Mon, 28 Jun 1999

Weleda AG presents its annual accounts: body-care product sales are up

By Klaus B. Harms

Europe's biggest producer of natural medicines highlights the anti-cancer medicine Iscador

Stuttgart, 28 June (NNA) - On 24 June 1999, the Weleda Group, Europe's biggest manufacturer of natural body-care products and natural medicines, presented its annual accounts for 1998 at its yearly press conference in Stuttgart.

During 1998, this manufacturer of cosmetics and medicines expanded through its production of body-care products, seeing its world-wide turnover rise by 6.1 percent to 170 million Swiss Francs (207.24 million DM, 103.62 million Euros). The accounts are drawn up in Swiss Francs because the Group has its headquarters in Arlesheim, Switzerland, with branches in Schwäbisch Gmünd (Germany) and 17 majority shareholdings in Europe, North and South America and New Zealand. Taking all its franchises and agents into account, Weleda is represented in 40 countries by a total of 1074 employees.

The operating result from Weleda businesses in the past year was 9.2 million Swiss Francs, 16.5 percent down on the previous year. This decrease is almost wholly due to expenditure on the building projects undertaken in Schwäbisch Gmünd, where a new production and administrative centre is due to be unveiled in the autumn of next year.

Weleda's turnover in Germany, which contributes around 60 percent of business and 75 percent of profits to the overall figures, increased in 1998 by 6.5 percent to 132 million Marks. Of this increase, 60 percent was realised within Germany and 40 percent in exports. Turnover within Germany amounted to 110 million Marks, of which 55 percent came from body-care products and the rest from medicines - half of the latter from the anti-cancer medicine Iscador (25 million Marks turnover). With a rise of seven percent, body-care products accounted for the biggest increase in Germany. Self-prescribing medicines rose by five percent, while other medicines, as in the previous year, sold less.

Looking ahead to 1999, Weleda Germany expects modest growth at home of about three percent compared with 1998, but an export turnover well above target. As far as medicines are concerned, the focus is particularly on the cancer medicine Iscador, and on demonstrating its efficacy and usefulness to patients. New scientific studies have given impressive proof of Iscador's effect.

The “philosophy” of the group is once again revealed in these accounts: as opposed to the “shareholder value” so rife in the pharmaceuticals industry as everywhere else, the aim underlying all Weleda's activities is to serve human health. Instead of merely seeking profit, Weleda's focus is firmly on providing scientific and pharmaceutical support to anthroposophical medicine, an aim to which economic gain is made subordinate,

There is something else too which distinguishes this natural medicine producer from the synthetic pharmaceuticals industry: while the big companies try to set medicine consumption in line with their own, solely profit-orientated marketing strategies, Weleda produces its preparations almost entirely to meet the needs arising from medical practice, in other words in response to actual, human need.

ENDS

N990628-01EN Date: 28 June 1999

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