Cnova NV – 2020 Full Year Financial Results
2020 Full Year Financial ResultsMarketplace expansion driving sustained growth and strong profitability increase
Strong increase in profitability with EBITDA up +63% reaching €133m and x3.6 EBIT reaching €53mStrong +22% growth in marketplace GMV in 2020, accelerating in H2 with +30% orders and +27% items soldMarketplace revenues growing fast and accelerating: €182m (+23%), +40% in Q4Positive cash generation and net financial debt reduction AMSTERDAM – February 18, 2021, 07:45 CET Cnova N.V. (Euronext Paris: CNV; ISIN: NL0010949392) (“Cnova”) today announced its fourth quarter and full year activity and unaudited financial results.2020 HighlightsIn 2020, facing exceptional circumstances marked by increasingly digitalized sales and home delivery, Cnova further strengthened its economic model, growing fast and improving its margins, demonstrating the relevance of its positioning as the French ecommerce leader. The marketplace was at the heart of the profitable growth, growing fast at +22%, now representing 44% of the product GMV (Gross Merchandise Volume), with the number of merchants growing +15% to 13.000, and assortment +33% to 100 million products.Marketplace expansion contributed to a solid +8.6% performance of the GMV and increase in traffic, which reached a record-high 26 million unique monthly visitors in December. Cdiscount website served more than 10m clients over the year (+12%), with +10% members joining the loyalty program Cdiscount à Volonté.Cnova operated at the same time a strategic shift in the product mix, accelerating the sales of Home, Leisure and Beauty (+18% GMV on a full year basis) with positive impact on margins and client repurchase rates.Digital marketing revenues were up +31%, driving profitability. Cnova offers marketing services to both its 1,400 suppliers and 13,000 marketplace sellers, enabling them to promote their products and their brands in order to accelerate their sales.EBITDA soared by +62.5% to €133m and EBIT was multiplied by 3.6x to reach €53mThe marketplace revenues went up by +23.1% and reached €182mThe strategic product mix move towards Home, Leisure & Beauty brought higher marginDigital marketing services to marketplace sellers and suppliers grew by +31.3%A strong +22% marketplace expansion accelerating in the 2nd half of the yearGMV share went up +5.3 pts to 43.6% on a full year basis and accelerated +6.1pts to 44.5% in H2Marketplace KPIs accelerated in the 2nd half of the year with +30.0% orders (+26.1% on a full year basis) and 27.1% items sold (+23.8% on a full year basis)The marketplace sales fulfilled by Cdiscount grew by +26.4% on a full year basis to reach 32.8% of marketplace GMVPositive cash generationStrong free cash flow generation before financial expenses of +€73mIt was supported by a strong +€51m EBITDA improvement, a +€64m positive change in working capital and sustained net CAPEX of €71mNet financial debt reduced by €21mA new B2B strategic move with the development in 2020 and the launch in 2021 of a turnkey marketplace solution for retailers and e-merchantsComprehensive solution including products & merchants, technology and fulfilment servicesAccess to 100 million SKUs and 13k merchant baseFinancial highlights Emmanuel Grenier, Cnova CEO, commented:“In 2020, a year marked with exceptional challenges, we managed to serve our 10 million clients with an unlimited offer to cover all their needs, reaching record-high customer satisfaction and strengthening our position as the French ecommerce leader. We were also committed to using our platform to help those in need: SMEs to maintain their activity through our marketplace and distribution of millions of masks. 2020 also confirmed the relevance of our strategic evolution towards a platform model driven by our marketplace, rewarded with a solid and profitable growth. We will push our model evolution further in 2021 with a new development phase. We recently launched a comprehensive, turnkey marketplace solution for international retailers and e-merchants targeting a very deep and increasing EMEA market. With more than 100 million products, a 13,000 merchant base, a complete fulfilment service and best-in-class technology, this is a unique offer that will be a strategic pillar for our international growth and profitability in the years to come.”Operational highlightsOrganic GMV posted a strong +10.2% increase in the 4th quarter 2020 and a solid +8.6% in 2020GMV growth was:driven by the marketplace, which contributed +10.6 points in the 4th quarter 2020 and +7.0 points for the full year. International GMV doubled while B2C services (excluding Travel) also experienced a strong growthboosted by a strategic evolution initiated in the 2nd quarter towards Home, Leisure and Beauty, bringing more repurchase, loyalty and profitability thanks to higher marginsnegatively impacted by a decreasing Travel market following COVID-19 restrictions, both in France and abroad. Travel