The ongoing coronavirus crisis and the resulting widespread reduction in global air traffic are having a drastic impact on the LSG Group’s worldwide catering business, and are reflected in the results of the first half of 2020.
Sales revenues fell by 50 percent year-on-year to EUR 814 million due to a sharp decline in the number of flights and passengers. Adjusted EBIT (earnings before interest and taxes) fell accordingly to EUR -195 million (previous year: EUR 33 million).
As short-term measures to limit the financial impact, the company implemented project and hiring freezes, short-time work and temporary closures right at the beginning of the crisis.
“The corona crisis has presented us with extreme major challenges that have never been faced before in our company’s history,” said Chief Financial Officer Dr. Kristin Neumann.
“Thanks to our solid liquidity position and the measures we implemented on short notice to safeguard that liquidity, we were able to cushion the initial slump in sales and earnings. However, none of us knows how long this crisis will last, and it is obvious that only long-term solutions will help us reduce our costs sustainably and at the same time give the company more flexibility and a future.”
The LSG Group is aiming to reduce its total costs worldwide by at least 30 percent. This is part of the “Levante” project, which is designed to steer the company through the corona crisis while continuing to develop its business strategy.
“The aim of the project is to optimize our company in the medium term in terms of the size of its organization and network, and to adapt it to changing market conditions with fewer flights and lower passenger and service volumes,” explained Chief Executive Officer Erdmann Rauer.
“In the long term, we are thus also changing our product range according to the ‘new normality’ and want to actively bring about change in the airline catering industry. We see that our customers are ready for change, and we are ready to support them with our employees.”
The LSG Group is the world’s leading provider of a complete range of products and services for the travel industry. It has a strong portfolio of independent expert brands: LSG Sky Chefs (airline and train catering and lounges), Retail inMotion (inflight sales program development and management), SPIRIANT (inflight service equipment design and procurement) and Evertaste (convenience food).
The LSG Group is headquartered in Neu-Isenburg near Frankfurt. In 2019, its 35,500 employees generated group sales of 3.4 billion euros and produced 684 million meals. It also has an extensive network of joint ventures and partnerships around the world, which generated additional revenues of 1.4 billion euros.
Featured image credited to istock.com/JakeOlimb
