Yvo Bielmann lives for good food. His passion led him to become a market leader in Western Switzerland. (Video is in French with German subtitles)

Yvo Bielmann’s passion is dedicated to high-end dining culture. He grew up with a love for gastronomy through his parents managing a restaurant. He established his own company, Cash Hotel, in 1993. Together with two associates, he supplied hotels, restaurants and hospitals with facilities and equipment for kitchens and dining rooms. Cash Hotel gained more and more customers and in 2007, Bielmann was able to build a larger company building in Givisiez in Fribourg. He contacted UBS for financing.

The leap into German-speaking Switzerland

For the past ten years, Cash Hotel has been growing little by little. Today, the Givisiez-based warehouse stores around 10,000 different articles. With its 30 employees, Cash Hotel is now the market leader in the high-end gastronomy segment in Western Switzerland. But Yvo Bielmann wants more. He’s now preparing for the leap into German-speaking Switzerland: “We think that our slightly different approach will be appreciated there too.”

Stéphane Mathey, Head of UBS Corporate Clients in Western Switzerland, worked with Bielmann to find an optimal currency management solution for hedging risks for Cash Hotel. (Video is in French with German subtitles) 

Freedom thanks to currency hedging

Over time, many fast-growing Swiss SMEs develop international relationships. They receive more and more goods from abroad or increase the export of their products. This often exposes them to fluctuating currency exchange rates. Even small exchange rate fluctuations have a direct impact on the financial position of your business and can complicate the calculation of your margins.

Currency losses can be an unexpected bump in the road for both importers and exporters. In 2007, we also found a currency risk for Cash Hotel during a cash flow analysis because imports from the EU area had steadily increased. This currency risk put the company’s margins at risk and made financial planning more difficult. Therefore, we advised Bielmann to hedge against exchange rate losses so he could fully concentrate on developing the business of Cash Hotel.

Stéphane Mathey heads UBS’s corporate client segment in Western Switzerland. With his teams, he helps entrepreneurs like Yvo Bielmann to optimize their business.

The solution

UBS advised Bielmann to hedge his company's foreign currency positions against exchange rate losses. Depending on the client's needs, there are different tailored currency hedging solutions to choose from. For Cash Hotel, futures was the most efficient solution. They stabilize the margins and help Bielmann implement his growth strategy.