PRESS RELEASE: BIGBEN: Q1 2021/22 Sales

Bigben

                                           Press release

           Lesquin, 26 July 2021 18:00 hrs

Q1 2021/22 Sales: 56.7 M€ (+2.8%)

• High sales history for Nacon Gaming 
• Favourable base effect for Audio-Telco

Confirmation of FY 2021/22 and FY 2022/23 targets

^{Non audited data}

In Q1 FY 2021/22 (April 1 to June 30, 2021), Bigben posted sales of €56.7 million, an increase of 2.8%, driven by Audio-Telco, which benefited from a favourable comparison basis, unlike the Nacon Gaming business unit, demonstrating the benefit from being present across several markets.

NACON GAMING

In Q1 2021/22, Nacon achieved sales of 33.7 M€, down 11.3% on Q1 2020/2021. Despite an unfavourable comparison basis, the back catalogue showed a positive momentum.

• Games: The segment posted sales of 12.2 M€, down 16.0% compared with Q1 2020/21, whose back catalogue sales had been boosted by 340% by lockdown. The back catalogue demonstrated its resilience with sales of 9.2 M€ against 10.8 M€ in Q1 2020/21 during the first lockdown, to be compared to 2.4 M€ in Q1 2019/20. The Roguebook (81% positive reviews on Steam) and Pro Cycling Management / Tour de France 2021 games released during the quarter were also well received.
• Accessories: The Accessories segment recorded sales of 20.6 M€, down 8.8%, as the introduction of RIG headsets in the USA generated very high sales in Q1 2020/21 during lockdown. Sales of other accessory ranges rose by 19%, thanks in particular to the very good performance of both PlayStation®4 controllers and Pro Compact controllers for Xbox®.

BIGBEN AUDIO-TELCO

The Audio-Telco business unit posted sales of 23.0 M€ in Q1 of FY 2021/22, up 33.9% compared with Q1 2020/21. Bigben also continued to improve its product mix in order to optimise its margins.

• Mobile Accessories recorded sales of 18.6 M€ over the period, up 25.4%. Turnover was driven in particular by strong sales growth for the Bigben®, Force Power® and Just Green® ranges of energy chargers.
• Audio posted an 83.9% increase in quarterly sales to 4.3 M€, benefiting from strong sales of Thomson and Bigben Party® products.

Outlook

Bigben remains cautious about its forecast for Q2 2021/22 given a less favourable comparison basis for Audio-Telco.

NACON GAMING expects the release of the RIMS Racing and WRC®10 games as well as the launch of the Revolution X Pro Controller for Xbox®.

After a summer expected to be low-key, the BIGBEN AUDIO/TELCO business should be redressed by the release of new premium smartphones in September. Sales should be driven by product innovations in Audio, by sales in the new retail channels recently listed and the expansion of the Just Green® range in Mobile accessories. In addition, there will be new sales opportunities in the Energy segment.

Confirmation of targets for FY 2021/22 and FY 2022/23

After a first half marked by extraordinary base effects, the Group is confident in its ability to grow in the second half and confirms its targets for FY 2021/22, with sales between 300 and 320 M€ and a COI ⁽¹⁾ rate of 13%.

NACON GAMING's sales are expected to grow in the second half of FY 2021/22. They should be supported by more game releases, including Blood Bowl 3® and Vampire: The Masquerade® - Swansong, a cult role-playing game with 30 million players worldwide. The Accessories business should benefit from a currently year on year higher order book.

In a more favourable environment with the deployment of the 5G network, the BIGBEN AUDIO/TELCO business should benefit from a commercial revival driven by sales in new channels and the success of premium smartphones, always with a recurring view to improving margins.

Given the FY 2022/23 targets confirmed ⁽²⁾ by NACON GAMING (Launch in 2022/23 of 4 major games: Test Drive Unlimited Solar Crown, Steelrising^TM, The Lord of the Rings™: Gollum™ and Session^TM ), the BIGBEN Group also confirms its targets for FY2022/23 i.e. sales between 360 and 390 M€ and a COI⁽¹⁾ rate in excess of 14%.

Dividend 2021

Bigben Interactive's Board of Directors submitted a 0.30€ dividend per share for FY 2020/21 to the vote of the Annual General Meeting to be held on 30 July 2021. Shares should be traded ex-dividend as of August 2, 2021 and dividends should be payable on August 4,2021.

(1)   COI rate = Current Operating Income as a percentage of sales= Current Operating Margin
(2)   Nacon press release on 26 July 2021

Upcoming events:
Annual General Meeting: Friday 30 July 2021  

Q2 2021/22 Sales: 25 October 2021, Press release after close of the Paris stock exchange

Attachment

• PR_BBI_Sales_Q1 2021 2022 ENG - Diffusion