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ANCR Animalcare Group Plc

217.00
0.00 (0.00%)
26 Apr 2024 - Closed
Delayed by 15 minutes
Share Name Share Symbol Market Type Share ISIN Share Description
Animalcare Group Plc LSE:ANCR London Ordinary Share GB0032350695 ORD 20P
  Price Change % Change Share Price Bid Price Offer Price High Price Low Price Open Price Shares Traded Last Trade
  0.00 0.00% 217.00 214.00 220.00 217.00 217.00 217.00 43,842 08:00:00
Industry Sector Turnover Profit EPS - Basic PE Ratio Market Cap
Veterinary Service-livestock 71.62M 1.97M 0.0327 66.36 130.41M

Animalcare Group PLC 2018 Full Year Results (5220X)

30/04/2019 7:01am

UK Regulatory


Animalcare (LSE:ANCR)
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TIDMANCR

RNS Number : 5220X

Animalcare Group PLC

30 April 2019

30 April 2019

Animalcare Group plc

("Animalcare", the "Company" or the "Group")

Full Year Results for the 12 months ended 31 December 2018

Animalcare Group plc (AIM: ANCR), the European Animal Health business, announces its full year results for the year ended 31 December 2018.

Financial Highlights

   --     Reported revenue growth of 16.3% to GBP72.5m (2017: GBP62.3m) 

o Up 2.7% on a proforma basis

   --     Underlying* EBITDA increased by 21.7% to GBP11.8m (2017: GBP9.7m) 

o Up 2.8% on a proforma basis

-- Statutory loss before tax, which incorporates non-underlying items, decreased to GBP0.4m (2017: GBP0.4m profit) with reported basic loss per share decreased to 1.7p (2017: 0.2p earnings per share)

-- Improved underlying* cash conversion to 79.9% (2017: 65.9%) with net debt reduced by GBP2.3m to GBP23.6m

-- Proposed final dividend of 2.4 pence per share giving a total dividend of 4.4 pence per share for 2018

Operational Highlights (including post-period)

   --     Jenny Winter, formerly of AstraZeneca, appointed Chief Executive Officer in October 2018 

-- Leadership team strengthened by appointment of Group Functional leaders in Supply Chain, Commercial, New Product Opportunities (CSO) and Technical / Regulatory functions and HR. In addition, we have appointed new country managers in Spain, the UK and Belgium

-- Portfolio prioritisation performed including the sale of the non-core Wholesale business in Q3 2018, in line with focus on the higher-margin veterinary pharmaceuticals business

-- Ten new products launched in 2018 with an additional six submissions made for products that are scheduled for launch in 2019 or early 2020

-- Strategy was focussed to reflect the new combined Animalcare group and was approved by the Board post period. It builds on the experience and success of the legacy companies and reflects the rapidly growing and changing marketplace. The Board believe the five strategic priorities below will drive the future success of Animalcare and will contribute to both the short and long-term sustainable growth.

o Build strong financial basis through revenue growth, cash conversion, EPS growth and EBITDA margin growth

o Grow the business through a focussed portfolio of existing products and build a robust future pipeline in five key therapy areas in the companion animal and equine markets

o Build on existing customer relationships with vets and other stakeholders to deliver trusted products and services

o Business development focus with partners to in license and acquire innovative products

o Organisation for success, building leadership strength and attract, retain and develop talent for the future

*underlying measures are before the effect of non-underlying items which excludes fair value adjustments on acquired inventory, amortisation of acquired intangibles and acquisition and integration costs. A reconciliation to statutory measures is provided in the Chief Financial Officer's Review.

Jan Boone, Chairman of Animalcare Group plc, commenting on the results said: "Animalcare made good progress in 2018 as we focus on creating a competitive platform for future growth in the global animal health sector. We continue to improve the underlying profitability of the Group, and the disposal of our Wholesale Division was in line with our strategy to focus on the higher-margin veterinary pharmaceuticals business, a key growth driver. In order to maximise our potential as a significant player in the European and international animal health sector, we appointed Jenny Winter as CEO in October 2018 to maximise the potential of the business. With Jenny's leadership and expertise, I look forward to delivering our financial goals and strategic objectives over the coming years."

Jenny Winter, CEO of Animalcare Group plc, said: "Since joining Animalcare in October last year, I have been impressed by the competitive strengths of the business and the size of the growth opportunity. I have conducted a detailed review of all areas of the business and set out a strategy to enable us to build upon our capabilities. Our goal is to deliver sustainable and profitable growth and to achieve this, we will focus on meeting the needs of vets in therapeutic areas where we have existing strengths and can further add value. Improving cash generation is a key focus for the business and we will continue to drive improvements in supply chain efficiency and closely monitor our cost base, whilst selectively investing in future innovation. Achieving this will build an effective and focused organisation that is fit for the future and deliver growth over the next three to five years. "

Analyst briefing today

Jenny Winter, Chief Executive Officer, and Chris Brewster, Chief Financial Officer, will host a meeting and conference call for analysts to provide an update the Company, followed by a Q&A session, at 09:00am BST today at the offices of Panmure Gordon & Co, One New Change, London, EC4M 9AF.

Dial-in details:

International and UK dial-in:

+44 (0) 2071 928000

Belgium dial-in:

080048740

Conference ID:

5769312

Presentation slides will be made available on Animalcare's website, www.animalcaregroup.co.uk, prior to the conference call.

For further information, please contact:

 
 Animalcare Group plc                 Tel: 01904 487 687 
 Jenny Winter, Chief Executive 
  Officer 
 Chris Brewster, Chief Financial 
  Officer 
 
 
 Panmure Gordon (Nominated Adviser    Tel: 020 7886 2500 
  & Broker) 
 Corporate Finance 
 Freddy Crossley / Emma Earl 
 Corporate Broking 
 James Stearns 
 Consilium Strategic Communications 
                                      Tel: 020 3709 5709 
 Amber Fennell/Jonathan Birt/Angela 
  Gray /Olivia Manser 
  Animalcare@consilium-comms.com 
 
 

About Animalcare (www.Animalcaregroup.co.uk)

Animalcare Group plc is a UK AIM listed veterinary sales and marketing organisation resulting from the merger of Animalcare and Ecuphar NV in July 2017. Animalcare operates in 32 countries in Europe and a further 16 worldwide. The company is focused on bringing new and innovative products to market through its own development pipeline, partnerships and via acquisition.

CHAIRMAN'S STATEMENT

Animalcare continued to make steady progress in 2018 as we focus on creating a competitive platform for future growth in the international animal health sector. Group revenues from continuing operations were up 16.3% to GBP72.5m from GBP62.3m with underlying EBITDA increasing by 21.7% to GBP11.8m (2017: GBP9.7m). On a proforma basis, which is used by the Board for comparison of financial performance, as set out in the unaudited income statement in the Chief Financial Officer's Review, revenue and underlying EBITDA growth versus 2017 was 2.7% and 2.8% respectively. After underlying adjustments totalling GBP9.4m, the loss before tax for the year on a reported basis was GBP0.4m (2017: GBP0.4m profit).

Sales growth was affected towards the end of the year by supply challenges related to third-party manufacturers, some of which impacted the wider market. We also experienced some delays to new product launches and lower demand in the large animal portfolio, particularly for antibiotics which was reflective of an overall market decline in demand.

Strategically, we decided to dispose of the Wholesale Division in order to focus resources on the higher-margin veterinary pharmaceuticals business. We also continued to focus on integration, supply chain efficiency and optimising portfolios and product launches across our expanded network.

