Marimekko Oyj New

Good afternoon. My name is Anna Tuominen and I'm the IRO of Marimekko and it is my pleasure to welcome you to our second quarter results webcast. Before we begin, just a few practicalities. At the end of the session we will have some time for questions and answers and you can use the chat function on the web platform to pose your questions already during the presentations. We'll take them at the end. With me I have our president and CEO, Tiina Alahuhta-Kasko. In a short while Tina will go through our Q2 results and after that our CFO Elina Anckar will join us for the Q&A session.

Without further ado, Tiina, please go ahead. Thank you, Anna, and good afternoon, everybody. And it's my pleasure to walk you through our half-year financial report. So let's get started. When it comes to our second quarter, our net sales were nearly at previous year's record level, driven by strong growth in the APAC region. Our operating profit was behind the comparison period. Overall, our net sales in the second quarter landed at 43.9 million euros. The operating environment continued as uncertain due to the geopolitical and trade policy tensions, which reflects in consumer confidence in many countries. Net sales were weakened by a decrease in our domestic retail sales in a challenging market situation due to certain sales campaigns performing weaker than expected. Then again, on the other hand, our net sales were boosted by the excellent development of our retail sales in all international market areas. In total, our international sales increased by 7%. The strongest growth came from the Asia-Pacific region. Net sales in Finland decreased by 7% due to the retail sales declining. As to our profitability, our comparable operating profit totaled 5.1 million euros, equaling to 11.7% of net sales. And our operating profit was weakened in particular by increased fixed costs. Our cash flow from operating activities improved and our financial position remained strong. Cumulatively, when we look at the first half of the year 2026, our net sales increased by 2% driven by growth in international sales and our comparable operating profit margin was at the good level at 12.2%. Today we also reiterated our financial guidance for the full year. Now we enter the fall season at Mare Mekko with full determination and energetically continue our work towards scaling the Mare Mekko phenomenon around the world. But then let's look at the drivers behind the second quarter and half year results. Starting from the net sales in the second quarter, as mentioned, our net sales were nearly at the record level of the comparison period, amounting to 43.9 million euros. Net sales in Finland decreased by 7% when retail sales declined in the challenging market situation due to certain sales campaigns performing weaker than expected. Then again, on the other hand, our domestic wholesale sales actually increased, partly supported by non-recurring promotional deliveries. It is good to remember that despite the recent positive development of the Finnish export industry, the consumer confidence in Finland is still at the weak level, although it improved slightly towards the end of the second quarter, which in itself is of course promising. Then when looking at our company's second biggest market area, the Asia-Pacific region, our net sales grew by a nice 16% as both retail and wholesale sales increased. Then in total our international net sales grew by 7% as retail sales increased in all international market areas. Moving on to the first half of the year, our net sales increased by 2% to 85.3 million euros, being boosted in particular by the growth in retail sales in the Asia Pacific region and other international market areas. In Finland, our net sales decreased by 4% due to retail sales declining in this price-sensitive and taxical operating environment. But again, on the other hand, our wholesale sales in Finland increased, partly supported by domestic non-recurring promotional deliveries. In our second largest market area, the Asia-Pacific region, our net sales strengthened by 7%, with retail sales in particular developing well. And as our retail sales developed well also in other international market areas in addition to the Asia-Pacific region, namely in total by 20%, then also our total international sales increased by 8%. So, noise development in the international markets for Maarimekko. When we look at the split of our net sales by market area, no major changes in the first half of the year. The share of Finland decreased a little bit while at the same time the shares of our total net sales of the different international markets then increased. There are no major changes in the net sales by product line split. In the second quarter, our omnichannel store network grew in Asia when six new stores were opened and three pop-up stores were converted into permanent stores. Today, a total of 183 Marimekko physical stores serve customers around the world, while our online store serves already in 39 countries. Then when we look at our brand sales which represent the reach of the Marimekko brand through different distribution channels, our brand sales totaled 168.1 million euros and 64% of our brand sales came from outside of our home market in the first half of the year. Moving on then to our profitability. So in the second quarter, our comparable operating profit was behind the comparison period, totaling 5.1 million euros, which equals to 11.7% of net sales. In particular, the increased fixed costs weakened the operating profit. Also, the decrease in net sales had a negative impact, while then on the other hand, the improved relative sales margin had a positive impact on our operating profit development. Our fixed cost in the second quarter increased due to the growth in personal expenses driven by in particular general pay increases in different markets as well as then due to higher marketing costs. Our relative sales margin was then again improved by unrealized exchange rate differences and lower logistic costs. Cumulatively our operating profits is at the good level at 10.4 million equaling to 12.2% of net sales when we look at the comparable operating profit margin. Our operating profit was weakened by this increased fixed costs while then on the other hand improved relative sales margin and an increase in net sales affected positively. The fixed costs similarly as to the second quarter had similar drivers. First of all, the marketing costs had significant growth and then personal expenses also increased in particular by general pay increases in different markets. Relative sales margin then again strengthened by unrealized exchange rate differences, low logistic costs and increased licensing income. On the other hand, then higher discount costs were weakening the relative sales margin. There was an abundance of colorful events in Maranekko's second quarter of 2026. First of all, we did reach a very special milestone in the second quarter when We opened so many new stores in the Asia-Pacific region, so today there are a total of 102 Maramekko stores in this region. As mentioned, six entirely