Annual Report Sustainable Development Report ... - Groupe SEB
Annual Report Sustainable Development Report ... - Groupe SEB
Annual Report Sustainable Development Report ... - Groupe SEB
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<strong>Annual</strong> <strong>Report</strong><br />
<strong>Sustainable</strong> <strong>Development</strong> <strong>Report</strong><br />
Summary<br />
2005 |
05 |<br />
<strong>Annual</strong> <strong>Report</strong><br />
Profile, Key figures_01 • Chairman's message_02<br />
Financial information_04 • Stockmarket information_08<br />
Corporate governance_10 • A Changing sector_12<br />
International expansion_14 • Marketing strategy_18<br />
Being competitive_22<br />
<strong>Sustainable</strong> <strong>Development</strong> <strong>Report</strong><br />
Principles_28 • Corporate responsibility_29<br />
Shareholder relations_30 • Client and Supplier relations_31<br />
Civic commitment_32 • Environment_33<br />
Priorities_34 • Sharing income_36<br />
Management bodies_37
€2,463million Sales +7.6%<br />
Net income –21%<br />
€103 million<br />
Profile, Key figures<br />
Present in French homes for more than 50 years, we have gradually extended our sphere of action around the world.<br />
With a rich portfolio of powerful brands<br />
and the market's most extensive product offer,<br />
<strong>Groupe</strong> <strong>SEB</strong> is today world leader in small domestic equipment.<br />
Our success is due chiefly to our ability to innovate<br />
and invent for your day-to-day life in tomorrow's world.<br />
Your world is our world<br />
Employees worldwide 31.12.05<br />
Operating margin stable<br />
14,400<br />
€262 million<br />
€419million Financial debt 31.12.05<br />
STRATEGIC BUSINESS AREAS<br />
COOKWARE: frying pans, saucepans, casseroles, bakeware, oven dishes, pressure cookers, low-pressure steam pots, kitchen utensils...<br />
ELECTRICAL COOKING: deep fryers, table-top ovens, barbecues, informal meal appliances, waffle makers, meat grills, toasters, steam cookers...<br />
FOOD AND BEVERAGE PREPARATION: food processors, beaters, mixers, blenders, centrifugal juice extractors and small preparation equipment,<br />
coffee makers (pod, filter and espresso), electric kettles...<br />
PERSONAL CARE: hair-care equipment, depilators, bathroom scales, foot massage appliances...<br />
LINEN CARE: irons and steam generators, garment steam brushes, semi-automatic washing machines...<br />
FLOOR CARE AND HOME COMFORT: vacuum cleaners (upright or canister, with and without dust bag, compact and cordless),<br />
fans, heaters and air purifiers...<br />
WORLD RANKING<br />
N° 1<br />
Cookware • Pressure cookers • Steam irons and steam generators<br />
Kettles • Steam cookers • Food-preparation equipment • Toasters • Electric fryers • Informal meal appliances<br />
N° 2<br />
Table-top ovens • Electric barbecues and grills<br />
N° 3<br />
Filter and espresso coffee makers<br />
|01
<strong>Annual</strong> <strong>Report</strong> 05<br />
While trading was very favourable<br />
in America and Asia in 2005, your Group faced difficulty<br />
in Europe, and saw contrasting performance which reflected<br />
the general economic climate.<br />
Although Group business suffered badly from continued falling<br />
prices in European markets – still undergoing structural<br />
change – our international operations and recent takeovers<br />
helped us to achieve growth in sales and maintain our<br />
operating margin. In this context, our results are satisfactory.<br />
We continued to differentiate our brands throughout 2005<br />
– a process begun in 2004 – notably with the re-launch of<br />
Krups. In line with our innovation strategy, we launched 180 new<br />
products and models. Group logistics in France were<br />
streamlined to better serve our retail clients. We also went<br />
ahead with adapting our industrial base in Germany and Spain.<br />
Finally, the Group completed its coverage of the cookware<br />
market with the acquisition of Lagostina in the top-range<br />
segment and Panex in Brazil.<br />
|02<br />
All these steps will go on yielding results in 2006, notably with<br />
continued international expansion and active development of<br />
our recent acquisitions: we plan to launch the Lagostina brand<br />
in 26 countries and will expand the Panex product portfolio.<br />
In the current context of undifferentiated products and falling<br />
prices, we are more than ever determined to focus on<br />
innovation by regrouping and reinforcing our centres<br />
of expertise for products and technologies. Over 200 new<br />
products and models will be launched in 2006, giving each<br />
of our brands a complete offer tailored to each type of market.<br />
In this way, the Group's presence is assured in all market<br />
segments. However, it cannot make all these products in France,<br />
in particular certain everyday articles such as kettles, filter<br />
coffee makers and toasters.
With consumer behaviour changing<br />
in mature markets such as Europe, and with the gaining<br />
strength of low-cost producer countries, the Group must<br />
continue to adapt in order to guarantee its long-term future<br />
and maintain its position as world market leader.<br />
Chairman's message<br />
In consequence, a restructuring plan involving four factories<br />
was announced in January. The plan will affect 890 of the<br />
Group's 7,200 jobs in France. Though painful, this adjustment<br />
to the market is vital for our long-term future. Loyal to the<br />
Group's corporate values, we intend to carry out this plan in the<br />
best possible conditions from a social and human point of view.<br />
The plan will be spread over two years to allow time to find a<br />
solution for every person involved.<br />
There will be no outright redundancies.<br />
Thierry de La Tour d’Artaise<br />
Ecully, 25 February 2006<br />
|03<br />
The Group is optimistic about its future: it is well armed<br />
to meet the needs of emerging markets where the level of<br />
equipment is still low, and where there is a demand for a better<br />
class of product.<br />
It is also ready to re-launch sales growth in mature markets<br />
with its rich brand portfolio and diversified product offer.<br />
Our optimism is built above all on the outstanding<br />
commitment of <strong>Groupe</strong> <strong>SEB</strong> employees and shareholders –<br />
to whom I express my warmest thanks.<br />
Confident<br />
in the future of the Group
NAFTA countries 14%<br />
South America 8%<br />
* Based on 15-member European Union<br />
financial overview<br />
404 327 189 331<br />
0.8 0.6 0.3 0.5 0.5<br />
2001<br />
2002<br />
2003<br />
|04<br />
2004<br />
331<br />
2004<br />
IFRS<br />
468 497 506 597<br />
15.8 23.7 29.3 20.6 21.9<br />
2001<br />
2002<br />
2003<br />
2004<br />
596<br />
2004<br />
IFRS<br />
419<br />
0.5<br />
2005<br />
IFRS<br />
689<br />
14.9<br />
2005<br />
IFRS<br />
France 24%<br />
Other EU countries* 28%<br />
Asia and Other territories 26%<br />
Breakdown of sales<br />
by geographic zone<br />
Net financial debt and gearing<br />
Debt at 31.12 (€ millions)<br />
� Gearing: debt-to-equity ratio<br />
� IFRS<br />
Return on shareholders' equity<br />
Shareholders' equity at 1 January (€ millions)<br />
� Return on shareholders' equity (%)<br />
� IFRS
Financial information<br />
Group consolidated results<br />
CONSOLIDATED INCOME STATEMENT<br />
At 31 December<br />
(in € millions)<br />
Revenue<br />
Operating expenses<br />
OPERATING MARGIN<br />
Discretionary and non-discretionary profit-sharing<br />
RECURRING OPERATING PROFIT<br />
Other operating income and expense<br />
OPERATING PROFIT<br />
Finance costs<br />
Other financial income and expense<br />
Share of profits (losses) of associates<br />
PROFIT BEFORE TAX<br />
Income tax expense<br />
Minority interests<br />
PROFIT ATTRIBUTABLE TO EQUITY HOLDERS OF THE PARENT<br />
CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEET<br />
At 31 December<br />
ASSETS<br />
(in € millions)<br />
NON-CURRENT ASSETS<br />
Inventories<br />
Trade receivables<br />
Current tax assets and other receivables<br />
Cash, cash equivalents and derivative instruments<br />
CURRENT ASSETS<br />
TOTAL ASSETS<br />
EQUITY AND LIABILITIES<br />
(in € millions)<br />
EQUITY ATTRIBUTABLE TO EQUITY HOLDERS OF THE PARENT<br />
MINORITY INTERESTS<br />
EQUITY<br />
Long-term borrowings<br />
Provisions and other non-current liabilities<br />
NON-CURRENT LIABILITIES<br />
Short-term borrowings and derivative instruments<br />
Trade payables<br />
Other provisions and current liabilities<br />
CURRENT LIABILITIES<br />
TOTAL EQUITY AND LIABILITIES<br />
|05<br />
2005<br />
IFRS<br />
2,462.9<br />
(2,200.7)<br />
262.2<br />
(29.3)<br />
232.9<br />
(49.2)<br />
183.7<br />
(17.6)<br />
(7.6)<br />
(1.1)<br />
157.4<br />
(54.6)<br />
(0.1)<br />
102.7<br />
2005<br />
IFRS<br />
848.6<br />
449.8<br />
630.3<br />
86.6<br />
53.5<br />
1,220.2<br />
2,068.8<br />
2005<br />
IFRS<br />
801.3<br />
1.2<br />
802.5<br />
104.3<br />
228.1<br />
332.4<br />
368.0<br />
303.7<br />
262.2<br />
933.9<br />
2,068.8<br />
2004<br />
IFRS<br />
2,288.7<br />
(2,027.8)<br />
260.9<br />
(34.2)<br />
226.7<br />
(40.0)<br />
186.7<br />
(8.1)<br />
(4.4)<br />
-<br />
174.2<br />
(40.9)<br />
(2.5)<br />
130.8<br />
2004<br />
IFRS<br />
750.5<br />
386.0<br />
552.0<br />
52.0<br />
40.4<br />
1,030.4<br />
1,780.9<br />
2004<br />
IFRS<br />
686.4<br />
2.4<br />
688.8<br />
18.6<br />
180.7<br />
199.3<br />
352.3<br />
298.3<br />
242.2<br />
892.8<br />
1,780.9
Comments on<br />
the financial statements<br />
Sales <strong>Groupe</strong> <strong>SEB</strong> sales for 2005 amounted to<br />
€ 2,463 million, up 7.6% at current exchange rates and by 4.9%<br />
at constant parity. These figures include a €102 million<br />
contribution from recently acquired companies (All-Clad for<br />
12 months – against 5 in 2004 – Lagostina for 8 months and<br />
Panex for 7 months), as well as a positive exchange effect<br />
of €58 million (after three years negative) and 0.6% organic<br />
growth (for constant structure and exchange rates).<br />
The Group saw sharp contrasts in the overall trading<br />
environment in 2005. In Europe, sales were affected by the<br />
rising influx of very cheap products from Asia, which led to<br />
increased pressure on prices and margins. However, in North<br />
and South America and in the other countries, <strong>Groupe</strong> <strong>SEB</strong><br />
made rapid progress thanks to its strategy of international<br />
expansion and reinforcement of its presence in existing<br />
markets. Meanwhile, we returned to growth in the United<br />
CHANGE IN THE OPERATING MARGIN (OM)<br />
(€ millions)<br />
261<br />
2004<br />
OM<br />
+ 20<br />
Volume<br />
sales<br />
-18<br />
Product<br />
mix and<br />
price<br />
-10<br />
Purchase<br />
cost<br />
-6<br />
+9<br />
|06<br />
+6<br />
Overheads Currency Acqui-<br />
impact<br />
sitions<br />
262<br />
2005<br />
OM<br />
States after three difficult years, while we continued to make<br />
inroads in Latin America, bolster our positions in the CIS<br />
countries, Japan, South Korea, Central Europe and Australia,<br />
and accelerate our expansion in new markets such as Thailand,<br />
China and Singapore.<br />
Trading results<br />
The 2005 operating margin (based on IFR Standards)<br />
stood at €262 million – virtually the same level as in 2004.<br />
For constant structure (excluding a €6 million contribution<br />
from recent acquisitions), the figure would have been<br />
€256 million. This is explained by eroded profits on our<br />
European sales due to downward pressure on prices caused<br />
by growing competition from cheap Asian products (especially<br />
in certain banalised ranges) and the gaining strength and<br />
geographic spread of discount chains promoting cut-price<br />
products.
