Accelerate! Progress in delivering our full potential
Accelerate! is gaining good traction and delivering tangible results. We are improving the time-to-market of new innovations and creating value propositions with greater local relevance in key markets around the world. We will continue to relentlessly drive operational excellence and invest in innovation and sales development to deliver profitable growth.
Frans van Houten, CEO Royal PhilipsManagement summary
The year 2012
- Despite strong economic headwinds, we continued on our steady path of improvement driven by our multi-year change and performance program, Accelerate!. We recorded 4% comparable sales growth (10% nominal growth), with a strong contribution from growth geographies. Healthcare and Consumer Lifestyle delivered solid earnings, while Lighting gained momentum in its turnaround. Net income for the year amounted to EUR 231 million, and was impacted by substantial restructuring charges as well as the European Commission fine related to alleged violation of competition rules in the Cathode-Ray Tube (CRT) industry.
- Sales amounted to EUR 24.8 billion, a 10% nominal increase for the year. Excluding favorable currency effects and portfolio changes, comparable sales were 4% above 2011, driven by all three operating sectors. Healthcare sales grew 6%, with solid growth in all businesses. Lighting sales were 4% above 2011, with strong growth coming from Light Sources & Electronics, mainly fueled by market demand for LED, and Automotive, partly tempered by a sales decline at Lumileds. Sales at Consumer Lifestyle were 2% above 2011, with double-digit growth at Domestic Appliances and Health & Wellness and mid-single-digit growth at Personal Care, tempered by a sales decline at our Lifestyle Entertainment business.
- Our growth geographies achieved 10% comparable growth, while mature geographies grew by a modest 1%, as a result of the overall macroeconomic developments and the continued weakness of the Western European markets, particularly Southern Europe. In 2012, growth geographies accounted for 35% of total sales, compared to 33% in 2011.
- EBIT amounted to EUR 1,030 million, or 4.2% of sales, compared to a loss of EUR 269 million, or negative 1.2% of sales, in 2011. Excluding impairment charges of EUR 1,355 million in 2011, significant EBIT improvement was seen at Consumer Lifestyle and Healthcare, while Lighting was impacted by charges related to restructuring activities.
- We continued to re-align our portfolio to further focus on expanding market-leadership positions across our Healthcare, Consumer Lifestyle and Lighting sectors. In 2012, we completed the divestment of our Television business to TP Vision, extended our partnership in Senseo with Sara Lee and strengthened our Lifestyle Entertainment platform in North America through the signing of a distribution agreement with Funai. Additionally, we completed the acquisition of Indal, strengthening our position in outdoor lighting. In January 2013 we announced an agreement to transfer our Audio, Video, Multimedia and Accessories businesses to Funai.
- In 2012 we generated EUR 2,198 million of cash flow from operating activities, which was EUR 1,430 million higher than in 2011. The increase was largely a result of lower working capital requirements and higher cash earnings. Our cash flows before financing activities were EUR 1,811 million above the level of 2011, due to higher cash flow from operating activities, higher proceedsfrom divestments, and lower outflowsrelated to acquisitions of new businesses.