SodaStream reports 28 percent drop in sales

The Israeli company SodaStream, which is based in Airport City adjacent to Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv, reported a significant loss in revenue for the first half of 2015. The Israeli owned company became a legitimate of non-violence protestors and activists when it launched a factory in the Occupied West Bank in the industrial zone of Mishor Adumim – adjacent to the large Israeli settlement of Maale Adumim between Jerusalem and Jericho. SodaStream officials announced they would close the factory by late 2015.

By Ray Hanania

SodaStream, the Israel owned company that became the target of non-violent protestors after launching in 2010 and establishing its principle factory in the Occupied West Bank on lands stolen by the Israeli government from Christian and Muslim civilians, again reported a major loss in revenue.

The downslide in the Israeli company’s economic forecasts began when it was targeted by the BDS (Boycott, Divest, Sanction) non-violent movement of activists around the world after it pushed itself in front of the world in a controversial ad during the 2014 Superbowl, featuring American actress Scarlett Johansson.

Johansson eventually stepped down as the face of SodaStream after Oxfam, which fights against injustice and poverty around the world, removed Johansson as a brand ambassador after her association with SodaStream. SodaStream announced that it would close the factory in either late 2015 or in 2016.

SodaStream is criticized because it built its factory on lands illegally seized by Israel for “Jewish only use.” Johansson defended SodaStream, stepped down in the face of the controversy.

Photo by JeepersMedia

The protests from BDS raised awareness of SodaStream’s role in exploiting Palestinian civilians — the company claimed it employed more than 500 Palestinians, but human rights activists said that a company that is a part of a system that expels civilians because of their religion (being Christian and Muslim) and then provides them with jobs on that stolen land, is hypocritical and a part of the injustice that the world seek to eradicate.

Johansson is Jewish.

Daniel Birnbaum, the company founder, said that his company sought to remain neutral in the political battle between Israel and the Palestinians and stressed that his company tried to provide jobs to Palestinians. But Birnbaum also had the choice to not open the factory in the occupied West Bank and not on lands that were illegally stolen from non-Jews to permit exploitation by Jews in Israel and the occupied territories.

The world has condemned Israel’s policies of confiscating lands from Christians and Muslims and giving those lands to Jews for use as Jewish-only settlements or Jewish-only businesses that pillage the oppressed population.

According to the Israeli human rights group B’Tselem, and many civil rights and human rights organizations, the Mishor Adumim factory is built on lands taken from five Palestinian towns. Two Bedouin tribes were evicted by the Israeli army, facts that Johansson and SodaStream tried to down play in their response to the worldwide protests.

SodaStream wanted controversy and sought to blast Coke and Pepsi in its Superbowl commercials, but the attacks were rejected by the Superbowl, forcing SodaStream to make it more provocative by including Johansson.

It got the controversy, but the controversy has not helped the company grow.

Here is the Johansson Superbowl commercial that was finally aired in 2014.

The BDS movement clearly has notched a victory in the fight against injustice. The protest movement against SodaStream has been extremely effective, holding down sales around the world.

Here is the revenue report issued by SodaStream on its revenue slide.

SodaStream International Ltd. (NASDAQ: SODA), the leading manufacturer of home beverage carbonation systems, announced today its results for the three and six month periods ended June 30, 2015.

For the second quarter ended June 30, 2015, on an adjusted basis*

• Adjusted revenue was $101.7 million compared to $141.2 million in the second quarter 2014; Adjusted revenue on a constant currency basis was $118.6 million
• Adjusted operating income was $4.5 million compared to $11.2 million in the second quarter 2014; Adjusted operating income on a constant currency bases was $9.0 million.
• Adjusted EBITDA was $8.9 million compared to $14.5 million in the second quarter 2014
• Adjusted net income was $3.5 million compared to $9.2 million in the second quarter 2014
• Adjusted diluted earnings per share were $0.17 compared to $0.43 in the second quarter 2014
• CO2 refills reached an all-time quarterly record of 6.9 million

