Vivendi.

    Proposed dividend: €0.06 per share

    The General Shareholders Meeting will be asked to distribute a dividend of €0.06 per share (including an interim dividend of €0.02 already paid in September 2020), identical to that paid in respect of 2019.

    The dividend will be detached on June 10, 2021, and payment exclusively in cash on June 14, 2021.

     

    Group structure:

    • Universal Music Group
      • Sale of 20% of UMG to a consortium led by Tencent

    10% on March 31, 2020, for €2,842 million, based on an enterprise value of €30 billion for 100% of UMG, and a further 10% on January 29, 2021, for €2,847 million.

    §  Vivendi plans to distribute 60% of UMG's share capital to shareholders
    An Extraordinary General Meeting of Vivendi's shareholders will be convened on March 29, 2021, to amend the articles of association and permit this distribution. In the event of a positive vote by its shareholders, Vivendi will pursue the project, with the General Shareholders’ Meeting approving the distribution that could be completed before the end of 2021.

    •  Ongoing buyback of Vivendi shares
      • In 2020, Vivendi acquired €89.2 million of its own shares on the market for €2,157 million.
    • Bolloré tender offer for Blue Solutions
       
      • Finalisation of the public tender for Blue Solutions for €17 per share, which took place from May 29, to  July 8, 2020;
      • Mandatory squeeze-out on July 15, 2020: Bolloré now owns 100% of Blue Solutions' share capital;;
      • The value of the acquired securities is €110 million.
         
    • Sale of BluePointLondon Ltd
       
      • On December 31, 2020, IER finalised the sale to Total of its subsidiary BluePointLondon Ltd, which developed and manages a network of 1,600 charging stations for electric vehicles in the streets of London.




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    Consolidated key figures for Bolloré

    (€ million)20202019Change
    Revenue24,10924,843(3%)
    EBITDA(1)3,2652,91312%
    Depreciation, amortization and provisions(1,222)(1,279) 
    Adjusted operating income (EBITA(1))2,0431,63425%
    Amortisation from PPAs(1)(393)(375) 
    Operating income1,6501,25931%
         o/w operating equity associates3923 
    Financial income62217 
    Share in net income of non-operating companies   
    accounted for under the equity method(32)98 
    Taxes(677)35 
    Net income1,5631,40811%
    Net income Group share42623779%
    Minority interests1,1371,171(3%)
        
     31 December 202031 December 2019Change (€m)
    Equity25,98425,94242
       o/w Group share9,0849,088(4)
    Net debt9,1368,720415
    Gearing (2)35%34% 
    1. See glossary
    2. Gearing: net debt/equity ratio
    Revenue by business activity

     

    (€ million)Q412 months 
     20202019Reported growthOrganic growth20202019Reported growthOrganic growth
             
    Transport and Logistics1,5441,5033%5%5,8205,939-2%1%
    Oil Logistics452727-38%-38%1,9002,650-28%-29%
    Communication4,4904,571-2%-1%16,08515,8911%-1%
    Electricity Storage and Systems92859%10%280329-15%-3%
    Other (Agricultural Assets, Holdings)410-60%-60%2534-26%-26%
    Total 6,5826,895-4%-2%24,10924,843-3%-3%

     

    Revenue per quarter

     

    (€ million)Q1Q2Q3Q4 
     2020

         		2019 (1)201920202019
     (1)    		2019

         		20202019 (1)201920202019 (1)2019
    Transport and Logistics1,3941,4681,4831,462 1,4481,4911,4201,3941,4621,5441,4631,503
    Oil Logistics631669665415617613401647645452728727
    Communication3,8683,7063,4583,7064,0223,8934,0213,9953,9694,4904,4554,571
    Electricity Storage and Systems656375587185657085928485
    Other (Agricultural Assets, Holdings)88869887741010
    Total5,9665,9145,6905,6466,1666,0905,9156,1136,1696,5826,7396,895

       (1)    at constant scope and exchange rates
              
    All amounts are expressed in millions of euros and rounded to the nearest decimal.
    As a result, the sum of the rounded amounts may differ slightly from the reported total.


    Adjusted operating income by business activity (EBITA)

     

     

    (€ million)2020     2019Reported growthOrganic growth  
    Bolloré Transport & Logistics607637-5%-2% 
         Transport and Logistics (1)551580-5%-2% 
         Oil Logistics5656-1%-1% 
    Communication 1,6271,5267%4% 
    Electricity Storage and Systems(102)(434)76%77% 
    Other (Agricultural Assets, Holdings) (1)(89)(94)6%6% 
    EBITA Bolloré Group2,0431,63425%23 % 

                (1)    Before Bolloré trademark fees

    A detailed presentation of the results is available at www.bollore.com.
    The consolidated financial statements have been audited. The review report will be issued following the completion of the procedures necessary to the filing of the universal registration document.

