AnnuAl RepoRt - AVAG Holding SE
Transcription
AnnuAl RepoRt - AVAG Holding SE
A European Automotive Trade Group 2013 2014 Annual Report Independent Motor Vehicle Trading Group AVAG Holding Se is one of the leading independent motor vehicle trading groups in Germany. As of August 31, 2014, there were a total of 35 domestic and 14 foreign commercial operations in 140 locations, all under the umbrella of the operational management and financial holding company based at our Augsburg headquarters. the three intermediate holding companies DIo, DIA and AVI, which are divided according to manufacturer and region, coordinate the commercial activities. AVAG Holding Se has a majority stake in automotive trading operations in Germany, Austria, Croatia, poland and Hungary. In addition, AVAG Holding Se maintains service companies and departments which, in an advisory capacity, support the local trading operations in their operational business activities and relieve them from activities that do not directly add value. Map of Operating Locations Map of Operating Locations Europe-wide there are a total of 49 commercial operations in 141 locations to date under the umbrella of the operational management and there financial based operations at our Augsburg Of these, 35 authorised Europe-wide are holding a total ofcompany 49 commercial in 141headquarters. locations to date under the umbrella of dealers the operational operate at a total of 111 locations in Germany. management and financial holding company based at our Augsburg headquarters. Of these, 35 authorised dealers operate at a total of 111 locations in Germany. Schwedt OPEL, FORD Berlin OPEL, FORD, SUBARU Göttingen TOYOTA Halle 3 2 Warsaw 9 OPEL 3 5 NISSAN, TOYOTA 9 Leipzig OPEL, NISSAN Dresden OPEL, NISSAN, TOYOTA, LEXUS Gießen OPEL, HONDA, SUBARU Chemnitz OPEL, NISSAN 5 Coburg 2 Nuremberg 2 FORD, VOLVO OPEL, FORD 6 2 Stuttgart OPEL OPEL 7 Augsburg OPEL, FORD, HONDA, SUBARU, NISSAN Kaufbeuren FORD OPEL, SUBARU, KIA Amberg OPEL, FORD, SUBARU 5 Kempten Regensburg OPEL, SUBARU 1 2 Landshut OPEL, SUBARU 15 2 8 Hof 3 Ingolstadt 10 Linz OPEL Vienna OPEL, KIA, PEUGEOT, NISSAN, FORD 1 11 15 Munich OPEL, FORD, SUBARU, TOYOTA, KIA Budapest 4 Salzburg OPEL, NISSAN OPEL, SUZUKI OPEL, FORD, SUBARU, KIA 1 2 Graz FORD 3 1 Zagreb OPEL, FIAT, ALFA ROMEO 2 Osijek OPEL, CITROËN Rijeka OPEL, FIAT, ALFA ROMEO 1 Split OPEL Operating Locations AVAG Holdings of 08/2014 Operating Locations of of AVAG Holdings SESE as as of 08/2014 tHe GRoup | foReWoRd | SupeRViSoRY BoARd RepoRt | G o A l S A n d S t R At e G i e S | Group organisational Chart AVAG Holding DIO DIA Augsburg • VH AAC SiGG GmbH • Branch Augsburg: Sigg-Haunstetten • Branch Augsburg: Sigg-donaustraße • Branch Augsburg: Sigg-donauwörther Straße • Branch meitingen: Sigg-meitingen Dresden • VH AiS dReSden GmbH • Branch dresden: AiS dresden-Altkaitz • Branch freital: AiS dresden-freital • Branch lexus: lexus forum dresden Augsburg • VH HAAS AutomoBile GmbH & Co. KG • Branch Königsbrunn: Haas Automobile-Königsbrunn • Branch Schwabmunich: Haas Automobile-Schwabmunich Kempten • VH AutoHAuS HAeBeRlen GmbH • Branch füssen: AH Haeberlen-füssen • Branch immenstadt: AH Haeberlen-immenstadt • Branch Kaufbeuren: AH Schmitz & Haeberlen • Branch landsberg: AH Haeberlen-landsberg Gießen • VH AutoHAuS nAu GmbH • Branch Stadtallendorf: AH nau-Stadtallendorf • Branch Gießen: AH nau-Gießen • Branch Wetzlar: AH nau-Wetzlar • Branch Butzbach: AH nau-Butzbach Munich • VH WiCKenHÄuSeR GmbH & Co. KG • Branch munich: Wickenhäuser am olympiapark • Branch munich: Wickenhäuser-meglinger Straße • Branch Wolfratshausen: Wickenhäuser im loisachtal Munich • VH AutoHAuS KuttendReieR GmbH Regensburg • VH SieBeR AutomoBile GmbH & Co. KG • Branch Straubing: Sieber Automobile-Straubing • Branch neutraubling: Sieber Automobile-neutraubling Landshut und ingolstadt • VH AutoHAuS SieBeR GmbH • Branch dingolfing: AH Sieber-dingolfing • VH AmZ inGolStAdt nuremberg • VH KRopf AutomoBile GmbH • Branch Amberg: AH Schwarzkopf-Amberg Hof • VH Auto eXneR GmbH & Co. KG • Branch naila: Auto exner-naila • Branch Selb: Auto exner-Selb • Branch Hof: Auto exner-mehrmarken Centrum • Branch Gera: Auto exner-Gera • Branch Hermsdorf: Auto exner-Hermsdorf Chemnitz • VH Auto CenteR noRd GmbH • Branch Chemnitz: Auto Center Süd • Branch Chemnitz: Auto Center lange • Branch Röhrsdorf: Auto Center Röhrsdorf • ACn ZentRAllAGeR GmbH (RSl) Dresden • VH AutoHAuS dReSden GmbH • Branch dresden: AH dresden-possendorfer Straße • Branch freital: AH dresden-freital Berlin • VH KAdeA BeRlin GmbH • Branch Berlin: KAdeA-Köpenick • Branch Berlin: KAdeA-Britz • Branch Berlin: KAdeA-Wilmersdorf • Branch Berlin: KAdeA-neukölln Leipzig • VH AutomoBilZentRum leipZiG GmbH • Branch leipzig: AmZ-Grünau • Branch leipzig: AmZ-Schönefeld • Branch leipzig: AmZ-Johannisplatz • Branch leipzig: AmZ-markkleeberg • Branch leipzig: AmZ-Staiger-Waldstraße • Branch Schkeuditz: AmZ-Schkeuditz Halle • VH dit HAlle GmbH • Branch Halle-neustadt: dit Halle-Angersdorf • Branch Bernburg: dit Halle-Bernburg Munich • VH dit munich GmbH • Branch munich: dit munich-Berg am laim • Branch munich: dit munich-frankfurter Ring • Branch munich: dit munich-landsberger Straße • Branch lexus: lexus forum munich Göttingen • VH dit GÖttinGen GmbH • Branch Goslar: dit Göttingen-Goslar • Branch osterode: dit Göttingen-osterode Dresden • VH AutoCenteR dReSden GmbH • Branch dresden: AC dresden-Bremer Straße • Branch dresden: AC dresden-Kaitz Halle • VH AutoCenteR HAlle GmbH • Branch Angersdorf: AC Halle-Angersdorf Augsburg • VH AutoCenteR HAAS GmbH Chemnitz • VH Auto CenteR CHemnitZ GmbH • Branch Chemnitz: AC Chemnitz • Branch Röhrsdorf: AC Chemnitz-Röhrsdorf Croatia Zagreb • VH pSC ZAGReB d.o.o. • Branch Zagreb: pSC Zagreb-dubrava • Branch Zagreb: pSC Zagreb-Velika Gorica Rijeka • VH pSC pRimoRJe d.o.o. Split • VH pSC dAlmACiJA d.o.o. osijek • VH pSC oSiJeK d.o.o. osijek • VH pSC SlAVoniJA d.o.o. Poland Warsaw • VH Auto ZoliBoRZ Sp. zo.o. • Branch Warsaw: Auto praga • Branch piaseczno: Auto piaseczno Hungary Budapest • VH AutoSZAlon dunA Kft. Austria Leipzig • VH AutoCenteR leipZiG GmbH • Branch leipzig: AC leipzig-Grünau Vienna • VH opel & BeYSCHlAG GmbH • Branch Vienna 21: Beyschlag-leopoldau • Branch Vienna 22: Beyschlag-donaustadt • Branch Klosterneuburg: Beyschlag-Klosterneuburg • loGiStiK pARK 19 GmbH (RSl) Augsburg • VH AutoHAuS AlBeRt Still GmbH • Branch Augsburg: AH Still-Augsburg Vienna • VH BeRnHARd KAndl GmbH • Branch Vienna 3: Kandl-Rennweg • Branch Vienna 10: Kandl-favoriten • Branch Vienna 13: Kandl-Speising Augsburg • VH AutomoBilfoRum SiGG & Still GmbH • Branch Augsburg: Amf Sigg & Still am Kobelweg Kaufbeuren • VH AutomoBilfoRum KAufBeuRen GmbH • Branch landsberg: Amf landsberg Munich • VH AutomoBilfoRum KuttendReieR GmbH • Branch munich: Amf Kuttendreier-AHG • Branch munich: Amf Kuttendreier-olympiapark • Branch munich: Amf Kuttendreier-meglinger Straße • Branch Wolfratshausen: Amf Kuttendreier im loisachtal nürnberg • VH AutomoBilfoRum KRopf GmbH • Branch Amberg: Amf Schwarzkopf Salzburg • VH ÖfAG GmbH • Branch St. Johann: ÖfAG-pongau • Branch Zell am See: ÖfAG-pinzgau • Branch Straßwalchen: ÖfAG-flachgau Traun bei Linz • VH AutoHAuS SulZBACHeR GmbH & Co. KG Graz • VH AutomoBilfoRum ReiSinGeR GmbH • Branch Bärnbach: Amf Reisinger-Bärnbach Vienna • VH AutomoBilfoRum BeYSCHlAG GmbH • Branch Vienna 22: Amf Beyschlag-donaustadt Berlin • VH AutomoBilfoRum KAdeA GmbH • Branch Berlin: Amf KAdeA-Goerzallee • Branch Berlin: Amf KAdeA-Bessemerstraße • Branch Berlin: Amf KAdeA-Seesener Straße Schwedt • VH SCHWedteR AutoHAuS GmbH Schwedt • VH AutomoBilfoRum SCHWedt Stuttgart • VH Auto StAiGeR GmbH • Branch Stuttgart: Staiger leinfelden-echterdingen • Branch Stuttgart: Staiger Waiblingen • Branch Stuttgart: Staiger esslingen • Branch Stuttgart: Staiger Schwäbisch-Gmünd • Branch Stuttgart: Staiger Göppingen • Staiger ZentRAllAGeR GmbH (RSl) Coburg • VH Hommert Auto Zentrum GmbH • Branch Sonneberg: Auto Zentrum Sonneberg Centralised Services • Vehicle distribution Centre • departmental Consultation • financial Services • Car fit Service GmbH • Car fit Auto-teile-Zubehör GmbH, Augsburg • VH dAC AutomoBilCenteR GmbH • Car fit Österreich GmbH 4 AV-International • Autofutura d.o.o., Zagreb • AVAG investments Sp. z o.o., Warschau • duna immobilien Kft., Budapest • diA dienst am Auto GmbH, traun As of: 08/2014 | S tat u s R e p o r t | Y e ar - e n d R e s u lt s | G o v e r n i n g B o d i e s o f t h e C o m pa n y | F i n a n c i a l C a l e n d ar | Contents The Group Map of operating locations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Group Organisational Chart . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Foreword by the Management Board . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Supervisory Board Report . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 G o a l s a n d st r at e g i e s of AVAG Holding SE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 S tat u s R e p o r t Group and Parent Company . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24 A n n u a l f i n a n c i a l stat e m e n ts Annual financial statements of the AVAG Group . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56 Balance Sheet of AVAG Group . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58 Profit and Loss Statement for AVAG Group . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60 Expanatory notes to the consolidated financial statements . . . . . . . . . . . . 61 Auditor’s opinion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62 Annual financial statements of AVAG Holding SE. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64 Balance sheet for AVAG Holding SE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66 Profit and Loss Statement for AVAG Holding SE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68 Expanatory notes to the annual financial statements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69 Auditor’s opinion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70 G o v e r n i n g B o d i e s o f t h e C o m pa n y . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72 Financial Calendar and imprint. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73 AVA G H o l d i n g A n n u a l R e p o r t 2 0 1 3 | 2 0 1 4 5 | T H E G R OUP FO R E W O R D | S UPE R V I S O R Y B O A R D R EPO R T | G O A L S A ND S T R ATE G IE S | The Management Board of AVAG Holding SE 6 Roman Still Management Board Spokesman Albert C. Still Management Board Spokesman Markus Kruis Chief Financial Officer Ulf Pfeiffer Member of the Management Board | S tat u s R e p o r t | Y e ar - e n d R e s u lt s | G o v e r n i n g B o d i e s o f t h e C o m pa n y | F i n a n c i a l C a l e n d ar | Foreword by the Management Board The past fiscal year was a very successful one for our group. Many markets in Europe, as well as the German market, benefited from a growing overall market. For the most part, our most high-volume manufacturers also developed positively which meant that, in line with this trend - driven by the positive general economic situation - we too were able to share in this development. Adjusted to reflect AVAG’s fiscal year, performance on the German automobile market as a whole was, with around 3.0 million new vehicle registrations, approx. 2.1% up on the previous year. The majority of the brands which we represent performed better than the market as a whole. Our biggest-selling brand Opel performed significantly better than the market, with a growth in sales of 7.2%. The key drivers behind this market growth were above all the new models Adam and Mokka, the updated Insignia and the phase-out of the Corsa. With 7.0% growth, Ford were able to confirm their strong trend of recent years. While the strike at the production plant in Genk was still causing considerable problems last year, this year Ford were able to operate without any impediment, scoring successes with the new products Fiesta, Focus, Mondeo and Transit. Unfortunately, Toyota performed less well than the market as a whole, we see the most urgent problem here as being the insufficient availability of the Yaris and Aygo over the past year. In the meantime, Toyota have once again promised to supply a greater quantity of products, so we can hope to see an upwards trend here. Nissan have experienced such an upwards trend, above all due to the successful launch of the new Qashqai, their most important model. The withdrawal of Chevrolet was of particular importance to us, and to the market as a whole. GM already announced in December 2013 that in future Chevrolet vehicles would no longer be sold in Europe, with the exception of the CIS countries. Given that AVAG, as a group, could expect to sell and repair around 4,500 to 5,000 Chevrolet vehicles a year, the announcement of the pull-out was a critical moment for us as dealers. However, as a result of fair exit conditions, a successful sell-off and by focussing on new areas of business we were able to compensate for this significant loss of turnover. At the same time of course, this decision was a very important signal for the future: In Europe, GM are committed to Opel – without any ifs or buts. Following years of debate about the future of the brand, this sends an unequivocal message, which has since been confirmed on numerous occasions. Over all our brands, this year too we have succeeded in further expanding our presence within the market. During this fiscal year we once again achieved a market share of over 1% in Germany. AVA G H o l d i n g A n n u a l R e p o r t 2 0 1 3 | 2 0 1 4 7 | T H E G R OUP FO R E W O R D | S UPE R V I S O R Y B O A R D R EPO R T | G O A L S A ND S T R ATE G IE S | As in the last fiscal year, this year too the Austrian motor vehicle market saw a decline in sales. Whereas our main partner Opel performed better than the market and managed to increase their market share, for the reasons mentioned above Ford performed less well in relation to the market, KIA and Chevrolet. We were unable to escape the effects of this decline entirely, with results slightly below those for the previous year. “We have further expanded our market presence” Our eastern European interests in Poland, Hungary and Croatia developed positively, without exception. Our third-biggest market Poland was around 15.8% up on the previous year. With an increase of 8.3%, we too were able to profit from this growth. In Croatia, the hope that accession to the EU would lead to a certain recovery was fulfilled. The market grew markedly (+24.3%). We too were able to grow, albeit, due to our strong commitment to Chevrolet in previous years, below the rate of the market (+16.5%). The Hungarian market continued to recover, expanding for the third year in a row with a growth of 17.5%. We actually recorded a disproportionately high growth here. The overall positive development of the markets and of our manufacturer brands as well as the consistent implementation of our consolidation strategy have helped our group to move forwards. With a total of 45,624 new cars, over all the markets which we serve we have expanded our presence within the markets and in relation to the brands which we represent. With 40,063 units, sales of used vehicles are also well up on the previous year. We also managed to maintain after-sales services at virtually the previous year’s level. We actually managed to increase labour turnover, although income from parts sales fell slightly. This is attributable in particular to regular reductions in recommended retail prices in this sector. 8 | S tat u s R e p o r t | Y e a r - e n d R e s u lt s | G o v e r n i n g B o d i e s o f t h e C o m pa n y | F i n a n c i a l C a l e n d a r | It is clear that our new strategic focus was exactly right. The restrained strategy of consolidation and the strict separation between brands which we initiated were the key factors behind our success. The combination of brand separation with our area concept helped us to concentrate our focus on the exploitation of all market and brand potentials within an area. This and our orientation around medium-sized enterprises with a decentralised structure and local managing partners are particular USPs of our company. Flat hierarchies allow us to implement measures rapidly and, working together with our managing partners, respond quickly to negative market trends and adverse economic developments. Conversely, we are immediately able to introduce new ideas and exploit potential opportunities. For example, this year we have already succeeded in achieving our performance target of at least 1% return on sales, ahead of schedule. We are optimistic about future prospects for the coming year. The general economic situation is expected to develop in a similar way to last year. Our manufacturers are also well positioned and are providing additional positive impetus with new products and marketing ideas. As a consequence, we expect the new fiscal year to develop on approximately the same level as the last one. The implementation of our consolidation measures over the past fiscal year and our new orientation towards a strategy of optimisation allow is us make each individual area a little bit better and thus stabilise the group as a whole and develop it going forwards. During the new fiscal year the emphasis will be on cost awareness and strict inventory management. We are very well equipped with our proven range of instruments such as our in-house used car market, our new car distribution centre as well as our excellent controlling systems, dealership comparisons and best practice examples. “Our new strategic focus was exactly right” AVA G H o l d i n g A n n u a l R e p o r t 2 0 1 3 | 2 0 1 4 9 | tHe GRoup foReWoRd | SupeRViSoRY BoARd RepoRt | G o A l S A n d S t R At e G i e S | Of course, we could not have achieved our record of success without our outstanding employees. At this point, we would therefore like to express our gratitude to all employees and of course our managing partners, who have shown high levels of motivation and outstanding personal commitment towards our company over the past year, thereby making a unique contribution to the success enjoyed by AVAG. Augsburg, February 2015 the Management Board Roman Still 10 Albert C. Still Markus Kruis ulf pfeiffer | S tAt u S R e p o R t | Y e A R - e n d R e S u lt S | G o V e R n i n G B o d i e S o f t H e C o m pA n Y | finAnCiAl CAlendAR AVA G H o l d i n G A n n u A l R e p o R t 2 0 1 3 | 2 0 1 4 | 11 | T H E G R OUP | FO R E W O R D S UPE R V I S O R Y B O A R D R EPO R T | G O A L S A ND S T R ATE G IE S | Supervisory Board Report Supervisory Board Report The Supervisory Board regularly monitored the Company’s Management Board during the fiscal year. At joint meetings, the Management Board informed the