DGAP-News: Hawesko Holding AG proposes unchanged dividend of € 1.30 and postpones AGM due to coronavirus pandemic

Hamburg, 3 April 2020. The management board and supervisory board of Hawesko Holding AG (HAW GR, HAWG.DE, DE0006042708) announced today that they will propose a dividend payout of € 1.30 per share for fiscal year 2019, as in the previous year, to the annual general meeting of shareholders. At the current share price of approximately € 26.80, the proposed payout corresponds to a dividend yield of nearly 5%.

Due to the current restrictions relating to the coronavirus pandemic, the annual general meeting will not take place on 15 June 2020, but will be rescheduled later this year at a date to be determined.

'In fiscal year 2019 we achieved good sales growth of 12% in our consumer segments Retail and E-Commerce. In addition, we increased our online sales by nearly 20% without sacrificing profitability. The relocation of the B2B warehouse led to non-recurring charges which we were able to compensate with the sale of an old storage facility, so that we were also able to increase the overall EBIT in fiscal year 2019,' said CEO Thorsten Hermelink in Hamburg.

In its meeting on 3 April 2020, the supervisory board approved the annual and consolidated financial statements for fiscal year 2019.

The final consolidated financial statements for 2019 show sales of € 556.0 million (+6.0%; previous year: € 524.3 million). The result from operations (EBIT) amounted to € 29.1 million (previous year: € 27.7 million). Consolidated net income after deductions for taxes and non-controlling interests amounted to € 15.8 million (previous year: € 22.0 million). The consolidated balance sheet total amounted to € 394.9 million after the application of the new IFRS 16 accounting standard (2018: € 289.0 million). Free cash flow amounted to € 31.6 million (previous year: € 10.7 million including the acquisition of Wein & Co.).

Thorsten Hermelink commented, 'Due to the corona crisis, it is currently not possible to provide a reliable sales and results forecast for fiscal year 2020. With a very few exceptions, business in our Retail and E-Commerce segments is continuing as usual so that our customers can still shop with us. However, the B2B business is directly impacted by the closure of the hotels and restaurants which began in mid-March, and sales to this customer group have currently evaporated. We have a functioning crisis management in place and have adjusted to the present situation as well as possible.'

# # #

In accordance with the German Law on Mitigation of the Consequences of the COVID-19 Pandemic in Civil, Insolvency and Criminal Procedural Law dated 27 March 2020 (Gesetz zur Abmilderung der Folgen der COVID-19-Pandemie im Zivil-, Insolvenz- und Strafverfahrensrecht vom 27. März 2020), the annual general meeting of a stock corporation may be held within the fiscal year in a departure from the provisions of the German Stock Corporation Act.

The complete 2019 annual report will be published on 23 April 2020.

Hawesko Holding AG is a leading supplier of premium wines and champagnes. In fiscal year 2019, the Group employed 1,200 persons in the company's three sales channels: retail (Jacques' Wein-Depot), B2B (Wein Wolf and CWD Champagner- und Wein-Distributionsgesellschaft) and e-commerce (particularly HAWESKO and Vinos). The shares of Hawesko Holding AG are listed on the Hanseatic Stock Exchange in Hamburg as well as in the Prime Standard segment of the Frankfurt Stock Exchange.

Publisher:

Hawesko Holding AG

Elbkaihaus

Grosse Elbstrasse 145d

22767 Hamburg

Internet: hawesko-holding.com (Company information)

hawesko.de (Online shop)

jacques.de (Jacques' Wein-Depot information and online shop)

vinos.de (Spanish wines)

wirwinzer.de (German wines directly from the producers)

weinco.at (Online shop)

Press and Investor Relations:

Thomas Hutchinson

Phone +49 (0)40 30 39 21 00

Fax +49 (0)40 30 39 21 05

E-mail: [email protected]