2008-10-22 08:00:00 CEST

2008-10-22 08:00:01 CEST


REGULATED INFORMATION

Finnish English
Martela Oyj - Interim report (Q1 and Q3)

MARTELA CORPORATION'S INTERIM REPORT, 1 JANUARY - 30 SEPTEMBER, 2008


MARTELA CORPORATION INTERIM REPORT 22.10.2008 at 09.00 a.m.             


MARTELA CORPORATION'S INTERIM REPORT, 1 JANUARY - 30 SEPTEMBER, 2008            

Net revenue for January-September was EUR 100.1 million (91.5), an increase of  
9.4 per cent. Operating profit was EUR 7.0 million (5.7), including gains from  
the sale of assets totalling EUR 0.7 million (2.6). The equity-to-assets ratio  
was 53.1 per cent (46.0) and gearing was 0.5 per cent (38.9).                   

It is expected that net revenue for the entire year 2008 will exceed last year's
level and that operating profit excluding non-recurring items will be better    
than last year.                                                                 

Key figures                                                                     

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
|                          |     7-9 |     7-9 |     1-9 |      1-9 |     1-12 |
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| EUR million              |    2008 |    2007 |    2008 |     2007 |     2007 |
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| Net revenue              |    30.7 |    31.2 |   100.1 |     91.5 |    128.4 |
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| Change in revenue %      |    -1.8 |     8.4 |     9.4 |     10.3 |      7.3 |
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| Operating profit         |     1.9 |     1.6 |     6.3 |      3.1 |      5.8 |
| excluding non-recurring  |         |         |         |          |          |
| items                    |         |         |         |          |          |
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| Operating profit %       |     6.2 |     5.0 |     6.3 |      3.4 |      4.5 |
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| Return on investment, %  |         |         |    21.9 |     18.0 |     19.6 |
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| Return on equity, %      |         |         |    19.1 |     18.7 |     19.8 |
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| Equity to asset ratio, % |         |         |    53.1 |     46.0 |     46.7 |
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| Gearing, %               |         |         |     0.5 |     38.9 |     16.0 |
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| Average staff            |         |         |     684 |      654 |      663 |
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| Revenue/employee (EUR    |         |         |   146.3 |    139.8 |    193.7 |
| 1.000)                   |         |         |         |          |          |
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------


Accounting policies                                                             

The interim report has been prepared in accordance with IAS 34, Interim         
Financial Reporting, as approved by the EU.       


Market                                                                          

The demand for office furniture has been good during the first three quarters of
2008. New office construction has slowed down from 2007 and fewer building      
permits have been granted than last year, too.                                  


Group structure                                                                 

There were no changes in Group structure during the review period or the        
comparison period.                                                              


Segment reporting                                                               

Martela has a single primary segment, namely the furnishing of offices and      
public spaces. Net revenue and result are as recorded in the consolidated       
financial statements. The Group's secondary reporting segment is its customers  
by geographical location.                                                       

Net revenue                                                                     

Net revenue for January-September grew to EUR 100.1 million (91.5), an increase 
of 9.4 per cent. Large projects carried out during the first quarter contributed
to this growth. Net revenue for the third quarter increased to EUR 30.7 million 
(31.2), showing a decrease of 1.8 per cent. Growth was particularly strong in   
Finland, and in Poland and its neighbouring areas.                              

Financial performance in Scandinavia has not been according to plan this year,  
with net revenue decreasing 20.1 per cent.                                      


Invoicing by main market areas                                                  

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
|                         |     7-9 |     7-9 |      1-9 |      1-9 |     1-12 |
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| EUR million             |    2008 |    2007 |     2008 |     2007 |     2007 |
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| Finland                 |    22.4 |    20.7 |     71.9 |     61.0 |     85.8 |
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| Scandinavia             |     4.5 |     6.8 |     15.3 |     19.2 |     26.4 |
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| Poland and surrounding  |     2.9 |     2.4 |      9.5 |      7.3 |     11.1 |
| areas                   |         |         |          |          |          |
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| Other areas             |     1.0 |     1.4 |      3.4 |      4.1 |      5.4 |
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| Total                   |    30.8 |    31.3 |    100.1 |     91.6 |    128.7 |
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------