Supervisory Board in writing and orally of the Company’s economic and financial position. The accounting procedures, the 2013/2014 annual financial statements and the status report of AVAG Holding SE, as well as the consolidated annual financial statements, have been audited by KPMG Bayerische Treuhandgesellschaft Aktiengesellschaft Wirtschaftsprüfungsgesellschaft, Steuerberatungsgesellschaft, Munich, and have been issued an unqualified auditor’s opinion. The Supervisory Board duly noted and agreed with the results of said audit. The Supervisory Board has reviewed and approved at its meeting on January 27 2015 the annual financial statements of AVAG Holding SE and the consolidated annual financial statements as at August 31 2014, as well as the status report and group status report prepared by the Management Board, they have thus been adopted. The Supervisory Board, from left to right: Dr. Guido Schacht, Johannes Hall, Albert K. Still (Supervisory Board Chairman), Erhard Paulat, Dr. Walter Eschle, Prof. Dr. Heinz-Dieter Assmann 12 | S tat u s R e p o r t | Y e ar - e n d R e s u lt s | G o v e r n i n g B o d i e s o f t h e C o m pa n y | F i n a n c i a l C a l e n d ar | The report prepared by the Management Board on relationships with affiliated companies for the fiscal year 2013/2014 (dependence report) has also been audited by KPMG Bayerische Treuhandgesellschaft Aktiengesellschaft, Wirtschaftsprüfungsgesellschaft, Steuerberatungsgesellschaft, Munich, and has been issued an unqualified auditor’s opinion. The dependence report and the auditor’s report prepared by KPMG Bayerische Treuhandgesellschaft Aktiengesellschaft have been reviewed by the Supervisory Board, in particular with respect to the companies included in the scope of the report and the legal transactions subject to reporting. In accordance with the final result of the audit of the dependence report by the Supervisory Board as approved at the Supervisory Board meeting of January 27, 2015, there are no objections to be made to the Management Board’s closing statement pursuant to § 312 para. 3 of the German Stock Corporation Act [AktG]. The Supervisory Board concurs with the opinion of the auditor, who has issued the following auditor’s opinion for said report: “Following our dutiful audit and assessment, we confirm that (1) the factual information in the report is accurate, (2) with respect to the legal transactions set forth in the report, the Company’s performance was not inappropriately high or disadvantages have been compensated for.” The Management Board proposes that the net income for 2013/2014 of EUR 12,591,114.85 be initially added to the profit brought forward from the previous year of EUR 3,821,391.99, following this, an amount of EUR 629,555.74 should be allocated to legal reserves. The Supervisory Board concurs with this proposal. The unappropriated earnings of EUR 15,782,951.10 are to be allocated as follows: 1. Payment of a dividend of EUR 0.41 per share with dividend entitlement, total EUR 1,574,810.00 2. Balance carried forward to new account EUR14,208,141.10 EUR 15,782,951.10 Augsburg, January 2015 The Supervisory Board AVA G H o l d i n g A n n u a l R e p o r t 2 0 1 3 | 2 0 1 4 1 3 | T H E G R OUP | FO R E W O R D | S UPE R V I S O R Y B O A R D R EPO R T 14 G O A L S A ND S T R ATE G IE S | | S tat u s R e p o r t | Y e ar - e n d R e s u lt s | G o v e r n i n g B o d i e s o f t h e C o m pa n y | F i n a n c i a l C a l e n d ar | Goals and strategies Picture on left: Autohaus Wickenhäuser in Munich Photo: Opel AVA G H o l d i n g A n n u a l R e p o r t 2 0 1 3 | 2 0 1 4 1 5 | T H E G R OUP | FO R E W O R D | S UPE R V I S O R Y B O A R D R EPO R T G O A L S A ND S T R ATE G IE S | Goals and Strategies of AVAG Holding SE The role of AVAG Holding SE The role of the dealership area AVAG Holding SE sees itself as an international operational management and financial holding company. The operational aspect relates in particular to the successful operation of distribution centres in Germany, Austria and Croatia supplying the volume brands which we distribute. This makes it possible for the operational subsidiaries to order vehicles at any time. This guarantees the customers a wider range of choices and rapid deliverability. In addition, as a management holding company AVAG makes available to its operational dealers highly qualified specialists who, with their specialised knowledge and advice, support the dealers and develop and implement new concepts. For this reason AVAG employs, for example, experts in the important specialist areas of marketing & market development, treasury, personnel management, after-sales, corporate and commercial customers, IT, insurance, property management as well as quality and environmental management, whose expertise the dealers may need to access from time to time but who it would not be worthwhile for the dealers to employ fulltime. In addition to all this, as part of its activities as financial holding company AVAG Holding SE, always the majority shareholder in the operational dealerships, acts towards the partners as a provider of equity and borrowed capital in order to relieve these of the burden of structuring the liabilities side while at the same time exploiting synergies within the area of finance. The symbiosis of medium-sized structures on the local distribution level and a strong partner in the background which performs centralised key functions and which makes its services available as a package is, for our medium-sized dealerships, the guarantee for their successful survival in the increasingly tough competitive environment within the automotive trade. This way, in line with the motto “all business is local”, the decision-making competence and individuality of a medium-sized dealership, which is so important in day-to-day business, is retained without, on the other hand, losing out on the advantages of a centrally managed organisation. The core function of the head office is thereby to combine administrative elements synergistically in order to allow the local business operations to concentrate fully on their core function, i.e. the sale and repair of vehicles. We believe that the different dealerships of a manufacturer, for example Opel, within a particular region should be under the management of a managing partner/manager. We refer to such a region as an area. If an area is, in our view, clearly too large (turnover > EUR 100 million), this necessitates additional administrative processes which no longer permit a managing partner/manager to be sufficiently close to day-to-day business. This is where “cell division” comes into play. If, on the other hand, an area is clearly too small (turnover < EUR 20 million), it cannot exploit the necessary potential synergies. In this case, entities must be merged together in order to benefit from the necessary “economies of scale”. In our view, only flexible units with annual sales of at least 500 new cars are, in the medium and long-term, in a position to meet the requirements of today’s market. At the same time we ensure a strict separation of brands on the local level, going as far as creating separate legal entities for all the manufacturers which we represent. We also see the successful cooperation on distribution level with our partner dealers from the Opel, Ford, Toyota, KIA and Nissan organisations as a very important module in terms of achieving an even more intensive exploitation of the market. Due to their proximity to and close collaboration with the local partners, our partner advisers can support the local partners of the associated dealerships more competently and effectively with advice and practical assistance than would be possible for the manufacturers. 16 | S tat u s R e p o r t | Y e ar - e n d R e s u lt s | G o v e r n i n g B o d i e s o f t h e C o m pa n y | F i n a n c i a l C a l e n d ar | Strategic orientation: optimisation We emerged from our successful consolidation phase, at the latest, with the acquisitions at the end of the fiscal year. However, this does not represent a U-turn, rather, we have developed the consolidation further by means of an optimisation strategy. By optimisation we mean the improvement of each individual area. For this purpose we have identified key issues in order to focus on new trends and developments within our sector and within the markets and exploit these. Jointly with responsible project managers, we examine the requirements area by area. If necessary, the project mangers then assist on-site with implementation within the area until the process has been finally and permanently established. All of this ultimately serves the purpose of achieving the company’s economic target. The aim is to achieve a sustainable return on sales of at least 1% and a capital ratio of around 20%. Business operations which fail to achieve this must either be successfully reorganised or discontinued. Controlled organic growth and acquisitions, expansion of the brand portfolio as well as the exploitation of key market opportunities – like the takeover last year of Autohaus Staiger in Stuttgart – will also continue in the future. However, prior to each involvement we will critically examine whether this is, in the long term, consistent with the aforementioned economic goals. In parallel with this, however, we stand by our strategy of risk diversification which we have practised for years. This diversification applies to both brands and markets. The objective is to smooth out individual effects and limit concentration risk. Despite this policy of diversification, we see brand exclusivity as a key asset. Brand exclusivity means full concentration on the possibilities of the brand and the most effective exploitation of local market potential. This gives rise to the objective of managing each brand with its own team and, depending on the potential, within its own company. AVA G H o l d i n g A n n u a l R e p o r t 2 0 1 3 | 2 0 1 4 1 7 | T H E G R OUP | FO R E W O R D | S UPE R V I S O R Y B O A R D R EPO R T AVAG’s marketing: Professional cultivation of the markets Nowadays, the possibilities for market cultivation are more diverse and specifically targeted than ever. Moreover, our target groups and their media behaviour are becoming increasingly inhomogeneous. Accordingly, in order to exploit the full potential all the different channels have to be “played against” one another in a balanced way. To do this it is necessary to understand the different media and their particular impact, but above all to have an exact knowledge of the target groups and the way they tend to use these media. As a service provider for our dealerships we see it as our task to define the balanced marketing mix for each make. In consultation with the respective manufacturers and importers, we transform the national campaigns into local marketing. In doing so we always make sure that we place our own strengths clearly in the foreground, thereby differentiating ourselves from the competition, because on a local level a campaign is ultimately only successful if it boosts sales. In detail, the marketing mix can look very different depending on the make, the region and in some cases also on the sales team. Our task is to meet the expectations of all as far as possible. The focus of our marketing activities is, as before, on the classic channels, although a clear shift towards the “new media” can be observed. In cultivating the market we have for years supported our dealerships with our own call centre. Both in sales and in service, we have specialised in identifying customers and potential customers. As a further service provider, our Lettershop places our dealerships in the comfortable situation of not having to deal with carrying out in some case very time-consuming mailing campaigns. G O A L S A ND S T R ATE G IE S | Not only is the new and used vehicle warranty which we offer a USP, it represents one of our most important customer loyalty instruments. As a dealer warranty, we now offer these with warranty periods of five to seven years. Our warranty is available, exclusively to our customers, at all AVAG dealerships throughout Europe. The resounding success of our warranty has once again been confirmed impressively during the past fiscal year. We now see this effective customer loyalty instrument and the resulting profit contributions in sales and after-sales as indispensible. After-sales strategies In 2012/13 we were able to successfully develop one key goal for the service and parts division, the implementation of a standard direct reception concept. Comparable and measurable parameters were defined and processes systematised. The direct reception facilities were made more attractive, with the available workshop services and accessories presented to customers in an optimal manner. In addition to providing the best possible “car-related” service, we focus here in particular on parts which are vulnerable to competition such as tyres and wheels, glass repair service and batteries. In order to support the sales process, we will be continuing to conduct intensive sales training for the service advisers in the new fiscal year. Another key aspect of our efforts for the service division in the coming fiscal year is an increased Internet presence offering service and parts, combined with an intensification of the marketing of our service division. Our primary goal was and is to further optimise the processes and organisations within our service departments and to ensure that the customer can expect the highest level of quality and satisfaction at our dealerships. In line with AVAG’s general focus on optimisation, the aftersales division is also pursuing this policy. Having introduced numerous initiatives aimed at improving the sales process, customer loyalty and marketing, we wish to take a further step forwards. Although all the processes are clearly defined and appropriate training provided, we still keep encountering deviations and different interpretations. In order to create even more comparability and measurability we are integrating service packages in the reception process. Through the use of standardised packages and numbers 18 | S tat u s R e p o r t | Y e a r - e n d R e s u lt s | G o v e r n i n g B o d i e s o f t h e C o m pa n y | F i n a n c i a l C a l e n d a r | we can improve the requirements analysis and thus target customers’ needs more specifically. This way, we integrate the customers better into the reception process. We expect this to lead to greater customer satisfaction and improved rates of returning customers. The introduction of automatic registration of parts procurements within the group has certainly helped optimise processes in the parts division. In the original parts business in particular, widening the range on offer through supplementary purchases from other areas as well as including other AVAG brands helps us better penetrate the independent workshops market. We are also simplifying orders from outside through the development of our own web shop, which makes order processing a significantly leaner process. The focus continues to be on the parts and purchasing division. In the case of oil and tyres in particular as well as third-party parts business, we achieved an even more consistent exploitation of synergies through a deliberate bundling of purchasing activities. In combination with our direct reception concept we were able to further expand our glass repair service to dissuade our customers from drifting off to supposedly cheaper fast-fit groups. In addition to the regular training of our employees, one element contributing to our success is the comparable measurability offered by our information portal. In addition to measuring and evaluating success in terms of sales, this controlling tool allows stock analyses to be carried out and stock level strategies to be determined quickly and simply. For example we have implemented new modules for evaluating overstocking, enabling us to better counter the occurrence of so-called 6-parts [6er Teilen?]. Process of transition within the corporate and commercial customers business The corporate and commercial customers business is the second mainstay of the automotive trade and, with a share of around 25 per cent of relevant fleet vehicle registrations, a core area of business. The framework conditions in the corporate and commercial customers sector have changed fundamentally in recent years. AVAG Holding SE has therefore strategically reoriented the corporate and commercial customers business in virtually all dealerships. Within the dynamic corporate and commercial customers business, selling involves not only selling the product, but providing a service tailored to the customer’s needs. This requires particular personal and professional qualifications on the part of the sales advisor, as well as salesmanship skills. The service aspect must also be professionally implemented in the commercial sector in order to offer customers a perfect service and mobility solution. In order to ensure that this proactive approach is implemented today, in view of the increasingly tough competition, the dealerships are provided with all the important instruments, for example a CRM tool (set up for b2b), effective sales force support, marketing campaigns, internal training and a professional call-centre. The correct interpretation and correct use of this data will increasingly be the subject of the regularly held parts manager meetings during the coming fiscal year. These will allow the participants from the locations to exchange practical experience and best practices directly. AVA G H o l d i n g A n n u a l R e p o r t 2 0 1 3 | 2 0 1 4 1 9 | T H E G R OUP | FO R E W O R D | S UPE R V I S O R Y B O A R D R EPO R T Further developments in the IT system environment In Augsburg, AVAG Holding SE operates a central computing centre of redundant design. The entire business software of all dealerships is run here, in completely virtualised form. This centralised hardware makes it possible to provide a flexible IT infrastructure which can be controlled in a standardised way in order to meet all the requirements of the dealerships. In order to be able to continue to guarantee smooth dataprocessing operations in the coming years, at the end of 2013 AVAG’s experts replaced all the components of the old computing centre with new ones. As well as increasing computing power, working memory and storage capacity, the IT team also further extended security against failure. In addition, they replaced the central firewall cluster, which led to an increase in the range of security safeguards. As well as the upgrades in the area of servers (Windows 2003 to Windows 2008R2), a new AVAG PC workplace was introduced. This system reduces power consumption by up to 80% in comparison with conventional workstations and, with its space saving design, contributed to logistical advantages which made possible an IT upgrade at several locations in Stuttgart. In addition to these locations, the experts are also integrating other business operations in Munich, Leipzig, Gera and Hermsdorf into the AVAG IT environment. In the field of software, the experts developed the project eASC, the electronic AVAG service check. This allows service advisers to refer to a tablet, for example, for support during direct reception or in providing information on prices. In addition, the integration of the brand KIA was implemented and the web shop solution developed further. Another new development was the data hub in the parts division which controls the electronic exchange of documents between the AVAG areas. These further developments in AVAG Holding SE’s IT system environment improve the logistics and flexibility of the computing centre and thus increase effectiveness and efficiency in day-to-day business. 