ANNUAL REPORT 2011 A.S. CRÉATION TAPETEN AG
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