The Board is confident of the long-term prospects of the animal health market and is actively preparing the business to make the most of the opportunities. Our key competitive advantages include a significant presence across Europe, with products sold in 32 markets directly and through partners. We also benefit from specialisation in key therapeutic areas for the companion animal and equine markets and believe we can capitalise on a growing reputation as a chosen partner for non-European companies and researchers wanting to commercialise innovative products in Europe.

In order to maximise the potential of the business, the Board appointed Jenny Winter as CEO in October 2018. Jenny has an excellent track record in the pharmaceutical industry, most recently with AstraZeneca, with particular expertise in supply chain effectiveness, which we believe is fundamental to improving our overall performance. We are grateful to Chris Cardon for his contribution as CEO and for taking on the role of Chief Strategy Officer.

Jenny has initiated a full review and identified a clear path for Animalcare as a business focused around core therapy areas and higher margin products with the vet as our primary customer. We are also setting out financial goals, including growing faster than the markets in which we operate and improving cash generation to enable us to invest in future growth and innovation.

Further details of the new strategy are set out in the Chief Executive Officer's Review and are linked to our Key Performance Indicators.

I would like to thank our employees for their support and dedication during 2018. We look forward to 2019 and beyond with confidence. We believe Animalcare is excellently placed to leverage its geographic, structural and therapeutic strengths, and has the opportunity to become a significant and recognised brand across Europe, with global potential for innovative products through best-in-class partnerships.

We look forward to keeping you updated on our progress during the year.

Jan Boone

Non-Executive Chairman

CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER'S REVIEW

Since joining Animalcare in October 2018, I have been impressed by the competitive strengths of the business and the quality of the growth opportunity. Since joining and following the disposal of our wholesale business in September 2018, a thorough review has been undertaken. Following this review and detailed discussions with the Board, I have set out a strategy to enable us to build on the existing portfolio, experience and capabilities to become an important player in the European animal health market and beyond. I have also reviewed our pipeline and established the principles we will use to build a sustainable future.

The strategy is built around five pillars:

   --   Strong finances 
   --   Growth portfolio 
   --   Customer relationships 
   --   Focused business development 
   --   The organisation for success 

In the seven European markets where we have commercial operations we market and sell our own products. We also market and sell products from other companies through our established sales teams. In countries where we do not have sales teams, we work with our network partners to commercialise our own products. With this footprint we are active in 32 countries in Europe and a further 16 in the rest of the world.

We employ over 110 fully trained sales representative and technical experts who are working closely with our customers including dedicated Key Account Managers who work with our larger Corporate Partners

We have a broad portfolio of licensed drugs, vaccines and care products including nutraceuticals in the companion animal, equine and production animal segments of the market. In the UK we are also one of the leading providers of pet microchips and have a successful pet reunification service.

2018 Operational performance:

Financials

On a proforma basis, sales in 2018 increased by 2.7% to GBP72.5m versus the prior year and were in line with the market growth for the countries and segments in which we operate. This increase is driven by organic growth in companion animals (+6.0%) offset by a decline in production animal sales of 3.6%.

Growth in Companion Animals was driven by the launch of new products including Cosequin (Spain) and the annualised impact of products launched in 2017. Equine sales were flat and the decline in sales in production animals is driven by the reduction in the use of antibiotics and our antibiotics sales versus 2017 declined at 15%. Belgium and Italy saw the largest decline.

Our top three selling products in 2018 were Dinalgen Injection for the treatment of pain, Conofite, an antifungal treatment and Orozyme, an established oro-dental product and accounted for 12% of sales.

The top 20 products accounted for 47% of our total sales. Filavac (+38%), Aqupharm fluids (+27%) and Cosequin (joint supplement) (+230%) were the most significant growth drivers in the portfolio. Our microchip business in the UK continued to perform well with growth of 31%. Whilst overall sales in farm animal declined, Dinalgen Injection performed strongly with revenue up 31%.

Our operating overheads increased by +0.7% with a mix of increases in employee costs and decreases in other operational expenses.

Underlying EBITDA increased by 2.8% driven by growth in Germany and the UK, offset by a decline in Belgium and Spain. Overall growth was impacted by some out of stocks due to supply chain challenges, some delays in approvals for new products and the pace of the decline in antibiotic prescribing.

New product launches and regulatory filings.

We have been building our product portfolio and technical efficiencies in 2018. We have made 17 submissions for products that are either new to our portfolio, or new in a specific country both within Europe and Globally. We have made over 50 submissions including extensions to the life cycle of existing products that will increase efficiency and decrease costs.

We launched ten new products in 2018 and will see the full year impact of these launches in 2019.

In 2018 we completed a strategic review of our development pipeline and re focused our activities to drive growth in the next five years.

We have accelerated the development programme for our novel pain treatment by four months and we terminated the development of two products, either due to commercial or technical reasons.

Six projects were submitted to the regulatory authorities in 2018 including extensions to our "Care" range across multiple countries that will strengthen our portfolio in the key therapeutic areas. Launches are planned for these products throughout 2019 and into early 2020.

People

We have continued the work that was done in 2017 to strengthen our Leadership Team and have established a core team to drive simplicity and avoid duplication. We have appointed Martin Gore as our Group Head of Commercial, to drive excellence within our Sales and Marketing teams. Stephen Pearson has been appointed Group Head of Supply Chain and will be focussed on improving customer service and on time in full delivery to our customers as well as managing inventory. Karolyn Tapper continues to lead our Technical team and Christiaan Cardon has taken the role of Chief Strategy Officer with responsibility for identifying new opportunities for the Group.

The newly created Leadership Team consists of the Group functions and Country Managers to ensure that we remain close to our customers through the leaders in each country. Post year end, we have further strengthened our Country Manager team with the appointment of Sara Maddens to lead the team in Benelux.

Having the right people in place is critical to our long-term success. I am determined that Animalcare will develop a positive and unified culture, with a rewards system and career development path to attract and retain the best talent in our industry. We plan to introduce a Long-Term Incentive Plan in May 2019 to reward senior employees for sustained performance.

Integration

Animalcare has not yet seen the benefit of the combined organisation in the financial returns however great progress has been made on the 5 key areas outlined in plan in the past six months. Our highest priorities are:

   1.    Drive maximum value from the combined portfolio. 
   2.    Establish a robust supply chain. 
   3.    Align our pipeline to the growth strategy 
   4.    Align our people strategy including our reward system. 
   5.    Drive commercial excellence 

We have established a new Leadership Team and organisational structure to facilitate the implementation of the integration plan and to drive performance including through simplification, focus and cross functional working. Clear targets are in place to track our progress.

Our growth strategy

To deliver sustainable and profitable growth we will focus on therapeutic areas where we have existing capabilities and with the greatest growth potential, through higher margin innovation, expansion of our geographic reach and careful control of our costs. By growing faster than the markets where we operate, controlling OPEX and improving operating cash conversion, we can focus resources where they will bring the best returns while continuing to reward shareholders.

Our future Pipeline

Our pipeline will focus on five therapeutic areas in the companion animal and equine markets where we are already strong and have the potential to add value through innovation. These are pain management, dermatology, dental, disease prevention and surgery. Animalcare also owns identichip, the UK's leading pet microchipping business and database, with significant scope for growth in the UK and internationally.

We will continue to support our production animal business through targeted products with specific customer groups.

Our customers

We will focus on vets and veterinary groups as our main customers, benefiting from our existing expertise and strong relationships. We want to become the chosen partner in Europe for innovative animal health products for companies around the world. We will seek to improve the quality and profitability of our portfolio by in-licensing and acquiring late- and commercial-stage products, and accelerating our own R&D through targeted investment.

Our footprint

We have established networks in 25 countries in Europe and another 16 globally. We will continue to develop these networks to maximise the sales of our products and where it makes sense to establish a presence we will do so - either as a stand-alone business or in partnership.

