AB Electrolux (publ) – Annual report – 31 December 2021
Industry: manufacturing
Notes (extract)
All amounts in SEKm unless otherwise stated
Note 4 Revenue recognition
Revenue recognition
Electrolux manufactures and sells appliances mainly in the wholesale market to customers being retailers. Electrolux products include refrigerators, dishwashers, washing machines, cookers, vacuum cleaners, air conditioners and small domestic appliances.
Sales are recorded net of value-added tax, specific sales taxes, returns, and trade discounts. Revenues arise from sales of finished products and services.
Sale of finished products including spare parts and accessories
Sales of products are revenue recognized at a point in time i.e. when control of the products has transferred, being when the products are delivered to the customer. Delivery occurs when the products have been shipped to the specific location, the risks of obsolescence and loss have been transferred to the customer, and either the customer has accepted the products in accordance with the sales contract, the acceptance provisions have lapsed, or there is objective evidence that all criteria for acceptance have been satisfied. In practice, transfer of control and thus revenue recognition normally depends on the contractual incoterm.
Transaction price — Volume discounts
The products are often sold with volume discounts based on aggregate sales over a specific time period, normally 3–12 months. Revenue from these sales is recognized based on the price specified in the contract, net of the estimated volume discounts. Accumulated experience is used to estimate and provide for the discounts using either the expected value method or an assessment of the most likely amount. Revenue is only recognized to the extent that it is highly probable that a significant reversal will not occur. A contract liability is recognized for expected volume discounts payable to customers in relation to sales made until the end of the reporting period. The estimated volume discount is revised at each reporting date.
Receivables, contract assets and contract liabilities
A receivable is recognized when the goods are delivered as this is the point in time that the consideration is unconditional because only the passage of time is required before the payment is due. If the consideration is conditional to additional performance, a contract asset is recorded.
If Electrolux receive prepayments from customer a contract liability is recorded.
Sale of goods and services combined
When contracts include both goods and services the sales value is split into the separate performance obligations as applicable and revenue is recognized when each of the separate performance obligations is satisfied. In general, types of performance obligations that may occur are products, spare parts, installation, service and support and education.
Sale of services in a separate contract
Electrolux recognizes revenue from services related to installation of products, repairs or maintenance service when control is transferred, being over the time the service is provided. For service contracts covering a longer period revenue is recognized on a linear basis over the contract period.
Sale of licenses in a separate contract
Electrolux is licensing trade names to other companies. The license provides the licensee a right to access intellectual property throughout the license period and revenue is recognized over time. The most common license type for Electrolux is sales based royalty where the revenue is recognized when the sales occur.
Payments to customers
Agreements can be made with customers to compensate for various services or actions the customer takes. This relates to e.g. agreements under which Electrolux agrees to compensate the customer for e.g. marketing activities undertaken by the customer. The main rule is that if the payment is related to a distinct service or product it shall be accounted for as a purchase of that service or product. If not it shall be deducted from the related revenue stream. In practice, if the contract doesn’t include any requirement of follow up from Electrolux side and/or reporting back from the customer that the service is performed, the payment shall be accounted for as a reduction of revenue.
Customer incentives
Customer incentives include promotional activities as e.g. coupons, gift cards, free products and loyalty/cash points. Customer incentives are additional performance obligations providing the customer with a material right, i.e. the customer is purchasing a product or service in the original purchase and the right to a free or discounted product or service in the future. The customer is effectively paying in advance for future products or services. Revenue is therefore allocated to two performance obligations, the originally purchased product and the product bought in the future (payment in advance). A liability is recognized for the rebate until it’s used or expires unused.
Within Electrolux a common promotional activity is to offer free products in combination with other sales. When the free products are related to the Electrolux product range, revenue is allocated to both the ordinary products sold and the free products.
When the free products are unrelated to the Electrolux product range, the free products are recognized as marketing/sales cost.
Warranties
The most common warranty for Electrolux is to replace a faulty product under legal and common practice warranty terms. In those cases warranty is recognized as a provision. Electrolux also sells extended warranty where the revenue is recognized during the warranty period, which usually starts after the legal warranty period. Sometimes warranty offered is including a service part and if it is difficult to separate the warranty from the service the two are bundled together and revenue is recognized over the warranty period.
Sales with a right of return
A right of return is not a separate performance obligation, but it affects the transaction price for the transferred goods. Returns rights are commonly granted in the retail and consumer industry.
Regarding a right of return which follows from legislation, statutory requirements, business practice or is stipulated in the contract with the customer, revenue is not recognized for goods expected to be returned. Instead, a liability is recognized for expected refunds to customers. An asset is also recorded for the expected returned item. The estimated amount of returned goods in each sale with a right of return, is based on a probability-weighted approach or most likely outcome, whichever is most predictive. The estimate is revised on each reporting date.
Principal versus agent
In some countries Electrolux acts as an agent, i.e. Electrolux arranges for goods or services to be provided by an external supplier to the customer. Electrolux records as revenue the commission fee earned for facilitating the transfer of goods or service or the net amount of consideration that the company retains after paying the other party the consideration received in exchange for the goods or services to be provided by that party.
Freight charges
In most cases freight is included in the price of the product sold and revenue is recognized at the same time as for the product.
Consignment stock or sell-through arrangement
For some customers Electrolux keeps the inventory of products in the warehouse of the customer or in the customer’s outlet. Transfer of control of the products are done when the customer lifts the product from the warehouse or when the product is sold to the end consumer. Electrolux recognizes revenue when the control has been transferred or when there is a legal right of forcing a sales transaction.
Revenue types and flows
The vast majority of the Group’s revenues of SEK 125,631m (115,960) during the year consisted of product sales. Revenue from service activities amounted to SEK 1,950m (1,797). The Group’s net sales in Sweden amounted to SEK 4,058m (4,031). Exports from Sweden during the year amounted to SEK 43,717m (39,289), of which SEK 39,655m (35,235) were to Group subsidiaries. The major part of the Swedish export comes from two of the Swedish entities acting as a buying/selling hubs for the European business meaning that most of the European product flows are routed via these entities.
Disaggregation of revenue
Electrolux manufactures and sells appliances mainly in the wholesale market to customers being retailers. Electrolux products include refrigerators, dishwashers, washing machines, cookers, vacuum cleaners, air conditioners and small domestic appliances. Electrolux has four business areas with focus on the consumer market. Sales of services are not material in relation to Electrolux total net sales.
Geography and product category are considered important attributes when disaggregating Electrolux revenue. The business areas, also being the Group’s segments, are based on geography: Europe, North America, Latin America and Asia-Pacific, Middle East and Africa. In addition, the table to the right presents net sales by product area Taste (cooking appliances), Care (dish and laundry appliances) and Wellbeing (e.g. cleaning appliances and small domestic appliances). Products within all product areas are sold in each of the reportable segments, i.e. the Business Areas.
The table below presents the opening and closing balances of contract liabilities as well as movements during the years.
Accounts examples 