Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 1999/11/12

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Subject: re: [Leica] Leica AG 2nd Q: almost b/e
From: Larry Kopitnik <kopitnil@marketingcomm.com>
Date: Fri, 12 Nov 1999 16:00:07 -0600

Leica's interim second quarter financial report has been posted to their
website and can be downloaded as a pdf document from
http://www.leica-camera.com/untern/ir/pdf/zwbq2_e.pdf

Actually, the financials in it are quite positive and paint a picture of a
company succesfully turning itself around.

(If you dislike reading lots of numbers, skip what follows).

The report states, in addition to what Christer posted (below), that M
system sales are up 17.6% compared to the same period a year ago, thanks
largely to increased orders from Asia. The M system is 28.6% of total Leica
sales, their best selling product line by far.

Binoculars sales are up 19.5%. Leica is introducing a Trinovid 8 x 20
special edition binocular made from solid brass.

Projector sales are up slightly, at 3.9%

However, compact camera sales are down 32% because, according to the
report, new products are being introduced later than last year. But the new
C1 point-and-shoot and the new Digilux zoom give reason for 3rd quarter
optimism.

R system sales continue to plummet, down another 21.3% compared to the same
period last year (and recall that Leica's annual report stated that last
year R sales fell below where they were before the R8 and new lenses were
introduced). The financial report states that, "measures designed to
stabalise [R system] sales...include a prolongation of the warranty for
Leica R8 cameras to five years, a favourable financing offer in the German
market, and the addition of the Leica Motor-Drive R8...."

It's hard not to notice that Leica doesn't mention stimulating R sales with
new products other than the long-promised motor drive.

By region, overall sales were up 38.6% in the Asia/Australia region (though
sales in Japan remained constant), up 12.4% in the US, and up 10.3% in
Europe outside Germany, but down 27.9% in Germany. They blame the German
decline largely on decreasing SLR sales.

Larry

>>>>>>>>>>
The second quarter  (July-Sept) results were published in German newspapers
today:

- - - operating loss was .2 million DM (divide by two to get approx $) vs.  2
million DM loss 2nd Q last year
- - - the after tax los was 1.5 million DM vs 4.2 million DM
- - - R&D was up by 28% or 1 million DM to 4.6 million DM
- - - sales were unchanged 65 million DM
- - - second half year expected to be profitable due to tradional higher sales
in that period, new products and effect of cost reduction; full year after
tax result is expected to be break-even.
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