Summary and outlook

We are building an effective and focussed organisation that is fit for the future and we have a clear strategy to grow over the next 3 to 5 years. One of the critical things for our organisation is to track progress and we have established goals, objectives and measures so we can ensure we achieve our financial targets. We have established clear milestones and will report against those. To deliver on the expectations we set,we will focus on generating cash for investing, for rewarding our shareholders and for paying our debt. Success will be driven by the 5 pillars of our strategy - Strong finances, a portfolio for growth, our customer relationships, our business development and most importantly - our organisation of highly engaged and talented people.

I look forward to sharing more details over the coming weeks, months and years as we implement our strategy for success.

Jenny Winter

Chief Executive Officer

CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER'S REVIEW

Introduction and presentation of results

On 13th July 2017, Animalcare Group plc completed the reverse acquisition of Ecuphar NV. 2018 therefore reflects the first full year of trading as a combined Group. On a statutory basis, and in accordance with IFRS3, the results for the comparative year ended 31st December 2017 represent twelve months of Ecuphar NV and approximately five and a half months of Animalcare Group plc as previously constituted.

In addition, following the divestment of our Wholesale business on 4th September 2018, both the 2018 and 2017 financial information have been presented to show the Pharmaceuticals segment as continuing operations separately from the Wholesale segment, which has been classified as discontinued.

Accordingly, to help Shareholders to assess the Group, an unaudited Proforma Consolidated Income Statement has been provided, which reflects twelve months of trading from the continuing Pharmaceuticals segment for both entities for 2018 and 2017. The Board believes that this statement provides the most appropriate basis for comparison of current and future operating performance. On this basis, the Group has delivered proforma revenue growth of 2.7% to GBP72.5m (2017: GBP70.6m) and proforma underlying EBITDA growth of 2.8% to GBP11.8m (2017: GBP11.5m). On a statutory basis, including non-underlying items, the Group delivered a loss after tax of GBP0.8m (2017: GBP0.2m profit).

Underlying and Statutory Results

To provide comparability across reporting periods, the Group presents its results on both an underlying and statutory (IFRS) basis. The Directors believe that presenting our financial results on an underlying basis, which exclude non - underlying items, provides a clearer understanding of business performance. IFRS results include these items to provide the statutory results. All figures are reported at actual exchange rates (AER) unless otherwise stated. Commentary will include references to constant exchange rates (CER) to identify the impact of foreign exchange movements. A reconciliation between underlying and statutory results is provided at the end of this financial review.

Financial Review

Pro forma Consolidated Income Statement (unaudited)

Compared to the statutory results for 2018, the unaudited Pro forma Consolidated Income Statement set out below represents the continuing pharmaceuticals segment for both 2018 and 2017, with the 2017 comparatives including an additional 28 weeks of Animalcare Group plc's results prior to the reverse acquisition. This has the impact of increasing 2017 revenue and underlying EBITDA by GBP8.3m and GBP1.8m respectively as set out in the table below

:

 
                                                     Unaudited                        Unaudited 
----------------------------------------  -------------------------------  -------------------------------- 
                                                               Continuing                    Total proforma 
                                           Continuing          Operations        Animalcare      Continuing 
                                           Operations   -Post-acquisition   pre-acquisition      Operations 
                                                 2018                2017              2017            2017 
                                              GBP'000             GBP'000           GBP'000         GBP'000 
----------------------------------------  -----------  ------------------  ----------------  -------------- 
Revenue                                        72,470              62,291             8,267          70,558 
Gross Profit                                   37,339              32,325             4,464          36,789 
Operating expenses                           (37,122)            (31,309)           (5,753)        (37,062) 
Operating profit/(loss)                           217               1,016           (1,289)           (273) 
Depreciation, amortisation & impairment         9,588               6,480               199           6,679 
Non-underlying items                            1,993               2,202             2,867           5,069 
Underlying EBITDA                              11,798               9,698             1,777          11,475 
Net financial expenses                          (574)               (639)               (1)           (640) 
Profit/(loss) before tax                        (357)                 377           (1,290)           (913) 
Taxation                                          135               (292)              (82)           (374) 
Net (loss)/profit                               (222)                  85           (1,372)         (1,287) 
Underlying net profit                           7,016               5,175             1,309           6,484 
Underlying basic EPS (p)                        11.7p                   -                 -           10.8p 
----------------------------------------  -----------  ------------------  ----------------  -------------- 
 

Revenue

On a proforma basis, the Group delivered revenue growth of 2.7% to GBP72.5m (2017: GBP70.6m), split by product category as shown in the table below:

 
                     Unaudited  Unaudited 
-------------------  ---------  ---------  -------- 
                                           % Change 
                          2018       2017    at AER 
                       GBP'000    GBP'000         % 
-------------------  ---------  ---------  -------- 
Companion Animals       44,465     41,937      6.0% 
Production Animals      22,824     23,680    (3.6%) 
Equine and other         5,181      4,941      1.4% 
-------------------  ---------  ---------  -------- 
Total                   72,470     70,558      2.7% 
-------------------  ---------  ---------  -------- 
 

Companion Animals revenue continues to be the largest proportion of the Group's business, representing 61.4% of total sales, up from 59.4%. As our existing portfolio continues to mature and be impacted by pricing pressure and changes in the competitor landscape, new products remain the main driver for the overall revenue growth of 6.0% to GBP44.5m (2017: GBP41.9m). We launched seven new products during the year including the nutritional supplement Cosequin in Spain, which contributed GBP2.4m sales in total. This was supplemented by GBP0.8m annualised growth of products launched in 2017 that were sourced from our partners, principally in Germany. Overall growth was impacted by supply challenges towards the year end relating to certain third-party manufacturers.

Production Animals revenue contracted by 3.6% versus prior year period largely driven by lower demand for antibiotics offset in part by higher export sales of in particular Dinalgen (anti-inflammatory). Equine and other sales were broadly flat at GBP5.2m.

Underlying proforma continuing EBITDA increased by 2.8% to GBP11.8m with corresponding margin consistent with prior year at 16.3%. Gross margins at 51.5% modestly declined compared to prior year (2017: 52.1%) primarily reflecting lower margin sales mix in Companion Animals and the competitive environment. SG&A costs as a percentage of revenue reduced in the year from 35.9% to 35.2% as the business has continued to focus on costs efficiencies whilst investing in our people to support the integration and future growth.

Underlying proforma continuing basic EPS increased by 8.3% for the year to 11.7p, based on a weighted average number of shares of 60.0m applied to both 2018 and 2017. The effective tax rate was 22.3% (2017: 23.0%) primarily reflecting increased research and developments tax credits and partial utilisation of tax losses.

Underlying and Statutory Results

As a result of the reverse acquisition of Ecuphar NV, both the underlying and statutory basis for reporting results for the year ended 31st December 2017 include approximately five and a half months of Animalcare Group plc as previously constituted. The 2018 results are those noted in the unaudited Proforma Consolidated Income Statement above.

Overview of Underlying financial results - Continuing Operations

 
                                                  % Change 
                                  2018      2017    at AER 
                               GBP'000   GBP'000         % 
----------------------------  --------  --------  -------- 
Revenue                         72,470    62,291     16.3% 
Gross Profit                    37,339    32,325     15.5% 
Gross Margin %                   51.5%     51.9%    (0.4%) 
Underlying Operating Profit      9,604     7,560     27.8% 
Underlying EBITDA               11,798     9,698     21.7% 
Underlying EBITDA margin %      16.34%     15.6%      0.8% 
Basic Underlying EPS (p)         11.7p     12.3p    (4.9%) 
----------------------------  --------  --------  -------- 
 

We delivered revenue of GBP72.5m and underlying EBITDA of GBP11.8m, representing growth of 16.3% and 21.7% respectively compared to the previous year. This was achieved through a combination of modest underlying growth as noted in the proforma results review together with a full year trading impact of the acquired Animalcare operations.

