Swatch Group announces growth during the first half of the year

Despite the rough currency exchange situation, the Swatch Group generated net sales of CHF 4,248 million at constant exchange rates, and thereby grew at a rate of 3.6%

According to its Half-Year Report 2015, the Swatch Group increased its sales despite the overvalued Swiss Franc (CHF). The Group’s net sales demonstrated an increase by 3.6% of CHF 4,248 million at constant exchange rates or 2.2% of CHF 4,192 million at current rates – calculated in euros, the Group grew by 18.7%.

In the watches and jewellery segment, including production, the Swatch Group reached a 3.4% increase in net sales at constant rates and 2.0% at current rates compared to the previous year. The Group’s retail business reported remarkable improvement with more than 10% growth in Japan and other Asian countries, as well as in the Middle East. Also, retail business quintupled the sales of its mechanical watches in the American market. Meanwhile, the electronic systems segment rose by 7.6% at current exchange rates and closed the period with net sales of CHF 156 million, despite the continued strength of the franc against the US Dollar and Japanese Yen.

With the launch of products such as the new Omega James Bond Edition, the Omega Master Co-Axial with METAS certification, the Swatch Touch Zero One as well as the introduction of the Swatch NFC (Near Field Communication) as a contact-free means of payment and the additional increase in capacity at Tissot for its very successful T-Touch Expert Solar, the Group’s outlook for the second half of the year remains positive.