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Investing.com -- Travel retail giant Avolta (SIX:AVOL) reported a better-than-expected first quarter Thursday, delivering steady top-line growth and solid profitability despite lingering softness in the North American market.
The company also maintained its full-year outlook, signaling confidence ahead of the critical summer travel season.
Core turnover for Q1 came in at €3.1 billion, up 5.3% organically year-on-year, or 6.5% when adjusting for the leap year, narrowly topping analyst forecasts.
Core EBITDA reached CHF 196 million, beating consensus and pushing margins to 6.4%, up 37 basis points from a year earlier.
Performance varied by geography. EMEA led the pack with 9% organic sales growth, buoyed by strong international passenger traffic and recent refurbishments, particularly in Spain.
Latin America delivered 8.5% growth, while Asia-Pacific rose 2.3%. North America remained a drag, slipping 0.2% amid weaker footfall, though analysts noted stronger average basket sizes and easier comps expected in the second half.
April trading continued to show momentum, with year-to-date organic growth at 5.7%, or 6.6% when excluding leap year effects, suggesting April alone grew close to 7%, helped by the later timing of Easter.
Management reiterated its full-year guidance of 5–7% organic sales growth and incremental improvements in EBITDA margin and free cash flow conversion.
Currency translation is now expected to have a neutral to slightly negative impact in 2025, estimated at 0% to -1%.
Equity free cash flow was negative CHF 104 million, impacted by seasonal patterns and holiday timing.
Leverage improved to 2.18x net debt/EBITDA, down from 2.55x a year ago. Avolta confirmed its capital allocation priorities, with two-thirds of free cash flow targeted for debt reduction and M&A, and one-third for shareholder returns.
A CHF 1 per share dividend was approved at the AGM, and CHF 49 million has been repurchased under its ongoing CHF 200 million buyback program.
RBC Capital Markets maintained its “outperform” rating, pointing to improved execution, strong digital engagement through Club Avolta, and a healthy balance sheet.
Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) expects little movement in FY25 consensus but flagged North America and consumer spending trends as areas to watch.