Change in invoicing and percentage of consolidated invoicing                    

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
|                  |    1-9 |    1-9 |        |          |    1-12 |           |
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| EUR million      |   2008 |   2007 | Change | Percenta |    2007 | Percentag |
|                  |        |        |        |       ge |         |         e |
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| Finland          |   71.9 |   61.0 |   17.8 |   71.8 % |    85.8 |    66.7 % |
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| Scandinavia      |   15.3 |   19.2 |  -20.1 |   15.3 % |    26.4 |    20.5 % |
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| Poland and       |    9.5 |    7.3 |   29.7 |    9.5 % |    11.1 |     8.6 % |
| surrounding      |        |        |        |          |         |           |
| areas            |        |        |        |          |         |           |
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| Other areas      |    3.4 |    4.1 |  -16.1 |    3.4 % |     5.4 |     4.2 % |
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| Total            |  100.1 |   91.6 |    9.3 |  100.0 % |   128.7 |   100.0 % |
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------


Consolidated result                                                             
The consolidated result for the third quarter was according to plan and the     
operating profit was EUR 1.9 million (1.5).                                     

The result for the January-September period shows clear improvement and the     
operating profit was EUR 7.0 million (5.7). This includes EUR 0.7 million (2.6) 
in non-recurring income from the sale of assets. The sales gain recognised in   
early 2008 relates to the sale of land in Poland. The operating profit excluding
non-recurring items was EUR 6.3 million (3.1). Profit development has been      
positive in Finland, and in Poland and its neighbouring areas in 2008. In       
Scandinavia, a decrease in net revenue has negatively affected the area's profit
development.                                                                    

Profit before taxes rose to EUR 6.6 million (5.2), and profit after taxes was   
EUR 4.4 million (3.7).                                                          

The operating profit excluding non-recurring items was 6.3 per cent of net      
revenue (3.4%).


Financial position                                                              

The Group's financial position has still strengthened. At the end of the review 
period, net interest-bearing liabilities were EUR 11.8 million (15.9), and net  
debt was EUR 0.1 million (10.8). At the beginning of 2008, net debt was EUR 4.7 
million. At the end of the review period, gearing was 0.5 per cent (38.9) and   
the equity-to-assets ratio was 53.1 per cent (46.0%) Net financial expenses were
EUR -0.5 million (-0.5).                                                        

The net cash generated by operating activities in January-September was EUR 7.3 
million (3.0).                                                                  

During the period under review, the company decided to launch a project to      
reduce working capital. We expect the project to produce results mainly in 2009.

The end-of-period balance sheet total was EUR 60.8 million (60.6).              


Capital expenditure                                                             

The Group's gross capital expenditure totalled EUR 2.3 million (2.3) in         
January-September. The capital expenditure mainly concerned production          
replacements and IT investments. Of the capital expenditure for the comparison  
period in 2007, EUR 0.7 million was attributable to the ownership rearrangement 
at the Bodafors plant, as a result of which the long-term lease liability for   
the part leased back by Martela was activated in the consolidated balance sheet 
in accordance with the IFRS.                                                    


Staff                                                                           

In January-September, the Group employed an average of 684 (654) persons,       
representing growth of 4.6 per cent. At the end of September, the Group employed
673 (644) persons.		                                                            


Average staff by region 

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| Average staff by region      |               |               |               |
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
|                              |           1-9 |           1-9 |          1-12 |
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
|                              |          2008 |          2007 |          2007 |
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| Finland                      |           522 |           520 |           518 |
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| Scandinavia                  |            72 |            67 |            71 |
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| Poland                       |            90 |            67 |            74 |
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| Group total                  |           684 |           654 |           663 |
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------


Product development and collection                                              

Product development and collection management are the responsibility of two     
Group-level organisations: the Office product line, which is responsible for    
workstation furniture, and the Surroundings product line, which is responsible  
for surroundings and other public-space furniture.                              
At the Stockholm Furniture Fair in February, Martela exhibited new products     
representing both product lines, as well as two fascinating new concepts. The   
exhibited new pieces of workstation furniture were the James task chair designed
by Iiro Viljanen and the Pinta ES, the newest member of the Pinta range, by     
Pekka Toivola and Iiro Viljanen. New surroundings furniture displayed for the   
first time featured the Skybar chair designed by Geir Sætveit and the Movie sofa
by Rane Vaskivuori. The concepts presented by Martela in Stockholm were         
favourably received; both the Mybox desk by Iiro Viljanen and the Book          
shelf/space divider by Pekka Toivola aroused discussion and interest, as had    
been hoped for.                                                                 
At the Milan Furniture Fair in April, Martela set up its own exhibition with the
theme ‘under THE tree'. The exhibition was named after The Tree space divider,  
designed by Professor Eero Aarnio.                                              


