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Deutsche Post AG

Quarterly Report Nov 5, 2009

111_10-q_2009-11-05_ac282f59-b416-4441-8d42-2b743a1478d8.pdf

Quarterly Report

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Interim Report 2009

I

Key figures

Selected key figures1)

9M 2008
adjusted
9M 2009 + / – % Q3 2008
adjusted
Q3 2009 + / – %
Revenue €m 40,454 33,812 −16.4 13,801 11,237 −18.6
Profit from operating activities (EBIT) before non-recurring items €m 1,372 947 −31.0 420 378 −10.0
Non-recurring items €m −486 580 −533 147
EBIT €m 1,858 367 −80.2 953 231 −75.8
Return on sales 2) % 4.6 1.1 6.9 2.1
Consolidated net profit/loss for the period3) €m 1,493 927 −37.9 879 −83 < –100
Operating cash flow €m 1,921 270 –85.9 1,298 499 −61.6
Net debt/net liquidity 4) €m 2,412 −16 < –100
Earnings per share 5) 1.24 0.77 −37.9 0.73 −0.07 < –100
Number of employees 6) 456,716 439,006 −3.9 458,062 435,450 −4.9

1) Excluding Postbank. 2) EBIT/revenue. 3) Excluding minorities, including Postbank. 4) As at 31 December 2008 and 30 September 2009; adjusted for the mandatory exchangeable bond and financial liabilities to Williams Lea minority shareholders. 5) Including Postbank. 6) Average FTE, the number of employees for 9M 2008 corresponds to the average for the year.

Revenue by division 1),2) Q3 €m 3,277 3,409 MAIL 2,532 3,475 express 2,644 3,801 GLOBAL Forwarding, Freight 3,078 3,481 SUPPLY CHAIN 2009 2008 1) Excluding Corporate Center/Other and discontinued

operations.

2) Segment reporting, page 33.

Revenue by region 1),2)

9M

What we achieved in the first nine months of 2009:

1

We completed the sale of shares of Deutsche Postbank to Deutsche Bank and continued to restructure our business, especially in the United States. Our cost cutting programme remained highly successful – and we are now seeing improved profits as a result. We were thus able to soften the impact of the recession on our business. Together with our social partner, we agreed cost savings for the MAIL Division of around €140 million in 2010 and around €230 million in 2011.

2009

What we intend to achieve by the end of 2009:

We have accelerated the Group-wide cost-cutting drive, and we expect to reach our savings goal of €1 billion in indirect costs as early as the end of 2009. Even in light of further risk from customer insolvencies, Deutsche Post DHL is raising its forecast for full-year EBIT before non-recurring items from €1.2 billion to at least €1.35 billion. We continue to expect that net profit will be positive for the full year.

Key Figures I
Review/Preview 1
Letter to our Shareholders 3

4 INTERIM REPORT BY THE BOARD OF MANAGEMENT Business and Environment 4 Organisation 4 Economic parameters 4 Capital Market 5 Deutsche Post shares 5 Roadmap to Value 6 Earnings, Financial Position and Assets and Liabilities 7 Significant events 7 Earnings 7 Financial position and assets and liabilities 9 Divisions 14 Overview 14 MAIL 15 EXPRESS 17 GLOBAL FORWARDING, FREIGHT 19 SUPPLY CHAIN 21 Non-financial Performance Indicators 22 Employees 22 Research and development 22 Risks 23 Further Developments and Outlook 25

25 CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED INTERIM FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

Income Statement
Statement of Comprehensive Income
Balance Sheet
Cash Flow Statement
Statement of Changes in Equity
Segment Reporting
Selected Explanatory Notes

Events and Contacts II

Dr Frank Appel Chief Executive Officer Deutsche Post AG

4 November 2009 Third quarter of 2009

In times of economic crisis, every company looks carefully at how to protect profitability, keep customers satisfied and maintain as many jobs as possible. Looking back on the first nine months of 2009, I can wholeheartedly confirm that we have risen to these challenges with determination and confidence. Deutsche Post DHL is the global leader in mail and logistics, and the overall state of our company is strong.

However, the environment remains difficult. Even though the third quarter showed signs of a slight improvement, a full-scale economic recovery is not yet in sight. We saw slight quarter-to-quarter improvements in transported volume but figures are still well below prior-year levels. Against this backdrop, consolidated revenue in the first nine months of 2009 fell by 16% to €33.8 billion. EBIT before non-recurring items decreased by 31% to €947 million.

Nevertheless, we have been able to successfully manage the crisis through strict cost control. Our IndEx programme continues to focus on our Group-wide cost-cutting drive to lower indirect costs by €1 billion. In fact, we have accelerated the programme and already saved €859 million. We expect that we will reach our overall savings goal as early as the end of 2009.

Thanks to this initiative the decline in EBIT before non-recurring items in the third quarter was reduced. I think that this demonstrates our resilience and discipline in a tough commercial environment. And, disregarding a €146 million charge due to the insolvency of Arcandor, our third quarter EBIT before non-recurring items would have actually risen compared with last year.

We are making good progress with the restructuring of our express business, we are seeing sequential increases in air and ocean freight volumes and we have successfully gained new contract logistics business in an uncertain market.

The mail sector is at a critical juncture. We cannot close our eyes to the fact that electronic communication will continue to cause volumes in the traditional mail business and dialogue marketing to fall. However, we can respond. I am pleased that last week we reached a collective labour agreement with our social partner to stabilise results in the MAIL Division and secure jobs. The agreement means substantial cost savings of around €140 million in 2010 and around €230 million in 2011, which will directly affect results in the MAIL Division.

Yours faithfully,

Postal address Deutsche Post AG Headquarters 53250 Bonn, GERMANY Business address Deutsche Post AG Headquarters Charles-de-Gaulle-Straße 20 53113 Bonn, GERMANY

Visitors' address Deutsche Post AG Headquarters Platz der Deutschen Post 53113 Bonn, GERMANY

Phone +49 228182–9000 Fax +49 228182–70 60

www.dp-dhl.com

Business and Environment

Organisation

4

No material changes

In the third quarter of 2009, we did not make any material changes to the Group's organisational structure.

Economic parameters

World economy sees initial signs of recovery

The world economy has been in a severe recession since last winter and recovery has thus far been sluggish. Compared with the prior period, economic output in most industrial nations seemed to have returned to growth in the third quarter of 2009, although global gross domestic product (GDP) and above all global trade remained well below their prior-year levels.

In the United States, third-quarter economic output will in all probability be up again. Demand was driven primarily by expansive monetary and fiscal policy. Private consumption recovered slightly and investments stabilised. Nevertheless, economic activity remained at a very low level, leading the US Federal Reserve to keep its key interest rate at between 0% and 0.25%.

Asia is pulling out of the global economic crisis the fastest. As compared with Q2 2008, in China, second quarter GDP growth was back up to 7.9%. Growth was more pronounced in the third quarter, at 8.9%. The entire region is benefitting from China's demand. In Japan, for instance, GDP appeared to have climbed again in the third quarter but it is expected to be more than 5% below the prior year's level.

In the euro zone, GDP is expected to have risen again in the third quarter, driven by increasing demand for exports. However, GDP will still most likely fall below the prior-year figure by nearly 4%. The European Central Bank kept its key interest rate at a record low of 1% in order to boost the economy.

In Germany, the economic recovery that began in the second half of the year seems to have accelerated. Exports and new orders improved noticeably, albeit remaining at a very low level – a fact that was reflected in the Ifo Business Climate Index, which rose for the seventh month in a row.

Capital Market

Deutsche Post shares

1) Rebased on the closing price of Deutsche Post shares on 30 December 2008.

Our share price regains significant ground

Stock markets also benefitted from the upward economic trend, yielding a better third quarter than capital market participants had anticipated. The DAX climbed by around 18% in both the third quarter and in the first nine months of 2009, closing on 30 September at 5,675. The EURO STOXX 50 was up 19.6% in the third quarter and 17.2% on the year. Deutsche Post shares also made up significant ground in the third quarter, rising 37.9% to outperform the above-mentioned indices. This is a sign of the early cyclical nature of our shares, which closed on 30 September at €12.80, up for the first time on the year. Despite this positive development, our share value still underperformed the DAX, growing 7.5% in the reporting period. Average daily trading volumes fell by 21.1%, on par with the overall market trend.

Key share data

30 Dec. 2008 30 Sep. 2009
Number of shares millions 1,209.0 1,209.0
Closing price 11.91 12.80
Market capitalisation €m 14,399 15,475
9M 2008 9M 2009
High 24.18 13.23
Low 14.73 6.65
Average trading volume per day shares 7,416,997 5,853,453

Peer group comparison

30 Dec. 2008 30 Sep. 2009 +/– % 30 Sep. 2008 30 Sep. 2009 +/– %
Deutsche Post 11.91 12.80 7.5 14.78 12.80 –13.4
TNT 13.55 18.34 35.4 19.50 18.34 –5.9
FedEx US\$ 62.22 75.22 20.9 79.04 75.22 –4.8
UPS US\$ 54.18 56.47 4.2 62.89 56.47 –10.2
Kuehne + Nagel CHF 67.55 90.05 33.3 73.65 90.05 22.3

Roadmap to Value

Clear focus on profitability

Our capital markets programme continues to focus on our Group-wide costcutting drive to lower indirect costs by €1 billion. In fact, we have accelerated the IndEx programme and we expect that we will reach our overall savings goal as early as the end of 2009. This goal is divided amongst the divisions as follows: EXPRESS €460 million, MAIL €180 million, GLOBAL FORWARDING, FREIGHT €160 million, SUPPLY CHAIN €130 million and Corporate Center/Other €70 million. The divisions are meeting their cost reduction targets and so far we have saved €859 million, €139 million of which was saved in 2008 and €720 million in the first nine months of 2009.

Tight cash management

We invested €786 million in the first nine months of 2009, €426 million less than the prior-year period and a substantial reduction in capital expenditure. At the same time we improved working capital year-on-year by €761 million in the reporting period.

Progress made by the Roadmap to Value

Targets 2007 Achievements
Profitability
1
• Two-year profit improvement
programme of €1 billion initiated.
• Profit improvement reached for 2008
and IndEx programme accelerated.
• Group EBIT in 2008 to reach at least
€4.2 billon.
• EBIT target missed due to various
factors including economic downturn,
sale of Postbank etc.
Liquidity
2
• Net working capital reduction of
€700 million by the end of 2009.
• Target exceeded substantially.
• Sales of non-strategic assets of at least
€1 billion in cash within 24 months.
• Sale of real estate totalled €1.35 billion.
Dividend
3
• Proposed increasing dividend for 2007
by 20% to €0.90 per share and con
tinuous growth in the years to follow.
• 2007 dividend €0.90
2008 dividend €0.60
Transparency
4
• Enhanced transparency and disclosure. • Transparency increased significantly,
enhancing reported detail to a great
extent.
Organic growth
5
• Reduce M&A spend. • No major M&A conducted.

7

Earnings, Financial Position and Assets and Liabilities

Significant events in the third quarter

Insolvency proceedings opened for Karstadt and Quelle

The insolvency proceedings for Karstadt Warenhaus GmbH and Quelle GmbH opened on 1 September 2009. Both companies are key Deutsche Post DHL customers in Germany. As a result, earnings were reduced by a total of €186 million in our interim financial statements for the period ended 30 September 2009.

