Zegna Group Reports Strong First-Half 2023 Financial Results

Ermenegildo Zegna N.V. (NYSE:ZGN, Financial) (“Zegna Group,” “the Group,” or “the Company”) today announced profit of €52.1 million and a profit margin of 5.8% for the six months ended June 30, 2023, off revenues of €903.1 million for the same period, as announced on July 27, 2023. The Group recorded Adjusted EBIT of €119.9 million for the six months ended June 30, 2023, an increase of 45.0% year-over-year compared to €82.7 million in the first six months of 2022, and an Adjusted EBIT Margin of 13.3%, an increase of 200 basis points compared to 11.3% in the first six months of 2022. Adjusted Profit for the six months ended June 30, 2023, was €54.9 million, an increase of €32.1 million, or 140.5%, compared to €22.8 million for the first six months of 2022.

Ermenegildo “Gildo” Zegna, Chairman and CEO, said: “Throughout the first half of the year, Zegna Group’s unique capabilities have been on full display, contributing to continued and strong revenue growth. This is particularly evident in the outstanding performance in the United States and EMEA, as we communicated back in July, as well as in our significant progress towards growing profitability. Our performance during this six-month period again confirms the successful execution of our strategy, including our ZEGNA One Brand strategy – which is driving remarkable improvements in productivity across our direct-to-consumer stores, and our commitment to continue investing in marketing and advertising, as well as the expansion of distribution across all our brands. Our Made in Italy Luxury Textile Laboratory Platform, which directly benefit our group brands, continues to be an important part of our growth blueprint.”

“As we progress in the second half of the year, we continue to be extremely attentive on executing our plan, with a major focus on working alongside the new leadership team at TOM FORD FASHION to further develop and position the brand as an icon in ultra-luxury while also supporting the further expansion of the Thom Browne footprint. In this dynamic operating environment, we are encouraged by the strong growth we are seeing in the United States and EMEA but also acknowledge the impact of a milder recovery in Greater China. I am proud of our exceptional leadership team, and we are confident in the steps we have taken to position our portfolio of brands in the more resilient ultra-luxury segment and to strengthen the Group’s own retail network and achieve a more balanced geographical presence. There is rich and exciting potential for the Group’s three brands, and we look forward to continuing to execute our strategy to enhance their performance even further.”

Key Financial Highlights for the First Half of 2023

Adjusted Profit, Adjusted EBIT, Adjusted EBIT Margin, Adjusted Diluted Earnings per Share, and Net Financial Indebtedness/(Cash Surplus) are non-IFRS financial measures. See the Non-IFRS Financial Measures section starting on page 11 of this press release for the definition of such non-IFRS measures and a reconciliation of such non-IFRS measures to the most directly comparable IFRS measures.

Review of First Half 2023 Financials³

Revenues

As reported on July 27, 2023, the Group recorded revenues of €903.1 million for the first half of 2023, up 23.9% year-over-year thanks to the strong double-digit growth seen in the Zegna (+17.9%, or 23.8% organic growth) and Thom Browne (+11.9%, or 13.6% organic growth) segments. These also include revenues of €64.0 million contributed by the Tom Ford Fashion segment following the acquisition of Tom Ford International (“TFI”) completed on April 28, 2023 (the “TFI Acquisition”). Full details of the Group’s revenues can be found in the Semi-Annual Report for the six months ended June 30, 2023, published today, and in the press release issued on July 27, 2023.

Profit, Adjusted Profit and Profit Margin

The Group’s profit for the first half of 2023 was €52.1 million, up 147.9% year-over-year from €21.0 million in the first half of 2022. Adjusted Profit for the first half of 2023 was €54.9 million, up 140.5% year-over-year from €22.8 million in the first half of 2022. The Group recorded a profit margin of 5.8% for the first half of 2023, compared to 2.9% for the first half of 2022. For additional information regarding Adjusted Profit, which is a non-IFRS financial measure, please see page 15.

Additional Financial Highlights

• Cost of Sales for the first half of 2023 was €323.2 million, up 15.4% year-over-year from €280.2 million in the second half of 2022. The increase was due to the impact of Tom Ford Fashion, including €3.6 million related to the partial effects of the purchase price step-up of the fair value of the acquired TFI inventory that was sold subsequent to the acquisition, as part of the acquisition method of accounting. Higher sales volumes were also a contributing factor to the cost of sales increase.

