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REG-Halfords Group PLC Halfords Group PLC: Preliminary Results: Financial Year 2023

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Halfords Group PLC (HFD)
Halfords Group PLC: Preliminary Results: Financial Year 2023

21-Jun-2023 / 07:00 GMT/BST

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21 June 2023

                                                    Halfords Group plc

                                                             

                                         Preliminary Results: Financial Year 2023

                                                             

Group revenue up +15.3% year-on-year, with 48% of revenue now service-related and FY23 PBT within previously guided range.

                                                             

                         Strong start to FY24 with market share increases across all categories.

                                                             

Halfords Group plc (“Halfords” or the “Group”), the UK’s  leading provider of Motoring and Cycling services and  products,
today announces its preliminary results for the 52 weeks to 31 March 2023 (the “Period”).

 

To provide a better  understanding of underlying performance,  financial comparisons will also  be made relative to  FY20,
that is, on a three-year basis. The  disruption from COVID-19 to both FY21  and FY22 means that comparators against  these
years are more  difficult to interpret.  From FY24 we  will revert  to one-year comparators.  All numbers shown  are on  a
post-IFRS 16 basis and before non-underlying items, unless otherwise stated.

 

FY23 overview:

  • Significant Group revenue growth  of +39.5% vs FY20,  and +15.3% vs FY22.  LFL growth of 13.4%  vs FY20 (+2.4% LFL  vs
    FY22) with all segments positive despite  a backdrop of significant declines in  Cycling and Consumer Tyres markets  –
    which were down 24% and 14% respectively vs pre-covid on a volume-basis.
  • Market share increases vs FY22 across Motoring, Tyres, Servicing and Cycling.
  • Despite an estimated £95m* of year-on-year  cost and market headwinds, investment  in price to support customers,  and
    continued investment in our  transformation, Underlying Profit Before  Tax (PBT) of £51.5m,  down -£38.3m vs FY22  and
    -£5.4m vs. FY20.
  • Launch of the UK’s first, dedicated  Motoring Loyalty Club with over 1.7m  members at year end, exceeding targets  and
    driving record levels of cross-shop and customer satisfaction.
  • Lodge Tyre  delivering business  case following  acquisition  in October  2022, demonstrating  the resilience  of  the
    commercial tyre market.
  • Avayler, our third-party software as a service (“SaaS”) business won its first major European client - Mobivia, one of
    Europe’s leading mobility organisations.
  • Group Gross margin -290bps vs FY22 as we remain competitively priced across Motoring and Motoring Services, supporting
    customers through the cost-of-living crisis.  Autocentres -500bps primarily due to  the expected margin dilution  from
    acquiring tyre businesses.
  • Over £20m of cost and efficiency savings realised during the year, beating initial target of £15m.
  • Strong free cash flow generation, with Retail stock lower on a volume basis vs FY22.
  • Resilient Balance Sheet, with Net Debt of -£1.8m pre lease debt and Net Debt : EBITDA pre-lease debt of 0.01x,  (1.87x
    post-lease debt), within our target range.
  • Final dividend of 7p per share proposed,  to be paid in September 2023, resulting  in a full year dividend of 10p,  an
    increase of +11% vs FY22.

 

*£68m cost inflation, £16m impact from core market declines, £11m of business rates reinstatement.

 

FY24 current trading and outlook:

Trading in FY24 year-to-date has been good, with positive  Group LFLs despite less favourable weather conditions in  early
spring. We  have  delivered profitable  sales  growth and  increased  market share  across  all major  categories,  whilst
continuing to support customers through the ongoing cost-of-living crisis.

We expect year-on-year profit growth in FY24 and are comfortable with current analyst consensus of £53.3m underlying  PBT.
Our expectations in FY24 are underpinned by the following assumptions:

  • We forecast Consumer Tyre market volumes to grow  +2.6ppts, Retail Motoring market volumes to grow +0.5ppts,  Motoring
    Services market volumes to be broadly flat, and Cycling market volumes to decline -1ppt.
  • We aim to grow volume share in each market which will be underpinned by;

       ◦ Growing share in the £1bn specialist car parts market with a particular focus on the Brakes market, complementing
         our existing 3B’s of Blades, Bulbs and Batteries.
       ◦ Leveraging our financial services with the launch of our industry leading, “Buy Now Pay Later” offer.
       ◦ Driving utilisation across our garages by targeting the lowest performing garages and dynamic pricing.

  • We expect net cost inflation of c.£30m primarily through FX, energy and pay inflation, partially offset by freight. 
  • However, we aim to offset this cost inflation through our cost and efficiency programme;

       ◦ The primary component will be our product cost reduction, which is already well underway.
       ◦ Approximately a third of the required cost and efficiency target will be achieved through initiatives already
         delivered in FY23.

  • We anticipate H1 PBT to be down YoY, and H2 to be up YoY, with the H1 variance impacted by the one-off FX credit taken
    in H1 FY23.​
  • We expect to invest some gross  margin rate year-on-year, as we look  to support customers through the  cost-of-living
    crisis, whilst driving profitable sales growth.
  • Capex for FY24 is expected to  be at the lower end  of our £50-60m p.a. mid-term average  presented at the CMD, as  we
    look to maximise ROCE.​
  • A cash outflow is envisaged in H1 FY24, with a corresponding and offsetting cash inflow in H2, ending the year with  a
    small net cash (pre-lease debt) position.

Looking beyond FY24, we expect strong profit growth in FY25 as we take a significant step towards our mid-term expectation
of £90-110m underlying PBT, as outlined at our Capital Markets Day in April 2023.

 

Graham Stapleton, Chief Executive Officer of Halfords, commented:

“In a very challenging year, our focus has been on supporting both customers and colleagues through the cost-of-living
crisis. Investment in competitive pricing and the value for money offered by our Motoring Loyalty Club, has enabled us to
help more people with their motoring needs.  This has led to an outstanding sales performance and significant market share
gains. 

 

Over the year we have also made great progress against our strategy, building a bigger needs-based services business, with
over three quarters of our revenue now coming from motoring, and almost half from service-related sales. These results
have been achieved despite significant inflation and other macroeconomic headwinds and are therefore a clear illustration
of the ever-increasing resilience of our business.

 

Trading since the start of the new financial year has been strong.  We have seen growth in our loyalty club, now  reaching
over 2m members, and we have entered the £1bn car parts market, drawing on our unrivalled value and convenience. 

Despite the uncertain consumer backdrop, I am confident that we will see the current momentum continue across the year, as
we develop out an even more differentiated proposition.  Last week we launched an industry leading Buy Now Pay Later offer
to help customers cover the cost of essential vehicle maintenance and repairs.  All of this is of course delivered by  our
highly skilled colleagues, across our unique and convenient combination of garages, mobile vans and stores.”

 

Group financial summary

                                                          FY23      FY20   FY23 vs     FY22   FY23 vs
                    £m                                                               
                                                                   (52 Wk)   FY20              FY22
                    Revenue                              1,593.5   1,142.4  451.1     1,382.4  211.1
                    Autocentres                           613.9     191.8   422.1      380.8   233.1
                    Retail                                979.6     950.6    29.0     1,001.6  -22.0
                    Gross Margin                          49.3%     51.1%  -180bps     52.2%  -290bps
                    Autocentres                           50.4%     65.5%  -1510bps    55.4%  -500bps
                    Retail                                48.6%     48.2%   +40bps     51.0%  -240bps
                    Underlying EBITDA                     186.0     188.6    -2.6      207.1   -21.1
                    Underlying Profit Before Tax (“PBT”)  51.5      56.9     -5.4      89.8    -38.3
                    Profit Before Tax                     43.5      22.7     20.8      96.6    -53.1
                    Underlying Basic Earnings per Share   18.8p     25.4p   -6.6p      35.5p  -16.7p

 

                          Group revenue summary

 

                                                     3-Year vs. FY20 1-Year vs. FY22
                                             
                                                         Growth          Growth
                                                      Total    LFL    Total    LFL
                                      Halfords Group  39.5%   13.4%   15.3%   2.4%
                                      Autocentres     220.1%  31.6%   61.2%   15.4%
                                      Retail           3.1%    9.9%   -2.2%   -1.8%
                                      Motoring        10.3%   14.5%   3.6%    4.0%
                                      Cycling         -8.3%    1.3%  -11.2%  -10.9%

 

Group Revenue

 

  • Group LFL growth of +2.4% vs FY22 with Autocentres +15.4% and Retail Motoring +4.0% and Cycling -10.9%.
  • Group LFL growth of +13.4% vs FY20, with Autocentres +31.6%, Retail Motoring +14.5% and Cycling +1.3%.
  • Service-related sales of c.£759m  (48% of Group  sales) in FY23, driven  by organic LFL  growth, the annualisation  of
    National Tyres following the acquisition in December 2021, and the acquisition of Lodge Tyre in October 2022.
  • B2B revenues of £384m  in FY23, accounting for  24% of Group  Revenue. Strong organic LFL  growth in Commercial  Fleet
    services, as well as the acquisition of Lodge Tyre, and strong growth of +16.7% in Cycle2Work (“C2W”).

 

Autocentres

 

  • Strong LFL growth against both FY20 and FY22 despite the consumer tyre market being -14% below FY20.
  • Market volume share growth of +0.4pts in  tyres on an LFL basis benefitting from  the launch of same day tyre  fitting
    which has driven incremental bookings into garages.
  • Motoring Loyalty Club helping  to drive performance with  customer acquisition from Retail  and online customer  base.
    Roughly a third of MOTs booked in FY23 were as a result of Club Memberships and Retail cross shop.
  • Acquisition of Lodge  Tyre has strengthened  our existing Commercial  business of Universal  and McConechy’s, both  of
    which have performed well, growing revenues and profit during the period. 
  • National Tyres is  most exposed  to the  depressed consumer tyre  market, impacting  underlying business  performance,
    however acquisition synergies achieved in line with plan.
  • While the recruitment market remains challenging, a combination of new recruits, an extensive internal upskilling
    programme, retention initiatives, and a continued focus on utilisation means that the Group’s capacity continues to
    improve. 

 

Retail

 

  • Market share growth  across both Motoring  and Cycling helping  to offset discretionary  categories, which  materially
    declined in H2 FY23.

 

  • Motoring:

       ◦ Market volume share growth of +2.6ppts year on year with LFL revenue growth of +14.5% vs FY20 and +4.0% vs FY22,
         reflecting driven by our “Keep on Motoring for Less” campaign, the growth of our Motoring Loyalty Club and
         strategic price investments.
       ◦ A strong H2 performance across motoring essentials as our in-year campaigns and investments resonated with
         customers.
       ◦ Launch into wider £1bn car parts market, offering customers access to c.130k of car parts with free next day
         delivery to home or store. Our market share has doubled in the four months post-launch.
       ◦ Strong growth across needs-based categories including maintenance and parts, offset by lower sales in higher
         ticket and discretionary categories.

 

  • Cycling:

       ◦ Revenue +1.3% LFL vs FY20 and –10.9% LFL vs FY22 with market volume share growth of +1.0pts partially offsetting
         the impact of the Cycling market being -24% below FY20 on a volume-basis.
       ◦ Strong B2B sales through our C2W scheme, building it into the online shopping journey and focussing on acquiring
         new business accounts.

