The 2020 financial year of Air Liquide Côte d’Ivoire, a subsidiary of the French multinational Air Liquide International and specializing in the supply of industrial and medical gases, was marked by a record loss of 2.462 billion FCFA (3.694 million euros), announced the leaders of this Abidjan-based company.
For three years, Air Liquide Côte d’Ivoire’s accounts have been in a zone of turbulence with successive losses of -990.908 million FCFA in 2017, -81.836 million FCFA in 2018 and -26.523 million FCFA in 2019. Yet , observers who follow the evolution of this company expected, in the absence of a return to a profitable situation in 2020, the maintenance of the gradual reduction in the level of the company’s deficit.
However, the overall revenues of the company have increased by 343 million FCFA in 2020, with an achievement of 7.491 billion FCFA against 7.148 billion FCFA a year earlier. However, the company’s turnover fell by 822 million, amounting to 6.348 billion FCFA against 7.170 billion FCFA in 2019.
The company’s purchases as a whole increased by 46% to 6.765 billion FCFA against 4.636 billion FCFA in 2019. Among these expenses, the items Other expenses (2.037 billion), Purchases of goods, raw materials, related supplies and others Purchases (1.944 billion), External services (1.717 billion) and Change in inventories (1.115 billion) are preponderant. As for the added value, it fell sharply by 71.09%, from CFAF 2.512 billion as of December 31, 2019 to CFAF 725.663 million a year later.
Air Liquide Côte d’Ivoire saw the level of its personnel costs fall from 806 million FCFA to 2.210 billion FCFA against 3.016 billion FCFA in 2019. The gross operating surplus generated by the company was in deficit of 1.484 billion FCFA against -504.310 million FCFA as of December 31, 2019. The same applies to operating income at -2.518 billion FCFA against -737.217 million FCFA previously.
