The wholesale segment generated around 94% of the company’s turnover.
Thus, in the revenues structure, in the first nine months of 2023 the wholesale and logistics segments generated increases of 15% and 12%, respectively, against the same period of 2022.
Transport segment revenues dropped by 5%.
„We continued the strategy assumed for profitable and sustainable business growth. The diversification of the product portfolio, the development of our own brands, and the expansion of distribution channels with a faster growth pace were our priorities. The recorded results come to meet investors’ expectations and we will exceed the budget announced in April,” stated Catalin Vasile, Aquila CEO.
Sales of own brands, which include 86 items from the Gradena, La Masă, and Yachtis brands, exceeded RON 64 million. Recently, the company launched an integrated promotion campaign for its own brand of frozen vegetables and fruits – Gradena, which recorded a sales increase of over 58% in the first 9 months of 2023 compared to the same period last year.
The gross margin increased by approximately RON 40 million, advancing by 13 percentage points, and remained steady at around 21%. EBITDA reached RON 116 million, showing a growth of 5%.
EBITDA reached RON116 million, up 5%.
„In general, sales have an upward trend in the fourth quarter of the year due to the demand for consumer goods during the winter holiday season, and we are focused on fulfilling AQUILA’s vision of having at least one product distributed in every household. We maintain our objectives for organic development, growth through acquisitions, and operational optimization, including by signing a purchase-sale pre-agreement for the first planned acquisition, recently announced,” adds Catalin Vasile.
The company was founded in 1994 by the entrepreneurs Alin Adrian Dociu and Constantin Cătălin Vasile. Since November 2021 it has been listed on the Bucharest Stock Exchange (BVB), following an initial public offering worth RON 367 million, the largest initial public offering carried out by an entrepreneurial company on the local capital market. The company’s shares (symbol AQ) are included in the Bucharest Stock Exchange reference index – BET and in the Global Micro Cap index of FTSE Russell. Starting from September 1, 2023, the company’s shares are also included in the MSCI Frontier IMI and MSCI Romania IMI indices.
The company’s shares have gained 63.04% since the start of the year amid deals worth RON49 million.
(English version by Catalina Apostoiu)