ConstructionAcrobatic looks to 2024 growth, focus on the USA

(Il Sole 24 Ore Radiocor) - EdiliziAcrobatica sees a future in growth, even without the incentives for construction, and aims at internationalisation, as well as a greater capillarisation on the Italian territory. After the Middle East, the focus is on the United States. Taking stock of the strategy of the company, specialised in exterior renovations and listed on Euronext Growth Milan and Paris, are the managing director, Anna Marras, and the president, Riccardo Banfo, interviewed by Radiocor.

The company reported a 40% increase in contracts signed and a 58.8% increase in customers in the first half of 2024. In the wake of these results, the share price turbocharged at Piazza Affari, returning to one-month highs, albeit far from the levels of a year ago. The rise exceeded 12% during the session on Thursday, 18 July, to a high of EUR 9.8 per share.

"This positive trend bodes well for the near future," i.e. for the second half of this year and for 2025, comments President Banfo, explaining that from a volume point of view the company is "holding up very well". And this 'is not a foregone conclusion', considering 'the complex period in the construction industry at the moment'. For 2024 the goal is "to consolidate the 2023 and 2022 results, despite the fact that there are no longer tax benefits for construction", but also "to improve the net financial position and maintain the focus on margins". This will be achieved through expansion abroad and growth in Italy. "We are working towards internationalisation and at the moment we are focused on the United States but we are also interested in other countries," adds CEO Anna Marras, who controls the company through Arim Holding with a stake of around 72.32%. 'Our policy,' she explains, 'remains that of acquisitions, as has been the case in other countries'. To date, the company is also present in the Middle East, in Dubai and Abu Dhabi, where business 'is going well and we expect to achieve important results'. As for Italy, it is a 'very important' market where 'we want to bring more and more value through an expansion of services,' says Marras. "We will try to be even more capillary in the territory and maybe even make some small acquisitions."

Founded in Genoa in 1994 by Riccardo Iovino, who died in September last year, EdiliziAcrobatica is the first company in Italy to apply the double safety rope technique to renovation work. The group currently employs 2,600 people, almost 2,000 of whom are in Italy, and is also present in France, Spain, Monaco, the Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia and Nepal. 'We are constantly adding new resources,' emphasises the CEO, 'and this year we have already exceeded 400 placements.