    Information on the impacts of COVID-19

    • With its vast geographical presence, the Group was obliged in 2020 to address the successive consequences of the health crisis in its main operating regions. The Group successfully demonstrated its resilience and adapted to continue providing the best possible service to its customers while reducing its costs in order to preserve its margins.
       
    • Transport and Logistics business benefited from exceptional freight rates, which partly offset the slowdown in normal flows. The Communication businesses held up well thanks to music and pay television, despite the downturn at Havas Group and Vivendi Village (live performances in particular), which were more impacted by the health crisis. Editis has posted a strong rebound since June 2020 in France.
       
    • The Group continues to carefully analyse the current and potential consequences of the crisis but remains confident in the resilience of its main business lines

                 

                In 2020, without modifying the valuation methods used each year, the Group reviewed the value of goodwill associated with its cash-generating units (CGUs) or groups of CGUs, ensuring that the recoverable amount of the CGUs or groups of CGUs tested exceeds their net book value, including goodwill. This analysis did not lead to the recognition of a loss of value for the current financial year.

                 

    • In 2020, without modifying the valuation methods used each year, the Group reviewed the value of goodwill associated with its cash-generating units (CGUs) or groups of CGUs, ensuring that the recoverable amount of the CGUs or groups of CGUs tested exceeds their net book value, including goodwill. This analysis did not lead to the recognition of a loss of value for the current financial year.
       
    • As of December 31, 2020, net debt amounted to €9,136 million compared with €8,720 million as of December 31, 2019, for an increase of €415 million, including a €473 million decrease in Bolloré’s net debt excluding Vivendi. As of January 31, 2021, the Group also has significant financing capacities: €2.9 billion for Bolloré and €9.2 billion including Vivendi.

     

    Comparability of financial statements

    • Performance indicators
      • As of December 31, 2020, the Bolloré Group had not adjusted the definition of performance indicators, particularly EBITA, which are comparable to those of 2019 and therefore include the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.
         
    • Change in scope of consolidation
      • Editis has been consolidated by Vivendi since February 1, 2019;
      • M7 has been consolidated by Canal+ Group since September 12, 2019;
      • Sale of Bolloré Ports France and Wifirst in the second half of 2019;
      • Loss of significant influence of Mediobanca observed in the second half of 2020.

    v  Trend in the main currencies 
                    

     Average rate2020      2019Change
    USD1.141.12-2%
    GBP0.890.88-1%
    PLN4.444.30-3%
    JPY121.78122.060%
    CNY7.877.73-2%
    ZAR18.7716.17-16%
    • Presentation of content assets
      • Given the increasing importance of these assets in its financial statements, the Group has chosen to adopt the presentation adopted by its Vivendi subsidiary, which isolates current/non-current content assets and their monetary variation on separate lines on the assets side of the balance sheet and in the cash flow statement. These reclassifications were carried out in the 2020 financial statements, with 2019 financial statements restated to ensure comparability. The detailed impacts are presented in the notes to the financial statements.

     

    Glossary

    • Organic growth: growth at constant scope and exchange rates.
    • Net revenue (Havas Group): revenue after deduction of re-billable costs.
    • Adjusted operating income (EBITA): operating income before amortisation of intangible assets related to business combinations – PPA (purchase price allocation), impairment of goodwill and other intangible assets related to business combinations.
    • EBITDA: operating income before depreciation and amortisation.
    • Net financial debt / Net cash position: sum of borrowings at amortised cost, less cash and cash equivalents, cash management financial assets and net derivative financial instruments (assets or liabilities) with an underlying net financial indebtedness, as well as cash deposits backed by borrowings.

    The non-GAAP measures defined above should be considered in addition to, and not as a substitute for, other GAAP measures of operational and financial performance, and Bolloré considers these to be relevant indicators of the Group's operational and financial performance. Furthermore, it should be noted that other companies may define and calculate these indicators differently. It is therefore possible that the indicators used by Bolloré cannot be directly compared with those of other companies.

    The percentages changes indicated in this document are calculated in relation to the same period of the preceding fiscal year, unless otherwise stated. Due to rounding in this presentation, the sum of some data may not correspond exactly to the calculated total and the percentage may not correspond to the calculated variation.



    1 See glossary

    2 See glossary

     

     

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