 

Gross margin

 

  • Group gross margin of 49.3% represents an expected -180 basis point (bps) decline versus the 51.1% margin delivered in
    FY20.
  • Retail Gross margin up  +40bps vs FY20 due  to improved Cycling  margin and mix into  the comparatively higher  margin
    Motoring category.
  • Autocentres gross margin  decline of -500bps  vs FY22, primarily  a result of  the acquisition impact  of lower  gross
    margin tyre businesses. This decline is expected to stabilise in H2 FY24, following the anniversary of the Lodge  Tyre
    acquisition. 

 

Cost and efficiency:

 

  • Alongside the market headwinds noted, the Group has seen an estimated £68m of inflation vs FY22, within cost of goods,
    freight and operating costs, as well as the reinstatement of business rates of £11m following the FY22 COVID-19 relief
    scheme.
  • £20m of cost and efficiency savings delivered from over 150 initiatives exceeded the initial £15m target.
  • 41 lease renewals completed in Retail, saving an average of c.22% on each renewal.
  • Closure of 7 Retail stores and 19 Garages in FY23, driving better return on fixed costs through trade transfer.
  • Successful hedging policies in FX and Energy resulted in no inflationary impact during FY23.
  • Competitive freight negotiations throughout FY23 at, or below, spot rates.
  • Support Centre costs reduced through restructuring and organisational design work.

FY23 strategic update

 

Since setting out our strategy in  2018, we have evolved into a  significantly bigger business with service-related  sales
representing 48% of  total revenue,  and our  B2B business  more than doubling.   We have  developed a  unique and  scaled
platform, building  a market  leading interconnected  infrastructure of  stores, garages  and vans,  at the  same time  as
creating a  data and  digitally-enabled  business. This  platform  differentiates us  from  our competitors  and  provides
significant opportunities for earnings growth. This transformation has  been a multi-year process, with some of the  major
highlights in FY23 as follows:

 

  • Acquisition of Lodge Tyre

       ◦ Halfords is now the largest commercial tyre service provider in the UK, with the acquisition of Lodge
         complementing the previous acquisitions of Universal and McConechy’s.
       ◦ Grows garage estate to 643 and commercial van fleet to 479.
       ◦ Acquisition delivers strategically important Motoring, Service and B2B revenue streams.
       ◦ Year one synergies and business performance in line with business case, demonstrating the resilience of the
         commercial markets.
       ◦ On track to deliver incremental synergies worth £3.8 million (EBITDA) by year 5.

 

  • Motoring Loyalty Club

       ◦ Over 1.7m members in year one, significantly exceeding target of 500k-1m members.
       ◦ 125k premium members, exceeding our full year target of 50k – 100k.
       ◦ Delivering excellent cross-shop results of c.15% vs 4% for non-club members, with increased shopping frequency
         and average spend per customer.
       ◦ NPS results +4 points higher than equivalent score for non-members.
       ◦ Over a third of MOTs driven by Club members.

 

  • Avayler growth

       ◦ Expansion into Europe following signing of third international customer – Mobivia, with the roll-out to start in
         Germany through ATU’s mobile fleet.

 

  • National Tyres integration

       ◦ £6m of synergies delivered in FY23, in line with integration business case.
       ◦ All sites operational on our Avayler garage platform “PACE”, allowing coordinated central buying, slots bookable
         via Halfords.com and increased capacity and utilisation.
       ◦ MOT lanes and equipment rolled out helping to grow Service Maintenance and Repair sales by +27% year-on-year.

 

  • Fusion

       ◦ Rollout of capital efficient programme to 50 towns including car park referral managers, new technology and
         improved operating processes.
       ◦ “Solution selling” training completed by nearly all Retail colleagues and Autocentres managers.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Enquiries

Investors & Analysts (Halfords)            
Jo Hartley, Chief Financial Officer        
Richard Guest, Corporate Finance Director  
Andy Lynch, Head of Investor Relations    +44 (0) 7483 457 415                                                   

 

Media (Powerscourt)                                                                      +44 (0) 20 7250 1446
Rob                                                                                       1 halfords@powerscourt-group.com
Greening                                                                                
Nick Hayns                                                                                                  
Elizabeth Kittle                                                                                            
                                                                                                            

 

Results presentation

 

A live webcast  followed by  a Q&A  call for  analysts and investors  will be  held today,  starting at  09:00am UK  time.
Attendance is by invitation only. A copy of the transcript of the call will be available at  2 www.halfordscompany.com  in
due course. For further details please contact Powerscourt on the details above.

 

Next trading statement

 

On 6 September 2023 we will report our 20-week Trading Update for the period ending 18 August 2023.

 

Notes to Editors

 

 3 www.halfords.com             4 www.avayler.com           5 www.tredz.co.uk        6 www.halfordscompany.com            
        

 

Halfords is the  UK’s leading  provider of motoring  and cycling  services and products.  Customers shop  at 393  Halfords
stores, 2  Performance  Cycling stores  (trading  as Tredz  and  Giant), 643  garages  (trading as  Halfords  Autocentres,
McConechy’s, Universal, National Tyres and  Lodge Tyre) and have  access to 264 mobile  service vans (trading as  Halfords
Mobile Expert, Tyres on the Drive and  National), 479 commercial vans and 5 HME  Cycling vans. Customers can also shop  at
halfords.com and tredz.co.uk for pick up at their local store or direct home delivery, as well as booking garage  services
online at halfords.com.

 

Cautionary statement

 

This report contains certain forward-looking  statements with respect to the  financial condition, results of  operations,
and businesses of Halfords  Group plc. These statements  and forecasts involve risk,  uncertainty and assumptions  because
they relate to events  and depend upon circumstances  that will occur in  the future. There are  a number of factors  that
could cause actual results or developments to differ  materially from those expressed or implied by these  forward-looking
statements. These  forward-looking  statements are  made  only as  at  the date  of  this announcement.  Nothing  in  this
announcement should be construed as a profit forecast. Except as required by law, Halfords Group plc has no obligation  to
update the forward-looking statements or to correct any inaccuracies therein.

 

Chief Executive’s Statement

 

As we laid out our plans for the year ahead in June last year, we stated the importance of maintaining our investment in
key strategic initiatives despite the emerging economic challenges and cost of living crisis.  One year on, I am proud of
the strategic progress we have made during FY23. As detailed at our Capital Markets Day in April 2023, we have created a
more resilient, differentiated, customer-focussed and data-centric business – one which I believe will go on to deliver
significantly higher shareholder returns over the mid-term as we leverage our unique platform.

 

Some of the key strategic highlights in the year included acquiring Lodge Tyre in October 2022, signing our third client
onto our Avayler SaaS platform, the continued integration of National Tyres by implementing the same Avayler software
across the estate, and the launch of our Motoring Loyalty Club to over 1.7m customers in its first year.

 

Alongside a very busy year of strategic change, we have seen the underlying strength of the Group demonstrated through a
solid financial performance, which has been delivered against a backdrop of the most challenging operating conditions I
have seen during my career in Retail. Total Group revenue reached £1.6bn, growing +39.5% vs FY20 (+15.3% vs FY22), with
Service-related sales accounting for almost half of the Group’s total revenue at 48%, and B2B revenue reaching 24%.

 

Underlying profit before tax was £51.5m, down -£38.3m vs FY22 and -£5.4m vs. FY20, despite an estimated £95m of
year-on-year cost and market headwinds, investment in price to support customers, and continued investment in our
transformation. It is this operational and financial strength that has enabled investment for future growth, as well as
allowing us to increase our FY23 dividend by +11% to 10p for the full year – evidence of the confidence we have in the
plan.

 

Group revenue

 

Group revenues of £1.6bn were underpinned by LFL performance of +13.4% vs FY20 and +2.4% vs FY22. This is a particularly
strong result considering the uncertain environment businesses and consumers have faced, and it demonstrates the relevance
and resilience of our offer. As we have highlighted throughout this year, two of our core markets (Consumer Tyres and
Cycling) are facing a very significant downturn, and in our Capital Markets Day we noted that the Consumer Tyre market
remains -14% below FY20 and the cycling market -24% below the same period. To deliver sales growth despite these headwinds
clearly demonstrates the underlying strength of the business and our ability to grow market share. As we look forward, the
recovery of these markets, coupled with continued market share growth, will see us improve performance further.

 

Autocentres revenue

 

Autocentres revenues continue to grow rapidly as we scale the business. Total revenues reached £614m growing +31.6% LFL vs
FY20 and +15.4% vs FY22, and now representing 38% of Group revenues. Given the tyre market performance, this is a very
strong result and is driven by our growing share within the tyre market which increased +0.4ppts year-on-year and the
benefits of our Motoring Loyalty Club, which has introduced more new customers to our business. Indeed, the Motoring Club
drove roughly a third of MOTs booked in the period.

 

During the year we have also seen growth in our non-LFL business, with National Tyres present in H1 for the first time and
the newly acquired Lodge Tyre from October 2022. Lodge Tyre, which is centred around B2B commercial fleet tyre services,
has shown a very resilient trading performance – one of the key principles in our strategic decision to grow our B2B
business. National Tyres revenues have inevitably been impacted by the consumer tyre market depression. The combination of
lower-than-average miles driven vs pre-COVID and the subsequent cost of living crisis has temporarily extended the life of
tyres and forced consumers to delay replacing until critical. Neither factor will be permanent, and as the market recovers
we anticipate continued revenue growth across the Autocentres Group.

 

 

Retail Motoring

 

Retail Motoring has enjoyed a strong year, as markets normalised post-Covid, and the less discretionary nature of the
product and service offering has been demonstrated. There have inevitably been some more discretionary markets within the
offer (e.g. Technology) that have suffered as consumers look to lower their outgoings, but we have worked hard to grow
market share across our entire offer. The overall result therefore masks what we consider a very strong performance in
more needs-based products. We have also improved the value of our offer, as well as the overall customer proposition.
During H2, we entered the £1bn wider car parts market, providing customers with access to thousands of car parts, with
next day delivery to home or store.

 

Retail Cycling

 

Whilst Cycling saw a fairly resilient performance during H1, the latter part of Q3 and Q4 saw a pronounced market
deterioration due to the more discretionary nature of this category. Whilst we have grown our share of the market, it was
not enough to offset the tough market conditions. As market leaders, Cycling continues to be an important part of the
business, giving consumers a method of transport that is both environmentally friendly as well as beneficial for their
fitness.

 

Whilst the more mainstream cyclist has generally reduced their spending, our market leading Cycle2Work scheme has enjoyed
success, growing +16.7% year-on-year. We continue to develop our platform, making it easier for customers to gain access
to exclusive and market leading own brand bikes through this government supported tax free cycling scheme.

 

Strategic progress

 

Acquisition of Lodge Tyre

 

As noted at our interim results, Lodge Tyre was acquired shortly after the close of H1, in October 2022. Lodge is a
commercial vehicle tyre and service specialist and complements our existing commercial fleet businesses of McConechy’s and
Universal Tyres. It significantly expands our UK coverage and makes Halfords the UK’s commercial tyre services market
leader. We now have a commercial fleet of 479 vans and 90 centres operating across the UK, allowing businesses to work
with a single partner to support their fleets.

 

Lodge is perfectly aligned to our areas of strategic priority, operating wholly within the motoring services sector, and
with over 90% of its revenues in B2B markets.

 

Whilst the integration of Lodge is not yet complete, it has joined the Group seamlessly and performed very well, with
business performance in line with our business case expectations.

 

Avayler

 

Our Avayler platform is the software that underpins the Halfords motoring services operating model. At our Capital Markets
Day in April, we detailed how this platform is central to the success of our business.

