.Kabo has been reorganising itself since it was privatised and
listed on the stock exchange in 1997, and has further trimmed its labour
force and streamlined operations since Chairman Amr El Sharnoubi was
appointed in September .
Over the coming period, we will be focusing on increasing sales, improving efficiency, and cost control,” Sharnoubi said .
Kabo, which produces underwear, nightwear and outerwear for men,
women and children in the middle-end market, earned revenue of 135
million Egyptian pounds in fiscal 2008/09. The firm focuses mainly on
men’s products, he said .
It’s expected that the sales closing this year will be 15
percent up from last year,” he said. Earnings for fiscal 2009/10, which
ended June 30, will be released in August .
Kabo downsized its labour force to 4,600 employees from 5,100 in
September 2009. Sharnoubi said wages constitute around 50 percent of the
company’s costs .
“We’re controlling our wages, which is one of the key cost elements,” Sharnoubi said .
Kabo is 49 percent owned by Amwal Al Arabia, the textiles arm of
Arab Cotton Ginning Co and sister company Egypt Ginning, Sharnoubi said.
Kabo lost 6.9 million Egyptian pounds in the nine months to end-March, the bourse said in May..
“RESTRUCTURING, RAISING PRODUCTION CAPACITY.
Sharnoubi said he has been restructuring operations since taking
up his post, and that a new chief executive officer, John Deprendergast,
was appointed in June..
We are trying to improve the capabilities of middle management
and top management to actually achieve what we want,” Sharnoubi said..
The Alexandria-based company exports 28 percent of its product.
Twenty percent of exports are sold in non-Arab countries, mainly the
United Kingdom, Germany and France, under private labels such as
Britain’s Tesco, he said..
The remaining 8 percent of exports are sold in Arab countries
under the company’s flagship brand Jil. Kabo has a chain of 40 retail
outlets in Egypt under the Jil name, he said..
The firm is operating at 50 percent capacity utilization in its
knitting and dyeing segments, but hopes to increase this to 70 percent
by the third quarter of 2010. It hopes to raise its garmenting output by
50 percent in the same period..
We are trying to expand our production range in terms of
garments to utilize the idle capacity, and, after doing that, to see how
we can subcontract this capacity to others in the market if possible,”
El Sharnoubi said..
Kabo owns Wave, a local apparel retailer, and has a 44 percent
stake in Alexandria Spinning and Weaving Spinalex). Kabo’s shares
closed 3.4 percent higher on Tuesday. The main index closed up 1.3
percent..
Date:8/4/2010
Source:beauty.bgfashion.net