REG - Howden Joinery Grp - Trading Statement

Howden JoineryAnnouncement

02/11/2020 07:00

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RNS Number : 8481D  Howden Joinery Group PLC  02 November 2020

2 November 2020

 

Howden Joinery Group Plc

('Howdens' or the 'Company')

 

TRADING UPDATE

 

THIS ANNOUNCEMENT CONTAINS INSIDE INFORMATION

 

 

Howdens today announces its trading update for the period 14 June 2020 to 31
October 2020 (Period 7 to Period 11).

 

Howdens' priority continues to be the health and wellbeing of our employees
and customers, while acting fairly and responsibly in all our stakeholder
relationships.

 

Trading

As previously announced, Howdens results for the first half were impacted
significantly by the disruption caused by lockdown in the second quarter.
However, by Period 6 all sites were open and operating safely and in Period 7
Howden UK sales were 2.2% ahead of Period 7 sales in 2019.

Since then, trading has improved significantly. Howdens UK depots' total
revenue for Periods 7 to 11 increased by 12.3% and by 10.1% on a same depot
basis, on Periods 7 to 11 in 2019, with gross margin ahead of the first half
of 2020 but lower than the same period in 2019. With signs of pent up demand
since lockdown and a high level of stock availability, we extended our "P11"
sale period across Periods 10 and 11 this year. This helped our supply chain
management and the ability of depots to service demand.

For the year to date (Periods 1 to 11), total UK revenue was 6.8% below that
for 2019.

On a local currency basis, Howdens French and Belgian depots' total revenue
for Periods 7 to 11 increased by 33.3% and by 25.4% on a same depot basis, on
the comparable Periods in 2019. Total revenue for the year to date was 7.9% up
on the comparator period.

Capital allocation & Government Support

Taking into account Howdens cash position and recent trading performance, the
Company intends to repay the £22m it received in the first half under the UK
Government's Job Retention Scheme before the end of the year. No claims have
been made under this Scheme in the second half and no further claims are
expected to be made. The Company also intends to repay around £8m of business
rates that were waived by certain local councils. Other deferred payments,
such as taxes and pension deficit contributions, will also be made before the
end of the year.

 

Subject to the Company's trading performance and financial position continuing
to meet the Board's expectations and there being no further significant
disruption due to COVID-19 or otherwise, the Board will consider recommencing
payments of dividends with the announcement of Howdens 2020 full year results
in February 2021.

Business developments

As previously announced, Howdens expects to open a total of around 15 depots
in the UK in 2020, taking the total number of depots in the UK to around 747,
and to refurbish around 30 older depots to the updated format. Four new depots
are expected to be opened in France.

Chief Executive Officer, Andrew Livingston, said:

"I am very pleased with Howdens trading performance in the second half to date
with sales in Periods 7 to 11 being particularly strong.

 

"COVID-19 has had a significant impact on all of our lives and Howdens'
priority remains ensuring that our employees and customers are safe and
supported. We have also found new ways of working so that we can manufacture
safely in a socially distanced environment and, together with our suppliers,
ensure stock availability to support customer needs.

 

"With our Autumn peak trading period concluded, we are progressing our
business initiatives, including depot opening and reformatting programmes, new
product introductions and digital developments. We remain confident in our
business model, which is founded on strong customer relationships and having
product in-stock locally. However, we remain cautious about the immediate
outlook in these very uncertain times."

 

Next scheduled announcement

The Group expects to release its 2020 Preliminary Results on 25 February 2021.

 Enquiries

 Investors/analysts:

 Guy Stainer

 Head of Investor Relations +44 (0) 7739 778187

 

 Media:

 Citigate Dewe Rogerson

 Simon Rigby + 44 (0) 20 3926 8522, Kevin Smith +44 (0) 20 3926 8509

 Nick Hayns + 44 (0) 20 3926 8503

 

Note to editors:

Howden Joinery Group Plc is the parent company of Howden Joinery (Howdens). In
the UK, Howdens is engaged in the sale of kitchens and joinery products to
trade customers, primarily small local builders, through more than 730 depots.
Around one-third of the products it sells are manufactured in the company's
own factories in Runcorn, Cheshire, and Howden, East Yorkshire. The business
also operates a total of around 30 depots in France and Belgium.

 

For more information: www.howdenjoinerygroupplc.com
(http://www.howdenjoinerygroupplc.com)

 

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