Shares                                                                          

During January-September, 625,159 (1,080,853) of the company's A shares were    
traded on NASDAQ OMX Helsinki, corresponding to 17.6 per cent (30.4) of all A   
shares. The higher trading figure of the comparison period in 2007 was due      
partly to the acquisition of shares by Evli Alexander Management Oy for the     
three-year share-based incentive system. At that time, 143,166 shares were      
acquired for EUR 1.2 million.                                                   

The value of trading was EUR 5.5 million (9.3), and the share price was EUR 8.35
at the beginning of the year and EUR 7.52 at the end of the period. During      
January-September the share price was EUR 10.05 at its highest and EUR 7.32 at  
its lowest. At the end of September, equity per share was EUR 7.87 (6.80).      

On 23 May 2008, Nordea Investment Fund Company Finland Ltd announced that its   
holding in Martela Oyj fell to 0.57 per cent following a share transaction made 
on 22 May, 2008.                                                                


Treasury shares                                                                 

The company did not purchase any of its own shares in January-September. On 30  
September 2008, Martela owned a total of 67,700 Martela A shares, purchased at  
an average price of EUR 10.65. Martela's holding of treasury shares amounts to  
1.6 per cent of all shares and 0.4 per cent of all votes.                       


2008 Annual General Meeting                                                     

The Annual General Meeting was held on 1 April 2008. The meeting approved the   
financial statements and discharged the responsible parties from liability for  
the 2007 financial year. The AGM decided, in accordance with the Board of       
Directors' proposal, to distribute a dividend of EUR 0.50 per share, totalling  
EUR 2,043,950. Heikki Ala-Ilkka, Tapio Hakakari, Heikki Martela, Pekka Martela, 
Jori Keckman and Jaakko Palsanen were elected as members of the Board of        
Directors for the next term. KPMG Oy Ab, Authorised Public Accountants, was     
elected as the company's auditor.                                               

The AGM also approved the Board of Directors' proposals, detailed in the meeting
notice, to authorise the Board to acquire and/or dispose of the company's own   
shares.                                                                         

Furthermore, the AGM decided, in accordance with the Board of Directors'        
proposal, to amend the company's Articles of Association pursuant to the new    
Companies' Act, which entered into force on 1 September, 2006.                  

The new Board of Directors convened after the Annual General Meeting and elected
Heikki Ala-Ilkka as Chairman and Pekka Martela as Vice Chairman.                


Post-balance sheet events                                                       

No significant events requiring reporting have taken place since the 
January-September period and operations have continued according to plan.       


Short-term risks                                                                

The greatest risk to profit performance is related to the continuation of       
general economic growth and the consequent overall demand for office furniture. 
The price trends of purchased materials and components also affect the          
short-term outlook.                                                             

The 2007 annual report presents the risks related to Martela's business         
operations in more detail.                                                      


Outlook for 2008                                                                

The overall outlook for 2008 is still favourable, thanks to, among other things,
the positive trend in sales and profit. The operating profit excluding          
non-recurring items is expected to be better in 2008 than in 2007.              



GROUP INCOME STATEMENT (EUR 1000)                                               

                                  2008     2007     2008      2007       2007   
                                   1-9      1-9      7-9       7-9       1-12   
Revenue                        100.076   91.453   30.657    31.213    128.445   
Other operating income           1.141    2.955    0.160    -0.006      3.023   
Employee benefits expenses     -23.070  -20.889   -6.822    -6.332    -28.723   
Operating expenses             -68.802  -65.417  -21.188   -22.578    -91.236   
Depreciation and impairment     -2.312   -2.406   -0.856    -0.842     -3.231   

Operating profit/loss            7.032    5.696    1.951     1.455      8.278   

Financial income and expenses   -0.457   -0.544   -0.195    -0.224     -0.726   

Profit/loss before taxes         6.575    5.152    1.757     1.231      7.552   

Income tax                      -2.141   -1.451   -0.808    -0.541     -2.165

Profit/loss for the period       4.435    3.701    0.948     0.690      5.387   

Basic earnings per share, eur     1.08     0.91     0.23      0.17       1.32   
Diluted earnings per share, eur   1.08     0.91     0.23      0.17       1.32   


