Bechtle provides full coverage with considerably more than 50 system houses in Germany and Switzerland and is one of Europe's leading IT e-commerce providers. It is a combination that allows Bechtle to pursue a unique business strategy in Europe – a blend of system house services and direct sales of branded IT products. Bechtle, which was founded in 1983, is a manufacturer-independent company that provides one-stop shopping for all the IT infrastructure needs of more than 25,000 customers from industry, the public sector and the financial markets. Bechtle has a workforce of about 4,250 people. Bechtle has been listed on the German stock exchange since 2000 and is on the TecDAX, the German technology index. 
 

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Neckarsulm, 19 March 2010 - In 2009, Bechtle AG did well despite the difficult setting. In the most severe crisis after World War II, the IT service and trading enterprise generated total revenues of 1,379.3 million euros (prior year: 1,431.5 million euros). The 2009 EBT exceeded general market expectations, totalling 43.7 million euros (prior year: 61.5 million euros). At 3.2 per cent, the EBT margin remains at a level that is outstanding compared to the industry average (prior year: 4.3 per cent). The earnings per share amounted to 1.64 euros, compared to 2.14 euros in the prior year. In view of the group's excellent liquidity position, the Executive Board and the Supervisory Board will propose the distribution of a dividend of 0.60 euros per share at the Annual General Meeting to be held in June 2010. 

"Thanks to the strong closing quarter, the fiscal year turned out better than expected. With a revenue loss of only 3.6 per cent, the Bechtle Group has done exceedingly well compared to the general market development in the industry. In terms of our earnings, we were able to reduce the gap to the prior year from quarter to quarter," says Dr. Thomas Olemotz, Spokesman of the Executive Board of Bechtle AG.

IT System House & Managed Services Segment Reports Positive Business Performance in Germany
In the IT system house & managed services segment, Bechtle generated revenues of 920.0 million euros in 2009, only 0.8 per cent less than in the prior year (927.5 million euros). Especially the business of the domestic system houses and the development in the public sector division had a stabilising effect. The IT system house & managed services revenue in Germany even increased slightly from 778.7 million euros to 779.3 million euros. The business with public-sector clients surged by 32.8 per cent to 290.6 million euros (prior year: 218.8 million euros). This means a share of 21.1 per cent in the total revenue (prior year: 15.3 per cent).

In 2009, the EBIT in the IT system house & managed services segment dropped by 33.0 per cent to 25.8 million euros (prior year: 38.4 million euros). Accordingly, the EBIT margin declined from 4.1 per cent to 2.8 per cent. This was mainly due to the weak revenue performance in comparison with the costs and the increase in personnel expenses.

Sights Set on Further International Growth in the IT E-Commerce Segment
In the IT e-commerce segment, revenue totalled 459.4 in 2009, 8.8 per cent less year-on-year (prior year: 503.9 million euros). In the reporting period, the price pressure continued especially in the field of hardware products, resulting in an average price slump of about 12 per cent. Despite the considerable increase in the quantity sold in some product groups, this price slump could not be fully compensated. In the fiscal year 2009, the revenues of the foreign companies amounted to 317.1 million euros (prior year: 343.8 million euros). The domestic trading companies accounted for 142.3 million euros of the revenue (prior year: 160.2 million euros).

In the reporting period, the EBIT in the IT e-commerce segment receded from 21.8 million euros to 16.9 million euros. Though the necessary headcount reduction resulted in cost savings, this only compensated part of the revenue decline. In 2009, investments were made in the two new national markets Ireland and Portugal; moreover, preparations were made for the market entry of Bechtle direkt in Poland and of Comsoft direct in Belgium. Thus, the EBIT margin in the trading segment fell from 4.3 per cent to 3.7 per cent.