KappAhl half-yearly report 2014/2015: Continued stable

+------------------------+---------+---------+------+---------+---------+------+ | |Second quarter (Dec–Feb) |Half year   (Sept-Feb) | +------------------------+---------+---------+------+---------+---------+------+ | |2014/2015|2013/2014|Change|2014/2015|2013/2014|Change| +------------------------+---------+---------+------+---------+---------+------+ |Net sales, SEK million |1 133 |1 114 |19 |2 307 |2 357 |-50 | +------------------------+---------+---------+------+---------+---------+------+ |Operating profit, SEK |9 |3 |6 |104 |102 |2 | |million | | | | | | | +------------------------+---------+---------+------+---------+---------+------+ |Gross margin % |57.8 |57,7 |0,1 |60.6 |60,7 |-0,1 | +------------------------+---------+---------+------+---------+---------+------+ |Operating margin, % |0.8 |0,3 |0,5 |4.5 |4,3 |0,2 | +------------------------+---------+---------+------+---------+---------+------+ |Profit after tax, SEK |-3 |-7 |4 |58 |55 |3 | |million | | | | | | | +------------------------+---------+---------+------+---------+---------+------+ |Earnings per share after|-0.04 |-0,09 |0.05 |0.77 |0.73 |0,04 | |dilution, SEK (Note   1)| | | | | | | +------------------------+---------+---------+------+---------+---------+------+ |Cash flow from operating|95 |-51 |146 |163 |74 |89 | |activities, SEK million | | | | | | | +------------------------+---------+---------+------+---------+---------+------+ · Good Christmas sales and a well-implemented discount strategy meant that net sales increased by 1.7% in the quarter. · The operative cash flow continues its positive trend · Going for the fast roll-out of the new store concept doubled the rate of investment. · At the close of 2014, according to GfK Fashion Scope, KappAhl had a market share in Sweden of 7.0 (6.9)%, second among the large chains · The operating margin over the rolling 12 months was 6.3 (5.0) %. “Sales in the second quarter increased by 1.7% compared with the previous year and the gross margin was stable, 57.8 (57.7)%. With good Christmas sales and a well-implemented discount strategy inventories are at satisfactory levels and the operative cash flow is continuing its positive trend...” Johan Åberg, President and CEO. Read the full CEO statement in the enclosed report or on KappAhl.com (http://www.kappahl.com/en-US/about-kappahl/investor -relations/reports--presentations/). A presentation and telephone conference will be held for analysts, media and investors, today at 9.30 at Operaterrassen in Stockholm. To notify attendance at Operaterrassen go to www.kappahl.com/presentations, where the webcast will also be broadcast direct and saved for viewing later. To participate by telephone please call + 44 203 428 1410 about 5 minutes before the start. The information in this interim report is disclosed by KappAhl AB (publ) pursuant to the Securities Market Act and/or the Financial Instruments Trading Act. The information was submitted for publication on 16 April 2015 at 07.30. For further information Johan Åberg, President and CEO, phone +46 706 09 99 73, johan.aberg@kappahl.com Anders Düring, Chief Financial Officer, phone +46 708 88 77 33, anders.during@kappahl.com Company information and photos Charlotte Högberg, Head Public Relations, phone +46 704 71 56 31, charlotte.hogberg@kappahl.com KappAhl was founded in 1953 and is a leading fashion chain in the Nordic region with nearly 400 stores in Sweden, Norway, Finland and Poland together with Shop Online. KappAhl offers good-value fashion of its own design to a wide range of consumers – women, men and children – with a particular focus on women in the mid-life age range. 24% of the range is sustainability labelled. In 2013/2014, the turnover was SEK 4.7 billion and the number of employees approx. 4,000. KappAhl is quoted on NASDAQ Stockholm. For more information, please visit www.kappahl.com.