Natuzzi S.p.A. Fourth Quarter and Fiscal Year 2012 Financial Results

Natuzzi S.p.A. Fourth Quarter and Fiscal Year 2012 Financial Results

SANTERAMO IN COLLE, Bari, Italy--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- The Board of Directors ofNatuzzi S.p.A. (NYS: NTZ) ("Natuzzi" or "the Company"), a leading company in the furnishings industry, today approved its consolidated financial results for the fourth quarter and fiscal year of 2012.

FOURTH QUARTER 2012 HIGHLIGHTS

• Total Net Sales at €126.5 million, down 2.4% from €129.6 million reported for the fourth quarter 2011;

• Industrial Margin at 31.6% on total net sales, down from 33.3% reported in last year's comparable period;

• Negative EBIT of €7.0 million, improving from a negative EBIT of €10.3 million reported for the fourth quarter of 2011.

FISCAL YEAR 2012 HIGHLIGHTS

• Total Net Sales at €468.8 million, 3.6% down from €486.4 million reported for 2011;

• Industrial Margin at 33.1% on total net sales, substantially in line as compared to the prior year;

• Negative EBIT of €17.3 million, improving with respect to a negative EBIT of €27.3 million reported for the full 2011;

• Positive Net Financial Position at €40.0 million as of December 31, 2012, as compared to €55.3 million as of December 31, 2011.

FOURTH QUARTER 2012 FINANCIAL RESULTS

During the quarter ended December 31, 2012, total net sales (including raw materials and semi-finished products sold to third parties) amounted to €126.5 million, down 2.4% from €129.6 million reported in fourth quarter 2011.

Total upholstery net sales during the last quarter of 2012 were €110.5 million, decreasing 3.5% from €114.6 million reported in prior year comparable period. The sales decrease in the quarter is mainly due to the performance of the high-end Natuzzi Italia branded products, whose sales decreased by 22.0% compared to 2011 fourth quarter. Sales of "Other Brands" increased by 9.6% with respect to one year ago.

The breakdown by geographic allocation of total upholstery net sales was the following:

The above table confirms the decreasing trend of sales from Europe (Italy included), as consequence of the extreme weakness of consumption, further burdened by fiscal consolidation measures still in place in some Euro-area Countries that affect the purchasing power of families. The Americas region is confirmed as the main area in terms of Group's sales.

The Industrial Margin during the last quarter of 2012 was equal to 31.6% on total net sales, down from 33.3% reported for the fourth quarter of 2011. The industrial margin was negatively affected by the different sales mix, with consumers preferring lower-priced products, as well as the labor cost that has increased in the foreign plants in particular. Such effects were partially offset by a more efficient manufacturing process.

During the fourth quarter of 2012, the incidence of selling expenses (transportation, commissions to agents and advertising) on total net sales passed from 18.6% reported one year ago to 18.1% in the last quarter of 2012. More specifically, the incidence of transportation costs on net sales passed from 9.9% in the fourth quarter of 2011 to 10.8% in fourth quarter of 2012, due to relatively more shipments towards North America and more sales of medium/low-end products (Private Label); the incidence of commissions to agents passed from 2.2% to 1.7% in fourth quarter 2012. The percentage of advertising costs on total net sales decreased by 100 basis points, passing from 6.6% in 2011 fourth quarter to 5.6% in the last quarter of 2012.

Other Selling, General & Administrative expenses decreased over 2011 fourth quarter both as percentage on total net sales (from 22.6% in fourth quarter 2011 to 19.0% in the last quarter of 2012) and in Euro terms (a €5.2 million decrease, from €29.3 million reported one year ago to €24.1 million in the last quarter of 2012) thanks in particular to the rationalization measures implemented at the Group level.

For the reasons highlighted above, during the fourth quarter of 2012 the Group reported a negative EBITDA of €2.9 million, as compared to a negative EBITDA of €6.2 million for the same comparable period of 2011, and an operating loss of €7.0 million, versus a negative EBIT of €10.3 million reported one year ago.

For the three months ended December 31, 2012 the Group reported a net loss of €12.1 million.

FISCAL YEAR 2012 CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL RESULTS

Total net sales (including raw materials and semi-finished products sold to third parties) for the whole 2012 were €468.8 million, down 3.6% over 2011.

Total upholstery net sales amounted to €409.4 million, down 3.7% from €425.3 million reported in 2011. Net sales from the Natuzzi Italia branded products totaled €139.9 million, down 22.8% from €181.4 million in 2011, with Europe (Italy included) reporting a 27.4% decrease over 2011. The medium/low-end products, under the "Other Brands" item, reported an average 10.5% increase over 2011, thanks in particular to the good performance from the Americas region (+20.9%) and the "Rest of the World" region (+10.8%), and although disappointing sales from Europe (-4.6%).

According to a geographical breakdown of sales, we highlight the overall positive result in 2012 from the "Americas" region (+18.3% over 2011), thanks to the effectiveness of the commercial actions in that region and also to the favorable foreign exchange trend over the period; in particular, it is worth being noted the performance from the USA (+14.7%), Canada (+26.5%) and Brazil (+84.2% at €6.6 million). Sales from Europe are still disappointing (-18.2% versus 2011, Italy included), being affected by the economic slowdown and decreasing consumption. Sales from the "Rest of the World" region were at €59.5 million, down by 3.2% over the previous year.

