20th February, 2023
Jumia, the leading e-commerce platform in Africa, has just announced its fourth-quarter and full-year 2022 results and the figures are impressive considering the global economic realities. With growing monetization and reduced losses, the company is making significant progress toward profitability. In fact, the FY2023 Adjusted EBITDA loss is expected to decrease by up to 50% compared to FY2022. This is excellent news for the company and its investors, and it is a testament to the strength of Jumia’s new strategy.
Jumia has been on a journey of transformation over the past few months. The company has been working to streamline its operations, improve its financial performance, and position itself for sustainable growth in the long term. One of the key elements of Jumia’s new strategy is its focus on enhanced cost discipline. The company is working to reduce costs across its operations and to optimize its organizational structure to drive meaningful savings.
This strategy is already bearing fruit. In the fourth quarter of 2022, Jumia’s operating loss decreased by 41% year-over-year, reaching $49.8 million. Adjusted EBITDA loss also decreased by 30% year-over-year, reaching $49.2 million. These are significant improvements that reflect Jumia’s commitment to achieving profitability.
One of the ways Jumia is achieving cost savings is through a significant reduction in headcount. In the fourth quarter of 2022, the company terminated over 900 positions, representing a 20% reduction in headcount. This streamlining effort has resulted in a leaner, more effective organizational structure that is fully committed to executing the company’s new strategy.
Another key element of Jumia’s new strategy is its focus on accelerating monetization. Despite the challenging macroeconomic environment in some of its markets, Jumia has posted robust Gross Profit growth, which increased by 22% year-over-year. Marketplace revenue also reached an all-time high of $41.2 million. This growth is a result of Jumia’s proactive measures to support Commissions and Advertising revenue, which both reached record highs during the quarter.
Jumia’s new leadership team, led by CEO Francis Dufay, has been instrumental in driving the company’s transformation. Dufay was appointed as Acting CEO in 2022 and has now been officially appointed CEO by Jumia’s Supervisory Board.
The Jumia leadership team has taken a number of decisive actions to set the business on a path to profitability. One of their key priorities has been to significantly improve resource allocation, focusing on core areas with attractive returns on investments and clear ecosystem benefits. In the third quarter of 2022, Jumia announced its intention to cease a number of activities that did not meet these criteria. These business exits have now largely been completed, including the discontinuation of Jumia Prime and the scaling back of first-party grocery in Algeria, Ghana, Senegal, and Tunisia. These moves have helped to support Jumia’s unit economics and reduce business complexities.
Jumia’s leadership team is also working to drive efficiencies across the company’s cost structure. They are streamlining their organizational structure and reducing costs to drive meaningful savings. For example, the headcount reductions, mostly in the Dubai office implemented in the fourth quarter of 2022 are expected to save the company over 30% in monthly staff costs starting from March 2023, as compared to the October 2022 staff cost baseline.
Overall, while it is still early days, Jumia’s new strategy is already showing clear signs of delivering results. The company is making significant progress towards profitability, with a sharp reduction in Adjusted EBITDA loss expected in FY2023. The company’s focus on enhanced cost discipline and accelerated monetization is driving meaningful improvements in its financial performance. The leadership team’s decisive actions to improve resource allocation, streamline the organizational structure, and drive efficiencies across the cost structure have set Jumia on a solid path to profitability and sustainable growth.
The positive figures in Jumia’s fourth-quarter and full-year 2022 results are a testament to the strength of the company’s new strategy. The company’s commitment to achieving profitability and sustainable growth is unwavering, and the leadership team’s decisive actions are driving meaningful progress towards these goals. Jumia is well-positioned to capitalize on the significant growth opportunities in the African e-commerce market, and its focus on cost discipline and accelerated monetization will continue to be key drivers of the company’s success in the years ahead.
In conclusion, Jumia’s leadership team, led by CEO Francis Dufay, has been instrumental in driving the company’s transformation, and their decisive actions to set the business on a path to profitability is sure to bear fruit in the near term.