*Adjusted revenue, Adjusted operating income, Adjusted net income and Adjusted diluted earnings per share are non-IFRS financial measures that eliminate the effect of restructuring costs, which include $2.6 million of pre-tax charges incurred as part of the Company’s restructuring and growth plan announced on October 29, 2014. The charges were related to activities associated with discontinued products, which decreased revenue by $1.8 million and increased cost of revenue by $0.3 million. An additional expense of $0.5 million was associated with the transition to the new plant in Southern Israel which increased cost of revenue. Adjusted EBITDA represents earnings before financial income, income tax, depreciation and amortization, and further eliminates the effect of restructuring costs.

SodaStream press conference

“Our second quarter performance was in-line with our expectations. As we previously discussed, the first half of 2015 would be a challenging period due to implementation of our global restructuring and growth plan combined with changes in foreign currency exchange rates. That said, we are proud to have achieved an all-time record of CO2 refills, which is a testimony of our consumers’ loyalty and our overall Q2 performance masks the ongoing strength of our business in key markets led by Germany, Switzerland and Austria” said Daniel Birnbaum, Chief Executive Officer of SodaStream. “We are making tremendous progress toward repositioning as a “water brand” behind a health and wellness positioning. Our new portfolio of better-for-you sparkling water flavors is currently rolling out to retailers around the world and we are testing a new marketing campaign “Sparkling Waters – Made by You“, including TV in several cities in the United States. At the same time the consolidation of our production activities into our new state-of-the-art plant in Lehavim continues ahead of schedule. We are confident that our new strategic direction supported by a terrific and unique product portfolio and marketing plan, will fuel increased household penetration and user activity and deliver sustainable growth and increased profitability in the years ahead.”

The decrease in Adjusted revenue compared to the second quarter 2014 was mainly due to changes in foreign currency exchange rates which reduced revenue by $16.9 million. Since the same period a year ago, several foreign currencies have weakened versus the U.S. dollar including the Euro by 19%, the Australian Dollar by 17% and the Swedish Krona by 22%. Second quarter 2015 results also reflect lower demand for sparkling water makers and flavors mainly in the U.S. and France.

Gross margin for the second quarter 2015 (before the impact of restructuring costs) was 50.3% compared to 50.5% for the same period in 2014. Second quarter 2015 gross margin benefitted from higher share of CO2 refills in product mix, offset by the negative impact from changes in foreign currency exchange rates versus the same period last year.

Sales and marketing expenses for the second quarter 2015 totaled $35.1 million, or 34.5% of Adjusted revenue, compared to $46.9 million, or 33.3% for the comparable period in the prior year. The decrease was primarily attributable to lower advertising and promotion expenses, which decreased $7.5 million to 13.3% of Adjusted revenue from 14.9% of revenue in the same period in 2014, and lower distribution costs due to the lower sales volume. Selling and marketing expenses also decreased versus the same period last year due to the changes in foreign currency rates, mainly the weakening of the Euro/U.S. Dollar average exchange rate by 19% and the Israeli Shekel/U.S. Dollar average exchange rate by 11% versus the same period last year.

General and administrative expenses for the second quarter 2015 were $11.5 million, or 11.3% of Adjusted revenue, compared to $13.1 million, or 9.3% of revenue in the comparable period of last year. The decrease was mainly due to a decrease in share-based payment expenses.

Operating income (before the impact of restructuring costs) decreased to $4.5 million, or 4.5% of Adjusted revenue, compared to $11.2 million, or 8.0% of revenue, in the second quarter 2014. The decrease in operating income was driven primarily by the decrease in revenue and the negative impact from changes in foreign currency exchange rates, offset by lower operating expenses, mainly a reduction in advertising and promotion expenses.

The net negative impact on operating income from changes in foreign currency exchange rates in comparison with the same period in 2014 was approximately $4.5 million.

