Arosa Bergbahnen Rewards Shareholders With Dividends

Recently, the ordinary general meeting of Arosa Bergbahnen AG took place in a relaxed atmosphere. Vice President of the Board of Directors Adi Altmann presented the assembled shareholders with the second best business result in the company's history. They approved the proposed dividend of 4%. Andrea Thür-Suter, the mayor of Chur, was newly elected to the board of directors.

“For the two destinations Arosa and Lenzerheide, the construction of the Urdenbahn was a milestone in history, which allowed us to become a major ski area without giving up our own character in Arosa. I am pleased that we can speak of a great success on the 10th anniversary.”

The first winter admissions in Arosa Lenzerheide of 1.284 million fell slightly compared to last year's peak. With sales of CHF 32.640 million, the mountain railway company still achieved the second best overall performance in the company's history. Traffic revenue (summer and winter) contributed CHF 19.322 million and the mountain restaurants were even able to report a new high of CHF 8.960 million. The annual profit amounts to CHF 1.170 million. EBITDA, the most important earnings figure in the mountain railway industry, also reached a peak in the last financial year at CHF 11.071 million. The EBITDA margin of 33.9% is an excellent value. The equity ratio is 42%.

Dividend

After this excellent financial year, the board of directors of the mountain railway company is continuing the dividend policy of previous years and proposed to the general meeting a distribution of CHF 4.00 per share (total CHF 625,000). The shareholders followed the proposal with unanimous approval. In doing so, the Board of Directors wants to let shareholders share in its success and encourage them to support the company in future major investments. The General Meeting also approved the revision of the Articles of Association in order to implement the requirements of the revision of Swiss company law that has come into force.

Monetary blessing for the community

If Arosa Bergbahnen AG shines with good results, the community of Arosa also benefits directly. The mountain railway company's direct contributions to the municipality in the past financial year amounted to CHF 410,000, divided into CHF 100,000 in profit and capital tax, CHF 60,000 in property tax, CHF 130,000 in interest on building rights in the ski area and CHF 120 000 in dividend distribution. The municipality is the largest individual shareholder with 19.1%. The Arosa Bergbahnen thus underlines its key role in the destination.

Performance development on the mountain

In the current 2023/2024 financial year, CHF 8.2 million is earmarked for new projects. “The new construction of the KuhBar as an event location at the Tschuggenhütte in the middle of the ski area in a prime location is the core investment,” says Philipp Holenstein, Managing Director of Arosa Bergbahnen. The construction work is progressing according to plan. The mountain railway company is also investing TCHF 600 in replacing snow-making systems, TCHF 440 in explosive masts for avalanche protection on the Hörnli-Plattenhorn and TCHF 430 in photovoltaic systems on its own properties and railway stations, explains Holenstein.

New election to the board of directors

Mayor Andrea Thür-Suter from the municipality of Chur was elected to the administrative board as the successor to Andreas Brunold, who left the administrative board a year ago. She represents the municipality of Chur, the largest landowner in the ski area, on the board of directors of the mountain railway company.