20 G O A L S A ND S T R ATE G IE S | Professional treasury and cash management “Cash is fact, profit is opinion!” – the professional treasury management of AVAG Holding SE should be seen in precisely this light. Tight margins and high capital requirements on the one hand and sales-oriented managers who, as complete professionals within the trade, cannot let any opportunity pass, demand cost-optimised daily availability of liquidity. It is the responsibility of AVAG Holding SE to secure the group’s financing, to provide the operational companies with liquidity and to monitor its use. In order to further stabilise our relationships with commercial banks we have during the past fiscal year changed over to fixing our credit lines, previously arranged on an “until further notice” basis, for two years. Agreements to this effect have since been signed with most of our commercial banks, while we are in negotiations with the remaining banks. One of the biggest challenges for the operating locations in Germany and Austria during the past fiscal year was the changeover to SEPA with effect from 1 February 2014. While the treasury management and payroll accounting system function smoothly, it transpired that, although the enterprise resource planning systems were able to generate SEPA transfers, the whole area of SEPA debit notes was and still is wholly inadequate in its implementation. This causes a certain amount of additional work in operations which have to deal with a lot of debit notes (i.e. primarily the central warehouse and distribution centres). This should be remedied through the introduction of a completely new payment transactions module which will, in addition, possess an account assignment functionality. Its testing and introduction in the subsidiaries will be one of the big challenges for the coming fiscal year. | S tat u s R e p o r t | Y e a r - e n d R e s u lt s | G o v e r n i n g B o d i e s o f t h e C o m pa n y | F i n a n c i a l C a l e n d a r | Other challenges include: • Changeover of all Austrian banks to the communication standard EBICS, which has been in general use in Germany for some years, due to the discontinuation of TANs in paper form. • Selection of a single Germany-wide partner in the area of card payments and changeover in the subsidiaries. • Further optimisation of interest expenses and bank charges. Project development / property management Through continuous investment, we keep our property portfolio within Germany and abroad attractive, in this way guaranteeing our customers an enjoyable shopping experience at our modern dealerships. The following plots of land and properties were acquired during the course of the fiscal year: Gera, Esslingen, Waiblingen and Schwäbisch-Gmünd, in contrast, plots of land in Zwickau, Einbeck and Saalepark were sold off. Personnel management AVAG Holding SE’s personnel management experts are the contact partners for all personnel-relevant questions for the management at the head office in Augsburg and for the managers of the local dealerships. One important responsibility of the department lies in the maintenance of the existing properties as well as a forwardlooking property development programme. A big part of the focus over the past fiscal year was on the implementation of the new CI specifications by the manufacturer Opel. Their implementation will also be continued during the following year. The main focus of the personnel department lies on the recruitment of managers and specialists. Consequently, the issue of personnel development and the qualification of future management is a key concern and will be further expanded and perfected in 2015. The coaching of high-potentials on the local level is also increasing in importance. The training and coaching are carried out by in-house managers. Also, the brand KIA was successfully integrated at the locations Hof, Munich, Kaufbeuren and Landsberg and the relevant dealer standards implemented. The implementation and integration of the brands Hyundai and Dacia is planned for the coming fiscal year. A further function of the personnel department is to provide support to local personnel officers, in particular in relation to payroll accounting matters, but also in connection with general personnel management issues. Other key tasks in the coming fiscal year are the new build projects in Nuremberg and Munich. In Nuremberg we are converting the Obi-Baumarkt DIY store in the Bessemerstrasse which we have acquired into a modern Opel dealership. In Munich, a completely new dealership for the brand Hyundai is being built in the Dachauerstrasse. The core responsibilities of personnel management also include support and advice in relation to matters involving employment law. One important task involves guaranteeing defined processes in day-to-day personnel work. These have an impact on the correctness of the payroll accounting and personnel controlling in particular. Compliance with standards and the continuous review of these processes is therefore of key importance, among other things for the efficiency of the personnel department. In the Stuttgart area, we are looking for a plot of land as a replacement for the Nordbahnhof property, the lease agreement on which is running out. Once we find a suitable site we will be building a new dealership for Opel-Staiger. Our aim is to support the people in the dealerships in their day-to-day work and push forward the further development of personnel management. AVA G H o l d i n g A n n u a l R e p o r t 2 0 1 3 | 2 0 1 4 2 1 | T H E G R OUP | FO R E W O R D | S UPE R V I S O R Y B O A R D R EPO R T Financial services Insurance business For years it has been the declared philosophy of AVAG Holding SE that all the brands which we represent should bring their own manufacturer’s bank or their chosen banking partner into the business relationship with AVAG. In the financing of purchasing and sales, AVAG Holding SE is thus affiliated as a partner with the GMAC, Toyota, Ford, Nissan and Honda banks, the so-called captive banks. We conduct the majority of the used vehicle business with the non-captive banks. The fact that we exploit insurance policies as a source of revenue on a long-term and consistent basis through our central AVAG department focusing exclusively on the insurance business, as well as with specialised employees and advisers on a local level, has once again borne fruit over the past year. We have succeeded in pushing forward consistently and successfully the continuous expansion of the volume of insurance business conducted with our respective business partners. During the last fiscal year, the volume of sales passed on to our automotive banks in Germany and Austria amounted to 343 million euro. For example, during the past fiscal year 2013/2014 a total of 18,265 motor insurance policies were concluded (previous year: 16,248), of which 7,834 (previous year: 6,574) are attributable to our international affiliated companies and 10,431 (previous year: 9,674) to domestic companies. This means that it has been possible to increase domestic penetration to 29.3 % (previous year: 29.2 %), resulting in a portfolio volume of 45,322 policies (previous year: 42,387) with a premiums volume of EUR 21.8 million (previous year: EUR 19.8 million). We pay particular attention to the balance between the aforementioned purchasing and sales financing. Here, banking partners offering powerful and affordable credit are prioritised. This makes it possible for us to continue to pursue the tried and tested strategy of risk diversification in order to take on the challenges on the market with the necessary flexibility and drive forward the development of the financial services division. Over the past three years, the sales instrument leasing has once again developed into an important customer loyalty instrument. The Opel locations of AVAG Holding SE thus make use of and support the sales strategy of Adam Opel AG, which was established on 01.07.14. Financing/Leasing Period FY Leasing and financing applications (units) Volume (million euro) 2010/11 * 24,165 312.0 2011/12 * 24,588 326.0 2012/13 * 23,605 307.1 2013/14 * 25,495 343.0 * All partners (captive & non-captive), previously only GMAC Bank. As from FY 2010/11 Germany & Austria. 22 G O A L S A ND S T R ATE G IE S | Controlling and transparency With the group increasing in size and increasing internationalisation, a meaningful and efficient system of controlling has become a key factor for success. From the planning to the target/performance comparison, it is important to be able to gather, analyse and process specific information in condensed form to serve as a basis for both operational and strategic corporate decisions. Our controlling and evaluation platform “Infoportal” has proved indispensable. This tool is linked to our Dealer Management Systems and creates unprecedented transparency in virtually all areas and departments of the dealership. Irrespective of whether this involves contribution margins of a sales adviser over a particular period, unsettled workshop orders, an evaluation of stored winter tyres or processed accident claims, divided according to insurance companies, the Infoportal always supplies the right answers. Another reason why the infoportal has developed into a true USP in the AVAG locations is the user-friendliness of the system. | S tat u s R e p o r t | Y e a r - e n d R e s u lt s | G o v e r n i n g B o d i e s o f t h e C o m pa n y | F i n a n c i a l C a l e n d a r | With the introduction of our AVAG dealership comparison we fulfil a long-cherished wish of many members of management within our company. They can now compare sales and key figures down to account level. This can be done on area level, but also down to the comparison of selected locations. Strengths and potentials of departments, locations and whole areas can be identified in no time. This tool provides unprecedented transparency and provides a clear objective basis for many management level discussions. One of our key success factors is the continuous presence of our controlling team in the business locations. In this way we guarantee continual further training of our accounting and financial managers within the dealerships. In addition, this allows weak points to be identified and eliminated at short notice. This also guarantees a close relationship with day-to-day business operations within AVAG. Economies of scale and stock management A central networking of our stocks of new cars in Germany, Austria and Croatia for the brands Opel, Ford, Toyota, Nissan, KIA and Subaru means that the sales advisers at our locations in these countries have real-time access to approx. 4,400 new vehicles available for sale. This means that virtually any customer wish can be realised within a very short time. Additionally, there are at any given time approx. 5,000 new vehicles passing through the system as demonstration vehicles, hire vehicles or vehicles awaiting delivery to customers. A continuing process of optimisation means we can keep the delivery time for a requested vehicle down to three working days, thus also reducing our capital commitment. of incoming enquiries from potential customers as far as the contract of sale. Various filter functions and plausibility checks are used to identify vehicles which are incorrectly positioned in terms of price. All in all, this tool has developed into a key control instrument within our used vehicle business. In Germany and Austria, AVAG operates support centre warehouses for the manufacturer Opel. We are also growing jointly with the manufacturer Ford, with whom we are parts-dealing partners in Chemnitz, Berlin and Vienna. We aim in future to further expand the experience and reliability which we demonstrate daily as a competent logistics specialist in the area of parts and accessories for Opel, Ford, Toyota, Nissan and KIA. The central spare parts warehouses have developed into a guarantee of high deliverability and thus play a crucial part in ensuring that customers’ vehicles only remain within our workshops for a short period of time. Our logistics centres are distinguished by a high level of competence and technical know-how. This makes them attractive logistics partners. We will also continue to actively expand the concepts developed in cooperation with insurance companies for supplying approved workshops with economical replacement parts for repairing referred cases of damage. In addition, from their workplace the salespersons can access the entire stock of used vehicles within the group of companies. The wide selection of used vehicles – on average we have approx. 5,000 to 6,000 used cars in stock - and an attractive price-performance ratio help us to meet virtually all of our customers’ requirements and wishes. An intelligent IT application makes it possible for each of our locations to manage its stock of vehicles, with photos, and automatically distribute these to predefined online markets. The same system captures and monitors the processing AVA G H o l d i n g A n n u a l R e p o r t 2 0 1 3 | 2 0 1 4 2 3 | T H E G R OUP | FO R E W O R D | S UPE R V I S O R Y B O A R D R EPO R T | G O A L S A ND S T R ATE G IE S | 24 S tat u s R e p o r t | Y e ar - e n d R e s u lt s | G o v e r n i n g B o d i e s o f t h e C o m pa n y | F i n a n c i a l C a l e n d ar | Status Report Picture on left: Auto Żoliborz, Warsaw Photo: Opel AVA G H o l d i n g A n n u a l R e p o r t 2 0 1 3 | 2 0 1 4 2 5 | T H E G R OUP | FO R E W O R D | S UPE R V I S O R Y B O A R D R EPO R T | G O A L S A ND S T R ATE G IE S | Status Report and Group Status Report of AVAG Holding SE, Augsburg as on 31 August 2014 A. Basis of the Group AVAG Holding SE, Augsburg, is one of Europe’s leading independent motor vehicle trading groups, with 49 operational dealer business in a total of 140 operating locations. The three intermediate holding companies DIO, DIA and AVI, which are organised according to manufacturers and regions, coordinate the trading activities. In addition to Germany, AVAG is also active in the countries Austria, Croatia, Poland and Hungary. The AVAG Group distributes the brands Opel/Chevrolet, Toyota/Lexus as well as Ford. In addition, Nissan, Honda, Subaru, Peugeot, KIA, Fiat Alfa Romeo, Suzuki and Citroën dealerships are also operated. In the past year the AVAG Group brought around 86.000 vehicles onto the road, achieving an overall turnover of EUR 1.37 billion euro. The following changes took place during the fiscal year 2013/14: On 01.07.2014 the AVAG Group took over the insolvent Autohaus Vogel with locations in Gera and Hermsdorf by means of an asset deal. The takeover of the Opel dealer primarily serves to consolidate coverage of the market region. Organisationally, the business will be integrated with Auto Exner GmbH & Co. KG. 26 Furthermore, the Opel dealership in Leipzig operated by AutoStaiger GmbH was taken over on 01.07.2014. The business will be integrated organisationally with Automobilzentrum Leipzig. All of AutoStaiger GmbH’s other dealerships were acquired on 01.08.2014. Specifically these involve the locations in Stuttgart, Leinfelden, Waiblingen, Göppingen, SchwäbischGmünd and Esslingen, which will all be transformed into exclusive Opel dealerships. The acquisition was agreed with Autohaus Staiger GmbH (formerly Autowelt KADEA GmbH) in the form of an asset deal. During the fiscal year 2013/14, Alfred Hommert KG, Coburg, was acquired on 01.09.2014. The company, which has been an authorised Ford dealer since 1985, was taken over by DIA GmbH. The Munich Toyota dealer Ernst Wieser was taken over on 01.04.2014 by means of an asset deal. The Toyota/Lexus dealership on the Landsbergerstrasse will continue to be run by DIT München GmbH, part of the AVAG Group. S tat u s R e p o r t | Y e ar - e n d R e s u lt s | G o v e r n i n g B o d i e s o f t h e C o m pa n y | F i n a n c i a l C a l e n d ar | B. Economic report 1. General economic framework conditions Economic growth within the euro zone was slow overall in the first half of 2014. There were in some cases very significant differences, whereas the economic upturn continues very steadily in the United Kingdom, Ireland and Poland, and Eastern Europe can, generally, show positive growth, in the countries of western Europe the economic recovery proceeds at a very low positive level, but significantly better than in the last year 2013. The general economic growth forecast for the euro zone was reduced by the OECD from 1.2 % to 0.8 % in September 2014. In Germany an increase of 0.8 % in gross domestic product was recorded in the first half of 2014. The forecast for the year 2014 as a whole is for 1.5 %. Overall, we assess the general economic conditions as being stable. 2. Sector-related framework conditions The international automobile markets developed positively overall in the first eight months of the year 2014. Following the marked declines in the automotive trade since the financial and credit crisis, in the first eight months of the year 2014 the western European market grew by 5.1 % in comparison with the previous year, with 8,038,200 new vehicle registrations, and has now been growing consistently for twelve months. The turnaround on the automotive markets thus appears to be confirmed. The new vehicle registration figures for the individual countries confirm this development. However, in the single month August 2014 the German car market failed to grow as expected in comparison with the previous year, with 213,092 new car registrations (-0.4 %). The August figures for Italy were similar and France was actually 3.0 % down on the same month of the previous year. However, other countries showed significant growth, for example by 14 % in Spain and by 10 % in the United Kingdom in comparison with the same month of the previous year. Overall there remains a sustained positive trend in all western European markets for the first eight months of the year 2014. The important markets Spain and the United Kingdom both show two-digit growth rates in this period. The markets in Italy (+3.5 %), Germany (+2.6 %) and France (+1.6 %) also showed a positive long-term development. A similar picture can be seen in the smaller markets in Eastern Europe, also including Poland (+15.7 %), Hungary (+20.7 %) and Croatia (+27.3 %). 