スペインのバスク地方に本拠をおくスーパーのエロスキは、膨大な借金と不況による売上の落ち込みで経営の転換を迫られる
Eroski trata de reinventarse
La deuda y la caída de las ventas obligan a un ajuste contrarreloj
Fernando Barciela Madrid 7 DIC 2013 - 23:00 CET
Eroski is reinventing
Debt and falling sales require a trial setting
Fernando Barciela Madrid 7 DIC 2013 - 23:00 CET
Being a listed company , Eroski would have been a favorite of the Exchange. Its growth in the first decade of the century was so fast that tripled its turnover in 10 years he spent 2,967 million euros in 1998 to 8,144,000 in 2008. Then , after the collapse of consumption while Mercadona was still running at full speed , Eroski , the Mondragón Group , began a race to the bottom that made her lose a quarter of its revenue in the past five years, from 8.144 million to 6.122 million. A step in which one has not escaped the red year , totaling 390 million . What happened to such a successful model was not able to bear even the first onslaught of the crisis? In Eroski attribute their brutal fall in revenues " the collapse of the consumer in Spain ." And losses , mostly to the enormous financial costs caused by the dramatic expansion of the company in the years of the boom that explains a spokesman " for investments of more than 4,500 million euros ."
Eroski has not been the only one. Spanish consumers have criminalized these years almost all the large stores of average price , and primate groups low cost . Carrefour hipercor or lost between 2009 and 2012 by 27.8 % and 11.2% of its sales. Meanwhile, Mercadona , Lidl or Dia- cheap or discount- grew by 23% , 20% and 5.6% , respectively. But what is beyond doubt is that Eroski suffered more than their peers ( Hipercor , for example, came in losses) , which was due , say in the sector to the crisis encountered a number of inefficiencies still trying to fix. The strong pace of store openings in the good years led to a part of the network is not profitable , which was aggravated by the crisis. The company was not too busy during the boom phase of cost efficiencies , because " the price was not for consumers who acquired the weight later."
Divestments not finished. "We can close and sell more ," say
Still, the trade problems have been manageable if not for them the obligation to pay a debt of close to 4,000 million in 2008 (1,300 million for the purchase of Caprabo ) , a sum that amounts to between 15 and joined 20 times the gross operating profit ( EBITDA) of the company and has generated interest expense of 1,020 million between 2008 and 2013. Despite that, the group believes that its efficiency and profitability problems are being resolved . In the presentation of results of the first half , Eroski said " operating results for the period are 73.4 % higher than last year " 30 million versus 17.3 million .
But do not forget that after a record loss of 121 million in 2012 , in the first half of 2013 sales fell back 7.3% , interest expenses were up 11.3% and losses remained similar to those of the previous year ( while the red numbers could approach 100 million for all 2013 ) levels. And that although the company has not stood still. Since 2008 he has taken steps to reduce costs, increase efficiency and improve the attractiveness of its offer , from agreements with suppliers and cost savings in structure to automate their logistics platforms. Savings has also been moving customers through prices . "In 2012 we transferred to customer savings of 107 million euros ," the company said .
In the financial sphere , the cooperative has signed two agreements with the banks restructuring : one in 2009 , to lengthen debt maturities until 2014 , and another in January this year, in view of the difficulties to meet maturities , to extend payments through 2017. "These efforts " , explained in Eroski , "have enabled us to reduce our debt by about 1200 million from 2008 million in 3700-2500 . We are a Spanish company that has paid more debt . "
Part of these funds have been achieved with the sale of assets (some profitable , some not) . "In 2010 we had sold the network in France for 500 million euros , a profitable business, but not strategic ," recalls a spokesman. The following year he sold seven Leclerc hypermarkets in Madrid. And that's not all . The company has been shedding tens of parallel outlets. Unprofitable closed and many of those who wanted to Eroski were ceded under the leaseback system . The process has not completed . "We can close and sell more " , sources in the group. " As the market go reactivating , we also accelerate disposals " .
The group has begun the search for partners to enter its capital
The company denies it will sell Caprabo and exit south to focus on the Basque Country , Galicia , Navarra , Catalonia and the Balearic Islands . Sales , of course , reduced the size of the network . The number of supermarkets fell in five years 1544-1467 , and hypermarkets , 113 to 95. Eroski Travel offices fell from 224 to 161 points , and IF perfumeries of 289-265 local . This has cut the group's workforce by 24% over the past five years, from 52,705 to 39,862 workers .
To maintain the capillary , the company is committed to franchising. So far they have not grown much , although the forecast is to end 2013 with 60 new stores of this type . These and other measures will intensify with the 2013-2017 Strategic Plan , agreed and finalized with banks these days , and they say in the business, " will represent a genuine transformation of the company." In line with the dominant trend in the crisis, supermarkets , especially its new line of You, " with a greater role of sections of fresh and greater commitment to local products " will be enhanced . The company says that the new format is working and sales in this segment were up 15% last year .
The optimistic tone of the presentation of results this year does not mean that Eroski has resolved their issues. The company has lowered the cost of its supplies by 25 % (above the drop in sales , 23.6% ) . But its staff costs have dropped only 19% , and the chapter on " other expenses " , 14.8 %. Despite the cuts, the average cost of staff rose from 20,246 to 21,700 euros. To resolve this mess , Eroski covenanted this year with its cooperators and employees an average wage down 7%.
Eroski has also begun seeking partners to enter the capital. Because , being a cooperative , it is not feasible to make capital increases matrix is studying , in addition to enhancing the franchisees and the sale of assets , an equity alliances or rearrangement that allows the entry of investors in some of its subsidiaries. " All that is being studied ," recognized in Eroski, " but what we are convinced is a company like ours, with a generating EBITDA of 300 million euros, is strong enough to go between big industry " .
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