activity impacted growth by -1 pointBlack Friday, promoting soft and fair trade, broke its previous year record for the 4th consecutive year.Clients growth was very dynamic in the 4th quarter with a +21% increase of total clients, boosted by 1.2 million new client recruitments (+31% compared to last year). On a full year basis, Cnova client base reached 10.3 million, an increase of +12%.Cdiscount à Volonté (“CDAV”), Cdiscount’s loyalty program, now encompasses 2.3 million members (+10%) benefiting from 1.5 million SKUs available for express delivery, +23% compared to last year. Regarding traffic, Cnova reached a record-high 26.2m unique monthly visitors in December 2020 and remained #2 in France on average over the year, with a 11% growth overall and a +12% growth on mobile. Traffic registered a total of 1.2 billion visits in 2020.The marketplace was the driving force of GMV with a +34% growth in the 4th quarter 2020 and +22% on a full year basis.It led to an increased marketplace GMV share, reaching 45.0% in the 4th quarter 2020 (+7.5 points) and 43.6% on a full year basis (+5.3 pts). It benefited from a growing GMV fulfilled by Cdiscount (+24% in the 4th quarter, +26% on a full year basis) that represented 33% of the marketplace GMV over the year. Full Year financial performance*re-presented to take into account Haltae (Stootie operations legal entity) financials reclassified in discontinued activitiesNet sales amounted to €2,225m in 2020, a +2.2% organic growth compared to 2019. Net sales recorded the impact of the acceleration of the profitable shift of product sales towards marketplace sales, which are only recognized for the amount of the associated commissions.Gross margin was €474m in 2020 and accounted for 21.3% of net sales, a significant +3.6 points improvement compared to 2019. It benefited from a strong marketplace GMV share increase, the product mix evolution towards more recurring and high margins products, as well as the development of B2C and B2B monetization revenues, in particular digital marketing19.SG&A costs amounted to €(421)m and accounted for 18.9% of net sales, increasing by +1.9 points. Fulfillment costs, at 8.1% of net sales (+0.6 pt), increased due to the Cdiscount Fulfilment acceleration and the cost related to reducing delivery times through express delivery. Marketing costs represented 3.9% of net sales (+0.2 pt) with optimized SEO performance that led to increased free traffic, partly offsetting increasing media expenses to boost brand awareness. Technology & Content costs progressed at 4.9% of net sales (+0.8 pt) driven by B2C and B2B monetization activities investments. General & Administrative expenses slightly increased at 2.1% of net sales.As a result, EBITDA experienced a significant +€51m improvement in 2020 to reach €133m, a +63% growth, representing 6.0% of net sales (+2.3 pts). Before IFRS16 restatements, 2020 EBITDA amounted to €101m, nearly x2 compared the year before. EBITDA benefited from a fast marketplace growth, an improvement of the core business profitability and increased monetization revenues.Operating EBIT increased by €38m compared to 2019, with depreciation and amortization increasing by €12.9m due to B2C and B2B monetization activities investments.Net financial expenses, mainly related to installment payment solutions offered to customers amounted to €54m, decreasing by 5% despite GMV growth thanks to risk management improvement.Net loss from continuing operations significantly improved by +€46m y-o-y to reach €(16)m with an adjusted EPS of €(0.02).Free cash flow before financial expenses amounted to €73m in the last twelve months. This significant increase is relying on strong fundamentals:Operating profitability increased at a fast pace with a significant positive EBITDA at €133m, up by +€51mPositive change in working capital of +€64m driven by inventory rationalization and a positive impact from the growing marketplaceOther cash operating expenses and taxes totaled €(22)m, including €(4)m of Covid-19 impacts.Repayment & interests on lease liabilities (IFRS16 impact) amounted to €(32)m.Capital expenditures were up to €(71)m to support the implementation costs related to the strategic shift towards the platform model and monetization initiatives.Key Business AchievementsEnhanced customer experience and record-high NPSDelivery times improved this year by 0.3 days thanks to the increase in express delivery, the Cdiscount Fulfilment and Cdiscount Express seller assortment enlargement as well as improved marketplace quality control.Cnova also carried on its “say yes to the customer” policy, with now 80% positive and immediate answers to Cdiscount A Volonté customers claims and proactive preventive actions for every abnormal event happening during the customer journey. The goal is to reach 100% in 2021.It led to a significant +3 pts NPS improvement over the year, in line with Cnova’s constant efforts over the past years (+8 pts over 3 years).Marketplace