Underlying EBITDA margin improved to 16.3% largely reflecting the higher margin Animalcare business together with overall focus on costs to improve operating leverage. This focus includes a restructuring of our UK commercial team to put more emphasis on supporting larger corporate customers as well as continuing to provide strong service levels to independent practices. We expect this trend to continue and will closely monitor and adapt the Group's operations accordingly.

Basic underlying EPS decreased to 11.7 pence reflecting the 35.6% increase in underlying profit after tax to GBP7.0m offset by the significant increase in the weighted average number of shares resulting from the full year impact of the reverse acquisition (see note 8).

Overview of reported financial results

Including the loss from the discontinued operations and non-underlying items, the Group reported a loss after tax of GBP1.0m (2017: GBP0.2m profit).

A reconciliation of underlying results to reported results for the year to 31st December 2018 is shown in the table below:

 
                                                                                  Acquisition, 
                                                                                restructuring,                    2017 
                                          2018                   Amortisation      integration       2018     Reported 
                                    Underlying  Discontinued   and impairment        and other   Reported      results 
                                       results    operations   of intangibles            costs    results   (restated) 
                                       GBP'000       GBP'000          GBP'000          GBP'000    GBP'000      GBP'000 
---------------------------------  -----------  ------------  ---------------  ---------------  ---------  ----------- 
Revenue                                 72,470             -                -                -     72,470       62,291 
Gross Profit                            37,339             -                -                -     37,339       31,924 
Selling, general & administrative 
 expenses                             (24,312)             -          (4,789)                -   (29,101)     (26,396) 
Research & development expenses        (3,466)             -          (1,296)                -    (4,762)      (2,799) 
Net other operating income 
 (expenses)                                 43             -          (1,309)          (1,993)    (3,259)      (1,713) 
Operating Profit                         9,604             -          (7,394)          (1,993)        217        1,016 
Net finance expenses                     (574)             -                -                -      (574)        (639) 
Profit/(loss) before tax                 9,032             -          (7,394)          (1,993)      (357)          377 
Taxation                               (2,016)             -            1,822              329        135        (292) 
Profit/(loss) after tax                  7,016             -          (5,573)          (1,664)      (222)           85 
Loss/(profit) from discontinued 
 operations                                  -         (776)                -                -      (776)           99 
Profit/(loss) for the year               7,016         (776)          (5,573)          (1,664)      (998)          184 
Basic EPS (p)                            11.7p                                                     (1.7p)         0.2p 
---------------------------------  -----------  ------------  ---------------  ---------------  ---------  ----------- 
 

The sale of our wholesale division was completed on 4th September 2018 with financial effect from 1st July 2018. The loss from discontinued operations was GBP0.8m which primarily represents the loss on disposal. Additional details are shown in note 4. Of the total GBP3.0m consideration, GBP2.4m has been received with a further GBP0.4m payable to the Group on 30th June 2019 in relation to the remaining intercompany balance owed. The balance of approximately GBP0.2m is subject to achieving specific revenue targets between 1st July 2019 and 30th June 2020 and payable in July 2020.

The amortisation and impairment of intangibles charge of GBP7.4m (pre-tax) principally comprises GBP4.6m charge arising on the acquired intangibles relating to the reverse acquisition and GBP2.5m charge in respect of previous acquisitions made by Ecuphar NV, namely Esteve SA which was acquired on 30th April 2015.

The remaining statutory items totalling GBP2.0m largely relate to restructuring and integration costs as detailed in note 5. Restructuring costs of GBP1.2m principally relate to executive changes, senior management restructuring and the UK commercial team reorganisation as noted earlier.

The reported basic loss per share, which incorporates non-underlying items, decreased to 1.7 pence (2017: 0.2 pence earnings per share).

Dividends

The Board is proposing a final dividend of 2.4 pence per share, adding to the interim dividend of 2.0 pence per share paid in November 2018, giving a total dividend of 4.4 pence per share for the year ended 31st December 2018, the first full financial year as a combined Group. The Board continues to monitor the dividend policy, recognising the need for a balance between investment to support future growth and dividend flow to deliver overall value to our shareholders.

Cash flow, net debt and borrowing facilities

The Group is committed to improving cash generation, important to generate the funds we need to invest for growth and to maintain dividend payments. We will monitor progress using cash conversion as a percentage of underlying EBITDA as set out in the table below:

 
                                               2018      2017 
                                            GBP'000   GBP'000 
-----------------------------------------  --------  -------- 
Underlying EBITDA                            11,798     9,698 
 
Net cash flow from operations                 7,430     2,425 
Non-underlying items                          1,993     3,968 
Underlying net cash flow from operations      9,423     6,393 
 
Cash conversion %                             79.9%     65.9% 
-----------------------------------------  --------  -------- 
 

The Group's underlying cash conversion significantly improved during the year to 79.9%, with net cash flow generated by our operations increasing to GBP7.4m (2017: GBP2.4m). Working capital increased by GBP0.9m, largely relating to further increased stocks. Our Group Head of Supply Chain has a clear target to reduce inventory levels over the next two years. Cash taxes of GBP2.2m were significantly higher than 2017 largely due to settlement of prior year taxes in Belgium and higher cash tax in Spain.

 
                                                    GBP'000 
-------------------------------------------------  -------- 
Net debt at 1st January 2018                       (25,908) 
Net cash generated from operations                    7,430 
Net capital expenditure                             (4,781) 
Proceeds from divestment of wholesale operations      2,403 
Net finance expenses                                  (626) 
Dividends paid                                      (2,401) 
Receipts from issue of share capital                    170 
Other cash movements                                    474 
Foreign exchange on cash and borrowings               (349) 
-------------------------------------------------  -------- 
Net debt at 31st December 2018                     (23,588) 
-------------------------------------------------  -------- 
 

Net capital expenditure of GBP4.8m largely comprises investment in our product development pipeline of GBP4.2m from which six new products are expected to be launched during 2019 and into early 2020. The balance of expenditure largely relates to investment in our IT infrastructure which has made strong progress. This includes a new CRM system in Italy and SAP in the UK which went live on 1st January 2019. Both represent important steps in delivering our objective of common platforms across the Group which will help to drive integration and improve efficiencies.

The net borrowing position at the end of the year was GBP23.6m, representing net debt to underlying EBITDA leverage of 2.0 times (maximum bank covenant ratio is 3.5 times). At 31st December 2018, total facilities were GBP46.4m, of which GBP29.8m, net of cash balances, was utilised, leaving headroom of GBP16.6m. These bank facilities, together with the Group's operational cash flow, indicate that the Group has sufficient facilities available to fund its operations and allow for future investment.

Brexit

Whilst the outcome of the Brexit negotiations remain unclear our contingency preparations are on track to maintain commercial supply. We expect to incur one-off costs of circa GBP0.3m in relation to transfer of product registrations during 2019.

Summary and outlook

The Group delivered continued revenue growth in the year and translation through to both underlying profit and cash conversion is beginning to improve. We remain focused on our medium to long-term objective of delivering sustainable profit growth and improved cash generation, with cash flow expected to be supported by lower inventories.

Strategically and operationally it continues to be a time of change for the Group with the pace of integration of our businesses accelerating given the greater focus by our Leadership Team. During 2019, the drive for improved efficiency and integration across the business will continue including the integration of our Product Development and Regulatory teams. We will also focus on portfolio optimisation, improving service and driving efficiencies in our supply chain, all of which will require investment.