Earnings

Changes in reporting and portfolio

We reported Postbank's activities as discontinued operations until it was sold at the end of February. We report our other business activities as continuing operations.

Consistent with international practice and to improve the clarity of presentation, we no longer report the return on plan assets in connection with pension obligations as part of EBIT but under net finance costs/net financial income.

As at 6 February 2009, we increased our stake in Selekt Mail Nederland C.V., a Dutch company, from 51% to 100%. We sold the French company DHL Global Mail Services SAS in June. In July, DHL Sinotrans International Air Courier Ltd. – of which we hold a 51% share – acquired Shanghai Quanyi Express Co. Ltd., a Chinese express provider. The company has been fully consolidated since then.

Due to the deconsolidation of Postbank, which is now accounted for using the equity method, we no longer prepare additional consolidated financial statements including the Deutsche Postbank Group on an equity-accounted basis.

Consolidated revenue from continuing operations drops

At €33,812 million, consolidated revenue from continuing operations in the first nine months of the year fell by €6,642 million or 16.4% compared with the prioryear period. Our exit from the domestic express business in the US and negative currency effects of €361 million contributed to this decline. The share of revenue generated abroad fell from 69.6% to 65.8%.

Lower income and expense

The restructuring of our US express business resulted in non-recurring expenses of €311 million in the reporting period. Expenses of €86 million were incurred for this in the prior-year period. Additional restructuring costs for the other business areas amounted to €269 million in the reporting period.

In 2008, the repayment from the EU state aid proceedings generated non-recurring income of €572 million. This was the primary reason for the decrease in other operating income by €506 million year-on-year to €1,473 million. Note 5

Consolidated revenue for continuing operations, 9M

€m
22,249 11,563 33,812
2009
28,143 12,311 40,454
2008
Abroad
Germany

Note 6

8

Materials expense declined by €4,585 million or 19.7% to €18,668 million due to lower sales volumes, oil prices and transport costs.

The withdrawal from the domestic US express business in particular affected our staff costs, which fell by 4.2% to €12,561 million (previous year: €13,111 million).

The restructuring of the express business and the Arcandor insolvency are the main reasons for the 6.5% increase in depreciation, amortisation and impairment losses to €1,171 million.

We have reduced other operating expenses by 19.1% to €2,518 million (previous year: €3,111 million). Our cost reduction programme has made faster progress than expected: Expenses have dropped considerably, especially in advertising and consulting.

Arcandor charge impacts earnings

Profit from operating activities (EBIT) from continuing operations fell by €1,491 million to €367 million, a year-on-year drop of 80.2%. The previous year's figure included the non-recurring income from the repayment of the EU state aid and restructuring expenses for the US express business. The non-recurring expenses mentioned reduced EBIT by a total of €580 million in the first nine months of 2009. Adjusted for these items, EBIT declined by 31.0% to €947 million. In the third quarter the decline was only 10.0%. Following the Arcandor insolvency, EBIT for the reporting period includes a total expense of €186 million. EBIT before non-recurring items has not been adjusted for this charge.

Net financial income improved from €66 million to €300 million. During the reporting period, it was affected by the remeasurement of the derivatives from the sale of Postbank to Deutsche Bank. The prior-year figure included the interest component of the state aid repayment.

Profit before income taxes from continuing operations declined by 65.3% to €667 million (previous year: €1,924 million).

Income taxes were also lower, at €133 million (previous year: €335 million). All in all, profit from continuing operations fell by €1,055 million or 66.4% year-on-year to €534 million.

Profit from discontinued operations includes deconsolidation gain

Profit from discontinued operations rose by €532 million year-on-year to €432 million. This figure includes the net loss generated by Postbank in the first two months of 2009 and the deconsolidation gain of €444 million. Details are presented in the Notes.

Lower consolidated net profit for the period

The combined profit from continuing and discontinued operations resulted in the first nine months of 2009 in a consolidated net profit of €966 million (previous year: €1,489 million), of which €927 million is attributable to Deutsche Post shareholders and €39 million to minorities. Basic and diluted earnings per share fell from €1.24 to €0.77. Earnings per share from continuing operations amounted to €0.41, whilst earnings per share from discontinued operations were €0.36.

Note 9

9

Financial position and assets and liabilities

Exceptionally strong liquidity

The principles and aims of financial management presented in the 2008 Annual Report starting on page 43 are still valid and are being pursued unchanged.

In the first nine months of 2009, the euro remained the main currency in which the Group's debt is denominated. Its share of our financial debt rose, especially because of the mandatory exchangeable bond issued as part of the sale of Postbank and the collateralisation of the put option. The other basic financial data outlined in the Annual Report are still valid.

The economic and financial crisis is having only a minimal effect on our financing requirements and our refinancing options because our credit quality continues to be rated as adequate and our liquidity is exceptionally high, in part because of the Postbank sale.

As a result, only an average of around 7.1% (previous year: 17.8%) of our unsecured committed credit lines were used in the reporting period. The total volume of these is currently €2.8 billion, €200 million of which had been used as at 30 September 2009. In the first nine months of 2009, we did not have recourse to our commercial paper programme launched at the beginning of 2008.

Significantly lower capital expenditure

The Group's aggregate capital expenditure (capex) amounted to €786 million as at 30 September 2009 (previous year: €1,212 million). Of this figure, €641 million was attributable to property, plant and equipment, and €145 million to intangible assets excluding goodwill. Following the trend in the first two quarters, we significantly reduced our capital expenditure, which declined by 30.6% in the third quarter and 35.1% in the first nine months, in each case compared with the prior-year period. The EXPRESS and SUPPLY CHAIN divisions were again the main contributors to this trend in the reporting period. Investments in property, plant and equipment related mainly to advance payments and assets under development (€162 million), technical equipment and machinery (€119 million), IT equipment (€102 million), transport equipment (€72 million), aircraft (€69 million) and other operating and office equipment (€65 million).

Our regional investments focused mainly on Europe, the Americas and Asia. In Europe, the focus was primarily on Germany, Belgium, the United Kingdom and the Czech Republic. In the Americas, we invested mainly in North America, whilst in Asia, we concentrated our investment activities on Malaysia, India and China.

investors.dp-dhl.com

Capital expenditure, Q3 €m 2009 2008 Property, plant and equipment Intangible assets (excluding goodwill) 259 49 308 364 80 444

Capex and depreciation, 9M

€m Global
Forwarding , Corporate Center/ Continuing
mail Express Freight Supply Chain Other Consolidation operations
2008 2009 2008 2009 2008 2009 2008 2009 2008 2009 2008 2009 2008 2009
Capex 169 200 532 281 65 50 286 140 160 115 0 0 1,212 786
Depreciation on assets 253 245 334 319 75 80 244 339 194 188 0 0 1,100 1,171
Capex to
depreciation ratio 0.67 0.82 1.59 0.88 0.87 0.63 1.17 0.41 0.82 0.61 1.10 0.67

Capex and depreciation, Q3

€m Global
Forwarding , Corporate Center/ Continuing
mail Express Freight Supply Chain Other Consolidation operations
2008 2009 2008 2009 2008 2009 2008 2009 2008 2009 2008 2009 2008 2009
Capex 87 83 176 117 20 18 95 41 66 49 0 0 444 308
Depreciation on assets 80 75 113 100 28 26 81 174 76 55 0 0 378 430
Capex to
depreciation ratio
1.09 1.11 1.56 1.17 0.71 0.69 1.17 0.24 0.87 0.89 1.17 0.72

Investments in the MAIL Division in the reporting period increased from €169 million to €200 million because we purchased letter sorting machines for our mail centres in Germany, amongst other things. In addition, we upgraded IT, replaced transport equipment, installed 300 additional Packstations and reorganised the retail outlet network. We expect our productivity and our quality of service to improve as a result.

In the EXPRESS Division, capex nearly halved to €281 million in the first nine months of 2009 (previous year: €532 million) in line with the macroeconomic situation. As before, the main focus of our investments was on maintaining our global aircraft network. Geographically, we concentrated on Europe and the Americas, where we fitted out terminals and continued the restructuring of the US express business.

Capex in the GLOBAL FORWARDING, FREIGHT Division amounted to €50 million in the reporting period, again down substantially on the prior-year level (€65 million). €36 million of this figure was attributable to the Global Forwarding Business Unit, where we fitted out buildings and modernised the IT infrastructure, especially in Europe and Asia Pacific. We invested €14 million in the Freight Business Unit, mainly for IT and buildings, and with a regional focus on Germany.

The SUPPLY CHAIN Division also continued to reduce capital expenditure, by a total of 51.0% to €140 million (previous year: €286 million). We invested mainly in customer projects in order to provide mutually beneficial logistics services and establish long-term relationships. In the United Kingdom, we directed capital expenditure towards warehouse solutions and related equipment for new and existing customers, as well as in transport equipment. In the Americas region, we invested in technical equipment and machinery, which will benefit our customers in the consumer goods and retail sectors. Capital expenditure was reduced the most in Continental Europe, where investments focused above all on new customer project; DHL Supply Chain fitted out warehouses and upgraded IT, whilst Williams Lea invested in printing solutions for customers in Germany.

In the first nine months of 2009, cross-divisional investments – which consisted mainly of vehicle and IT procurement – decreased from €160 million to €115 million. The decline was due to the reduction in vehicle procurement and was partly offset by capital expenditure on IT that was required as part of restructuring measures.

Cash flow statement for continuing operations

Selected cash flow indicators (continuing operations)
------------------------------------------------------- -- --
€m
9M 2008 9M 2009
Cash and cash equivalents as at 30 September 1,245 2,729
Change in cash and cash equivalents –93 1,138
Net cash from operating activities 1,921 270
Net cash used in investing activities –269 –1,141
Net cash used in/from financing activities –1,745 2,009

Net cash from operating activities in the first nine months of 2009 amounted to €270 million (previous year: €1,921 million). This decline was attributable to the €1,491 million drop in EBIT and greater utilisation of provisions, which were primarily used for restructuring measures. Although the decrease in receivables and other assets increased the cash inflow, the cash outflow rose because of a decrease in liabilities and other items. The net outflow of working capital fell by a total of €282 million.

At €1,141 million, net cash used in investing activities was significantly higher than the prior-year figure (€269 million). In contrast, cash paid to acquire property, plant and equipment and intangible assets was substantially lower at €804 million (€–357 million) and was used, amongst other things, to modernise our mail centres and IT equipment and to maintain our global aircraft network. The prior year saw investments mainly in the construction of air hubs in Europe and Asia. The higher net cash used in investing activities was also due to changes in current financial instruments which resulted in a net outflow of €648 million. The sale of the Deutsche Bank shares resulted in a cash inflow which was invested in capital market instruments. In addition, the cash generated by the sale of real estate and the interest received on the repayment of EU state aid clearly reduced the cash outflow from investing activities in the prior year. Cash paid to acquire subsidiaries and other business units was significantly lower year-on-year, at €48 million (previous year: €426 million).

Taken together, net cash used in operating activities and net cash used in investing activities resulted in a negative free cash flow of €871 million. In the previous year, the free cash flow was clearly positive, at €1,652 million.

