2020 Preliminary Results
11 March 2021 2020 Preliminary Results Resilient performance: further recovery in Q4; net debt down to £0.7 billion; share buyback to start immediately. Well positioned to grow in 2021, in line with guidance Key figures – continuing operations +/(-)% +/(-)% £ million 2020 reported1 LFL2 2019 Revenue 12,003 (9.3) (7.3) 13,234 Revenue less pass-through costs 9,762 (10.0) (8.2) 10,847 Reported: Operating (loss)/profit (2,278) n/m3 - 1,296 (Loss)/profit before tax (2,791) n/m - 1,2144 Diluted EPS (p) (243.2) n/m - 68.24 Dividends per share (p) 24.0 5.7 - 22.7 Headline5: Operating profit 1,261 (19.2) (17.2) 1,561 Operating profit margin 12.9% (1.5)pt* (1.4)pt* 14.4% Profit before tax 1,041 (23.6) - 1,363 Diluted EPS (p) 59.9 (23.3) - 78.1 * Margin points Full year and Q4 financial highlights ◼ FY continuing operations reported revenue -9.3%, LFL revenue -7.3% ◼ FY LFL revenue less pass-through costs -8.2%; sequential recovery since initial lockdowns: Q2 -15.1%, Q3 -7.6%, Q4 -6.5% ◼ Q4 LFL revenue less pass-through costs by major market: US -6.2%, UK -7.4%, Germany -0.8%, Greater China -12.1%, India -8.9% ◼ FY headline operating margin 12.9%, down 1.5pt on prior year as cost savings of over £800 million offset the majority of the revenue decline; H2 headline operating margin +0.5pt ◼ Reported loss before tax impacted by £3.1 billion of impairments (£2.8 billion goodwill, £0.3 billion investment and other write-downs) ◼ Net debt at 31 December 2020 £0.7 billion, better than expected and down £0.8 billion year-on-year, reflecting continued strong working capital and cash management 1 Percentage change in reported sterling.
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