PRESS RELEASE: BIGBEN INTERACTIVE: 1ST QUARTER SALES OF 58.6 M€ UP 20.3 %

                                                                             Press Release

          Lesquin, 22 July 2019 18:00

1st quarter sales of 58.6 M€ up 20.3 %

Strong rise of Gaming (+27.3%)

Increase of Current Operating Profit rate for FY 2019/20

now set in excess of 10%

Strong growth in Gaming in Q1 2019/20

In the first quarter of FY 2019/20 (April to June 2019), Bigben achieved sales of 58.6 M€, a 20.3% increase.

GAMING 

The Gaming business recorded a 27.3% growth in Q1 2019/20 with 29.9 M€ sales. 

• Publishing: The shift from the business model towards more digital sales accelerated in Q1 2019/20 with an increase exceeding 250% in this distribution channel. This channel now accounts for more than two-thirds of revenues. The releases of Warhammer^®: Chaosbane, The Sinking City, Tennis World Tour^® Roland Garros Edition, Pro Cycling Manager 2019 and Tour de France^® 2019 also contributed to the good performance of the business.
• Accessories: The Gaming Accessory business segment continued to build on the success of the two new REVOLUTION Unlimited Pro Controller^® controllers and Asymmetric Wireless controllers for PS4™ the marketing of which started in March 2019.

MOBILE

The Mobile Accessory business posted sales of 23.1 M€ in Q1 2019/20, a 9.7 % increase. The segment is positively oriented, thanks in particular to the positions taken internationally. At the same time, the Force^® own-brand range grew further (up 33.2%) with protection screens, protective cases and Force Power^® chargers which show promising developments.

AUDIO

The business in Q1 2019/2020 progressed with sales up 34.5% driven by the success of Bluetooth speakers marketed by Bigben. The presentation of the Aroma Sound^® range to retail customers met with a great success and resulted in a good level of pre-orders. 

Favorable growth outlook and increased business guidance   

For its 2019/20 financial year (closing on March 31, 2020), Bigben anticipates an increase in activity for the Group's three businesses, with a strong contribution from Gaming.

In Q2 2019/20, the Gaming business will thus benefit in Publishing from the release of 2 new games (FIA EuropeanTruck Racing and WRC8) that will contribute to the good performance of this segment. For its part, the Gaming Accessories business segment will benefit from the marketing of its REVOLUTION Unlimited Pro Controller^® joypad for the PS4™ format with sales to consumers being higher than expected as well as from the launch of the Switch^TM Lite of which Nintendo has announced the release for 20 September 2019.

The accessories business for Mobile expects a further success of Force Glass^®, Force Case^® and Force Power^® products in the coming quarters and will launch Force Moov^® in September 2019, the first connected and insured scooter on the micro market of urban mobility.

Finally, in the Audio business, Bigben aims to continue the deployment of Bluetooth speakers and the new Aroma Sound^® range.

Given the strong performance at the start of the financial year and the encouraging outlook for the rest of the year, the Group still expects sales of between 270 and 290 million euros for the 2019/20 financial year and is now targeting a Current Operating margin ⁽¹⁾ in excess of 10%.

The Group is further implementing its "BIGBEN 2022" plan in the three market segments as presented in the 2018/19 half-year results and reiterates the financial targets for FY 2021/22 with 350 M€ sales and a Current Operating Result rate ⁽¹⁾ equal to 12%, focusing on the steady improvement of the Current Operating Margin ^(1).

⁽¹⁾ Current Operating Result rate = Current Operating Result reported to Sales = Current Operating Margin

Upcoming  publication:

Sales for 2^nd quarter of FY 2019/2020: Monday 21 October 2019, after close of business on Euronext Paris stock market 

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