Net cash provided by financing activities amounted to €2,009 million in the first nine months of 2009. This increase was largely due to Deutsche Bank's subscription of the mandatory exchangeable bond in connection with the sale of Postbank and to payment of the collateral for the put option for the remaining Postbank shares. The dividend payment to our shareholders was the largest payment in this area (€725 million). Net cash used in financing activities in the previous year amounted to €1,745 million.

Compared with 31 December 2008, cash and cash equivalents fell from €4,662 million to €2,729 million due to the changes in the cash flows from the individual activities of continuing operations and discontinued operations.

Group's total assets drop due to Postbank sale

The deconsolidation of Postbank led to a clear reduction in the Group's total assets as at 30 September 2009. At €34,523 million, these were down €228,441 million on the figure as at 31 December 2008.

Non-current assets increased from €20,517 million to €22,072 million, primarily due to the rise in investments in associates by €1,729 million. Following the deconsolidation, this item contains the remaining shares in Postbank. In addition, the put options received in the course of the sale of Postbank increased the other non-current assets. These rose from €514 million at the start of the financial year to €1,277 million on the reporting date. Property, plant and equipment fell from €6,676 million to €6,353 million, due in particular to depreciation and impairment losses. Deferred tax assets also decreased, by €277 million to €756 million.

The considerable decline in current assets from €242,447 million to €12,451 million is primarily attributable to the Postbank sale: Following its deconsolidation, all Postbank assets were recognised as disposals, thereby reducing assets held for sale to almost zero. Receivables and other assets decreased from €8,715 million to €7,544 million, primarily as a result of the general economic situation. By contrast, current financial instruments rose by €1,639 million to €1,689 million because part of the funds received from the sale of Postbank was invested in the short-term capital market. In addition, cash and cash equivalents increased from €1,350 million to €2,729 million, due in particular to the cash received.

Compared with 31 December 2008, equity attributable to Deutsche Post shareholders rose by €501 million to €8,327 million. The increase was primarily due to the consolidated net profit for the period, whereas the dividend payment for financial year 2008 served to decrease this item.

The sale of Postbank was the key factor in the reduction in non-current and current liabilities. As at 31 December 2008, all of Postbank's liabilities and provisions were reported under liabilities associated with assets held for sale and were recognised in full as disposals following its deconsolidation. This resulted in a net decline of €227,736 million. Financial liabilities increased from €4,097 million to €7,195 million. The repayment of bank loans reduced current financial liabilities from €779 million to €292 million. By contrast, non-current financial liabilities increased from €3,318 million to €6,903 million, primarily because a mandatory exchangeable bond was subscribed as part of the Postbank sale and the put options were collateralised. The utilisation of provisions for

Page 30

restructuring measures and lower deferred tax liabilities led to a decline in non-current and current provisions from €10,836 million to €9,646 million. Above all, the weak economic situation in the reporting period resulted in a €550 million decrease in trade payables, whereas the stronger seasonal business at the end of 2008 had increased this item. Other current and non-current liabilities fell by €633 million to €4,479 million, primarily due to a decline in liabilities from foreign currency derivatives.

Key figures for continuing operations

In order to ensure the comparability of data, figures as at 31 December 2008 refer to an analysis with Postbank presented on an equity-accounted basis ("Postbank at equity"). The sale of Postbank significantly reduced our net debt/net liquidity. Although financial liabilities increased following subscription of the mandatory exchangeable bond and payment of the collateral for the put option on the remaining Postbank shares, the cash and financial instruments received in exchange for the Postbank shares increased. However, we have not included the mandatory exchangeable bond when calculating net debt, as it will be paid for in full by Postbank shares. As a result, net debt/net liquidity decreased from €2,412 million to €–16 million. The equity ratio rose slightly as against 31 December 2008. Due to the lower net debt, net gearing declined from 23.3% to –0.2% as at 30 September 2009.

Selected indicators for net assets (continuing operations)

31 Dec. 2008 1) 30 Sep. 2009
Equity ratio % 23.8 24.5
Net debt /net liquidity €m 2,412 −16
Net gearing % 23.3 −0.2

1) Postbank at equity.

Net debt calculation (continuing operations)

€m
31 Dec. 2008 30 Sep. 2009
Non-current financial liabilities 3,318 6,903
Current financial liabilities 779 292
Financial liabilities 4,097 7,195
Cash and cash equivalents 1,350 2,729
Financial instruments 50 1,689
Long-term deposits 1) 256 120
Financial liabilities to Williams Lea minority shareholders 29 33
Mandatory exchangeable bond2) 0 2,640
Net debt/net liquidity (continuing operations) 2,412 –16

1) Reported in available-for-sale financial assets in the balance sheet.

2) Reported in non-current financial liabilities in the balance sheet.

Divisions

Overview

Revenue and EBIT by operating division

9M 2008
adjusted
9M 2009 + / – % Q3 2008
adjusted
Q3 2009 + / – %
MAIL
Revenue €m 10,498 9,972 –5.0 3,409 3,277 –3.9
of which Mail Communication €m 4,431 4,266 –3.7 1,431 1,394 –2.6
Dialogue Marketing €m 2,074 1,968 –5.1 698 673 –3.6
Press Services €m 637 610 –4.2 205 196 –4.4
Parcel Germany €m 1,820 1,806 –0.8 592 595 0.5
Retail outlets €m 586 588 0.3 193 194 0.5
Global Mail €m 1,467 1,226 –16.4 459 386 –15.9
Pension Service €m 68 77 13.2 28 31 10.7
Consolidation/Other €m –585 –569 2.7 –197 –192 2.5
Profit from operating activities (EBIT)
before non-recurring items
€m 1,165 901 –22.7 344 323 –6.1
Profit from operating activities (EBIT) €m 1,737 880 –49.3 916 323 –64.7
Return on sales1) % 16.5 8.8 26.9 9.9
EXPRESS
Revenue €m 10,355 7,534 –27.2 3,475 2,532 –27.1
of which Europe €m 4,998 4,129 –17.4 1,618 1,349 –16.6
Americas €m 2,847 1,082 –62.0 939 375 –60.1
Asia Pacific €m 2,023 1,856 –8.3 718 654 –8.9
EEMEA (Eastern Europe,
Middle East, Africa) €m 866 774 –10.6 312 252 –19.2
Consolidation/Other €m –379 –307 19.0 –112 –98 12.5
Profit from operating activities (EBIT)
before non-recurring items
€m 98 76 –22.4 24 131 >100
Profit/loss from operating activities (EBIT) €m 12 –432 < –100 –15 11 >100
Return on sales1) % 0.1 –5.7 –0.4 0.4
Global
FOrWARDING, FreIGHT
Revenue €m 10,568 7,874 –25.5 3,801 2,644 –30.4
of which Global Forwarding €m 7,841 5,683 –27.5 2,900 1,911 –34.1
Freight €m 2,811 2,255 –19.8 926 753 –18.7
Consolidation/Other €m –84 –64 23.8 –25 –20 20.0
Profit from operating activities (EBIT)
before non-recurring items €m 289 205 –29.1 108 76 –29.6
Profit from operating activities (EBIT) €m 289 168 –41.9 108 55 –49.1
Return on sales1) % 2.7 2.1 2.8 2.1
SUPPLY CHAIN
Revenue €m 10,183 9,284 –8.8 3,481 3,078 –11.6
Profit/loss from operating activities (EBIT)
before non-recurring items
€m 149 –23 < –100 51 –81 < –100
Profit/loss from operating activities (EBIT) €m 149 –37 < –100 51 –87 < –100
Return on sales 1) % 1.5 –0.4 1.5 –2.8

1) EBIT/revenue.

MAIL

Revenue decreases further

In the first nine months of 2009, revenue in the MAIL Division decreased by 5.0% to €9,972 million (previous year: €10,498 million), due in part to 2.2 fewer working days in the reporting period. In areas sensitive to economic developments, revenue remained below the prior-year figures in line with expectations. Exchange rate gains amounted to €15 million.

Mail Communication business below prior year

Revenue in the Mail Communication Business Unit declined from €4,431 million to €4,266 million. The market is shrinking steadily as a result of increasing use of electronic means of communication – a trend that has been exacerbated by the recession. After a weak second quarter, we saw business customer activities stabilise in the third quarter but overall figures remained below the prior-year level. We retained and regained quality-conscious customers; however, some of our customers turned to competitors as a consequence of a higher sensitivity to prices in the wake of the poor economic conditions.

Mail Communication: volumes

mail items (millions)
9M 2008 9M 2009 +/– % Q3 2008 Q3 2009 +/– %
Business customer letters 5,090 4,931 −3.1 1,634 1,603 −1.9
Private customer letters 928 906 −2.4 302 300 −0.7
Total 6,018 5,837 −3.0 1,936 1,903 –1.7

Advertising budgets remain limited

In times of economic difficulty, customers change their advertising behaviour – a tendency that we continue to observe in the Dialogue Marketing Business Unit. Mailorder companies, in particular, are investing less in advertising. As a result, volumes declined overall for both addressed and unaddressed advertising mail in the first nine months of the year. However, in the third quarter unaddressed advertising mail recovered slightly in the run-up to Germany's parliamentary elections. Nine-month revenue was €1,968 million, which is 5.1% below the previous year (€2,074 million).

Dialogue Marketing: volumes

Total 8,561 7,962 –7.0 2,812 2,689 –4.4
Unaddressed advertising mail 1) 3,596 3,371 –6.3 1,125 1,132 0.6
Addressed advertising mail 4,965 4,591 –7.5 1,687 1,557 –7.7
9M 2008 9M 2009 +/– % Q3 2008 Q3 2009 +/– %
mail items (millions)

1) Prior-year figures adjusted to reflect portfolio changes.

Average prices for newspapers and magazines drop

Revenue in the Press Services Business Unit amounted to €610 million, 4.2% below the prior-year figure of €637 million. Both the number of pages and the weight of newspapers and magazines have decreased due to diminishing advertising content. The average prices for distributing these items have therefore dropped.

Parcel business down slightly year-on-year

Revenue in the Parcel Germany Business Unit was €1,806 million and thus just below the prior year's figure of €1,820 million. Thanks to the growth of online sales, we increased revenue in the German parcel market in spite of the crisis amongst traditional mail-order companies. In private customer business, volumes were up slightly overall. In international business, we transferred Europlus – a parcel product – to the EXPRESS Division, causing total revenue in the Parcel Germany Business Unit to fall below the prior-year level.

Parcel Germany: volumes

parcels (millions)
9M 2008 9M 2009 +/– % Q3 2008 Q3 2009 +/– %
Business customer parcels 1) 472 465 –1.5 158 155 –1.9
Private customer parcels 75 76 1.3 24 24 0.0
Total 547 541 –1.1 182 179 –1.6

1) Including intra-Group sales.

Retail outlet revenue at prior-year level

Revenue generated by our around 17,000 outlets and sales points reached €588 million, which is on a par with the prior year's figure of €586 million.

International mail business also sees rise in price sensitivity

In the Global Mail Business Unit, revenue decreased from €1,467 million to €1,226 million. Despite exchange rate gains of €15 million, revenue suffered especially from the discontinuation of DHL@home. We no longer offer this product after having reduced our US express network. Our international mail business saw the same trend as in the German market. Customers have become more price sensitive and our traditional import and export business has suffered as a result.