On the other hand, a €10 million rise in purchasing costs linked<br />
to higher prices for some raw materials was almost wholly<br />
offset by a €9 million exchange gain.<br />
Operating profit before financial expense stood at<br />
€184 million, down by 1.6%. A €5 million drop in bonus and<br />
profit-sharing was cancelled out by a €9 million rise in 'Other<br />
income and expense'. The latter included €60 million in<br />
restructuring charges (mainly concerning Germany and Spain),<br />
as well as provisions for depreciation of fixed assets related to<br />
the announced 2006-2007 French industrial restructuring plan.<br />
Financial information<br />
|07<br />
At €103 million, Group net income fell back from<br />
its level of €131 million in 2004 (IFRS). This drop was due to<br />
a twofold rise in net financial expense (€-25 million in 2005,<br />
against €-12 in 2004) linked to the recent acquisitions, and to<br />
a higher tax level because the Group did not benefit from<br />
tax-loss carryforwards as in previous years.<br />
In the balance sheet, Group shareholders' equity<br />
at the end of 2005 stood at €802 million, and the level of debt<br />
was €419 million. The €88 million year-on-year rise in debt was<br />
due mainly to the 2005 acquisitions of Lagostina and Panex,<br />
and to a lesser extent to a higher working capital requirement.<br />
With a ratio of net debt to shareholders' equity at 0.52 (0.48<br />
at the end of 2004), the financial situation of the Group<br />
is healthy and solid.<br />
Acquisitions<br />
A year after the acquisition of the American company All-Clad, <strong>Groupe</strong> <strong>SEB</strong> added to its fund of expertise and reinforced<br />
its position in the cookware market by taking over Lagostina in Italy and Panex in Brazil.<br />
Lagostina is Italy's market leader in mid-range and top-range cookware (including saucepans, casseroles, frying pans<br />
and pressure cookers) and is known for its industrial expertise in bonded and stainless steel. A front-rank cookware<br />
brand in France, Canada, the Benelux countries and Taiwan, this company is currently expanding in China, Hong Kong<br />
and Japan.<br />
The takeover of Lagostina makes <strong>Groupe</strong> <strong>SEB</strong> world leader in premium quality cookware.<br />
Founded in 1948, Panex is Brazil's market leader in cookware, and sells locally-made frying pans, casseroles, saucepans<br />
and pressure cookers. The takeover of Panex establishes the Group in Brazil's cookware market and opens an<br />
opportunity to expand in the other Mercosur countries.<br />
With Arno and Panex, <strong>Groupe</strong> <strong>SEB</strong> is now a major force in the small domestic equipment market in South America.
Breakdown of capital<br />
at 31 December 2005<br />
Seb share overview<br />
|08<br />
Treasury stock 4.4%<br />
French private shareholders 6.5%<br />
Founder group* 43.2%<br />
French institutional investors 23.1%<br />
Employees 4.2%<br />
FFP 5.1%<br />
* Joint reference shareholders: FÉDÉRACTIVE (a shareholder investment company) and its members for 22.86%, and VENELLE INVESTISSEMENT<br />
(a family shareholder company) and its members for 20.38%.<br />
Breakdown of voting rights<br />
at 31 December 2005<br />
* Joint reference shareholders: FÉDÉRACTIVE (a shareholder investment company) and its members for 31.49%, and VENELLE INVESTISSEMENT<br />
(a family shareholder company) and its members for 28.37%.<br />
Foreign investors 13.5%<br />
Foreign investors 9.6%<br />
French private shareholders 5.6%<br />
Founder group* 59.9%<br />
French institutional investors 16.3%<br />
Employees 5.0%<br />
FFP 3.6%<br />
Renewal of the shareholder agreement<br />
In November 2005, the family shareholders making up the Founder group of <strong>SEB</strong> SA signed a new shareholder<br />
agreement, which replaced the previous one (signed on 7 November 1992 and renewed in November 1997).<br />
In this agreement, they confirmed their intention to support the company in its long-term development and ensure<br />
the stability of the <strong>Groupe</strong> <strong>SEB</strong> shareholder base.<br />
The four-year agreement, renewable for identical periods, is organized around two usufruct shareholder companies<br />
which jointly make up the reference shareholder group: FÉDÉRACTIVE, a shareholder investment company,<br />
and VENELLE INVESTISSEMENT (formerly ACTIREF) a family shareholder company.
110<br />
105<br />
100<br />
95<br />
90<br />
85<br />
80<br />
75<br />
70<br />
65<br />
60<br />
50,000<br />
45,000<br />
40,000<br />
35,000<br />
30,000<br />
25,000<br />
20,000<br />
15,000<br />
10,000<br />
5,000<br />
0<br />
Average daily share transactions in 2005<br />
For the second successive year, the <strong>SEB</strong> share<br />
performance varied both in price and volume traded.<br />
It nonetheless maintained its upward trend in 2005: +9% in<br />
the first six months and +16% over the whole year (closing at<br />
€92 on 31 December 2005). Publication of satisfactory sales<br />
figures and increased results for 2004 helped to raise the<br />
share price in the first quarter. In the second quarter, a dull<br />
economic context put markets on hold, and the <strong>SEB</strong> share<br />
remained in line with the CAC 40 index.<br />
Stockmarket information<br />
Stockmarket capitalization at 31.12.2005: €1,562 million<br />
Diluted net income per share and distributed dividend (€)<br />
Net income per share<br />
Net dividend<br />
First quarter 2005 Second quarter 2005 Third quarter 2005 Fourth quarter 2005<br />
<strong>SEB</strong> share price<br />
27,616<br />
2,308<br />
19,907<br />
1,733<br />
21,731<br />
1,835<br />
J|2005 F M A M J J A S O N D J|2006<br />
* Dividend proposed to the AGM of 11 May 2006.<br />
28,544<br />
2,320 21,582<br />
1,799<br />
|09<br />
22,499<br />
1,946<br />
26,370<br />
2,209<br />
In the second half of 2005, the share recovered<br />
gradually to reach a closing high of €92.55 on 23 and<br />
27 December. This recovery was helped by the announcement<br />
of half-year and nine-month sales.<br />
Early in 2006, publication of sales figures for 2005<br />
hoisted the share to a new peak of €98.15, before falling back<br />
at the end of January after the Group's announcement<br />
on 24 January of its plan to restructure its industrial base<br />
in France. Since then, the share has stabilized at around €89.<br />
2001<br />
4.59<br />
1.82<br />
18,647<br />
1,627<br />
17,043<br />
1,535<br />
2002<br />
7.25<br />
1.96<br />
21,292<br />
1,870<br />
2003<br />
9.06<br />
2.27<br />
15,115<br />
1,331<br />
19,711<br />
1,790<br />
2004<br />
published<br />
7.57<br />
2.40<br />
28.02.2006<br />
43,988<br />
4,042<br />
2004<br />
IFRS<br />
8.02<br />
2.40<br />
� CAC 40 adjusted<br />
� <strong>SEB</strong> share (€)<br />
4,500<br />
4,000<br />
3,500<br />
3,000<br />
2,500<br />
2,000<br />
1,500<br />
1,000<br />
500<br />
0<br />
Average volume<br />
� Average capital<br />
(€ thousands)<br />
2005<br />
IFRS<br />
6.27<br />
2.40*
<strong>Groupe</strong> <strong>SEB</strong> Board of directors<br />
Thierry de La Tour d’Artaise<br />
Founder group – Aged 51<br />
Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of <strong>SEB</strong> SA since 2000<br />
Number of <strong>SEB</strong> shares held: 14,821<br />
Tristan Boiteux (a)<br />
Founder group, member of FÉDÉRACTIVE – Aged 43<br />
Member of FÉDÉRACTIVE Advisory Board<br />
Number of <strong>SEB</strong> shares held: 41,788<br />
Damarys Braida<br />
Founder group, member of VENELLE INVESTISSEMENT<br />
Aged 38 – Joint Manager of VENELLE INVESTISSEMENT<br />
Number of <strong>SEB</strong> shares held: 56,583<br />
Pascal Castres Saint Martin<br />
Independent Director – Aged 70<br />
Number of <strong>SEB</strong> shares held: 385<br />
Norbert Dentressangle (a)<br />
Independent Director – Aged 51<br />
Number of <strong>SEB</strong> shares held: 1,650<br />
Philippe Desmarescaux (a)<br />
Independent Director – Aged 67<br />
Number of <strong>SEB</strong> shares held: 1,782<br />
(a) (b)<br />
FÉDÉRACTIVE<br />
Shareholder investment company created in 2005, represented<br />
by its Chairman, Pascal Girardot (aged 50) member of the<br />
Founder group.<br />
Number of shares held: 3,096,074<br />
Hubert Fèvre<br />
Founder group, member of FÉDÉRACTIVE – Aged 41<br />
Member of FÉDÉRACTIVE Advisory Board<br />
Number of <strong>SEB</strong> shares held: 180,153<br />
(a)<br />
Renewal to be proposed at the AGM of 11 May 2006.<br />
(b)<br />
Co-option to be ratified by the AGM of 11 May 2006.<br />
|10<br />
FFP (société Foncière, Financière et de Participations)<br />
A holding company listed on the Paris stock exchange<br />
and majority-held by the Peugeot family, represented<br />
by Christian Peugeot (aged 52)<br />
Number of <strong>SEB</strong> shares held: 857,337<br />
Jacques Gairard<br />
Founder group, member of VENELLE INVESTISSEMENT – Aged 66<br />
Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of <strong>Groupe</strong> <strong>SEB</strong> from<br />
1990 to 2000.<br />
Member of the Management Board of VENELLE INVESTISSEMENT<br />
Number of <strong>SEB</strong> shares held: 59,167<br />
Philippe Lenain<br />
Independent Director – Aged 69<br />
Number of <strong>SEB</strong> shares held: 550<br />
Antoine Lescure<br />
Founder group, member of FÉDÉRACTIVE – Aged 34<br />
Number of <strong>SEB</strong> shares held: 76,092<br />
Frédéric Lescure<br />
Founder group, member of FÉDÉRACTIVE – Aged 44<br />
Number of <strong>SEB</strong> shares held: 21,632<br />
VENELLE INVESTISSEMENT<br />
Founder group – A family shareholder company (formerly ACTIREF)<br />
represented by Olivier Roclore (aged 51)<br />
Number of <strong>SEB</strong> shares held: 1,988,156<br />
Jérôme Wittlin<br />
Founder group, member of VENELLE INVESTISSEMENT – Aged 46<br />
Joint Manager of VENELLE INVESTISSEMENT<br />
Number of <strong>SEB</strong> shares held: 2,046<br />
Each Board member is required to hold a number of shares in the <strong>SEB</strong> SA nominal share register equivalent to about two years<br />
of attendance fees.
