EANS-News: asknet AG
asknet publishes annual report - 2009 successful year
despite crisis
- Group result improves by 60% - Profitable fourth quarter - Further advances in internationalization
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Annual Reports
Subtitle: - Group result improves by 60% - Profitable fourth quarter - Further advances in internationalization
Karlsruhe (euro adhoc) - Karlsruhe, April 13, 2010 - asknet AG, which recently was ranked as one of Germany´s fastest-growing technology companies in Deloitte´s "Technology Fast 50" report, has published its annual report for 2009. To sum up: In addition to a continuous, quarter-to-quarter improvement in results, in the last quarter of 2009 asknet was carried to the break-even point by the traditionally strong year-end upturn in business. Gross profits grew by seven percent in the period under review. The asknet Group pushed forward with its strategy of internationalization; it now generates 68 percent of its sales volume outside Germany. muvee Technologies, headquartered in Singapore, and BizAgi, based in Latin America, numbered among the Group´s new accounts in 2009.
Michael Konrad, CFO of asknet AG, sees the 60 percent year-on-year improvement in the Group´s results and the increase in gross profits as proof of the effectiveness of the consolidation measures undertaken in 2008. "We were able to cut operating costs by 1.1 million euros and boost our gross profit margins to 14 percent," he explains. Twenty-seven percent of 2009 gross profits came from the ePortals business segment, where asknet remains the unchallenged market leader in the field of institutions of higher education and research.
asknet´s main area of business is still the eDistribution segment, which has a strong international focus. To simplify customers´ access to international markets, in 2009 asknet increased the number of eShop languages to 30 and expanded the list of accepted transaction currencies to 38.
Security is a key strategic issue for the field of eCommerce. In the fourth quarter of 2009, asknet proved its high security standard by achieving Payment Card Industry Level 1 certification.
"We have emerged from the crisis with our heads held high. The positive result in the last quarter of 2009 underscores the positive growth dynamic of our business," concludes Michael Scheib, CEO of asknet AG.
The Annual Report 2009 of asknet AG is available in German language as of today from the company´s website on www.asknet.de and www.asknet.com. The English version of the Annual Report 2009 will be available by 30th April 2010.
About asknet asknet offers its clients customized outsourcing solutions for global software sales via the Internet. Founded in 1995 as a spin-off of the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT, formerly the University of Karlsruhe), the company has become the number two independent global provider for electronic software distribution. In addition to its fully integrated shop solutions for software publishers, the company develops and maintains portals for software distribution such as softwarehouse.de, one of Europe's largest. In 2009, asknet posted sales of approximately 68.9 million euros. In 2009 the Karlsruhe company was named in the Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu "Technology Fast 50" ranking of the fastest-growing technology firms in Germany. asknet´s clients include numerous providers of specialty software such as CollabNet, DivX, F-Secure, Nero, Panda Security, Steganos, and NetObjects. The company also supplies software products to around eighty percent of German universities. Further information is available from www.asknet.com.
Press Contacts asknet AG Kirsten Neininger phone: +49 (0)721.96458-6399 eMail: kirsten.neininger@asknet.com
asknet, Inc. Bernard Haug phone: +1 (415) 352-2622 eMail: bernard.haug@asknet.com www.asknet.com
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Further inquiry note:
Kirsten Neininger
Corporate Marketing Manager
Telefon: +49 (0) 721 96 458 6399
e-mail: kirsten.neininger@asknet.de
Branche: Electronic Commerce
ISIN: DE0005173306
WKN: 517330
Börsen: Frankfurt / free trade/entry standard
Berlin / free trade
Stuttgart / free trade
Düsseldorf / free trade
München / free trade
Original content of: asknet AG, transmitted by news aktuell