Revenue
Revenue for the quarter was €289 million which is 19% lower compared to the same quarter last year (Q4 2011: €357 million) and 6% higher compared to the previous quarter (Q3 2012: €274 million). The year on year decrease is mainly driven by lower Consumer and Automotive sales.
Consumer revenue for Q4 decreased year on year by 23% from €242 million in Q4 2011 to €187 million in Q4 2012. The year-on-year decrease is mainly the result of PND demand continuing to be less skewed towards the fourth quarter. PND sales in EMEA were relatively strong and we saw revenue from the SportWatch nearly double year on year albeit from a small base. Sequentially, Consumer revenue increased by €15 million or 9%, mainly due to our higher market share in Europe and seasonality in PND demand in the US.
The PND market size in Europe was 2.5 million units compared to 3.2 million units in the same quarter of last year. TomTom’s European market share increased from 47% in Q4 2011 to 50% in Q4 2012. The North American market size was 2.5 million units compared to 3.7 million units last year. Our market share in North America was 19% compared to 27% in the prior year.
Automotive revenue for Q4 2012 was €44 million, which is a decrease of 21% compared to €56 million in Q4 2011 and 10% sequentially (Q3 2012: €49 million). The year on year decline reflects the tough conditions in the European automotive industry which continue to constrain new car sales.
Licensing generated revenue of €37 million in this quarter, a decline of 7% compared to the €40 million in Q4 2011, mainly due to lower revenue coming from third party PND vendors. Sequentially, revenue increased by €4.0 million or 12% (Q3 2012: €33 million) as a result of higher revenue from smartphone and internet customers.
Revenue for Business Solutions in the quarter was €20 million, representing an 8% increase year on year (Q4 2011: €19 million) and a 6% increase sequentially (Q3 2012: €19 million). The year on year increase is the result of the growth in WEBFLEET subscription revenue. The partner model for geo-expansion is increasing the relative contribution of WEBFLEET revenue in the mix.
Hardware revenue development reflected the decline in Consumer PND and Automotive hardware sales. Hardware revenue in the quarter decreased by 24% year on year to €191 million (Q4 2011: €250 million). Sequentially, Hardware revenue increased by 13% (Q3 2012: €169 million).
Revenue from Content & Services for the quarter was €98 million, an 8% decrease year on year (Q4 2011: €107 million) and a 6% decrease sequentially (Q3 2012: €105 million). Content & Services revenue accounted for 34% of revenue for the quarter (Q4 2011: 30%; Q3 2012: 38%).
Gross margin
The gross margin for the quarter was 53% compared with 46% in Q4 2011 and 55% in Q3 2012. The year on year increase is mainly due to the accelerated write-off of pre-paid third party service costs in Q4 2011 and one-off provision releases in the current quarter. Excluding the releases the gross margin for the current quarter was 51%. Foreign exchange currency movements did not have a meaningful impact on the gross margin compared to last year and prior quarter. The normalised gross margin in Q4 2011 was 48%.
Operating expenses
The restructuring program initiated in Q4 2011 has made a visible impact on the lowering of our cost base in 2012. Total operating expenses for the quarter were €130 million compared to €156 million in Q4 2011, representing a 17% decrease year on year. €14 million out of the €26 million decrease is explained by the restructuring costs recognised in Q4 2011. Sequentially, operating expenses increased by €11 million or 9.5%.
The year on year reduction in operating expenses in the quarter was mainly visible in the areas of Marketing (-31%) and SG&A (-23%). In R&D we continue to invest in our innovation projects which resulted in a modest decrease of 3.2% for the quarter compared to Q4 2011. The amortisation of technology and databases decreased by 19% year on year as the result of the accelerated amortisation of certain technologies in Q4 2011.
The sequential increase in operating expenses is mainly due to the timing of R&D projects, which led to higher R&D expenses, and an increase in the SG&A expenses mainly as a result of higher property and personnel expenses.
Financial results
The net interest charge for the quarter was €2.4 million compared with €3.8 million in Q4 2011 and €3.2 million in Q3 2012. Interest paid for the quarter was €3.5 million. The amortisation of transaction costs related to the term loan and revolving credit facility amounted to €0.8 million.
The other financial result for the quarter was a loss of €0.3 million
compared with a gain of €0.7 million in Q4 2011.The loss was mainly
driven by our hedge results.
