By Dominic Chopping
Bang & Olufsen expects revenue to rise in the coming 12 months as it continues a strategic reset that targets growth through enhancing customer experience and brand awareness while expanding in key growth markets and investing in new products.
The Danish consumer-electronics company said Thursday that it has continued to improve its retail network and strengthened its commercial processes after the launch of a new soundbar product failed to yield an expected sales boost earlier in the year.
At the same time, it has switched its product-development model toward greater use of external suppliers and is pushing ahead with its focus on flagship stores in global cultural and financial hubs.
In its fiscal year through May, Bang & Olufsen also took action to lower costs by cutting around 60 job cuts, or around 5% of its global workforce.
"While uncertainty persists in the external environment, our differentiated strategy and ongoing transformation position us well for the future," the company said.
It expects the year ahead to see subdued demand and a moderate and uneven return to growth across the broader luxury industry. Growth across the wider technology industry is expected to be driven increasingly by value and design rather than by unit volumes, it said.
"As demand moves up the value curve, we believe it moves toward the segment in which we operate," it said.
However, macroeconomic and geopolitical uncertainty as well as trade and cost pressures will continue to shape sentiment over the year ahead, it added.
Revenue in its fiscal fourth quarter fell 3.8% on year to 654 million Danish kroner ($99.5 million), while adjusted earnings before interest and taxes landed at 37 million kroner, resulting in a margin of 5.7%.
A FactSet analysts' poll had forecast adjusted EBIT at 3 million kroner on revenue of 663 million kroner.
Bang & Olufsen expects revenue growth in local currencies for the coming fiscal year at between 1% and 5%, while free cash flow is expected at between 25 million and 100 million kroner. The EBIT margin before special items is seen at between 1% and 3%.
It plans to launch at least three new products in the year ahead, with capital expenditure seen at between 270 million and 310 million kroner.
The company is searching for a new boss after Kristian Tear stepped down in January, while Chief Corporate Commercial Officer Line Kohler stepped down in May.
Nikolaj Wendelboe has been serving as interim chief executive and chief financial officer and the company said Thursday that an announcement to appoint a permanent CEO is expected within the next two months.
Shares in early European trade were up 2.9% to 9.49 kroner.
Write to Dominic Chopping at dominic.chopping@wsj.com