SAMSON GROUP A/S cements continued strong development in the recently published annual report 2018-19.

SAMSON GROUP A/S with the brands SAMSON and PICHON has in the last financial year realized one of its strongest financial statements ever.

This has happened at the same time as a number of new initiatives have been launched, the biggest of which is the acquisition of French PICHON in early January 2019. SAMSON GROUP A/S has managed to turn around the development of PICHON in both France and Poland.

All companies in the group come out with positive numbers.

Strong growth in Germany and France

SAMSON GROUP A/S' revenue for the 2018-19 financial year amounted to DKK 501.5 million compared to DKK 332.9 million last year, corresponding to a growth of 51%. The growth is due to SAMSON's favorable market position in Germany and France and the consolidation of the PICHON acquisition into the last 6 months of the financial year.

Profit before tax was DKK 23.6 million. An increase of DKK 12 million compared to last year. The result provides a return on equity of 14.8%. The Group's equity increased from DKK 81.6 million to DKK 151.0 million and is a result of the capital increase of DKK 51.2 million in connection with the acquisition of PICHON and the profit for the year transferred to equity.

CEO of SAMSON GROUP A/S, Lars Henriksen, is very satisfied with the past year: "We are proud to have achieved such a great result again this year. It has been a busy year for SAMSON AGRO A/S, where we have seen a strong increase in interest in our products both in Denmark and in the international markets. Our long-term investments in product development have resulted in technical solutions that appeal to larger livestock farms and contractors who demand products with high efficiency in the application task and optimal utilization of the nutrients in the manure," says Lars Henriksen about the result and continues:

"With the acquisition of PICHON, we have also gained a strong product program that complements SAMSON effectively. This means that we as a group now have a product range that makes SAMSON GROUP A/S a full-line manufacturer covering the market demand in the segments of small, medium and large farms as well as contractors in all categories."

It has been an eventful year for SAMSON in many ways. The machine manufacturer celebrated its 75th anniversary and looked back on a company that has grown from being a one-man business in 1943 to today employing more than 250 employees at the factory in Viborg and around 200 employees at the PICHON factories in Poland and France.

Strong development continues into 2020

The new initiatives in SAMSON GROUP A/S create a good foundation for continued strong development. The order intake for the new year 2019-20 is already at a high level and the factory in Viborg is currently working in three shifts to get SAMSON trailers and attachments ready for the 2020 season Chairman of the Board of SAMSON GROUP A/S, Christian Junker, sees perspectives:

"In 2018-19, SAMSON GROUP A/S has proven that they are able to make money despite changes. New national fertilizer laws in Europe's major agricultural countries continue to require significant investments to accommodate the very different storage and application methods and cultivation traditions across Europe's agricultural countries.

SAMSON GROUP A/S' products are important tools in the practical implementation of the EU's Water Framework Directive and the UN Sustainable Development Goals on climate action, as far as the manure from agricultural animal production is concerned.

With the acquisition of PICHON, we have cemented the role SAMSON GROUP A/S will play in this particular area in Denmark and internationally - as Europe's leading manufacturer of machines for efficient and sustainable application of natural fertilizers.

This year we have spent a lot of management energy on structuring and integrating the new companies into SAMSON GROUP A/S. This includes increasing volume and revenue in the group to a new and higher level by, among other things, focusing on building a highly rational and efficient production of high quality. We will continue this work into 2020" says Christian Junker.

At AGRITECHNICA, Europe's largest agricultural trade fair, SAMSON AGRO A/S was recently honored for its efforts in developing technologies for the sustainable application of natural fertilizers. The company was awarded a silver medal for the NPK sensor / SAMSON SlurryLab innovation for accurate real-time measurement of nutrients in natural fertilizers. It was the first time in 12 years that a Danish company was awarded a medal at the exhibition, which this year had 3000 exhibitors.

SAMSON AGROLIZE also continues to develop positively

The trading company in SAMSON GROUP A/S, Samson Agrolize A/S, which handles sales and service of SAMSON's product program in Denmark, is also developing according to plan. The company has established itself well as a strong machinery dealer close to customers and created a solid aftermarket.

"The ambition for Samson Agrolize is continued investment in a highly professional sales and service organization with strong relationships with Danish farmers and contractors," Lars Henriksen concludes.

Future economic development

SAMSON GROUP A/S' financial expectations for 2019-20 are in the range of DKK 650-700 million in terms of revenue with earnings before tax of DKK 28-30 million.

For more information, please contact us:

CEO. SAMSON GROUP A/S, Lars Henriksen: +45 29 69 66 88

Chairman of the Board of SAMSON GROUP A/S, Christian Junker: +45 20 30 51 01 01

Photo 1: Lars Henriksen has been CEO of SAMSON AGRO A/S and now SAMSON GROUP A/S since 2012. Here he is at the factory in Viborg.

Photo 2: The PICHON factory in Landivisiau, France. PICHON also manufactures at its factory in Poland. PICHON became part of SAMSON GROUP A/S in January 2019.