Schöneck, 18. March 2010 – GK SOFTWARE AG has received an order to equip all the Hornbach-Baumarkt-AG markets with GK/Retail, following the successful conclusion of the pilot project. The switch at the Hornbach home improvement stores in nine European countries is due to take place in the near future. All the special functions needed for the home improvement store market were introduced into the software as part of this project within less than a year.
Major international project in nine countries
Successful launch for GK SOFTWARE AG in the home improvement store sector
Hornbach-Baumarkt-AG, one of the most important European operators of home improvement and garden stores, will be equipping all its business locations with GK SOFTWARE AG solutions in the future. Hornbach had commissioned the company to provide a complete pilot installation with all the special home improvement store features at the end of 2008. GK SOFTWARE AG completed this project in less than a year, basing it on the GK/Retail standard software. Following an intensive test phase, which started in the fall of 2009, Hornbach-Baumarkt-AG has now decided to introduce the software to all its markets. This decision is based on the high quality and speed demonstrated in completing the previous project.
Standard Software for Home Improvement and Garden Stores
The order from Hornbach means that GK SOFTWARE AG has successfully tapped into the home improvement store sector. Many special features have been included in the standard product and they now increase the universality of GK/Retail. Close integration with Hornbach’s central SAP sys-tem also formed part of the project.
Rainer Gläß, CEO at GK SOFTWARE AG says: "Based on this successful project at Hornbach, we have once again proven that our standard software can be quickly adapted to any retail sector and that we can meet the special demands set by any customer."
Schöneck, 19 August 2010 – GK SOFTWARE AG was able to continue its growth course established in previous years during the first six months of 2010,
according to provisional figures. Sales grew by almost one half over the previous year’s figure and the company was able to more than double its EBIT. Based on these positive intermediate figures, the Management Board assumes that the company can meet its growth forecast for 2010.
By gaining new customers and proceeding according to plan in current projects, GK SOFTWARE AG finished the first half of the year 2010 with very good results. According to provisional figures for the reporting period, the company increased its sales by approx. 46% (EUR 12.47 million) and increased its total operating revenue by slightly more than 45% (EUR 13.23 million) in comparison with the same period in the previous year. As a result, the EBIT (EUR 2.50 million) increased to more than double the previous year’s figure. This means that the EBIT margin related to sales was 19.8%.
The Management Board has an optimistic view of the future on the basis of the strength of the figures from the first six months, the progress in completing current projects and the positive developments in obtaining new customers. The Management Board is expecting double digit growth in sales and an EBIT margin that is similar to that of previous years for the full year in 2010.
Schöneck, 30 April 2010 – GK SOFTWARE AG was again able to significantly increase its sales revenues, total operating performance and results in fiscal 2009 in comparison with the previous year in line with the annual report published today.
Sales revenues rose by more than 50% from EUR 15.0 million to EUR 23.3 million. The EBIT figure at approx. EUR 4.9 million exceeded the previous year’s level by 76% (EUR 2.8 million in 2008). Based on these results, the Management Board will suggest to the main shareholders’ meeting that a dividend is paid for the first time.
Fiscal 2009 was easily the best year in the 20-year corporate history of GK SOFTWARE AG. As a result of gaining major new customers, the successful completion of current projects and the smooth integration of Solquest GmbH, sales revenues rose to EUR 23.3 million. Organic growth accounts for more than two thirds of the increase of more than 50%. The takeover of Solquest GmbH accounted for approx. 12.5% of growth. Another element in sales revenue growth is based on the revenue recognition of unfinished work according to the accounting updates published by IFRS. In line with the individual project structures in 2009, a figure of EUR 1.4 million was not allocated to inventories of unfinished work, but was entered as additional sales in comparison with 2008.
