Kofola ups sales 28.8 pct to Kc5.22bn in H1

Ostrava, North Moravia, Sept 23 (CTK) - Beverage group Kofola' sales rose by 28.8 percent yr/yr to Kc5.22bn in H1, its EBITDA (earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortisation) by almost half to Kc867.3m, the company told CTK in a press release today.

In view of the successful summer season, Kofola will aim for the upper limit of the announced full-year profit despite the consequences of the recent devastating floods.

"The second quarter was successful for us. Compared to the same period last year, we increased our revenue by 13 percent," said Daniel Burys, CEO of Kofola CeskoSlovensko. "We saw increased sales across all formats. Draft beverages were the most successful, growing by 7 percent. Individual brands also showed success – Kofola grew by 10 percent year-on-year, and significant growth was also seen in the mineral water brands Korunni and Klastorna Kalcia," Burys added.

UGO, which supplies fresh fruit and vegetable juices to the market and operates a network of Salad Bars and Fresh Bars, recorded a 23 percent year-on-year growth in sales.

In Slovenia and Croatia, sales rose by 13 percent year on year despite worse weather. "Although we faced heavy rains and storms that impacted overall sales and caused damage to the Radenci plant, we achieved good results. Slovenia saw a 5 percent increase, Croatia 12 percent, and our export sales grew impressively by 8.5 percent. We are especially pleased with the double-digit growth in Croatia,” said Marian Sefcovic, CEO of Radenska Adriatic.

At the beginning of this year, Kofola became the owner of brewer Pivovary CZ Group, which now forms its independent pillar. Thanks to a 13 percent growth in sales, its EBITDA exceeded expectations by Kc12m. "We achieved this result primarily due to higher sold volumes, which covered rising costs. The most successful brand in terms of marketing was Zubr," said Rene Musila, CEO of Pivovary CZ Group.

Kofola CEO Martin Pisklak said that according to initial estimates, the damage caused by the recent floods would amount to roughly Kc100-200 million, part of which will be covered by insurance. "The Krnov plant will take the longest to recover, but we can ensure smooth operations thanks to other plants. At this point, I believe we are heading toward the upper end of the EBITDA outlook, nearing Kc1.8bn," he said.

Kofola is one of Central Europe's leading soft drinks producers, with 14 production plants in five European markets and over 2,000 employees. Its product brands include Kofola, Rajec, Korunni, Ondrasovka, Klastorna Kalcia, Jupi, Vinea and Semtex. . The group also includes the UGO fresh and salad bars, Czech herbal tea maker Leros, Slovenian company Radenska and Croatian mineral water producer Studenac.

The Kofola group has almost 2,800 employees.

Kofola group's financial results (in Kc mil.):

	H1 2024*	H1 2023*	change 2024/2023	change in pct
sales	5,219.2	4,052.8	1,166.4	28.8
EBITDA	867.3	581.1	286.2	49.3

* The results are adjusted for one-off items

Source: Kofola

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