Real powers of control<br />
<strong>Groupe</strong> <strong>SEB</strong> has long applied a system of corporate<br />
governance which respects the interests of its shareholders.<br />
The methods and functioning of the Board ensure<br />
management transparency and real powers of control.<br />
A collective body, the Board of Directors represents all the<br />
shareholders and acts solely in the interests of the company.<br />
On the proposal of the Chairman and Chief Executive<br />
Officer, the Board of Directors decides on Group strategy and<br />
capital expenditure, and deliberates on Group management<br />
structures and acquisitions. To ensure the interests of<br />
shareholders, <strong>Groupe</strong> <strong>SEB</strong> Board includes four independent<br />
directors. The Board conducts an annual review of its<br />
functioning.<br />
Corporate governance<br />
|11<br />
Organization and functioning<br />
of the Board<br />
To assist it in specialist matters, the Board operates<br />
two committees drawn from its members:<br />
The Audit Committee<br />
This committee comprises three members, Pascal<br />
Castres Saint Martin as Chairman, Norbert Dentressangle and<br />
Jérôme Wittlin (two of the three members including its<br />
chairman are independent directors).<br />
The committee informs the Board on the identification,<br />
evaluation and handling of the main financial risks to which<br />
the Group may be exposed. It is concerned in particular with<br />
ensuring the conformity of financial reporting methods.<br />
It assists the Board with observations or recommendations,<br />
and participates in the preparatory procedure for appointing<br />
statutory auditors.<br />
The Audit Committee met on four occasions in 2005, with 92%<br />
attendance.<br />
The Nominations and Remuneration Committee<br />
This committee comprises three members,<br />
Pascal Girardot, permanent representative of FÉDÉRACTIVE,<br />
as Chairman, Philippe Desmarescaux and Philippe Lenain<br />
(two of the three members are independent directors).<br />
The committee reports on its work to the Board of Directors<br />
and makes recommendations on the makeup of the Board,<br />
on the terms of office of directors, and on the Group's<br />
organization and structures; it also makes proposals to the<br />
Board on policy for the remuneration of executives, as well as<br />
on the introduction of share subscription and purchase option<br />
schemes, and on the terms and conditions applying to these.<br />
This committee met on five occasions in 2005, with full<br />
attendance.<br />
Good practices<br />
– adherence to the Directors' Charter and Internal Rules;<br />
– the presence of four independent directors on the Board in 2005;<br />
– directors' term of office limited to four years;<br />
– renewal of Board membership by rotation, to give more say to shareholders;<br />
– high participation: ten Board meetings in 2005 with 89% attendance;<br />
– information: each new Board member is given a full dossier on the Group, and regular detailed<br />
information throughout the year.
Strategic overview of<br />
the small domestic equipment sector<br />
World leader in small domestic equipment, <strong>Groupe</strong> <strong>SEB</strong> operates in two different,<br />
though complementary worlds: small electrical appliances and cookware.<br />
Both of these worlds involve the deployment of similar expertise and skills.<br />
Both are concerned with the relevance and quality of products, brand management,<br />
and a strong command of retail networks. Both bring the Group into close proximity with consumers.<br />
All our brands share in your day-to-day life... Your world is our world.<br />
A changing market<br />
Over the last three years, our market has seen a rapid<br />
and profound transformation, marked by three key features:<br />
– convergence, reinforcement and globalization of retail chains;<br />
– store shelves flooded with Asian products;<br />
– a clear polarization of the market between entry-level<br />
products and high-range products, with an equally sharp<br />
divergence in prices.<br />
This polarization of the market, which has already<br />
been described and commented upon by the Group, sharpened<br />
further recently. This was due largely to foreign exchange<br />
parities, and resulted in significant changes to our trading<br />
environment, now characterized by:<br />
– the growing strength of extremely competitive Chinese<br />
manufacturers who supply the entry-level segment;<br />
– a weakening of producers who no longer command the<br />
production chain and no longer design new products that<br />
create added value;<br />
– growth in top-end ranges, which has led to the emergence<br />
of new rivals specialized in niche markets;<br />
– acquisition opportunities for industry operators who pursue<br />
a strategy of innovation, competitive performance, expansion<br />
and good service.<br />
|12<br />
Opportunities to be seized<br />
The still-fragmented small domestic equipment<br />
sector has embarked on a phase of consolidation in which<br />
<strong>Groupe</strong> <strong>SEB</strong> aims to play an active role. Its powerful brand<br />
portfolio and vast product offer – both unrivalled in the<br />
industry – combined with its global reach and diversity of retail<br />
channels, give it exceptional stability and growth potential<br />
which can be strategically exploited.<br />
Chinese competition is today a structural reality in<br />
our market. It is leading to a shake-up in our industry in which<br />
it is likely that only the fittest will survive. Moreover, recent<br />
market developments show that while the hard discount model<br />
continued to spread in 2005, especially in Europe, it is also<br />
reaching its limits. With prices stabilizing, some hard<br />
discounters are now showing a renewed interest in more<br />
worthwhile branded products to attract customers who<br />
demand quality. Meanwhile, there is a rising demand for<br />
top-range and even luxury products, helped by the growth<br />
of selective distribution channels.<br />
Some facts about our industry<br />
Average hourly rate in China €0.5<br />
Average hourly rate in France €25<br />
This is a ratio of 1-to-50.
A Group well equipped to win<br />
Looking beyond the turbulence of a European market<br />
which is undergoing radical change, <strong>Groupe</strong> <strong>SEB</strong> is well<br />
equipped to pursue its long-term strategy while taking full<br />
advantage of medium-term opportunities in the small domestic<br />
equipment market. Its four key strategic priorities – product<br />
leadership, geographic leadership, competitive performance<br />
and client service – are built around a twofold approach:<br />
Rapid and responsive action in taking up these challenges will guarantee the Group's future success<br />
and strengthen its long-term market leadership.<br />
Home cleaning and other products 5%<br />
Electrical cooking 15%<br />
Food and beverage preparation 25%<br />
A changing sector<br />
Continue to concentrate the sector and create value<br />
Management of ranges and brand development<br />
Innovation<br />
Adaptation of industrial facilities in Europe and greater use of sourcing<br />
Reduction of operating costs<br />
Optimization of client service<br />
Acquisitions to concentrate the sector<br />
Identify and develop new sources of value<br />
Expansion in high-potential economies<br />
Reinforcement of top ranges<br />
<strong>Development</strong> in fast-growth product families<br />
Diversification of distribution and use of alternative channels<br />
Creation or exploitation of new key product categories<br />
Acquisition or creation of new business and development of partnerships<br />
Imports into the European Union from China<br />
(2002-2004)<br />
Coffee makers +14%<br />
Hair dryers +42%<br />
Toasters +50%<br />
Food processors +52%<br />
Breakdown of 2005 sales, by activity<br />
|13<br />
Meat grills +121%<br />
Linen care, personal care and home comfort 28%<br />
Cookware 27%
&<br />
Plurality<br />
Proximity<br />
The 2005 trading year confirmed more than ever that its international dynamic is a key<br />
growth driver for <strong>Groupe</strong> <strong>SEB</strong>. This global deployment, begun almost 30 years ago,<br />
has given us a solid grounding for our constant drive<br />
to reinforce existing positions and conquer new markets.<br />
Europe, and in particular France, is the historical home<br />
of <strong>Groupe</strong> <strong>SEB</strong>. In today's Europe, we market five international<br />
brands: Krups, Rowenta, Tefal, Moulinex and Lagostina, and<br />
two regional brands, Calor and Seb. Most European countries<br />
are mature markets and, apart from breakthrough inventions,<br />
the Group's European business relies heavily on the product<br />
replacement cycle.<br />
|14<br />
your world is<br />
manifold<br />
Europe, <strong>Groupe</strong> <strong>SEB</strong>'s domestic market<br />
Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Great Britain, Greece, Ireland, Italy, The Netherlands,<br />
Norway, Portugal, Spain, Sweden<br />
• 12 factories (10 in France, 1 in Germany, 1 in Italy)<br />
• 22 marketing companies.<br />
In 2005, the Group's trading in Europe faced a difficult<br />
context marked by slow consumer demand and rising<br />
competition from low-priced entry-level articles promoted<br />
by discount chains and certain hypermarkets. This led to<br />
downward pressure on prices in virtually all European countries.
