Jebsen Group Reports 2015 Results

Highlighting Continuous Innovation and Adaptation to Changing Markets

HONG KONG, March 31, 2016 /PRNewswire/ — Jebsen Group (Jebsen), a regional leader in marketing and distribution of premium products across Greater China, has announced today a turnover of HK$ 14.7 billion (Approx. RMB$ 12.4 billion) in 2015. Despite the macroeconomic environment being impacted by a deceleration of the Chinese economy, as well as China's devaluation of its currency, Jebsen's business units – Jebsen Consumer, Jebsen Industrial, Jebsen Beverage and Jebsen Motors – achieved improved operating results, benefiting from innovative and adaptable strategies. Addressing the "new normal" in China's business environment and the country's growing middle class, Jebsen continues to solidify and expand its portfolio to meet emerging customer needs. The Group remains focused on enriching people's lives through strong value creation and stable, long-term partnerships.

According to the National Bureau of Statistics of China, total retail sales of consumer goods in China in 2015 grew by 10.7% to RMB$ 30,093.1 billion, while online retail sales grew by 33.3% to reach RMB$ 3,877.3 billion. Leveraging this growth, the Jebsen Consumer unit developed new distribution and omni-channel marketing solutions and adopted novel measures to help its business partners, including Braun, Dyson and Oral B, expand their businesses in Greater China. J Select, the lifestyle retail brand and online platform addressing the retail industry revolution driven by consumer centricity and digital technology, has strengthened its presence in the region by opening three J Select physical stores in Hong Kong in 2015 to complement its online stores in both Hong Kong and Mainland China to create a consistent O2O experience for its customers.

Jebsen Industrial, the business unit specialising in B2B products and growth solutions for its enterprise customers, has itself been leading efforts in developing sustainability in a variety of industries. In 2015, one of the Group's new joint ventures was the Zhuhai CleanOil Petrochemical Company, which uses eco-friendly production processes to recycle lube oils for automotive and industrial applications. This venture marks the first attempt for Jebsen in investing in the environmental sector, aligned with our core belief and commitment to a greener and more sustainable China.

In the same year, Jebsen Industrial launched its first self-owned food brand Weiwanjia on Alibaba, catering to health-conscious consumers in China. The business unit also established a new Cinematic & Broadcasting Service Centre (JCineCare Service Centre) in Beijing and Shanghai, and an e-commerce platform to deliver repair and maintenance services for professional lenses and equipment, as well as technical training programmes.

Jebsen Beverage, one of Greater China's leading independent importers of premium beverages providing consumers with a range of owned and partner brands, expanded and strengthened its brand portfolio in 2015. The Group's own brand, Blue Girl Beer, entered its tenth year as the number one beer brand in Hong Kong by volume and value, and saw a 50% year-on-year growth in Southern and Eastern China. Meanwhile, exclusive distribution rights for Anheuser-Busch InBev (ABI) in Hong Kong and Macau in 2015 allowed Jebsen Beer to represent an impressive range of lager, ale and wheat beer, including draughts. Jebsen Fine Wines, building on 25 years of leadership in the wine market, launched Jebsen Wine Estates, a collection of brands created from Jebsen's direct investments into selected wineries and vineyards as well as joint ownerships with long-standing partners in both the Old World and New World around the globe. Jebsen Wine Estates was a strategic move by Jebsen Beverage in response to growing wine consumption and appreciation.

As one of the largest Porsche dealer groups in the world, Jebsen Motors has always looked ahead to adapt to market changes and remain a benchmark of professionalism and profitability. A series of initiatives have been carried out in 2015 including optimising the sales and aftersales workforce, enhanced operational efficiency, and explored new opportunities in e-commerce and social media to engage and connect with customers, making Jebsen Motors the number one dealer group in China.

From an infrastructure standpoint, Jebsen Motors opened new service centres in Hong Kong and Hangzhou; it also opened Porsche Centre Shenzhen Longgang, the largest Porsche Centre in Southern China, and expanded the Hangzhou showroom into one of the largest in Asia. These new facilities are staffed by highly qualified and certified professionals. Jebsen Motors' continuous investment in new facilities and professional services paid off, with deliveries of Porsche cars increasing by 11% in 2015 to a new record 9,317 units. According to the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers, this performance far exceeded the slower market average of 4.7% year-on-year increase in deliveries in 2015.

"Thriving in a changing environment requires resilience and adaptability. Jebsen's steady development has proven over the generations that we have these capabilities. However, we don't take this success for granted. Dismantling conventions and adjusting to new realities can still be challenging. In the long term, the key to success lies in moving with the market by working as a team, and by doing what is best for our customers, our partners and our employees. This is what has been driving Jebsen to commit to the Greater China market for more than 120 years and will continue to be so. " said Mr Helmuth Hennig, Group Managing Director of Jebsen. It is this commitment that has brought about close cooperation between the Group and its business partners, increased synergy between the business units, created shared marketing resources, and optimised customer relationship management. In turn, these advantages have allowed the Group to reinforce its local insights into Chinese consumers, and ultimately enrich people's lives by providing a choice of quality products and services.

About Jebsen Group

Founded in 1895, Jebsen Group is a focused marketing and distribution organisation. With a long, unique established presence and deep understanding of Mainland China, Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan, the Jebsen Group is committed to support our partners' needs in building market demand, generating and supporting sales, and serving as an important link to customers throughout the region. With a broad spectrum of consumer, beverage, industrial, and motors products, Jebsen offers some 200 of the world's leading products extensive local market access with a high degree of specialisation. Outside the region, the Jebsen Group enjoys close ties with sister companies in Australia, South East Asia, Denmark, Germany, Middle East and the United States. For more information, visit www.jebsen.com and Jebsen Facebook page (facebook.com/jebsengroup), or follow us on Sina Weibo (weibo.com/jebsengroup), WeChat (id:jebsen1895) and LinkedIn (id:jebsen group).

For any media enquiries, please contact:

Ruder Finn Asia

Jebsen Group
Harry Wang
Tel: 86 10 8519 8577
E-mail: [email protected]

Photo – http://photos.prnasia.com/prnh/20160330/0861602777