GROUP BALANCE SHEET (EUR 1000)         30.9.2008     31.12.2007    30.09.2007   

ASSETS                                                                          

Non-current assets                                                              
 Intangible assets                         0.718          0.633         0.748   
 Tangible assets                          13.841         14.151        13.936   
 Investments                               0.039          0.053         0.054   
 Deferred tax assets                       0.245          0.240         0.247   
 Pension receivables                       0.035          0.035         0.018   
 Receivables                               0.630          0.623         0.000   
 Investment properties                     0.600          1.203         1.174   
Total                                     16.108         16.938        16.177   

Current assets                                                                  
 Inventories                              13.505         13.635        13.654   
 Receivables                              19.537         23.536        25.650   
 Financial assets at fair value            2.031          2.004         1.987   
 through profit and loss                                                        
 Cash and cash equivalents                 9.588          7.686         3.137   
Total                                     44.661         46.861        44.428   

Total assets                              60.770         63.800        60.605   

EQUITY AND LIABILITIES			                                                       

Equity attributable to shareholders                                             
of the parent                                                                   
 Share capital                             7.000          7.000         7.000   
 Share premium account                     1.116          1.116         1.116   
 Other reserves                            0.117          0.117         0.117   
 Translation differences                  -0.093         -0.129        -0.136   
 Retained earnings                        24.552         22.060        20.376   
 Treasury shares                          -0.721         -0.721        -0.721   
 Share-based incentives                    0.210          0.067         0.050   
Total                                     32.181         29.510        27.802   
Non-current liabilities                                                         
 Interest-bearing liabilities              8.989         10.453        11.215   
 Deferred tax liability                    1.477          1.553         1.070   
Total                                     10.466         12.006        12.285   

Current liabilities                                                             
 Interest-bearing                          2.777          3.969         4.711   
 Non-interest bearing                     15.346         18.315        15.807   
Total                                     18.123         22.284        20.518   

Total liabilities                         28.589         34.290        32.803   

Equity and liabilities, total             60.770         63.800        60.605   



STATEMENT OF CHANGES IN EQUITY (EUR 1000)                                       

Equity attributable to equity holders of the parent                             
                   Share    Share   Other    Trans.  Retained  Treasury    Total
                   capital  premium reserves diff.   earnings    shares         
                            account                  and share-                                                          based inc.                 

01.01.2007         7.000    1.116   0.117   -0.129     17.542    -0.721   24.925
Translation diff.                           -0.007                        -0.007
Other change                                            0.205              0.205
Profit/loss for                                         3.701              3.701
the period                                                                      
Total rec. income                           -0.007      3.906              3.899
and expense                                                                     
Dividends                                              -1.022             -1.022
30.09.2007         7.000    1.116   0.117   -0.136     20.426    -0.721   27.802




1.1.2008           7.000    1.116   0.117   -0.129     22.127    -0.721   29.510
Translation diff.                            0.036                         0.036
Other change                                            0.244              0.244
Profit/loss for                                         4.435              4.435
the period                                                                      
Total rec. income                                                               
and expense                                  0.036      4.679              4.715
Dividends                                              -2.044             -2.044
30.09.2008         7.000    1.116   0.117   -0.093     24.762    -0.721   32.181

CONSOLIDATED CASH FLOW STATEMENT (EUR 1000)                                     
                                                   2008        2007        2007 
                                                    1-9         1-9        1-12 
Cash flows from operating activities                                            

Cash flow from sales                            102.768      91.484     130.833 
Cash flow from other operating income             0.392       0.331       0.550 
Payments on operating costs                     -93.953     -88.166    -121.090 

Net cash from operating activities                                              
before financial items and taxes                  9.207       3.649      10.294 

Interest paid                                    -0.544      -0.564      -0.842 
Interest received                                 0.175       0.033       0.082 
Other financial items                            -0.048      -0.022      -0.021 
Dividends received                                   -        0.001       0.001 
Taxes paid                                       -1.500      -0.070       0.382 

Net cash from operating activities (A)            7.289       3.027       9.895 


Cash flows from investing activities                                            
Capital expenditure on tangible and                                             
intangible assets                                -1.928      -1.623      -2.256 
Proceeds from sale of tangible and                                              
intangible assets                                 1.602       4.068       2.028 
Proceeds from sale of shares in subsidiaries         -           -        2.150 
Loans granted                                        -       -1.193      -1.193 
Repayments of loans receivables                   0.022       0.011       0.011 