2,021,609 (previous year: 1,969,820) new vehicle registrations were recorded, cumulatively, for the German market from January to August 2014, representing an increase of around 2.6 %. Of all new vehicle registrations, around 62.6 % were of a commercial nature. The growth in the German market results for the most part from commercial registrations, whereas the private market is, as before, only developing sluggishly. Looking at the individual segments, the compact class makes up the biggest share with 25.9 %, but is down overall. This is followed by the segments city cars (14.7 %), medium class (12.7 %) and vans (9.9 %). Taken as a whole, these four classes account for the lion’s share of the overall market, at 63.2 %. As previously, the strongest growth can be seen in the SUV segment as well as in compact cars (A and B segments). The following table shows the new vehicle market, adjusted to AVAG’s financial year. The new vehicle market saw a continuous improvement each month over this fiscal year. Thus, with 3,004,220 (previous year: 2,943,608) newly registered vehicles nationwide, our fiscal year saw an increase of approx. 2.1 % in comparison with the previous year, slightly above our forecast figure of 2.9 million vehicles. AVA G H o l d i n g A n n u a l R e p o r t 2 0 1 3 | 2 0 1 4 2 7 | tHe GRoup | foReWoRd | SupeRViSoRY BoARd RepoRt | G o A l S A n d S t R At e G i e S | Germany Sept. 13 to Aug. 14 28 New Registrations in Units Volkswagen 652,656 Mercedes BMW Change in % Market Share in % from 2012/13 Sept. 12 to Aug. 13 New Registrations in Units Market Share in % 21.72 3.65 629,694 21.39 269,081 8.96 -4.78 282,575 9.60 265,935 8.85 -4.11 277,346 9.42 Audi 256,041 8.52 -0.11 256,327 8.71 opel 216,979 7.22 7.87 201,157 6.83 Ford 209,956 6.99 8.50 193,501 6.57 Renault 102,092 3.40 2.77 99,337 3.37 Hyundai 99,451 3.31 -0.33 99,776 3.39 Toyota/Lexus 73,138 2.43 -5.54 77,425 2.63 Fiat (incl. Alfa + lancia) 72,314 2.41 -3.97 75,305 2.56 nissan 62,180 2.07 16.11 53,553 1.82 Kia 52,998 1.76 -6.21 56,506 1.92 Dacia 47,910 1.59 3.88 46,121 1.57 Honda 21,359 0.71 -13.38 24,658 0.84 Chevrolet 11,271 0.38 -58.24 26,988 0.92 Subaru 5,849 0.19 -34.36 8,911 0.30 T o TA L 3,004,220 100.00 2.06 2,943,608 100.00 S tat u s R e p o r t | Y e ar - e n d R e s u lt s | G o v e r n i n g B o d i e s o f t h e C o m pa n y | F i n a n c i a l C a l e n d ar | Overall, in relation to AVAG’s fiscal year, on the German market our manufacturer Opel performed significantly better than the market in general. As a result of this disproportionate increase in sales the market share rose once again to 7.22 %. In particular the models Adam, Mokka and Corsa, which is being discontinued at the end of the year, contributed to this welcome growth. The Insignia, which underwent a design update in June 2013 and now features modified front headlights and LED strips as well as a redesigned rear end, has also performed well. In addition, sales of the newly launched SUV Mokka and the end-of-line sales of the Corsa are impressive. The new PR and marketing measures by Opel, in particular the “Umparken im Kopf” [“Think Again”] campaign, have had a very positive impact. Taken together, these measures have led to a significant improvement in the way the Opel brand is perceived by the market. On the other hand, the model Zafira is not doing as well as expected, since this segment has shrunk by half in Europe. The previously biggest selling model Astra was unable to maintain its lead position within the Opel range, but has stabilised again. On 5 December 2013 GM announced that the Chevrolet brand would only remain on sale in Europe (with the exception of CIS states) until the end of 2015. As a result of negotiations between the manufacturer and European dealers, the dealer agreement with Chevrolet was terminated prematurely with effect from 30 June 2014. This development is reflected in the number of registrations in the overall market and naturally with us too, since only end-of-line sales took place during the fiscal year. These had largely come to an end by the end of February. Following an almost two-digit fall in new vehicle registrations in the previous year, Ford showed a marked recovery during this fiscal year (+8.5 %). The market share has already regained the level of 2011/12 during the fiscal year. AVA G H o l d i n g A n n u a l R e p o r t 2 0 1 3 | 2 0 1 4 2 9 | T H E G R OUP | FO R E W O R D | S UPE R V I S O R Y B O A R D R EPO R T | G O A L S A ND S T R ATE G IE S | The models Fiesta and Focus continue to account for the majority of Ford’s new vehicle registrations. The Focus managed to increase its market share to 1.8 %. One positive factor in this context is the successful EcoBoost strategy. The small yet extraordinarily powerful 1.0 litre petrol engine was for the third year in succession voted International Engine of the Year 2013 and is used in the models Fiesta, B-Max, Focus, C-Max and Grand C-Max, among others. “That the Ford Focus is so popular is attributable to the numerous innovative technologies and particularly fuelefficient and powerful engines which are available for this successful model”, says Wolfgang Kopplin, Marketing and Sales Manager at Ford-Werke GmbH. With the successful launch of the B-Max, Ford was able to win new customers in the microvans segment, but the market share declined significantly in the year 2014. The fact that the delivery problems caused by the three-month strike at the Genk plant, which halted production and led to long, have been ended is now showing positive effects. In addition, the expansions in capacity in relation to the Kuga model, the second generation of which came onto the market in 2013 and which, with 16,861 new vehicle registrations in the first eight months of the year 2014, showed an increase of 61.4 % in registrations, are making themselves noticeable. 30 Ford’s commercial vehicles business has once again grown (3.7 %) and the market share as of August 2014 is now 8.7 %. The commercial vehicles business is of particular importance to Ford. 2014 will, in the estimation of Bernhard Mattes, Chairman of the Management Board of Ford-Werke GmbH, be “a very good commercial vehicles year” for Ford in Germany. In explanation, Mattes pointed out that that within only 24 months Ford have completely updated and expanded their European commercial vehicles range. This product offensive, now including four separate model series – Courier, Connect, Custom and Transit – is being very well received by customers, as is confirmed by the sales figures. The new Connect was brought onto the market in the first quarter of 2014. The “International Van of the Year” stands out in terms of design, fuel consumption and CO2 emissions and is expected to undermine the VW Caddy’s market share. The commercial vehicles family is rounded off by the new Courier, positioned within the legendary transporter range as a compact entry model. The 4.16 metre long transporter is equipped with safety features which set new standards in this segment. S tat u s R e p o r t | Y e ar - e n d R e s u lt s | G o v e r n i n g B o d i e s o f t h e C o m pa n y | F i n a n c i a l C a l e n d ar | Nationwide, new vehicle registrations of Toyotas fell from 77,425 to 73,138 over the course of the fiscal year 2013/14. The decline is essentially attributable to the Lexus models and the Verso. Currently, the models Auris (+6.2 %) and Aygo (+10.2 %) have showed significant growth in the first eight months of the year 2014. The facelift which the Auris was given has had a positive effect. In the case of the Aygo, the planned introduction of the new generation model in September 2014 meant that the model which is being phased out was no longer available in adequate numbers at the end of the fiscal year, which hindered growth in sales of the Aygo. Much the same happened with the Yaris at the end of the fiscal year. A facelifted version is being brought to the market at the beginning of the new fiscal year, which has had a noticeable impact on new vehicle registrations over the past two months. Following a significant fall in new vehicle registrations in the previous year (-21.16 %) Nissan have to a significant degree recovered during this fiscal year (+16.11 %), even if they have not yet managed to achieve the level of 2011/2012. The Toyota Yaris and the Auris are, by a significant margin, the Japanese manufacturer’s flagship models on the German market. Following its successful launch at the beginning of 2013, the Auris also achieved an increase in sales (+6.2 %) in the first eight months of 2014. This is above all a confirmation of how the company’s commitment to their hybrid strategy continues to bear fruit. In 2013, 28 % of all Toyotas sold in Germany were hybrid vehicles. Around 40 % of all Aurises sold are hybrid models. The percentage for the Yaris is 33 %. 24 hybrids and one plug-in hybrid models are on sale in around 80 countries worldwide. A further 15 hybrid models are planned by the end of 2015. This shows that, by continually adding to the number of hybrid models, Toyota are focusing on expanding this market segment, and this policy is also paying off. With 5,444,926 (previous year: 5,508,790) registered changes of ownership from January to August 2014, the used vehicle business was unable to maintain its level of the previous year and is down slightly, by 1.2 %. In the view of the German Federation for Motor Trades and Repairs (ZDK) the used vehicle business is expected to end the year 2014 at the previous year’s level of 7.1 million registered changes of ownership. The new models Micra and Note, which have been available since the autumn of 2013, have in particular contributed to this growth. The Micra, in the form of the K13, is now in its fourth generation and the Note is in its second generation following facelifts in 2007 and 2009. The Nissan Note is now for the first time on sale worldwide. Nissan lost some of their market leadership in the SUV segment as a result of the introduction of the new model Qashqai and the associated lack of availability of the new model at the time it first went on sale. Over the past fiscal year, the vehicle service sector has, overall, stabilised at slightly above the previous year’s level. The service business and workshop capacity utilisation has developed nationwide on the previous year’s level. As regards the further demand for repair and maintenance work in the year 2014, this will depend very much on how the number of vehicles on the road in Germany develops. Generally, the German Federation for Motor Trades and Repairs (ZDK) anticipates a reasonable development in demand over the rest of the calendar year and expects the after-sales business overall to develop in the calendar year 2014 at the previous year’s level. We go along with this view. AVA G H o l d i n g A n n u a l R e p o r t 2 0 1 3 | 2 0 1 4 3 1 | tHe GRoup | foReWoRd | SupeRViSoRY BoARd RepoRt | G o A l S A n d S t R At e G i e S | Austria Sept. 13 to Aug. 14 Market Share in % from 2012/13 Sept. 12 to Aug. 13 New Registrations in Units Market Share in % Volkswagen 55,591 18.01 -4.03 57,926 18.16 Skoda 21,690 7.03 7.12 20,248 6.35 opel 20,360 6.59 10.08 18,495 5.80 Audi 19,038 6.17 -2.87 19,601 6.14 Ford 19,320 6.26 -3.06 19,929 6.25 Renault 16,379 5.31 -2.14 16,737 5.25 BMW 16,116 5.22 5.18 15,323 4.80 Mercedes 11,194 3.63 -6.02 11,911 3.73 peugeot 10,613 3.44 -3.66 11,016 3.45 Kia 8,944 2.90 -10.28 9,969 3.12 toyota/lexus 7,730 2.50 -3.87 8,041 2.52 nissan 6,506 2.11 -23.12 8,463 2.65 Suzuki 5,024 1.63 -8.72 5,504 1.73 Chevrolet 1,934 0.63 -55.22 4,319 1.35 308,725 100.00 319,024 100.00 T o TA L 32 New Registrations in Units Change in % -3.23 S tat u s R e p o r t | Y e ar - e n d R e s u lt s | G o v e r n i n g B o d i e s o f t h e C o m pa n y | F i n a n c i a l C a l e n d ar | a) Austria Opel is well represented in Austria and is actually performing better than the market as a whole. Opel managed to increase its sales in Austria by 10.1 % in the past fiscal year 2013/2014, whereas the market as a whole was down by 3.2 %. Expressed in figures: Opel achieved 20,360 new vehicle registrations (previous year: 18.495) whereas the market as a whole saw a reduction in units from 319,024 (2012/2013) to 308,725 (2013/2014). The preceding Table shows the new vehicle market, adjusted to AVAG’s fiscal year. From January to August 2014 a total of 212,500 (previous year: 222.810) new vehicle registrations were recorded for the Austrian market, corresponding to a fall of around 4.6 per cent. Looking at the individual segments the medium class represents the biggest share with 32.1 %, followed by the segments “off-road vehicles” (22.0 %), “city cars” (19.2 %) and “vans” (14.3 %). Taken together, these four classes dominate the overall market with 87.7 % of sales. Opel’s biggest-selling models are the Zafira, Mokka and Corsa (3,690/ 3,449/ 3,445 sold), followed by the Astra with 2,902 units in the period 09/2013 to 08/2014. With 551,208 registered changes of ownership of January to August 2014, the used vehicle business was down by 2.4 %. With 36,971 changes of ownership, Opel accounted for a share of 6.7 %. By comparison, Opel’s market share in terms of new vehicle registrations was 6.8 % over the aforementioned period (previous year: 6.1 %). The classic used vehicle business is, as before, strongly influenced by the above-average supply of “nearly new” vehicles in the form of vehicles registered by dealers and manufacturers themselves. AVA G H o l d i n g A n n u a l R e p o r t 2 0 1 3 | 2 0 1 4 3 3 | T H E G R O U P | F O R E W O R D | S U P E R V I S O R Y B O A R D R E P O R T | G O A L S A N D S T R AT E G I E S | Croatia Sept. 13 to Aug. 14 Market Share in % from 2012/13 Sept. 12 to Aug. 13 New Registrations in Units Market Share in % Volkswagen 5,407 16.19 24.27 4,351 Opel 3,684 11.03 32.14 2,788 10.37 Skoda 3,338 10.00 111.27 1,580 5.88 Renault 2,038 6.10 24.57 1,636 6.09 Citroen 2,007 6.01 13.33 1,771 6.59 Kia 1,296 3.88 -22.35 1,669 6.21 Fiat (incl. Alfa + Lancia) 604 1.81 114.95 281 1.05 Chevrolet 442 1.32 -61.86 1,159 4.31 33,395 100.00 24.27 26,873 100.00 T o tal 34 New Registrations in Units Change in % 16.19 S tat u s R e p o r t | Y e ar - e n d R e s u lt s | G o v e r n i n g B o d i e s o f t h e C o m pa n y | F i n a n c i a l C a l e n d ar | b) Croatia Following the collapse of the car market since the beginning of the economic and financial crisis, it seems as if the Croatian market is slowly stabilising again. In Croatia, the vehicle market has grown by 24.2 % in comparison with the previous year, increasing to 33,395 units, or 6,522 units more than in the same period of the previous year. However, the increase in new vehicle registrations is attributable not to the improved economic framework conditions but to the exceptionally large fleet business (car hire firms, government or public procurement, INA ...). In the private buyers segment in Croatia, there are as yet no indications of an improvement in sales figures. As long as there is no economic growth, the framework of current sales and the share of almost 70 % accounted for by fleet business is unlikely to change. With 3,684 new cars (previous year: 2,788), representing a growth of 32.1 %, the new vehicle registrations of our main brand Opel in the period under review lie well above the market average, resulting in an increase in the market share to 11.0 %. Although the other brand which we distribute in Croatia, Citroen, achieved two-digit growth of 13.3 % in this fiscal year, it remained behind the market overall. The AVAG Group’s Croatian dealerships managed to defy this trend and achieve a significantly higher increase above the market average. Following the very poor last fiscal year (- 61.1 %) the manufacturer Fiat/ Alfa Romeo, which we have represented since the beginning of 2011, achieved a clear increase again, from 281 to 604 marketed vehicles. Due to the termination of the dealer agreement, only 442 new vehicles by Chevrolet (previous year: 1,159), which we also distribute in Croatia, were registered in the period under review. A growth was observed across all vehicle segments, with the notable exception of the medium class, which showed a decline by 60.0 %. An increase was also seen in the commercial vehicles segment, above all in the case of the Vivara. AVA G H o l d i n g A n n u a l R e p o r t 2 0 1 3 | 2 0 1 4 3 5 | tHe GRoup | foReWoRd | SupeRViSoRY BoARd RepoRt | G o A l S A n d S t R At e G i e S | Poland Sept. 13 to Aug. 14 New Registrations in Units Change in % Market Share in % from 2012/13 New Registrations in Units Market Share in % Skoda 43,407 13.65 35.73 31,981 11.64 Volkswagen 29,246 9.19 14.60 25,520 9.29 opel 23,096 7.26 26.15 18,309 6.66 Ford 22,913 7.20 27.27 18,003 6.55 Renault 15,927 5.01 20.56 13,211 4.81 Fiat (incl. Alfa + lancia) 8,495 2.67 -14.07 9,886 3.60 Chevrolet 4,943 1.55 -51.71 10,236 3.73 318,076 100.00 15.79 274,706 100.00 T o TA L c) Poland The motor vehicle market in Poland grew strongly in the fiscal year, from 274,706 to 318,076 new vehicle registrations. The increase of 15.8 % (previous year: 2.3 %) actually surpassed expectations. the positive economic outlook in poland is being driven by investment and consumption. except for the brand Chevrolet, which has largely disappeared from the european market due to the premature termination of the dealer agreements with effect from 30 June 2014, the high-volume brands performed very well during the past fiscal year. With 23,096 new vehicle registrations (previous year: 18,309), our main brand Opel achieved an increase of 26.2 %, well above the market average. Due to the termination of the dealer agreement, only 4,943 new vehicles by Chevrolet, which we also distribute in poland, were registered in the period under review (previous year: 10,236). this share will continue to fall sharply during the fiscal year 2014/15. 