Rexel Fourth-quarter & Full-year 2012 results

ROBUST PROFITABILITY IN Q4, DESPITE CHALLENGING ENVIRONMENT
FULL-YEAR RESULTS IN LINE WITH TARGETS
RISE IN PROPOSED DIVIDEND TO €0.75 PER SHARE 
SOLID TARGETS FOR 2013 & MEDIUM-TERM GUIDANCE CONFIRMED

27-2-2013 — /europawire.eu/ — ROBUST PROFITABILITY IN Q4 2012, DESPITE CHALLENGING ENVIRONMENT

• Challenging macroeconomic conditions impacted sales in most geographies
• Adj. EBITA margin stable at 6.0%, despite 4.7% drop in sales on a constant and same-day basis

FULL-YEAR 2012 RESULTS IN LINE WITH TARGETS
• Reported sales up 5.8% to €13.4bn, boosted by sustained acquisition strategy
• Reported EBITA up 6.2% to €767m
• Adj. EBITA margin up 10bps to 5.7%, despite 1.8% drop in sales on a constant and same-day basis
• Strong free cash-flow generation of €627m before int. and tax, up 4.4% year-on-year

RISE IN PROPOSED DIVIDEND TO €0.75 PER SHARE (vs. €0.65 last year)

SOLID TARGETS FOR 2013 &  MEDIUM-TERM GUIDANCE CONFIRMED
• 2013: Adj. EBITA margin of 5.7% and free cash-flow before int. & tax above €600m
• 2015: Adj. EBITA margin above 6.5% and free cash-flow after int. & tax above €500m

Rudy PROVOOST, Chairman of the Management Board and CEO, said:
“2012 marked an important step forward for Rexel. In a very challenging market environment, Rexel demonstrated the robustness of its business model as well as its ability to generate solid profitability and substantial cash flow, enabling the Group to meet its full-year targets. Rexel also stepped up its investments in external growth, strengthening its market position in the United States with two strategic acquisitions, further expanding in fast-growing economies, notably in Latin America, and continuing to make tactical acquisitions in Europe. Moreover, Rexel launched its ambitious “Energy in Motion” plan, which aims at accelerating our growth in promising market segments such as energy efficiency and international projects with large industrial or commercial customers and improving our organizational effectiveness.

Thanks to focused resources allocation, enhanced partnerships with strategic suppliers and continuous commitment to excellence in serving customers around the world, I am confident that Rexel will create significant value in 2013 and beyond.”

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