Payzone reports sales of €155m and operating profit of €5.8m

Payzone Ireland Limited (Payzone) has reported sales of €155.1 million for the 12-month period ended 30 September 2016, down 5% from €162.9 million in the previous financial year.

Jim Deignan, Chief Executive, Payzone Ireland said that the 2016 financial results reflect the ongoing diversification of the company’s revenue base. “During 2016, as expected, the reduction in mobile top-up sales continued, affecting gross turnover figures. However, the business performance, in terms of operating profit, was strong as we diversified further into customised payments solutions. Our deep knowledge of the e-payments industry, together with our technical expertise, means we are well placed to adapt quickly to developments in the marketplace. 

Payzone’s recent acquisition of the EasyPaymentsPlus and MyEasyPay payment platform businesses demonstrates our continued development of the customised payments solutions business. As consumers conduct more transactions electronically we have seen an increase in online transactions, which now account for 12% of total Payzone transactions. This was one of the fastest growing sectors of the business during 2016,” he said.

Payzone is Ireland’s largest provider of multi-channel consumer payments and owns one of the largest physical retail payments networks in the country with 11,500 points of sale across over 7,500 agents.  It processes over 90 million transactions annually across a variety of electronic transactions services, including mobile phone top ups, debit/credit card transactions; M50 motorway toll payments; Leap travel cards, parking fees, pre-paid utility and parcel collection services.

Payzone distributes payments services and products on behalf of a broad range of clients which include Government agencies, local authorities, utility companies and mobile network operators.

As an industry leader, Payzone’s technology credentials, capabilities and expertise are a particular strength of the business and it has utilised technology innovation to provide a multi-channel payment platform across four distinct sectors including transport, utilities, financial services and telecommunications. The increase in contactless transactions continues to drive growth for debit card usage as an alternative to cash as consumers become increasingly comfortable in using cards for payment of low value transactions.

In April 2015, Payzone was acquired by Carlyle Cardinal Ireland (CCI), the Irish private equity fund founded by The Carlyle Group and Cardinal Capital Group.  The company employs over 70 people based in its Sandyford head office in Dublin.

Looking to the future, Mr Deignan said that with the support of CCI, Payzone planned to continue diversifying into a wider range of e-payment solutions and channels.

“We will continue to look for further growth opportunities following the successful acquisition of EasyPaymentsPlus and MyEasyPay payment platform businesses.  Our objective is to drive greater efficiency for clients and increased revenues for our retail partners through the delivery of innovative e-payment services, with a renewed focus on consumer payment solutions” he said.