36 Sept. 12 to Aug. 13 S tAt u S R e p o R t | Y e A R - e n d R e S u lt S | G o V e R n i n G B o d i e S o f t H e C o m pA n Y | finAnCiAl CAlendAR | Hungary Sept. 13 to Aug. 14 Sept. 12 to Aug. 13 Market Share in % from 2012/13 13,784 15.42 73.36 7,951 10.79 opel 8,147 13.12 21.69 6,695 12.66 Ford 5,992 9.65 23.09 4,868 9.21 Volkswagen 5,167 8.32 9.03 4,739 8.96 Suzuki 4,718 7.6 31.97 3,575 6.76 Fiat (incl. Alfa + lancia) 1,313 2.11 -35.19 2,026 3.83 454 0.73 688 1.3 -34.01 62,101 100.00 17.48 52,863 100.00 Skoda Chevrolet T o TA L New Registrations in Units Change in % New Registrations in Units Market Share in % d) Hungary nationwide, the registration of new cars increased by 17.5 % to 62,101 new vehicles in comparison with the previous year. the market continues to be dominated by fleet sales, which account for 75 % of the total number of new cars sold. the leasing companies continue to play an important role on the Hungarian market. the main brand which we represent, opel, recorded an increase of 21.7 % during the fiscal year, with 8,147 new cars sold (previous year: 6,695), thus achieving a growth rate of more than 20.0 % for the second year in succession. Due to the termination of the dealer agreement, only 454 vehicles by Chevrolet, which we also distribute in Hungary, were registered in the period under review (previous year: 688). The brand Suzuki, which we also market in Hungary, had as of August 2014 succeeded in increasing its number of new vehicle registrations significantly in comparison with the previous year, up by 32.0 % to 4,718 vehicles (previous year: 3,575). AVA G H o l d i n G A n n u A l R e p o R t 2 0 1 3 | 2 0 1 4 37 | T H E G R O U P | F O R E W O R D | S U P E R V I S O R Y B O A R D R E P O R T | G O A L S A N D S T R AT E G I E S | 38 S tat u s R e p o r t | Y e ar - e n d R e s u lt s | G o v e r n i n g B o d i e s o f t h e C o m pa n y | F i n a n c i a l C a l e n d ar | Status Report Picture on left: Autocenter Dresden Photo: Nissan AVA G H o l d i n g A n n u a l R e p o r t 2 0 1 3 | 2 0 1 4 3 9 | T H E G R O U P | F O R E W O R D | S U P E R V I S O R Y B O A R D R E P O R T | G O A L S A N D S T R AT E G I E S | 3. Development of business of the AVAG Group 3.1. Sales With its 35 German and 14 international affiliated companies engaged in sales at a total of 140 locations (previous year: 131) AVAG Holding SE sold 85,687 (previous year: 81,121) new and used vehicles in the past fiscal year 2013/2014. After having fallen below the billion euro level in the previous year, sales revenues in the vehicles sector rose again in the fiscal year to TEUR 1,036,168 (previous year: TEUR 977,285). This increase results both from sales of new cars and sales in the used cars segment. 3.1.1. Sales of new cars AVAG Holding SE’s dealerships in Germany and abroad sold a total of 45,624 new cars in the past fiscal year 2013/2014 (previous year: 44,909). The sales figures of our 35 domestic businesses engaged in sales activities increased again slightly in the new cars business with 33,362 new vehicle registrations (previous year: 33,183). With 19,911 vehicle sales (previous year: 20,155), DIO’s dealerships were down on last year’s sales figures, whereas DIA managed to increase sales by 3.2 % with 13,451 vehicles (previous year: 13,028). 48.321 50000 47.714 42.673 Collectively, our 14 business interests engaged in sales activities in other European countries, which are represented in a total of 29 sales locations in the countries Austria, Croatia, Poland and Hungary, managed to market a total of 12,262 new cars (previous year: 11,726). Opel and Chevrolet accounted for a share of 60.8 % and 4.2 % respectively of the total numbers. The brand Ford (17.6 %) showed the same strong percentage increase as Opel in the fiscal year (+3.6 %). Unfortunately, Toyota (8.2 %) reported a slight fall in sales. The remaining brands thus account for 9.2 %. As a result of Chevrolet’s withdrawal from the European market, Chevrolet’s share of sales fell sharply during the period under review (5.1 %), since the number of available new vehicles was virtually exhausted by the end of the second quarter of 2013/14. 44.909 45.624 40000 Total AVI 30000 DIA 20000 DIO 10000 2009/10 40 2010/11 2011/12 2012/13 2013/14 S tat u s R e p o r t | Y e ar - e n d R e s u lt s | G o v e r n i n g B o d i e s o f t h e C o m pa n y | F i n a n c i a l C a l e n d ar | 3.1.2. Sales of used vehicles With 40,063 used vehicles sold in total (previous year: 36,212), our dealerships managed to surpass the previous year’s figure comfortably during the during the past fiscal year. Taking into consideration the development of the market as a whole, this increase can be seen as being very positive. Both the dealerships operated by DIO GmbH, with 20,889 used vehicles sold (previous year: 19,084) and the companies controlled by DIA Albert Still GmbH and AV Holding International GmbH/AV International GmbH continued to improve performance in comparison with the previous year and actually achieved two-digit growth rates in this fiscal year. The increase achieved by DIO GmbH thus more than compensates for the slight fall in the figures for new car sales. This is largely attributable to the “Young Opel” programme promoted by Opel, which was received well by customers. In particular, the dealerships operated by DIA Albert Still GmbH managed to further increase used vehicle sales through an active purchasing policy. Abroad, the ontarget growth resulted from the intensification of independent purchasing. With 11,729 registered used vehicle sales (previous year: 10,481), the DIA dealerships surpassed last year’s performance by around 1,250 units, together, the companies controlled by AVI sold 7,445 units (previous year: 6,647), again exceeding the previous year’s figures. 50000 40000 38.258 33.343 36.501 36.212 40.063 Total AVI 30000 DIA 20000 DIO 10000 2009/10 2010/11 2011/12 2012/13 2013/14 AVA G H o l d i n g A n n u a l R e p o r t 2 0 1 3 | 2 0 1 4 4 1 | T H E G R O U P | F O R E W O R D | S U P E R V I S O R Y B O A R D R E P O R T | G O A L S A N D S T R AT E G I E S | 3.2. After-sales The after-sales business is the second mainstay of the automotive trade. However, there is considerable competitive pressure from fast-fit groups such as ATU or Pit-Stop, which in this fiscal year too we withstood comparatively successfully. Very high quality products, the resulting extended maintenance intervals of the vehicles and the reduction in the number of warranty claims oblige us to stabilise or improve the utilisation of our workshop capacity through active after-sales marketing. Accordingly, our after-sales turnover in the past year, amounting in total to EUR 336.1 million (previous year: EUR 336.9 million) remained at the same level. Turnover in the parts and accessories business, at EUR 219.4 million in total (previous year: EUR 224.3 million) and in the service business, at EUR 91.8 million (previous year: EUR 88.4 million) is EUR 1.5 million down on the previous year’s level. The decreases are essentially attributable to price reductions initiated by manufacturers, turnover volumes are currently increasing. 4. Earnings, Assets and Financial Position of the AVAG Group and AVAG Holding SE 4.1. The AVAG Group 4.1.1. Earnings situation Sales revenues increased during the past fiscal year from EUR 1,313 billion to EUR 1,372 billion, whereas the result from ordinary activities rose significantly from EUR 8.3 million to EUR 20.1 million. Taking into consideration the development of the overall market, the result can certainly be regarded as a success. This is this attributable, among other things, to the synergy effects resulting from the structures created within the AVAG Group. The basis for these improvements also included the measures and adaptations within the individual companies initiated and also already implemented during the preceding fiscal year. Whereas sales revenues have increased by 4.5 %, the gross profit rose by 5.6 % to EUR 248.2 million. This is largely attributable to the service and parts business. This was affected by the slightly improved cost-of-materials ratio of 81.9 % (previous year: 82.1 %). Profits on sales of more than EUR 5.0 million were achieved through the sale of property, these are reported under other operating income. 42 The operating result rose significantly from EUR 17.6 million to EUR 28.1 million. The result was affected by cost increases in the area of personnel expenses, essentially due to the new operating locations. However, the personnel expenses ratio is, at 9.7 % overall, virtually unchanged in comparison with the previous year. Personnel expenses increased by 5.4 % in the fiscal year 2013/14, above all because of the newly acquired companies. These include usual wage and salary increases of approx. 2 to 3 % p.a. This salary adjustment as well as the expansion involving various new business locations have led to an increase in personnel costs. Nominally, personnel expenses have increased from EUR 126.3 million to EUR 133.1 million. S tat u s R e p o r t | Y e ar - e n d R e s u lt s | G o v e r n i n g B o d i e s o f t h e C o m pa n y | F i n a n c i a l C a l e n d ar | The financial result improved, among other things due to the reduction of the interest burden from the SMART mezzanine capital from EUR - 9.3 million to EUR - 8.0 million. The balance of operating result and financial result leads to an operating profit of EUR 20.1 million (previous year: EUR 8.3 million), that is to say EUR 11.8 million above the previous year’s level. A significantly higher tax burden in comparison with the previous year of EUR 7.1 million (previous year: EUR 2.5 million), which is essentially attributable to the strong performance of the operational subsidiaries, together with the profit share due to partners outside of the group, amounting to EUR 2.3 million (previous year: EUR 1.7 million) leads to a consolidated net income in the amount of EUR 10.7 million (previous year: EUR 4.1 million). The profit on sales, in relation to the earnings before income taxes, amounts to 1.5 % (previous year: 0.6 %), exceeding our target of a minimum return on sales of 1.0 %. 4.1.2. Assets situation The consolidated balance sheet total amounted, as at balance sheet date, to 371.8 million euro (previous year: 336.3 million euro), 35.5 million euro above the previous year’s level. On the assets side, the fixed assets increased by 6.6 million euro in comparison with the previous year to EUR 175.1 million (previous year: EUR 168.5 million) and the current assets increased by EUR 28.8 million from EUR 166.3 million to EUR 195.1 million. The change in the fixed assets is essentially attributable to the acquisition of Autohaus Staiger and Hommert GmbH & Co. KG. A contrary effect results from the sales of property, as a result of which profits on sales in the amount of EUR 5.3 million were achieved. In the current assets, inventories increased by EUR 20.3 million to EUR 132.7 million, trade accounts receivable increased by EUR 6.3 million to EUR 36.8 million and other assets increased from EUR 17.9 million to EUR 21.5 million. The trade accounts receivable increased as per the reporting date above all as a result of the recent acquisition of the Staiger Group. In other assets, increased receivables resulting from sales support are responsible for the increase. The equity ratio provides an indication of the Group’s capital structure. Including equity-related financing, it stood at 18.3 % (previous year: 17.4 %). The equity as shown on the balance sheet amounts to EUR 60.2 million and the equity surrogates amount to EUR 8.0 million euro as per reporting date. At the Shareholders’ Meeting on 28.03.2014 it was decided that, out of AVAG Holding SE’s net income of EUR 15.0 million, a dividend of EUR 0.31 per share with dividend entitlement will be distributed, in total EUR 1.2 million, with EUR 10.0 million being allocated to retained earnings. The net income remaining after the distribution of the dividend and allocation to retained earnings was carried forward to new account. The allocation to the retained earnings is intended to strengthen the company in the long term. As of 31.08.14 the legal reserve changed by EUR 0.6 million due to the increase required by law. On the reporting date, equity-related funds comprised EUR 8.0 million from the bank consortium comprising BayernMezzanine, LfA and KSK Augsburg. Provisions increased by EUR 9.8 million to EUR 42.7 million. The increase is essentially attributable to the increase of EUR 2.2 million in provisions for customer loyalty instruments, of EUR 2.4 million for tax provisions, of EUR 0.4 million for personnel provisions and of EUR 1.1 million for pension provisions. The customer loyalty programmes were pushed forward during the fiscal year 2013/14 and should, in the coming years, lead to positive effects in the service business. The personnel provisions have essentially risen due to the good fiscal year. Total liabilities (excluding profit participation rights and subordinated liabilities) of the AVAG Group also increased significantly, by EUR 13.0 million to EUR 255.1 million. The liabilities to banks rose from EUR 196.4. million to EUR 205.3 million, which is essentially attributable to the increase in vehicle stocks under inventory assets. Within the liabilities to banks, a clear shift from short-term financing towards long-term financing occurred as a result of the refinancing which took place in January 2014. AVA G H o l d i n g A n n u a l R e p o r t 2 0 1 3 | 2 0 1 4 4 3 | T H E G R O U P | F O R E W O R D | S U P E R V I S O R Y B O A R D R E P O R T | G O A L S A N D S T R AT E G I E S | The items current account and euro loan were reduced in comparison with the previous year to EUR 4.9 million (previous year: EUR 28.0 million). Currently, long-term loans have increased from EUR 35.9 million to EUR 63.1 million. cash and cash equivalents of the AVAG Group amounted to EUR 4.2 million (previous year: EUR 5.6 million). At EUR 29.7 million the annual cash flow was EUR 4.7 million up on the previous year’s level (EUR 25.0 million). Trade accounts payable rose from EUR 17.5 million to EUR 21.0 million due to the reporting date and as a result of the newly acquired dealerships. The cash flow from current business activities stood at EUR 15.4 million (previous year: EUR 41.5 million). This is attributable, in particular, to the increase in new and used vehicles and trade accounts receivable. Deferred income and accrued expenses rose by EUR 3.1 million due to payments for coming fiscal years. 4.1.3. Financial Situation Analysing the cash flow statement gives an indication of the Group’s financial position. At the end of the fiscal year the 4.2. The cash flow from investment activities was EUR - 21.1 million (previous year: EUR -10.2 million). The cash flow from financing activities was EUR 4.3 million (previous year: EUR 31.2 million). AVAG Holding SE 4.2.1. Earnings situation AVAG Holding SE is an operational management and financial holding company that supports all automotive-related areas of business. It frees the operating companies from activities that do not add value directly, since it bundles certain areas of expertise (e.g. in the areas of marketing, IT, treasury, quality and environmental management etc.) at headquarters and through the placement of its specialists makes them available as a service to all operating companies. Bundling these functions allows us to achieve substantial synergy effects. This professional assistance allows the dealerships to focus their main efforts on active sales and individual customer care. AVAG Holding SE plays a supporting role here. By deploying specialists in, for example, the specialty areas of after-sales, key customer care, insurance, etc. it offers the operating units additional direct support in their day-to-day business. This effect is enhanced by the dealerships’ ability to access our central vehicle distribution centre, which gives us a further edge over our competitors. Given the underlying economic conditions in the fiscal year 2013/14, the management is very satisfied with the net income of EUR 12.6 million which was achieved (previous year: EUR 4.3 million). The sales revenues, consisting of distribution centre activities, rental incomes and intragroup allocations, increased during the year under review from EUR 225.8 million in the previous year to EUR 263.1 million in. This is above all due to the significant increase in sales revenues in the area of the vehicle distribution centre function, by 17.6 % to EUR 243.0 million, which is essentially attributable to the higher volume of units sold within the Group. The other operating income rose to EUR 6.4 million (previous year: EUR 1.0 million) due to the sale of land and buildings. The cost of materials in relation to turnover was slightly up on the previous year and is predominantly affected by the central distribution centre’s purchase and sale of new vehicles. Following the good fiscal year 2013/14, personnel expenses increased by EUR 1.2 million to EUR 7.9 million as a result of additional employees and performance-related remuneration. 44 S tat u s R e p o r t | Y e ar - e n d R e s u lt s | G o v e r n i n g B o d i e s o f t h e C o m pa n y | F i n a n c i a l C a l e n d ar | Other operating expenses fell by EUR 0.6 million as a result of the elimination of special effects from the previous year such as losses in book value resulting from the disposal of securities and the formation of provisions. Overall, other operating expenses were reduced from EUR 5.3 million to EUR 4.6 million. In view of the developments described, the operating result of AVAG Holding SE increased by EUR 5.7 million to EUR 5.7 million. The financial result for the period under review grew significantly, by EUR 3.6 million to EUR 8.4 million, with highly variable developments within the financial result. On the one hand, interest and similar expenses fell by EUR 0.9 million as a result of the scheduled amortisation of profit participation rights in the middle and at the end of the last fiscal year. Currently, write-ups of financial assets in the amount of EUR 0.6 million had to be made due to improvement of the economic performance of subsidiaries and the income from securities and investment lendings fell by EUR 0.5 million (essentially as a result of lower interest income from securities). As a result of taking out new long-term loans, the interest for long-term loans rose by EUR 0.7 million. The income from participating interests rose by EUR 2.4 million to EUR 8.5 million during the past fiscal year as a result of the positive development of the investments in the operational business. The result from ordinary operating activities thus amounted to EUR 14.2 million on the reporting date, in comparison with EUR 4.9 million in the previous year. Analogously to the result from ordinary operating activities, the net income was increased from EUR 4.3 million to EUR 12.6 million. 