By contrast, growth was confirmed in the top-range segment,<br />
which constitutes a new relay for the development of brands that<br />
create added value. <strong>Groupe</strong> <strong>SEB</strong> aims to be a major player in this<br />
segment, and will take full advantage of its expansion.<br />
North America, a revival<br />
Canada, United States, Mexico<br />
• 3 factories (2 in the USA, 1 in Mexico)<br />
• 4 marketing companies.<br />
Operating in the United States since 1975 with T-Fal<br />
nonstick cookware, the Group has gradually extended its field<br />
of action over the years. Its long presence and experience gave<br />
it an early insight into the American market, and the fact that<br />
its future potential in the USA lay in strong promotion of<br />
high-range products. Today, the Group has transformed this<br />
potential into reality, with Rowenta as the uncontested leader<br />
in top-range steam irons, Krups as a strong prestigious brand<br />
in coffee appliances, and All-Clad as our specialist in premium<br />
International expansion<br />
|15<br />
The BeerTender:<br />
a product victory in Austria<br />
In the wake of its enormous success in The Netherlands,<br />
the BeerTender draught-beer machine took the Austrian<br />
market by storm with 17,000 units sold in just a few weeks.<br />
The BeerTender also helped the sales of other Krups<br />
products, in particular its fully automatic espresso ranges.<br />
As a result, Krups doubled its Austrian sales.<br />
quality cookware. Trading performance in 2005 vindicated our<br />
upmarket strategy in the United States.<br />
<strong>Groupe</strong> <strong>SEB</strong> has also been long established in Mexico<br />
where it holds strong positions in cookware and in certain<br />
other product families (including steam irons, electric fryers<br />
and blenders under the Moulinex and Tefal brands).<br />
Trading in Mexico was sustained in 2005. In Canada, Group<br />
sales were achieved mainly with the Tefal and Moulinex brands,<br />
while the Krups brand is being progressively introduced.<br />
A presentation display of Krups and All-Clad collections.<br />
USA
South America, a new eldorado<br />
Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Peru, Venezuela<br />
• 3 factories (2 in Brazil, 1 in Colombia)<br />
• 9 marketing companies.<br />
The 2005 trading year once again demonstrated the<br />
enormous potential of South American markets in the small<br />
domestic equipment sector. The Group has been operating for<br />
several years in these markets and is steadily reinforcing its<br />
positions with a structured offer adapted to local needs. It sells<br />
in these markets under three of its international brands, Tefal,<br />
Moulinex and Rowenta, and under three well-known regional<br />
brands, Arno and Panex in Brazil, and Samurai in Colombia and<br />
the Andean Pact countries.<br />
Brazil remains the Group's biggest market on this<br />
continent (accounting for over 75% of its South American sales)<br />
and local economic conditions in the country have been<br />
favourable in the last three years. However, business in 2005<br />
was affected by the revaluation of the Brazilian real, as this<br />
opens the way to imports from Asia – despite customs duty<br />
– and hinders exports. In this more difficult context, Arno<br />
Arno – Brazil<br />
The Brazilian factory<br />
makes mainly mixers,<br />
blenders, fans, irons and<br />
semi-automatic washing<br />
machines.<br />
Brazilian advertising<br />
campaign.<br />
|16<br />
launched a dynamic new product drive backed by marketing<br />
operations and powerful advertising campaigns.<br />
Arno confirmed its leadership of the small domestic equipment<br />
market in Brazil, where its total market share is estimated<br />
at 30%. The year was also marked by the acquisition of Panex,<br />
Brazil's leader in cookware. The integration of Panex is well<br />
under way and the Group plans to quickly exploit synergies<br />
with Arno to achieve new commercial momentum in this<br />
market.<br />
Argentina, Colombia and Venezuela proved by their<br />
performance that they constitute a new springboard for the<br />
Group, which continues to reinforce its positions and increase<br />
its sales. In Chile, a market which is wide open to Asian imports,<br />
and where distribution is highly concentrated, Group sales are<br />
hamstrung by a difficult competitive context. However, future<br />
prospects in this market are not discouraging.<br />
Colombia<br />
Food-preparation<br />
equipment factory<br />
in Colombia.<br />
Brazil
International expansion<br />
Other world territories, vast markets<br />
Australia and New Zealand, the CIS countries, Central Europe, Turkey, the Middle East, Japan, China,<br />
South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand<br />
• 3 factories (1 in Iran, 1 in the CIS countries, 1 in China)<br />
• 23 marketing companies.<br />
A very mixed geographic zone which covers both<br />
distant developed countries and emerging markets, the Group's<br />
'Other world territories' now account for over a quarter of total<br />
consolidated sales, against less than 20% three years ago.<br />
Apart from their current sales performance, these countries are<br />
a rich source of medium-term and long-term growth potential.<br />
For this reason, the Group is deploying a strategy of rapid<br />
expansion in these markets, based on the power of its world<br />
brands, on a product offer matched to local needs, on dedicated<br />
sales teams with local links, and on the use of a variety of retail<br />
channels. The Group intends to take full advantage of the<br />
development of these promising territories – often first-timebuyer<br />
or first product-renewal markets – and thus go on<br />
putting down local roots around the world.<br />
|17<br />
Dynamic contributions to the Group's sales growth in<br />
2005 came from Asia (Japan, Korea, Hong Kong and Australia),<br />
the CIS countries and Central Europe – with special mention for<br />
Poland and the Czech Republic. Domestic trading (in local<br />
currencies) remained buoyant in Turkey, while sales really took<br />
off in China, even though they were far short of the targets for<br />
this enormous market.<br />
Japan, the strong link in 2005<br />
With sales of €75 million, Japan is today one of the ten biggest contributors to <strong>Groupe</strong> <strong>SEB</strong> revenues.<br />
Our operations in this country are focused on four major product families:<br />
– T-Fal nonstick cookware, in which Japan is the world's second-largest market in value;<br />
– pressure cookers, where the Group's traditionally solid positions have gained strength in<br />
the last two years following the bankruptcy of a main rival in this market, in value;<br />
– steam irons, with more advances in 2005 and market-share gains;<br />
– electric kettles, where the Group created a new market which literally exploded in 2005 with a virtual<br />
quadrupling of sales.<br />
Kay LIN, SSEAC Commercial Manager<br />
The awakening of China<br />
Growing at a rate of between 14 and 17% a year, the small domestic equipment market in China is in boom. In the major<br />
cities, rising living standards are accompanied by an increasing level of domestic equipment (hi-fi, home electrical<br />
appliances, etc.), as people seek a “Western” lifestyle. This market has very high potential for us. Our priority is to<br />
consolidate an efficient distribution network by, for example, penetrating new channels such as hypermarket chains and<br />
specialist stores, while we continue to expand our operations in China's major cities. With this in mind, we restructured<br />
and strengthened our sales force in 2005. This helped us to build up our relations with regional wholesalers and focus<br />
on mass-retailer accounts and key electrical-goods specialists, while reinforcing our longstanding links with department<br />
stores. This reorganization saw its first fruits in 2005, and sales growth is expected to continue in 2006.<br />
China<br />
<strong>Groupe</strong> <strong>SEB</strong> factory in<br />
Shanghai.
your world is<br />
aspiring<br />
<strong>Groupe</strong> <strong>SEB</strong> has exploited its outstanding brand assets for many years with a clear strategy of differentiation<br />
and complementary market positioning. These brands – each with its own personality – spearhead distinctive product<br />
collections which are designed to respond to the multiple needs and aspirations<br />
of consumers around the world.<br />
Ambassador brands<br />
The Group deploys a strategy of specialist well-known<br />
brands in each of its product worlds – the worlds of cookware<br />
and small electrical appliances – by exploiting each brand's<br />
complementary strengths. Tefal is the global brand and an<br />
industry benchmark in cookware. An expert in nonstick<br />
coating technology and renowned for the variety and<br />
originality of its offer, it targets its collections on the middle<br />
and upper segments. In addition, in the last two years,<br />
the Group has propelled itself into the high-class cookware<br />
market – first with the takeover of America's prestigious<br />
Brand values<br />
creation<br />
&<br />
|18<br />
• Five world brands<br />
– Moulinex, Tefal, Rowenta, Krups and Lagostina.<br />
• Regional brands<br />
– T-Fal and All-Clad (North America);<br />
– Arno, Panex and Samurai (South America);<br />
– Calor and Seb (France and Belgium).<br />
• Two product worlds.<br />
Krups – ‘Prep Expert’<br />
All-Clad brand, and then, in 2005, Italy's star cookware brand,<br />
Lagostina. With the acquisition of Panex, the Group won<br />
leadership of Brazil's cookware market.<br />
In the world of small electrical appliances, our four showcase<br />
brands – Moulinex, Tefal, Rowenta and Krups – span the entire<br />
market. Each brand's distinctive values appeal to a well-defined<br />
constituency, and each brand's identity inspires its product<br />
catalogue, advertising, design, and targeted positioning<br />
through selected retail channels.
Marketing strategy<br />
Brands and innovation: a winning combination<br />
The Group uses innovation to demarcate itself from<br />
increasingly bland competition. It raises market standards by<br />
offering new functional features and well-designed collections<br />
of products that stand out for their performance and aesthetic<br />
appeal.<br />
In entry-level products, the Group has won back<br />
the initiative with Moulinex, building up a competitive offer<br />
based on the brand's values: products that are easy-to-use,<br />
rapid, affordable and imaginative. Called the Principio range,<br />
this palette of 18 products has a distinctive and coherent<br />
design identity. Other Group-wide projects are under way to<br />
develop more of these distinctive and economically viable<br />
products.<br />
In middle ranges, the Group's traditional segment,<br />
Moulinex and Tefal enjoy stronghold positions. Moulinex, with<br />
its simple, easy-to-use and efficient appliances, is an expert in<br />
food-preparation aids ranging from mixers, beaters, centrifugal<br />
juice extractors and blenders to the new Adventio food<br />
processor for simultaneous preparation of solids and liquids.<br />
Tefal's targeted approach, which evokes ingenuity and shared<br />
pleasure, is aimed at people who enjoy being involved in<br />
the kitchen. It combines clever storage and bright ideas for<br />
simplifying day-to-day tasks. Its Compact and Combino ranges<br />
designed for modern living conditions have fold-away handles<br />
for easy stacking. Its Color Click electric kettle has a clip-on<br />
colour-change feature, adapting to consumer’s mood.<br />
Its Pro Minute irons and steam generators are instantly at<br />
hand for speedy ironing. Another clever idea is the Eat'N Go<br />
electric plate with a printed-circuit heating element for people<br />
who need to eat where they<br />
happen to be.<br />
Tefal – ’Combino’<br />
|19<br />
In the mid-to-upper ranges, the Rowenta brand<br />
conveys harmony, wellbeing and refinement. The Rowenta<br />
customer demands high-performance products and places a<br />
high value on the aesthetic. Thus, Rowenta's new Focus and<br />
Advancer irons are an ultimate blend of ergonomics, elegance<br />
and advanced technology. A soleplate with 400 micropores<br />
and a special valve system ensure unrivalled steam power.<br />
In floorcare, Rowenta highlights the technical prowess of its<br />
vacuum cleaners: compacity, bagless technology, anti-allergy<br />
and many other benefits. In personal care appliances,<br />
improvements focus on wellbeing: hair dryers with an ionic<br />
function or ceramic heating element for better hair protection,<br />
revolving-head depilators, or digipressure foot-massage<br />
appliances.<br />
In top ranges, Krups – our flagship brand in this<br />
segment – has returned in force to international markets with<br />
truly outstanding products. A big 'coffee year' for Krups, 2005<br />
saw it launch a whole raft of new coffee machines: these<br />
included classic and pod espresso coffee makers and fully<br />
automatic and combination pump machines. Moreover, Krups<br />
plans to launch a new assortment of food-preparation<br />
appliances in 2006. These include an advanced-function<br />
kitchen machine, food processor and blender which are even<br />
more powerful, silent and easy to use, with a weighing function<br />
for certain models.<br />
The Group's cookware offer was considerably<br />
enriched and gained international strength with recent<br />
acquisitions – in particular Lagostina in the top-range<br />
segment, which plans an extensive launch programme in 2006<br />
with four new international ranges aimed at 26 markets.<br />
Moulinex – ‘Principio’ range<br />
Rowenta<br />
'Advancer' steam iron
Design and promotion: a coherent language<br />
Together, these two modes of expression clearly state<br />
brand values that marry tradition with modern sociocultural<br />
trends.<br />
The language of design – visual and tactile, direct and incisive –<br />
gives the product its voice and its sensorial appeal. Instantly<br />
perceived by the consumer, this affective dimension is a<br />
powerful ally against the growing banality of the market offer.<br />
External designers bring a distinctive approach to each brand.<br />
Indeed, creative design is not just the prerogative of upper<br />
ranges, as demonstrated by the Principio offer from Moulinex,<br />
where design clearly spotlights product benefits.<br />
Advertising and promotion also project the enduring<br />
identity of each brand, while setting the scene for the brand's<br />
product world.<br />
A differentiated distribution strategy<br />
The Group encounters a wide variety of retail formats<br />
in most of the countries where it operates. These range from<br />
the small neighbourhood store to hypermarkets, mail order<br />
houses, discount retailers and Internet websites. Today, we are<br />
seeing a strong trend to concentration of the world's major<br />
distributors, who have considerable negotiating power.<br />
Meanwhile, we have adapted our distribution strategy to local<br />
trading conditions with, for example, 130 Tefal franchise outlets<br />
in Turkey, 11 Casa Lagostina boutiques spread over several<br />
European countries, telesales operations in South Korea,<br />
and TV “infomercial” programmes in the United States.<br />
In addition to our geographic adaptation, we use a<br />
differentiated approach to distribution channels. Thus, Krups<br />
and All-Clad in the United States serve as flagship brands with<br />
|20<br />
A Casa Lagostina<br />
sales outlet.<br />
The shape, the mood, the motto, the choice of materials are<br />
the basic building blocks employed to get across the brand's<br />
message. We also devote part of our budget to point-of-sale<br />
promotion, with retail displays, demonstrations and product<br />
stands. The Internet, easily accessible today, is another key<br />
channel for product presentation and information, and is<br />
increasingly appreciated by our customers.<br />
Lagostina – 'Academy'<br />
selective, top-quality retailers who are rapidly expanding<br />
and who tend to demand exclusive brands and product<br />
assortments. In hypermarkets, Moulinex, Tefal and Rowenta<br />
position themselves in relation to a retail banner's price and<br />
choice criteria in order to offer adapted ranges. We also pay<br />
close attention to the rapid growth of so-called alternative<br />
channels (i.e., other than the Group's usual outlets): telesales,<br />
Internet shopping, and business-to-business sales.<br />
Casa Lagostina<br />
Being extended throughout Europe, these dedicated sales outlets will number 14 by the end of June 2006. Today, they exist<br />
in France, Switzerland, Germany, Italy and Portugal. They accounted for more than 10% of Lagostina's total 2005 sales, which<br />
was an increase of 30% on the previous year. Casa Lagostina stores attract a clientele that is demanding in terms of quality<br />
and price. The chain is a powerful marketing tool because of its direct contact with the consumer, and the possibility<br />
to demonstrate new concepts and create different product worlds. The Group will continue to open new Casa Lagostina<br />
branches through which it will sell targeted ranges and other products and brands from its portfolio.