The significant increase in sales revenues was accompanied by an even stronger increase in the EBIT figure by 76% to EUR 4.9 million (EUR 2.8 million in the previous year). This enabled the company to achieve an EBIT margin on operating performance of 20.1% (18.5% in the previous year). The earnings per share rose to EUR 2.11 in fiscal 2009 after a figure of EUR 1.22 in the previous year.
The company is once again expecting double digit growth in sales revenues in the coming year with an EBIT margin that is similar to previous years. As a result of the outstanding results, the Supervisory and Management Boards are going to propose to the annual shareholders’ meeting that a dividend of EUR 1 is paid from the balance sheet profits of GK SOFTWARE AG.
The complete annual report will be published at the corporate website www.gk-software.com in the Investor Relations section during the course of today.
http://investor.gk-software.com/de-ipo-news/financial-reports/financial-report-09
Schöneck, 15 April 2010 – 2009 was easily the best business year for GK SOFTWARE AG in its history according to provisional figures published today.
Growth in sales of more than 50% meant that even the latest forecast, which was raised last fall, was significantly exceeded once again. The company achieved an EBIT of approx. EUR 4.9 million (EUR 2.8 million in the previous year). This corresponds to an EBIT margin of 20.1% in terms of total operating revenue (18.5% in the previous year).
New major projects and progress in current projects according to plan formed the basis for the outstanding results. The order placed by EDEKA as part of the LUNAR project was particularly significant and this is being completed in partnership with SAP. In organic terms, sales rose by approximately one third compared to the previous year.
The share of sales at Solquest GmbH, which was taken over in May 2009 by way of an asset deal and has now been fully integrated into the group, amounted to approximately 8% and it contributed to growth in sales in 2009 to the tune of about 12.5 percentage points.
Another element in growth in sales is based on revenue recognition from unfinished work in progress in line with the latest IFRS updates in accounting procedures. In line with individual project structures, EUR 1.4 million were not reported under unfinished work in progress, but as additional sales in 2009, in contrast to 2008. But this change has not affected the group results.
Schöneck, 13 December 2010 – GK SOFTWARE AG and the international market leader in the production of retail scales systems, Bizerba, have signed a far-reaching partnership agreement. The aim of the arrangement is to develop all-round software for commercial scales, which can be operated on any platform using the GK/Retail suite.
GK SOFTWARE AG will develop a new software solution called GK/Retail Open Scale as part of a comprehensive partnership agreement; this application will be available for direct use on PC-based scales manufactured by Bizerba. By separating the hardware, operating system and the scales application, the two partners are paving the way for open systems in the field of commercial scales. This will provide retailers with a wide spectrum of new opportunities, which range from freedom of choice in the scales hardware being used to a far better degree of integration in the systems landscapes.
The GK/Retail Open Scale solution for scales will be completely integrated in the system management and monitoring facilities available within the Store Device Control software in the GK/Retail suite. One of the last islands preventing the seamless, end-to-end integration with the central systems within a retail store landscape will now disappear. This means slimmer processes, faster processing times for required services, and a reduction in expenditure and complexity.
The new software is being developed by GK SOFTWARE AG in close cooperation with Bizerba; however, it will not constrain retailers to use Bizerba hardware, but will support any open PC scales. The partnership includes close cooperation in the fields of technology, sales and marketing.
Schöneck, 22 November 2010 – GK SOFTWARE AG continued to grow during the first nine months of fiscal 2010. According to provisional figures, the company was able to increase its sales by 30 percent to EUR 17.08 million in comparison with the same period in the previous year. The EBIT at EUR 2.38 million was three times higher than the same period in 2009, which was weighed down by a takeover. Based on the third quarter figures, the Management Board assumes that the growth forecast for 2010 will be met.