 

The SaaS version of our Avayler platform is already helping three of the biggest automotive businesses, (American Tire
Distributors and TireBuyer in the US, and Mobivia in Europe) provide a truly customer centric service offering whilst
streamlining their operations, increasing efficiencies, and reducing costs.

 

Motoring Loyalty Club

 

The launch of our Motoring Loyalty Club in March 2022 was a significant milestone for the Group. In June 2022 we set our
year one targets for the club, which we have comfortably exceeded. This is a clear sign of the relevance and potential of
the club, even at this early stage. With over 1.7m members against a target of 500k to 1m, and over 125k subscription
members vs a target of 50-100k, customers are already enjoying the benefits of the club. Equally as important for
Halfords, it brings a rich dataset to the Group which allows us to understand our customer’s needs better, and form more
valuable lifetime customer relationships.

The club also offers more tangible benefits to the Group. In a year of very high inflation and low consumer confidence,
the club has enabled the acquisition of customers to our Autocentres business from within the Group, leveraging our
multi-million Retail and Digital customer bases. This has allowed us to reduce our marketing acquisition costs in channels
like radio, outdoor advertising, and Google.

 

As a result of the club, roughly a third of Autocentres MOT’s in FY23 were members of the club, with members cross
shopping more than 4x the rate of non-members. Most importantly however, is that NPS scores from members were +4 points
higher than non-members. 

 

National Tyres

 

As noted above, National Tyres is most exposed to the current downturn in the consumer tyre market.  Despite this we have
seen some excellent progress in the integration which, as the tyre market recovers, will ensure delivery of the
acquisition business case. Synergies from the acquisition have delivered over £6.0m of profit in FY23, in line with the
original business case. 

 

A key activity in the year has been the implementation of our Avayler software across the estate, centralising and
coordinating our buying approach. This has been achieved by leveraging our single integrated Group website, which means
National garage slots are now available to book via the Halfords Group website. This provides the National garages with a
bigger market, growing demand, capacity and efficiency, and supported the growth of our service, maintenance and repair
business.

 

Fusion

 

Our Fusion programme is the transformation of the Halfords customer experience within a town. During FY23 our focus was to
rollout the most capital efficient elements from the Halifax and Colchester trials.

 

As a result, we have upgraded the retail car park service provision in 50 towns alongside training nearly all our
colleagues across Retail and Autocentres in selling “solutions”, empowering more colleagues with the tools to sell the
full solution to every customer, every time.

 

Operating review

 

FY23 proved to be another challenging operating environment. The Ukraine war acted as a catalyst to already increasing
inflation, but our trading through H1 proved relatively resilient with the exception of the consumer tyre market which
continued to suffer the after-effects of lower mileage driven post COVID-19 and the cost-of-living crisis. H2 trading
began with a similar tone, but it was the volatile political and economic environment in the Autumn that brought about a
rapid change in trading patterns in more discretionary, and typically high-ticket, products.

 

As a business we continued through H2 as we began in H1; a focus on cost and efficiency, delivering our most critical
strategic investments, and trading with agility against difficult market conditions. Our cost and efficiency programme
delivered over £20m of savings, beating the targets set out in June 2022. Highlights included lease negotiations in
Retail, warehousing and distribution efficiencies, and negotiations of key freight contracts to ensure the Group rates
were at or below spot rates. The Group also successfully hedged the US dollar and energy markets to deliver an average
dollar exchange rate in cost of goods above $1.30 and mitigated the potential increase in energy rates in FY23.

 

This monumental effort was necessary to tackle the inflation in costs across the business. Although the cost of freight
was successfully managed, it was still a significant headwind in FY23, as was inflation in cost of goods generally. Many
of our international supply partners continued to operate below capacity and input prices remained significantly above
pre-Covid levels. A 6.6% National Living Wage increase from April 2022 also drove inflation into labour costs, as did the
significant skills shortage across the UK - particularly noticeable in Autocentre Technician markets.

 

We therefore consider the FY23 underlying profit before tax of £51.5m to be a solid result against such a difficult
environment.

 

Capital structure and dividend

 

We understand the importance of the ordinary dividend to many of our investors and we have proposed a FY23 final dividend
of 7p per share (FY22 6p) to be paid on 15 September 2023 with the corresponding ex-dividend date of 10 August 2023 and
the record date of 11 August 2023. This represents a full year dividend of 10p per share, an increase of +11% on FY22, in
line with our aspirations to make the dividend progressive.

 

At our Capital Markets Day in April 2023, we reconfirmed our capital allocation priorities, highlighting our dividend
cover targets:

 

1. Maintaining a prudent balance sheet

2. Investment for growth

3. M&A, focused on Autocentres

4. Dividend covered by 1.5x – 2.5x underlying profit after tax

5. Surplus cash returned to shareholders

 

During the year the Group extended its £180m debt facility until December 2025.

 

Average capital expenditure is expected to be in the range of £50-60m p.a. in the mid-term, assuming no material
acquisitions, which represents approximately 3% of revenues. We expect FY24 capex to be at the lower end of this range.

 

 

 

Graham Stapleton

 

Chief Executive Officer, Halfords Group plc

 

21 June 2023

 

 

Chief Financial Officer’s Report

 

Halfords Group plc (“the Group” or “Group”) 

 

Reportable Segments 

 

Halfords Group operates through two reportable business segments: 

  • Retail, operating in both the UK and Republic of Ireland; and 
  • Autocentres, operating solely in the UK. 

 

All references to Retail represent the consolidation of  the Halfords (“Halfords Retail”) and Performance Cycling  Limited
(together, “Tredz and  Wheelies”) trading  entities. All  references to  Autocentres represent  the consolidation  of  the
Halfords Autocentres, McConechy’s, The Universal  Tyre Company (Deptford) Limited  (“Universal”), Axle Group Holdings  Ltd
(“National Tyre”), Avayler Trading  Limited and LTC Trading  Holdings (“Lodge Tyre”) trading  entities. All references  to
Group represent the consolidation of the Retail and Autocentres segments. 

 

The “FY23” accounting period represents  trading for the 52 weeks  to 31 March 2023 (“the  financial year”). To provide  a
better understanding of underlying performance, financial  comparisons will also be made relative  to FY20, that is, on  a
three-year basis. The disruption from COVID-19 to both FY21  and FY22 means that comparators against these years are  more
difficult to interpret. From FY24 we will  revert to one-year comparators. All numbers  shown are on a post-IFRS 16  basis
and before non-underlying items, unless otherwise stated.

 

Group Financial Results 

                                        FY23        FY22        FY20 
                                                                         FY23 versus FY22  FY23 versus FY20 
                                     (52 weeks)  (52 weeks)  (52 weeks) 
                                                                              change            change 
                                         £m          £m          £m 
Group Revenue                          1,593.5     1,382.4    1,142.4          15.3%             39.5%
Group Gross Profit                      785.3       721.7      584.0           8.8%              34.5%
Underlying EBIT                         63.6        101.1       70.5          (37.1%)           (9.8%)
Underlying EBITDA                       186.0       207.1       188.6         (10.2%)           (1.4%)
Net Finance Costs                      (12.1)      (11.3)      (13.6)          7.1%             (11.0%)
Underlying Profit Before Tax            51.5        89.8        56.9          (42.7%)           (9.5%)
Net Non-Underlying Items                (8.0)        6.8       (34.2)        (217.6%)           (76.6%)
Profit Before Tax                       43.5        96.6        22.7          (55.0%)            91.6%
Underlying Basic Earnings per Share     18.8p       35.5p      25.4p                                

 

Full year FY23 underlying profit  before tax (“PBT”) was  £51.5m, -£5.4m (-9.5%) vs. FY20,  and -£38.3m (-42.6%) vs  FY22.
High levels of economic uncertainty and  ongoing consumer financial worries weakened  the UK economy throughout FY23.  The
Group has seen over an estimated £68m of year-on-year inflation  in FY23, and two of its core markets, Consumer Tyres  and
Cycling, have seen significant volume  decline, of -14% and -24%  respectively, vs. FY20. In the  context of over £90m  of
headwinds, a PBT of  -9.5% below FY20 demonstrates  the underlying strength, cost  discipline, and strategic progress  the
Group has made over the intervening years. We believe the strategic progress made in FY23 will deliver strong and  growing
returns in the mid-term.

 

In June 2022  we reiterated the  importance of  continuing to grow  our Services-revenues,  albeit focused on  a few,  key
strategic investments that would make a meaningful impact to  the Group’s future performance. As a result, Lodge Tyre  was
acquired for total consideration of  £37.5m in October 2022  (with £33.5m paid on  completion after adjustments and  £4.0m
paid in FY25  subject to performance),  the integration of  National Tyres was  advanced with Avayler  implemented in  all
sites, and the SaaS version  of the same Avayler software  secured its 3rd client. Lastly,  the launch of the UK’s  first,
dedicated Motoring Loyalty club  in March 2022 has  been successful, with  customers engaging with the  club ahead of  our
expectations. As we set out at our Capital Markets Day in April 2023, the platform we have created will enable us to  grow
group Revenues to £1.9bn and PBT to between £90m -£110m in the mid-term.

 

Group revenue of £1,593.5m in  FY23 reflected a like-for-like  (“L4L”) increase of +2.4% from  FY22 and +13.4% from  FY20.
Total revenue increased  15.3% from  FY22 and  39.5% from  FY20. Total  Revenue comprised  Retail revenue  of £979.6m  and
Autocentres revenue  of £613.9m.  Retail  revenues grew  +3.1% (+£29.0m)  versus  FY20, but  declined -2.2%  versus  FY22,
primarily due to a significantly  softer than expected Cycling  market. Autocentre revenue saw  both strong LFL growth  of
31.6% vs FY20 and also benefited from acquisitions, with total revenue growth of +220.1% vs FY20 and +61.2% vs FY22.

 

Group gross profit of  £785.3m, +£63.6m vs FY22  (FY20: £584.0m) was  49.3% of Group revenue  (FY22: 52.2%, FY20:  51.1%),
comprising of Retail gross margin of 48.6%, up +40bps from FY20, despite material increases in the cost of goods sold  and
freight costs, offset by a decrease in the Autocentres gross margin of -500bps to 50.4%. This reduction in Autocentres  is
driven by the  dilutive effect of  our acquisitions,  which are principally  focussed on  the lower gross  margin %  tyres
market. Throughout the year, investment was made across the Group to support customers through the cost-of-living crisis.

 

Total underlying costs  increased to  £721.7m (FY22: £620.6m,  FY20: £513.5m),  of which Retail  comprised £417.4m  (FY22:
£420.9m, FY20: £395.6m),  Autocentres £299.0m (FY22:  £196.6m, FY20: £115.8m)  and unallocated costs  £5.3m (FY22:  £3.1m,
FY20: £2.1m). Unallocated costs represent amortisation charges  in respect of intangible assets acquired through  business
combinations.

 

The overall cost increase of 40.5% (+£208.2m)  vs FY20 has been slightly ahead of  revenue growth over the same period  of
+39.5%. Almost two thirds of the overall Group operating cost increase has been driven by acquisitions, either annualising
a part year in FY20  or having been acquired during  the period. A further increase  in operating costs has also  resulted
from LFL revenue growth in  both Autocentres and Retail,  significant cost inflation across  the Group, and investment  in
areas of strategic importance such as our Motoring Loyalty Club, our Avayler platform, digital, and colleague training.

