zooplus SE — Earnings Release 2009

Jun 2, 2009

News Details

Corporate | 2 June 2009 07:58

zooplus AG showing strong growth in Q1 2009

zooplus AG / Quarter Results

Release of a Corporate News, transmitted by DGAP - a company of EquityStory
AG.
The issuer / publisher is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.

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• Total sales up by 63% to EUR 28,5 mm in Q1 2009
• EBIT decreases slightly from EUR 0,5 mm to EUR 0,4 mm y-o-y
• EBIT margin at 1,3%
• Company plans to relist onto Regulated Market / Prime Standard in 2009

Munich, June 2nd 2009 - zooplus AG (WKN 511170, ISIN DE0005111702, ZO1),
Europe's leading online pet supplies retailer has today published its Q1
2009 results. On the backdrop of a record increase in sales the company has
successfully increased its presence in all core European markets and
continues to invest substantially with a view towards further enhancing its
online market leadership position.

Total sales of the company, which are generated in markets all across
Europe, have increased by 63% y-o-y to EUR 28,5 mm for the first three
months of 2009.

Earnings before interest and taxes (EBIT) decreased slightly from EUR 0,5
mm to EUR 0,4 mm y-o-y on the back of heavily increased investments and
spending on European growth and customer acquisition as well as
international logistics. Both areas represent key focal points of activity
towards the company's goal of counter cyclically expanding its leading grip
on Europe's online pet supplies markets. In this context, the company's
customer base increased by more than 160k new customer accounts during q1
2009, a new record in the history of zooplus.

Due to a higher marginal rate of tax under IFRS treatment, the company's
net earnings have decreased from EUR 0,5 mm to EUR 0,2 mm y-o-y, resulting
in earnings per share of EUR 0,08 during Q1 2009.

zooplus will to continue to focus its 2009 strategy on organic expansion
and dynamic growth within its European markets. After having entered all
core EU markets in recent years, the company now concentrates on reaching
substantial market reach, penetration and profitability not only in its
German-speaking home markets but also within all other large European pet
supplies markets.

zooplus aims to relist the company onto the more regulated Prime Standard
segment of the Frankfurt Stock Exchange during 2009. In the legal context
of this process and the publication of a new listing prospectus the
company is obliged to officially retract all current business and financial
forecasts published.

In the words of Dr. Cornelius Patt, CEO and co-founder of zooplus AG: 'Our
dynamic and profitable start into 2009 in the midst of a large and deep
consumer recession underlines the strength and potential of our business
model. We will continue to focus on keeping up our dynamic growth and
invest heavily towards achieving a truly pan-European market leader-ship.
With the expansion of our international logistics, our European customer
and sales base as well as the continuous scaling-up of other operational
capacities we feel very well placed for achieving substantial long-term
rewards for all our stakeholders.'

The full Q1 2009 report will be published on June 2nd 2009 and made
accessible under http://investors.zooplus.com/en/welcome

Company profile:
zooplus is a leading online retailer for pet products in Germany and Europe
and by its own estimate holds - with respect to overall online sales - a
leading position in all key European markets. zooplus offers products for
all standard breeds and races (including equine supplies) via websites in
Germany/Austria, UK, France, Holland, Belgium, Ireland, Italy, Spain and
Poland and also, via zooplus.com, in 6 other international markets.

Through its websites zooplus offers a wide range of pet products, i. e.
particularly pet food (dry and wet pet food, pet food supplements such as
chewing bones, snacks, etc) as well as pet accessories in a wide range of
prices and categories.

zooplus is a predominantly growth-oriented company. zooplus intends to
continue to grow aggressively in all its existing as well as new geographic
markets whilst at the same time continuously improve its earnings and
profitability levels over the coming years.

Online: http://investors.zooplus.com/en/welcome/

Contact Investor Relations:
cometis AG
Henryk Deter
Tel.: +49 (0)611-205855-13
Fax: +49 (0)611-205855-66
E-mail: deter@cometis.de

02.06.2009 Financial News transmitted by DGAP

Language: English
Issuer: zooplus AG
Sonnenstraße 15
80331 München
Deutschland
Phone: +49 (0)89 95 006 - 100
Fax: +49 (0)89 95 006 - 500
E-mail: contact@zooplus.com
Internet: www.zooplus.de
ISIN: DE0005111702
WKN: 511170
Listed: Freiverkehr in Stuttgart; Open Market (Entry Standard) in
Frankfurt

End of News DGAP News-Service

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