GK SOFTWARE AG has completed the first nine months of the current business year with very good results in line with corporate planning. Both sales and the EBIT rose significantly in comparison with the same period in the previous year. According to provisional figures, sales rose by almost 30 percent from EUR 13.16 million to EUR 17.08 million. Overall performance rose by one quarter from EUR 14.59 million in the first nine months of 2009 to EUR 18.25 million in 2010. The EBIT tripled from EUR 0.71 million to EUR 2.25 million, if a comparison is made between 2009 and 2010. However, the lower figure in 2009 was due to special effects connected to the takeover of Solquest GmbH in 2009. The EBIT margin was 13.9 percent during the first nine months of fiscal 2010 (5.4% for the same period in 2009). Based on the results from the first nine months of the year, the current state of completion of projects and the sales pipeline, the Management Board is optimistic about the future. The Board confirmed its forecast of ongoing double digit growth in sales for the complete year in 2010 and an EBIT margin that is similar to previous years.
Schöneck, 01 July 2010 – GK SOFTWARE AG and SAP AG have extended their reseller agreement.
SAP will now be able to directly sell a package consisting of the POS software and Store Device Control Software as a result of an agreement signed by the two companies.
Schoeneck, 14. September 2010 – GK/Retail has been successfully ported for IBM's latest version of its retail specific operating system 4690 Version 6.
GK/Retail, the leading point of sale application is now available for implementation on the world leaders' point of sale technology platform. The porting is the result of close cooperation between IBM and GK SOFTWARE AG with regard to technology transfer and joint customer collaboration.
The result of intense testing at the IBM Retail Store Solutions Development Laboratory in Raleigh, NC, USA, GK/Retail was successfully ported to the most current version of the 4690 retail operating platform in a Java environment ensuring external device communication via JavaPOS drivers.
One of the premier point-of-sale (POS) platforms in the retail industry, the IBM4690 Operating System is widely recognized for its robust functionality and rock-solid reliability providing more functionality, supporting a broader range of hardware and peripherals, and enabling powerful Java™ 6 applications.
GK/Retail and IBM4690 V6 deliver a proven platform that retailers can trust to improve cus-tomer service and optimize their store operations.
GK/Retail can be implemented with any IBM POS hardware, with the components of an IBM RIF environment (including Websphere, MQseries, Tivoli) and with DB2 as database for the headquarters applications.
Schöneck, 1 April 2010 - GK SOFTWARE AG has received an order from a leading Russian retailer to equip more than 1,000 stores with its GK/Retail software
this follows the successful completion of a pilot project. The solution includes the complete package for tills, merchandise management processes, the SAP link and Store Device Control. Silence was agreed upon the name of the customer and the purchase price.
Schöneck, 21 December 2010 – CHRIST Juweliere und Uhrmacher seit 1863 GmbH, which is part of the DOUGLAS-Group, has decided to install GK/Retail software in its German stores, which number more than 200. As a result of this decision taken by the leading provider of jewelry and watches in Germany, GK SOFTWARE AG has once again tapped into a new retail sector in the luxury field.
CHRIST Juweliere und Uhrmacher seit 1863 GmbH, which was founded almost 150 years ago and now has more than 200 stores, is the market leader for jewelry and watches in Germany. Following on the heels of Douglas and Thalia, CHRIST is now the third subsidiary company of the DOUGLAS-Group to decide to use GK/Retail. The crucial issues leading to the company’s decision were not only the technological factors and the broad range of functions that GK/Retail provides, but also the positive experience that Parfümerie Douglas und Thalia have gained with GK SOFTWARE AG. These two companies are already using the GK/Retail software in more than 1,000 stores and many different countries. The decision by CHRIST is ample proof that GK SOFTWARE AG’s existing customers are highly satisfied with the high quality provided both during the handling of the project and the service and maintenance during subsequent productive operations.
During the project, the standard GK/Retail software will be extended to include special features need for this luxury business – e.g. printing documents certifying that items are genuine or customer management.
Jochen Schnell, Managing Director of Juwelier CHRIST, is expecting to obtain “a significant improvements in service opportunities in stores and major synergy effects within the DOUGLAS-Group” by using GK/Retail.