 

When compared to FY22, operating costs have increased £101.1m (+16.3%), growing slightly ahead of revenue growth over  the
same period of +15.3%. Acquisitions have contributed approximately half of the cost increase, with National acquired in H2
FY22, and Lodge  from H2 FY23.  Additionally, the Group  has been exposed  to significant inflationary  headwinds in  both
labour and general operating costs year on  year, and has also seen Business  Rates Relief fully normalised in FY23,  with
c.£11m of rates not levied  in FY22. To mitigate these  impacts we have continued with  our focus on cost and  efficiency,
having saved approximately £20m of costs year-on-year, ahead of  our initial target of £15m. These savings were  delivered
through initiatives including 26  store and garage  closures in FY23  where more profitable  trade transfer exists,  lease
renewals on  41 retail  stores  saving 21.7%  on average,  support  centre headcount  rationalisation and  numerous  other
initiatives.

 

Group Underlying EBITDA decreased 10.2% vs FY22 and 1.4% vs  FY20 to £186.0m, whilst net finance costs were £12.1m  (FY22:
£11.3m, FY20: £13.6m).  Underlying Profit Before Tax for the year decreased 42.6% vs FY22 and 9.5% vs FY20 to £51.5m.

 

Non-underlying items totalled a £8.0m debit in the year, relating to restructuring costs, acquisition costs and the  costs
associated with property closures. FY22 non underlying items  were a credit, primarily reflecting the release of  property
provisions taken as a result of a retail portfolio review,  with the charge in FY20 largely relating to that same  review.
After non-underlying items, Group Profit Before Tax was £43.5m, (FY22: £96.6m, FY20: £22.7m). 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Retail  

                         FY23        FY22        FY20 
                                                          FY23 versus FY22 FY23 versus FY20 
                      (52 weeks)  (52 weeks)  (52 weeks) 
                                                               change           change 
                          £m          £m          £m 
Revenue                  979.6      1,001.6     950.6          (2.2%)            3.1%
Gross Profit             476.0       510.7      458.4          (6.8%)            3.8%
Gross Margin             48.6%       51.0%      48.2%         (240bps)           40bps
Operating Costs         (417.4)     (420.9)    (395.6)         (0.8%)            5.5%
Underlying EBIT          58.6        89.8        62.8         (34.7%)           (6.7%)
Non-underlying items     (0.7)        8.9       (30.7)        (108.0%)          (97.7%)
EBIT                     57.9        98.7        32.1         (41.3%)            80.4%
Underlying EBITDA        142.0       168.4       159.0        (15.7%)           (10.7%)

 

Revenue of £979.6m reflected a  LFL sales increase of +9.9%  vs FY20 and -1.8% vs  FY22. Total revenue increased +3.1%  vs
FY20 after adjusting for the  53 stores that have closed,  and declined -2.2% vs FY22.  FY23 consumer confidence has  been
very volatile  with the  impacts of  increasing interest  rates, energy  bills and  general inflation  severely  impacting
customers willingness  to spend.  This had  a notable  impact on  more discretionary  and higher-ticket  product sales  at
Halfords. Whilst  cycling started  FY23 with  some degree  of  resilience, the  latter part  of Q3  onwards saw  a  marked
deterioration in performance  aligned to  the increased  economic uncertainty  arising from  the Autumn  mini budget.  The
British Cycling Association estimates the cycling market closed FY23 with sales volumes 24% below pre-COVID levels however
significant market inflation partly offset the volume decline, resulting in a full year sales performance of -8.3% vs FY20
and -11.2% vs  FY22. Motoring  fared better, with  the needs-based  categories performing strongly,  more than  offsetting
discretionary, big-ticket items such as technology and touring. Full year Motoring sales closed FY23 +10.3% above FY20 and
+3.6% vs FY22. The above factors have resulted in Motoring increasing its mix of the Retail business by +3.6ppts vs FY20.

 

The Retail Operational Review in the Chief Executive’s Statement contains further commentary on the trading performance in
the year. Like-for-like revenues and total sales revenue mix for the Retail business are split by category below:  

 

                                                                                                          
                         FY23         FY23             FY23                 FY22                FY20 
                                                                                                               
                     LFL 1yr (%)  LFL 3yr (%)  Total sales mix (%)  Total sales mix (%)  Total sales mix (%) 
          Motoring      +4.0%        +14.5%            62.0                 59.4                 58.4          
          Cycling       -10.9%       +1.3%             38.0                 40.6                 41.6          
          Total         -1.8%        +9.9%            100.0                100.0                100.0          
                                                                                                               

 

Gross profit for the Retail business, at £476.0m, -£34.7m  vs FY22 (FY20: £458.4m) represented 48.6% of sales, a  decrease
of -240bps on  FY22 and  an increase  of +40bps  on FY20 (FY20:  48.2%). Versus  FY20, the  increase in  Motoring mix  has
contributed +0.6ppts of accretion  with the remaining movement  a result of rate  movements withing Motoring and  Cycling.
Whilst Cycling has seen strong underlying profitability improvements since FY20, as noted in our previous updates,  during
FY23 it has faced very significant inflationary pressures from both cost of goods and freight.

 

Retail operating costs before non-underlying  items were £417.4m, a decrease  of 0.8% on FY22 and  an increase of 5.5%  on
FY20 (FY22: £420.9m and FY20:  £395.6m). The decrease against FY22  has been driven by  benefits associated with our  cost
transformation programme as  well as a  reduction in bonus  accruals that  were made as  a result of  lower overall  Group
performance. The prior year benefitted from £7m of non-recurring Business Rates Relief.

 

Underlying EBIT was £58.6m, -34.7% vs FY22 and -6.7% vs FY20 with cost and efficiency savings helping to mitigate a  tough
trading environment, in particular, our discretionary category sales and significant inflationary headwinds.

 

Autocentres 

                         FY23        FY22        FY20 
                                                          FY23 versus FY22  FY23 versus FY20 
                      (52 weeks)  (52 weeks)  (52 weeks) 
                                                               change            change 
                          £m          £m          £m 
Revenue                  613.9       380.8      191.8           61.2%            220.1%
Gross Profit             309.4       211.0      125.6           46.6%            146.3%
Gross Margin             50.4%       55.4%      65.5%         (500bps)          (1510bps)
Operating Costs         (299.0)     (196.6)    (115.8)          52.1%            158.2%
Underlying EBIT          10.4        14.4        9.8           (27.8%)            6.1%
Non-underlying items     (7.3)       (2.1)      (3.5)          247.6%            108.6%
EBIT                      3.1        12.3        6.3           (74.8%)           (50.8%)
Underlying EBITDA        49.5        38.8        29.6           27.6%            (67.2%)

 

Autocentres generated total revenues of £613.9m, an increase of 220.1%  on FY20 (LFL increase of 31.6%) and 61.2% on  FY22
(LFL increase of 15.4%). 

 

Non-LFL revenues versus FY20 included either full or part year benefits from our six acquisitions: Tyres on the Drive  and
McConechy’s acquired in October and November FY20 respectively,  Universal in March FY21, Iverson Tyres in November  FY22,
National Tyre in December FY22 and Lodge  Tyre in October FY23. Our acquisitions  added over £250m of revenue versus  FY20
and c.£170m versus FY22.

 

Gross profit of £309.4m (FY22:  £211.0m, FY20: £125.6m) was 50.4%  of sales; a decrease of  500bps on FY22 and 1510bps  on
FY20. The gross profit growth of nearly +150% was again a result of our acquisitions, with underlying profitability in our
existing garages held despite an  increase in more dilutive tyre  sales. This has been a  result of our Avayler  operating
system, that centralises buying and improves utilisation to deliver higher levels of sales for a given cost base.

 

The decrease in gross profit % as noted previously, has been as a result of our acquisitions, which are gross margin  rate
dilutive given their  business model  focus on tyres.  Most notably,  Universal, McConechy’s and now  Lodge Tyre,  operate
within the commercial B2B sector and as such has a  different operating model of lower gross margin but strong margin  per
worked hour, and more resilient revenues. National Tyre operates primarily within the B2C sector, more aligned to our core
Autocentres business, but also with a heavy tyre mix and  lower gross margins. As detailed at the time of acquisition  and
at our CMD in April 2023, we are confident that  significant synergies will be delivered through a combination of  greater
scale and leveraging  our digital operating  model which  will result in  stronger operating margins  across the  enlarged
Autocentres group looking forward.

 

Operating costs were £299.0m, +£183.2m (+158.2%) above FY20 and +£102.4m (+52.1%) above FY22. As noted above, almost two
thirds of this increase has been a result of acquisitions vs FY20 and the remaining amount driven by investment to support
strong LFL sales growth in the core business and inflationary pressures, particularly in wage costs.

 

Autocentres underlying EBIT  was £10.4m  (FY22: £14.4m,  FY20: £9.8m). FY22  benefited from  one off  COVID related  rates
relief, and profit on the sale and leaseback of certain Universal sites. In FY23 the performance of National Tyre (and  to
a lesser relative extent, the other  Autocentres businesses) was adversely impacted by  a weak tyre market, which has  not
recovered to pre-Covid levels as drivers  continue to replace their tyres with  less frequency and at lower price  points,
reflecting very low consumer confidence levels.  This impact, together with the  material cost inflation during the  year,
was partly offset by underlying  trading performance and the  synergy savings from acquisitions,  which were in line  with
business case. Our intention  had been to  mitigate profit erosion driven  by cost inflation  through driving more  higher
margin servicing, maintenance and repair work, underpinned by growing  capacity in our garages. As we communicated in  our
January trading update,  recruiting skilled technicians  during FY23  was more difficult  that we’d anticipated  and as  a
result we were unable to fully offset  the cost inflation. Strong profit growth  is anticipated in Autocentres in FY24  as
the tyre market begins  to recover, we  see the full  year benefit of Lodge  ownership, a second  year of synergy  savings
following the National acquisition and drive better garage utilisation.

 

Portfolio Management   

 

In FY23 we continued to grow our Services business through the acquisition of Lodge Tyre.

 

The total number of fixed stores or garages within the Group  stood at 1036, with a further 269 vans across HME,  National
and Havebike and 479 Commercial vans as at 31 March 2023. The portfolio comprised 393 Halfords Retail stores (end of FY22:
400) and 643 Autocentres garages (end of FY22: 611).

 

The following table outlines the changes in the portfolio over the year: 

                                                              Stores Garages  Vans 
                                       Relocations              -       -      – 
                                       Leases renegotiated      41      37     – 
                                       Refreshed                -       -      – 
                                       Openings/Acquisitions    -       51     265
                                       Closed                   7       19     – 

 
In Retail, seven stores closed during the year, three of  them in the final quarter. When analysing the anticipated  sales
transfer to other channels and neighbouring stores, it was  considered more profitable to the Group to close these  stores
and reduce the overall cost base.

 

The number of lease expiries, or breaks under option, increases significantly within the next five years. Retail will  see
more than three quarters of  stores experience optionality within  five years, allowing for  a high degree of  flexibility
within the estate. The average remaining lease length in Retail is 3.3 years.

 

Within Autocentres, no garages were opened organically, but 51 garages and 265 vans were acquired through the  acquisition
of Lodge Tyre in the year and 19 garages were closed, taking the total number of Autocentre garages to 643 as at 31  March
2023 (end of FY22: 611).

 

With the exception of nine long-leasehold and three freehold properties in Autocentres, the Group’s locations are occupied
under short-term leases, the  majority of which  are on standard  lease terms, typically  with a five  to 15-year term  at
inception and with an average lease length of under six years. 

