1 GLOBAL BLUE RELEASES THE MONTHLY TAX FREE SHOPPING BUSINESS UPDATE FOR MARCH 2023 Signy, Switzerland, April 6, 2023 Fresh data from Global Blue shows that the dynamic recovery for Tax Free Shopping has continued to strengthen across Continental Europe and Asia Pacific. Globally, Issued Sales in Store like-for-like recovery has accelerated, reaching 110%1 in March vs. 90%1 in February and 102%1 in January. This acceleration of the recovery in March is largely due to the progressive return of Mainland Chinese Shoppers while the Issued Sales in Stores like-for-like for US and GCC residents have remained at very high levels compared to pre-pandemic levels. Continental Europe recovery surpasses last months’ average In Continental Europe, the recovery reached 119%1 in March vs. 100%1 in February and 106%1 in January. In terms of origin markets, the return of Mainland Chinese residents (25% of Continental Europe Sales in Stores in 2019) has been key to the strengthening recovery. Mainland Chinese shopper recovery reached 49%1 in March vs. 22%1 in February and 22%1 in January. US shoppers are also contributing to the continued Sales in Store like-for-like recovery in Continental Europe, reaching 284%1 in March vs. 284%1 in February and 297%1 in January. At the same time, the recovery level of Gulf Cooperation Council residents remains strong, despite the start of Ramadan, a period when they typically do not tend to travel. Gulf Cooperation Council residents’ recovery reached 264%1 in March vs. 286%1 in February and 224%1 in January. Asian shopper recovery (excluding Mainland China) remains solid despite a softening of Indonesian and Malaysian shoppers linked to the beginning of Ramadan. South East Asia shopper recovery reached 145%1 in March vs. 175%1 in February and 153%1 in January. In terms of destination markets, the acceleration in March was across all destinations, predominantly led by Greece at 176%1, France at 154%1, Spain at 133%1, Switzerland at 122%1 and Italy at 112%1. 1Recovery rate is equal to 2023 Issued Sales in Store divided by 2019 Issued Sales in Store, like-for-like (i.e.: at constant merchant scope and exchange rates). 2Air capacity: ForwardKeys data platform – March 2023
2 Progressing recovery across most nationalities in Asia Pacific In Asia Pacific, recovery reached 93%1 in March vs. 74%1 in February and 96%1 in January. In terms of origin markets, the return of Mainland Chinese shoppers (56% of Asia Pacific Sales in Stores in 2019) has also been key to the strengthening recovery in Asia Pacific. In March, Mainland Chinese shopper recovery in Singapore reached 69%1 vs. 25%1 in February and 45%1 in January, whilst in South Korea, Mainland Chinese shopper recovery reached 59%1 in March vs. 36%1 in February and 46%1 in January. With regards to the other origin market nationalities, Hong Kong and Taiwan residents have an elevated recovery level at 371%1 in March vs. 347%1 in February and 385%1 in January. This was followed by South East Asia residents at 155%1 in March vs. 149%1 in February and 133%1 in January. Regarding destination markets, Japan is leading the Sales in Store like-for-like recovery, reaching 96%1 in March, with Singapore at 91%1 and South Korea at 80%1. A gradual recovery for Mainland Chinese shoppers Since the reopening of China’s border in January 2023, air capacity recovery from Mainland China to key destinations has been gradually increasing. In Continental Europe, air capacity recovery reached 22%2 in March vs. 18%2 in February and 10%2 in January. In Asia Pacific, air capacity recovery reached 14%2 in March vs. 10%2 in February and 9%2 in January. On the back of this progressive air capacity recovery, we have seen a steady improvement in the Sales in Store like-for-like recovery in all markets. In Continental Europe, the recovery reached 49%1 in March vs. 22%1 in February and 22%1 in January. In Asia Pacific, the recovery reached 40%1 in March vs. 27%1 in February and 38%1 in January. Moreover, it is anticipated that the recovery of Mainland Chinese shoppers will continue to gain momentum in the second quarter, given the projected increase in air capacity2. Projected Air capacity recovery from Mainland China2 April 2023 May 2023 June 2023 Q3 2023 Continental Europe 36% 41% 42% 44% Asia Pacific 31% 37% 38% 38% 1 Recovery rate is equal to 2023 Issued Sales in Store divided by 2019 Issued Sales in Store, like-for-like (i.e.: at constant merchant scope and exchange rates). 2 Air capacity: ForwardKeys data platform – March 2023
3 APPENDIX YTD Data Issued SIS L/L recovery1 (in % of 2019) March 2023 February 2023 January 2023 Q4 2022 Q3 2022 Q2 2022 Q1 2022 Continental Europe 119% 100% 106% 104% 101% 75% 53% Asia Pacific 93% 74% 96% 80% 51% 39% 16% TOTAL 110% 90% 102% 97% 89% 65% 40% Glossary - Gulf Cooperation Council countries include: Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Oman - South East Asia includes: Indonesia, Thailand, Cambodia, Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Singapore - North East Asia includes: Japan, South Korea MEDIA CONTACTS Virginie Alem – SVP Marketing & Communications Mail: valem@globalblue.com INVESTOR RELATIONS CONTACTS Frances Gibbons – Head of Investor Relations Mob: +44 (0)7815 034 212 Mail: fgibbons@globalblue.com ABOUT GLOBAL BLUE Globa l Blue pioneered the concept of Tax Free Shopping 40 years ago. Through continuous innovation, we have become the leading strategic technology and payments par tner, empowering retai lers to improve their per formance and shoppers to enhance their experience. Globa l Blue offers innovative solution s in three different fie lds: • Tax Free Shopping: Helping retai lers at over 300,000 points of sale to e ffic ient ly manage 35 mil l i on Tax Free Shopping transactions a year, thanks to i ts fu l ly in tegrated in -house technology plat form. Meanwhi le , i ts industry -leading digi tal Tax Free shopper so lutions create a better , more seamless customer experience . • Payment services: Providing a ful l suite of foreign exchange and Payment technology solutions that a l low acquirers, hote ls, and retai lers to offer value -added services and improve the cus tomer experience during 31 mi l l ion payment transactions a year at 130,000 points of interaction . • Complementary Reta ilTech: Offer ing new technology so lutions to retai lers, including digi tal receipts and eCommerce returns , that can be eas i ly integrated with their core systems and al low them to optimize and digita l ize their processes throughout the omni -channe l customer journey, both in -store and online. In addi t ion, our data and advisory serv ices offer a strategic advisory to help retai lers identify opportunit ies for growth, whi le our shopper exper ience and engagement solut ions provide data -dr i ven solutions to increase footfal l, convert footfa ll to revenue and enhance performance. For more in formation, vis i t http://www.globalblue.com/corporate/ Global Blue Monthly Speaker Notes Data, January 2023, Source: Global Blue