new stores were opened in Asia during the second quarter, three pop-up stores were converted into permanent stores, and then also two pop-up stores delighted our customers, both existing and new. During the review period, we launched in a completely new market in the Philippines when three smaller shopping shops opened in three department stores. Then after the review period, we opened another new market for Maramekko, namely Indonesia, where two of the first shopping shops opened their doors. Naturally, these new market launches further reinforce our presence in the dynamic markets of Southeast Asia. The second quarter also saw the important Milan Design Week, which is probably the most important industry event in the field of design. The Osteria Fioridi Marimekko lifestyle experience and our new designs and also classic designs really attracted attention during this week, both among visitors and international media. Many of you might already know that we have a tradition of well over 30 years of kicking off the summer and celebrating our new summer collections with everybody through the Marimekko Day activities. And this year the Marimekko Day was celebrated through a roster of the classic fashion shows in the Esplanade Park here in Helsinki, but also an event in Tokyo. A roster of other customer events and activations also took place in the second quarter in Bangkok, Taipei, Helsinki, Paris and New York, and this way boosting our brand visibility in these key markets. Overall, different kinds of creative events and experiences play a really important role to build Maremekko's cultural relevance and sort of build this Maremekko universe this way, strengthening our customer relationship and our brand equity. We also had bright artist collaborations coloring several of our key cities, Helsinki, New York and Paris in the second quarter. Moving on then to our outlook in 2026. So first a few words in general. So of course it's clear that there are still significant uncertainties related to the development of the global economy such as the tensions related to geopolitics and trade relations. The war in Iran, the rapid changes in trade policies as well as other uncertainties are reflected in consumer confidence, purchasing power and behavior and as a result can have a weakening impact on Marimekko. In addition various disruptions in production and logistic chains as well as changes in these chains caused by uncertainties may also have a negative impact. But as always we are monitoring the situations and adjust our operations and plans if necessary accordingly. A few words about seasonality. Due to the seasonal nature of our business, a major portion of our company's Euro-denominated net sales and operating profit and operating result are traditionally generated during the second half of the year. The timing between the quarters of the non-recurring promotional deliveries in Finnish wholesale sales and their size typically vary on an annual basis. Today we have also now updated the outlook for our licensing income for 2026 and today we forecast it to grow from the previous year. As to our net sales development a few words of our key markets. So first of all starting from our home market Finland. Due to the uncertainties in the market environment our net sales in Finland in 2026 are expected to be approximately at the level of the previous year or decrease slightly. Sales in Finland are impacted by the uncertain general economy as well as the development of consumer confidence, purchasing power and behavior. And while there are indeed early signs of general economic recovery, the operating environment in Finland has remained tactical and price sensitive, and consumer confidence continues to be weak, which can have an impact on the business. In 2026, the non-recurring promotional deliveries in wholesale sales are expected to grow from the comparable year and be weighted in the second half of the year. In the international front, overall, we estimate our international sales to grow in 2026. We also estimate our debt sales in the Asia-Pacific region, our second largest market area. to increase in 2026. Our aim this year is to open approximately 10 to 15 new marimekko stores and shopping shops this year and most of these planned openings will be in Asia. Moving on to the growth investments and costs. We of course develop our business with a long-term view and aim to continue scaling our profitable growth in the upcoming years. In 2026 our fixed costs are expected to be up compared to the previous year. Of course also the general cost inflation continues to also affect Maramekko in 2026 and our marketing expenses are expected to grow. What is also good to note is that the early commitments to product orders from partner suppliers weaken our ability to optimize product orders and respond to rapid changes in demand and supply environment and thus increases business risk. There are also uncertainties related to global production and logistic change, which can, for example, increase costs or cause delays and this way have a negative impact on our sales and profitability. The ongoing war in Iran May especially if prolonged increase production logistic costs but again as always we work actively in various ways to ensure competitive and functioning production logistic chains to mitigate the increased costs and other negative impacts as well as to avoid delays and enhance inventory management So today we reiterate our financial guidance for 2026 and we expect our net sales in 2026 to grow from the previous year and our comparable operating profit margin is estimated to be approximately some 16 to 19 percent. The development of the consumer confidence and purchasing power in our main markets in particular caused significant volatility to the outlook. This development is of course strongly impacted by the rapid changes and uncertainties in geopolitics and global trade policy among others. In addition, different disruptions in global supply chains can cause volatility to the outlook. Then this morning Marimekko's board of directors announced new medium financial goals for Marimekko targeting strong profitability by scaling growth. So at Marimekko overall we believe that the winning brands of the future are determined in the more challenging market conditions. The long-term financial goals that our board set some years ago are unchanged and they provide us with clear longer-term direction. Given the current challenging operating environment, our board of directors has today decided to set new medium three to five years financial goals under which our aim is to achieve annual net sales growth of 10%. The core goal for the comparable operating profit margin remains 20% also in the medium term. Then finally, overall we believe that Maremekko's original lifestyle brand, which resonates with the wide consumer base, paired with our strong financial position, provides us an excellent foundation to continue our consistent work and investments in growth, both in Finland and in international markets. With these words, I will say thank you for listening and we can open up for questions.

