Grup Parlem opens a new stage, marked by the clean-up of its accounts and by the determination to focus exclusively on its telecommunications business, which includes telephony and digital solutions for companies. Thus, it leaves behind its commitment to diversification and excludes its energy division, which Parlem will put up for sale, from its plans. The group closed 2023 with 49 million in turnover, 34% more than in 2023; of the total, 45 million correspond to this telco area that it wants to prioritize, while Parlem Energia represented 8%.
The back to basics undertaken by the company coincides with the reorganization of its management structure, with the incorporation of Xavier Capellades as general director in autumn. After these changes, Parlem has decided to put the assets of its energy division up for sale. Thus, after acquiring the sustainable energy company Ecolium two years ago, it has opted to put this part of the group back on the market. "We hope to sell it during 2024, to be able to focus on our core business, which is the proximity telco model and customer service," said the group's executive president, Ernest Pérez-Mas, along with Capellades, at a meeting at Colmado Múrria, which began a new stage in December 2022 precisely with Pérez-Mas as a partner.
"We are gaining cruising speed; in 2024 we will focus on boosting our core business and we predict achieving very strong ebitda figures," Capellades remarked. All after a 2023 in which the group registered positive annual profitability for the first time and crossed the border from red to green in ebitda: while in 2022 it obtained a negative balance of 2.2 million, in 2023 it turned the figure around to two million euros, which rises to three if the energy division now for sale is not taken into account.
Parlem includes in its 2024 forecasts the possibility of acquiring new small operatorsThe group, which has around 200 employees, closed the last financial year exceeding 230,000 contracted services, which represents an annual increase of 25%. The increase largely responds to business growth in the Valencian Community, where it operates under the Aproop Telecom brand since 2021. Now, its objective is to consolidate itself in Catalonia and continue growing in Valencian territory, no longer only in the field of telephony, but also in the provision of digital services to companies, such as cybersecurity, cloud and digitalization.
Despite consolidation now being Parlem's main objective, Pérez-Mas and Capellades have announced that 2024 will include the group's expansion "outside its natural territory". They announced this without giving specifics, but did provide clues: they will land in a region with territorial and linguistic singularities similar to the areas where it already operates, and where they can transfer their model of proximity and customer service based on quality. In this regard, they have defended that their model is validated by figures such as the monthly churn rate, which stands at only 1.2%, as well as the average revenue per user (ARPU), which has risen from 33 to 37 euros in one year, compared to single-digit figures from other companies based on a low cost concept.
In addition to this future territorial expansion, Parlem's 2024 forecasts include the possibility of acquiring new small operators, in a year in which the merger of MásMóvil and Orange will shake up the market. "We are prepared to be active protagonists and to take advantage of the opportunities that arise," guaranteed Parlem's executive president. The market will also feel the effects of the acquisition of Vodafone Spain by the British fund Zegona, and the State's entry into Telefónica's shareholding, an operation that Parlem's executives have criticized, as they consider it generates a conflict of interest and causes "not all players to play with the same cards," according to Capellades.
To execute these acquisitions and implement the growth that Parlem seeks for 2024, the group is considering a range of options that include capital increases, convertible bonds, and debt offerings, in addition to the sale of assets such as its energy division. "We have various options on the table," which will be finalized mainly towards the second half of the year. This was detailed by the group's general director, who is also a sponsor of Girona FC until next season. To advance its economic plans, the group has created a subsidiary that unifies its infrastructures and networks deployed in various locations. Named Xarxes Exteses de Comunicacions (XEC), the subsidiary allows them to "separate businesses" and generate savings and synergies. One more piece on the path towards positive profitability and towards returning to its core business original.