PostNL reports normalised EBIT of €33 million and free cash flow of €52 million for Q1 2022
More challenging macroeconomic environment impacts e-commerce development
The Hague
PDF press release (EN)
PDF persbericht (NL)
Financial highlights Q1 2022
| in € million | Q1 2021 | Q1 2022 | % Change |
| Revenue | 962 | 806 | -16% |
| Normalised EBIT | 130 | 33 | -75% |
| assumed to be non-recurring and related to Covid-19 | 42 | 1 | |
| Free cash flow | 159 | 52 | -67% |
| Normalised comprehensive income | 112 | 34
| -69% |
Developments Q1 2022
- Performance in first two months in line with expectations, with additional pressure on e-commerce volumes and costs since start of the war in Ukraine
- Volumes at Parcels increased by 3.9% excluding non-recurring impact related to Covid-19; overall, volumes -19.5% due to less non-recurring volume as assumed and expected development in cross-border activities
- Volumes at Mail in the Netherlands -7.4%, with ongoing substitution in line with expectations
- Strong cash flow performance
- 15% increase in carbon efficiency versus FY 2021, further improving PostNL’s environmental footprint
CEO statement
Herna Verhagen, CEO of PostNL, said: “The war in Ukraine remains very concerning, severely impacting millions of people. This is bringing additional uncertainty for the overall economic environment, where we also see new lockdowns in China related to Covid-19. This results in further inflationary pressures, visible in rising fuel and labour costs, and ongoing global supply chain constraints. The composition of consumer spending might temporarily rebalance towards services, also due to rising prices for some goods, impacting the development in e-commerce.
“Performance in the first two months of the year developed in line with our expectations. Coinciding with the start of the war in Ukraine we have seen pressure on parcel volumes and higher than anticipated costs. This resulted in a lower performance at Parcels than anticipated, with a stable market share. The result at Mail in the Netherlands was solid with ongoing substitution in line with expectations. As anticipated, the contribution from cross-border activities declined compared with last year. In the first quarter of 2022, cash flow performance was again strong, further strengthening our financial position. Meanwhile, we are committed to continuing on the execution of our strategy by focusing on providing our customers an excellent experience through the acceleration of our digital transformation and by improving our environmental footprint, building on our strong financial position. As always, we aim to be a socially responsible employer and partner for our delivery companies, working with highly satisfied people in a compliant and sustainable way.
“We now expect 2022 to be more challenging with costs rising more than anticipated and less visibility on volumes. As a consequence, we are adjusting our FY 2022 outlook for normalised EBIT to €170 million - €210 million. At the same time, we are continuing our strict approach to working capital management while adjusting capex to align with lower volume projections. As a result, we confirm our FY 2022 outlook for free cash flow at €110 million - €140 million.”
About PostNL
We are PostNL, the mail and logistics solutions provider for all. With our mail and parcel deliverers who get everywhere, our 5,500 PostNL locations, 11.000 mail boxes and 517 automated parcel lockers, we are always nearby. We aim to be our customers’ favourite deliverer by making it as easy as possible for them to send and receive parcels and letters. Our over 35,000 people are right at the heart of society. On weekdays, we deliver an average 1.1 million parcels and 7.4 million letters across the Benelux region. Our focus is on quality for our customers, creating opportunities for our people and adding value for our stakeholders through growth, digitalisation and sustainability initiatives.
We optimise and support our physical networks by using smart digital solutions and launching new propositions that create value for our customers. We build long-lasting working relationships by acting as a good employer and client for everyone who works for and with us. To make our deliveries as sustainable as possible, we cover a lot of kilometres on foot or by bicycle or e-bike, provide innovative city logistics, use cleaner fuels, and use electric vans and light electric trucks. PostNL NV is a listed company with revenues of €3.1 billion in 2022, 61% of this derived from e-commerce. We provide deliveries of mail and parcels, logistics solutions for e-commerce, and cross-border solutions.