Marketing strategy<br />
Moulinex<br />
• Ease-of-use and speed • Simple architecture, trendy, young • Splashes of bright colour • Affordable by all • High-spirited tone<br />
• Quickly done and well done • Vivacious slogan: Its playtime!<br />
‘SuperBlender’ TV spot<br />
Tefal<br />
• Ingenuity and generosity • Design that spotlights functions • Warm colours<br />
• Mass-consumer media • Innovative stance • Slogan: Ideas you can't live without!<br />
Rowenta<br />
• Refinement and intelligence • Aesthetic status objects • A world of harmony<br />
• Graceful lines • Marriage of materials (mat, powder-coat or lacquer finish)<br />
• Product benefit implied in the advertising message • Slogan: Intelligent Beauty.<br />
'Lissima' TV spot<br />
'Espressaria' poster<br />
Lagostina<br />
• Expert kitchen and elegant table<br />
• Tradition and modernity in perfect harmony<br />
• Choice materials and sensorial design • Italian lifestyle<br />
• Art of living • The pleasure of being and being seen.<br />
|21<br />
'Thermosignal' press advert<br />
'Lagostina' press advert<br />
Krups<br />
• Precision and perfectionism • Meticulous lines evoking expertise<br />
• Proficiency and ritual<br />
• Emphasis on press advertising • Flagship product • The delight of connoisseurs<br />
• A stirring slogan: Beyond Reason.
your world is<br />
on the move<br />
As world market leader, <strong>Groupe</strong> <strong>SEB</strong> views its sector and its industry from a global standpoint.<br />
Faced with particularly aggressive competition, the Group is responding by adapting<br />
its industrial strategy, structures and product innovation.<br />
Reorganizing,<br />
to ensure our long-term business<br />
Unlike most of its rivals who have massively relocated<br />
their production, <strong>Groupe</strong> <strong>SEB</strong> operates 12 factories in Europe,<br />
thus showing its desire to maintain strong centres of expertise<br />
in this region while concentrating on three strategic priorities:<br />
– to adapt our industrial base in Europe so that we can remain<br />
competitive in the long-term, by specializing factories to<br />
generate synergy and economies of scale, and by strongly<br />
defending our technological advantage over competitors;<br />
– to expand our competitive multi-product plants, locally based<br />
in international markets;<br />
Anticipation<br />
Progress<br />
&<br />
|22<br />
– to make greater use of sourcing for components or basic<br />
products, so that we can concentrate on our strong point:<br />
innovation.<br />
Meanwhile, we continue to add to our wealth of expertise via<br />
targeted takeovers which bring us mastery in new<br />
technologies. This was the case in 2005 with our acquisition<br />
of Lagostina in Italy and Panex in Brazil.<br />
2005 R&D budget: €45 million<br />
Industrial patents budget: €7 million<br />
450 people, of which 20% in research
Being competitive<br />
Adapting, to face the future<br />
with confidence<br />
The Group continued to rationalize its industrial base<br />
in 2005.<br />
In Germany, the Group refocused the Erbach site on mid-range<br />
and top-range irons and simultaneously invested in measures<br />
to improve productivity. In Spain, faced with a long lasting<br />
sharp decline in workload at the Urnieta plant, the Group<br />
decided to cease production and sell the factory to a Spanish<br />
operator who undertook to re-employ part of the staff.<br />
In January 2006, the Group announced a plan to streamline<br />
its industrial base in France in an effort to stem a fall<br />
in competitive performance in certain commonplace products.<br />
This restructuring plan will involve:<br />
– transfer of production of espresso coffee makers from<br />
Fresnay (Sarthe) to Mayenne, some 50 kilometres away;<br />
– the downsizing of the Vernon factory, specialized in homecleaning<br />
appliances;<br />
– by 2008, termination of operations at the Dampierre (Jura)<br />
and Syndicat (Vosges) plants which currently manufacture,<br />
respectively, kettles and electrical cooking appliances.<br />
This reorganization will allow us to refocus<br />
and strengthen our centres of expertise in products<br />
and components, grouping together R&D, industrialization<br />
and production teams.<br />
<strong>Groupe</strong> <strong>SEB</strong> will do everything necessary to support the<br />
890 affected staff and find solutions for each of them by<br />
encouraging internal mobility, by seeking new operators for the<br />
three plants concerned, by supporting efforts to create new<br />
jobs in the local communities, and by offering early retirement<br />
when possible.<br />
|23<br />
Innovating,<br />
to guarantee an attractive offer<br />
In addition to industrial rationalization, which is vital<br />
for our long-term future, innovation is a key factor of<br />
development as it helps us to stand out from our competitors<br />
while creating value for consumers and distributors alike.<br />
This is why we pursue an active policy of Research and<br />
<strong>Development</strong>, which is crucial if we are to stay ahead of rivals<br />
in both industrial processes and products. The Group<br />
distinguishes clearly between these two functions:<br />
– Research dedicated to breakthrough technological<br />
innovation and focused on some 15 key projects;<br />
– <strong>Development</strong>, based at production sites, which transforms<br />
these new technologies into new products.<br />
With almost 180 new products and models launched<br />
in 2005, <strong>Groupe</strong> <strong>SEB</strong> demonstrated once again its market<br />
leader status by challenging its rivals with totally new<br />
functional features and an increasingly attractive offer.<br />
These innovations included a unique super-resistant 'Top Coat'<br />
nonstick cookware coating, the world's first hydraulic control<br />
function for Krups espresso machines, a new motor system for<br />
the Expert food processors, and the protective casing on the<br />
Protect steam generator. This approach to creating added value<br />
guarantees the originality of <strong>Groupe</strong> <strong>SEB</strong>, helping it to make all<br />
the difference in the face of an increasingly commonplace<br />
market offer.<br />
Mayenne<br />
Test laboratory and<br />
production line for foodpreparation<br />
equipment.
Protecting inventions,<br />
to stay ahead of rivals<br />
The Group pursues an active and interactive policy<br />
of intellectual property protection, for which clear procedures<br />
have been laid down jointly with the research, development<br />
and marketing teams. This policy calls for strict discipline<br />
in recording and centralizing all advances in research.<br />
– Preliminary patent applications: this initial stage<br />
in patent protection involves filing a set of technical<br />
specifications with the French national patents office<br />
(INPI*). This also enables detailed management<br />
of knowledge and skills within the Group. In 2005,<br />
<strong>Groupe</strong> <strong>SEB</strong> filed 340 preliminary patent applications.<br />
– Full patent registration: with an annual average of<br />
85 full patent registrations in the last three years,<br />
the Group has documented its inventions and protected<br />
its intellectual property.<br />
The Group also takes active steps to prevent the<br />
counterfeiting of its brands, models and registered patents<br />
in order to guarantee the reliability and authenticity of its<br />
products. In the last few years, the Group increased its efforts<br />
in this area in China, where more than 50,000 articles were<br />
seized in 2005.<br />
* Institut National de la Propriété Industrielle<br />
|24<br />
Controlling costs,<br />
to be more competitive<br />
Rationalization of production processes also involves<br />
strict management of costs. The Purchasing department<br />
monitors suppliers and their conformity with the Group's<br />
standards and demands. It has drawn up a panel of<br />
381 suppliers (including 60 Chinese) which account for 85%<br />
of our purchases. The reliability of panel members is regularly<br />
reviewed. Close liaison with its suppliers, who are involved<br />
at an early stage in projects, means that the Group can reap<br />
substantial benefits in terms of quality, delivery deadlines,<br />
rates and conditions of payment.<br />
Despite the increased price of certain raw materials<br />
in 2005, the Group performed well in this area, limiting to 1%<br />
the year-on-year rise in its purchasing index, while it improved<br />
its purchasing conditions in Europe and in low-cost countries.<br />
Is-sur-Tille – Electric fryer test laboratory.<br />
Increased use of sourcing<br />
In recent years, <strong>Groupe</strong> <strong>SEB</strong> has been increasing its use of sourced components, sub-assemblies or finished products. This practice<br />
of sourcing basic or low added-value products makes it possible for the Group to meet competition from low-priced products, while<br />
it also frees the Group to concentrate on its strong point: high-tech innovation and the creation of value for the consumer.<br />
In 2005, sourced products accounted for 25% of total Group sales, a rise on the previous year. The growing use of sourcing calls for<br />
close liaison between the Group's research and development, industrial patents and purchasing teams. Together, they must<br />
accurately define needs and monitor strict adherence to specifications by suppliers, while at the same time ensuring protection<br />
of the Group's intellectual property.<br />
Product Lifecycle Management<br />
Idea u Research u Prototypes u Preliminary study u Detailed study u Market survey
Being competitive<br />
Efficient flow management, for quality<br />
service In view of the demands of retail clients and<br />
the practice of virtual just-in-time delivery, management<br />
of logistics and information systems has become vitally<br />
important. <strong>Groupe</strong> <strong>SEB</strong>’s specialization of logistics platforms<br />
in France in 2006 responds to this need to constantly improve<br />
the Group's organization and save on administrative and<br />
transport costs by regrouping orders and deliveries as follows:<br />
– Orléans: small electrical appliances;<br />
– Rumilly: cookware;<br />
– Mions: export orders.<br />
Pont-Évêque<br />
Steam-iron production line.<br />
|25<br />
This new organization will involve the closure of the Selongey<br />
(Côte d'Or) platform in 2006.<br />
The Group also continues to upgrade its information<br />
architecture around the world. In 2005, the Information<br />
Systems and Logistics department initiated a project called<br />
“Skyway”, involving liaison between French and Asian working<br />
teams, designed to speed up the delivery deadlines of our<br />
Chinese suppliers by keeping them informed of our needs,<br />
so that they can better adapt their delivery schedules.<br />
Luc Dohan, Chief Technology Officer<br />
Product Lifecycle Management at the heart of innovation<br />
The creation of a new product is a response to an idea – a marketing, functional, technical<br />
or structural idea – but, it is also the result of a collaborative and evolving process which is<br />
increasingly decentralized geographically. Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) is a tool which<br />
makes it possible to follow this entire process in real-time, from the initial concept to after-sales<br />
service, and through all the intermediate stages of product design, industrialization and<br />
manufacturing.<br />
The PLM database enables instant information exchange and multi-format files linked to<br />
the entire lifecycle of a product. Introduced on a trial basis some years ago, the system was<br />
consolidated in 2005 and is now accessible worldwide to all those involved with a project.<br />
In a globalized context, the PLM system facilitates open-ended collaboration between internal<br />
and external teams working on a project, while it improves the efficiency of the <strong>Development</strong><br />
process and boosts our productivity.<br />
Selongey<br />
Pressure-cooker production<br />
line.<br />
Rumilly<br />
Nonstick cookware production line.<br />
u Purchasing u Industrialization u Marketing u Logistics u Waste processing/Recycling
<strong>Sustainable</strong> <strong>Development</strong> <strong>Report</strong><br />
05 |<br />
Principles_28 • Corporate responsibility_29<br />
