PRESS RELEASE

Hawesko Group stronger than market development

Hamburg, 10 August 2022. The wine trading group Hawesko Holding AG (HAW, HAWG.DE, DE0006042708) today published its Half-Year Financial Report 2022, including the figures for the second quarter (1 April to 30 June). With revenues of € 312.0 million (previous year: € 324.9 million) and EBIT of € 17.1 million (previous year: € 31.1 million) for the half-year, the business, as expected, falls short of the previous year's lockdown-induced exceptional performance. However, it is clearly above 2020 (turnover: € 277.6 million; EBIT: € 13.1 million) as well as the pre-Corona years and thus shows stability. The noticeable decline in sales in the end customer segments is partly compensated by strong demand in the B2B segment.

In April, food retail reported a decline in sales of 7.7 percent: Uncertain consumers are feeling the effects of rising prices due to inflation and the Ukraine crisis in their own wallets and are reacting with purchasing restraint. Thanks to its broad positioning across various market segments, the Hawesko Group's sales thus developed better than the market in the first half of the year at -4.0 percent and in the second quarter at -2.3 percent.

In the second quarter of 2022, e-commerce felt the effects of the absence of the special pandemic most keenly compared with the previous year and lost 12.3 percent in sales. Retail also showed a normalisation of demand compared to the previous year, which was marked by restaurant closures, with a slight decline in sales of 4.1 percent. The B2B segment enjoyed a 17.7 percent increase in turnover thanks to revitalised catering and hotel business. Group EBIT in the second quarter amounted to € 7.8 million and was significantly lower than the previous year's figure of € 15.5 million. The reasons for this are the changed turnover mix with a higher share of lower-margin B2B turnover, the return of costs that were omitted or significantly lower during the pandemic, and inflation effects.

In the half-year period (1 January to 30 June) consolidated sales of the Hawesko Group fell by 4.0 percent year on year to € 312.0 million, with group EBIT falling to € 17.1 million.

During the peak of the pandemic, costs for new customer acquisition, tastings, personnel costs, events and travel were not incurred or were significantly lower and are now back to pre-pandemic levels. This effect compared to the previous year will diminish in the second half of the year. However, the challenge of a macroeconomically induced purchasing restraint and inflation-related rising costs will tend to intensify. Previous crises have shown, however, that consumers do not give up wine consumption even in more difficult times. With the right alignment of its product range and targeted price adjustments coupled with attractive offerings, the Hawesko Group can continue to generate stable sales and profits.

For the full year 2022, the Board of Management of the Hawesko Group therefore continues to expect a slight decline in sales of between minus one and minus six percent compared with the Corona year 2021. In terms of earnings, a slightly reduced return with an EBIT margin of between 6.0 and 7.0 percent is anticipated due to the changed segment mix. Inflation effects make a result at the lower end of the range more likely.

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As a leading trading group for high-quality wines, champagnes and spirits, the Hawesko Group achieved sales of  € 681 million and EBIT of € 53 million in 2021. The Hawesko Group employs around 1,200 people across the Retail (Jacques’ and Wein & Co.), B2B (especially Wein Wolf, Abayan and Grand Cru Select) and e-commerce (especially HAWESKO, Vinos and WirWinzer) segments. The shares in Hawesko Holding AG are listed on the Hanseatic Stock Exchange, Hamburg, and in the Prime Standard segment of the Frankfurt Stock Exchange.

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Hawesko Holding AG
Elbkaihaus
Grosse Elbstrass 145 d
22767 Hamburg
Germany

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