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ANNUAL REPORT 2011 A.S. CRÉATION TAPETEN AG

ANNUAL REPORT 2011 A.S. CRÉATION TAPETEN AG

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FOREWORD<br />

10<br />

in Germany, where we were able to increase<br />

our revenues with existing customers while<br />

winning attractive new customers at the same<br />

time. Business in the export markets was more<br />

challenging, and we are not satisfi ed with our<br />

performance in these markets. While the German<br />

market was virtually immune to the general<br />

fi nancial and economic crisis and the consumer<br />

climate remained bright, the most important<br />

Western European wallpaper markets such as<br />

France, the UK and the Benelux countries, clearly<br />

suffered from customers’ spending restraint.<br />

Also, growth rates in non-EU Eastern European<br />

countries fell short of expectations.<br />

Irrespective of the disappointing operating result,<br />

A.S. Création used the year <strong>2011</strong> to expand its<br />

leading market position in the wallpaper<br />

segment. We again invested heavily in new,<br />

innovative product lines as well as in our<br />

marketing and sales organisation - a strategy<br />

which is apparently very much appreciated by<br />

our customers. In the annual customer survey<br />

conducted by leading trade magazine “BTH” in<br />

December <strong>2011</strong>, A.S. Création scored the best<br />

results. We made fi rst place in as many as six<br />

categories, i.e. product marketability, friendliness,<br />

reliability of deliveries, speed of deliveries,<br />

innovation and future prospects. A survey among<br />

all 325 store managers of the DIY-chain toom<br />

Baumarkt made A.S. Création win the “toom<br />

Baumarkt Supplier Award <strong>2011</strong>” for the fourth<br />

time in seven years (No. 2 of 160 suppliers). We<br />

are very pleased about these awards recognising<br />

our work.<br />

To expand its leading market position,<br />

A.S. Création continues to rely on cooperations<br />

with renowned external designers and wellknown<br />

fashion brands. Two top brands were<br />

added to our highly successful licensed brand<br />

portfolio. The fi rst wallpaper collection of the<br />

famous PORSCHE DESIGN STUDIO premiered<br />

at Heimtextil 2012. We are also working on<br />

the first VERSACE wallpaper collection. We<br />

expect both collections to be successful at the<br />

national and international level.<br />

The good market position we achieved over<br />

the past years offers excellent possibilities for<br />

continued profitable growth. An important<br />

task in the year 2012 will be the start-up of<br />

wallpaper production in Russia. A.S. Création<br />

will be responsible for defi ning an appropriate<br />

brand policy and putting in place an effective<br />

sales organisation, while our partner, Kof Palitra,<br />

will be in charge of building up and organising<br />

production in Russia. In addition, we will closely<br />

address the Western European markets, especially<br />

France, in order to return to the growth<br />

track. Our product development activities of<br />

the year <strong>2011</strong> should have laid the basis for

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