Mail International: volumes

Global Mail 5,367 4,949 –7.8 1,746 1,576 –9.7
9M 2008 9M 2009 +/– % Q3 2008 Q3 2009 +/– %
mail items (millions)

Year-on-year earnings down significantly

The prior-year figures for profit from operating activities (EBIT) were adjusted because we no longer report the return on plan assets in connection with pension obligations as part of EBIT. It is now reported under the Group's net finance costs/net financial income. In addition, there was a change in the deferral of staff costs. EBIT decreased significantly year-on-year, falling from €1,737 million to €880 million in the nine-month period and from €916 million to €323 million in the third quarter. The repayment awarded in the European Union state aid proceedings had increased earnings by €572 million in the previous year. Adjusted for non-recurring items of €21 million from the sale of DHL Global Mail Services SAS in France, EBIT was down 22.7% in the first nine months of 2009 and 6.1% in the third quarter. This includes an expense of €20 million resulting from the Arcandor insolvency in the reporting period. Through strict cost management, we were able to compensate to a large extent for revenue declines arising from the recession and the structural changes resulting from removing Postbank from the VAT group. However, increases in wages and costs impacted earnings.

Operating cash flow amounted to €523 million (previous year: €1,562 million); the return on sales was 8.8%.

EXPRESS

Revenue and shipment volumes continue to decline

In the first nine months of 2009, revenue in the division declined by 27.2% to €7,534 million (previous year: €10,355 million). Negative currency effects of €88 million impacted this result. Measured in local currencies and adjusted for acquisitions, revenue fell by 27.4%. As in the prior two quarters, this was due in large part to the exit from the domestic express business in the United States, lower volumes and lower fuel surcharge revenues. Outside the US, revenue in local currencies was down by 13.9%. Daily shipment volumes in the Time Definite International product line decreased year-on-year by 11.8%, impacted by the global recession. Outside the US, daily shipment volumes in the Time Definite Domestic and Day Definite Domestic product lines only declined by 2.6% and 2.2%, respectively.

EXPRESS: revenue by product

€m per day
9M 2008 9M 2009 +/– % Q3 2008 Q3 2009 +/– %
Total
Time Definite International 26.9 21.7 –19.3 26.5 21.2 –20.0
Time Definite Domestic 9.5 4.1 –56.8 9.3 4.2 –54.8
Day Definite Domestic 9.6 6.8 –29.2 9.0 6.4 –28.9
Excluding the USA
Time Definite International 23.8 19.8 –16.8 23.3 19.1 –18.0
Time Definite Domestic 4.1 4.2 2.4 4.3 4.1 –4.7
Day Definite Domestic 7.5 6.8 –9.3 7.1 6.4 –9.9

EXPRESS: volumes by product

thousands of items per day
9M 2008 9M 2009 +/– % Q3 2008 Q3 2009 +/– %
Total
Time Definite International 515 454 –11.8 494 444 –10.1
Time Definite Domestic 1,282 559 –56.4 1,190 551 –53.7
Day Definite Domestic 1,334 795 –40.4 1,249 759 –39.2
Excluding the USA
Time Definite International 461 416 –9.8 442 403 –8.8
Time Definite Domestic 568 553 –2.6 550 549 –0.2
Day Definite Domestic 810 792 –2.2 772 759 –1.7

Europe business suffers from lower volumes and weights

Revenue dropped by 17.4% in the Europe region to €4,129 million (previous year: €4,998 million). This includes exchange rate losses of €177 million, primarily attributable to our UK/Ireland, Scandinavia and Central Europe business. Adjusted for these losses as well as acquisitions in Spain and Romania, revenue in the region declined by 14.3%. Our Europe business suffered in the wake of the recession from a drop in Time Definite International volumes and from lower Day Definite Domestic weights.

Cost reduced considerably in the Americas region

Since February 2009, we no longer offer a domestic express product in the United States, and we have massively reduced our cost basis there. Restructuring in the US continued on schedule and amounted to €311 million in the reporting period. Revenue in the Americas region – which includes the US and the International Americas subregion (Latin America, Canada and the Caribbean) – slipped by 62.0% to €1,082 million (previous year: €2,847 million). This figure included exchange rate gains of €28 million. Measured in local currencies, revenue fell by 63.0%. In the International Americas sub-region, revenue fell organically by 12.9% compared with the prior year. The daily shipment volumes in the US Time Definite International product line dropped by 29.4% on account of the recession and our restructuring initiatives – a smaller reduction than anticipated.

Lower volumes in Asia Pacific

Including exchange rate gains of €73 million, revenue in the Asia Pacific region decreased by 8.3% to €1,856 million (previous year: €2,023 million). Revenue declined organically by 13.7%, mainly attributable to lower fuel surcharge revenues and the lower volumes resulting from the economic downturn. Daily shipment volumes in the Time Definite International and Time Definite Domestic product lines were down on the prior year by 8.2% and 4.5%, respectively.

Domestic volumes remain steady in the emerging markets

In the EEMEA region (Eastern Europe, Middle East and Africa), revenue, which included exchange rate losses of €10 million, decreased by 10.6% in the first nine months of 2009. Measured in local currencies, revenue fell by 9.5%. Whilst Time Definite International daily shipment volumes continued to fade in line with the global recession, domestic volumes remained at the prior year's levels boosted by business growth in the Middle East and Africa.

Strict cost reductions reflected in earnings performance

Divisional EBIT amounted to €–432 million in the first nine months of the year (previous year: €12 million). Third-quarter performance was positive, with earnings of €11 million (previous year: €–15 million). Adjusted for restructuring costs (€508 million; third quarter: €120 million), EBIT was €76 million in the first nine months and €131 million in the third quarter, €107 million more than in the third quarter of 2008.

The restructuring of our express business is continuing to make progress, especially in the US where we were able to sharply reduce our loss before non-recurring items. Outside the US, EBIT before non-recurring items decreased from €762 million to €466 million due to a decline in both international and domestic shipment volumes. We counteracted this trend in part through strict cost reductions. Prior-year EBIT was adjusted because we no longer report the return on plan assets in connection with pension obligations as part of EBIT. It is now reported under the Group's net finance costs/ net financial income.

Operating cash flow, which includes net cash used for restructuring and the losses in the US, fell year-on-year from €155 million to €–622 million.

GLOBAL FORWARDING, FREIGHT

Freight forwarding business overall satisfactory

The GLOBAL FORWARDING, FREIGHT Division generated revenue of €7,874 million in the reporting period, a year-on-year decline of 25.5% (previous year: €10,568 million). The total was impaired by negative currency effects of €5 million. Revenue fell organically by 25.4% in the first three quarters.

In the Global Forwarding Business Unit, revenue declined by 27.5% year-onyear, from €7,841 million to €5,683 million. The decrease was 28.1% after adjustment for exchange rate gains of €42 million. As a result of the drop in air and ocean freight rates in the wake of the global recession, we were able to purchase lower-cost transport and limit the decrease in our gross profit, which fell 9.8% year-on-year from €1,637 million to €1,476 million.

Volume declines in air and ocean freight level off

Despite the fact that cumulative transport volumes in the first nine months of 2009 fell significantly short of the previous year, the third quarter saw volumes stabilise.

Air freight volumes (exports) in the reporting period were 21.0% below prioryear volumes. However, third-quarter volumes were up 8% on the second quarter and nearly 20% on the first quarter of 2009. The technology, manufacturing and mechanical engineering sectors continued to perform well below the prior year, whilst the life sciences and consumer goods sectors experienced improvements thanks to proactive selling. Our revenue in the reporting period fell year-on-year by 32.1% due to lower fuel surcharges and freight rates on numerous trade lanes. Our business in the Middle East and Africa remained robust. The slight recovery in the third quarter can be primarily traced back to our Asian business.

Global Forwarding: revenue

Total 7,841 5,683 –27.5 2,900 1,911 –34.1
Other 1,300 1,106 –14.9 513 344 –32.9
Ocean freight 2,494 1,829 –26.7 900 594 –34.0
Air freight 4,047 2,748 –32.1 1,487 973 –34.6
9M 2008 9M 2009 +/– % Q3 2008 Q3 2009 +/– %
€m

Global Forwarding: volumes

9M 2008 9M 2009 +/– % Q3 2008 Q3 2009 +/– %
tonnes 3,284 2,599 –20.9 1,091 976 –10.5
tonnes 1,868 1,476 –21.0 623 533 –14.4
TEU1) 2,128 1,928 –9.4 795 708 –10.9

1) Twenty-foot equivalent units.

We outperformed the market in our ocean freight business, recording a 9.4% decrease in volumes in the reporting period compared with the 14% decline in the overall market. The third quarter also saw a slight recovery in ocean freight compared with the two previous quarters of 2009: Volumes were up 10% on the second quarter and 23% on the first quarter. Our revenue dropped 26.7% as a result of falling freight rates. In the Middle East, Africa and the South Asia/Pacific region, our business trend was positive.

The industrial project business continued to show good results in the reporting period, effectively matching the strong performance of the prior year.

We anticipate a sharp rise in purchase prices for transport services in air and ocean freight because transport capacity has been considerably reduced in recent months. We are responding to changing market conditions with price increases. Profit from operating activities (EBIT) declined compared with the previous year in line with the underlying economic conditions.

Revenue in European overland transport business down

The Freight Business Unit reported a year-on-year decline in revenue of 19.8% in the period under review, from €2,811 million to €2,255 million. Adjusted for exchange rate losses of €48 million, revenue shrank organically by 18.1%. Gross profit fell year-onyear from €722 million to €624 million. As in the prior two quarters, countries which rely extensively on the automotive sector registered especially sharp declines.

Operating cash flow remains excellent

Divisional EBIT amounted to €168 million in the first nine months of the year (previous year: €289 million). Third-quarter EBIT was €55 million (previous year: €108 million). Adjusted for restructuring costs (€37 million; third quarter: €21 million), EBIT before non-recurring items was €205 million in the reporting period (previous year: €289 million) and €76 million in the third quarter (previous year: €108 million). The prior-year figures were adjusted because we no longer report the return on plan assets in connection with pension obligations as part of EBIT. It is now reported under the Group's net finance costs/net financial income. We continued to sharply reduce operating and overhead costs through our restructuring and cost savings initiatives – efforts to ensure that gross profit translates into EBIT gains in the short term. Our productivity reached higher levels than before the economic crisis and we reinforced our sales organisation, a move that generated significant new business.

We boosted operating cash flow in the reporting period through strict cash management, raising it from €384 million in the previous year to €518 million. The increase was largely attributable to the Global Forwarding Business Unit. We reduced working capital considerably, which helped to more than compensate for the effect of declined earnings on operating cash flow.

SUPPLY CHAIN

Economic slowdown impacts customer activity levels

SUPPLY CHAIN Division revenue was down 8.8% to €9,284 million for the nine month period (previous year: €10,183 million). Revenue fell organically by 6.0%. This excludes the impact of acquisitions and the effects of currency translation, which amounted to €–290 million in the reporting period. We exited or declined to renew a number of underperforming contracts as a part of our business portfolio review, which accounted for 21% of the organic decline in revenue but had minimal impact on EBIT. The economic downturn had the largest impact on our Americas business. Revenue in the region fell organically by 14%, with volumes in the Automotive and Technology sectors as well as in Transport Management and Home Delivery affected the most. In Continental Europe, volumes decreased in the Technology and Fashion sectors. In Germany, Retail and Home Delivery revenues started to fall on account of the Arcandor insolvency. Revenue in the United Kingdom increased organically by 2%, mainly driven by growth in Healthcare sector revenue. Williams Lea's business grew by 1% from new business wins and the positive development of service and marketing solutions.