Thank you, Tiina. And I would like to invite Elina Anckar to join us as well. You have posted a lot of questions. That's really nice. And you can still use the remaining time to post more questions if you would like to. Maybe a few questions about the Q2 sales first, about the North American sales. Some companies are reporting already sort of increased sales in that market altogether. Marimekko had a sort of double-folded picture with retail sales developing well but wholesale sales being a bit down. Can you walk us through this or is there some learnings from this for the remaining of the year?

Yeah, of course. So when it comes to North America, of course, starting from the omniscient retail sales, we're of course very happy that our long-term efforts show in continued nice retail sales development. Our retail sales in North America increased by 8% in the second quarter. When it comes to then the wholesale sales, it's important to remember that in wholesale sales, it's typical sales. Thank you very much.

What about then Asia-Pacific? Is it possible to quantify how much of the growth came from new markets, new openings or sort of versus the old ones?

So overall when we look at the second quarter Asia-Pacific, again very nice development with 16% net sales growth. The growth in Asia-Pacific in the second quarter was driven by the very strong development of retail sales, namely 43% retail. Thank you very much. As I mentioned in my presentation, in Philippines, where we actually launched in the second quarter, we opened the first small three shop-in shops. So of course, these are first small steps that allow us to start learning from this very interesting market in the longer term. So in that sense, these are still like smaller steps. And holistically speaking, understanding also the volatilities and uncertainties in the world, we're very happy with the performance both in retail and in wholesale in the Asia-Pacific region.