Whilst our performance was not as strong as originally expected, we have made steady progress across the business over the last 12 months and delivered growth at a time of much change within our business and the market. We will continue to seek opportunities to grow our business and I believe we are well placed to deliver medium to long-term shareholder value.

Chris Brewster

Chief Financial Officer

CONSOLIDATED INCOME STATEMENT

YEARED 31ST DECEMBER 2018

 
                                                             For the year ended 31 December 
                                                                                        Non-Underlying 
                                                                                              (note 4) 
                                                                            Underlying      (Restated)        Total 
                                                 Non-Underlying 
                                     Underlying        (note 4)     Total         2017            2017         2017 
GBP'000                       Notes        2018            2018      2018   (Restated)      (Restated)   (Restated) 
----------------------------  -----  ----------  --------------  --------  -----------  --------------  ----------- 
Revenue                           5      72,470               -    72,470       62,291               -       62,291 
Cost of sales                          (35,131)               -  (35,131)     (29,966)           (401)     (30,367) 
----------------------------  -----  ----------  --------------  --------  -----------  --------------  ----------- 
Gross profit                             37,339               -    37,339       32,325           (401)       31,924 
Research and development 
 expenses                               (3,466)         (1,296)   (4,762)      (2,048)           (751)      (2,799) 
Selling and marketing 
 expenses                              (12,435)               -  (12,435)     (12,592)               -     (12,592) 
General and administrative 
 expenses                              (11,877)         (4,789)  (16,666)     (10,214)         (3,591)     (13,805) 
Net other operating 
 income / (expenses)                         43         (3,302)    3,259)           89         (1,801)      (1,713) 
----------------------------  -----  ----------  --------------  --------  -----------  --------------  ----------- 
Operating profit/(loss)                   9,604         (9,387)       217        7,560         (6,544)        1,016 
Financial expenses                6       (840)               -     (840)        (735)               -        (735) 
Financial income                  7         266               -       266           96               -           96 
----------------------------  -----  ----------  --------------  --------  -----------  --------------  ----------- 
Profit/(loss) before 
 tax                                      9,032         (9,387)     (357)        6,922         (6,544)          377 
Income tax                        8     (2,016)           2,151       135      (1,746)           1,454        (292) 
----------------------------  -----  ----------  --------------  --------  -----------  --------------  ----------- 
Net profit from continuing 
 operations                               7,016         (7,236)     (222)        5,176         (5,090)           85 
Net profit/(loss) 
 from 
 discontinuing operations         3          40           (816)     (776)          109            (10)           99 
----------------------------  -----  ----------  --------------  --------  -----------  --------------  ----------- 
Net profit/(loss)                         7,056         (8,052)     (998)        5,285         (5,100)          184 
Net profit/(loss) 
 attributable to: 
The owners of the 
 parent                                   7,058         (8,052)     (996)        5,285         (5,100)          184 
Non-controlling interest                    (2)               -       (2)            -               -            - 
----------------------------  -----  ----------  --------------  --------  -----------  --------------  ----------- 
Earnings per share 
 for profit/(loss) 
 from continuing operations 
 attributable to the 
 ordinary equity holders 
 of the company: 
Basic earnings per 
 share                            9       11.7p                    (0.4p)        12.3p                         0.2p 
Diluted earnings per 
 share                            9       11.7p                    (0.4p)        12.3p                         0.2p 
----------------------------  -----  ----------  --------------  --------  -----------  --------------  ----------- 
Earnings per share 
 for profit/(loss) 
 attributable to the 
 ordinary equity holders 
 of the company: 
Basic earnings per 
 share                            9       11.8p                    (1.7p)        12.6p                         0.4p 
Diluted earnings per 
 share                            9       11.8p                    (1.7p)        12.5p                         0.4p 
----------------------------  -----  ----------  --------------  --------  -----------  --------------  ----------- 
 

In order to aid understanding of underlying business performance, the Directors have presented underlying results before the effect of exceptional and other items. These exceptional and other items are analysed in detail in note 4 to this financial information. The accompanying notes form an integral part of these consolidated financial information.

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENT OF COMPREHENSIVE INCOME

YEARED 31ST DECEMBER 2018

 
GBP'000                                                      2018  2017 
----------------------------------------------------------  -----  ---- 
Net (loss)/profit for the year                              (998)   184 
----------------------------------------------------------  -----  ---- 
Other comprehensive income 
----------------------------------------------------------  -----  ---- 
Cumulative translation differences*                           165   664 
----------------------------------------------------------  -----  ---- 
Other comprehensive income, net of tax                        165   664 
----------------------------------------------------------  -----  ---- 
Total comprehensive (expense)/income for the year, net of 
 tax                                                        (833)   848 
----------------------------------------------------------  -----  ---- 
Total comprehensive (expense)/income attributable to: 
The owners of the parent                                    (831)   848 
Non-controlling interest                                      (2)     - 
----------------------------------------------------------  -----  ---- 
 

* May be reclassified subsequently to profit & loss

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL POSITION

YEARED 31ST DECEMBER 2018

 
                                                          For the year ended 
                                                              31 December 
------------------------------------------------  -----  -------------------- 
GBP'000                                           Notes       2018       2017 
------------------------------------------------  -----  ---------  --------- 
Assets 
------------------------------------------------  -----  ---------  --------- 
Non-current assets 
Goodwill                                             10     50,937     51,413 
Intangible assets                                    11     51,334     54,037 
Property, plant & equipment                                    477        825 
Deferred tax assets                                   8      1,699      1,603 
Other financial assets                                          59         72 
Other non-current assets                                       294          - 
------------------------------------------------  -----  ---------  --------- 
Total non-current assets                                   104,800    107,950 
------------------------------------------------  -----  ---------  --------- 
Current assets 
Inventories                                                 14,891     16,795 
Trade receivables                                           13,084     16,680 
Available-for-sale financial assets                              -        464 
Other current assets                                         2,736      1,934 
Cash and cash equivalents                                    8,035      7,579 
------------------------------------------------  -----  ---------  --------- 
Total current assets                                        38,746     43,452 
------------------------------------------------  -----  ---------  --------- 
Total assets                                               143,546    151,402 
------------------------------------------------  -----  ---------  --------- 
Liabilities 
------------------------------------------------  -----  ---------  --------- 
Current liabilities 
Borrowings                                           12      (648)      (633) 
Trade payables                                            (11,907)   (14,128) 
Tax payables                                               (1,016)    (1,520) 
Accrued charges & deferred income                    13    (2,325)    (2,116) 
Other current liabilities                                  (3,864)    (3,201) 
------------------------------------------------  -----  ---------  --------- 
Total current liabilities                                 (19,760)   (21,598) 
------------------------------------------------  -----  ---------  --------- 
Non-current liabilities 
Borrowings                                           12   (30,975)   (32,854) 
Deferred tax liabilities                              8    (5,521)    (6,454) 
Deferred income                                      13      (617)      (780) 
Provisions                                                    (81)       (72) 
------------------------------------------------  -----  ---------  --------- 
Total non-current liabilities                             (37,194)   (40,160) 
------------------------------------------------  -----  ---------  --------- 
Total Liabilities                                         (56,954)   (61,758) 
------------------------------------------------  -----  ---------  --------- 
Net Assets                                                  86,592     89,644 
------------------------------------------------  -----  ---------  --------- 
Equity 
Share capital                                        14     12,012     11,983 
Share premium                                              132,729    132,588 
Reverse acquisition reserve                               (56,762)   (56,762) 
Accumulated losses                                         (4,732)    (1,347) 
Other reserves                                               3,345      3,180 
Equity attributable to the owners of the parent             86,592     89,642 
Non-controlling interest                             14          -          2 
Total equity                                                86,592     89,644 
------------------------------------------------  -----  ---------  --------- 
 