 

Net Non-Underlying items

 

The following table outlines the components of the non-underlying items before tax recognised in the 52 weeks ended 31
March 2023: 

 

                                             FY23  FY22 
 
                                              £m    £m 
Organisational restructure costs (a)          6.3   1.1
Acquisition and investment-related fees (b)   1.9   2.8
One-off claims (c)                             -   (2.2)
Closure costs (d)                            (0.2) (8.5)
Net non-underlying items                      8.0  (6.8)

 

 a. In the current and prior period, separate  and unrelated organisational restructuring activities were  undertaken.  In
    FY22, a strategic redesign of the in-store operating  model was undertaken to better meet our customers’  expectations
    and deliver a consistent shopping experience  across our estate. In FY23, the  group have undertaken a restructure  of
    the support centre.

 

Costs in relation to the organisational  restructuring activities are made up of:  redundancy costs of £3.1m (PY:  £0.3m),
£1.6m (PY: £0.8m) for the replacement of  the WMS system, £0.4m (PY: £nil)  relating to our master data management  system
and £1.2m for the new system and  financial dual running costs incurred in  the integration of National Tyre. These  costs
are not part of recurring business and therefore, have been deemed non-underlying expenses.

 

 b. In the current  and prior  periods, costs were  incurred in  relation to the  investments in  National Tyre,  Iverson,
    HaveBike, and Universal.

 

  • £1.9m costs incurred in FY23  (PY: £2.5m) relating to professional fees in respect of acquisition of National Tyre and
    Lodge Tyre;
  • In FY22 £0.2m related to the acquisition of trade and assets of both Iverson and HaveBike;
  • In FY22 £0.1m related to the acquisition of Universal. 

 

 c. During the prior period the HMRC audit into National Minimum  Wage was concluded and fully settled and paid, this  led
    to a final release of the provision of £2.2m.

 

 d. In the current year, £3.6m of  closure costs were recognised representing the  costs associated with the closure of  a
    number of garages across Autocentres after a review of the garage portfolio post-acquisition of National Tyre. In FY22
    closure costs were recognised relating to the closure of  a number of stores and garages following a strategic  review
    of the profitability  of the  physical estate.  The provision related  to the  impairment of  right-of-use assets  and
    tangible assets and property costs as well as ongoing  onerous commitments under the lease agreements and other  costs
    associated with the property  exits. We continue  to utilise the  provision in the  current year but  have also had  a
    release of £3.8m (PY: £8.5m) as a result of a £2.3m impairment reversal and a £1.5m change in lease terms.

 

Finance Expense 

 

The net finance  expense (before non-underlying  items) for the  52 weeks ended  31 March 2023  was £12.1m (FY22:  £11.3m)
reflecting increase in bank interest due to being drawn down on the Revolving Credit Facility (RCF), partially offset by a
decrease in lease liability interest due to the aging of the lease portfolio.  

 

Taxation 

 

The taxation charge on profit for the 52 weeks ended 31 March 2023 was £9.5m (FY22: £18.9m), including a £1.1m credit
(FY22: £1.7m charge) in respect of non-underlying items.  The effective tax rate of 21.9% (FY22: 19.5%) differs from the
UK corporation tax rate (19%) principally due to the impact of current and deferred tax on employee share options and
non-deductible expenditure on business acquisitions.

 

Earnings Per Share (“EPS”) 

 

Underlying Basic EPS post  IFRS 16 was 18.8  pence and after non-underlying  items 15.6 pence (FY22:  35.5 pence and  37.9
pence after non-underlying items),  a reduction of 47.0%  or 58.8% after  non underlying items, on  the prior year.  Basic
weighted-average shares in issue during the year were 217.4m (FY22: 204.7m). 

 

Dividend (“DPS”) 

 

Following the payment of an interim dividend  of 3.0p per share on 20 January  2023, the Board are proposing a FY23  final
dividend of 7.0p per  share (FY22: 6.0p per  share) which will  absorb an estimated £15.3m  (2022: £13m) of  shareholders’
funds. It will be paid on 15 September to shareholders who are on the register of members on 11 August 2023. This  results
in a total of 10.0p per share for the year (FY22: 9.0p per share).

 

Capital Expenditure 

 

Capital investment, excluding right  of use assets, in  the 52 weeks  ended 31 March 2023  totalled £48.1m (FY22:  £49.2m)
comprising £26.6m in Retail  and £21.5m in  Autocentres. Within Retail, £3.6m  (FY22: £11.4m) was  invested in stores  and
£15.7m in technology systems, which included the continued development of the Group’s web platforms and further investment
in our data capability.

 

The capital expenditure in Autocentres principally related to the replacement of garage equipment and further  development
of Avayler (PACE), our digital garage workflow system.

 

Inventories 

 

Group inventory  held as  at the  year-end was  £256.2m  (FY22: £222.1m).  Retail inventory  increased to  £202.8m  (FY22:
£194.5m), driven by the impact of FX and freight on stock pricing. Retail stock volumes were lower year on year.

 

Autocentres’ inventory was £53.4m (FY22: £27.6m). The increase in inventory primarily relates to the acquisition of  Lodge
Tyre, as well as increased focus on tyre sales and therefore stock holding.

 

Cashflow and Borrowings 

 

Operating Cash Flow was £169.8m (FY22: £131.8m), reflecting a  working capital outflow of £12.9m, as Retail inventory  and
associated creditors normalised after Covid and we invested in Tyres stock to support a growing area. After  acquisitions,
taxation, capital expenditure and net finance  costs, Free Cash Flow of £3.1m  (FY22: -£14.9m) was generated in the  year.
Group Debt was £348.7m (FY22: £344.9m).

 

Principal Risks and Uncertainties 

 

The Board considers the assessment of principal risks and the identification of mitigating actions and internal control to
be fundamental to achieving Halfords’ strategic corporate objectives.   In the Annual Report and Accounts, the Board  sets
out what it considers to  be the principal commercial  and financial risks to achieving  the Group’s objectives. The  main
areas of potential risk and uncertainty in the balance of the financial year are described in the Strategic Report of  the
2023 Annual Report and Accounts. These include: 

 

  •                   Business Strategy 

  • Capability and capacity to effect change 
  • Stakeholder support and confidence in strategy
  • Value proposition
  • Brand appeal and market share
  • Climate Change & Electrification 

 

  •                   Financial

  • Sustainable business model

 

  •                   Compliance

  • Regulatory and compliance
  • Service quality
  • Cyber security

 

  •                   Operational

  • Colleague engagement / culture 
  • Skills shortage 
  • IT infrastructure failure 
  • Disruption to end to end supply chain

 

Specific risks associated with performance include the success, or otherwise of peak trading periods (e.g., Christmas)  as
well as weather-sensitive sales, particularly within the Car Maintenance and Cycling categories in the Retail business. 

 

Jo Hartley

Chief Financial Officer 

21 June 2023

Glossary of Alternative Performance Measures 

In the reporting of financial information, the  Directors have adopted various Alternative Performance Measures  (“APMs”),
previously termed as ‘Non-GAAP measures’. APMs should  be considered in addition to  IFRS measurements, of which some  are
shown on  page 19.  The Directors  believe  that these  APMs assist  in  providing useful  information on  the  underlying
performance of the Group, enhance the comparability of  information between reporting periods, and are used internally  by
the Directors to measure the Group’s performance. 

 

The key APMs that the Group focuses on are as follows:   

 

1.Like-for-like (“LFL”) sales represent revenues from stores, centres and  websites that have been trading for at least  a
year (but excluding prior year sales of stores and centres closed during the year) at constant foreign exchange rates. 

 

2.Underlying EBIT is  results from operating  activities before  non-underlying items. Underlying  EBITDA further  removes
Depreciation and Amortisation.  

 

3.Underlying Profit  Before Tax  is Profit  before  income tax  and non-underlying  items  as shown  in the  Group  Income
Statement. 

 

4.Underlying Earnings Per  Share is  Profit after income  tax before  non-underlying items as  shown in  the Group  Income
Statement, divided by the number of shares in issue. 

 

5.Net Debt is current and non-current borrowings, including lease  debt, less cash and cash equivalents, both in-hand  and
at bank, as shown in the Consolidated Statement of Financial Position. 

                                                               FY23    FY22     FY20
                                     
                                                                £m      £m      £m 
                                    Cash & cash equivalents    32.2    46.1    115.5 
                                    Borrowings – current      (77.6)  (74.5)  (83.4) 
                                    Borrowings – non-current  (303.3) (316.5) (511.9) 
                                    Net Cash/(Debt)*          (348.7) (344.9) (479.8) 

* The statutory 53-week period to 3 April 2020 comprises reported results that are non-comparable to the 52-week period
reported in the current and prior period. 

 

6.Net Debt to Underlying  EBITDA ratio is represented  by the ratio of  Net Debt to Underlying  EBITDA (both of which  are
defined above).   

 

7.Adjusted Operating  Cash Flow  is defined  as EBITDA  plus  share-based payment  transactions and  loss on  disposal  of
property, plant and equipment, less working capital movements and movement in provisions; as reconciled below. 

                                                                       FY23   FY22   FY20 (53 weeks)
                       
                                                                        £m     £m          £m 
                      Underlying EBIT                                   63.6  101.1       67.2
                      Depreciation, amortisation & impairment          124.7  106.0      118.7 
                      Underlying EBITDA                                188.3  207.1      185.9 
                      Non-underlying operating expenses                (8.0)   6.8       (34.2) 
                      EBITDA                                           180.3  213.9      151.7 
                      Share-based payment transactions                  2.4    7.8        1.0 
                      Loss on disposal of property, plant & equipment   1.3   (5.2)       2.8 
                      Working capital movements                        (12.9) (70.0)      52.0 
                      Provisions movement and other                    (1.3)  (14.7)     (3.1) 
                      Adjusted Operating Cash Flow*                    169.8  131.8      204.4 

* The statutory 53-week period to 3 April 2020 comprises reported results that are non-comparable to the 52-week period
reported in the current and prior period. 

 

8.Free Cash Flow  is defined as  Adjusted Operating Cash  Flow (as defined  above) less capital  expenditure, net  finance
costs, taxation, exchange movement, lease payments, and arrangement fees on loans; as reconciled below. 

 

 

                                                                  FY23  FY22    FY20
                                    
                                                                  £m     £m      £m 
                                   Adjusted Operating Cash Flow  169.8  131.8   204.4
                                   Capital expenditure           (54.4) (47.3) (33.6) 
                                   Net finance costs             (11.1) (10.6) (13.2) 
                                   Taxation                      (4.7)  (12.2) (16.3) 
                                   Supplier Financing             0.8     -       -
                                   Sales and Leaseback             -     7.5      -
                                   Exchange movements            (8.0)   0.9   (2.0) 
                                   Lease payments                (89.3) (85.0) (87.7)
                                   Free Cash Flow*                3.1   (14.9)  51.6

 

*The statutory 53-week period to 3 April 2020 comprises reported results that are non-comparable to the 52-week period
reported in the current and prior period. 