Strong business gains in a turbulent market

The Supply Chain Business Unit gained new contracts worth around €850 million in annualised revenue with new and existing customers over the nine month period. Thus, our sound performance in 2009 – winning new business successfully in an uncertain market – continued. The renewal rate remained stable at over 90%.

Earnings impacted by Arcandor insolvency

As a result of the insolvency application of Arcandor, we took a total charge of €166 million in the reporting period. This is reflected in a loss from operating activities (EBIT) of €37 million in the first nine months of 2009 (previous year: profit of €149 million) and a loss of €87 million in the third quarter (previous year: profit of €51 million). The prior-year figures were adjusted because we no longer report the return on plan assets in connection with pension obligations as part of EBIT. It is now reported under the Group's net finance costs/net financial income. Adjusted for restructuring costs of €14 million, EBIT before non-recurring items was €–23 million for the first nine months. Excluding the Arcandor charge, restructuring costs and negative currency effects, EBIT only declined by 1% despite revenue falling organically by 6%. On the same basis, the return on sales for the first nine months improved to 1.6% (previous year: 1.5%).

The impact of lower activity levels arising from tough global trading conditions was partially mitigated by reduced overheads and the restructuring initiatives, where we saw the benefit of cost reductions starting to take effect. The division generated a €248 million cash flow from operating activities (previous year: €198 million) through continued good working capital management.

SUPPLY CHAIN, 9M 2009: revenue by region

A 67% Europe/Middle East/Africa
B 26% Americas
C 7% Asia Pacific

SUPPLY CHAIN, 9M 2009: revenue by sector

Total revenue: €9,284 million
A 28% Retail and fashion
B 17% Consumer goods
C 14% Healthcare
D 13% Technology
E 6% Automotive
F 22% Chemicals/Williams Lea sectors/
other

Non-financial Performance Indicators

Further decrease in number of employees

The average number of employees (full-time equivalents) decreased in the first nine months of 2009 by 3.9% compared with the previous year's average to 439,006. The restructuring of the US express business was the main reason for this.

No research and development in the narrower sense

As a service provider, Deutsche Post DHL does not undertake any research and development activities in the narrower sense and thus does not report significant expenses in this area.

Risks

Opportunity and risk management as an effective navigation instrument

Deutsche Post DHL engages in opportunity and risk management – a system our management team uses to ensure security concerns and added value objectives are incorporated equally into the decision-making process. Whilst more division-specific risk management processes are underway within the Group, the opportunity and risk management system allows us to identify opportunities and risks at an early stage and use this information to navigate our course. The significant risks affecting our earnings, financial position, and assets and liabilities are found in the 2008 Annual Report beginning on page 85. These risks have essentially remained unchanged. Any changes to our risk exposure have been reported in the 2009 interim reports beginning on page 22.

Economic crisis sees lower volumes

The flow of goods around the world is on decline as a result of the economic crisis and the logistics sector has seen market conditions worsen overall. Many of our business partners have cut back their activities. Initial signs seem to indicate that the downturn may be over but we are nevertheless seeing considerably lower volumes than we anticipated for the year 2009 without accounting for the economic crisis. Reducing our costs whilst at the same time optimising our processes so that customer satisfaction continues to rise remain high priorities in this difficult environment.

Arcandor insolvency impacts earnings

The insolvency proceedings for Karstadt Warenhaus GmbH and Quelle GmbH opened on 1 September 2009. Both companies are key Deutsche Post DHL customers in Germany. Despite the fact that Arcandor AG and several of its subsidiaries filed an application to open insolvency proceedings in June of this year, we continued to provide all services for Karstadt and Quelle. We expect to support the business of Karstadt in the future, although an amended customer master agreement will affect revenue and earnings projections for 2010 and beyond. With regard to our Quelle business, we expect that Quelle GmbH will be liquidated. Given these circumstances, impairment losses are unavoidable, as is a reduction in the headcount. 960 jobs have been affected to date. Since we announced the closure of DHL logistics sites in Bochum, Lehrte and Nuremberg on 22 October 2009, the number of DHL employees affected by the insolvency increased from 560 to 960. Up to 4,000 employees within our Group may be affected by the restructuring measures. The Arcandor insolvency impacted our earnings by €186 million in the reporting period. The question of whether additional significant risk will arise depends on the decisions reached by the creditors of Karstadt and Quelle at their meetings in early November 2009 as well as those reached by the insolvency administrator.

investors.dp-dhl.com

German tax authorities have announced the intention to qualify a VAT-exempt mail product retroactively as subject to VAT. We assume that amended tax assessments will be re-issued for all open tax periods. The VAT exemption for postal services is based on European law (Postal Services Directive, VAT Directive) and national German law (Postgesetz (postal act), Post-Universaldienstleistungsverordnung (postal universal service ordinance), Umsatzsteuergesetz (value added tax act)). Deutsche Post AG classifies its postal services based on these laws either as VAT exempt or VAT liable. The German tax authorities have reviewed this assessment over the years and have not objected to it. We intend to take appropriate legal action against these amended tax assessments. Despite our view that the product's exemption complies with current European and German law, we cannot entirely exclude the possibility of additional tax payments.

Overall assessment of the Group's risk position

In the first nine months of 2009, no further significant risks arose beyond those presented in the 2008 Annual Report and the 2009 interim reports. Although this year's volumes and the Group's earnings will suffer significantly from the effects of the economic crisis, there are currently no identifiable risks which cast doubt on the company's ability to continue as a going concern.

Further Developments and Outlook

Events after the balance sheet date

On 20 October 2009, the insolvency administrator announced the liquidation of Quelle GmbH. A decision on liquidation by the creditors is expected at their meeting on 11 November 2009. Details are presented in the Notes.

In wage negotiations covering the approximately 130,000 employees of Deutsche Post, the company and the Verdi services union reached an agreement on 30 October 2009 on a sweeping package designed to secure jobs and stabilise costs at the MAIL Division. Both parties agreed on a wage freeze for 2010 and 2011. Furthermore, an agreement was reached on expanding the use of outsourcing in the parcel and transport area. The social partner also consented to further negotiations aimed at solving the structural problems at Deutsche Post should the company's business situation deteriorate further. Overall, the agreement will result in considerable cost savings of around €140 million in 2010 and around €230 million in 2011 that will have a direct impact on the MAIL Division's earnings.

Upward economic trend continues

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) is forecasting a decline in global economic output of 1.1% in 2009 and a drop in world trade of 11.9%. Although this represents a slight improvement in the IMF's outlook, the slump remains very real. By contrast, there are increasing signs that global production and world trade will continue recovering in the coming months, albeit at a slow pace. Extensive national stimulus packages and extremely low key interest rates in nearly every country are playing an important role in the upturn.

In the United States, the economy is expected to have recovered slightly in the second half of the year, although GDP for the year will sink noticeably (IMF: –2.7%, Postbank Research: –2.6%). The upward economic trend will likely continue in the coming year, although growth is expected to remain at a low level (IMF: 1.5%, Postbank Research: 1.8%).

The Japanese economy will not be able to fully recover from the collapse it suffered at the beginning of the year. GDP in 2009 will fall considerably (IMF: –5.4%, Postbank Research: –5.8%), with forecasts calling for a return to positive figures in 2010 (IMF: 1.7%, Postbank Research: 1.3%). According to the IMF, China's economic momentum in 2009 (8.5%) is likely to remain high compared with other countries and regions and may even increase to 9.0% in 2010.

Economic output in the euro zone is expected to shrink markedly overall in 2009 (IMF: –4.2%, Postbank Research: –3.7%). Forecasts are divided on the likely trend in the coming year: Whilst unemployment will rise further, an improving global climate points toward a moderate economic recovery (IMF: 0.3%, IfW Kiel: 0.8%, Postbank Research: 1.5%).

In Germany, 2009 GDP is likely to fall more sharply than in the euro zone (IMF: –5.3%, IfW Kiel: –4.9%, Postbank Research: –4.7%) given that Germany's export-orientated industry has been hit especially hard by the collapse in world trade at the beginning of the year. In line with forecasts on the euro zone as a whole, opinions are also divided on the extent of economic progress in Germany in the coming year (IMF: 0.3%, IfW Kiel: 1.0%, Postbank Research: 1.7%).

Notes 3 and 16

Our business environment

Even if the economic recovery fails to materialise across the board, we expect a smaller drop in transport volumes if not a slight increase based on the low comparative basis. It also remains to be seen whether freight rates in the forwarding sector actually increase as announced.

No material changes to the organisational structure planned

As in the preceding quarters, no material changes to the Group's organisational structure are planned for the fourth quarter of 2009.

Strong liquidity position maintained

No major funding initiatives are currently planned due to the strong liquidity position that we have maintained. The recent weakness in the US dollar may curb our revenue performance. Since we pass on most of the commodity risks to our customers through operating measures the latest increase in crude oil prices should not negatively impact earnings.

Lower capital expenditure planned

During the remaining three months of 2009, we intend to continue the investment projects already begun. As outlined in the 2008 Annual Report and as demonstrated by our activities in the year to date, we intend to limit capital expenditure in 2009 to slightly more than €1,200 million, substantially lower than the prior-year figure of €1,727 million. In 2010, we plan to maintain investments near 2009 levels.

Employee numbers to remain stable until year end

Our current planning calls for maintaining the total number of employees at the present level until the end of financial year 2009.

Outlook for the full year 2009

So far only a very slight volume recovery can be observed and we continue to cautiously assume no significant pick-up in trading in the remainder of the year. We have made good progress in implementing our efficiency improvement measures and we are now expecting the €1 billion savings target in indirect costs to be reached as early as the end of 2009. Customer insolvency risks have materialised in the first nine months to a considerable extent but even in light of further risk from customer insolvencies Deutsche Post DHL is raising the forecast of full-year EBIT before non-recurring items from €1.2 billion to at least €1.35 billion.

Net profit has been significantly supported by the effects from the Postbank transaction. We reiterate our forecast that net profit should be positive for the year.

Opportunities

We describe the Group's unchanged economic opportunities in the 2008 Annual Report starting on page 98. investors.dp-dhl.com

This interim report contains forward-looking statements that relate to the business, financial performance and results of operations of Deutsche Post AG. Forward-looking statements are not historical facts and may be identified by words such as "believes", "expects", "predicts", "intends", "projects", "plans", "estimates", "aims", "foresees", "anticipates", "targets" and similar expressions. As these statements are based on current plans, estimates and projections, they are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to be materially different from the future development, performance or results expressly or implicitly assumed in the forward-looking statements. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which apply only as at the date of this presentation. Deutsche Post AG does not intend or assume any obligation to update these forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances after the date of this interim report.

Any internet sites referred to in the Interim Report by the Board of Management do not form part of the report.