4.2.2. Assets The balance sheet total of AVAG Holding SE increased by EUR 32.0 million to EUR 215.6 million (previous year: EUR 183.6 million) over the last fiscal year. current assets are, at EUR 94.7 million (previous year: EUR 67.8 million) well above the previous year’s level. Under current assets, accounts receivable and other assets amounted to EUR 72.5 million as per the reporting date (previous year: EUR 52.5 million) and inventories amounted in total to EUR 22.2 million (previous year: EUR 15.2 million). The inventories thus increased by EUR 7.0 million in the fiscal year, having fallen to a very low level in the previous year. The amounts owed by affiliated companies essentially consist of receivables from the cash management of the AVAG Group and income from participating interests. On the liabilities side, the balance sheet equity increased due to the good results over the past two fiscal years by EUR 11.4 million to EUR 67.3 million (previous year: EUR 55.9 million). At the Shareholders’ Meeting on 28.03.2014 it was decided that, out of the previous year’s net income of EUR 15.0 million, a dividend of EUR 0.31 euro per share with dividend entitlement should be distributed, amounting in total to EUR 1.2 million, and an amount of EUR 10.0 million was allocated to retained earnings. The allocation to the retained earnings is intended to strengthen the company in the long-term. As of 31.08.14 the legal reserve changed by EUR 0.6 million corresponding to the increase required by law. Equity-related funds were composed of EUR 8.0 million from the bank consortium comprising Bayern-Mezzanine, LfA and KSK Augsburg. The effective equity thus amounts in total to EUR 75.3 million (previous year: EUR 63.9 million) and our effective capital ratio remains virtually unchanged at 34.9 %. Total liabilities are, at EUR 148.2 million, well above the previous year’s level (previous year: EUR 127.7 million), after AVAG Holding SE arranged a long-term refinancing in the amount of approx. EUR 30.0 million at the beginning of the calendar year. On the assets side, this development is attributable to several factors. Property, plant and equipment increased by EUR 8.3 million, from EUR 49.6 million to EUR 57.9 million, due to recent purchases of land and buildings in the Stuttgart area, while at the same time the lendings to affiliated companies were reduced by EUR 4.4 million due to the sale of a plot of land in the greater Munich area. Moreover, AVA G H o l d i n g A n n u a l R e p o r t 2 0 1 3 | 2 0 1 4 4 5 | T H E G R O U P | F O R E W O R D | S U P E R V I S O R Y B O A R D R E P O R T | G O A L S A N D S T R AT E G I E S | 4.2.3. Financial situation The cash and cash equivalents of AVAG Holding SE amounted to EUR - 2.5 million at the end of the reporting period, in comparison with EUR - 5.7 million in the previous year. A cash flow from current operating activities of EUR 12.7 million (previous year: EUR 5.4 million) was set against a cash flow from investment activities amounting in total to EUR - 2.1 million (previous year: EUR 6.6 million). The cash flow from financing activities changed from EUR - 2.9 million to EUR - 7.4 million, above all due to the repayment of euro loans. 4.3. Financial instruments One of AVAG Holding SE’s most important tasks as a management and holding company is the structuring and management of financial instruments within the group. With respect to operating funds, financing basically comprises two components: The largest component in terms of volume is the financing of our stocks of inventory vehicles. Available to us as partners for the financing of our inventories of new and used vehicles are, on the one hand, manufacturers’ banks, socalled captives, as well as providers of vehicle financing that are not linked to manufacturers, so-called non-captives. The financing of the other business operations takes the form of credit lines provided by commercial banks. All German and Austrian operations are linked to AVAG Holding SE (which holds the overall credit lines) through cash pool structures based on zero balancing procedures with fixed interest rates. During the course of the fiscal year and as on balance sheet date, adequate credit lines were available to the group in both areas of business, availment of these credit lines is subject to pronounced seasonal fluctuations. Both parts of the inventory vehicle financing and the financing of operating funds via commercial banks are subject to the risk of interest rate changes which we have hedged through CAP agreements scaled according to maturity and strike rate, and also interest rate swaps with different terms. Interest rates have been at an historical low since the end of 2009. Given the current overall economic situation, we do not expect any sharp rises in interest rates over the medium term. 46 Our short-term current account financing via commercial banks is in principle unsecured, based on the equality of treatment principle, during the past fiscal year, in order to secure/ stabilise our operating funds financing we have agreed a two-year term with automatic extension option for parts of our credit lines. In the field of medium to long-term outside financing, we differentiate between traditional long-term outside capital from bank loans and items with an equity-like character. During the past fiscal year the share accounted for by traditional loans has increased sharply as a result of our 30.0 million euro property financing project. Our current bank loan portfolio consists largely of fixed positions that are not subject to any significant risk of interest rate changes. The second key element in terms of medium to long-term outside financing, profit participation rights with a subordinate character, is now only of secondary importance following the repayment of SMART and STAGE [profit participation rights] during the fiscal year 2012/13. In the case of the remaining profit participation right on the part of Bayern Mezzanine/LfA/Kreissparkasse Augsburg we have agreed annual unscheduled repayments in the amount of EUR 1.0 million during the past fiscal year, so that only a final amount of EUR 5.0 million will be due for repayment on maturity of the profit participation right in August 2017. S tat u s R e p o r t | Y e ar - e n d R e s u lt s | G o v e r n i n g B o d i e s o f t h e C o m pa n y | F i n a n c i a l C a l e n d ar | 4.4. General assessment of the Group’s earnings, assets and financial situation For years we have successfully pursued a strategy of risk diversification. In other words, we spread the risk for the AVAG Group by participating in different markets, and also with different brands. As is known, we operate in five European countries, marketing a total of 12 brands. This approach enables us to spread risk across various shoulders. We believe this method of reducing risk has proved to be the right approach for us over the long-term. It means that even in difficult market situations in individual regions and/ or in individual markets, we succeed in posting satisfactory/ good results. For example, last year we posted consolidated sales of EUR 1.37 billion and an operating result of EUR 20.1 million. Given the current situation and the continuing need to adapt to the changes on the European automobile market, we are very satisfied with our return on sales of 1.5 %. We are also on a very sound footing in financial terms. We have (balance-sheet) equity of EUR 60.2 million along with EUR 8 million of equity-related resources, giving us an economic equity ratio of 18.3 % of our balance-sheet total. Over the coming years we plan to further strengthen our equity basis. The medium-term goal of the AVAG Group is an equity ratio of 20%. In taking this measure, AVAG Holding SE’s shareholders wish to affirm their confidence in their company’s future prospects. Above all, the improving development of the market, the optimisation measures which have been implemented and the one-off effect resulting from the sale of property contributed to an improvement in the result in comparison with the previous year’s forecasts. 5. Financial and non-financial performance indicators The company controls its operational business on the basis of the sales revenues, the annual result and the return on sales. Another important performance indicator is the number of persons employed by the company. The number of employees of the AVAG Group increased during the fiscal year from 3,446 to 3,508. The key influencing factor here is the newly acquired companies. Our employees are the most important resource contributing to the success of the AVAG Group. This is why internal training events are held regularly within the different departments in order to promote the continuing vocational training of our employees. The vocational training provided to the employees is supplemented with external advance training measures provided by manufacturers or other providers. C. Supplementary Report (§ 289 para. 2 no. 1 HGB) No events of particular importance occurred after the balance sheet date. AVA G H o l d i n g A n n u a l R e p o r t 2 0 1 3 | 2 0 1 4 4 7 | T H E G R O U P | F O R E W O R D | S U P E R V I S O R Y B O A R D R E P O R T | G O A L S A N D S T R AT E G I E S | D. Forecast, Opportunities, Risk Report 1. Risk report and risk management system The AVAG Group has installed a central risk management system which is implemented in all of the AVAG Group’s dealerships. The purpose of this is to allow risks to be identified at an early stage, their impact reduced by means of appropriate measures and any threat to the company’s existence averted. It makes an important contribution to the achievement of the strategic, operational and financial goals of the AVAG Group and the individual dealerships and is intended to contribute to a sustained increase in the value of the company. It involves a comprehensive system of reporting, including a daily analysis which allows changes in the sales market to be identified quickly. It also involves daily management of vehicle stocks and sales figures. In the service business, a daily analysis of capacity utilisation and added value takes place. The performance of the individual dealerships and the distributed brands are analysed on brand level in regular meetings between the senior management and divisional management and further action and future developments are discussed. General economic risks can have various different causes. Economic risks can arise from an unfavourable development of global or regional markets, for example from a possible intensification of the political crises in the Ukraine and in the Near East which could have major impacts on the German economy and the prospects for economic recovery. The global economic risks are limited by our presence within the local German market. This means that the company’s development depends very closely on the development of the economy within Germany. The materialisation of such risks can have a serious impact on the sales achieved by the company. 48 Market risks Changes in the sector-specific environment can also have a negative impact on the earnings, financial and assets situation. The drivers behind the assessment of risks within the automotive trade are the development of domestic demand in general, the performance of the brand marketed by the dealership and its positioning within the regional market. In addition, an essentially saturated automotive market in Germany, exacerbated by the flows of products channelled by the manufacturers, leads to a further intensification in competition and ultimately to an attrition of dealerships. A daily analysis is therefore implemented within the AVAG Group which allows changes within the sales market to be identified rapidly. The same applies to our international sphere of operations, namely the markets in Austria, Croatia, Poland and Hungary. As is well known, AVAG has for years pursued a strategy of risk diversification, i.e. we operate in different European markets, with a number of different brands – the heavyweight within our overall portfolio remains the Opel brand. S tat u s R e p o r t | Y e ar - e n d R e s u lt s | G o v e r n i n g B o d i e s o f t h e C o m pa n y | F i n a n c i a l C a l e n d ar | The lack of profitability on the part of the car manufacturer Opel is, as before, the main uncertainty. However, Opel has been performing very encouragingly since 2013. The number of new vehicle registrations and the market share are rising steadily. The company is expected to be back in the profit zone by the middle of the decade, and Opel are aiming for a return on sales of five per cent in Europe by 2022. With a market share of 2.4 %, the brand Toyota has failed to live up to its expectations on the German market. As previously, Toyota are seriously committed to hybrid drivetrain technologies. Toyota can now offer vehicles with hybrid drive in virtually all segments. The Japanese manufacturer’s main sales driver is the Yaris hybrid, which is also their flagship model in this sector. The Toyota Auris touring sports convertible closes the gap in the lower medium size segment which has been open since 2006. risk for us. We consider the residual value risk of returned leased vehicles through careful calculation at the time of concluding the contract and through regular monitoring of residual values. In addition, we form a provision to cover any risks not taken into calculation. The financing of purchasing and sales is a key success factor nowadays within the automotive trade. The financing of the dealerships as well as sales financing within the AVAG Group are controlled via AVAG Holding SE. The new car inventory financing and new car end customer financing, involving various different arrangements, is essentially based on the manufacturer’s banks. In the used vehicles business, we work together with several financial partners, both in purchasing and sales financing. On Group level, in addition to Opel, the brands Toyota, Chevrolet and Nissan have, in particular, already become established, and the most recent high-volume brand Ford already occupies second position in our brands ranking, even though the dealerships are still in the start-up phase. One important risk factor in the automotive trade is the management of stocks of new and used vehicles. Within the AVAG Group, this is managed centrally for each vehicle brand, exploiting the advantages of a centrally controlled inventory management which allows each individual dealership access to all of the vehicles. This means that customers can be presented with a wide range of new and used vehicles. Several times a year, inventories are systematically cleared of used vehicles that have been on sale for some time through our intra-group auction “Motorbay”. In principle, the obligation to take back leased vehicles also involves risks for AVAG. With leasing, we essentially distinguish between contracts based on residual value and mileage-based contracts. Leasing contracts involving buyback obligations for pre-determined buy-back values do not generally present a risk, whereas buy-back obligations for mileage-based contracts generally harbour risks. AVAG favours leasing transactions with fixed residual values and concentrates on a 50 : 50 division of the total number between both contract types. In operational terms, the leasing buy-back obligations do not currently represent a significant AVA G H o l d i n g A n n u a l R e p o r t 2 0 1 3 | 2 0 1 4 4 9 | T H E G R O U P | F O R E W O R D | S U P E R V I S O R Y B O A R D R E P O R T | G O A L S A N D S T R AT E G I E S | Legal Risks Legal risks can essentially arise from legal disputes, complaints or warranty claims. Provisions have been formed in appropriate amounts for proceedings which are currently pending. No individual risks exist which could have a serious impact on the company’s business and thus its result. Financial risks Financial risks primarily involve liquidity, interest, bad debt and tax risks. AVAG Holding SE is also responsible for providing and controlling liquidity within the Group. The availability of liquidity and the stability of the overall financing take first priority. Some of these financing positions are exposed to an interest rate risk, part of which is fixed or capped groupwide through the conclusion of corresponding interest rate hedging agreements on the level of AVAG Holding SE. Our professional cash management system provides us with same-day liquidity management across all countries and banking relationships. Of these credit lines in the amount of EUR 414 million (as of August 31, 2014), AVAG Holding SE used around 49% or EUR 205 million. For years, AVAG Holding SE’s stated philosophy has been for all brands that we represent to include their own manufacturer’s bank/their chosen banking partner in the business relationship with AVAG. Consequently, AVAG Holding SE has sales financing relationships with GMAC, Toyota, Ford, Nissan and Honda banks. The new business relations entered into since the end of 2008 with the non-captives BDK, S-Kreditpartner, Santander-Bank, Getin Bank and akf-Bank have since become an established part of our inventory vehicle financing. Short-term interest rates have been at a constant low level since the end of 2009. Given the current overall economic situation, we again expect a similar level of interest rates for 2015. 50 In view of the risk of default in payment by commercial customers, the dealerships enjoy protection in the event of default in payment under the service and advice agreement concluded with AVAG Holding SE and in addition through the trade credit insurance taken out with Euler/Hermes. Consequently, this does not represent any significant risk to dealership operations. Tax risks essentially arise through the export of vehicles and spare parts to other countries within and outside of Europe. This risk is countered by following standard procedures for exports within the entire AVAG Group which are intended to minimise the risk. General assessment of the company’s risk situation The assessment of the overall risk situation is the result of the consolidated consideration of all the significant individual risks. We are not aware at present of any risks which could constitute a threat to the continuing existence of the company. S tat u s R e p o r t | Y e ar - e n d R e s u lt s | G o v e r n i n g B o d i e s o f t h e C o m pa n y | F i n a n c i a l C a l e n d ar | 2. Opportunities and forecast 2.1. Wider framework conditions We see the German economy facing challenging developments. In September 2014 the OECD downgraded its growth forecast for Germany for 2014 from 1.9 % to 1.5 % and for 2015 from 2.1 % again to 1.5 %. This is also reflected in the ifo business climate index which, in September 2014, had been at a low point (104.7) for over a year. “The German economic motor is no longer turning over”, explained ifo president Hans-Werner Sinn. Growing concern about international political crises in the Ukraine and the Near East also have a dampening effect on the mood within the German economy. 