Net financial expense was $0.6 million compared to net financial expense of $0.9 million in the same period in 2014. Financial expense in the second quarter 2015 was derived mainly from an increase in the value of Euro denominated bank loans.

Tax expense was $0.4 million with an effective tax rate of 29.5%, compared to $1.1 million with an effective tax rate of 10.6% in the second quarter 2014.

Balance Sheet Review
Cash and cash equivalents at June 30, 2015 were $33.4 million compared to $46.9 million at December 31, 2014. The decrease is primarily attributable to the investment in the Company’s new production facility.

The Company had $39.3 million of bank debt at June 30, 2015 mainly for financing the investment in its new production facility, compared to $43.9 million of bank debt at December 31, 2014.

Working capital at June 30, 2015, after the impact of the restructuring, decreased by 7.9% to $146.2 millioncompared to $158.8 million at December 31, 2014. Inventories at June 30, 2015 decreased by 7.0% to $128.8 million compared to $138.4 million at December 31, 2014.

Conference Call and Management Commentary

Detailed CFO commentary and a supplemental slide presentation have been filed as part of today’s 6-K and will be posted on the Company’s website, http://sodastream.investorroom.com.

The Company has scheduled a conference call for 8:30 AM Eastern Standard Time (U.S. time) today (Wednesday, August 5, 2015) to review the Company’s financial results. The conference call will be broadcast over the Internet as a “live” listen only Webcast. To listen, please go to: http://sodastream.investorroom.com . Listeners are urged to login approximately 20 minutes before the conference call is scheduled to begin in order to register, as well as download and install any necessary audio software. An archive of the Webcast will be available for 30 days after the call.

About SodaStream International
SodaStream is the world’s leading manufacturer and distributor of Sparkling Water Makers, which enable consumers to easily transform ordinary tap water into sparkling water and flavored sparkling water in seconds. By making ordinary water more exciting and fun to drink, SodaStream helps consumers drink more water. Sparkling Water Makers offer a highly differentiated and innovative solution to consumers of bottled and canned carbonated soft drinks. The products promote health and wellness, are environmentally friendly, cost effective, and are customizable and fun to use. Products are available at more than 70,000 retail stores across 45 countries, including approximately 13,000 retail stores in the United States. To learn more about how SodaStream makes water exciting and follow SodaStream on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram and YouTube, visit http://www.sodastream.com.

Non-IFRS Financial Measures

This press release contains certain non-IFRS measures, including Adjusted revenue, Adjusted net income, Adjusted EBITDA, and Adjusted diluted earnings per share (“Adjusted diluted EPS”).

Adjusted EBITDA represents earnings before financial expense (income), income tax, depreciation and amortization, and further eliminates the effect of restructuring costs. Adjusted revenue, Adjusted net income and Adjusted diluted earnings per share eliminate the effect of restructuring costs.

The Company believes that the Adjusted revenue, Adjusted net income, Adjusted EBITDA and Adjusted diluted EPS, as described above, should be considered in evaluating the Company’s operations. Adjusted revenue, Adjusted net income, Adjusted EBITDA and Adjusted diluted EPS exclude restructuring costs because most of this charge is a non-cash expense that does not reflect the performance of the Company’s underlying business and operations. Adjusted EBITDA facilitates operating performance comparisons from period to period and company to company by backing out potential differences caused by variations in capital structures (affecting financial expenses (income), net), tax positions (such as the impact on periods or companies of changes in effective tax rates) and the age and depreciation charges and amortization of fixed and intangible assets, respectively (affecting relative depreciation and amortization expense, respectively).

These measures should be considered in addition to results prepared in accordance with IFRS, but should not be considered a substitute for the IFRS results. The non-IFRS measures included in this press release have been reconciled to the IFRS results.