of products growing double-digit, driving up revenues and profitabilityMarketplace activity accelerated during the 4th quarter, gaining +7.5 points of GMV share to reach 45.0%, thanks to a strong +34% GMV growth. On a full year basis, it improved by +5.3 points, to 43.6%.In addition to volume growth, revenue generation grew even faster: +40% in the 4th quarter and +23% on a full year basis, reaching €182m.Expansion of express delivery eligible marketplace SKUs is a key driver of growth, customer satisfaction and CDAV development and is determinant to support the product mix re-orientation towards recurring products. CDAV eligible SKUs reached 1.5m20, a +23% growth thanks to Cdiscount Fulfilment and Cdiscount Express Seller assortment enlargement.Product mix evolution towards recurring products building strong loyalty as well as increased profitabilityCnova initiated in the 2nd quarter a strategic product mix evolution towards Home, Leisure and Beauty. These categories bring three major advantages in the product mix: higher recurring purchase rates, marketplace share and margins. As a consequence, the product mix evolution aims at generating more loyalty and repurchase on the one hand, and more profitability on the other hand. These categories (Home, Leisure & Beauty) experienced a strong +29% growth in the 4th quarter (+18% on an annual basis).To support this product mix evolution, Cnova extended free home delivery from March 2020, now available from €25 basket for non-CDAV customers and €10 for CDAV customers Dynamic digital marketing powered by Cdiscount Ads Retail SolutionDigital marketing revenues increased by +42% in the 4th quarter compared to last year, and +31% on a full year basis, reinforcing our more profitable business model.It was supported by Cnova’s proprietary solution launched in the 2nd quarter, Cdiscount Ads Retail Solution (CARS), a 100% self-care advertising platform enabling both sellers and suppliers to promote their products and brands. Cnova also kept building complementary digital marketing features to reinforce its offer, such as the launch of Google Shopping campaign management for suppliers and marketplace sellers.B2C services showed solid performance despite Covid-19 negative impact on travelB2C services GMV amounted to €194m, up +15% on a full year basisCdiscount Energie experienced a solid +48% GMV growth this quarter and +65% in on a full year basis, supported by a very dynamic recruitment which reached a record-high number in December (+82% yoy),Cdiscount Mobile achieved in December its best month in terms of client recruitment and ended the year with a +62% increase of customer base. Fast-expanding international salesInternational GMV doubled in 2020 compared to the previous year and brought +1.0 point of Cnova total growth.The international platform encompassed 206 directly connected websites as of end December, +47 vs 3Q20, x4 compared to last year, enabling delivery in 27 countries.Launch of a turnkey marketplace solution for EMEA retailers and e-merchantsDeveloped over 2020 and launched in early 2021, Cdiscount’s turnkey marketplace solution aims at offering 3 modular and ready-to-operate marketplace service to international retailers and e-merchants:Products and merchants: access to our 100m product catalogue and 13,000 merchant baseTechnology: front-to-back marketplace platformFulfilment: multi-marketplace fulfilment solution, including cross-border shipping and warehouse management solutionCnova is the only player on the market to fully handle these 3 assets, at a large scale, thus offering a unique value proposition to address a huge EMEA e-commerce marketFirst major EMEA client signed beginning of 2021OutlookNext year, Cnova plans to accelerate its investments in order to further grow at a good pace while continuing its strategic evolution towards a platform model, improving its profitability and cash generation, with 4 clear strategic priorities:Growing the marketplace by further developing the Cdiscount Fulfilment and Cdiscount Express Seller assortments driving accelerated delivery time and customer satisfaction, translating into more marketplace revenues through commissions but also services to sellersPursuing the product mix evolution towards Home, Leisure and Beauty to further improve repeat purchase rates, loyalty and profitabilityAccelerating digital marketing revenues by recruiting more suppliers and marketplace sellers and offering them more featuresRolling-out Cdiscount’s unique marketplace turnkey solution targeting EMEA marketAbout Cnova N.V.Cnova N.V., the French ecommerce leader, serves 10.3 million active customers via its state-of-the-art website, Cdiscount. Cnova N.V.’s product offering provides its clients with a wide variety of very competitively priced goods, fast and customer-convenient delivery options, practical and innovative payment solutions as well as travel, entertainment and domestic energy services. Cnova N.V. is part of Groupe Casino, a global diversified retailer. Cnova N.V.’s news releases are available at www.cnova.com. Information available on, or accessible through, the sites referenced above is not part of this press release.This press release contains regulated information (gereglementeerde informatie) within the meaning of the Dutch Financial Supervision Act (Wet op het financieel toezicht) which must be made publicly available pursuant to Dutch and French law. This press release is intended for information purposes only.***