 

 

                                                   Halfords Group plc  

                                             Consolidated Income Statement  

                                                              

                                            For the 52 weeks to 31 March 2023 

  

  

  

For the period                           52 weeks to 31 March 2023                                52 weeks to 1 April 2022
                                                                                                               * Restated 
                                          Before   Non-underlying                       Before   Non-underlying   

                                 Non-underlying              items   Total      Non-underlying             items   Total  

                                           items          (note 4)                       items          (note 4)  
                         Notes                £m                £m      £m                  £m                £m      £m  
                                                                                                                          
Revenue *                                  1,593.5                 - 1,593.5             1,382.4                 - 1,382.4
Cost of sales *                            (808.2)                 - (808.2)             (660.7)                 - (660.7)
                                                                                                                          
Gross profit                                 785.3                 -   785.3               721.7                 -   721.7
                                                                                                                          
Operating expenses       2                 (721.7)             (8.0) (729.7)             (620.6)               6.8 (613.8)
                                                                                                                          
                                                                                                                          
Results from operating   3                    63.6             (8.0)    55.6               101.1               6.8   107.9
activities  
                                                                                                                          
Finance costs            5                  (12.1)                 -  (12.1)              (11.3)                 -  (11.3)
                                                                                                                          
                                                                                                                          
Profit before income                          51.5             (8.0)    43.5                89.8               6.8    96.6
tax  
Income tax expense       6                  (10.6)               1.1   (9.5)              (17.2)             (1.7)  (18.9)
                                                                                                                          
Profit for the financial
period attributable to                        40.9             (6.9)    34.0                72.6               5.1    77.7
equity shareholders  
                                                                                                                          
Earnings per share                                                                                                        
Basic earnings per       8                   18.8p                     15.6p               35.5p                     37.9p
share  
Diluted earnings per     8                   18.0p                     15.0p               34.0p                     36.4p
share
                                                                                                                          
                                                                                                                    

  

* Please refer to note 11 for further information

The notes on pages 28 to 35 are an integral part of these condensed consolidated financial statements.  

 

                                                   Halfords Group plc  

                                                              

                                     Consolidated Statement of Comprehensive Income  

                                                              

                                           For the 52 weeks to 31 March 2023  

                                                                                                                     
                                                                                          52 weeks to   52 weeks to  
                                                                                                              1 April
                                                                                        31 March 2023  
                                                                                                                2022 
                                                                                Notes              £m            £m  
Profit for the period                                                                             34.0           77.7
                                                                                                                     
Other comprehensive income                                                                                           
Cash flow hedges:                                                                                                    
Fair value changes in the period                                                                    2.7           6.5
Income tax on other comprehensive income                                                            1.1         (1.3)
Other comprehensive income for the period, net of income tax                                       3.8            5.2
                                                                                                                     
Total comprehensive income for the period attributable to equity shareholders                      37.8          82.9
                                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                

All items within the Consolidated Statement of Comprehensive Income are classified as items that are or may be recycled to
the Income Statement.  

  

   The notes on pages 28 to 35 are an integral part of these condensed consolidated financial statements.  

  

 

 

 

                                                   Halfords Group plc 

                                      Consolidated Statement of Financial Position 

                                            For the 52 weeks to 31 March 2023 

                                                                                      31 March  1 April
                                                                                     
                                                                                         2023    2022  
                                                                                Notes      £m       £m 
                  Assets                                                                               
                  Non-current assets                                                                   
                  Intangible assets                                                      482.0    442.4
                  Property, plant and equipment                                           97.8    101.7
                  Right-of-use assets                                                    312.6    350.2
                  Derivative financial instruments                                         -          -
                  Deferred tax asset                                                      10.9     14.7
                  Total non-current assets                                               903.3    909.0
                  Current assets                                                                   
                  Inventories                                                            256.2    222.1
                  Trade and other receivables                                            144.6     92.6
                  Assets held for sale                                                     1.1      4.2
                  Derivative financial instruments                                         -        -  
                  Current tax assets                                                       -        3.9
                  Cash and cash equivalents                                         9     41.9     46.3
                  Total current assets                                                   443.8    369.1
                  Total assets                                                         1,347.1  1,278.1
                  Liabilities                                                                      
                  Current liabilities                                                              
                  Borrowings                                                        9    (9.7)    (0.2)
                  Lease liabilities                                                     (77.6)   (74.5)
                  Derivative financial instruments                                 10    (3.7)    (0.5)
                  Trade and other payables                                             (355.0)  (299.6)
                  Current tax liabilities                                                (5.0)    (4.0)
                  Provisions                                                            (11.0)   (20.5)
                  Total current liabilities                                            (462.2)  (399.3)
                  Net current (liabilities)/assets                                      (18.4)   (30.2)
                  Non-current liabilities                                                          
                  Borrowings                                                            (34.0)        -
                  Derivative financial instruments                                       (0.4)        -
                  Lease liabilities                                                    (269.3)  (316.5)
                  Trade and other payables                                               (3.5)    (4.9)
                  Provisions                                                            (14.9)    (6.4)
                  Total non-current liabilities                                        (322.1)  (327.8)
                  Total liabilities                                                    (784.3)  (727.1)
                  Net assets                                                             562.8    551.0
                  Shareholders’ equity                                                                 
                  Share capital                                                            2.2      2.2
                  Share premium                                                          212.4    212.4
                  Investment in own shares                                              (12.7)   (11.6)
                  Other reserves                                                         (1.1)      2.0
                  Retained earnings                                                      362.0    346.0
                  Total equity attributable to equity holders of the Company             562.8    551.0

      

  The notes on pages 28 to 35 are an integral part of these condensed consolidated financial statements. 

* Please refer to note 11 for further information

 

 

                                                             

                                                             

 

 

 

                                                   Halfords Group plc  

                                Consolidated Statement of Changes in Shareholders’ Equity

                                                              Attributable to the equity holders of the Company  
  
                                                                                  Other reserves                        
                                                                                            
                                                                                                                          
                                                   Share   Investment              Capital  
                                         Share   premium       in own                        Hedging   Retained    Total  
                                                                        redemption reserve  
                                       capital   account      shares                         reserve   earnings   equity  
                                            £m        £m           £m                   £m        £m         £m       £m  
Closing balance at 2 April 2021             2.0     151.0       (10.0)                  0.3      (2.1)      276.6    417.8
                                                                                                                          
Total comprehensive income for the                                                                                        
period  
Profit for the period                         -         -            -                    -        -         77.7     77.7
                                                                                                                          
Other comprehensive income                                                                                                
Fair value changes in the period              -         -            -                    -        6.4          -      6.4
Income tax on other comprehensive             -         -            -                    -      (1.3)          -    (1.3)
income  
Total other comprehensive income for          -         -            -                    -        5.1          -      5.1
the period net of tax  
Total comprehensive income for the            -         -            -                    -        5.1       77.7     82.8
period  
Other                                         -         -            -                    -          -          -        -
Hedging gains and losses transferred          -         -            -                    -      (1.3)          -    (1.3)
to the cost of inventory  
                                                                                                                          
Transactions with owners                                                                                                  
Shares issued                                0.2      61.4            -                    -         -          -     61.6
Acquisition of Treasury shares                 -         -        (3.0)                    -         -          -    (3.0)
Share options exercised                        -         -          1.4                    -         -          -      1.4
  Share-based payment transactions            -         -            -                    -          -        7.8      7.8
Income tax on share-based payment             -         -            -                    -          -        0.4      0.4
transactions  
Dividends to equity holders                   -         -            -                    -          -     (16.5)   (16.5)
Total transactions with owners              0.2      61.4        (1.6)                    -          -      (8.3)     51.7
Balance at 1 April 2022                      2.2     212.4       (11.6)                  0.3       1.7      346.0    551.0
                                                                                                                        

  

 

The notes on pages 28 to 35 are an integral part of these condensed consolidated financial statements. 

 

 

 

                                                   Halfords Group plc  

                         Consolidated Statement of Changes in Shareholders’ Equity (continued)  

                                                              Attributable to the equity holders of the Company  
  
                                                                                  Other reserves                        
                                                                                            
                                                                                                                          
                                                   Share   Investment              Capital  
                                         Share   premium       in own                        Hedging   Retained    Total  
                                                                        redemption reserve  
                                       capital   account      shares                         reserve   earnings   equity  
                                            £m        £m           £m                   £m        £m         £m       £m  
Closing balance at 1 April 2022             2.2     212.4       (11.6)                  0.3        1.7      346.0    551.0
                                                                                                                          
Total comprehensive income for the                                                                                        
period  
Profit for the period                          -         -            -                    -         -       34.0     34.0
                                                                                                                          
Other comprehensive income                                                                                                
Fair value changes in the period               -         -            -                    -       2.7          -      2.7
Income tax on other comprehensive              -         -            -                    -       1.1          -      1.1
income  
Total other comprehensive income for                                                               3.8                 3.8
the period net of tax  
Total comprehensive income for the                                                                 3.8       34.0     37.8
period  
Other                                                                                                                     
Hedging gains and losses transferred                                                             (6.9)               (6.9)
to the cost of inventory  
                                                                                                                          
Transactions with owners                                                                                                  
Shares issued                                  -         -            -                    -         -          -        -
Acquisition of Treasury shares                 -         -        (1.5)                    -         -          -    (1.5)
Share options exercised                        -         -          0.4                    -         -          -      0.4
Share-based payment transactions               -         -            -                    -         -        2.4      2.4
Income tax on share-based payment              -         -            -                    -         -      (0.9)    (0.9)
transactions  
Dividends to equity holders                    -         -            -                    -         -     (19.5)   (19.5)
Total transactions with owners                                                                             (18.0)   (19.1)
Balance at 31 March 2023                     2.2     212.4       (12.7)                  0.3     (1.4)      362.0    562.8
                                                                                                                        

  

 

The notes on pages 28 to 35 are an integral part of these condensed consolidated financial statements. 

 

                                                   Halfords Group plc  

                                          Consolidated statement of cash flows  

                                           For the 52 weeks to 31 March 2023  

                                                                                          52 weeks to   52 weeks to  
                                                                                                              1 April
                                                                                          31 March 2023
                                                                                                                 2022
                                                                                                       
                                                                                                               
                                                                         Notes                     £m            £m  
     Cash flows from operating activities                                                                            
     Profit after tax for the period, before non-underlying items                                  40.9          72.6
     Non-underlying items                                                                         (6.9)           5.1
     Profit after tax for the period                                                               34.0          77.7
     Depreciation – property, plant and equipment                                                  28.1          20.6
     Impairment/(reversal) – property, plant and equipment                                          1.2         (0.3)
     Amortisation of right-of-use assets                                                           77.5          69.9
     Impairment of right-of-use assets                                                            (2.3)             -
     Amortisation – intangible assets                                                              17.9          15.8
     Net finance costs                                                                             12.1          11.3
     Loss on disposal of property, plant and equipment and intangibles                              1.7           1.8
     Gain on sale and leaseback of assets held for sale                                             -           (0.4)
     Gain on disposal of leases                                                                   (0.4)         (6.6)
     Equity-settled share-based payment transactions                                                2.4           7.8
     Exchange movement                                                                            (8.0)           0.9
     Income tax expense                                                                             9.5          18.9
     (Increase)/ decrease in inventories                                                         (12.7)        (66.7)
     (Increase)/ decrease in trade and other receivables*                                        (32.2)           1.3
     (Decrease)/ increase in trade and other payables*                                             32.0         (4.6)
     (Decrease)/ increase in provisions*                                                          (1.3)        (14.7)
     Income tax paid                                                                              (4.7)        (12.2)
     Net cash from operating activities                                                           154.8         120.5
     Cash flows from investing activities                                                                            
     Acquisition of subsidiary, net of cash acquired                                             (32.6)        (58.5)
     Proceeds from sale of assets held for sale                                                       -           7.5
     Purchase of intangible assets                                                               (25.4)        (22.0)
     Purchase of property, plant and equipment                                                   (29.0)        (25.3)
     Net cash used in investing activities                                                       (87.0)        (98.3)
                                                                                                         
     Cash flows from financing activities                                                                            
     Proceeds from issue of share capital                                                             -          61.6
     Repurchase of treasury shares                                                                (1.5)         (3.0)
     Proceeds from share options exercised                                                          0.4           1.4
     Finance costs paid                                                                           (2.5)         (1.6)
     RCF transaction costs                                                                        (1.8)             -
     RCF drawdowns                                                                                337.0             -
     RCF repayments                                                                             (302.0)             -
     Repayment of borrowings                                                                      (1.7)             -
     Interest paid on lease liabilities*                                                          (8.8)         (9.0)
     Payment of capital element of leases*                                                       (80.5)        (76.0)
     Payments relating to supplier financing                                                     (23.5)             -
     Receipts relating to supplier financing                                                       22.7             -
     Dividends paid                                                                              (19.5)        (16.5)
     Net cash used in financing activities                                                       (81.7)        (43.1)
     Net (decrease)/increase in cash and bank overdrafts                   9                     (13.9)        (20.9)
     Cash and cash equivalents at the beginning of the period                                      46.1          67.0
     Cash and cash equivalents at the end of the period                    9                       32.2          46.1
                                                                                                         

 

The notes on pages 28 to 35 are an integral part of these condensed consolidated financial statements.  