Income Statement

1 January to 30 September

9M 2008
adjusted1)
9M 2009 Q3 2008
adjusted1)
Q3 2009
Continuing operations
Revenue €m 40,454 33,812 13,801 11,237
Other operating income €m 1,979 1,473 942 397
Total operating income €m 42,433 35,285 14,743 11,634
Materials expense €m –23,253 –18,668 –8,023 –6,197
Staff costs €m –13,111 –12,561 –4,276 –4,022
Depreciation, amortisation and impairment losses €m –1,100 –1,171 –378 –430
Other operating expenses €m –3,111 –2,518 –1,113 –754
Total operating expenses €m –40,575 –34,918 –13,790 –11,403
Profit from operating activities (EBIT) €m 1,858 367 953 231
Net income from associates €m 2 71 0 25
Other financial income €m 572 1,729 526 42
Other finance costs €m –506 –1,505 –157 –374
Foreign currency result €m –2 5 10 –3
Net other finance costs/net other financial income €m 64 229 379 –335
Net finance costs/net financial income €m 66 300 379 –310
Profit/loss before income taxes €m 1,924 667 1,332 –79
Income taxes €m –335 –133 –264 17
Profit/loss from continuing operations €m 1,589 534 1,068 –62
Discontinued operations
Profit/loss from discontinued operations €m –100 432 –340 0
Consolidated net profit/loss for the period €m 1,489 966 728 –62
attributable to
Deutsche Post AG shareholders €m 1,493 927 879 –83
Minorities €m –4 39 –151 21
Basic earnings per share 1.24 0.77 0.73 –0.07
of which from continuing operations 1.28 0.41 0.87 –0.07
of which from discontinued operations –0.04 0.36 –0.14 0.00
Diluted earnings per share 1.24 0.77 0.73 –0.07
of which from continuing operations 1.28 0.41 0.87 –0.07
of which from discontinued operations –0.04 0.36 –0.14 0.00

1) Note 4.

Statement of Comprehensive Income

1 January to 30 September

€m 9M 2008
adjusted 1)
9M 2009 Q3 2008
adjusted1)
Q3 2009
Consolidated net profit/loss for the period 1,489 966 728 –62
Currency translation reserve
Changes from unrealised gains and losses –27 155 278 –169
Changes from realised gains and losses 0 –31 0 0
Other changes in retained earnings
Changes from unrealised gains and losses 0 0 0 0
Changes from realised gains and losses 0 0 0 0
Hedging reserve
Changes from unrealised gains and losses 48 –50 54 –31
Changes from realised gains and losses 0 0 0 0
Revaluation reserve in accordance with IAS 39
Changes from unrealised gains and losses –1,970 921 –577 –1
Changes from realised gains and losses 125 –829 128 0
Revaluation reserve in accordance with IFRS 3
Changes from unrealised gains and losses 0 –1 –8 –1
Changes from realised gains and losses 0 0 0 0
Income tax relating to components of other comprehensive income 443 –4 97 0
Share of other comprehensive income of associates (after tax) 0 91 0 94
Other comprehensive income (after tax) –1,381 252 –28 –108
Total comprehensive income 108 1,218 700 –170
attributable to
Deutsche Post AG shareholders 800 1,226 994 –181
Minorities –692 –8 –294 11

1) Note 4.

Balance Sheet

As at 30 September 2009

€m

31 Dec. 2008 30 Sep. 2009
ASSETS
Intangible assets 11,627 11,481
Property, plant and equipment 6,676 6,353
Investment property 32 31
Investments in associates 61 1,790
Other non-current financial assets 574 384
Non-current financial assets 635 2,174
Other non-current assets 514 1,277
Deferred tax assets 1,033 756
Non-current assets 20,517 22,072
Inventories 269 232
Income tax assets 191 189
Receivables and other assets 8,715 7,544
Financial instruments 50 1,689
Cash and cash equivalents 1,350 2,729
Assets held for sale 231,872 68
Current assets 242,447 12,451
Total assets 262,964 34,523
EQUITY AND LIABILITIES
Issued capital 1,209 1,209
Other reserves 439 738
Retained earnings 6,178 6,380
Equity attributable to Deutsche Post AG shareholders 7,826 8,327
Minority interest 2,026 114
Equity 9,852 8,441
Provisions for pensions and other employee benefits 4,685 4,636
Deferred tax liabilities 833 433
Other non-current provisions 2,511 2,218
Non-current provisions 8,029 7,287
Non-current financial liabilities 3,318 6,903
Other non-current liabilities 367 402
Non-current liabilities 3,685 7,305
Non-current provisions and liabilities 11,714 14,592
Current provisions 2,807 2,359
Current financial liabilities 779 292
Trade payables 4,980 4,430
Income tax liabilities 351 332
Other current liabilities 4,745 4,077
Liabilities associated with assets held for sale 227,736 0
Current liabilities 238,591 9,131
Current provisions and liabilities 241,398 11,490
Total equity and liabilities 262,964 34,523

Cash Flow Statement

1 January to 30 September

€m 9M 2008 9M 2009 Q3 2008 Q3 2009
adjusted1) adjusted1)
Profit/loss before income taxes 1,924 667 1,332 –79
Net other finance costs/net other financial income –64 –229 –379 335
Net income from associates –2 –71 0 –25
Profit from operating activities (EBIT) 1,858 367 953 231
Depreciation/amortisation of non-current assets 1,100 1,171 378 430
Net income from disposal of non-current assets –48 49 –7 8
Non-cash income and expense 82 83 12 6
Change in provisions –457 –1,035 –92 –234
Change in other assets and liabilities –4 –22 25 –10
Income taxes paid –237 –252 –53 –73
Net cash from operating activities before changes in working capital 2,294 361 1,216 358
Changes in working capital
Inventories –29 40 12 6
Receivables and other assets –480 703 –18 90
Liabilities and other items 136 –834 88 45
Net cash from operating activities due to continuing operations 1,921 270 1,298 499
Net cash used in/from operating activities due to discontinued operations –662 –1,828 1,990 0
Total net cash from/used in operating activities 1,259 –1,558 3,288 499
Proceeds from disposal of non-current assets
Subsidiaries and other business units 1 –6 1 0
Property, plant and equipment and intangible assets 636 139 63 39
Other non-current financial assets 168 318 9 14
805 451 73 53
Cash paid to acquire non-current assets
Subsidiaries and other business units –426 –48 –31 –20
Property, plant and equipment and intangible assets –1,161 –804 –429 –301
Other non-current financial assets –75 –170 0 –27
–1,662 –1,022 –460 –348
Interest received 544 78 516 13
Postbank dividend 103 0 0 0
Current financial instruments –59 –648 –64 –529
Net cash used in/from investing activities due to continuing operations –269 –1,141 65 –811
Net cash from/used in investing activities due to discontinued operations 517 –1,253 –5 0
Total net cash from/used in investing activities 248 –2,394 60 –811
Proceeds from issuance of non-current financial liabilities 111 3,967 33 –16
Repayments of non-current financial liabilities –381 –379 –111 –28
Change in current financial liabilities –85 –527 –1,080 –35
Other financing activities 29 –76 –39 –26
Dividend paid to Deutsche Post AG shareholders –1,087 –725 0 0
Dividend paid to other shareholders –49 –10 –16 –2
Issuance of shares under stock option plan 21 0 3 0
Interest paid –304 –241 –61 –56
Net cash used in/from financing activities due to continuing operations –1,745 2,009 –1,271 –163
Net cash from financing activities due to discontinued operations 245 7 448 0
Total net cash used in/from financing activities –1,500 2,016 –823 –163
Net change in cash and cash equivalents 7 –1,936 2,525 –475
Effect of changes in exchange rates on cash and cash equivalents –3 3 33 –18
Changes in cash and cash equivalents due to changes in consolidated group 2 0 0 0
Cash and cash equivalents at beginning of reporting period 4,683 4,662 2,131 3,222
Total cash and cash equivalents at end of reporting period 4,689 2,729 4,689 2,729
Less cash and cash equivalents of discontinued operations at end of reporting period 3,486 0 3,486 0
Plus cash and cash equivalents of continuing operations at discontinued operations at end of reporting period 42 0 42 0
Cash and cash equivalents of continuing operations at end of reporting period 1,245 2,729 1,245 2,729

1) Note 4.

Statement of Changes in Equity

1 January to 30 September

€m Other reserves Equity
Currency attributable to
Issued Capital IAS 39 Revaluation translation Retained Deutsche Post Minority
capital reserve reserves reserve reserve earnings AG shareholders interest Total equity
Balance at 1 January 2008 1,207 2,119 –347 0 –897 8,953 11,035 2,778 13,813
Capital transactions with owner
Dividend –1,087 –1,087 –152 –1,239
Changes in minority interest due
to changes in consolidated group
0 –12 –12
Stock option plans (exercise) 2 19 21 21
Stock option plans (issuance) 4 4 4
–1,062 –164 –1,226
Total comprehensive income
Consolidated net profit 1) 1,493 1,493 –4 1,489
Currency translation differences –25 –25 –2 –27
Other changes –676 8 –668 –686 –1,354
800 –692 108
Balance at 30 September 2008 1,209 2,142 –1,023 8 –922 9,359 10,773 1,922 12,695
Balance at 1 January 2009 1,209 2,142 –314 8 –1,397 6,178 7,826 2,026 9,852
Capital transactions with owner
Dividend –725 –725 –10 –735
Changes in minority interest due
to changes in consolidated group
0 –1,894 –1,894
Stock option plans (exercise) 0 0
Stock option plans (issuance) 0 0
–725 –1,904 –2,629
Total comprehensive income
Consolidated net profit 927 927 39 966
Currency translation differences 112 112 3 115
Other changes 188 –1 187 –50 137
1,226 –8 1,218
Balance at 30 September 2009 1,209 2,142 –126 7 –1,285 6,380 8,327 114 8,441

1) Note 4.