The Industrial Margin during 2012 as percentage of total net sales was 33.1%, substantially in line with the 33.0% reported for 2011, thanks especially to the efficiency recovery measures implemented in the manufacturing plants that have offset the negative contribution from a different sales mix.

Selling expenses as percentage of total net sales were flat (16.4% for both 2012 and 2011). In particular, transportation costs (at €47.6 million), passed form 9.5% in 2011 to 10.2% in 2012; commissions paid to third-party agents (at €9.7 million) passed from 1.9% reported for 2011 to 2.1% in 2012. Advertising costs (at €19.5 million), passed from 5.0% in 2011 to 4.2% reported for 2012.

Other Selling, General & Administrative expenses decreased both in Euro terms (a reduction of €12.4 million, at €95.4 million in 2012, from €107.8 million reported in 2011), and as percentage on total net sales (at 20.4% in 2012 down from 22.2% in 2011).

For the twelve month period ended December 31, 2012, the Group reported a negative EBITDA of €0.3 million (versus a negative EBITDA of €8.3 million reported for 2011) and a negative EBIT equal to 17.3 million, improving from a negative EBIT of €27.3 million reported in 2011.

Group's Net Losses for 2012 were €26.1 million.

BALANCE SHEET

The Group's Net Financial Position as of December 31, 2012 was positive and equal to €40.0 million.

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Pasquale Natuzzi, Chairman and CEO of the Natuzzi Group commented: "In 2012 the world economy has grown at a modest pace, being affected by the slowdown of emerging markets as well as the persisting crisis in advanced economies. Although some encouraging results in the final part of 2012, perspectives for a global recovery still remain uncertain, depending on the development of the crisis in some important Countries within the Euro-area and on the fiscal consolidation process in the USA.

The overall Group performance in 2012 was strongly affected by the persisting poor trend in sales from Europe, suffering from a weak condition of private consumptions, further burdened by austerity-driven policies in place in some Countries, but also by the extension of the slowdown in some emerging economies. In the Americas, on the contrary, thanks to a slight recovery in consumption but also to the effectiveness of our commercial strategy, the group has strengthened its performance.

The general recession climate we've been experiencing, especially in those markets that are important for us, such as Europe, does affect the disposable income and, so, contributes to a change in the consumers' needs, since nowadays they tend to prefer products within the medium to low-end of the market.

We are not yet pleased with the performance of the Group. However, the improvement in EBIT with respect to the prior year confirms that the management is on the right path towards profitability.

Also in 2013, the management will be committed to being focused on reorganization activities in order to get a more competitive operating structure. Specifically, the Group will continue to invest in product and process innovation according to the "Lean" perspective; furthermore, the commercial organization is being reviewed in order to be more effectively close to the markets, with particular attention to fast growing ones; we will continue to implement further overheads cost-saving measures; we will continue to develop our business relations with important customers by leveraging our capability of offering a quality service and more competitive products.

Today the Group is very different as compared to what it was some years ago. Over the years, we have made considerable investments to become a real global Company, having manufacturing sites in three different continents, to better serve specific geographical areas, with a state-of-the-art information system that allows us a real time monitoring of the commercial and operating performance. Then, the investment efforts resulted in a high awareness among consumers of the "Natuzzi Italia" brand. But we realize all that is not enough and, hence, we have to insist with even more strength in the direction already undertaken of innovation, a careful brand portfolio management and cost control to return to profitability, to keep a positive net financial position so to create value to our shareholders.

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The Company will host a conference call on Thursday March 28^th, 2013 at 11:00 a.m. U.S. Eastern time (4.00 p.m. Italian time, or 3.00 p.m. UK time) to discuss financial results.

The dial-in phone numbers for the live conference call will be 1-888-389-5988 (toll-free) for persons calling from the U.S. or Canada, and 1-719-457-2083 for those calling from other countries.

A live web cast of the conference call will be available on line at http://www.natuzzi.com/ under the Investor Relations section.

A replay of the call will be available shortly after the end of the conference call starting from March 28^th, 2013 (at 2:00 pm US Eastern time), to April 28^th, 2013. To access the replay of the conference call, interested persons need to dial 1-877-870-5176 (toll-free) for calls from U.S. and Canada, and 1-858-384-5517 for calls from other countries. The access code for the replay is: 4513299.

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About Natuzzi S.p.A.

Founded in 1959 by Pasquale Natuzzi, Natuzzi S.p.A. designs and manufactures a broad collection of residential upholstered furniture. With consolidated revenues of EUR 468.8 million in 2012, Natuzzi is Italy's largest furniture manufacturer. The Natuzzi Group exports its innovative high-quality sofas and armchairs to 130 markets on five continents under separate brand names, Natuzzi Italia, Natuzzi Editions (only for the North American market) /Leather Editions and Softaly. Cutting-edge design, superior Italian craftsmanship and advanced, vertically integrated manufacturing operations underpin the Company's market leadership. Natuzzi S.p.A. has been listed on the New York Stock Exchange since May 1993. The Company is ISO 9001 and 14001.