Shareholder relations_30 • Client and Supplier relations_31<br />
Civic commitment_32 • Environment_33<br />
Priorities_34 • Sharing income_36<br />
Management bodies_37
<strong>Sustainable</strong> <strong>Development</strong><br />
Aware<br />
of the challenges of today,<br />
let us innovate<br />
for a better future<br />
Pledged to deep-rooted humanist values from its beginnings, <strong>Groupe</strong> <strong>SEB</strong> has grown<br />
steadily to become world market leader in small domestic equipment. It has always<br />
remained loyal to its principles in the conviction that no long-term corporate venture can<br />
thrive without responding to the needs of all the stakeholders in the company.<br />
<strong>Groupe</strong> <strong>SEB</strong> must take up new challenges today to remain competitive in the<br />
long-term. These include changing patterns of consumer behaviour, with demand<br />
polarized between low-priced products and premium quality ranges, along with public<br />
preference for ethical products; an ageing labour force in Europe and issues of health<br />
and safety at work; increasing obligations to protect the environment; the growing<br />
demand of civil society for transparency and social accountability in corporate affairs;<br />
the need to reorganize production in globalized markets and its human and environmental<br />
consequences.<br />
While it adapts its strategy, organization and operating methods to this new context,<br />
<strong>Groupe</strong> <strong>SEB</strong> is also integrating a determined approach to <strong>Sustainable</strong> <strong>Development</strong>.<br />
|27
Principles<br />
Ethics<br />
Commitment<br />
&<br />
<strong>Groupe</strong> <strong>SEB</strong> pursues its development on the basis of values that are deeply rooted in its history.<br />
These values are enshrined in a corporate culture that combines high performance<br />
and responsibility with the rules of good governance.<br />
Shared values<br />
The Group subscribes to values that have inspired it<br />
since its foundation:<br />
– high-quality work;<br />
– team spirit;<br />
– thoroughness;<br />
– loyalty;<br />
– mutual respect.<br />
These values, and the management principles<br />
that derive from them, are posted for all our employees<br />
on the <strong>Groupe</strong> <strong>SEB</strong> Intranet site.<br />
<strong>Groupe</strong> <strong>SEB</strong>'s commitment<br />
Loyal to its principles, <strong>Groupe</strong> <strong>SEB</strong> has joined<br />
international and French partners in several initiatives<br />
to promote sustainable development:<br />
– the United Nations Global Compact, signed in December<br />
2003;<br />
– the Code of Conduct of the CECED (European Committee of<br />
Domestic Equipment Manufacturers) signed in August 2005;<br />
– the Diversity Charter, signed in France in October 2005.<br />
Implementing commitments<br />
The Global Compact and CECED principles are being<br />
integrated into the Group's internal procedures. In 2005,<br />
the Buyers' Code of Ethics was updated with a new clause on<br />
the fair treatment of suppliers, and a clause on <strong>Sustainable</strong><br />
|28<br />
<strong>Development</strong> was added to the Group's general purchasing<br />
conditions. Meanwhile, the internal control team drew up<br />
a list of criteria based on the Global Compact principles,<br />
to include in its internal audits. Indeed, <strong>Groupe</strong> <strong>SEB</strong> has long<br />
applied a system of corporate governance which respects<br />
the interests of its shareholders.<br />
<strong>Groupe</strong> <strong>SEB</strong> <strong>Sustainable</strong> <strong>Development</strong><br />
management<br />
The Group created a <strong>Sustainable</strong> <strong>Development</strong><br />
Division in 2004 to harmonize, direct and stimulate<br />
a collective effort in this area which would involve all<br />
employees. A <strong>Sustainable</strong> <strong>Development</strong> Steering Committee<br />
was set up in 2005. This committee, which meets every two<br />
months includes representatives of the main areas of Group<br />
activity: production and design, commercial operations,<br />
marketing, quality and the environment, human resources<br />
and communications, audit and finance. The Steering<br />
Committee defines priorities for action, examines master<br />
plans for different projects and monitors their progress.<br />
It serves as a source of ideas and an advocate for <strong>Sustainable</strong><br />
<strong>Development</strong> in-house and with external working partners.<br />
Once a quarter, the Group Executive Committee agenda<br />
features a progress report or discussion on aspects of<br />
<strong>Sustainable</strong> <strong>Development</strong>.<br />
Information and exchange tools<br />
Two new in-house media were created in 2005<br />
specifically for <strong>Sustainable</strong> <strong>Development</strong>. The Globe News<br />
electronic newsletter reviews developments in this field<br />
around the world. A dedicated sustainable development forum<br />
on the Group Intranet lets employees put questions and give<br />
opinions.
Corporate responsibility<br />
& Change<br />
Equity<br />
<strong>Groupe</strong> <strong>SEB</strong> relies on over 14,000 employees around the world for running its business.<br />
In a rapidly changing market, it develops the skills of its working teams<br />
and is in constant dialogue with them.<br />
Multicultural teams<br />
and equal treatment<br />
Today, almost half of <strong>Groupe</strong> <strong>SEB</strong> employees<br />
are based outside France. The Group is harmonizing its<br />
management and human resources tools to ensure equality<br />
of treatment for all staff, wherever they work. World-spanning<br />
operations necessarily involve multicultural teams.<br />
This diversity – which contributes to progress and dynamism<br />
– is also to be found within many countries. In France, for<br />
example, <strong>Groupe</strong> <strong>SEB</strong> signed the Diversity Charter in October<br />
2005. A fair balance between men and women is also a key<br />
<strong>Groupe</strong> <strong>SEB</strong> objective. As part of its Fair Process procedures,<br />
the Group aims to spread management practices which<br />
encourage participation and give priority to leading and<br />
motivating working teams for better performance. Managers<br />
also have the option to undergo a so-called 180° evaluation<br />
of their management practices.<br />
Intensive labour-relations dialogue<br />
<strong>Groupe</strong> <strong>SEB</strong> has always given a high priority<br />
to labour-relations dialogue and respected freedom<br />
of association. In most countries where it operates, its<br />
companies have trade unions and staff representative bodies.<br />
Labour dialogue was particularly intense in 2005 in view<br />
of the Group's restructuring in Europe. Staff representatives<br />
were also closely involved in reflection on the future of<br />
the company. Several staff information and consultation<br />
exercises on planned organizational changes were carried<br />
out in France in 2005.<br />
|29<br />
<strong>Groupe</strong> <strong>SEB</strong> Academy training<br />
session.<br />
Industrial reorganization: planning<br />
ahead and supporting staff<br />
Early in 2006, the Group announced a plan to<br />
reorganize its industrial base in France in order to remain<br />
competitive in the face of rivalry from Asian manufacturers.<br />
This restructuring will be spread over two years so that<br />
everything possible can be done to find a solution for each<br />
of the workers concerned. To ensure advance planning and<br />
full support for the affected staff, these proposals were<br />
drawn up in consultation with government agencies and local<br />
authorities. Employees are being kept fully informed and<br />
are consulted on the progress of the plan.<br />
Health & safety at work: a thorough<br />
overhaul<br />
<strong>Groupe</strong> <strong>SEB</strong> has for several years been introducing<br />
steps to reduce work accidents and industrial illness, much<br />
of which relates to repetitive strain injury. Improving health<br />
and safety standards is particularly important in the French<br />
factories, where an ageing workforce and longer working lives<br />
make this even more necessary. At the end of 2005, a working<br />
group made recommendations for a charter and practical<br />
tools to put it into effect: these proposals will be discussed<br />
more broadly with staff representatives during 2006.<br />
<strong>Groupe</strong> <strong>SEB</strong> Colombia<br />
Food-preparation equipment plant.<br />
SSEAC – China<br />
An iron production line<br />
in Shanghai.
Shareholder relations<br />
Confidence<br />
Loyalty<br />
&<br />
<strong>Groupe</strong> <strong>SEB</strong> fosters confident and open relations with its shareholders,<br />
aware that they are its long-term partners, and that a stable,<br />
well-balanced shareholder base is vital to its future.<br />
A balanced shareholder base<br />
For <strong>Groupe</strong> <strong>SEB</strong> management, pursuing a long-term<br />
strategy depends on the support of a well-balanced<br />
shareholder base: this support comes from the family<br />
founder Group, employees, French and foreign institutional<br />
investors, and individual shareholders. While <strong>Groupe</strong> <strong>SEB</strong> is<br />
in regular contact with financial analysts and investment<br />
fund managers, it would also like to increase the proportion<br />
of capital held by individual shareholders and mid-scale<br />
investors. This is clearly signalled by the Group's decision to<br />
join the French Federation of Investment Clubs (FFCI) in 2005.<br />
Transparency and dialogue<br />
<strong>Groupe</strong> <strong>SEB</strong> keeps its shareholders regularly<br />
informed on the progress of the company via a large number<br />
of communications including Letters to Shareholders, <strong>Annual</strong><br />
and half-year reports, the <strong>Annual</strong> General Meeting (AGM)<br />
notification, the Shareholder Guide and regular financial<br />
press notices. These documents are available on request from<br />
the <strong>Groupe</strong> <strong>SEB</strong> Financial Communications Department, and<br />
can be downloaded from our corporate website. <strong>Groupe</strong> <strong>SEB</strong><br />
also gives pride of place to dialogue and direct contact with<br />
its shareholders. Apart from the key annual event which is the<br />
AGM, it arranges shareholder meetings in several French<br />
cities (Tours, Nice, Bordeaux, Nancy, Lyon and Dijon in 2005),<br />
and factory visits to enable shareholders to learn more about<br />
the Group's working environment and business (two visits<br />
to the Rumilly plant in 2005). The Group also meets its<br />
shareholders at the Actionaria stockmarket fair held in Paris<br />
in November.<br />
|30<br />
Dedicated services<br />
All individual shareholders are welcome to contact<br />
the Shareholder Relations Department. The <strong>SEB</strong> Share<br />
Service manages nominal shares, handles share purchase and<br />
sale orders free of charge. It also handles dividend payments,<br />
supply of tax forms, or share inheritance and donation<br />
operations. Since 2005, nominal shareholders can have direct<br />
real-time access to their account and follow up current<br />
operations via the Internet.<br />
Long-term dividend policy<br />
<strong>Groupe</strong> <strong>SEB</strong> adopts a long-term approach to<br />
remunerating its shareholders, aiming to give them a fair and<br />
regular dividend increase when trading results permit, and<br />
holding it stable when economic and financial circumstances<br />
oblige. This year, after four successive years of rising<br />
dividends, the Board of Directors will propose, at the next<br />
<strong>Annual</strong> General Meeting, to maintain the dividend at its 2005<br />
level (paid in respect of 2004), being €2.40 per share.<br />
The Group also pays a supplementary dividend, equal to 10%<br />
of the basic dividend, for all shares held in the nominal<br />
register for two years running. It also offers its individual<br />
shareholders special conditions for buying the Group's<br />
products.<br />
Actionaria Stockmarket Fair - The <strong>Groupe</strong> <strong>SEB</strong> stand.
