IC Companys – Annual Report 2008/09 0 - IC Companys A/S

taking risks, but longevity in terms of justification of
existence lies in limiting the uncertainty/threat
within core activities in a manner superior to that of
other actors. IC Companys considers fashion, supplier,
inventory and debtor risks as such risks, i.e.
core risks The Executive Board believes that these
core risks should be accepted as an inherent part of
the Group’s business foundation. These risks are
efficiently managed on the basis of the insights and
competences attained over time by the Group.
Fashion risk
The Group’s brands all have high fashion contents.
As collections change at a minimum of four times a
year and have a long lead time, there is a risk that
the products will not match consumer tastes.
Each brand works with commercial and facts-based
development of its collections with a view to reducing
this risk. At Group level, there is an inherent high
level of diversification as a result of the number of
independent brands.
Suppliers
The Group’s products are solely produced by third
parties, which ensures a high level of flexibility. In
2008/09, 82% of production took place in Asia and
18% in Europe. The Group has 391 suppliers, of
which the largest 9 suppliers account for 34% of the
total production value. The largest single supplier
accounts for 5% of the total production value.
The Group has six independent sourcing offices
located in China, Hong Kong, Bangladesh,
Vietnam, India and Rumania, who
compete for production orders from the
brands. This means that sourcing can
be moved to wherever the
combination of price, quality and
supply stability is best.
IC Companys – Annual Report 2008/09
IC Companys
considers core
risks as part of
the business
foundation
Inventory risk
Sales through own stores and the need to carry
inventory and supplementary products for retailers
involves a risk that products which, during the year,
have been allocated for sale remain unsold at the
end of the year. The Group’s inventory risk is reduced
by the fact that a substantial part of the combined
sourcing is pre-ordered from the Group’s retailers.
The Group has a network of outlets for the ongoing
sale of such inventories. Capacity in these outlets is
increased or reduced as required. Any products that
cannot be sold through the Group’s own outlets are
sold to brokers for resale outside the Group’s established
markets.
Debtor risk (third party retailer risk)
The Group brands are sold by a total of 10,800 selling
points. A considerable number of third party retailers
are customers to more than one brand, and
the number of customers is consequently lower. No
customer accounts for more than 3% of the Group
wholesale revenue.
Prior to the commencement of a customer relationship,
the Group’s wholesale customers are credit
rated according to the Group debtor policy and subsequently
on a regular basis. Nevertheless, losses do
occur. Credit insurance is typically only used in countries,
in which the credit risk is unusually high and
where this is feasible. This primarily applies to export
markets in which IC Companys is not represented
through an independent sales company.
Credit terms vary in line with individual
market customs. In the past
years and also in 2008/09, the
Group had loss on bad debts which
was less than 1% of wholesale revenue.
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