Forward Looking Statements
This release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. These forward-looking statements include information about possible or assumed future results of our business and financial condition, as well as the results of operations, liquidity, plans and objectives. In some cases, you can identify forward-looking statements by terminology such as “believe,” “may,” “estimate,” “continue,” “anticipate,” “intend,” “should,” “plan,” “expect,” “predict,” “potential,” or the negative of these terms or other similar expressions: Such statements are based on management’s current beliefs and expectations and involve a number of known and unknown risks and uncertainties that could cause our future results, performance or achievements to differ significantly from the results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Important factors that could cause or contribute to such differences include risks relating to: our ability to maintain or expand sales in our target markets, including the United States; our ability to maintain or continue to develop our presence in retail networks; our ability to develop and implement production and operating infrastructure to effectively support our growth; the success of our marketing campaigns and media spending in terms of increased sales or increased product and brand name awareness; our ability to maintain our customer base in markets where we have an established presence; the risks associated with our reliance on exclusive arrangements for the distribution of our beverage carbonation systems and consumables in each of the markets in which we use third-party distributors; our ability to compete effectively with other companies which currently offer, or may offer in the future, competing products; our ability to maintain margins due to decline in product selling price and/or rising costs; potential product liability claims if any component of our beverage carbonation systems is misused; our ability to protect our intellectual property rights; our being found to have a dominant position in certain markets which may place limits on our ability to operate; risks associated with our being a multinational corporation, including fluctuations in currency exchange rates; our potential exposure to greater than anticipated tax liabilities; our products being subject to extensive governmental regulation in the markets in which we operate; adverse conditions in the global economy which could negatively impact our customers’ demand for our products; and other factors discussed under the heading “Risk Factors” in the Annual Report on the Form 20-F for the year ended December 31, 2014 and other documents filed with or furnished to the Securities and Exchange Commission. These forward-looking statements are made only as of the date hereof, and the company undertakes no obligation to update or revise the forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

Investor Contact:
Brendon Frey
ICR
Phone: + 1 203-682-8200
brendon.frey@icrinc.com

(*) Starting in Q1 2015, the Company presents EBITDA excluding total financial expense (income), net, as opposed to 2014 in which EBITDA was presented excluding only interest expense. Three months ended June 30, 2014 and six months ended June 30, 2014 EBITDA were also adjusted to exclude total financial expense.

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rayhanania

Op-Ed writer, author, radio host, podcaster at The Arab Daily News

RAY HANANIA — Op-Ed writer, author, radio host, podcaster

Ray Hanania is an award winning political and humor columnist who analyzes American and Middle East politics, and life in general. He is an author of several books.

Hanania covered Chicago Politics and Chicago City Hall from 1976 through 1992 at the Daily Southtown and the Chicago Sun-Times. He began writing in 1975 publishing The Middle Eastern Voice newspaper in Chicago (1975-1977). He later published “The National Arab American Times” newspaper (2004-2007).

Hanania writes weekly columns on Middle East and American Arab issues as Special US Correspondent for the Arab News ArabNews.com, at TheArabDailyNews.com, and at SuburbanChicagoland.com. He has published weekly columns in the Jerusalem Post newspaper, YNetNews.com, Newsday, the Orlando Sentinel, Houston Chronical, and Arlington Heights Daily Herald.

Hanania is the recipient of four (4) Chicago Headline Club “Peter Lisagor Awards” for Column writing. In November 2006, he was named “Best Ethnic American Columnist” by the New American Media. In 2009, Hanania received the prestigious Sigma Delta Chi Award for Writing from the Society of Professional Journalists. He is the recipient of the MT Mehdi Courage in Journalism Award. He was honored for his writing skills with two (2) Chicago Stick-o-Type awards from the Chicago Newspaper Guild. In 1990, Hanania was nominated by the Chicago Sun-Times editors for a Pulitzer Prize for his four-part series on the Palestinian Intifada.

His writings have also been honored by two national Awards from ADC for his writing, and from the National Arab American Journalists Association.

Hanania is the US Special Correspondent for the Arab News Newspaper, covering Middle East and Arab American issues. He writes for the Southwest News newspaper group writing on mainstream American issues.

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