Monitor&Subject already “runs” twice as quick as earlier than the pandemic

CEO Fred Wagner highlights that investments in omnichannel and social selling led to a 130.8% increase in sales compared to the same period in 2019

After almost two years suffering from the “opens and closes” of commerce due to the Covid-19 pandemic, Track&Field was finally able to present a performance for the second quarter that was not marked by restrictions on the movement of people.

According to the results released this Thursday, August 11, net revenue grew 39.2% over the same period last year, to R$ 131.4 million. Still, the comparison continued to be affected by the pandemic.

In the second quarter of 2021, the company was resuming its face-to-face activities, after restrictions on the movement of people began to be relaxed from the second half of April.

But even if the comparison has been influenced, Fred Wagner, CEO of Track&Field, argues that the numbers are historically good and show the company on another level. Just compare it with the performance in 2019, which shows a 130.8% increase in sales compared to the second quarter of that year.

“We see a change in consumer behavior, our addressable market has increased and our numbers are quite robust,” says Wagner to NeoFeed.

According to him, this shows that the strategy adopted because of the pandemic is proving to be the right one. Among the points that he understands that served as growth levers are the evolution of omnichannel, the maintenance of social selling even with stores reopened and assertiveness in product launches.

In the case of internet sales, they had a decline of 67.5% compared to the second quarter of 2021, with the resumption of sales in stores. But the channel remains relevant in the ship from storein which the stores function as mini distribution centers for purchases made over the internet.

“We had 67% of sales generated by e-commerce billed by stores, while a year ago it was 27%”, says Fernando Tracanella, CFO of the company.

Even with the effects of the comparison basis, Wagner and Tracanella highlighted that the revenue obtained in the second quarter helped to dilute expenses with the company’s growth.

In the quarter ended in June, Track&Field posted a 41.1% increase in adjusted Ebitda, to R$25.1 million, and adjusted net income increased 31.5%, to R$18.2 million.

Looking ahead, however, the expectation is that the comparison of results on an annual basis will become more complicated, considering that economic activity was much more intense in the third quarter of 2021.

“We maintained the positive momentum from the sales point of view in the second quarter, but now we are starting to compare ourselves with the stronger base of 2021”, says Tracanella. “But we see no signs of a sales slowdown.”

ecosystem

While remaining optimistic about what is to come, Track&Field remains firm in its strategic plan, which involves creating an ecosystem of products and services to meet the needs of its consumers as completely as possible.

One of the company’s priorities is to finish implementing its marketplace, called TF Mall. The company advanced in the initiative, starting to add products with demand to its public, but that it does not intend to produce.

The company closed deals with seller Allied to sell Apple and Samsung headphones and with Porparts to make Garmin watches, widely used by runners, available later on.

The marketplace is now live and should expand the number of categories over time, including food and sports equipment, such as bicycles. The company is still working out the last technical details before starting to make the disclosure.

As part of the ecosystem idea, the marketplace must be activated by Track&Field when it has events. “We can make a specific offer of bluetooth headphones in a running kit”, says Wagner. “We always have the kit delivered to the store and the person can add a phone from Apple, from Samsung.”

Also on the ecosystem front are the so-called Experience Stores. Created to attack the experience front, these units rely on concierge to help consumers, they hold sporting events and offer running clubs, in addition to having a branded café and minimarket, the TFC Food & Market, which has been serving as a way for Track&Field to study the potential of the food and supplement market.

The first Experience Store unit, launched in September 2021, at Shopping Iguatemi, consolidated its operation in the second quarter with a 75.9% increase in sales, on an annual basis.

In view of the result, Track&Field opened a second unit in July, at Shopping Pátio Higienópolis, and plans to open another eight in the same format. The locations were not revealed.

“Our strategy is to expand the number of stores in the Experience Store, and in the new franchised stores we are incorporating all the lessons we learned from the Experience Store, in terms of displaying products for customers, lighting, innovations that it brought to the retail experience”, says Wagner.

In the second quarter, the company opened ten new stores, bringing the total number of units to 310.

The company’s shares closed today’s trading session up 2.46%, at R$11.26. In the year, they accumulate a fall of 13.1%, taking the market value to R$ 1.7 billion.

Source: Neofeed