Big Lots(US:BIG) Globenewswire·2025-11-24 21:51Core Insights - BIGBEN INTERACTIVE confirms its annual targets with consolidated half-year results for the 2025-2026 financial year, reporting a slight decrease in sales but improvements in gross margin and operating profitability [1][3][18] Financial Performance - Sales for the first half of 2025-2026 reached €135.4 million, a decrease of 0.3% compared to €135.9 million in the same period of 2024-2025 [2] - Gross margin increased by 5.8% to €73.5 million, with a gross margin rate of 54.3%, up from 51.2% [2][3] - EBITDA rose by 17.5% to €36.5 million, representing 27% of sales, an increase of nearly 4 percentage points [2][4] - Operating income improved by 24.7% to €4.7 million, accounting for 3.5% of sales [2][4] - Net income for the period was €3.7 million, down 16.3% from €4.4 million [2][4] Business Segment Analysis - NACON generated sales of €78.1 million, up 1.4% from €77.0 million, with a gross margin rate of 69.7% [5][8] - BIGBEN – Audio-Video/Telco reported sales of €57.4 million, a decrease of 2.5% from €58.9 million, with a gross margin rate of 33.3% [5][10] Balance Sheet and Debt Management - As of September 30, 2025, BIGBEN had equity of €340.9 million and available cash of €23.8 million, with net debt standing at €183.3 million [12] - The company has secured a refinancing agreement for €43 million to manage bonds exchangeable into Nacon shares maturing in February 2026 [13] Future Outlook - The second half of 2025-2026 is expected to see continued strong performance from NACON, with several game releases planned and a positive outlook for the Accessories business [15][16] - BIGBEN anticipates a more dynamic second half for its Audio-Video business, driven by seasonal sales events [17][18]