Groupe Open: Q1 2016 Turnover: €76.4 Million, +6.6% with Organic Growth of +7.7% in France

Regulatory News:

Groupe Open (Paris:OPN) (ISIN: FR 0004050300; segment NextEconomy – 972, digital services), a leading Digital Services Firm, publishes turnover figures for the first quarter of 2016.

Q1 2016 Turnover:

In a sector which is expected to grow at +2.5% in 2016 (Consulting & Services - source: Syntec Numérique), Groupe Open recorded a substantial increase in turnover in Q1 2016, with growth of 6.6% derived primarily from operations in France (+7.7%).

These strong turnover figures are bolstered by the stability of the performance indicators and a production-side headcount which has increased sharply: 3420 at the end of March 2016, up from 3240 at the same time last year.

The turnover of the two companies acquired in March 2016 (MCO Finance and LATEOS) is not included in these figures. Their turnover will be included in the Groupe Open accounts from April 1 2016 onwards.

Groupe Open's ambition is to recruit almost 800 more employees in 2016, spread across the whole of France and the BeNeLux nations, thus reinforcing our capacities in every aspect of the end-to-end service that we provide.

As predicted last March, the deployment of our Strategic Plan continues apace:

• Reinforcing our expertise and capacities in Big Data. In continuation of our partnership with CentraleSupélec Executive Education, and in order to rise to the challenges involved in delivering even more large-scale data analysis projects, Groupe Open has trained up a second class of around fifteen engineers and doctoral students. The comprehensive training program includes advanced theoretical and applied modules, and reflects our commitment to recruiting and training 100 data scientists in 2016.
• The successful roll-out of our new organisational structure, tailored to the demands of the digital market and based around four interconnected agencies: Mobility & Geo, IoT (Internet of Things), Big Data, Digital Commerce.

Following MCO Finance and LATEOS, Groupe Open will continue with its targeted acquisition policy in 2016.

Groupe Open's Board of Directors will submit a proposal to the Annual General Meeting of shareholders on Thursday May 19 2016, recommending the payment of a dividend of €0.25 per share.

Looking Ahead

Continuing the trend observed in recent years, Q1 2016 once again saw an impressive level of organic growth.

The company made a dynamic start to the year on all fronts, boosted by the launch of the Open 2020 strategy and keeping us on track to hit our objective of 500 million Euros in turnover with 10% operating profit by 2020.

For the year 2016, Groupe Open can confidently stand by its growth forecasts for both turnover and profits.

Turnover for Q2, along with half-yearly figures for 2016,
will be announced on Tuesday July 19 2016, after the close of trading.

About Groupe Open
With 3500 employees and turnover of €282 million in 2015, Open is a leading specialist in digital services. Working to deliver Industrial and Digital Transformation for businesses, Open works primarily in France as well as in international markets including Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg and China.
Listed on the Paris stock exchange, Groupe Open is among France's largest digital services firms (ESN), continuously boosting digital performance at three levels: Extending the scope of our activities to combine IT services and digital innovation in a comprehensive, end-to-end service; Providing an online sales platform which offers direct access to Groupe Open's services; Running a technological innovation platform for use by both clients and experts.
Groupe Open is a resolutely forward-looking business, building for the future on the basis of our core values: Pertinence, Audacity, Ethics & Responsibility, Passion and Commitment - www.open-groupe.com

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