MANAGEMENT’S REVIEW
CURRENT BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT
In the first quarter, there was an improvement in our
UK and Polish markets, in line with improvements in
consumer demand and business activities.
Conversely, the German market continues to face
challenges, with a decrease in market volumes and
an apparent stalling in its economic recovery.
Despite mixed market conditions, our adjustments
to business operations in 2023 have enabled us to
maintain financial stability and overall, market
activity was in line with our expectations.
The price development was in line with our
expectation. 2023 saw significant price increases in
the beginning of the year followed by adjustments in
line with inflation development. Since then, both
input cost and prices have declined, which is
affecting our organic growth.
In Germany, price increases were implemented in
the beginning of the year. In the UK, prices have
decreased following annual negotiations, after
maintaining prices throughout 2023 and in Poland,
prices have remained stable from Q4 2023 to Q1
2024.
Regional development
In the UK, inflation is on a decline, but the mortgage
environment remains challenging. The job market
remains robust and mortgage approvals were over
60,000 new mortgages in February 2024, which is
the first time since September 2022, albeit lower
than pre-pandemic levels. In the first quarter,
building registrations have dropped by 20% year-to-
date compared to the same period last year.
In the UK, we are investing in the efficiency of our
Borough Green plant, located south of London,
which is expected to increase the plant's capacity by
up to 20%. The upgrade is progressing to schedule
and is anticipated to be completed in the second
quarter of 2024.
In Poland, the solid momentum from Q4 2023
persisted into the first quarter of 2024, with the
number of building starts and permits increasing by
over 30% for March year-to-date compared to the
previous year. In December, funding for the Polish
government's safe 2% mortgage scheme was
exhausted. A successor program, is currently under
development and is expected to launch in the
second half of 2024. The details and assumptions of
this new program are still under discussion.
Demand in Germany remains low, with a 25%
decrease in building permits for February year-to-
date compared to same period previous year. The
swift and steep increase in interest rates, high
construction costs, and the lack of efficient
government support programs have worsened the
investment climate.
Gas unwinding
As outlined in the 2023 Annual Report, H+H has
decided to settle unfavourable gas contracts that
were established in the summer of 2022.
Consequently, a one-off loss of DKK 93 million was
recorded in the first quarter and classified as special
items. Additionally, the sale of unused hedged gas
back to the market led to a further loss of DKK 17
million, also recognised as special items. Thus, the
total cost related to unfavourable gas, classified as
special items in Q1 2024, amounted to DKK 110
million.
INCOME STATEMENT FOR THE FIRST QUARTER OF
2024
Revenue
Total revenue amounted to DKK 644 million for Q1
2024 which is at a similar level as Q1 2023 (DKK 641
million).
Revenue growth measured in local currencies
(“organic growth”) was negative 4% in Q1 2024
compared to negative 25% in Q1 2023.
Revenue in the CWE region decreased by 29% to DKK
245 million compared to DKK 345 million in Q1 2023.
Organic growth in the region was negative 30% as a
result of lower sales volumes and lower prices
despite prices in first quarter in 2024 being higher
than prices in Q4 2023.
Revenue in the United Kingdom increased by 26% to
DKK 184 million compared to DKK 146 million in Q1
2023. Organic growth of 22% in Q1 2024 was mainly
driven by higher volumes, partly offset by lower
prices.