highlights
- organic revenue growth +7.4%
- underlying EBITA € 217 m
- EBITA margin 3.8%
- topline grew 9% in Europe, 1% in North America and 11% in Rest of the world; ongoing market share gains in most regions
- gross margin 19.6%; pricing climate stable; perm fees up 13% (Q4 2017: up 13%)
- underlying EBITA of € 217 million; EBITA margin 3.8% stable YoY (incl. impact of FX, working day and high sickness)
- organic opex up 2% (Q4 2017: up 5%); underlying ICR around 50%
- comfortable leverage ratio of 0.9
- March organic sales growth in line with Q1; volumes in early April indicate a continuation of the trend
"We started 2018 well, achieving sound organic revenue and even double-digit perm growth," says CEO Jacques van den Broek. "Overall market circumstances remained positive. We continue to outperform in most relevant markets, driven by our Tech & Touch strategy and strong operational execution. Nevertheless, we remain focused on the balance between growth and profitability. We support our consultants, clients and candidates in adopting and embracing digital where this works best, and so optimizing human interaction. Our global roll-out of digital initiatives such as workforce scheduling, data-driven sales and talent engagement is in full swing."