 

                                                             

                                                             

 

                                                   Halfords Group plc 

                                Notes to the condensed consolidated financial statements 

                                            For the 52 weeks to 31 March 2023 

 

1.    General information and basis of preparation 

The financial information set out below does not constitute the Group's statutory accounts for the periods ended 31  March
2023 or 1 April 2022 but is derived from those accounts. Statutory accounts for 2022 have been delivered to the  Registrar
of Companies, and  those for 2023  will be delivered  in due  course. The auditor  has reported on  those accounts;  their
reports were (i) unqualified, (ii) did not include a reference  to any matters to which the auditor drew attention by  way
of emphasis without qualifying  their report and (iii)  did not contain a  statement under section 498  (2) or (3) of  the
Companies Act 2006.

 

The financial statements are presented in millions of UK pounds, rounded to the nearest £0.1m. 

 

The accounts of the Group are prepared  for the period up to the Friday  closest to 31 March each year. Consequently,  the
financial statements for the current period cover the 52 weeks to 31 March 2023, whilst the comparative period covered the
52 weeks to 1 April 2022. 

 

The consolidated financial statements of  Halfords Group plc and its  subsidiary undertakings, together “the  Group”, have
been prepared in accordance with International Financial Reporting Standards (“IFRSs”) and IFRS Interpretations  Committee
(“IFRS IC”) Interpretations  as adopted by  the UK Endorsement  Board. The financial  statements are prepared  on a  going
concern basis and under the historical cost convention,  except where adopted IFRSs require an alternative treatment.  The
principal variations  relate to  financial instruments  (IFRS 9  “Financial instruments”),  share-based payments  (IFRS  2
“Share-based payment” and leases (IFRS 16 “Leases”). 

 

Adoption of new and revised standards 

 

There have been no new or amended  standards effective in the period which has  had a material impact on the  consolidated
financial information. 

 

New standards and interpretations not yet adopted  

  

All other  standards and  related adoptions  which have  been  published but  not yet  adopted are  not expected  to  have
a material impact on the consolidated results or financial position of the Group. 

 

2.    Operating expenses  

For the period                                              52 weeks to   52 weeks to  
                                                                                1 April
                                                          31 March 2023  
                                                                                  2022 
                                                                     £m            £m  
                                                                                       
Selling and distribution costs                                      590.6         472.6
   Selling and distribution costs                                   590.6         472.6
Administrative expenses, before non-underlying items                131.1         148.0
Non-underlying administrative expenses                                8.0         (6.8)
  Administrative expenses                                           139.1         141.2
  Operating expenses                                                729.7         613.8

 

  

 

3. Operating profit

For the period                                                                                   52 weeks to 52 weeks to  
                                                                                                                 1 April
                                                                                               31 March 2023              
                                                                                                                   2022 
                                                                                                          £m          £m  
  Operating profit is arrived at after charging/(crediting) the following expenses/(incomes)                              
  as categorised by nature:
  Expenses relating to leases of low-value assets, excluding short-term leases of low value                  2.0
  assets                                                                                                               1.6
                                                                                                                
  Expenses relating to short term leases                                                                     4.8       8.8
  Rentals receivable under operating leases                                                                (2.6)     (2.6)
  Landlord surrender premiums                                                                              (1.0)     (0.8)
  Loss on disposal of property, plant and equipment and intangibles                                          1.7       1.8
  Amortisation of intangible assets                                                                         17.9      15.8
  Amortisation of right-of-use assets                                                                       77.5      69.6
  Depreciation and impairment of:                                                                                         
  - owned property, plant and equipment                                                                    28.1       20.6
  Impairment of:                                                                                                          
  - owned property, plant and equipment                                                                     1.2      (0.3)
  - impairment of right-of-use assets                                                                      (2.3)         -
  Trade receivables impairment                                                                             (0.3)       0.1
  Staff costs                                                                                              359.1     319.5
  Cost of inventories consumed in cost of sales                                                            792.5     655.0
                                                                                                                          
                                                                                                                          

 

4. Non-underlying items 

For the period                                       52 weeks to 52 weeks to  
                                                                     1 April
                                                  31 March 2023               
                                                                       2022 
                                                              £m          £m  
  Non-underlying operating expenses:                                          
      Organisational restructure costs (a)                          6.3    1.1
      Acquisition and investment related fees (b)                   1.9    2.8
      One-off claims (c)                                              -  (2.2)
      Closure costs (d)                                           (0.2)  (8.5)
      Non-underlying items before tax                               8.0  (6.8)
      Tax on non-underlying items (e)                             (1.1)    1.7
      Non-underlying items after tax                                6.9  (5.1)
                                                                              

 

 a. In the current and prior period, separate  and unrelated organisational restructuring activities were  undertaken.  In
    FY22, a strategic redesign of the in-store operating  model was undertaken to better meet our customers’  expectations
    and deliver a consistent shopping experience  across our estate. In FY23, the  group have undertaken a restructure  of
    the support centre.

 

Costs in relation to the organisational  restructuring activities are made up of:  redundancy costs of £3.1m (PY:  £0.3m),
£1.6m (PY: £0.8m) for the replacement of  the WMS system, £0.4m (PY: £nil)  relating to our master data management  system
and £1.2m for the new system and  financial dual running costs incurred in  the integration of National Tyre. These  costs
are not part of recurring business and therefore, have been deemed non-underlying expenses.

 

 b. In the current and prior periods, costs were incurred in relation to the investments in Axle Group, Iverson, HaveBike,
    and Universal.

 

  • £1.9m costs incurred (PY: £2.5m) relating to professional fees in respect of acquisition of National and Lodge;
  • In FY22 £0.2m related to the acquisition of trade and assets of both Iverson and HaveBike;
  • In FY22 £0.1m related to the acquisition of Universal. 

 

 c. During the prior period the HMRC audit into National Minimum  Wage was concluded and fully settled and paid, this  led
    to a final release of the provision of £2.2m.

 

 d. In the current year, £3.6m of  closure costs were recognised representing the  costs associated with the closure of  a
    number of garages across Autocentres after a review of the garage portfolio post-acquisition of National Tyre. In FY22
    closure costs were recognised relating to the closure of  a number of stores and garages following a strategic  review
    of the profitability  of the  physical estate.  The provision related  to the  impairment of  right-of-use assets  and
    tangible assets and property costs as well as ongoing  onerous commitments under the lease agreements and other  costs
    associated with the property  exits. We continue  to utilise the  provision in the  current year but  have also had  a
    release of £3.8m (PY: £8.5m) as a result of a £2.3m impairment reversal and a £1.5m change in lease terms.

 

 e. The tax charge of £1.1m represents a tax rate of 13.8% applied to non-underlying items. The prior period represents  a
    tax credit at 13.6% applied to non-underlying items.  

 

 

 5. Finance costs 

                                                             

Recognised in profit or loss for the period     52 weeks to 52 weeks to  
                                                                1 April
                                              31 March 2023              
                                                                  2022 
                                                         £m          £m  
    Finance costs:                                                       
    Bank borrowings                                       (1.4)     (0.1)
    Amortisation of issue costs on loans                  (0.8)     (0.7)
    Commitment and guarantee fees                         (1.1)     (1.5)
    Other interest payable                                    -         -
    Interest payable on lease liabilities                 (8.8)     (9.0)
    Net Finance costs                                    (12.1)    (11.3)
                                                                         
                                                                         

 

 

 6. Taxation 

For the period                                          52 weeks to 52 weeks to
                                                                        1 April
                                                      31 March 2023
                                                                          2022 
                                                                 £m          £m
  Current taxation                                                             
  UK corporation tax charge for the period                         8.3   15.9  
  Adjustment in respect of prior periods                           1.0  (0.4)  
                                                                   9.3   15.5  
  Deferred taxation                                                            
  Origination and reversal of temporary differences                1.2    3.4  
Effect of changes in tax rates                                     0.3    (1.7)
  Adjustment in respect of prior periods                         (1.3)    1.7  
                                                                   0.2    3.4  
                                                                               
  Total tax charge for the period                                  9.5   18.9  
                                                                               

 

The tax charge is reconciled with the standard rate of UK corporation tax as follows: 

For the period                                                52 weeks to 52 weeks to
                                                                              1 April
                                                            31 March 2023
                                                                                2022 
                                                                       £m          £m
  Profit before tax                                                  43.5    96.6  
                                                                                   
  UK corporation tax at standard rate of 19% (2020: 19%)              8.3    18.4  
  Factors affecting the charge for the period:                                     
  Depreciation on expenditure not eligible for tax relief             0.6     0.3  
  Impact of super deduction capital allowances uplift               (0.7)   (1.3)  
  Employee share options                                              0.8     1.5  
  Other disallowable expenses                                         0.8     0.8  
  Adjustment in respect of prior periods                            (0.3)     1.3  
  Impact of overseas tax rates                                      (0.3)   (0.3)  
  Impact of 130% capital allowances deduction                         0.3   (1.8)  
  Total tax charge for the period                                     9.5    18.9  
                                                                                   

 

An increase to the main rate of corporation  tax to 25% from 1 April 2023  was substantively enacted on 24 May 2021.  This
will increase the  Company’s future current  tax charge  accordingly. The deferred  tax asset  at 31 March  2023 has  been
calculated based on the rate of 25% substantively enacted at the balance sheet date.

 

The effective tax rate of 21.9% (2022: 19.5%) is higher than the UK corporation tax rate principally due to the impact  of
current and deferred tax on employee share options and non-deductible expenditure on business acquisitions.

 

The tax charge for the period was £9.5m (2022: £18.9m), including a £1.1m credit (2022: £1.7m credit) in respect of tax on
non-underlying items. 

 

The Group engages openly  and proactively with tax  authorities both in  the UK and internationally,  where it trades  and
sources products,  and is  considered low  risk by  HM Revenue  & Customs  (“HMRC”).  The  Company is  fully committed  to
complying with all of its tax payment and reporting obligations.  

 

At 31 March 2023, the Group has unused tax losses of £57.4m (2022: £62.6m) and fixed asset temporary differences of £36.7m
(2022: £36.7m) available for offset against future profits. A deferred tax asset has been recognised in respect of  £23.7m
(2022: £28.9m) of the losses and £36.7m (2022: £36.7m) of the fixed asset temporary difference where management  considers
it probable there will be future taxable  profits available for offset. The net  impact of this recognition is a  deferred
tax asset of £5.9m in relation to losses and £9.2m in relation to fixed asset temporary differences.             