Client and Supplier relations<br />
Common interest<br />
Satisfaction<br />
&<br />
To satisfy its customers with innovative products and services, <strong>Groupe</strong> <strong>SEB</strong> relies on carefully<br />
chosen suppliers and on the retailers who bring its products to the market.<br />
Shanghai<br />
Customer advice<br />
on the sales-floor.<br />
Consumers: information and services<br />
Product instruction leaflets are an essential source<br />
of information for the customer. In 2005, <strong>Groupe</strong> <strong>SEB</strong><br />
updated its leaflets to make them easy to read and<br />
understand. Some have been produced in Braille for<br />
the visually handicapped. The leaflets are also available on<br />
our brand websites. The Group's consumer service centres<br />
handle questions or claims relating to products. This service<br />
is highly developed in France, where it is staffed by<br />
17 customer advisors based in a “Welcome Centre”<br />
(185,000 contacts in 2005 with 80% satisfied with how they<br />
were received). <strong>Groupe</strong> <strong>SEB</strong> decided to review the structure<br />
of its after-sales service to improve customer satisfaction<br />
in this area. This process, begun in France and to be extended<br />
throughout Europe, aims for improvement in three criteria:<br />
the time taken, the cost and the quality of repairs.<br />
Distributors: orders delivered in time,<br />
and on time<br />
Quality of service is measured as a percentage rate<br />
of orders dispatched in time from the Group's warehouses<br />
and delivered on time to distributor depots. This rate was<br />
maintained at around 90% in France last year, which is<br />
an acceptable score when one considers the large number<br />
of new products launched in the second half, and the growing<br />
proportion of sourced products arriving from Asia on<br />
schedules that are more difficult to control. Since 1 January<br />
|31<br />
2005, French distributors deal with a single commercial entity<br />
– <strong>Groupe</strong> <strong>SEB</strong> France – for all <strong>Groupe</strong> <strong>SEB</strong> products, whatever<br />
the brand. This ensures simplified relations with distributors<br />
and more personalized service. The new more-centralized<br />
logistics organization decided upon in 2005, will rationalize<br />
logistics flows and improve service to clients: fewer delivery<br />
trucks to handle and less administration to do.<br />
Suppliers: clearly-defined rules<br />
The Group's commitment to <strong>Sustainable</strong><br />
<strong>Development</strong> also applies to its purchasing policy. Measures<br />
include qualitative goals specified in buyer guidelines,<br />
a supplier awareness drive on the Group's adhesion to the<br />
Global Compact and the CECED Code of Conduct,<br />
a sustainable development clause added to our general<br />
purchasing conditions, and the updating of the Buyers' Code<br />
of Ethics. Beyond the strict selection process, <strong>Groupe</strong> <strong>SEB</strong><br />
requires its suppliers to abide by a number of written<br />
undertakings, notably on the environment (an eco-statement<br />
on non-use of hazardous substances forbidden under the<br />
European RoHS Directive) and social conditions (a workers'<br />
rights statement inspired by the SA 8000 international social<br />
accountability standard). Independent compliance reviews<br />
will be carried out in 2006 in both these areas.<br />
Berrod SA<br />
French <strong>Groupe</strong> <strong>SEB</strong> supplier.
Civic commitment<br />
World citizen<br />
Solidarity<br />
&<br />
Corporate sponsorship to combat social exclusion, close community links in the territories where it operates...<br />
<strong>Groupe</strong> <strong>SEB</strong> sets a high value on social responsibility.<br />
Combating social exclusion<br />
In keeping with its humanist values, <strong>Groupe</strong> <strong>SEB</strong> is<br />
gradually developing its sponsorship policy around a central<br />
theme: the combat against social exclusion. Its efforts in this<br />
area are currently focused mainly on France and Brazil, but<br />
the Group plans to extend these on a larger scale. This theme<br />
covers three priority areas for action.<br />
First priority: social integration through access to decent<br />
housing.<br />
This is an important precondition for the integration of those<br />
who are deprived or at risk of losing their self-reliance.<br />
This is a core concern of Habitat & Humanisme, a French aid<br />
association with which <strong>Groupe</strong> <strong>SEB</strong> began working<br />
in partnership in 2005. The association helps people<br />
in difficulty to find decent housing and supports their<br />
re-integration through, for instance, social activities<br />
organized in the community where they live.<br />
Second priority: re-insertion in the employment market.<br />
In this area – again in France – <strong>Groupe</strong> <strong>SEB</strong> is an active<br />
member of the 2nd Chance Foundation which gives a helping<br />
|32<br />
Corporate<br />
sponsorship<br />
school project in<br />
Brazil.<br />
Since 2003, <strong>Groupe</strong> <strong>SEB</strong> has been working in<br />
partnership with IMS (Institut du Mécénat et<br />
de la Solidarité). This association supports companies<br />
in four areas of social responsibility: corporate<br />
citizenship, local community development, diversity<br />
in the workplace, and responsible trade practices.<br />
hand to people in repeated difficulty who are motivated to<br />
get off to a new start in employment. The Group is also a<br />
shareholder in the France Active investment company, which<br />
puts up priming funds for social integration enterprises.<br />
Finally, it participates in the Rhône-Alpes regional enterprise<br />
network which helps people to set up their own business.<br />
Third priority: access to education and training for the<br />
underprivileged.<br />
In this area, Arno, the Group's Brazilian subsidiary, has been<br />
running a dynamic and innovative scheme for several years.<br />
More than 70 employee volunteers take part in various<br />
projects around Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro, in cooperation<br />
with public bodies, associations, schools and other<br />
institutions.<br />
Local community and employment<br />
<strong>Groupe</strong> <strong>SEB</strong> companies around the world form close<br />
links with the local communities in which they operate.<br />
They organize open days and take part in local events<br />
arranged by business partners, educational institutions and<br />
associations. Group sites also help community, educational<br />
and sporting projects. Aware of the importance of its role<br />
in local economic life, <strong>Groupe</strong> <strong>SEB</strong> acts responsibly when it<br />
must restructure or even close a factory in order to be more<br />
competitive. When this must be done, the Group takes every<br />
measure to limit the impact on jobs by, for example,<br />
cooperating with all local agencies to anticipate the<br />
consequences.<br />
Arno – Brazil<br />
Corporate responsibility campaign.
Environment<br />
Our planet<br />
Caring<br />
&<br />
<strong>Groupe</strong> <strong>SEB</strong> takes account of the environment at every stage in the life of a product,<br />
from the time it is made in the factory until the end of its useful life.<br />
More than half of <strong>Groupe</strong> <strong>SEB</strong> factories<br />
are certified ISO 14001<br />
Since 2003, <strong>Groupe</strong> <strong>SEB</strong> has operated a worldwide<br />
environment management system based on the ISO 14001<br />
international standard. More than half of the Group's 35<br />
industrial and logistic sites (77% of its French sites) were<br />
ISO 14001 certified in 2005, and the objective is to reach a rate<br />
of 100% by 2007. This certification process, followed up by<br />
internal and external evaluations, includes a harmonized<br />
data-collection system to monitor the Group's key environment<br />
indicators and reduce pollution risk. The system was applied<br />
worldwide in 2005.<br />
All new products were eco-designed<br />
in 2005<br />
<strong>Groupe</strong> <strong>SEB</strong>'s concern for the environment is not<br />
confined to the manufacturing process. It also seeks to<br />
reduce the impact of the products themselves on the<br />
environment by, for example, making them more recyclable<br />
(over 70% recyclable in 2005), eliminating hazardous<br />
substances (RoHS Directive) and bringing down power<br />
consumption. These criteria are taken into account right from<br />
the drawing-board. That is what <strong>Groupe</strong> <strong>SEB</strong> calls eco-design.<br />
Already in 2003, the Group drew up eco-design guidelines<br />
which it built into the specifications used by its design teams<br />
around the world. Last year, all new product projects complied<br />
with the eco-design process which is now a central feature of<br />
the Group's environment management system.<br />
|33<br />
The Krups Espresseria coffee maker,<br />
launched in 2005, is an example of<br />
the <strong>Groupe</strong> <strong>SEB</strong> approach to ecodesign.<br />
– Less than 1.5 W power consumption<br />
on stand-by.<br />
– 70% of its weight is potentially<br />
recyclable.<br />
Recycling end-of-use products<br />
Most European countries ratified the European<br />
Directive on disposal of Waste Electrical and Electronic<br />
Equipment (WEEE) in 2005. Each country is now required<br />
to collect end-of-use appliances, recycling 50% of their mass<br />
and converting 20% to other uses including energy production.<br />
The Group is involved in this process in Europe, and notably<br />
in France where it played a leading role in the creation of the<br />
eco-organization Eco-Systèmes, which is responsible, as from<br />
Spring 2006, for the collection and processing of most of this<br />
waste. Once it is officially accredited by the authorities,<br />
Eco-Systèmes, in which the Group is a shareholder,<br />
will coordinate the efforts of most producers and distributors<br />
in this field.<br />
Limiting the impact of transport<br />
In the area of logistics, road haulage represents<br />
a large proportion of total transport mileage. All the Group's<br />
contracts with haulage companies include a clause on<br />
<strong>Sustainable</strong> <strong>Development</strong> covering, for example, vehicle<br />
engines, the recycling of oil and fuel consumption. The Group<br />
also tries to ensure optimum loading levels: in 2005, loading<br />
was maintained at 92% of capacity in France. The Group uses<br />
rail and water transport as often as feasible, for example<br />
between Marseille and Lyon. Water transport is used for most<br />
intercontinental cargo.
ETHICAL<br />
Priorities<br />
Involvement of all<br />
employees in the Group's<br />
ethical approach<br />
CORPORATE<br />
Improvement of health &<br />
safety at work<br />
Promotion of diversity<br />
Priorities and action plans for the next three years<br />
Working objectives<br />
Employee awareness of our<br />
commitments under the Global<br />
Compact, the CECED Code of<br />
Conduct and the Diversity Charter.<br />
Apply these commitments in the<br />
Group's day-to-day operations<br />
<strong>Development</strong> of Introduce a Group-wide Fair<br />
management methods in Process management reference<br />
keeping with our framework.<br />
corporate values<br />
Support for employees<br />
affected by industrial<br />
reorganization<br />
SOCIAL<br />
Structuring the Group's<br />
sponsorship strategy<br />
Adopt a monthly reporting system<br />
and define priorities for progress.<br />
Draw up an action plan to cut work<br />
accidents and industrial illness<br />
(repetetive strain injury).<br />
Ensure greater diversity in<br />
working teams.<br />
Ensure that necessary job-cuts are<br />
carried out with every<br />
consideration for the individuals<br />
concerned.<br />
Anticipate restructuring and use<br />
training to enhance future<br />
employability.<br />
Combat social exclusion with<br />
projects in harmony with the<br />
Group's values and working<br />
context.<br />
|34<br />
Main achievements<br />
in 2005<br />
Staff informed via the Group's<br />
various in-house media.<br />
Commitments included in<br />
purchasing conditions, and initial<br />
application of internal control<br />
procedures.<br />
<strong>Report</strong>ing system introduced<br />
for the French sites.<br />
Recommendations made by<br />
an ad hoc working Group.<br />
France: Diversity Charter signed.<br />
Proposals for action drawn up by<br />
staff representatives.<br />
Fair Process awareness drive for<br />
management, and start of<br />
'180°–evaluations' for managers.<br />
Spain: individual support given to<br />
staff affected by the Barbastro<br />
and Urnieta plant closures. Re-use<br />
of the factories by new owners.<br />
France: partnership with the<br />
Habitat et Humanisme aid<br />
association.<br />
Brazil: new community education<br />
project for the unemployed in<br />
deprived areas (Arno).<br />
Next steps<br />
To strengthen this awareness and<br />
monitor its impact.<br />
To draw up a master document on<br />
the Group's ethical approach.<br />
To highlight these commitments in<br />
our internal control procedures.<br />
Group-wide quarterly reporting on<br />
frequency and gravity of industrial<br />
accidents, and reduction of these<br />
by half.<br />
To train and mobilize local<br />
management and implement<br />
our action plan.<br />
To implement the Diversity<br />
Charter .<br />
Adoption of Fair Process by<br />
managers worldwide and<br />
integration into annual evaluation<br />
interviews.<br />
To use every possible means<br />
to limit the social impact<br />
of restructuring.<br />
To build up existing social<br />
partnerships and create new ones.<br />
To initiate new projects,<br />
particularly in training and<br />
education.<br />
To explore a Group sponsorship<br />
structure.
