Factbox: UK firms flag over $1.4 bln in labour costs from increase in national insurance, wages
05/12/2024 13:01
(Adds companies, updates total cost in paragraph 1 and
headline)
Dec 5 (Reuters) - British companies have flagged an
increase of 1.1 billion pounds ($1.40 billion) in labour costs
related to a rise in employers' social security contributions
and minimum wages following Finance Minister Rachel Reeves'
maiden budget in October.
They also expect the increase in National Insurance
Contributions (NIC) and the minimum wages to fuel inflation.
Here's what some companies across sectors have said so far:
RETAILERS
British retailer Pets at Home Group PETSP.L said it
expected costs to rise by about 18 million pounds in fiscal 2026
due to increased NIC.
British bicycle and car products retailer Halfords Group
HFD.L forecast its future costs to increase by around 23
million pounds in fiscal 2026 due to higher employer social
security contributions.
Tile retailer Topps Tiles TPT.L said it estimated a 4
million pound cost impact on an annual basis from April 2025,
out of which 2 million would impact the 2025 financial year.
Home improvement retailer Kingfisher KGF.L , which employs
more than 78,000 people, said the increase in NIC would cost it
about 31 million pounds in fiscal 2025/26.
British supermarket chain Sainsbury's SBRY.L , which
employs around 150,000 people, said it was facing headwinds of
140 million pounds from the national insurance change.
Marks & Spencer MKS.L said the national insurance increase
would cost it around 60 million pounds in its next financial
year, which starts in April. A 6.7% rise in minimum wage will
add another 60 million pounds.
Asda, Britain's third-largest supermarket, said the national
insurance change would cost it 100 million pounds next year and
warned it would "probably be inflationary to some degree".
Primark-owner Associated British Foods ABF.L said the
national insurance change would cost the clothing retailer,
which employs 40,000 people in the UK, "tens of millions" of
pounds, though the rise in the minimum wage was anticipated.
Kitchen and joinery retailer Howden Joinery HWDN.L said
the expected annualised cost impact of higher contributions to
employers' national insurance and the increase in the national
minimum wage was around 18 million pounds.
Mike Ashley-owned Frasers FRAS.L called the budget a 'kick
in the face' and said it would cost the retailer at least 50
million pounds in added costs going into its 2025/26 year.
Flooring firm Headlam Group HEAD.L said that the
unexpected reduction in the national insurance threshold,
combined with the increase in the national minimum wage, will
add about 2 million pounds to its annual operating costs from
April 2025.
Supreme SUP.L , which sells Duracell and Energiser
batteries along with Elf Bar vapes, said it expects an addition
of 0.9 million pounds to its annualised people costs due to the
changes in National Insurance and National Living Wage.
LOGISTICS
International Distribution Services IDSI.L , the owner of
Royal Mail, which employs nearly 130,000 people in Britain, said
changes to the NIC will cost around 120 million pounds a year.
TELECOM
BT BT.L , an employer of more than 100,000 people, said the
NIC change would increase its costs by close to 100 million
pounds next year, about 0.5% of its total cost base.
PUBS & RESTAURANTS
Pub group Mitchells & Butlers MAB.L flagged the NIC change
to increase its cost to 23 million per annum. It also said the
minimum wage hike would add another 42 million annually.
JD Wetherspoon JDW.L , a major British pub operator that
employs more than 40,000 people, said its annual costs would
increase by about 60 million pounds in 2025, with its NIC rising
by an estimated two-thirds.
British pub group Young & Co's Brewery YNGa.L , which
employs about 7,700 people, warned that rising NIC and minimum
wages will increase its annual costs by about 11 million pounds,
starting April.
Marston's MARS.L , which operates 1,339 pubs in the UK with
about 11,000 employees, said it expects a 4 million pound impact
due to wage inflation and another 4.6 million pounds from
additional employment costs in fiscal 2025, but called the costs
"manageable".
Loungers LGRS.L , a cafe-bar and restaurant chain with over
8,000 staff, said the combined impact of NIC and minimum wage
increase will add 9 million pounds to its annual costs.
HOMEBUILDERS
Persimmon PSN.L expects costs from a hike in national
insurance to be about 5 million pounds over the next year.
Vistry VTYV.L also estimated a 5-million-pound impact in
fiscal year 2025 from the increase in employer NIC.
OUTSOURCERS
Serco Group SRP.L said the UK government's national
insurance tax changes would increase its direct labour costs by
around 20 million pounds per year and that it was exploring ways
to offset these costs.
Mitie Group MTO.L expects NIC-related costs to be about 60
million pounds, but the company estimates that it would be able
to recover 35 million pounds of those costs through contractual
recoveries and commercial negotiations in fiscal 2026.
Contract caterer Compass Group CPG.L , which employs about
50,000 staff in its UK and Ireland unit, expects NIC-related
costs to be in the "tens of millions".
SERVICE PROVIDERS
Office services provider Restore Plc RSTP.L which employs
nearly 2,700 people, said it estimates about 3 million pounds in
costs from the NIC change and minimum wage hike.
Veterinary services provider CVS Group CVSG.L , which
employs more than 8,800 people, said it estimates a cost impact
of about 8 million pounds in 2026 from the NIC changes.
British rail industry services provider Tracsis TRCS.L
also said the NIC change and minimum wage increase are expected
to impact 2025 core profit by about 500,000 pounds.
Legal and professional services provider Knights Group
KGHK.L said it expects an annual cost impact of about 2
million pounds in fiscal 2026 due to the NIC increase.
Business recovery and property services consultancy Begbies
Traynor BEG.L estimates the NIC changes to increase employment
costs by about 1.25 million pounds per annum.
British legal and professional services group Gateley
GTLY.L said it was expecting the NIC changes to impact its
costs by about 1.8 million pounds in fiscal 2026.
Equipment rental specialist VP Plc VP.L said it estimated
the NIC and wage hikes would cost the group about 4 million
pounds in the next financial year.
Specialist property services provider Kinovo KINO.L said
it expected a cost of impact of about 500,000 pounds from the
NIC and wage increase.
CHEMICALS
British chemicals maker Johnson Matthey JMAT.L said the
impact of the increase in UK employers' NIC on the group would
be in about the mid-single digit millions.
MANUFACTURER
Genuit Group GENG.L expects the NIC and minimum wage hikes
to add nearly 5 million pounds to its cost base in 2025.
Structural steel company Severfield SFR.L said it
estimates the NIC hike to increase costs by 2 million pounds per
annum starting fiscal 2026.
Convenience food manufacturer Greencore GNC.L flagged an
impact of about 7.5 million pounds in fiscal 2025 due to the
increase in national insurance charges.
Packaging firm
Macfarlane Group MACF.L said it expected its annualised
costs to increase by around 1.5 million pounds from the NIC and
wage hikes, starting April 2025.
IG Design Group
, the world's largest maker of celebration products
including gift wrap, greeting cards and gift bags, said it
estimated the NIC and wage increases to cost the firm about 0.7
million pounds in annual operating costs from the next financial
year.
MEDIA FIRM
Media production firm Zinc Media ZIN.L expects the NIC
changes to increase its cost base by about 400,000 pounds
annually.
(Source: Company announcements, Reuters reporting)
($1 = 0.7863 pounds)
(Reporting by Prerna Bedi, DhanushVignesh Babu, Yadarisa
Shabong and Yamini Kalia in Bengaluru; Editing by Shilpi
Majumdar, Shinjini Ganguli, Shounak Dasgupta, Anil D'Silva and
Maju Samuel)
((Prerna.Bedi@thomsonreuters.com; +91 98052 24616))