• Gross profit for the first half of 2023 was €579.8 million, up 29.2% year-over-year from €448.8 million in the second half of 2022. As a percentage of revenues, gross profit increased to 64.2% from 61.6% in the first half of 2022, mainly driven by a higher proportion of direct-to-consumer (“DTC”) sales. Price repositioning, the reduction of end-of-season sales as part of the ZEGNA One Brand strategy, which started with the rollout of the Fall/Winter 2022 collection in the prior year, the higher incidence of Essentials products and the higher absorption of industrial fixed costs also drove the increase in gross profit as a percentage of revenues. In addition, gross profit in the first half of 2023 reflects costs of €3.6 million related to the partial effects of the purchase price step-up of the fair value of the acquired TFI inventory that was sold subsequent to the acquisition, as part of the acquisition method of accounting.

• Selling, general, and administrative expenses for the first half of 2023 were €415.8 million, compared with €332.9 million in the first half of 2022, up 24.9% year-over-year and slightly higher as a percentage of sales at 46.0% compared with 45.7% for the six months ended June 30, 2022. Expenses related to the Tom Ford International acquisition, variable rents, and higher personnel costs to reinforce the Group’s corporate governance and Thom Browne store expansions were the main drivers of the increase.

• Marketing expenses for the first half of 2023 were €47.5 million, compared with €34.6 million for the first half of 2022, up 37.4% year-over-year and representing 5.3% of revenues, compared with 4.7% in the first half of 2022, reflecting the continuation of the Group’s strategy to increase marketing expenses announced its Capital Markets Day in May 2022.

Adjusted EBIT and Adjusted EBIT Margin

The Group’s Adjusted EBIT for the first half of 2023 was €119.9 million, up 45.0% year-over-year from €82.7 million in the first half of 2022. Adjusted EBIT Margin was 13.3%, up from 11.3% in 2022. The increase in Adjusted EBIT Margin was driven by the execution of our ZEGNA One Brand strategy, which, among other factors, drove an increase in store productivity, more than offsetting costs to support the growth of the business, an increase in costs to expand the Thom Browne DTC network and the effects of integrating the Tom Ford Fashion business, for which we pay royalties and which was affected by the amortization of the license agreement.

Adjusted EBIT and Adjusted EBIT Margin by Segment

Zegna: Adjusted EBIT for the Zegna segment was €100.5 million for the first half of 2023, a 47.8% year-over-year increase, with an Adjusted EBIT Margin of 15.4%, compared to 12.3% in the same period in 2022. The Adjusted EBIT increase reflected the segment’s higher revenues, the pricing repositioning in line with the ZEGNA One Brand strategy, an overall improvement in our DTC store productivity, and higher absorption of industrial fixed costs in the supply chain. This was partially offset by increases in personnel costs as well as higher advertising and marketing expenses, in line with the Group’s marketing strategy announced at its Capital Markets Day in May 2022.

Thom Browne: Adjusted EBIT for the Thom Browne segment was €31.5 million for the first half of 2023, substantially in line with the same period in 2022. The segment’s Adjusted EBIT Margin was 15.2%, compared to 17.0% for the same period in 2022. Despite recording higher revenues, Adjusted EBIT Margin was restrained by costs related to the DTC store network expansion, with thirteen net store openings in the twelve months since June 30, 2022, which brought on an increase in personnel. In addition, an increase in advertising and marketing costs was in line with the Group’s marketing strategy announced at its Capital Markets Day in May 2022, including costs for the debut of the Thom Browne Haute Couture collection in Paris.

Tom Ford Fashion: The Tom Ford Fashion segment recorded Adjusted EBIT of €3.7 million and Adjusted EBIT Margin of 5.7% for the six months ended June 30, 2023. The Adjusted EBIT figure reflects costs of €4.4 million relating to the preliminary purchase price allocation process resulting from the TFI Acquisition, primarily related to inventory as noted above.

Corporate costs

Corporate costs amounted to €15.6 million in the first half of 2023 compared with €16.9 million in the first half of 2022.

Net Financial Indebtedness/(Cash Surplus), Trade Working Capital, and Capital Expenditure

Net Financial Indebtedness was €17.0 million as of June 30, 2023, compared to a Cash Surplus of €122.2 million at December 31, 2022, and €103.1 million Net Financial Indebtedness at June 30, 2022, primarily reflecting the impact of the TFI Acquisition and capital expenditures, mainly to develop the Group’s store network.

Trade Working Capital was €465.4 million as of June 30, 2023, compared to €317.1 million at December 31, 2022, and €331.0 million at June 30, 2022, primarily as a result of higher inventories and trade receivables, reflecting the overall increase in operations to support the growth in sales and production volumes. The increase also reflects the consolidation of TFI’s Trade Working Capital of €85.9 million at June 30, 2023, including €3.6 million related to the partial effects of the purchase price step-up of the fair value of the acquired TFI inventory that was sold subsequent to the acquisition, as part of the acquisition method of accounting. As previously communicated, the increase in inventories also reflects the buildup of inventory of the Essentials collections, in line with the ZEGNA One Brand strategy, which is expected to normalize in the second half of 2023.