Regarding Q2, there's a question around inventory. Inventory was slightly up. How comfortable are you with this level ahead of H2?

Actually, if we look at the end of the H2 situation versus the last year, the inventory was a little bit down compared to last year. And in terms of inventory, of course, it's super important for us that we make sure that we have the inventory, what is needed for the growth in terms of the quantity, but also in terms of the content of the inventory. But at the same time, ensuring that it's optimal from the quantity point of view as well.

There's a few questions related to the outlook in the Finnish market going forward. Sort of the outlook today was rephrased to be approximately previous year's level or slightly below. So is the outlook for the second half now weaker than before or was the weak sales more isolated in Q2 is one question or then another way of putting it round is sort of like as it was already down So of course as I mentioned,

Thank you very much for this sort of positive news that we have been reading on the export industry development in Finland and the sort of slight uptick on the consumer confidence towards the end of the second quarter of these. Of course these are as such you know this is And of course we hope that that will continue. But the underlying trend has been there for quite a long time. It's not a Q2 specific thing. I think that is also really important to remember that the consumer confidence in Finland has been weak for a longer time. And even though it improved, it's still at the weak level. And of course, we hope to see, like everybody, I'm sure, that the kind of positive news overall in the export industries and so forth, that they will start translating also to the consumer confidence in a stronger manner. So I think that overall, when we look at sales in Finland, they are impacted in 2026 by the uncertain general economy, as well as the development of consumer confidence, purchasing power and behavior. Something good to remember when it comes to the second quarter of the year in Finland is exactly these non-recurring promotional deliveries. And we have communicated that in 2026 these non-recurring promotional deliveries in wholesale sales in Finland are expected to grow from the previous year and are expected to be weighted to the second half of the year.

Another question related to the market outlook. Licensing income outlook was upgraded. What has changed since the last time we spoke?

Short and sweet, the outlook when it comes to licensing income in 2026 has improved.

Marimekko recently appointed a new COO. The question here is that with the new CEO in place, where do you see digital data and AI playing a bigger role in making Marimekko more agile? Maybe just to correct that this role is CEO of supply chain. But I think the question of digital data and AI in Marimekko going forward is still a very important question. And actually the person asking is also asking that does the expansion in Asia also sort of change what we need in digital ecosystems or capabilities? This is a very good and actually big question.

And I'm sure that also our chief technology officer and people from the team would be happy to have like a couple of hours lecture on this topic. It's a very exciting topic. So overall, I think that what we can also see is that Also, because of this more challenging market situation, an uncertain market situation, we need to be even more creative and even more agile. And we do see that, for example, the use of AI and new technologies give us even better tools to develop that, both from an efficiency point of view, but equally to support growth acceleration and at Maremekko we have a very strong technology team but of course when it comes to the AI use and technological development this is a whole organizational initiative and of course we are eager to capture the opportunities that new technologies provide for us in the future. Then there was like today and in the future and then there was also the question about whether there might be some kind of special kind of different kind of needs from a technological digital capability or ecosystem point of view in Asia. So it is interesting because when we look at the different markets in Asia, also the online kind of shopping ecosystems do vary. So, for example, as we know in China, the online business happens in platforms such as Tmall and JD.com and so forth. but whereas for example in Korea it's again different platforms and I think here the key really is that we in all markets take the position of the target consumer in the way that we approach the market and develop the different channels so we always need to serve the customers in the channels that are relevant for our target customer in each particular market and this really requires kind of this understanding like with boots on the ground thinking So that we are relevant. And of course, for example, if we think about the Chinese market, the South Korean market as an example, they are extremely advanced digital markets. And we can also learn a lot and utilize some of those learnings on this part of the planet. Thank you.