2.2. Outlook for 2014/2015 Current economic forecasts are more negative than at the beginning of the year, however, the employment market remains robust, incomes are rising and consumption is supporting the economic recovery. The development of the global economy and in particular the economic upturn in the euro zone are currently proceeding more slowly than expected. In addition, the Russia-Ukraine crisis and other conflicts have a depressing effect on the mood of companies and consumers. Following the slight fall in general economic output during the second quarter, the economic indicators for Germany currently point towards an initially very modest development. Overall, however, we anticipate a healthy demand in the new vehicles business. Under the leadership of the Dr. Karl-Thomas Neumann, new Sales Director Peter Christian Küspert, Marketing Director Tina Müller and the new Head of Sales in Germany Jürgen Keller, Opel are set on a very promising course. The company is expected to be back in the profit zone by the middle of the decade. According to Dr. Karl-Thomas Neumann, Chairman of the Management Board of Adam Opel AG, Opel hope to achieve a return on sales of five per cent in Europe by 2022 and increase market share to eight per cent. In Germany, the plan is to increase the market share year by year with new products, segments and engines. In eight years Opel plans once again to be the second-biggest car brand in Europe. The future of the automotive sector depends very much on the further development of the general economic situation. The interplay of the European markets will play a key role here. In this respect it is difficult to offer precise forecasts. Nonetheless, an upswing has been noticeable over the past 12 months which leads us to look optimistically towards the future. Based on the estimates of the ZDK, a volume of 3.1 million new vehicle registrations by the end of the current calendar year is realistic. Expectations for 2015 are equally positive, since both we and the ZDK also expect this to be a stable year for the industry. Initial estimates are for up to 3.1 million new vehicle registrations in 2015. We also assume that the market will develop constantly at 2014’s level of approx. 3.1 million new vehicle registrations. Our volume planning for the coming fiscal year also rests on this basis. A lot of work remains to be done over the coming four years in terms of the range of models on offer. 27 new models and 17 new engines are going to be brought onto the market. The Corsa no. 5, which has already been unveiled at the Paris Motor Show, will be available at dealerships at the beginning of the new year. The front end and interior have been given a modern look oriented on the sister model Adam. Overall, the new look is beefier and sportier. The interior offers an exclusive design, an all-round package of safety and assistance systems and optimum digital interconnectivity. As expected, the new engines (SIDI family including three cylinder 90 and 115 HP) as well as the newly launched 1.6 turbo diesel with 136 HP and a 95 HP diesel will make for a more dynamic drive. Initial press reviews have been universally positive. AVA G H o l d i n g A n n u a l R e p o r t 2 0 1 3 | 2 0 1 4 5 1 | T H E G R O U P | F O R E W O R D | S U P E R V I S O R Y B O A R D R E P O R T | G O A L S A N D S T R AT E G I E S | As from summer 2015, a further compact car will be added with the Opel KARL. Five doors, up to 5 seats and, at 3.68 metres, the everyday practicality typical of the brand. “The Name KARL is derived from the values of the Opel brand: exciting, approachable, German. The name is also short, crisp, full of character and memorable”, explains head of marketing Tina Müller. This means that Opel will now offer the broadest range of any manufacturer in the A und B segments, and above all a car which, with an entry version available at a recommended price of less than 10,000 euros, opens up a new segment and thus new groups of potential buyers. In particular, we are hoping to recapture the lost Chevrolet Spark customers and even overcompensate for these. The new Astra will be coming onto the market in October 2015. This gives us the opportunity during the coming fiscal year once again to achieve good sales during the phaseout. Overall, Opel’s model range strategy (brand development) and their successes in the development of modern, contemporary drivetrain technologies is conceptually sound, and we believe that with the new and existing models Opel have an attractive, appealing and above all contemporary range of models which should help them further increase their market share. Through the numerous changes and successful restructurings, the realignments and the model offensives, we believe Opel have chosen a sound approach and are on course for a successful future. The models produced by Ford are becoming increasingly popular. A total of 15 new models will be coming onto the market in Europe by 2015, expanding Ford’s portfolio of cars and commercial vehicles. What makes the new EcoSport, which has been on the market since 2014, an outstanding lifestyle SUV is above all its advanced technical features. The compact all-rounder is based on the modern, global B-segment architecture which also forms the basis for the Ford Fiesta. During the past fiscal year the EcoSport, which has been available since May 2014, has not yet made any great impact, but a significantly higher demand is expected over the new fiscal year. 52 The Ford Focus, for the past two and a half years the biggest selling car worldwide, was given a compete facelift at the end of 2014. This involves extensive design changes – both interior and exterior. In addition, the new Ford Mondeo is coming onto the German market at the end of 2014. The latest generation of Ford’s flagship model impresses with its striking design, wealth of innovative technologies, state-of-the-art engines and first-class driving comfort. Also, the new generations of the Ford S-Max and Galaxy are due to be launched in 2015. The new Ford Mustang is also going to be introduced onto the German market. At the beginning of 2016 the range of SUV models will be expanded to include the Kuga’s “big brother”, the Ford Edge. This has already managed to conquer the market in the USA and in other countries. It comes equipped with a wide range of advanced automatic driver assistance systems, for example a tool which allows automatic parking at the touch of a button and the Pre-Collision Assist function. For 2015, Ford are aiming to achieve a two-digit market share in the commercial vehicle business. In this connection, Ford’s German CEO has pointed out that the group aimed to continue growing more strongly than the industry as a whole in Europe with the help of their new products and the “ONE Ford” strategy. The aim is to achieve a growth of 65 % by the year 2016. Overall, Ford’s model range strategy (brand development) and their success in the development of modern, contemporary drivetrain technologies strike us as being conceptually sound, and we believe that with the new and existing models Ford have an attractive, appealing and above all contemporary range of models. In our view, the manufacturer has chosen a sound approach for a successful future. S tat u s R e p o r t | Y e ar - e n d R e s u lt s | G o v e r n i n g B o d i e s o f t h e C o m pa n y | F i n a n c i a l C a l e n d ar | For Toyota, the new fiscal year starts with the launch of the fourth generation of the Aygo and a facelift for the Yaris. The Aygo comes with a striking X-design front end and can be configured individually with the x-play. The design packages allow plenty of space for the customer to express their own personality with the Aygo. In 2013 the Yaris was “one of Europe’s 10 most popular vehicles” explains Agustin Martin, Marketing Director of Toyota Motor Europe. The facelift includes a distinctive X-design front end like the Aygo, and a wide range of models. Among other versions, the Yaris is also available as full hybrid. The fourth generation of the Prius is planned for the end of 2015. The new hybrid system is supposed to be narrower, lighter and more efficient. On 20 April 2014, Lexus presented the new NX compact SUV at the Auto China 2014 motor show in Peking. With its distinctive design, it is targeted at new customers who aspire to an urban and active lifestyle. The innovative features of the new NX include numerous advanced yet user-friendly technologies such as a cable-free charger for smartphones, new touchpad controls, a 360° camera, a multi-information display with G-sensor as well as a 6.2 inch head-up display. “Slightly challenging, and not intended to be to everyone’s taste”, is how European CEO Alain Uyttenhoeven, Vice President of the premium brand describes the strategy behind the NX. The Lexus NX should be available at the beginning of 2015 and is expected to account for a fifth of Lexus’s sales in Europe in 2015. In the premium sector, the currently available range of Lexus models will be crowned at the beginning of 2015 with the RC-F sports coupé. This car is in the same league as models such as the BMW M3 or the Mercedes C 63 AMG. All current developments, plans and steps taken by Nissan are still based on the medium-term plan Power 88 which was introduced back in 2011, and which defines as its aspiration a worldwide market share and yield of 8 per cent by 2016. With the measures formulated therein: strengthening the brand, expanding the sales force, improving quality, becoming market leader in emission-free vehicles, expansion and cost leadership, Nissan have set themselves ambitious goals – at the end of the last fiscal year (31.03.2014), a market share of 6.2 per cent had been achieved. In order to achieve this target in 2016, Nissan too will continue to make every effort to support us, supplying high-quality vehicles and providing customers with attractive offers and terms. In terms of model strategy, the emphasis is above all on the high volume models – the Qashqai, Micra and Note – and the new Leaf electric car. The third generation of the X-Trail unveiled at the IAA in September 2013 is also promising positive effects. It is oriented on the Hi-Cross design study and is intended to stimulate the off-road segment. As far as innovative electric powertrains are concerned, Nissan already has two models on offer, the Leaf and the E-NV200. The Leaf is one of the most successful electric vehicles on the market. As from October 2014, Nissan will finally once again be represented in the C segment with the model Pulsar. The hatchback saloon is specifically designed to meet the needs of Europe motorists and, at 2.70 metres, has the longest wheelbase in its class, providing more room in the back. The range of engines exclusively comprises turbocharged models. In this way, Toyota are showing that they remain very active on the German market, also in terms of model strategy, offering customers a wide range of attractive vehicles. AVA G H o l d i n g A n n u a l R e p o r t 2 0 1 3 | 2 0 1 4 5 3 | tHe GRoup | foReWoRd | SupeRViSoRY BoARd RepoRt G o A l S A n d S t R At e G i e S | According to thomas Hausch, Manager of nissan Center europe, nissan has the clear objective of becoming market leader among the Asian manufacturers in europe by 2016. they also plan to achieve this goal on the German market. In order to reach this target, in an unprecedented product offensive 15 new models are going to be brought into the market by 2016, including the successors to the Qashqai and X-trail, which were introduced in 2014, as well as a new vehicle in the compact class. overall, the plan is to maintain the previous trend with 2-digit growth rates. For 2014 nissan anticipate a growth rate in europe of 15.4 %, to 780,000 vehicles. technologies, and we are of the opinion that, with their new and existing models nissan has an attractive and appealing and, above all, timely range of models which forms a good basis for gaining market share. In our view, the manufacturer has taken the right steps and chosen the right path for the future. As from the 2014/2015 season, nissan is the official worldwide automotive sponsor of the ueFA Champions league. the agreement remains in force until the end of the 2017/2018 season and further extends the activities within the european club competitions. this partnership is an example of nissan’s commitment to and growth within the world of sport, coming on top of other worldwide sponsoring activities in the fields of football and athletics. Given constant market development, within the Group we are planning to achieve generally increasing sales revenues in the mid-single-digit percentage range in the new fiscal year. In combination with the measures which we initiated on the costs side during the last fiscal year, and which we are continuing, we anticipate an appropriate pre-tax result in the low two-digit (millions) range. As in previous years, we are aiming for a return on sales of around 1.0 %. thomas Hausch, Manager of nissan Center europe GmbH, comments on the deal: “In addition to putting across the message that we are the biggest-selling Japanese brand in Germany, the partnership with UEFA underpins our aspiration of rising to become the biggest Asian automobile manufacturer in the German automobile champions league by 2016.” For AVAG Holding Se we are expecting a net income in the high single-digit millions range for 2014/15. This will essentially be driven by the income from participating interests in the subsidiaries. All in all, we appreciate the model strategy (brand development) of the manufacturer nissan and its successful concept of developing modern, contemporary drivetrain We 1) 2) 3) 4) 5) 54 | Basically, we view future prospects optimistically, with a firm belief in our own strengths! Our strategy is essentially aimed at operating profitably in the long term within the market of 3.1 million new vehicle registrations which we expect in 2015. All in all, we believe that while we are still facing a challenging and environment, we are well equipped for the tasks that lie ahead and expect that with our strategy of optimisation, our cost-awareness and our overall more cautious direction we are on the right track. would like to point out that, as a result of any severe fluctuations on the overall market substantial fluctuations in market shares of the marketed brands or unforeseen restructurings within the entire Group such as changes in the number of locations in measures taken by or the development of our main suppliers changes in the underlying economic conditions, actual results might well deviate from expected future developments. S tAt u S R e p o R t | Y e A R - e n d R e S u lt S | G o V e R n i n G B o d i e S o f t H e C o m pA n Y | finAnCiAl CAlendAR | E. Shareholder Structure and Relationships with Affiliated Companies Still Vermögensverwaltungs GmbH & Co. KG, Augsburg, has held a majority interest in AVAG Holding Societas Europaea since 2006. In accordance with § 17 of the German Stock Corporation Act [Aktiengesetz], AVAG Holding SE, Augsburg, is deemed to be a controlled business of Still Vermögensverwaltungs GmbH & Co. KG, Augsburg. Accordingly, we have prepared a report on our company’s relationships to affiliated companies. This report contains a closing statement to the effect that, according to circumstances known to us at the time when the legal transaction was effected, the company received the appropriate consideration for each transaction and that no other measures in the interest of or at the instigation of affiliated companies were either taken or omitted. Augsburg, December 19, 2014 AVAG Holding Societas europaea the Management Board Roman Still Albert C. Still Markus Kruis ulf pfeiffer AVA G H o l d i n G G e S C H Ä f t S B e R i C H t 2 0 1 3 | 2 0 1 4 55 | T H E G R OUP | FO R E W O R D | S UPE R V I S O R Y B O A R D R EPO R T | G O A L S A ND S T R ATE G IE S | 56 | S tat u s R e p o r t Y e ar - e n d R e s u lt s | G o v e r n i n g B o d i e s o f t h e C o m pa n y | F i n a n c i a l C a l e n d ar | Annual Financial Statements of the AVAG Group Picture on left: Automobilforum Reisinger, Graz Photo: Ford AVA G H o l d i n g A n n u a l R e p o r t 2 0 1 3 | 2 0 1 4 5 7 | T H E G R OUP | FO R E W O R D | S UPE R V I S O R Y B O A R D R EPO R T | G O A L S A ND S T R ATE G IE S | Balance Sheet for AVAG Group as of August 31, 2014 Assets 08/31/2014 EUR 08/31/2013 EUR EUR 3,125,435.37 2,034,854.47 EUR A . F i x ed A ssets I.Intangible assets 1. Industrial property rights and similar rights and assets acquired for a consideration and licenses thereto 2.Goodwill 742,024.35 2,383,411.02 756,229.75 2,791,084.22 II. Tangible assets 1.Land. land rights and buildings. including buildings on third-party land 2. Other fixtures and fittings. tools and equipment 3. Payments on account and fixed assets under construction 111,568,852.27 110,644,237.84 47,646,949.90 43,698,018.33 1,578,166.92 160,793,969.09 1,247,248.91 155,589,505.08 III.Financial assets 1.Investments 151,849.35 99,243.60 2.Loans to companies with which the company is affiliated by virtue of participation 4,609,917.42 3,669,589.14 3. Securities held as fixed assets 5,115,500.00 4.Other loans 1,254,769.19 5,213,500.00 11,132,035.96 1,116,031.41 175,051,440.42 10,098,364.15 168,478,953.45 B . C urre n t assets I.Inventories 1.Supplies 2.Merchandise 3.Payments on account 4.Payments on account received on orders 357,294.48 377,546.79 135,166,625.45 114,587,111.68 42,408.00 92,739.41 -2,878,216.82 132,688,111.11 -2,715,249.60 112,342,148.28 II. Accounts receivable and other assets 1.Trade accounts receivable 36,777,741.53 2.Other assets 21,451,420.94 III.Cash on hand. credit balances at banks and cheques C . P repayme n ts a n d accrued i n c o me 58 30,464,695.92 58,229,162.47 17,919,529.42 48,384,225.34 4,229,155.16 5,552,029.23 195,146,428.74 166,278,402.85 1,576,538.30 1,588,678.95 371,774,407.46 336,346,035.25 | S tat u s R e p o r t Y e ar - e n d R e s u lt s | G o v e r n i n g B o d i e s o f t h e C o m pa n y | F i n a n c i a l C a l e n d ar | Shareholders’ Equity and Liabilities 08/31/2014 08/31/2013 EUR EUR A . S hareh o lders ’ E q u i ty I. Subscribed Capital 40,000,000.00 40,000,000.00 Nominal amount, own shares -2,300,480.77 -2,300,480.77 Issued capital 37,699,519.23 37,699,519.23 1.Legal reserve 3,846,358.89 3,216,803.15 2.Other reserves 10,000,000.00 0.00 -78,201.00 -85,081.00 1,473,526.66 3,132,854.43 II. Revenue reserves III.Equity difference from currency conversion IV.Retained earnings 7,239,310.48 6,704,007.16 60,180,514.26 50,668,102.97 1.Provisions