Interim reports Vaisu’s Christmas store and product shortage punished Verkkokauppa.com, the company’s result weakened towards the end of the year – “omikron detained customers from stone footsteps”

Economic|Interim reports

Consumer electronics chain Verkkokauppa.com’s result fell at the end of last year, when the omikron virus variant held back consumers’ buying desires at Christmas and there were availability problems with individual products. The company’s revenue fell in an important quarter for the industry.

Verkkokauppa.com’s operating profit decreased to EUR 5.3 million in October – December from EUR 6.2 million in the corresponding period of the previous year.

Comparable operating profit decreased by 14 percent and gross margin by almost two percent.

“The fourth was colored by the campaign season that started in November, the demand for which was lower than our expectations and the previous year. We also started with quieter setups for Christmas sales, and the omicron virus variant deterred customers from stoneware stores, ”says Verkkokauppa.com’s CEO Panu Porkka in the financial statements bulletin.

Net sales amounted to EUR 168.9 million after EUR 176.0 million a year ago. The decrease was 4.0 percent. However, full-year revenue was at a record level.

According to Porkka, in addition to the sluggish Christmas sales, availability challenges affected sales in individual product areas.

According to market research firm GfK, the consumer electronics market contracted by as much as 7.9 percent in the fourth quarter.

Online store.com said on Wednesday that it had agreed to buy the E-ville.com online store for a maximum of EUR 12.0 million. This is the company’s first acquisition, and the company intends to use the acquisition to increase sales of its own brands and increase the efficiency of their acquisition.

The acquired business will increase Verkkokauppa.com’s net sales for the current year by an estimated EUR 5–8 million.

Verkkokauppa.com expects net sales for the current year to be EUR 590–640 million and comparable operating profit to be EUR 19–25 million.

Last year, net sales amounted to EUR 574.5 million and the comparable operating result was EUR 20.4 million.

The company’s Board of Directors proposes that a dividend of EUR 0.246 per share be paid from last year’s result.