In the first quarter of 2017, the largest Central and Eastern European group of textile companies Utenos trikotažas earned a profit before tax of EUR 256 thousand, whereas a year ago it suffered a loss of EUR 50 thousand. The group’s EBITDA amounted to EUR 502 thousand, which is by 73,7 per cent more than in the respective period of 2016.
In the first quarter of 2017, the profit before tax of the company Utenos trikotažas amounted to EUR 98 thousand. Meanwhile, in the respective period last year, the company recorded a loss of EUR 54 thousand. The company’s EBITDA reached EUR 276 thousand, which is an increase of 1,5 times, compared with the first quarter of 2016, when the company’s EBITDA accounted for EUR 109 thousand.
Product exports amounted to EUR 4,4 million
During the first quarter of this year, the sales of the Utenos trikotažas group accounted for EUR 6 million, which is by 20 per cent more than during the same period last year, when the group sales reached EUR 5 million. The group’s exports grew by 9,4 per cent and reached EUR 4,4 million. During the first three months of this year, the group exported 73,4 per cent of its products.
In the first quarter, the company Utenos trikotažas sold products and provided services for EUR 5 million, which is a 20,2 per cent growth, compared with the indicators of the first three months in 2016. The company’s exports, which mainly comprise on-demand knitwear, accounted for 79,7 per cent, which is a 15,5 per cent increase, compared with the previous year.
“The creation of new materials and supply of innovative production resulted in the development of the target customer portfolio in all regions, which in turn further increases export volume. A significant growth (5,1 per cent) was recorded in German-speaking countries (DACH) – products for EUR 2,8 million were exported to the largest sales region in the first quarter“, - says Algirdas Šabūnas, CEO at Utenos trikotažas.
The sales of specialised products and own brands have been growing
In the first three months of this year, the turnover of the Utenos trikotažas group in Lithuania reached EUR 1,6 million, whereas the respective indicator of the previous year was EUR 0,97 million. The growth of as much as 64 per cent was mainly determined by the sales of functional-technical garments produced by the company Šatrija. They accounted for EUR 0,9 million. The sales of private brands of the company Utenos trikotažas – UTENOS and ABOUT – also grew. At the end of the first quarter, these brand products were sold for EUR 0,8 million, which is by 21,1 per cent more than during the same period in 2016.
“The improvement of profitability indicators of Utenos trikotažas has also been influenced by increasing labour productivity. With the sales growing, production processes have been organised more efficiently. During the first quarter, the group manufactured 32,9 per cent more, and the company – 28,2 per cent more products than in the previous year, although the number of employees grew by 2,9 per cent and 1,6 per cent respectively. In order to control the growing demand and production volume, implementation of optimisation solutions will remain an important priority,” - states Mr. Šabūnas.
Utenos trikotažas is the largest and one of the most modern knitwear manufacturers in Central and Eastern Europe, which is to mark its 50th anniversary in 2017. The Utenos trikotažas group of companies, which also comprises Šatrija, Gotija and Mrija (Ukraine), is part of the SBA concern. The company Utenos trikotažas currently owns the Utenos and About retail brands. In 2017, Utenos trikotažas became the first Lithuanian company to join the Detox campaign of Greenpeace, committing itself to eliminating by 2020 any raw materials likely to have adverse effects on humans or the environment from its production chains.
For more information please contact Mr. Algirdas Šabūnas, Managing Director of AB Utenos trikotažas, tel. No. 370 389 51445
Managing Director AB ,,Utenos trikotažas“ Algirdas Šabūnas
