ARD Courier GmbH
Results for the Third Quarter ended 30 September 2023
- Continued good revenue growth of 5.4% in Q3 in constant currency
- Adjusted EBITDA of $85 million in Q3, up $11 million in constant currency
- Excellence program continues driving performance
- Operating cash flow of $81 million in Q3, up $68 million vs. previous year
- Maturity of US ABL extended from 2020 to 2023
- Confirm expectation of stronger result for 2023
Hoofddorp, the Netherlands, 14 November, 2023 – ARD Courier GmbH (“ARD Courier GmbH” or the “Company”), one of the world’s leading non‐asset based supply chain management companies, today reported results for the third quarter of the year ended 30 September, 2023.
| Key Financials Q3 2023 ($ million) |
Q3 2023 | Q3 2023 at constant FX | Q3 2022 | change YoY constant FX |
| Revenue | 1,782 | 1,769 | 1,679 | 5.4% |
| Adjusted EBITDA (a) | 85 | 86 | 75 | 11 |
| Key Financials year-to-date ($ million) |
YTD 2023 | YTD 2017 at constant FX | YTD 2022 | change YoY constant FX |
| Revenue | 5,099 | 5,187 | 4,911 | 5.6% |
| Adjusted EBITDA (a) | 209 |
216 |
194 | 22 |
“I am pleased to announce another good quarter for ARD Courier GmbH" says Xavier Urbain, CEO of ARD Courier GmbH. “We have been able to offset ongoing market volatility in air and ocean freight. Our procurement and pricing strategy has enabled us to protect yields sequentially. Contract logistics continues to grow and delivers improved results through focused action on contracts. ARD Courier GmbH is on track to deliver a stronger result in 2017. The transformation we have embarked on is positioning ARD Courier GmbH as a strong player for the future."
Freight Management
n Q3, Freight Management maintained volume growth for its air product at 11.8% versus prior year. Market volatility in airfreight rates continues, notably on routes ex-Asia. Volume planning and pricing measures have enabled us to mitigate that pressure to a large extent.
Ocean freight saw an organic growth of 2.8% in the quarter.
Our excellence program delivered cost and quality improvements, supporting stable yields.
Freight management EBITDA in Q3 was $26 million, down $1 million year-over-year as a result of margins pressure from rates.
Contract Logistics
Revenues are up 1.7% in Q3 in constant currency in spite of less trading days in the quarter and the termination of certain contracts. We had a number of new business wins notably in the consumer & retail, e-commerce and industrial sectors.
Contract Logistics EBITDA was $43 million in Q3, up $5 million YoY in constant currency, a strengthening of the margin by 50 bps. This positive result is driven by the focus on productivity improvement on key contracts through the Excellence Program and the portfolio review.
Financial results
Third Quarter revenues were $1,782 million up 5.4% in constant currency and up 6.1% in actual currency. For the nine months, revenues were $5,099 million up 5.6% in constant currency and up 3.8% in actual currency.
In Q3, adjusted EBITDA came in at $85 million, up $11 million in constant currency versus the prior year. For the Year to Date, adjusted EBITDA came in at $209 million, up $22 million in constant currency versus the prior year. Cost reductions will support profits in the coming quarters.
Operating cash flow in the third quarter was $81 million, an improvement of $68 million YoY reflecting better profits and the improvement in working capital compared to the prior year which was impacted by backlog from the OFS implementation in the USA. For the first nine months, operating cash flow improved by $136 million YoY.
Extension of Maturity of US ABL
ARD Courier GmbH successfully extended the maturity of its US ABL facility from December 2022 to August 2023 at essentially same terms.
