DGAP-News: SinnerSchrader AG

The SinnerSchrader Group started the 2017/2018 financial year according to the plans. In the first quarter of the financial year (1 September to 30 November 2017), SinnerSchrader earned sales revenue of 14.4 million euros and thus surpassed the amount of the first quarter of the previous year by 8.3 per cent. All three segments contributed to the growth in revenue, with the Interactive Media segment, in which SinnerSchrader operates is content marketing business, almost doubling its revenue.

At 0.3 million euros, the operating result (EBITA) came out within the scope of the plans, but was well below the previous year's result of 1.3 million euros. However, the quarter under review continued to be encumbered with costs for the implementation of the merger between Accenture and SinnerSchrader in the amount of just under 0.7 million euros. Of the total expenditure, 0.4 million euros was used to retain and further develop SinnerSchrader staff. Another nearly 0.3 million euros was incurred for consultancy services associated with drawing up a draft Domination and Profit Transfer Agreement between SinnerSchrader AG and Accenture Digital Holdings GmbH and for preparing the extraordinary Annual General Meeting held on 6 December 2017.

At just under 1.0 million euros, the adjusted EBITA was still slightly lower in the quarter under review than in the first quarter of the previous year. This is particularly due to the fact that SinnerSchrader expanded its personnel capacity in the first three months with regard to the forthcoming growth steps, especially in the Interactive Marketing segment, more than was necessary for the quarter. In the first quarter of 2017/2018 an average of 503 full-time employees were employed by SinnerSchrader, around 10 per cent more than in the first quarter of 2016/2017.

The net income for the quarter of the report was just under 0.7 million euros, without taking the transaction costs into account, and 0.2 million euros including these costs. The corresponding results per share were 0.06 euros and 0.02 euros, respectively.

With these figures, SinnerSchrader is well within its plan for the 2017/2018 financial year as a whole. The forecast published in November 2017 - sales revenue of 63.8 million euros, EBITA of 5.2 million euros (adjusted by transaction costs: 7.2 million euros) and net income of 3.5 million euros (adjusted: 4.9 million euros) - are therefore confirmed.

The working capital effects caused by the year-end planning of corporate clients, familiar from previous years, on the reporting date value as of 30 November were especially marked in the period under review. Thus, considerable additional funds were tied up in the working capital on 30 November 2017, resulting in a short-term negative net liquidity of 0.3 million euros on the reporting date . By the end of the calendar year 2017, however, this negative effect had largely been balanced out and the liquidity reserve had returned to a level of just over 4 million euros.

At the end of the first quarter of 2017/2018, the shareholders' equity ratio stood at 64.3 per cent, a good 1 percentage point higher than on 31 August 2017. As of the reporting date of 30 November 2017, 553 people were employed by SinnerSchrader, 24 more than on 31 August 2017 and 38 more than one year earlier.

The full report of the SinnerSchrader Group for the first financial quarter of 2017/2018 can be found at http://www.sinnerschrader.ag/en/reports as of 6 p.m. CET.

Matthias Schrader, one of the two founders of SinnerSchrader and at the head of the Company since it was founded, was recently voted Agency Man of the Year 2017 in the HORIZONT Awards. On the suggestion of a top-class panel of judges, the trade publication for marketing, advertising and media gave Matthias Schrader the award for his long-standing, far-sighted work and the associated success of his company and for his exemplary function in the sector. The award will be presented in Frankfurt this evening.

ABOUT SINNERSCHRADER

SinnerSchrader is one of the leading digital agencies in Europe with the focus on the design and development of digital products and services. More than 500 employees work on digital transformation for companies such as Allianz, Audi, comdirect bank, ERGO, Telefónica, TUI, Unitymedia and VW. SinnerSchrader was founded in 1996, has been listed on the stock exchange since 1999 and has offices in Hamburg, Berlin, Frankfurt am Main, Munich, and Prague. Since April 2017, SinnerSchrader has been part of Accenture Interactive.

http://sinnerschrader.com

PRESS CONTACT

Carmen Fesenbeck
Corporate Communications
presse@sinnerschrader.com

INVESTOR RELATIONS CONTACT

Thomas Dyckhoff
CFO
ir@sinnerschrader.com

SinnerSchrader Aktiengesellschaft
Völckersstraße 38
22765 Hamburg
T. +49. 40. 39 88 55-0
F. +49. 40. 39 88 55-55