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENT OF CHANGES IN EQUITY

YEARED 31ST DECEMBER 2018

 
                                Attributable to the owners of the 
                                             parents 
-------------------  ------------------------------------------------------- 
                                                                     Reverse                             Non- 
                        Share     Share  Treasury  Accumulated   acquisition     Other            controlling    Total 
GBP'000               capital   premium    shares       losses       reserve   reserve    Total      interest   equity 
-------------------  --------  --------  --------  -----------  ------------  --------  -------  ------------  ------- 
At 1 January, 
 2018                  11,983   132,588         -      (1,347)      (56,762)     3,180   89,642             2   89,644 
-------------------  --------  --------  --------  -----------  ------------  --------  -------  ------------  ------- 
Net loss                    -         -         -        (996)             -         -    (996)           (2)    (998) 
Other comprehensive 
 income                     -         -         -            -             -       165      165             -      165 
Total comprehensive 
 expense                    -         -         -        (996)             -       165    (831)           (2)    (833) 
-------------------  --------  --------  --------  -----------  ------------  --------  -------  ------------  ------- 
Dividends paid              -         -         -      (2,401)             -         -  (2,401)             -  (2,401) 
Exercise of 
 share options             29       141         -            -             -         -      170             -      170 
Share based 
 payments                   -         -         -           12             -         -       12             -       12 
-------------------  --------  --------  --------  -----------  ------------  --------  -------  ------------  ------- 
At 31 December, 
 2018                  12,012   132,729         -      (4,732)      (56,762)     3,345   86,592             -   86,592 
-------------------  --------  --------  --------  -----------  ------------  --------  -------  ------------  ------- 
 
 
 
                                                        Retained      Reverse                            Non- 
                  Share    Share  Treasury  earnings/Accumulated  acquisition    Other            controlling     Total 
GBP'000         capital  premium    shares                losses      reserve  reserve     Total     interest    equity 
--------------  -------  -------  --------  --------------------  -----------  -------  --------  -----------  -------- 
At 1 January, 
 2017             4,244    6,687         -                 1,258        5,146    2,518    19,853            2    19,855 
--------------  -------  -------  --------  --------------------  -----------  -------  --------  -----------  -------- 
Net profit            -        -         -                   184            -        -       184            -       184 
Other 
 comprehensive 
 income               -        -         -                     -            -      662       662            -       662 
Total 
 comprehensive 
 income               -        -         -                   184            -      662       846            -       846 
--------------  -------  -------  --------  --------------------  -----------  -------  --------  -----------  -------- 
Dividends paid        -        -         -               (2,816)            -        -   (2,816)            -   (2,816) 
Shares issued 
 as 
 consideration    5,750   94,880         -                     -            -        -   100,630            -   100,630 
Exercise of 
 share options      275    3,953         -                     -            -        -     4,228            -     4,228 
Share issue 
 cost                 -  (1,218)         -                     -            -        -   (1,218)            -   (1,218) 
Arising on 
 reverse 
 acquisition          -        -         -                     -     (61,908)        -  (61,908)            -  (61,908) 
Issue of new 
 shares           1,714   28,286         -                     -            -        -    30,000            -    30,000 
Cash                  -        -         -                     -            -        -         -            -         - 
consideration 
for Ecuphar 
Share based 
 payments             -        -         -                    27            -        -        27            -        27 
At 31 
 December, 
 2017            11,983  132,588         -               (1,347)     (56,762)    3,180    89,642            2    89,644 
--------------  -------  -------  --------  --------------------  -----------  -------  --------  -----------  -------- 
 

Reverse acquisition reserve

Reverse acquisition reserve represents the reserve that has been created upon the reverse acquisition of Animalcare Group plc.

Other reserve

Other reserve mainly relates to currency translation differences. These exchange differences arise on the translation of subsidiaries with a functional currency other than Sterling.

CONSOLIDATED CASH FLOW STATEMENT

YEARED 31ST DECEMBER 2018

 
GBP'000                                                  Notes     2018      2017 
-------------------------------------------------------  -----  -------  -------- 
Operating activities 
Loss/profit before tax from continuing operations                 (357)       377 
Loss/profit before tax from discontinued operations          3    (776)       167 
Loss/Profit before tax                                          (1,133)       544 
Non-cash and operational adjustments 
Depreciation of property, plant & equipment                         333       327 
Amortization of intangible assets                           11    7,965     6,053 
Impairment of intangible assets                             11      852         - 
Impairment of goodwill                                      10      456         - 
Share-based payment expense                                          12        27 
Loss/(gain) on disposal of property, plant & equipment              (2)         2 
Loss on disposal of subsidiary                               3      682         - 
Movement allowance for bad debt and inventories                     620       652 
Financial income                                                  (254)      (91) 
Financial expense                                                   879       747 
Impact of foreign currencies                                         16        25 
Other                                                                 2      (30) 
-------------------------------------------------------  -----  -------  -------- 
Movements in working capital 
Increase in trade receivables                                     (540)   (2,079) 
Increase in inventories                                         (1,207)   (1,359) 
Increase /(decrease) in payables                                    904   (2,115) 
Income tax paid                                                 (2,155)     (278) 
-------------------------------------------------------  -----  -------  -------- 
Net cash flow from operating activities                           7,430     2,425 
-------------------------------------------------------  -----  -------  -------- 
Investing activities 
Purchase of property, plant & equipment                           (213)     (184) 
Purchase of intangible assets                               11  (4,568)   (2,379) 
Proceeds from the sale of property, plant & equipment 
 (net)                                                                6        31 
Payments to acquire subsidiaries                             3        -  (33,145) 
Cash and cash equivalents acquired under reverse 
 acquisition                                                 3        -     6,293 
Proceeds from sale of subsidiary                             3    2,403         - 
Sale/(purchase) of available for sale financial 
 investments                                                        459      (45) 
-------------------------------------------------------  -----  -------  -------- 
Net cash flow used in investing activities                      (1,913)  (29,429) 
-------------------------------------------------------  -----  -------  -------- 
 
 
                                                                     For the 
                                                                  year ended 
                                                                 31 December 
GBP'000                                                  Notes          2018      2017 
-------------------------------------------------------  -----  ------------  -------- 
Financing activities 
Proceeds from loans and borrowings and convertible 
 debt                                                                      -     8,298 
Repayment of loans and borrowings                                    (2,257)     (649) 
Receipts from issue of share capital                                     170    29,402 
Dividends paid                                                       (2,401)   (2,816) 
Interest paid                                                          (637)     (528) 
Other financial expense                                                   11     (129) 
Net cash flow (used in)/from financing activities                    (5,114)    33,578 
-------------------------------------------------------  -----  ------------  -------- 
Net increase of cash and cash equivalents                                403     6,574 
Cash and cash equivalents at beginning of year                         7,579       951 
Exchange rate differences on cash and cash equivalents                    53        54 
-------------------------------------------------------  -----  ------------  -------- 
Cash and cash equivalents at end of year                               8,035     7,579 
-------------------------------------------------------  -----  ------------  -------- 
                                                                    For the year ended 
                                                                           31 December 
                                                                ---------------------- 
GBP'000                                                  Notes          2018      2017 
-------------------------------------------------------  -----  ------------  -------- 
Reconciliation of net cash flow to movement in net 
 debt 
Net increase in cash and cash equivalents in the 
 year                                                                    403     6,574 
Cash flow from decrease/(increase) in debt financing                   2,257   (7,649) 
Foreign exchange differences on cash and borrowings                    (349)   (1,051) 
Movement in net debt in the year                                       2,311   (2,126) 
Net debt at the start of the year                                   (25,908)  (23,782) 
Debt transferred on sale of subsidiary                       3             9         - 
Net debt at the end of the year                                     (23,588)  (25,908) 
-------------------------------------------------------  -----  ------------  -------- 
 

1. Financial information

The financial information set out above does not constitute the Company's statutory accounts for the year ended 31st December 2018 but is derived from the 2018 accounts. The statutory accounts of Animalcare Group plc for the year ended 31st December 2017 have been delivered to the Registrar of Companies and those for 2018 will be delivered in due course. The external auditor has reported on those accounts; the report was (i) unqualified, (ii) did not include references to any matters to which the external auditor drew attention by way of emphasis without qualifying the reports and (iii) did not contain statements under section 498(2) or (3) of the Companies Act 2006.