Segment Reporting

Segments by division

€m Global
Forwarding , Corporate Center/ Continuing Discontinued
MAIL1) Express
1)
Freig
ht1)
Supply Chain
1)
Other1) Consolidation1) operations1) operations
2008 2009 2008 2009 2008 2009 2008 2009 2008 2009 2008 2009 2008 2009 2008 2009
1 January to 30 September
External revenue 10,340 9,836 9,976 7,306 10,005 7,430 10,063 9,188 70 52 0 0 40,454 33,812 8,569 1,634
Internal revenue 158 136 379 228 563 444 120 96 1,171 1,104 –2,391 –2,008 0 0 0 0
Total revenue 10,498 9,972 10,355 7,534 10,568 7,874 10,183 9,284 1,241 1,156 –2,391 –2,008 40,454 33,812 8,569 1,634
Profit/loss from operating
activities (EBIT)
1,737 880 12 –432 289 168 149 –37 –329 –212 0 0 1,858 367 –45 –24
Net income from associates 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 71 0 0 2 71 0 0
Segment assets 2) 3,683 3,731 8,878 8,539 6,887 6,395 6,460 5,972 1,345 1,221 –401 –208 26,852 25,650 227,364 0
Investments in associates 2) 22 22 32 39 6 6 0 0 1 1,723 0 0 61 1,790 0 0
Segment liabilities 2),3) 2,412 2,293 3,149 2,564 2,305 2,140 2,900 2,590 1,294 1,101 –421 –232 11,639 10,456 218,730 0
Capex 169 200 532 281 65 50 286 140 160 115 0 0 1,212 786 60 7
Depreciation, amortisation
and write-downs
253 245 334 319 75 80 244 339 194 188 0 0 1,100 1,171 99 0
Other non-cash expenses 214 161 133 564 42 82 75 170 59 37 0 0 523 1,014 406 114
Employees 4) 146,184 145,980 112,420 100,254 41,602 40,478 141,060 137,376 15,450 14,918 0 0 456,716 439,006 22,175 0
Q3
External revenue 3,362 3,229 3,356 2,456 3,619 2,495 3,439 3,043 25 14 0 0 13,801 11,237 2,841 0
Internal revenue 47 48 119 76 182 149 42 35 401 341 –791 –649 0 0 0 0
Total revenue 3,409 3,277 3,475 2,532 3,801 2,644 3,481 3,078 426 355 –791 –649 13,801 11,237 2,841 0
Profit/loss from operating
activities (EBIT)
916 323 –15 11 108 55 51 –87 –107 –71 0 0 953 231 –418 0
Net income from associates 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 25 0 0 0 25 0 0
Capex 87 83 176 117 20 18 95 41 66 49 0 0 444 308 17 0
Depreciation, amortisation
and write-downs
80 75 113 100 28 26 81 174 76 55 0 0 378 430 29 0
Other non-cash expenses 140 31 40 181 17 43 22 71 –2 –5 0 0 217 321 159 0

Information about geographical regions

€m Europe excluding Continuing Discontinued
Germany1) Germany1) Americas1) Asia Pacific1) Other regions1) operations1) operations
2008 2009 2008 2009 2008 2009 2008 2009 2008 2009 2008 2009 2008 2009
1 January to 30 September
External revenue 12,311 11,563 14,921 12,293 7,273 4,683 4,651 4,055 1,298 1,218 40,454 33,812 8,569 1,634
Non-current assets 2) 3,997 3,806 7,598 7,510 3,294 3,177 2,968 2,908 584 601 18,441 18,002 2,373 0
Capex 468 407 379 211 216 91 104 52 45 25 1,212 786 60 7
Q3
External revenue 4,064 3,784 4,992 4,090 2,523 1,527 1,713 1,434 509 402 13,801 11,237 2,841 0
Capex 217 199 127 63 60 22 24 17 16 7 444 308 17 0

1) Notes 4 and 12.

2) As at 31 December 2008 and 30 September 2009.

3) Including non-interest-bearing provisions.

4) Average FTE.

Selected Explanatory Notes

Company information

Deutsche Post AG is a listed corporation domiciled in Germany.

1 Basis of accounting

The accompanying condensed consolidated interim financial statements as at 30 September 2009 were prepared in accordance with the International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) and related interpretations issued by the International Accounting Standards Board (IASB) for interim financial reporting, as adopted by the European Union. These interim financial statements thus include all information and disclosures required by IFRS to be presented in condensed interim financial statements.

Preparation of the condensed consolidated interim financial statements for interim financial reporting in accordance with IAS 34 requires the Board of Management to exercise judgement and make estimates and assumptions that affect the application of accounting policies in the Group and the presentation of assets, liabilities, income and expenses. Actual amounts may differ from these estimates. The results obtained thus far in financial year 2009 are not necessarily an indication of the further development of the course of business.

The accounting policies applied to the condensed consolidated interim financial statements are generally based on the same accounting policies used in the consolidated financial statements for financial year 2008, with the exception of the new or amended accounting pronouncements required to be applied since financial year 2009.

With the application of IAS 1 (Presentation of Financial Statements) (revised 2007), the consolidated interim financial statements contain, in addition to the income statement, a statement reconciling profit or loss to total comprehensive income and presenting components of other comprehensive income.

IFRS 8 (Operating Segments) was applied for the first time in financial year 2009; further details can be found in Note 12.

The following Standards, amendments to Standards and Interpretations are also required to be applied as of 1 January 2009, but do not have any material effect on the consolidated interim financial statements:

  • IAS 23 (Borrowing Costs) (amended)
  • IFRS 2 (Share-based Payment) (amended)
  • IAS 32 (Financial Instruments: Presentation) (amended)
  • IFRIC 13 (Customer Loyalty Programmes)
  • IFRIC 14 (IAS 19 The Limit on a Defined Benefit Asset, Minimum Funding Requirements and their Interaction)
  • Improvements to IFRS (May 2008)
  • IFRS 1 and IAS 27 (amended)

For further information on the accounting policies applied, please refer to the consolidated financial statements for the year ended 31 December 2008, on which these interim financial statements are based.

The accompanying condensed consolidated interim financial statements have not been audited.

2 Consolidated group

In addition to Deutsche Post AG as the Group parent, the consolidated group generally includes all German and foreign entities in which Deutsche Post AG directly or indirectly holds a majority of voting rights, or whose activities it is otherwise able to control.

Consolidated group

31 Dec. 2008 30 Sep. 2009
Number of fully consolidated companies (subsidiaries)
German 106 79
Foreign 854 818
Number of proportionately consolidated
joint ventures
German 1 1
Foreign 18 18
Number of companies accounted
for at equity (associates)
German 3 30
Foreign 12 29

The changes in the consolidated group are a result of the deconsolidation of Deutsche Postbank AG and its subsidiaries as at the end of February 2009 and their inclusion in the consolidated financial statements as associates as from March 2009.

As a result of contractual arrangements that took effect at the end of October 2008, the US company Polar Air Cargo Worldwide, Inc. (Polar Air) has been fully consolidated since November 2008. This company was previously included as an associate in the consolidated financial statements. The preliminary purchase price allocation for this acquisition was presented in the consolidated financial statements for the year ended 31 December 2008, as not all the information required for final purchase price allocation was available at that time. This resulted in provisional goodwill of €100 million. Final purchase price allocation has now been completed as at 30 September 2009 and did not result in any adjustments compared with the preliminary purchase price allocation previously presented.

In the period ended 30 September 2009, Deutsche Post DHL also made further acquisitions that did not have any material effect on the Group's net assets, financial position and results of operations either individually or in the aggregate.

Insignificant acquisitions

€m Carrying
amount Adjustments Fair value
ASSETS
Non-current assets 5 4 9
Current assets 7 7
Cash and cash equivalents 3 3
15 4 19
Equity
and
liabilities
Non-current liabilities and provisions 0 0
Current liabilities and provisions 11 11
11 11
Net assets 8
Acquisition costs 50
Less net assets –8
Difference 42
of which minority interest –17
Goodwill 25

In the period ended 30 September 2009, €48 million (previous year: €395 million) was spent on acquiring subsidiaries, less cash and cash equivalents acquired. The purchase prices of the acquired companies were paid by transferring cash and cash equivalents.

The French company DHL Global Mail Services SAS, France, was sold during the reporting period. Its deconsolidation resulted in a loss of €21 million, as shown in the following table:

Disposal and deconsolidation effects

€m
9M 2009
Disposal effects
Non-current assets 17
Current assets 21
Cash and cash equivalents 6
Non-current liabilities and provisions 2
Current liabilities and provisions 21
Revenue 40
Deconsolidation loss 21

3 Significant transactions

As planned, Deutsche Post DHL sold its remaining shares in Deutsche Bank AG on the market by the beginning of July 2009. Deutsche Post AG has received a total of around €5 billion from the sale of its interest in Postbank.

The transaction for the sale of Postbank shares to Deutsche Bank AG agreed in January was completed on 25 February 2009 as planned. Deutsche Bank AG received a 22.9% interest in Deutsche Postbank AG from Deutsche Post DHL in return for 50 million Deutsche Bank shares from a capital increase. An additional 27.4% interest will be transferred to Deutsche Bank AG after three years when a mandatory exchangeable bond on Postbank shares becomes due. An amount of around €2.6 billion from this mandatory exchangeable bond plus interest expenses of €72 million until 30 September 2009 has been recognised as a non-current financial liability. In accordance with IAS 39.2 (g), the forward sale of 27.4% of the shares of Postbank contained in the mandatory exchangeable bond has not been recognised or measured.

The first tranche affected earnings by €571 million in the period up to September 2009; this amount is contained in the profit/ loss from discontinued operations and in net finance costs/net financial income.

In a third tranche, Deutsche Post DHL and Deutsche Bank AG agreed on options for the sale/purchase of a further 12.1% of the Postbank shares. These options cannot be exercised until February 2012 at the earliest. The options are reported under other non-current assets in the amount of €663 million and under other non-current liabilities in the amount of €44 million. Net finance costs/net financial income contains gains of €619 million from changes in the fair value of the options. Because of the increase in the price of Postbank shares between initial recognition and the reporting date, the carrying amount of the options fell by €325 million.

The insolvency proceedings for Karstadt Warenhaus GmbH and Quelle GmbH opened on 1 September 2009. Both companies are key Deutsche Post DHL customers in Germany. In 2005, Deutsche Post acquired the logistics activities of the trading group (then known as KarstadtQuelle), including its warehouses, and entered into a ten-year agreement governing further cooperation. Despite the insolvency proceedings, Deutsche Post DHL has continued to provide all services for Karstadt and Quelle. However, an amended customer master agreement will affect revenue and earnings projections for 2010 and beyond. Given these circumstances, impairment losses in the MAIL and SUPPLY CHAIN divisions and a reduction in the headcount are unavoidable. 560 jobs have been affected to date. The insolvency impacted earnings by €186 million in the reporting period. The extent of the impact was calculated based on the assumption that Quelle GmbH will be liquidated. The question of whether additional risks will arise depends on the decisions reached by the creditors of Karstadt and Quelle at their meetings in early November 2009 as well as those reached by the insolvency administrator, Note 16.

4 Adjustment of prior-period amounts

Since January 2009 the expected return on plan assets has been reported together with the interest component of pension expenses under net finance costs/net financial income. The prioryear figures were adjusted accordingly.

Effective January 2009, the effects of currency translation differences and related hedging effects are reported separately in net finance costs/net financial income. The prior-year figures were adjusted accordingly.

In addition, the carrying amount of intraperiod deferred staff costs was changed. This will not affect net profit for the full year. The prior-year figures were adjusted accordingly.

The prior-period amount for profit/loss from discontinued operations was adjusted to reflect a restatement by the Deutsche Postbank Group in financial year 2008. More detailed information is contained in the 2008 Annual Report, Note 5, investors.dp-dhl.com.

Adjustment of prior-period amounts

€m Adjustment
Deutsche
Reclassification Reclassification
of currency
9M 2008 Postbank
Group
of return on
plan assets
Deferred
staff costs
translation
effects
9M 2008
adjusted
Staff costs –12,838 –303 30 –13,111
Net other finance costs/net other financial income –239 303 0 64
Other financial income 572 0 572
Other finance costs –811 303 2 –506
Foreign currency result –2 –2
Income taxes –329 –6 –335
Profit from continuing operations 1,565 24 1,589
Profit/loss from discontinued operations –106 6 –100

Income statement disclosures

5 Other operating income

€m

9M 2008 9M 2009
Income from the reversal of provisions 146 375
Income from currency translation differences 151 133
Rental and lease income 134 132
Insurance income 133 129
Income from work performed and capitalised 110 84
Income from fees and reimbursements 81 82
Income from derivatives 48 76
Commission income 63 57
Reversals of impairment losses on receivables
and other assets
48 50
Income from the remeasurement of liabilities 95 37
Gains on disposal of non-current assets 77 28
Income from the derecognition of liabilities 10 26
Income from prior-period billings 38 27
Income from loss compensation 17 16
Recoveries on receivables previously written off 6 9
Subsidies 5 4
Income from state aid repayment 572 0
Miscellaneous 245 208
Total 1,979 1,473

Income from the reversal of provisions relates primarily to changes in estimates of the amount of specific future payment obligations from the restructuring of the US express business and to renegotiations of the compensation payment obligations assumed as part of the restructuring measures in the USA.