Fiscal Year 2023 and Medium-Term Outlook

On May 17, 2022, at its first Capital Markets Day, the Group announced its financial goals for the medium term, defined as the end of fiscal year 2025. Within that time frame the Group is anticipating revenues to exceed €2 billion and Adjusted EBIT to reach at least 15% of revenues, excluding the Tom Ford Fashion segment. The Group’s revenues for the first half of 2023, reported on July 27, 2023, showed that the Group was on this trajectory, and the full 1H 2023 results comfortably confirm that. The medium-term targets assume no further future escalation of the war in Ukraine, no significant macroeconomic or financial market deterioration, no further disruption linked to the COVID-19 pandemic in the Greater China Region (GCR) or elsewhere, and no other unforeseen events.

Capital Markets Day

The Group will host a Capital Markets Day on December 5, 2023, at New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) in New York, where it expects to unveil its updated medium- to long-term financial goals, including the Tom Ford Fashion segment.

Conference Call

As previously announced, at 7a.m. ET (1p.m. CET), the Group plans to host a webcast and conference call. A live webcast of the conference call will also be available on the Company’s website at ir.zegnagroup.com. To participate in the call, please dial:

United States (Local): +1 646 307 1963
Italy (Local): +39 06 9480 0113
United Kingdom (Local): +44 20 3481 4247

Access Code: 6262821

An online archive of the broadcast will be available on the website shortly after the live call and will be available for twelve months.

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Next Scheduled Announcement

The next scheduled announcement will be on October 24, 2023, in connection with the release of the Group’s 3Q 2023 revenues. To receive email alerts of the timing of future financial news releases, as well as future announcements, please register at https://ir.zegnagroup.com.

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About Ermenegildo Zegna Group

Founded in 1910 in Trivero, Italy, the Ermenegildo Zegna Group (NYSE: ZGN) is a leading global luxury group. The Group is the owner of the world-renowned ZEGNA and Thom Browne brands, and operates TOM FORD FASHION through an exclusive long-term license agreement with The Estée Lauder Companies Inc. The Group also manufactures and distributes the highest quality fabrics and textiles through its Luxury Textile Laboratory Platform. At the Group’s core is a uniquely vertically integrated supply chain that brings together the best of Italian fine craftsmanship. Responsibility towards people, community and the natural world has been at the heart of the Ermenegildo Zegna Group’s belief since its founding. At the end of 2022, Ermenegildo Zegna Group had more than 6,000 employees and for the year ended December 31, 2022 had revenues of approximately €1.5 billion.

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Forward Looking Statements

This communication, including the section “Outlook”, contains forward-looking statements that are based on beliefs and assumptions and on information currently available to the Company. In some cases, you can identify forward-looking statements by the following words: “may,” “will,” “could,” “would,” “should,” “expect,” “intend,” “plan,” “anticipate,” “believe,” “estimate,” “predict,” “project,” “potential,” “continue,” “ongoing,” “target,” “seek” or the negative or plural of these words, or other similar expressions that are predictions or indicate future events or prospects, although not all forward-looking statements contain these words. Any statements that refer to expectations, projections or other characterizations of future events or circumstances, including strategies or plans, are also forward-looking statements. These statements involve risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause actual results, levels of activity, performance or achievements to be materially different from the information expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements. Although the Company believes that it has a reasonable basis for each forward-looking statement contained in this communication, the Company cautions you that these statements are based on a combination of facts and factors currently known and projections of the future, which are inherently uncertain. In addition, risks and uncertainties are described in the Company’s filings with the SEC. These filings may identify and address other important risks and uncertainties that could cause actual events and results to differ materially from those contained in the forward-looking statements. Most of these factors are outside the Company’s control and are difficult to predict. In light of the significant uncertainties in these forward-looking statements, you should not regard these statements as a representation or warranty by the Company and its directors, officers or employees or any other person that the Company will achieve its objectives and plans in any specified time frame, or at all. The forward-looking statements in this communication represent the views of Zegna as of the date of this communication. Subsequent events and developments may cause that view to change. However, while Zegna may elect to update these forward-looking statements at some point in the future, the Company disclaims any obligation to update or revise publicly forward-looking statements. You should, therefore, not rely on these forward-looking statements as representing the views of the Company as of any date subsequent to the date of this communication.

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First Half 2023 - Group Revenues Tables

Group Revenues by Segment

Group Revenues by Product Line