Net cash used in investing activities (B)        -0.303       1.263       0.740 

Cash flows from financing activities                                            

Proceeds from short-term loans                       -        0.965       0.976 
Repayments of short-term loans                   -0.627      -0.424      -1.704 
Repayments of long-term loans                    -2.506      -2.599      -3.108 
Dividends paid and other profit distribution     -1.972      -1.022      -1.022 

Net cash used in financial activities (C)        -5.105      -3.080      -4.858 
Change in cash and                                                              
cash equivalents (A+B+C)                          1.881       1.210       5.778 
(+ increase, - decrease)                                                        


Cash and cash equivalents at the beginning of                                   
period                                            9.691       3.911       3.911 
Translation differences                           0.048       0.003       0.002 
Cash and cash equivalents at the end of period   11.619       5.125       9.691 



SEGMENT REPORTING                                                               

One primary segment has been defined for Martela, namely the furnishing of      
offices and public places. The revenue and result are as recorded in the        
consolidated financial statements. The Group's secondary reporting segment has  
been defined according to the geographical location of customers.               

TANGIBLE ASSETS 1.1-30.9.2008                                                   

                         Land   Buildings    Machinery    Other     Work in     
                        areas              & equipment    tangibles progress    

Acquisitions            0.000       0.028        2.003      0.021    -0.132     
Decreases               0.000      -0.008       -0.127      0.000     0.000     


TANGIBLE ASSETS 1.1-30.9.2007                                                   

                         Land   Buildings    Machinery    Other     Work in     
                        areas              & equipment    tangibles progress    

Acquisitions            0.000       1.009        0.797      0.059     0.130     
Decreases              -0.616      -0.991       -0.027      0.000     0.000     


RELATED PARTY AND SHARE-BASED INCENTIVE PROGRAMME                               

The CEO and the group's management and some key-persons are included in a long- 
term incentive scheme, extending from 2007 to the end of 2009.                  

KEY FIGURES/RATIOS                                                              
                                                   2008        2007        2007 
                                                    1-9         1-9        1-12 

Operating profit/loss                             7.032       5.696       8.278 
 - in relation to revenue                           7.0         6.2         6.4 
Profit/loss before taxes                          6.575       5.152       7.552 
 - in relation to revenue                           6.6         5.6         5.9 
Profit/loss for the period                        4.435       3.701       5.387 
 - in relation to revenue                           4.4         4.0         4.2 
Basic earnings per share, eur                      1.08        0.91        1.32 
Diluted earnings per share, eur                    1.08        0.91        1.32 
Equity/share, eur                                  7.87        6.80        7.22 
Equity ratio                                       53.1        46.0        46.7 
Return on equity *                                 19.1        18.7        19.8 
Return on investment *                             21.9        18.0        19.6 
Interest-bearing net-debt, eur million              0.1        10.8         4.7 
Gearing ratio                                       0.5        38.9        16.0 
Capital expenditure, eur million                    2.3         2.3         3.2 
- in relation to revenue, %                         2.3         2.5         2.5 

Personnel at the end of period                      673         644         655 
Average personnel                                   684         654         663 
Revenue/employee, eur thousand                    146.3       139.8       193.7 


Key figures are calculated according to formulae as presented in Annual Report  
2007.                                                                           
* When calculating return on equity and return on investment the profit/loss for
the period has been multiplied in interim reports.                              



CONTINGENT LIABILITIES                                                          
                                              30.9.2008   31.12.2007  30.9.2007 

Mortgages and shares pledged                     17.055      18.851      18.929 
Guarantees                                        0.000       0.000       0.100 
Other commitments                                 0.267       0.317       0.314 

RENTAL COMMITMENTS                                9.399      10.674      11.016 

DEVELOPMENT OF SHARE PRICE                         2008        2007        2007 
                                                    1-9         1-9        1-12 

Share price at the end of period, EUR              7.52        9.31        8.35 
Highest price, EUR                                10.05       10.35       10.35 
Lowest price,  EUR                                 7.32        6.39        6.39 
Average price, EUR                                 8.85        8.62        8.64 


This interim report has not been audited                                        





Helsinki, 21 October 2008                                                       

Martela Corporation                                                             
Board of Directors                                                              
Heikki Martela                                                                  
CEO                                                                             

Additional information                                                          
Heikki Martela, CEO, tel. +358 50 502 4711                        
Mats Danielsson, Finance Director, tel. +358 50 394 8575                        


Distribution                                                                    
NASDAQ OMX Nordic                                                               
Main news media                                                                 
www.martela.com