General Meeting Of Arosa Bergbahnen AG Held
The Annual General Meeting of Arosa Bergbahnen AG took place in a relaxed atmosphere. Chairman of the Board of Directors Lorenzo Schmid presented the best business results in the company's history to the assembled shareholders in a festive mood. They approved the proposed dividend of 4%. The development of the Hörnli area is planned with an investment volume of over CHF 50 million.
After a snowy winter season and in the anniversary year of the Arosa Lenzerheide ski area connection, the Arosa Bergbahnen have reason to celebrate. They can look back on the best business year in their history. The first-time winter arrivals in Arosa Lenzerheide of 1.403 million increased by 9.3% compared to the previous year. The mountain railway company achieved an outstanding overall performance with sales of CHF 36.224 million. Traffic revenue (summer and winter) contributed CHF 22.574 million to this, and the mountain catering businesses, together with accommodation, also reported a new record at CHF 11.363 million. The annual profit amounts to CHF 1.970 million. EBITDA, the most important earnings figure in the mountain railway industry, also reached a record level in the last business year at CHF 13.487 million. The EBITDA margin of 37.2% is an excellent figure. The equity ratio is 44%.
"The pleasing result makes me optimistic for the future. After ten years of the Arosa Lenzerheide ski area connection, we are very well positioned. A healthy and stable financial position is also necessary because the biggest investment that the mountain railway company has to make is still to come with the development of the Hörnli area," said Lorenzo Schmid, Chairman of the Board of Directors, beginning his speech at the Annual General Meeting. The Board of Directors has decided to replace the 40-year-old 6-seater gondola lift on the Hörnli with a 10-seater gondola lift on the same route. At the same time, the 4-seater chairlift on the Hörnli will be replaced by a modern 6-seater chairlift. This lift system will run parallel to the gondola lift and be extended with a lower valley station. The project is scheduled to be implemented in 2026 (preparation) and 2027 (construction). "The cost estimate assumes investments of CHF 40 million for the two lift systems. In addition, there will be further investments of CHF 15 million for piste corrections and artificial snowmaking. In the final expansion, the Arosa Bergbahnen will therefore invest CHF 55 million in this snow-sure part of the region, which is also very popular with bikers and hikers in summer," the Chairman of the Board of Directors told the shareholders.
dividend
After this excellent financial year, the board of directors of the mountain railway company is continuing the dividend distribution of the past years and proposed a distribution of CHF 4.00 per share (total CHF 625,000) to the general meeting. The shareholders approved the proposal unanimously. "The board of directors wants to let the shareholders share in the success and encourage them to continue to support the company in the future," explains board chairman Lorenzo Schmid about the dividend policy.
financial blessing for the public sector
The public sector also benefits directly from the excellent business results of Arosa Bergbahnen AG with contributions totaling CHF 782,000. Tax payments to the federal government and canton amount to CHF 312,000. The mountain railway company's direct contributions to the municipality of CHF 470,000 are divided into CHF 162,000 in profit and capital tax, CHF 63,000 in property tax, CHF 125,000 in building rights interest in the ski area and CHF 120,000 in dividend payments. The municipality is the largest single shareholder with 19.1%. Arosa Bergbahnen is thus underlining its key role in the destination.
performance development on the mountain
Looking ahead to the current 2024/2025 financial year, Managing Director Philipp Holenstein informed about the new projects on the mountain worth around CHF 8 million. "CHF 1.7 million will go into the new control system and drive for the Carmenna chairlift, which transported 900,000 guests last winter. Another focus is the investment in the renewal of the snowmaking systems with piste corrections and six blasting masts in the Hörnli area, amounting to CHF 2.7 million," says Philipp Holenstein, Managing Director of Arosa Bergbahnen. The construction work is progressing according to plan, so that all projects will be completed at the beginning of October. The mountain railway company is also investing CHF 1.0 million in the procurement of two new snow groomers and TCHF 170 in photovoltaic systems on its own properties and train stations, explains Holenstein.
Farewell to Board Member Peter Bircher
Since 2017, board member Peter Bircher has been a representative of the municipality of Arosa on the board. The long-standing member of the municipal board did not stand for election in the 2025-2028 municipal elections and will retire at the end of the year. Chairman of the board Lorenzo Schmid praised Peter Bircher's commitment as a reliable partner of the municipality as the largest minority shareholder. The new representative of the municipality of Arosa on the board of directors of the mountain railway company will then be elected in a year's time.