2. Basis of preparation

The Group financial statements have been prepared and approved by the Directors under the historical cost convention, except for the revaluation of certain financial instruments, in accordance with International Financial Reporting Standards ("IFRS") as adopted by the European Union "adopted IFRSs") and the Companies Act 2006 as applicable to companies reporting under IFRS. They have also been prepared in accordance with the requirements of the AIM Rules.

This is the first set of the Group's annual financial statements in which IFRS 15 Revenue from Contracts with Customers and IFRS 9 Financial Instruments have been applied.

The consolidated financial statements cover the year ended 31st December 2018 and comprise the consolidated results of the Group. On 13th July 2017 the Group completed the reverse acquisition of Ecuphar NV ("Ecuphar"). In the comparatives financial statements, for the year ending 31st December 2017, the results of the group are included as of the 13th of July 2017. For the period from 1st January 2017 to the date of the reverse acquisition the results of Ecuphar, the substance of the reverse acquisition, are solely shown.

Wholesale divestment 2018

Following the divestment of the Wholesaling business Medini NV registered in Belgium, Legeweg 157i, 8020 Oostkamp on 4th September 2018, 2017 financial information have been restated in accordance with IFRS 5, to show continuing operations separately from discontinued operations. Both continuing and discontinued operations were restated to include elements relating to transactions between entities which were previously eliminated in the consolidation as intra-group.

Reverse acquisition Animalcare Group Plc 2017

The accounting policy adopted by the Directors applies the principles of IFRS 3 (Revised) 'Business Combinations' in identifying the accounting parent as Ecuphar NV and the presentation of the Group consolidated statements of the Company (the legal parent) as a continuation of financial statements of the accounting parent or legal subsidiary (Ecuphar NV).

This policy reflects the commercial substance of this transaction as follows:

-- The original shareholders of the legal subsidiary undertaking were the most significant shareholders following admission to AIM, owning 46.9% of the issued share capital;

-- The assets and liabilities of the legal subsidiary Ecuphar NV are recognised and measured in the Group financial statements at the pre-combination carrying amounts without restatement to fair value;

-- The retained earnings and other equity balances recognised in the Group financial statements reflect the retained earnings and other equity balances of Ecuphar NV immediately before the business combination;

-- The results of the period from 1st January 2017 to the date of the business combination are those of Ecuphar NV;

-- The equity structure appearing in the Group financial statements reflects the equity structure of the legal parent, including the equity instruments issued under the share for share exchange to effect the business combination and adjusted in accordance with IFRS 3. This results in the creation of a 'reverse acquisition reserve' as at 1st January 2017, being the difference between the Company equity structure and that of Ecuphar NV.

3. Business Combinations and disposals of subsidiaries

Business combinations

Reverse acquisition of Animalcare Group plc

On 13th July 2017 Animalcare Group plc acquired 100% of the share capital of Ecuphar NV for a total consideration of GBP133,775k, satisfied through a combination of a share-for-share exchange and GBP33,145k in cash net of commissions.

The acquisition of Ecuphar NV by Animalcare Group plc is deemed to be a reverse acquisition under the provisions of IFRS 3 "Business Combinations".

In accounting for a reverse acquisition (rather than an acquisition) the combined financial statements are deemed to be a continuation of the books of the legal acquiree (Ecuphar NV) rather than a continuation of those of the legal acquirer (Animalcare Group plc).

The assets and liabilities of the Ecuphar NV are recognised and measured in the Group financial statements at the pre-combination carrying amounts, without restatement to fair value and no goodwill arises in relation to them.

Conversely, the assets of Animalcare Group plc and Animalcare Ltd are consolidated at their fair values.

The overall effect is that the consolidated financial statements are prepared from an Ecuphar NV perspective rather than Animalcare Group plc, and in summary this means:

The comparative consolidated financial information is that of Ecuphar NV rather than that of Animalcare Group plc;

The result for the year and consolidated cumulative profit and loss reserves are those of the Ecuphar NV plus the post-acquisition results of the Animalcare Group plc;

A reverse acquisition reserve of GBP (56,762)k has been created;

The share capital and share premium account are that of Animalcare Group plc; and

The cost of the combination has been determined from the perspective of Ecuphar NV.

Goodwill arises on the reverse acquisition when comparing the deemed fair value consideration of Animalcare Group plc acquiring the shares of Ecuphar NV. The fair value of the consideration is the market capitalisation of Animalcare Group plc at the acquisition date based on the closing share price on 12th July of 355p per share.

Reverse Acquisition Animalcare Group Plc

 
                                          Carrying 
                                           value at     Fair value  Fair value 
                                           acquisition   adjust-     at acquisi- 
GBP'000                                    date          ments       tion date 
----------------------------------------  ------------  ----------  ------------ 
Assets 
Historical goodwill                       12,711        (12,711)    - 
Intangible assets                         4,658         30,957      35,615 
Tangible assets                           227           -           227 
Deferred tax asset                        149           885         1,034 
Inventory                                 2,014         401         2,415 
Trade receivables                         3,392         -           3,392 
Other current assets                      559           -           559 
Cash                                      6,293         -           6,293 
----------------------------------------  ------------  ----------  ------------ 
                                          30,003        19,532      49,535 
----------------------------------------  ------------  ----------  ------------ 
Liabilities 
Deferred tax liabilities                  (414)         (6,843)     (7,257) 
Trade payables                            (3,948)       -           (3,948) 
Other liabilities                         (4,040)       -           (4,040) 
                                          (8,402)       (6,843)     (15,245) 
----------------------------------------  ------------  ----------  ------------ 
Total identified assets and liabilities   21,601        12,689      34,290 
----------------------------------------  ------------  ----------  ------------ 
Goodwill                                                            41,048 
Fair value of consideration               -             -           75,338 
----------------------------------------  ------------  ----------  ------------ 
 

The acquisition consideration, net assets and goodwill are based upon the reverse acquisition of Animalcare Group plc by Ecuphar NV. The fair value of the consideration is the market capitalisation of Animalcare Group plc at the closing share price of 355p per share on 12th July 2017. Transaction costs of equity transactions relating to the issue and readmission of the Company's shares are accounted for as a deduction from equity where they relate to the issue of new shares.

The fair value of the net assets acquired and shown in the table above was GBP34,290k. The fair value of the consideration was GBP75,338k resulting in goodwill on reverse acquisition of GBP41,048k. In addition, the fair value uplift of inventory amounted to GBP401k, the fair value uplift of the identified intangibles amounted to GBP30,957k. Deferred tax assets and liabilities respectively were increased by GBP885k and GBP(6,843)k.

Disposal of subsidiaries

On 4th September 2018, the Group announced and completed the disposal of its Wholesaling business Medini NV registered in Belgium, Legeweg 157i, 8020 Oostkamp.

