Beter Bed dividend proposal approved

The Annual General Meeting of Shareholders of Beter Bed Holding N.V. held on 25 April 2013 declared a final dividend of EUR 0.12 per ordinary share of nominally EUR 0.02 each for the 2012 financial year. An interim dividend of EUR 0.35 was paid in November 2012. The total dividend for 2012 consequently amounts to EUR 0.47, resulting in a pay-out ratio of 70%. A dividend of EUR 1.10 was paid for 2011 (pay-out ratio: 85%). The final dividend will be paid entirely in cash...

The Annual General Meeting of Shareholders of Beter Bed Holding N.V. held on 25 April 2013 declared a final dividend of EUR 0.12 per ordinary share of nominally EUR 0.02 each for the 2012 financial year.

 

An interim dividend of EUR 0.35 was paid in November 2012. The total dividend for 2012 consequently amounts to EUR 0.47, resulting in a pay-out ratio of 70%. A dividend of EUR 1.10 was paid for 2011 (pay-out ratio: 85%).

 

The final dividend will be paid entirely in cash.

 

The following schedule will apply to the payment of the dividend:

29 April 2013     listing ex-dividend       

2 May 2013       record date      

15 May 2013     payment of dividend

 

Dividend policy

The dividend policy of Beter Bed Holding is aimed at maximising shareholder returns while maintaining a healthy capital position. The company's objective is to, subject to certain conditions, pay out at least fifty percent of the net profit to shareholders. This will be done in the form of payment of an interim dividend following publication of the third-quarter figures and payment of a final dividend following the adoption of the financial statements and following the approval of the dividend proposal by the Annual General Meeting of Shareholders. This method makes it possible to spread the payment of dividend evenly across the year. The company's solvency must never fall below thirty percent on any given publication date as a result of the payment of dividend. The net interest-bearing debt/EBITDA ratio may never exceed two.

 

New Management Board and Supervisory Board composition

 

As announced on 19 December 2012, Mr Bart Koops was appointed as Statutory Director in the position of CFO of Beter Bed Holding at the Annual General Meeting of Shareholders of Beter Bed Holding. He will succeed Mr Duncan van Hoeve who left the company on 1 April 2013. We would like to thank Mr Van Hoeve for his dedication and commitment in the past fifteen years.

At the Annual General Meeting of Shareholders of Beter Bed Holding on 25 April 2013, Mr C.A.S.M. Renders, in accordance with the provisions of the Corporate Governance Code, also stepped down as a member of the Supervisory Board. The Supervisory Board greatly appreciates the manner in which Mr Renders has acted on behalf of the company and wishes to express its gratitude towards Mr Renders.

 

Mr Ronald (W.T.C.) van der Vis was appointed to succeed him as a member of the Supervisory Board of Beter Bed Holding effective 25 April 2013.

 

His personality, retail expertise and business experience at a national and international level match the profile of the Supervisory Board of Beter Bed Holding and make Mr Van der Vis an excellent candidate to take over Mr Renders' tasks and responsibilities within the Supervisory Board.

 

The composition of the Supervisory Board of Beter Bed Holding as of 25 April 2013 is as follows:

Mr D.R. Goeminne (Chairman), Mr A.J.L. Slippens (Vice Chairman), Ms E.A. de Groot and Mr W.T.C. van der Vis.

 

Profile

Beter Bed Holding N.V. operates in the European bedroom furnishings market. Its activities include retail trade through a total of 1,219 stores at the end of 2012 that operate via the chains Beter Bed (active in the Netherlands and Belgium), Matratzen Concord (active in Germany, Switzerland, Austria, the Netherlands and Belgium), El Gigante del Colchón (active in Spain), BeddenREUS and Slaapgenoten (both active in the Netherlands) and Schlafberater.com (active in Germany). Beter Bed Holding is also active in the field of developing and wholesaling branded products in the bedroom furnishing sector in the Netherlands, Germany, Belgium, Spain, Austria, Switzerland, Turkey and the United Kingdom via its subsidiary DBC International. Beter Bed Holding N.V. achieved net revenue of EUR 397.3 million in 2012. More than 65% of the group's net revenue is realised outside the Netherlands. The company has been listed on the NYSE Euronext Amsterdam since 1996 and is included in the Amsterdam Small Cap Index.

 

For more information, please contact: Ton Anbeek, Chief Executive Officer
Tel. +31 (0)413 338819 / Fax +31 (0)413 338829 / Mob. +31 (0)6 53662838
E-mail: ton.anbeek@beterbed.nl / Website: www.beterbedholding.nl

 

Please click on the link below for the Pdf version of the press release.

 

 

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