Zurich, 15 April 2014

The Burkhalter Group was very successful again in the 2013 financial year and achieved its objective of once more increasing the earnings per share on the previous year. This was possible thanks to the full order books enjoyed by the building industry, which also benefits the electrical engineering sector, and the Group's focus on quality sales. The earnings per share improved by 4.4% year-on-year from CHF 4.29 to CHF 4.48. At CHF 31.9 million (previous year CHF 29.3 million), the operating result (EBIT) was up 8.7%, while the Group profit firmed by 9.7% to CHF 26.1 million (previous year: CHF 23.8 million). Sales increased by 6.2% from CHF 472.3 million in the previous year to CHF 501.8 million.

Constant growth

Since the IPO in June 2008, the Burkhalter Group has grown by 15 electrical engineering companies. The most recent acquisitions include Elektro Zeller AG in Murg (SG) purchased on 6 January 2014, Wiedmann Elektro AG in Derendingen (SO) acquired on 2 May 2013, and Derungs AG in Ilanz (GR) acquired on 30 April 2013. It remains part of the Group's strategy to gain additional market share by selectively purchasing other electrical engineering companies.

Outlook remains optimistic

When we look at the current construction projects and those planned in the short term, no decline in building activity is expected for 2014. "We remain optimistic about the business performance of the Burkhalter Group and are working on improving the earnings per share again in the current financial year," says CEO Marco Syfrig.

Annual Report 2013

The 2013 Annual Report of the Burkhalter Group, consisting of the Financial Report 2013 and the Portrait 2013, can be downloaded at http://www.burkhalter.ch/en/investor-relations/reports