No deferred tax asset has been recognised in respect of  the remaining £35.3m (2022: £33.7m) relating to tax losses as  it
is not considered probable that there will be future taxable profits available for offset. The net impact of this  balance
is an unrecognised deferred tax asset of £8.8m. These losses may be carried forward indefinitely.

 

 7. Dividends 

For the period                                                                  52 weeks to 52 weeks to  
                                                                                                1 April
                                                                             31 March 2023               
                                                                                                  2022 
                                                                                         £m          £m  
Equity – ordinary shares                                                                                 
Final for the 52 weeks to 1 April 2022 – (53 weeks to 2 April 2021: 5p)                      13.0     9.9
Interim for the 52 weeks to 31 March 2023 – (52 weeks to 1 April 2022: 3p)                    6.5     6.6
                                                                                             19.5    16.5
                                                                                                         

 

In addition, the Directors are proposing a final dividend of 7p per share (2022: 6.0p) in respect of the financial period
ended 31 March 2023. 

  

 8. Earnings per share 

Basic earnings per  share are calculated  by dividing  the profit attributable  to ordinary shareholders  by the  weighted
average number of ordinary shares in issue during the period.  The weighted average number of shares excludes shares  held
by an Employee Benefit Trust and has been adjusted for the issue/purchase of shares during the period.   

 

For diluted earnings per share, the weighted average number  of ordinary shares in issue is adjusted to assume  conversion
of all dilutive potential ordinary shares.  These represent share options granted to employees where the exercise price is
less than the average market price of the Company’s ordinary shares during the 52 weeks to 31 March 2023.   

 

The Group has also chosen to present an alternative earnings per share measure, underlying earnings per share, with profit
adjusted for non-underlying items because it better reflects the Group’s underlying performance.  

 

For the period                                                                      52 weeks to      52 weeks to
                                                                                                         1 April
                                                                                 31 March 2023 
                                                                                                           2022 
                                                                               Number of shares Number of shares
                                                                                              m                m
Weighted average number of shares in issue                                                218.9            205.7
Less: shares held by the Employee Benefit Trust (weighted average)                        (1.5)            (1.0)
Weighted average number of shares for calculating basic earnings per share                217.4            204.7
Weighted average number of dilutive shares                                                 10.0              9.0
Total number of shares for calculating diluted earnings per share                         227.4            213.7
                                                                                                 

 

                                                                            52 weeks to
                                                               52 weeks to 
                                                                                1 April
For the period                                               31 March 2023 
                                                                                   2022
                                                                         £m
                                                                                     £m
        Basic earnings attributable to equity shareholders             34.0        77.7
        Non-underlying items (see note 4):                                             
        Operating expenses                                              8.0       (6.8)
        Tax on non-underlying items                                   (1.1)         1.7
        Underlying earnings before non-underlying items                40.9        72.6
                                                                             

 

                                                                                               
                                                                                    52 weeks to

For the period                                           52 weeks to 31 March 2023      1 April

                                                                                           2022
        Basic earnings per ordinary share                                     15.6p       37.9p
        Diluted earnings per ordinary share                                   15.0p       36.4p
                                                                                               
        Basic underlying earnings per ordinary share                          18.8p       35.5p
        Diluted underlying earnings per ordinary share                        18.0p       34.0p
                                                                                     

 

 9. Analysis of movements in Group’s net debt in the period

                                            At 1 April 2022                   Cash flow  Other non-cash At  31 March 2023 
                                                                                                changes
                                                        £m                           £m             £m                 £m 
Cash and cash equivalents at bank and in
hand
                                                       46.3                        (4.4)              -               41.9
(Consolidated Statement of Financial
Position)  
Bank overdrafts                                       (0.2)                        (9.5)              -              (9.7)
Cash and cash equivalents at bank and in
hand                                                   46.1                       (13.9)              -               32.2

(Consolidated Statement of Cashflows)  
Debt due in less than one year                            -                            -              -                  -
Debt due after one year                                   -                       (34.0)              -             (34.0)
Total net debt excluding leases                        46.1                       (47.9)              -              (1.8)
Current lease liabilities                            (74.5)                         89.3         (92.4)             (77.6)
Non-current lease liabilities                       (316.5)                            -           47.2            (269.3)
Total lease liabilities                             (391.0)                         89.3         (45.2)            (346.9)
Total net debt                                      (344.9)                         41.4         (45.2)            (348.7)

 

Non-cash changes include additions of new  leases, modifications to leases and  foreign exchange movements and changes  in
classification between amounts due within and after one year.

 

Cash and cash equivalents at the period end consist  of £41.9m (2022: £46.3m) of liquid assets and £9.7m (2022: £0.2m)  of
bank overdrafts. 

The Group had the following committed  borrowing facilities available at each balance  sheet date in respect of which  all
conditions precedent had been met:

                                2023  2022
                              
                                  £m    £m
Expiring within 1 year           0.0  20.0
Expiring between 1 and 2 years   0.0   0.0
Expiring between 2 and 5 years 180.0 160.0

 

The facility of £180.0m (2022: £180.0m)  relates to the Group's revolving credit  facility. £20.0m of this balance is  the
overdraft on the revolving credit facility. All these facilities incurred commitment fees at market rates.

 

10.             Leases 

All leases where the Group is a lessee are accounted for by recognising a right-of-use asset and a lease liability except
for: 

  •                   Leases of low value assets; and  
  •                   Leases with a term of 12 months or less.  

 

i.  Amounts recognised in the consolidated statement of financial position 

 

Right-of-Use Assets

                                                     
                                                                       
                                            Land and  Equipment 
                                                                 Total 
                                           buildings         £m 
                                                                    £m 
                                                  £m 
At 1 April 2022                                 345.6        4.6  350.2
Additions on acquisition of subsidiary            5.8        0.5    6.3
Additions to right-of-use assets                 23.6        7.4   31.0
Amortisation charge for the year               (72.8)      (4.7) (77.5)
Effect of modification of lease                   1.0          -    1.0
Derecognition of right-of-use assets            (0.7)          -  (0.7)
Impairment                                        2.3          -    2.3
At 31 March 2023                                304.8        7.8  312.6

 

                                                     
                                                                       
                                            Land and  Equipment 
                                                                 Total 
                                           buildings         £m 
                                                                    £m 
                                                  £m 
At 2 April 2021                                 279.9        2.9  282.8
Additions on acquisition of subsidiary           82.0          -   82.0
Additions to right-of-use assets                 44.6        5.0   49.6
Amortisation charge for the year               (66.4)      (3.5) (69.9)
Effect of modification of lease                   6.8        0.4    7.2
Derecognition of right-of-use assets            (1.3)      (0.2)  (1.5)
Impairment                                          -          -      -
At 1 April 2022                                 345.6        4.6  350.2

 

 

 

Lease Liabilities

                                                     
                                                                       
                                            Land and  Equipment 
                                                                 Total 
                                           buildings         £m 
                                                                    £m 
                                                  £m 
At 1 April 2022                                 385.1        5.9  391.0
Additions on acquisition of subsidiary            5.8        0.5    6.3
Additions to lease liabilities                   22.3        7.4   29.7
Interest expense                                  8.5        0.3    8.8
Effect of modification to lease                   1.0          -    1.0
Lease payments                                 (84.6)      (4.7) (89.3)
Disposals to lease liabilities                  (1.1)          -  (1.1)
Foreign exchange movements                        0.5          -    0.5
At 31 March 2023                                337.5        9.4  346.9
                                                                       

 

                                                     
                                                                       
                                            Land and  Equipment 
                                                                 Total 
                                           buildings         £m 
                                                                    £m 
                                                  £m 
At 2 April 2021                                 340.6        3.7  344.3
Additions on acquisition of subsidiary           73.2          -   73.2
Additions to lease liabilities                   44.6        4.9   49.5
Interest expense                                  8.8        0.2    9.0
Effect of modification to lease                   6.8        0.4    7.2
Lease payments                                 (81.7)      (3.3) (85.0)
Disposals to lease liabilities                  (7.0)          -  (7.0)
Foreign exchange movements                      (0.2)          -  (0.2)
At 1 April 2022                                 385.1        5.9  391.0

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

                                                                          1 April
                                                            31 March 2023
Lease liabilities                                                            2022
                                                                      £m 
                                                                               £m
Maturity analysis – contractual undiscounted cash flows                          
Less than one year                                                   85.0    81.2
Between one and two years                                            80.9    80.5
Between two and three years                                          67.1    72.7
Between three and four years                                         45.2    59.4
Between four and five years                                          30.3    39.0
Between five and six years                                           20.3    26.9
Between six and seven years                                          14.0    18.7
Between seven and eight years                                        11.8    12.7
Between eight and nine years                                          9.3    10.7
Between nine and ten years                                            6.0     8.2
After ten years                                                       3.6     9.0
Total contractual cash flows                                        373.5   419.0

 

ii.  Amounts recognised in the consolidated income statement  

 

                                                                                                        
                                                                                                                          
                                                                                               Land and  Equipment 
                                                                                                                    Total 
                                                                                              buildings         £m 
                                                                                                                       £m 
                                                                                                     £m 
52 weeks ended 31 March 2023                                                                                              
Amortisation charge on right-of-use assets                                                          72.8        4.7   77.5
Interest on lease liabilities                                                                        8.5        0.3    8.8
Expenses relating to short-term leases                                                               4.8          -    4.8
Expenses relating to leases of low-value assets, excluding short-term leases of low-value              -        2.0    2.0
assets 
52 weeks ended 1 April 2022                                                                                          
Amortisation charge on right-of-use assets                                                          66.4        3.5   69.9
Interest on lease liabilities                                                                        8.8        0.2    9.0
Expenses relating to short-term leases                                                               6.8          -    6.8
Expenses relating to leases of low-value assets, excluding short-term leases of low-value              -        1.6    1.6
assets 

 

iii.                 Amounts recognised in the consolidated statement of cash flows 

 

The total cash outflow for leases for the period ended 31 March 2023 was £89.3m (2022: £85.0m). 

 

11.             Prior Period Misstatement

 

Axle Group Intercompany Sales

 

During the  preparation  of the  financial  statements,  a consolidation  error  was  identified relating  to  Axle  group
intercompany transactions. In the previous year elimination of intercompany  sales had taken place in both the Axle  group
and Halfords  group  consolidations.  £12.8m  was incorrectly  eliminated  from  Revenue  and Cost  of  Sales  within  the
Consolidated Income Statement for the 52 week period ended 1 April 2022.

To correct for this error in the Consolidated Income Statement, Revenue for the 52 week period ended 1 April 2022 has been
increased by £12.8m with a corresponding adjustment to Cost of Sales. In correcting this error there has been no impact in
overall Gross Profit or Profit  for the Financial Period  within the Consolidated Income Statement  and there has been  no
impact on Net Assets or other headline accounts.

 

══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════

Dissemination of a Regulatory Announcement that contains inside information in accordance with the Market Abuse Regulation
(MAR), transmitted by EQS Group.
The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.

══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════

   ISIN:           GB00B012TP20
   Category Code:  FR
   TIDM:           HFD
   LEI Code:       54930086FKBWWJIOBI79
   OAM Categories: 1.1. Annual financial and audit reports
                   2.2. Inside information
   Sequence No.:   252111
   EQS News ID:    1661421


    
   End of Announcement EQS News Service

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