The German eyewear company Fielmann Group reported a rise in preliminary full-year earnings before taxes (EBT) on Thursday and said its sales also rose.
For the 12-month period, the company reported EBT of €193 million ($209 million) higher than €161 million registered last year, reflecting an increase in progressive glasses sold and lower marketing spending.
Earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization (EBITDA) was at €410 million, compared with €340 million a year ago.
External sales were €2.27 billion, up from the previous year's €2.03 billion. Consolidated sales rose to €1.97 billion from €1.76 billion in 2022.
At the year end, the group operated 1,086 stores worldwide, higher than the previous year's 968 stores.
For the full year, the Group has increased dividend to €1 per share from the previous year's €0.75. Looking ahead, the group said: "In Q4/2023 and early 2024 most of our markets exhibited low consumer sentiment - in Germany a bleak economic outlook led to an even further decline.
"Whilst we felt these headwinds in our home market, our market share gains in 2023 make us optimistic that we can grow our market position in 2024 even further."