Miscellaneous other operating income includes a large number of smaller individual items.

6 Other operating expenses

€m
9M 2008 9M 2009
Travel and training costs 332 224
Write-downs of current assets 193 221
Warranty expenses, refunds and compensation
payments
259 213
Cost of purchased cleaning, transport and security
services
223 212
Other business taxes 253 201
Telecommunication costs 201 179
Expenses from currency translation differences 152 135
Office supplies 152 125
Consulting costs 190 124
Losses on disposal of assets 33 108
Voluntary social benefits 111 107
Insurance costs 85 84
Entertainment and corporate hospitality expenses 117 76
Services provided by the Federal Posts
and Telecommunications Agency 52 63
Other public relations expenses 122 63
Legal costs 65 54
Commissions paid 48 49
Advertising expenses 110 45
Expenses for public relations and customer support 54 43
Contributions and fees 30 28
Expenses from derivatives 46 25
Audit costs 25 22
Prior-period other operating expenses 62 21
Monetary transaction costs 27 19
Additions to provisions 3 12
Tax advice 10 6
Donations 18 1
Miscellaneous 138 58
Total 3,111 2,518

The reduction in other operating expenses is attributable primarily to the Group-wide cost reduction programme.

Write-downs of current assets include write-downs of receivables from Arcandor/KarstadtQuelle in the amount of €32 million.

Miscellaneous other operating expenses include a large number of smaller individual items.

7 Depreciation, amortisation and impairment losses

Depreciation, amortisation and impairment losses include impairment losses of €17 million on property, plant and equipment in the US express business, impairment losses of €22 million on aircraft due to negative market price developments and impairment losses of €94 million relating to the Arcandor insolvency.

8 Net finance costs/net financial income

Net other finance costs/net other financial income includes realised gains from the sale of Deutsche Bank shares as well as the measurement of the options for the third tranche of the agreement entered into by Deutsche Post and Deutsche Bank.

9 Profit/loss from discontinued operations

In accordance with IFRS 5, the profit/loss of the Deutsche Postbank Group for the months of January and February 2009 is reported in the income statement under profit/loss from discontinued operations.

Profit/loss from discontinued operations

€m

9M 2008 9M 2009
Revenue and operating income 8,152 1,607
Operating expenses –8,197 –1,631
Loss from operating activities (EBIT) –45 –24
Net finance costs –50 –13
Loss before taxes from discontinued operations –95 –37
Attributable tax expense –5 25
Loss after taxes from discontinued operations –100 –12
Deconsolidation effects 0 444
Profit/loss from discontinued operations –100 432

The effects of the deconsolidation of the 22.9% interest are reported under profit/loss from discontinued operations.

Effective March 2009, the remaining shares in the Deutsche Postbank Group are reported at their equity-method carrying amount under non-current financial assets, whilst its profit or loss is reported under net income from associates.

10 Earnings per share

Basic earnings per share in the period under review were €0.77.

Basic earnings per share

9M 2008
adjusted 1)
9M 2009
Consolidated net profit for the period
attributable to Deutsche Post AG
shareholders €m 1,493 927
Weighted average number of shares
outstanding
shares 1,208,485,299 1,209,015,874
Basic earnings per share 1.24 0.77
of which from continuing operations 1.28 0.41
of which from discontinued operations –0.04 0.36

1) Note 4.

Diluted earnings per share in the period under review were €0.77. There were no stock options for executives at the reporting date.

Diluted earnings per share

9M 2008
adjusted 1)
9M 2009
Consolidated net profit for the period
attributable to Deutsche Post AG
shareholders
€m 1,493 927
Weighted average number of shares
outstanding
shares 1,208,485,299 1,209,015,874
Potentially dilutive shares shares 294,697 0
Weighted average number of shares
for diluted earnings
shares 1,208,779,996 1,209,015,874
Diluted earnings per share 1.24 0.77
of which from continuing operations 1.28 0.41
of which from discontinued operations –0.04 0.36

1) Note 4.

Balance sheet disclosures

11 Assets held for sale, liabilities associated with assets held for sale

€m Assets Liabilities
31 Dec. 2008 30 Sep. 2009 31 Dec. 2008 30 Sep. 2009
Deutsche Post AG –
real estate
31 22 0 0
DHL Supply Chain,
Spain – buildings
15 17 0 0
Astar AirCargo Inc.,
USA – aircraft
0 16 0 0
DHL Network Opera
tions, USA – aircraft
2 12 0 0
Deutsche Postbank
Group
231,824 0 227,736 0
Other 0 1 0 0
Assets held for sale,
liabilities associated
with assets held for
sale
231,872 68 227,736 0

The amounts attributable to the Deutsche Postbank Group were presented as assets held for sale and liabilities associated with assets held for sale in accordance with IFRS 5 as at 31 December 2008 and in the period up to and including 28 February 2009. Effective 28 February 2009, the Deutsche Postbank Group was deconsolidated due to the sale of a 22.9% interest and the associated loss of control. Since 1 March 2009, the remaining 39.5% interest in the Deutsche Postbank Group has been reported as investments in associates under non-current financial assets and accounted for using the equity method.

As part of the restructuring of the US express business, aircraft used by ABX Air were acquired by DHL Network Operations, USA, on the basis of contractual arrangements and the termination of an operating lease, and are now classified as held for sale.

Astar AirCargo has surplus capacities due to the restructuring of the US express business and the impacts of the recession. Aircraft with a value of €16 million are therefore planned to be sold.

Segment reporting disclosures

12 Segment reporting

IFRS 8 (Operating Segments) has been required to be applied since financial year 2009. Deutsche Post DHL reports four operating segments; these are managed independently by the responsible segment management bodies in line with the products and services offered and the brands, distribution channels and customer profiles involved. Components of the entity are defined as a segment on the basis of the existence of segment managers with bottomline responsibility who report directly to Deutsche Post DHL's top management.

The "Consolidation" column and the "Corporate Center/ Other" collective segment are reported separately. The collective segment comprises the activities of Global Business Services (GBS) and the Corporate Center, as well as other non-operating activities and other business activities. The profit/loss generated by GBS is allocated to the other operating segments, whilst its assets and liabilities remain with GBS (asymmetrical allocation).

In keeping with internal reporting, capital expenditure (capex) is disclosed in place of the segment investments. The difference is that intangible assets are reported net of goodwill in the capex figure.

The main geographical regions in which the Group is active are Germany, Europe, the Americas, Asia Pacific and other regions. External revenue, non-current assets and capex are disclosed for these regions. Revenue is allocated to the individual regions on the basis of the domicile of the reporting entity. The prior-year figures were adjusted accordingly. Non-current assets primarily comprise intangible assets, property, plant and equipment, and other noncurrent assets.

The Deutsche Postbank Group is reported as a discontinued operation for the months of January and February. As of March, the remaining shares disclosed under investments in associates and the net income from associates are reported in the column entitled "Corporate Center/Other".

Reconciliation

€m
9M 2008 9M 2009
Total comprehensive income of reportable segments 2,187 579
Corporate Center/Other –329 –212
Reconciliation to Group/Consolidation 0 0
Profit from operating activities (EBIT) 1,858 367
Net financial income 66 300
Profit before income taxes 1,924 667
Income taxes –335 –133
Profit/loss from discontinued operations –100 432
Consolidated net profit for the period 1,489 966

Other disclosures

13 Share-based remuneration

The exercise phase of the 2004 tranche of the 2003 stock option plan ended on 30 June 2009. Under the terms and conditions of the plan, all stock options and stock appreciation rights (SAR) of this tranche not exercised by 30 June 2009 expired:

Stock options

Number SOP 2003
Tranche 2004
Outstanding stock options as at 1 January 2009 2,726,658
Outstanding SAR as at 1 January 2009 232,568
Stock options lapsed 2,726,658
SAR lapsed 232,568
Stock options exercised 0
SAR exercised 0
Outstanding stock options as at 30 September 2009 0
Outstanding SAR as at 30 September 2009 0

Provisions for SAR plans as at 30 September 2009 amounted to €9 million (31 December 2008: €10 million). The issued capital was unchanged as against 31 December 2008; it is composed of 1,209,015,874 no-par value registered shares.

14 Related party disclosures

There have been no material changes in related party disclosures as against 31 December 2008, 2008 Annual Report, Note 56, investors.dp-dhl.com.

15 Contingent liabilities

The Group's contingent liabilities have not changed significantly compared with 31 December 2008.

16 Other disclosures / Events after the balance sheet date

The liquidation of the Quelle GmbH mail-order company was announced on 20 October 2009. The closure of Quelle GmbH will lead to additional restructuring measures and a reduction in the headcount by 400 employees at Deutsche Post DHL. Presentation of these facts in the financial statements will only be possible in the fourth quarter of 2009.

Events and Contacts

Financial calendar1)

9 March 2010 Financials press conference and investors conference for financial year 2009
16 March 2010 2009 Annual Report
28 April 2010 Annual General Meeting (Frankfurt/Main)
11 May 2010 Interim Report on the first quarter of 2010, investors conference call
3 August 2010 Interim Report on the first half of 2010,
half-year press conference, investors conference call
9 November 2010 Interim Report on the first nine months of 2010, investors conference call

1) For more information on other events, updates and details of live webcasts, please visit investors.dp-dhl.com.

Investor events1)

10 –11 November 2009 Cheuvreux Pan-European Management Conference (New York)
17 November 2009 Nomura German Swiss Conference (Tokyo)
19 November 2009 WestLB Deutschland Conference (Frankfurt/Main)
11–13 January 2010 Commerzbank German Investment Seminar (New York)
18 – 20 January 2010 Cheuvreux German Corporate Conference (Frankfurt/Main)

1) For more information on other events, updates and details of live webcasts, please visit investors.dp-dhl.com.

Contacts

Investor Relations

Tel.: +49 (0) 228 182- 6 36 36 Fax: +49 (0) 228 182- 6 31 99 E-mail: [email protected]

Press office

Tel.: +49 (0) 228 182- 99 44 Fax: +49 (0) 228 182- 98 80

Ordering a copy of the Interim Report

External

E-mail: [email protected] Online: investors.dp-dhl.com II

Internal

GeT and DHL Webshop Mat. no. 675-602-217

English translation

Deutsche Post Foreign Language Services et al.

The English version of the Interim Report January to September 2009 of Deutsche Post AG constitutes a translation of the original German version. Only the German version is legally binding, in so far as this does not conflict with legal provisions in other countries.

Provided your mobile phone has Quick Recognition (QR) software, you can photograph this code to directly access the investors portal on our website.

Deutsche Post AG Headquarters Investor Relations 53250 Bonn Germany www.dp-dhl.com

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