AppendicesCnova N.V. Consolidated Financial Statements(1)*re-presented to take into account Haltae (Stootie operations legal entity) financials reclassified in discontinued activities
Unaudited financial statementsIFRS 16, which replaces IAS 17 and the related interpretations from January 1st, 2019, eliminates the distinction between operating leases and finance leases: it requires recognition of an asset (the right to use the leased item) and a financial liability representative of discounted future rentals for virtually all lease contracts. Operating lease expense is replaced with depreciation expense related to the right of use and interest expense related to the lease liability. Figures before IFRS 16 impact, considering operating lease expense on a straight-line basis, are presented for comparison purpose only with historical financial statements.SG&A: selling, general and administrative expenses.Operating EBIT: operating profit/(loss) before other expenses (strategic and restructuring expenses, litigation expenses and impairment and disposal of assets expenses).In accordance with IFRS5 (Non-current Assets Held for Sale and Discontinued Operations), HALTAE (formerly Stootie)’s post-tax net profit for the year ended 31 December 2020 and 2019 are reported under “Net profit/(loss) from discontinued operations”Adjusted EPS: net profit/(loss) attributable to equity holders of Cnova before other expenses and the related tax impacts, divided by the weighted average number of outstanding ordinary shares of Cnova during the applicable period. *re-presented to take into account Haltae (Stootie operations legal entity) financials reclassified in discontinued activities*re-presented to take into account Haltae (Stootie operations legal entity) financials reclassified in discontinued activitiesè Excluding IFRS 16 impact*re-presented to take into account Haltae (Stootie operations legal entity) financials reclassified in discontinued activities
1 Re-presented to take into account Haltae (Stootie operations legal entity) financials reclassified in discontinued activities
2 Gross merchandise volume (GMV) is defined as product sales + other revenues + marketplace business volumes + services GMV + taxes and is calculated based on approved and sent orders
3 Organic growth: figures include showroom sales and services but exclude technical goods and home category sales made in Casino Group’s hypermarkets and supermarkets, as well as hygienic masks sold to Groupe Casino (total exclusion impact of respectively +0.1 pt and +0.7 pt GMV growth in 4Q20 and 2020).
4 Including travel, energy, ticketing, beauty
5 Including pro, international, 1001pneus, CB4X revenues, vouchers, fulfilment revenues & marketing digital
6Operating profit/(loss) from ordinary activities (EBIT) adjusted for operating depreciation & amortization
7 Including rental expense, i.e. repayments of lease liabilities and interest paid on lease liabilities
8 Including other non-cash items & items bridging income statement non-recurring items to cash non-recurring items
9Net financial debt excluding Neosys Put for €2.4m at end 2019 and €0.7m at end June and end December 2020
10 Re-presented to take into account Haltae (Stootie operations legal entity) financials reclassified in discontinued activities
11 Calculated as marketplace GMV (see p. 2) divided by total product GMV (marketplace GMV + Direct sales GMV – see p.2)
12Includes marketplace commissions after price discounts, marketplace subscription fee, as well as revenues from services to sellers (marketing services, financial services, …)
13Mixed baskets including both marketplace and direct sales products were also considered as marketplace baskets
14 Subscriber base on 31/12/2020
15 According to latest Médiamétrie studies (December 2020)
16Calculated as Marketplace GMV (see p. 2) divided by total product GMV (Marketplace GMV + Direct sales GMV – see p.2)
17Calculated as Marketplace GMV generated through merchants benefiting from Cdiscount’s fulfilment services divided by total Marketplace GMV
18 Includes marketplace commissions after price discounts, marketplace subscription fee, as well as revenues from services to sellers (marketing services, financial services, …)
19 Includes both revenues from marketing services to suppliers and marketing services to marketplace sellers (the latter being also included in total marketplace revenues)
20 At end December 2020
Attachment2021 02 18 Cnova NV PR 2020 Earnings