What about the new Southeast Asia openings? We mentioned in the presentation that there are a few shopping shops at the moment. Are there primary sort of more brand building opportunity or can it become a meaningful sales contributor over medium term? So some of you might remember that

As part of our Asia growth strategy, we already have quite nice presence build up in many of the Southeast Asian markets, for example, Thailand and Singapore. And we have already started to also take steps some years ago in Vietnam and Malaysia. So it's a very natural step for us now to start building our kind of brand story. Little by little also in Indonesia and in the Philippines. So we rather see Indonesia and Philippines as an opportunity to start building our story gradually in the longer term. And now we're taking the first steps to start to learn of the market together with our partners. And overall, this way we can kind of reinforce further our Southeast Asia ecosystem.

Good. But the mid-term financial goals that were published today, could you walk, maybe Elina, could you walk through us some building blocks on how to reach this 10% sales growth target in three to five years?

Yes, thank you for an excellent question. And as even if like new mid-term targets were introduced, our strategy hasn't changed. So that is good to remember. And if then talking about the building blocks where we then First of all it's of course our omnichannel retail which then covers our own stores but then also partner-led stores. International growth being there, Asia being the growth driving region. We cannot forget Finland. We are definitely Here seeking for market share growth as well and then also new customers and different other channels like in wholesale channels, e-tailers, department stores and then at the same time it's good to remember that because we can also think of like The licensing opportunities and brand awareness building through the Brandco Lab. So we are gaining there also the awareness and also some income. And then there is also a possibility for us to add some product groups for the palette as well.

Maybe a bit as a follow-up to that, over the past three, looking back past three years, both in Finland and internationally, the sales growth has been less than 10% overall. What makes you believe that you can reach this 10% growth in the coming years? Are there some market recovery assumptions behind it or is it sort of totally something that can be done even if the market stays as it is?

So I think that first of all today when our board announced these new medium term financial targets our chair Mika also shared that of course these great uncertainties in the global macro environment caused by the geopolitical tensions and trade policy tensions Those have had an impact on the consumer confidence across markets and especially in Finland our important home market which has also impacted our overall net sales development. At the same time I'm very proud and and he also mentioned that in the release that we're very proud of the progress that we have already made in our scale strategy. So despite all these uncertainties that we have seen in the world and in the operating environment and also really affecting our industry in Finland and in the international, we have been developing well in the past years also in the Finnish market. And we of course are here to develop Marmekko in the long term and the fact that the continued positive development of our business paired with a very strong financial business also allow us the excellent possibility to continue making these investments, strengthening, further reinforcing our competitiveness in the long term. So we actually believe that this is a great advantage.

As the mid-term growth target is slightly lower than the long-term growth target, does it mean that there's less cost increases, less need for investments for growth than in the mid-term?

So when it comes to these targets, we have now defined that the medium-term targets are for three to five years. The long-term targets really provide us good longer-term direction. and again the board set these new targets given the current challenging operating environment and I think that here when it comes to kind of increasing profitability the key driver of that in our strategy is scaling up top line growth. That is the key lever and as Elina mentioned our scale strategy is intact. We follow the same good strategy and continue to progress on that journey.

One of the key points in the scale strategy is the sharpened creative vision and all the time developing our collections. There's a very specific question that could Marimekko consider a small male dedicated line of clothing going forward?

Thank you for that question and also This is something that we are increasingly getting questions about, so it's definitely something that at some point in time we need to consider. Of course, today we already have our Mare Mekko Kioski more unisex line, and we have also through that, as well as our accessories and Home decoration lines got and also new male customers. However, when it comes to the ready-to-wear collection, today we are firmly focusing on the women's wear. And this is purely because of the fact that we very much believe that strategically in order to succeed, we also need to have a clear focus.

One final question related to the Finnish outlook for this year. What is the confidence on reaching this new outlook for Finland, even if the underlying market would not improve at all?

So of course our market outlook is always based on management's best estimate and judgment. So this is what we believe in and what we're working on. And I think that overall, looking at Marremekko, we are a creative company. We use creativity also, not only in the obvious, in the design and in the Thank you. That was all the questions we had today. We are so happy that you took the time to join us and we hope to see you with our Q3 results as well. Thank you.