for pensions and similar obligations 6,178,315.64 5,062,137.66 2.Provisions for taxation 4,462,792.34 2,012,023.38 32,021,172.78 25,765,484.62 42,662,280.76 32,839,645.66 V. Shares held by third parties B . A ccrued l i ab i l i t i es 3.Other provisions C . L i ab i l i t i es 1. Profit participation rights and subordinated liabilities 2.Liabilities to banks 3.Trade accounts payable 4.Other liabilities —thereof from taxes EUR 21,870 thousand (prior year: EUR 18,943 thousand)— —thereof in respect of social security EUR 747 thousand (prior year: EUR 847 thousand)— D . D eferred i n c o me 8,000,000.00 8,000,000.00 205,286,394.92 196,381,112.14 20,992,528.68 17,492,786.39 28,997,294.06 28,409,449.51 263,276,217.66 250,283,348.04 5,655,394.78 2,554,938.58 371,774,407.46 336,346,035.25 AVA G H o l d i n g A n n u a l R e p o r t 2 0 1 3 | 2 0 1 4 5 9 | T H E G R OUP | FO R E W O R D | S UPE R V I S O R Y B O A R D R EPO R T | G O A L S A ND S T R ATE G IE S | Profit and Loss Statement for AVAG Group for the Period from September 1, 2013 to August 31, 2014 2013/2014 EUR 1. Sales revenues 2. Capitalised costs of self-constructed assets 3.Other operating income 2012/2013 EUR EUR EUR 1,372,278,867.32 1,313,174,009.47 12,000.00 76,040.00 8,051,735.17 1,380,342,602.49 3,318,489.79 1,316,568,539.26 4. Cost of materials a) Cost of raw materials, consumables and supplies and of purchased merchandise b) Cost of purchased services 1,103,943,131.23 20,089,849.84 1,058,396,646.89 1,124,032,981.07 19,736,863.23 1,078,133,510.12 5.Personnel expenses a) Wages and salaries b) Social security and other pension costs —in respect of old age pensions EUR 982,315.10 (prior year: EUR 339,945.00)— 22,776,694.87 104,617,871.50 133,069,958.91 21,691,347.11 126,309,218.61 6. Amortisation/depreciation of fixed intangible and tangible assets 21,338,027.34 21,803,088.59 7.Other operating expenses 73,781,135.06 72,747,957.52 28,120,500.11 17,574,764.42 8. Income from participating interests 221,514.16 124,193.27 9. Income from other securities and loans of financial assets 320,330.02 842,656.98 10.Other interest and similar income 427,662.50 298,481.18 98,000.00 0.00 11.Write-downs of financial assets 12.Interest and similar expenses 13.Result from ordinary activities 14.Income taxes 15.Net income for the year before third party interests 16.Portion of profit due to third parties 17.Consolidated net income 18.Loss / profit carryforward 19.Allocation to revenue reserves on account of own shares 20.Allocation to legal reserve 21.Retained earnings 60 110,293,264.04 8,887,458.36 -8,015,951.68 10,574,068.62 -9,308,737.19 20,104,548.43 8,266,027.23 7,111,565.41 2,515,151.98 12,992,983.02 5,750,875.25 2,294,867.87 1,653,785.40 10,698,115.15 4,097,089.85 1,404,967.25 -747,432.27 -10,000,000.00 0.00 -629,555.74 -216,803.15 1,473,526.66 3,132,854.43 | S tat u s R e p o r t Y e ar - e n d R e s u lt s | G o v e r n i n g B o d i e s o f t h e C o m pa n y | F i n a n c i a l C a l e n d ar | Explanatory Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements of AVAG Holding SE The consolidated financial statements have been set forth in abridged form, i.e. the balance sheet, profit and loss statement and status report are reproduced in this report. The notes to the consolidated financial statements, cash flow statement and statement of shareholders’ equity have not been reproduced. The complete version of the consolidated financial statements of AVAG Holding SE will be published in the electronic Federal Bulletin at www.ebundesanzeiger.de On January 08, 2014, the auditing firm KPMG Bayerische Treuhandgesellschaft Aktiengesellschaft Wirtschaftsprüfungsgesellschaft Steuerberatungsgesellschaft issued the following unqualified auditor’s opinion with respect to the complete consolidated financial statements. AVA G H o l d i n g A n n u a l R e p o r t 2 0 1 3 | 2 0 1 4 6 1 | T H E G R OUP | FO R E W O R D | S UPE R V I S O R Y B O A R D R EPO R T | G O A L S A ND S T R ATE G IE S | Auditor’s Opinion We have audited the consolidated financial statements prepared by AVAG Holding SE, Augsburg – consisting of a balance sheet, profit and loss statement, notes thereto, statement of cash flows and statement of shareholders’ equity – and the status report on the position of the company and the Group for the fiscal year beginning September 1, 2013 through August 31, 2014. The preparation of the consolidated financial statements and Group status report pursuant to German commercial regulations is the responsibility of the Management Board of the company. Our task is to express an opinion on the consolidated financial statements and the Group status report based on the audit we conducted. We conducted our audit of the consolidated financial statements in accordance with § 317 of the German Commercial Code in compliance with generally accepted German auditing standards set forth by the Institut der Wirtschaftsprüfer (IDW). In accordance with the foregoing, the audit is to be planned and conducted such that inaccuracies and infringements that materially affect the representation of the asset, financial and earnings position of the company provided by the consolidated financial statements prepared in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles and by the consolidated status report can be recognized with sufficient certainty. When establishing the auditing procedures, knowledge of the business activities and the economic and legal environment of the Group, as well as expectations as to possible errors, are taken into consideration. As part of the audit, the effectiveness of internal accounting control systems as well as evidence for the information contained in the consolidated financial statements and consolidated status report are assessed predominantly by means of random sampling. The audit comprises an assessment of the annual financial statements of the businesses included in the consolidated financial statements, the delimitation of the consolidated Group, the related accounting and consolidation principles and the material estimations of the Management Board, as well as a valuation of the overall presentation of the consolidated financial statements and the Group status report. We are of the opinion that our audit provides a sufficiently certain basis for our assessment. 62 | S tat u s R e p o r t Y e ar - e n d R e s u lt s | G o v e r n i n g B o d i e s o f t h e C o m pa n y | F i n a n c i a l C a l e n d ar | Our audit has not given rise to any reservations. In our opinion based on the knowledge gained during the audit, the consolidated financial statements are in accordance with legal regulations and provide a representation of the asset, financial and earnings position of the Group in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles that corresponds to actual circumstances. The Group status report concurs with the consolidated financial statements and provides an accurate representation of the position of the Group and accurately depicts the opportunities and risks of its future development. Augsburg, January 8, 2015 KPMG Bayerische Treuhandgesellschaft Aktiengesellschaft Wirtschaftsprüfungsgesellschaft Steuerberatungsgesellschaft Querfurth Krucker AuditorAuditor AVA G H o l d i n g A n n u a l R e p o r t 2 0 1 3 | 2 0 1 4 6 3 | 64 tHe GRoup | foReWoRd | SupeRViSoRY BoARd RepoRt | G o A l S A n d S t R At e G i e S | | S tat u s R e p o r t Y e ar - e n d R e s u lt s | G o v e r n i n g B o d i e s o f t h e C o m pa n y | F i n a n c i a l C a l e n d ar | Annual Financial Statements of AVAG Holding SE Picture on left: DIT Munich-Landsberger Straße Photo: Toyota AVA G H o l d i n g A n n u a l R e p o r t 2 0 1 3 | 2 0 1 4 6 5 | T H E G R OUP | FO R E W O R D | S UPE R V I S O R Y B O A R D R EPO R T | G O A L S A ND S T R ATE G IE S | Balance Sheet for AVAG Holding SE as of August 31, 2014 Assets 08/31/2014 EUR 08/31/2013 EUR EUR EUR A . F i x ed A ssets I.Intangible Assets 1. Industrial property rights and similar rights and assets acquired for a consideration and licenses thereto 256,628.00 176,517.00 II. Tangible assets 1.Land, land rights and buildings, including buildings on third-party land 2. Other fixtures and fittings, tools and equipment 3. Payments on account and fixed assets under construction 56,314,001.01 48,535,079.44 1,033,327.00 379,626.51 536,851.05 57,884,179.06 654,959.06 49,569,665.01 III.Financial assets 1. Shares in affiliated undertakings 21,533,453.31 21,533,453.31 2. Loans to affiliated undertakings 29,930,865.30 34,305,443.44 3.Investments 85,025.18 74,725.18 4.Loans to undertakings with which the company is affiliated by virtue of participation 4,609,917.42 3,669,589.14 5. Securities held as fixed assets 5,115,500.00 5,213,500.00 6.Other loans 1,046,884.02 62,321,645.23 747,820.81 120,462,452.29 65,544,531.88 115,290,713.89 B . C urre n t A ssets I.Inventories 1.Supplies 2.Merchandise 15,700.00 22,229,769.54 15,700.00 22,245,469.54 15,226,617.76 15,242,317.76 II. Accounts receivable and other assets 1.Trade accounts receivable 2. Accounts receivable from affiliated undertakings 3.Other assets III.Cash on hand C . P repayme n ts a n d accrued I n c o me 66 77,772.26 48,963.22 70,228,387.82 2,155,688.10 49,659,670.60 72,461,848.18 2,812,252.77 52,520,886.59 3,126.37 2,622.01 94,710,444.09 67,765,826.36 401,903.47 510,849.90 215,574,799.85 183,567,390.15 | S tat u s R e p o r t Y e ar - e n d R e s u lt s | G o v e r n i n g B o d i e s o f t h e C o m pa n y | F i n a n c i a l C a l e n d ar | Shareholders’ Equity and Liabilities 08/31/2014 08/31/2013 EUR EUR A . S hareh o lders ’ E q u i ty I. Subscribed capital 40,000,000.00 40,000,000.00 Nominal amount, own shares -2,300,480.77 -2,300,480.77 Issued capital 37,699,519.23 37,699,519.23 1.Legal reserve 3,846,358.89 3,216,803.15 2.Other reserves 10,000,000.00 0.00 III.Retained Earnings 15,782,951.10 15,012,101.99 67,328,829.22 55,928,424.37 624,076.00 216,422.25 2,622,442.50 1,440,150.87 3,246,518.50 1,656,573.12 II. Revenue Reserves B . A ccrued l i ab i l i t i es 1.Provisions for taxation 2.Other provisions C . L i ab i l i t i es 1. Profit participation rights and subordinated liabilities 8,000,000.00 8,000,000.00 70,898,389.28 59,553,403.51 6,129,477.70 504,722.68 4. Liabilities to affiliated companies 45,296,958.12 44,012,930.87 5.Other liabilities —thereof from taxes EUR 13,140,214.49 (prior year: EUR 11,197,736.03)— 14,396,548.96 13,420,140.73 144,721,374.06 125,491,197.79 278,078.07 491,194.87 215,574,799.85 183,567,390.15 2.Liabilities to banks 3.Trade accounts payable D . D eferred i n c o me AVA G H o l d i n g A n n u a l R e p o r t 2 0 1 3 | 2 0 1 4 6 7 | T H E G R OUP | FO R E W O R D | S UPE R V I S O R Y B O A R D R EPO R T | G O A L S A ND S T R ATE G IE S | Profit and Loss Statement for AVAG Holding SE for the Period from September 1, 2013 to August 31, 2014 2013/2014 EUR 1. Sales revenues 2. Capitalised costs of self-constructed assets 3.Other operating income 2012/2013 EUR EUR EUR 263,094,345.54 225,820,823.53 12,000.00 76,040.00 6,405,559.66 269,511,905.20 1,049,833.07 226,946,696.60 4. Cost of materials a) Cost of purchased merchandise b) Cost of purchased services 244,638,685.37 4,640,367.84 207,961,712.64 249,279,053.21 4,819,028.88 212,780,741.52 5.Personnel expenses a) Wages and salaries b) Social charges 631,971.25 6,033,524.52 7,913,963.89 624,331.48 6,657,856.00 6. Amortisation/depreciation of fixed intangible and tangible assets 1,978,360.91 2,216,411.48 7.Other operating expenses 4,595,325.13 5,298,668.72 5,745,202.06 -6,981.12 8. Income from participating interests —from affiliated companies EUR 8,290,000.00 (prior year: EUR 5,972,351.63)— 8,508,186.97 6,061,016.38 9. Income from other securities and loans of financial assets —from affiliated companies EUR 1,781,276.26 (prior year: EUR 1,899,259.84)— 2,211,664.75 2,741,916.82 10.Other interest and similar income —from affiliated companies EUR 2,965,117.99 (prior year: EUR 3,635,795.04)— 3,177,848.26 3,782,413.04 11.Write-ups of financial assets 566,000.00 0.00 12.Write-downs of financial assets 848,000.00 1,150,000.00 13.Interest and similar expenses —of which to affiliated companies EUR 1,363,766.58 (prior year EUR 2,212,044.96)— 5,172,595.19 8,443,104.79 6,573,105.35 4,862,240.89 14.Result from ordinary activities 14,188,306.85 4,855,259.77 15.Income taxes -1,597,192.00 -519,196.73 16.Net income for the year 12,591,114.85 4,336,063.04 3,821,391.99 10,892,842.10 -629,555.74 -216,803.15 15,782,951.10 15,012,101.99 17.Profit carryforward 18.Allocation to legal reserve 19.Retained earnings 68 7,281,992.64 | S tat u s R e p o r t Y e ar - e n d R e s u lt s | G o v e r n i n g B o d i e s o f t h e C o m pa n y | F i n a n c i a l C a l e n d ar | Explanatory Notes to the Annual Financial Statements of AVAG Holding SE The annual financial statements have been set forth in abridged form, i.e. the balance sheet, profit and loss statement and status report are reproduced in this report. The notes to the financial statements have not been reproduced. The complete version of the annual financial statements of AVAG Holding SE will be published in the electronic Federal Bulletin at www.ebundesanzeiger.de. On January 08, 2014, the auditing firm KPMG Bayerische Treuhandgesellschaft Aktiengesellschaft Wirtschaftsprüfungsgesellschaft Steuerberatungsgesellschaft issued the following unqualified auditor’s opinion with respect to the complete annual financial statements. AVA G H o l d i n g A n n u a l R e p o r t 2 0 1 3 | 2 0 1 4 6 9 | T H E G R OUP | FO R E W O R D | S UPE R V I S O R Y B O A R D R EPO R T | G O A L S A ND S T R ATE G IE S | Auditor’s Opinion We have audited the annual financial statements – consisting of a balance sheet, profit and loss statement, as well as notes thereto – with a view to the accounting of AVAG Holding Societas Europaea, Augsburg, and its status report on the position of the company and the group for the fiscal year beginning September 1, 2013 through August 31, 2014. The accounting and the preparation of the annual financial statements and status report pursuant to German commercial regulations are the responsibility of the Management Board of the company. Our task is to express an opinion on the annual financial statements, including accounting methods, and on the status report based on the audit we conducted. We conducted our audit of the annual financial statements in accordance with § 317 of the German Commercial Code in compliance with generally accepted German auditing standards set forth by the Institut der Wirtschaftsprüfer (IDW). In accordance with the foregoing, the audit is to be planned and conducted such that inaccuracies and infringements that materially affect the representation of the asset, financial and earnings position of the company provided by the annual financial statements prepared in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles and by the status report can be recognized with sufficient certainty. When establishing the auditing procedures, knowledge of the business activities and the economic and legal environment of the company, as well as expectations as to possible errors, are taken into consideration. As part of the audit, the effectiveness of internal accounting control systems as well as evidence for the information contained in the books of account, the annual financial statements and status report are assessed predominantly by means of random sampling. The audit comprises an assessment of the related accounting principles and the material estimations of the Management Board, as well as a valuation of the overall presentation of the annual financial statements and the status report. We are of the opinion that our audit provides a sufficiently certain basis for our assessment. 70 | S tat u s R e p o r t Y e ar - e n d R e s u lt s | G o v e r n i n g B o d i e s o f t h e C o m pa n y | F i n a n c i a l C a l e n d ar | Our audit has not given rise to any reservations. In our opinion based on the knowledge gained during the audit, the annual financial statements are in accordance with legal regulations and provide a representation of the asset, financial and earnings position of the company in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles that corresponds to actual circumstances. The status report concurs with the annual financial statements and provides an accurate representation of the position of the company and accurately depicts the opportunities and risks of its future development. Augsburg, January 8, 2015 KPMG Bayerische Treuhandgesellschaft Aktiengesellschaft Wirtschaftsprüfungsgesellschaft Steuerberatungsgesellschaft QuerfurthKrucker AuditorAuditor AVA G H o l d i n g A n n u a l R e p o r t 2 0 1 3 | 2 0 1 4 7 1 | T H E G R OUP | FO R E W O R D | S UPE R V I S O R Y B O A R D R EPO R T | G O A L S A ND S T R ATE G IE S | Governing Bodies of the Company Management Board Markus Kruis Businessman Member of the Management Board Diedorf Albert C. Still Businessman Spokesman Neusäß Roman Still Business Graduate Spokesman Augsburg Ulf Pfeifer Businessman Member of the Management Board Munich Supervisory Board Albert K. Still Businessman Chairman Stadtbergen 72 Dr. Guido Schacht Director Senior Advisor Automotive HypoVereinsbank, Member of Unicredit Munich Prof. Dr. Heinz-Dieter Assmann LL.M. University Lecturer at the University of Tübingen Deputy Chairman Tübingen Erhard Paulat Chairman of GMAC Bank GmbH Potsdam Dr. Walter Eschle Board Member of Stadtsparkasse Augsburg Augsburg Johannes Hall Entrepreneur Vienna | S tat u s R e p o r t | Y e ar - e n d R e s u lt s G o v e r n i n g B o d i e s o f t h e C o m pa n y F i n a n c i a l C a l e n d ar | Financial Calendar 2015 20 January 2015 First Quarterly Report for the fiscal year 2014/15 (as of November 2014) 27 January 2015 Regular Supervisory Board Meeting of AVAG Holding SE 10 February 2015 Press Conference on Financial Statements 2015 17 March 2015 Regular Shareholders’ Meeting of AVAG Holding SE Regular Supervisory Board Meeting of AVAG Holding SE 20 April 2015 Second Quarterly Report for the fiscal year 2014/15 20 June 2015 Third Quarterly Report for the fiscal year 2014/15 23 June 2015 Regular Supervisory Board Meeting of AVAG Holding SE 20 October 2015 4. Quarterly Report fiscal year 2014/15 20 October 2015 Regular Supervisory Board Meeting of AVAG Holding SE Imprint Publisher: AVAG Holding SE Robert-Bosch-Strasse 7 86167 Augsburg www.avag.eu Corporate communication: Holger Zander holger.zander@avag.eu Tel.: +49.(0)821.74017-58 Fax: +49.(0)821.7420-83 Design and layout: EDVANTAGE New Marketing AVA G H o l d i n g A n n u a l R e p o r t 2 0 1 3 | 2 0 1 4 7 3 A European Automotive Trade Group AVAG Holding SE, Robert-Bosch-Straße 7, 86167 Augsburg, Tel.: +49.(0)821.740170, info@avag.eu, www.avag.eu