CLIENTS/SUPPLIERS<br />
Priorities<br />
Involvement of its<br />
suppliers in the <strong>Groupe</strong><br />
<strong>SEB</strong> <strong>Sustainable</strong><br />
<strong>Development</strong> effort<br />
Satisfying clients and<br />
customers<br />
ENVIRONMENT<br />
Priorities<br />
Reducing the impact of Apply eco-design procedures.<br />
our products on the<br />
environment (eco-design)<br />
Make products more easily<br />
recyclable and repairable.<br />
Ensuring that all the<br />
Group sites respect the<br />
environment<br />
(eco-production)<br />
Reducing carbon dioxide<br />
emissions from<br />
transport<br />
(eco-logistics)<br />
Disposal of end-of-use<br />
products<br />
Working objectives<br />
Keep suppliers fully informed on<br />
the <strong>Groupe</strong> <strong>SEB</strong> sustainable<br />
development effort.<br />
Meet targets for progress in<br />
protecting the environment.<br />
Meet our commitments in the area<br />
of working conditions.<br />
Improve our services to<br />
consumers.<br />
Ensure the best possible service<br />
for our retail clients.<br />
Reduce product power<br />
consumption during use and on<br />
stand-by.<br />
Aim for 100% ISO 14001<br />
certification of all the Group's<br />
factories around the world.<br />
Use environment performance<br />
indicators.<br />
Better control of carbon dioxide<br />
emissions.<br />
Explore non-road transport<br />
alternatives and aim for optimum<br />
loading rates for road haulage.<br />
Contribute to the collection and<br />
recycling of end-of-use domestic<br />
electrical products.<br />
|35<br />
Main achievements<br />
in 2005<br />
Letters sent to all the Group<br />
supplier panel explaining the<br />
Global Compact and the CECED<br />
Code of Conduct.<br />
<strong>Sustainable</strong> development criteria<br />
added to the Group's purchasing<br />
conditions.<br />
Introduction of an “Environment<br />
Declaration”.<br />
20% of the supplier panel certified<br />
ISO 14001.<br />
Eco-statement on non-use of<br />
hazardous substances signed<br />
by 96% of our suppliers.<br />
SA 8000 social accountability<br />
standard covered 91% of purchases<br />
in Asia.<br />
Product instruction leaflets<br />
standardized and improved.<br />
France: 90% service-satisfaction<br />
rate.<br />
Logistics structure streamlined.<br />
Eco-design rules applied to 100%<br />
of product development projects.<br />
Recycling rate of over 70%<br />
achieved for new products.<br />
75% of products repairable.<br />
Average power used by new<br />
products in stand-by mode: less<br />
than 3 W .<br />
51% of factories ISO 14001<br />
certified.<br />
Objective achieved.<br />
Reflections on the environment<br />
with the Club Demeter think tank.<br />
France: 92% loading for road<br />
haulage.<br />
Helped to set up eco-organizations<br />
in Europe, notably Eco-Systèmes in<br />
France.<br />
Next steps<br />
To follow through and verify<br />
sustainable development<br />
commitments by suppliers.<br />
70% response rate by end 2008.<br />
60% ISO 14001 certification of<br />
supplier panel by end 2008.<br />
100% of environment statements<br />
signed.<br />
Strengthen follow-up inspections.<br />
SA 8000 coverage of all purchases<br />
in Asia and 80% in South America.<br />
Strengthen follow-up inspections.<br />
Improving our customer welcome<br />
service and after-sales service in<br />
Europe.<br />
95% service-satisfaction rate in<br />
France and extend this quality<br />
worldwide.<br />
100% of products eco-designed.<br />
75% of new products potentially<br />
recyclable.<br />
Maintenance of repairable rate.<br />
Greater energy efficiency,<br />
and stand-by power under 2 W.<br />
ISO 14001 certification for all<br />
factories acquired more than three<br />
years ago.<br />
To define environment objectives<br />
factory-by-factory.<br />
To define effective eco-logistics<br />
indicators.<br />
To aim for worldwide application<br />
of criteria for alternatives to road<br />
haulage.<br />
To maintain the road haulage<br />
loading rate at over 90% .<br />
Follow-up of eco-organizations in<br />
Europe.
Reserved funds: €177.7 million<br />
Funds reserved in 2006 amount<br />
to €177.7 million,of which:<br />
– €106.0 million for refinancing<br />
investments<br />
– €9.3 million in variations of provisions linked<br />
to business risks<br />
– €62.4 million transferred to reserves.<br />
Wealth Creation<br />
Sharing<br />
&<br />
u<br />
u<br />
u<br />
u<br />
u<br />
u<br />
<strong>Groupe</strong> <strong>SEB</strong><br />
u<br />
Sharing income<br />
Banks and bondholders: €25.2 million<br />
Financial expenses relating to interest on loans concerned mainly banking institutions<br />
and amounted to €25.2 million in 2005.<br />
State and local authorities: €95.8 million<br />
The contribution of <strong>Groupe</strong> <strong>SEB</strong> in the countries where it operates amounted<br />
to €95.8 million, broken down as follows:<br />
• corporation tax €54.6 million;<br />
• local taxes €41.2 million.<br />
Shareholders: €40.4 million*<br />
• <strong>Groupe</strong> <strong>SEB</strong> paid €40.4 million in dividends to its shareholders.<br />
* paid in 2005 in respect of the 2004 trading year.<br />
Employees: €525.6 million<br />
• <strong>Groupe</strong> <strong>SEB</strong> paid €525.6 million to 14,396 employees (67% total salary, 33% social<br />
charges). In 2006 it will pay out €29.3* million in bonus and profit-sharing<br />
schemes in respect of 2005.<br />
* Estimated in 2005, paid in 2006.<br />
Clients: €2,463 million<br />
• <strong>Groupe</strong> <strong>SEB</strong> recorded sales of €2,463 million in 2005 (including All-Clad).<br />
Income from operations was €183.7 million and net income €102.8 million.<br />
– Breakdown of sales:<br />
• 52% in Europe (24% in France);<br />
• 14% in North America;<br />
• 8% in South America;<br />
• 26% in Asia and other territories.<br />
– Sourced products represented 25% of sales.<br />
|36<br />
Suppliers: €1,598.3 million<br />
• Including 2,060 direct industrial suppliers.<br />
85% of purchases were made from a panel of 381 suppliers.<br />
NB: The 2005 figures given on this page are calculated in compliance<br />
with the new European accounting standards: IFRS.
GROUP EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE<br />
Thierry de La Tour d'Artaise<br />
Chairman and CEO<br />
François Duley<br />
Executive Vice-President,<br />
Continental Structures<br />
Management bodies<br />
Jacques Alexandre<br />
Executive Vice-President,<br />
Strategy and SBAs<br />
Jean-Pierre Lac<br />
Executive Vice-President,<br />
Finance<br />
STRATEGIC BUSINESS AREAS (SBAs)<br />
Philippe Crevoisier President, Electrical cooking<br />
Jean-Pierre Lefèvre President, Linen and Personal care,<br />
Home comfort and Home cleaning<br />
Christian Ringuet President, Cookware<br />
François Sydorowicz President, Food and beverage preparation<br />
CONTINENTAL GENERAL MANAGEMENT<br />
Marcio Cuñha President, South America<br />
François Duley President, Asia and other territories<br />
Alain Grimm-Hecker President, France<br />
Alain Gautier President, North America<br />
Volker Lixfeld President, Northern & Central Europe<br />
Frédéric Verwaerde President, Western Europe<br />
Luc Dohan Chief Technology Officer<br />
Rémi Descosse<br />
Executive Vice-President,<br />
Industrial Operations<br />
Harry Touret<br />
Executive Vice-President,<br />
Human Resources<br />
The Group Executive Committee defines and<br />
implements overall Group strategy. Meeting<br />
twice each month, it decides on consolidated<br />
objectives, oversees strategic projects, defines<br />
priorities and allocates resources to the<br />
management structures in charge of Strategic<br />
Business Areas (SBAs), Continents and Corporate<br />
Functions.<br />
The Group Management Board is made up of<br />
the members of the Group Executive Committee,<br />
the General Managers of the SBAs and<br />
Continental Structures and the Chief Technology<br />
Officer. It meets on average every two months to<br />
monitor the Group's performance and results<br />
and, if necessary, make adjustments to<br />
commercial or industrial strategy. Serving as a<br />
forum for exchange and reflection, the<br />
Management Board has a consultative role and<br />
oversees the proper functioning of the Group.<br />
There are four Strategic Business Area (SBA)<br />
structures, which define worldwide strategy for<br />
their respective product families. They are in<br />
charge of new product development, from the<br />
design stage to industrial strategy (capital<br />
investment, location of production, etc.), and<br />
worldwide marketing (including ranges, pricing,<br />
advertising resources and distribution channels).<br />
The Continental General Management Structures<br />
are responsible for developing the Group's<br />
marketing positions in their respective<br />
territories. Since 2005, the Group has six<br />
territorial management structures: France,<br />
Western Europe, Northern & Central Europe,<br />
North America, South America, and Asia and<br />
other territories. These ensure that SBA sales<br />
and marketing strategies are implemented, and<br />
that distribution networks ensure front-rank<br />
market positions for the Group<br />
in their respective territories.<br />
The SBAs and Continental Structures are<br />
supported by Group-wide corporate functions.<br />
<strong>Report</strong>ing to the Executive Vice-Presidents, these<br />
functions include Human Resources, Finance,<br />
Strategy, Brands, Manufacturing, Technology,<br />
<strong>Sustainable</strong> <strong>Development</strong>, Information Systems &<br />
Logistics, Quality, Purchasing, and Legal Affairs.<br />
Functioning as centres of expertise, these<br />
structures ensure the execution of Group-wide<br />
projects and effective overall Group organization.
Les 4M - Chemin du Petit Bois - BP 172<br />
69134 Ecully Cedex - France<br />
Tel.: (+33) (0)4 72 18 18 18 - Fax: (+33) (0)4 72 18 16 55<br />
Shareholder Relations: (+33) (0)4 72 18 16 01<br />
Corporate Communications: (+33) (0)4 72 18 16 40<br />
http://www.groupeseb.com<br />
(33) (0)1 56 88 11 11 - Photos: Jean-Michel Turpin - Coté Cour, Roland Gouy Paillier, Patrick Forestier, Véronique Vedrenne, <strong>Groupe</strong> <strong>SEB</strong> photographic archives, Graphicobsession, BananaStock, DR - Translation: anglodoc.com<br />
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