PRESS RELEASE
August 12, 2011 / No. 31/2011
Annual General Meeting of Leica Camera AG approves dividend / year concludes with record sales / Board of Management reaffirms results forecast
On August 12, 2011 in the Wetzlarer Rittal-Arena, the Annual General Meeting of Shareholders (AGM) of Leica Camera AG, Solms resolved to distribute a dividend for the first time since 1997. The dividend will be €0.30 per share. The AGM thus approved the proposal made by Leica Camera’s Board of Management and Supervisory Board.
The AGM rounded off a successful 2010/2011 fiscal year (April 1, 2010 to March 31, 2011) for Leica. The members of the Board of Management received a 99 percent vote approving their actions. The auditors BDO Deutsche Warentreuhand were once again appointed to perform the audit both of the AG and of the Group as a whole. The AGM also confirmed the Supervisory Board membership of Patrick Thomas, a director of Hermès International SCA, and appointed businessman Christian Raoul Skrein-Bumballa to the Supervisory Board.
Leica, a company with a long history based in the German state of Hesse, concluded a hugely successful 2010/2011 with record sales of €248.8 million, a rise of almost 60 per cent. The operating result or EBIT rose to €41.5 million, almost six times the previous year’s figure, while at €36.3 million the consolidated net income was more than 11 times greater than last year. The main sales drivers were the Leica M9 rangefinder system and the Leica S2 professional camera system, with the compact cameras hard on their heels. The ever larger network of Leica stores and boutiques has also made a significant contribution to the company’s success. “The Leica brand benefits from its greater worldwide visibility, with the Leica mystique reaching ever more actual and potential customers” notes Dr. Andreas Kaufmann, Leica Camera AG Supervisory Board chairman.
The Board of Management has reaffirmed its positive forecast for the current fiscal year.
Alfred Schopf, CEO of Leica Camera AG: “We are treading a successful path and will continue to do so during the current fiscal year”. For the 2011/2012 financial year, he anticipates sales rising by at least three to five per cent, coupled with an EBIT of well over €20 million. Andreas Lobejäger, financial director of Leica Camera AG, further highlights the company’s bright prospects. “Thanks to the very good results for the previous fiscal year we have ample funds available to finance new products, and we shall also endeavor to consolidate the growth of the past few years and further strengthen Leica Camera AG’s competitive edge”. Today Leica Camera AG published its interim report to June 30, 2011 with a clear increase in results and revenues in comparison with the corresponding quarter of the previous fiscal year.
At the Board meeting on August 11, 2011, Mr. Markus Limberger – today already active as Head of Operations, Leica Camera AG – was newly appointed to the Board of Management with effect from September 1, 2011.
About Leica Camera
Leica Camera AG is an internationally active, premium-segment manufacturer of cameras and sport optics products. The legendary status of the Leica brand is founded on a long tradition of excellence in the construction of lenses. And today, in combination with innovative technologies, Leica products continue to guarantee better pictures in all situations in the worlds of visualisation and perception. Leica Camera AG has its headquarters in Solms, in the state of Hesse in Germany, and a second production site in Vila Nova de Famalicão, Portugal. The company operates branch offices in England, France, Japan, Singapore, Switzerland, South Korea and the USA. New and innovative products have been the driving force behind the company’s positive development in recent years.
