Douglas: Good results in the Christmas quarter 2021/2022. DOUGLAS reports a significant increase in sales and earnings for the first quarter of the 2021/22 fiscal year (Oct. to Dec. 2021). While the brick & mortar business has gained significant momentum, the e-commerce business has succeeded in slightly expanding the high sales level of the previous year. Compared with the pre-COVID-19 quarter (2019/20), e-commerce sales grew by 75.4 percent. Europe’s leading premium beauty group increased like-for-like sales by 16.8 percent to 1.3 billion euros in the first quarter. This is 10.9 percent higher than pre-COVID-19 pandemic (2019/20, like-for-like) sales.
Douglas: Good results in the Christmas quarter 2021/2022
Like-for-like sales in the brick & mortar business increased by 27.8 percent to 866 million euros. In e-commerce, sales rose by 1.0 percent to 437 million euros. All regions contributed to the good business performance in the first quarter, particularly France and Southeastern Europe. The Spanish business alone
remains challenging. ”The good results in the Christmas quarter, which is so important for us, impressively
demonstrate the strength of our business model,” said Tina Müller, DOUGLAS Group CEO. ”The store business recorded a clear and noticeable recovery after the long lockdowns. At the same time, we succeeded in slightly expanding the high sales level in e-commerce. With the strategic acquisition of the online pharmacy disapo.de, we are tapping into new growth markets, thus positioning DOUGLAS as a one-stop-shopping platform for beauty and health in Europe.”
Group operating earnings (adjusted EBITDA) rose by 11.6 percent
Group operating earnings (adjusted EBITDA) rose by 11.6 percent to 191 million euros in the first quarter. In addition to the increase in sales, this was due in particular to ongoing strict cost management and savings from the Store Optimization Program (SOP). At the same time, the EBITDA margin was a very good 14.6 percent, unchanged from the prior-year quarter.
E-commerce: attractiveness of the product range is convincing
Despite the reopening of stores, DOUGLAS succeeded in slightly increasing e-commerce sales from an already high level to 437 million euros. E-commerce as a percentage of Group sales was 33.5 percent. DOUGLAS also further improved the relevant key figures for e-commerce. For example, the average value per basket Group wide rose to 67.50 euros (compared to the prior-year quarter). The share of total e-
commerce sales generated via mobile devices increased by 4.1 percentage points to 65.1 percent.
DOUGLAS expanded market position in e-commerce during the past calendar year
At the same time, DOUGLAS further expanded its strong market position in e-commerce during the past calendar year. The market share in Germany increased by 1 percentage point and in France by 1.6 percentage points. “We are benefiting from the consistent digitalization of our business model in recent years,“ said Vanessa Stützle, Chief Digital Officer DOUGLAS Group. “We have further expanded our market share in key core countries over the last 12 months, delivering sales growth of over 75 percent in the Christmas quarter compared to before COVID-19. At the same time, we have once again increased efficiency in our online business. We will continue to develop our online offering and thus strengthen our leading role in the market.“
DOUGLAS taps into online health market
By acquiring the Dutch online pharmacy Disapo B.V., DOUGLAS is also tapping into a significant growth market and expanding its portfolio of health products. Based in Heerlen (NL), disapo.de Apotheke B.V. pharmacy is one of the fast-growing providers in the online pharmacy business. “The markets for beauty and health are increasingly converging, which we can clearly see in the wishes of our customers,“ said Tina Müller. In the course of the upcoming introduction of the e-prescriptions in Germany, the online
pharmacy business is expected to witness huge growth. “With Disapo, we will systematically exploit the growth opportunities in the online health market. This will enable us to further expand our position as the leading beauty destination with a comprehensive range of health products.“
[Text: epcnews/photo: Douglas]
