Cewe reaches annual targets for 2012

With a sustained brand awareness of around 48% in Germany, the Cewe Photobook was once again “the” Christmas gift idea for many consumers. A number of new Cewe photo products launched in 2012 were also much in demand for Christmas, particularly photo calendars, greeting cards and wall decorations. There were also strong sales in personalized iPad and Smartphone cases, high-quality cushions and fabric products with personal images as well as new ceramic products, They all could also be ordered via the new Cewe Photoworld app for tablets and smartphones. Since all Cewe businesses had planned outstandingly for the Christmas peak season, all the photographic products were shipped on time with short delivery time, the company said. “I’d like to strongly praise all our divisions – our Christmas sales were once again outstanding!” stated Dr. Rolf Hollander, CEO of Cewe Color Holding AG, looking back at December 2012.

“Even now, in the early stages of producing the 2012 Annual Report, we are also very certain about exceeding our target sales figure of 40 million euro in commercial online printing,” Hollander commented on the company’s growth. The acquisition of the Saxoprint Group in 2012, the new Cewe Print brand launched in August 2012 with a successful advertising campaign and the viaprinto brand contributed to the Group’s growth with printed materials for corporate customers – such as flyers, folders, posters and business cards. The combination of football banner advertising and TV commercials for Cewe Print is working and is transforming Cewe into a veritable brand-name company, according to Hollander: “Our strategy is working: During the last decade in photofinishing, we have replaced our analogue business almost completely with our new digital business. We are now working in this sector with an innovative range of products to maintain our sales at this high level. Online printing will contribute to our growth, now and in the future. The potential in this market is growing strongly – and we are growing at the same rate,” explains Dr. Hollander.

Cewe’s commercial online printing volume is largely handled by Saxoprint in Dresden, where the company also operates its smallest photofinsihing facility in Germany. Since the strong growth in commercial services has created, the company is responding with efficient reorganization measures: “If we consolidate these businesses, we can meet the personnel requirements at Saxoprint with our own qualified Cewe employees and, at the same time, elevate our photofinishing businesses to the right and consistent level of efficiency,” explained Dr. Hollander. As a result, the photofinshing and imaging services activities of Cewe’s Dresden facility will be shifted to the company’s four large plants in Germany, while all employees of the former Cewe imaging business in Dresden will be offered employment at Saxoprint or a comparable job within the Cewe Group. Furthermore, Cewe announced it will concentrate the production in Poland in its state of the art plant in Kozle, while its second, much smaller site in Graudenz will concentrate on sales and customer service.

Fot the current year, the Executive Board expects Cewe Photobooks, photo calenders, greeting cards and wall decorations to maintain their high level of sales and earnings, while online printing is set to contribute further stimulus for growth in the short term and profit in the medium term. Cewe will announce more details on its 2012 results as well as a more specific forecast for the 2013 fiscal year at its annual press conference march 27, 2013.