Hoeft & Wessel With a Successful Start Into 2011

HANNOVER, Germany, May 5, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- The Hoeft & Wessel Group recorded a significant increase in sales revenues and earnings for the first three monthsof the year 2011, making a successful start to the current financial year.

During the first quarter of 2011, the IT and engineering Group for ticketing, parking and mobile solutions boosted sales revenues by 31 per cent to EUR 20.8 million (previous year: EUR 15.9 million). Contributing to the revenues generated were deliveries of ticket vending machines to S-Bahn Berlin and the Danish National Railways, parking terminals to South West Trains in the UK, and mobile terminals to German company Eismann and to Swiss Post.

The operating result (EBIT) of -EUR 0.4 million recorded on 31-03-2011 was also a marked improvement on the previous-year quarter (31-12-2009: -EUR 1.6 million).

Orders received in the first quarter of 2011 amounted to EUR 18.9 million (previous year: EUR 25.3 million). New orders came from the UK for the new compact ticket vending machines, from the airline SAS for check-in terminals, from the U.S city of Madison for parking terminals, and from Rewe and from the partner Warok for mobile equipment, amongst others. The order portfolio as at 31-03-2011 stood at EUR 60.0 mn. (31-12-2010: EUR 61.9 mn.).

With an average daily trading volume on all stock exchanges totalling around 7,500 shares (Q1 2010: 4,400 shares), the liquidity of Hoeft & Wessel shares (ticker: HWS) was up significantly.

In light of the strong business performance in the first quarter, the Hoeft & Wessel Group affirms its positive forecast of rising sales revenues and earnings for the current financial year and for 2012. Hansjoachim Oehmen, CEO of the Hoeft & Wessel Group: "We anticipate new sales impetus to come from the opening up of additional international markets."

    
    Key Financials of Hoeft & Wessel Group

    in EUR thousands         31-03-2011         31-03-2009         31-03-2007
                                       31-03-2010          31-03-2008

    Sales revenues             20,774    15,901    24,466    16,283   17,956
    Operating result before
    deprec./amort. (EBITDA)     1,051      (385)    1,366       160       15
    Operating result (EBIT)      (370)   (1,604)      220      (974)  (1,110)
    in % of sales revenues          -         -       0.9         -        -
    Earnings before taxes (EBT)  (620)   (1,814)        8    (1,309)  (1,422)
    in % of sales revenues          -         -       0.1         -        -
    Group earnings               (778)   (2,002)     (208)   (1,476)  (1,521)
    Earnings per share in EUR   (0.09)    (0.24)    (0.02)    (0.17)   (0.18)
    Dividend in EUR              0.10*     0.08         -         -        -
    Operating cash flow        (4,071)      498    (2,597)   (4,832)  (2,092)
    Average number of employees   500       495       494       506      500

    *Proposal

IR website with Quarterly Report 2011: http://www.hoeft-wessel.com/en/investor-relations/current-financial-reports/

Press kit with photos: http://www.presseportal.de/pm/12945/hoeft_wessel_ag/

The Company

The Hoeft & Wessel Group is the leading IT and engineering technology Group for ticketing, parking and mobile solutions in Germany and Great Britain. Established in 1978 by the two entrepreneurs who gave the company its name and listed on the stock market since 1998 (ISIN DE0006011000), the enterprise has developed into a group of companies with sales revenues of nearly EUR 100 million and a workforce of 500 employees. Its main locations are Hannover, Germany, and Swindon, UK, to the west of London.

The annual investment volume in the Research & Development division, which sets the pace in the Group's technological orientation and employs more than a third of the total workforce, amounts to approximately 10 per cent in terms of turnover. According to the EU Industrial R&D Investment Scoreboard, Hoeft & Wessel ranks amongst the top companies in Europe.

    
    Further inquiry note:

    Arnd Fritzemeier
    Tel: +49-511-6102-300
    E-Mail: PR@hoeft-wessel.com

    Hoft & Wessel AG
    Rotenburger Str. 20
    D-30659 Hannover

    phone: +49-511-6102-0
    FAX:   +49-511-6102-411
    mail: ir@hoeft-wessel.com
    WWW: http://www.hoeft-wessel.com