The Group recognised a loss including expenses in relation to the disposal of GBP682k during the year ending 31st December 2018. This is based on the total consideration of GBP2,989k and a net asset value of GBP3,622k, excluding intercompany debt.

The Group has received an initial cash consideration of GBP2,413k including intercompany loan balances due from the Wholesale Division to other Animalcare Group Plc companies. A further GBP362k is payable to on 30th June 2019 in relation to the remaining intercompany balance owed. The balance of approximately GBP214k is subject to achieving specific revenue targets between 1st July 2019 and 30th June 2020 and payable in July 2020.

In accordance with IFRS 5, the income statement for the twelve months ended 31 December 2017 and 2018 have been restated to show continuing operations separately from discontinued operations. Both continuing and discontinued operations were restated to include elements relating to transactions between entities which were previously eliminated in the consolidation as intra-group. The effect of including these elements is shown as consolidation adjustments.

 
                                                                                 Total continuing 
                                       Continuing  Discontinued  Consolidation   and discontinued 
                                       operations    operations    adjustments         operations 
GBP'000                                      2018          2018           2018               2018 
------------------------------------  -----------  ------------  -------------  ----------------- 
Revenue                                    72,470        16,572          (719)             88,323 
Cost of sales                            (35,131)      (15,059)            689           (49,501) 
Gross profit                               37,339         1,513           (30)             38,822 
------------------------------------  -----------  ------------  -------------  ----------------- 
Research and development expenses         (4,762)             -              -            (4,762) 
Selling and marketing expenses           (12,435)       (1,111)             46           (13,500) 
General and administrative expenses      (16,666)         (387)           (18)           (17,071) 
Net other operating expenses              (3,259)         (762)              2            (4,019) 
Operating profit/(loss)                       217         (746)              -              (529) 
------------------------------------  -----------  ------------  -------------  ----------------- 
Financial expenses                          (840)          (39)             20              (859) 
Financial income                              266             9           (20)                255 
Loss before tax                             (357)         (776)              -            (1,133) 
------------------------------------  -----------  ------------  -------------  ----------------- 
Income tax                                    135             -              -                135 
Net loss                                    (222)         (776)              -              (998) 
------------------------------------  -----------  ------------  -------------  ----------------- 
 
 
                                       Continuing  Discontinue  Consolidation  As reported 
                                       operations   operations    adjustments    last year 
GBP'000                                      2017         2017           2017         2017 
------------------------------------  -----------  -----------  -------------  ----------- 
Revenue                                    62,291       23,938        (2,553)       83,676 
Cost of sales                            (30,367)     (21,523)          2,477     (49,413) 
Gross profit                               31,924        2,415           (76)       34,263 
------------------------------------  -----------  -----------  -------------  ----------- 
Research and development expenses         (2,799)            -              -      (2,799) 
Selling and marketing expenses           (12,592)      (1,594)             88     (14,098) 
General and administrative expenses      (13,805)        (625)             26     (14,404) 
Net other operating expenses              (1,713)         (12)           (38)      (1,762) 
Operating profit                            1,016          184              -        1,200 
------------------------------------  -----------  -----------  -------------  ----------- 
Financial expenses                          (735)         (30)             18        (747) 
Financial income                               96           13           (18)           91 
Profit before tax                             377          167              -          544 
------------------------------------  -----------  -----------  -------------  ----------- 
Income tax                                  (292)         (68)              -        (360) 
Net profit                                     85           99              -          184 
------------------------------------  -----------  -----------  -------------  ----------- 
 

The net cash flow by discontinued operations can be found below:

 
                                                       For the year ended 
                                                              31 December 
---------------------------------------------------  -------------------- 
GBP'000                                                   2018       2017 
---------------------------------------------------  ---------  --------- 
Net cash flow from operating activities                    133        107 
Net cash flow used in investing activities                (94)       (83) 
Net cash flow used in financing activities                (28)       (30) 
---------------------------------------------------  ---------  --------- 
Net increase/(decrease) of cash & cash equivalents          11        (6) 
---------------------------------------------------  ---------  --------- 
 

The major classes of assets and liabilities of the Wholesaling business at the disposal date can be found below:

 
GBP'000 
---------------------------------------------------------------------  ------- 
Non-current assets 
Goodwill                                                                   106 
Intangible assets                                                            2 
Property, plant & equipment                                                244 
---------------------------------------------------------------------  ------- 
Current assets 
Inventories                                                              2,669 
Trade receivables                                                        2,451 
Other current assets                                                        77 
Cash and cash equivalents                                                   10 
---------------------------------------------------------------------  ------- 
Total assets classified as held for sale                                 5,559 
Current liabilities 
Borrowings                                                                 (9) 
Trade payables                                                         (1,690) 
Tax payables                                                              (52) 
Accrued charges & deferred income                                         (12) 
Other current liabilities                                                (169) 
---------------------------------------------------------------------  ------- 
Non-current liabilities 
Deferred tax liabilities                                                   (5) 
---------------------------------------------------------------------  ------- 
Liabilities associated with assets classified as held for sale         (1,937) 
Total net assets                                                         3,622 
Consideration received or receivable: 
Cash                                                                     2,413 
Receivable                                                                 576 
---------------------------------------------------------------------  ------- 
Total disposal consideration                                             2,989 
Carrying amount of net assets sold                                     (3,622) 
Loss on sale before reclassification of foreign currency translation 
 reserve                                                                 (633) 
Reclassification of foreign currency translation reserve                  (49) 
---------------------------------------------------------------------  ------- 
Loss on sale                                                             (682) 
Loss attributable to minority                                              (2) 
Loss attributable to owners of the parent                                (680) 
Selling price received in cash                                           2,413 
Cash and cash equivalents transferred                                     (10) 
---------------------------------------------------------------------  ------- 
Total cash flow                                                          2,403 
---------------------------------------------------------------------  ------- 
 

4. Non-Underlying items

 
                                                                     For the year ended 
                                                                         31 December 
------------------------------------------------------------------  -------------------- 
GBP'000                                                                  2018       2017 
------------------------------------------------------------------  ---------  --------- 
Amortisation and impairment of acquisition related intangibles 
Classified within Research and development expenses                     1,296        751 
Classified within General and administrative expenses                   4,789      3,591 
Classified within net other operating expenses                            513          - 
------------------------------------------------------------------  ---------  --------- 
Total amortisation and impairment of acquisition related 
 intangibles                                                            6,598      4,342 
------------------------------------------------------------------  ---------  --------- 
Fair value uplift of inventory acquired through reverse 
 acquisition                                                                -        401 
Restructuring costs                                                     1,235          - 
Acquisition and integration costs                                         485      1,454 
Impairment on goodwill and intangibles                                    796          - 
Other non-underlying items                                                273        347 
------------------------------------------------------------------  ---------  --------- 
Total non-underlying items before taxes                                 9,387      6,544 
------------------------------------------------------------------  ---------  --------- 
Tax impact                                                            (2,151)    (1,454) 
------------------------------------------------------------------  ---------  --------- 
Total non-underlying items after taxes from continuing operations       7,236      5,090 
------------------------------------------------------------------  ---------  --------- 
Other non-underlying items from discontinued operations                   134         10 
Loss on disposal                                                          682          - 
------------------------------------------------------------------  ---------  --------- 
Total non-underlying items after taxes                                  8,052      5,100 
------------------------------------------------------------------  ---------  --------- 
 

The amortisation charge of acquisition-related intangibles largely relates to the Esteve acquisition of GBP2,037k (2017: GBP2,017k) and the reverse acquisition of Animalcare Group plc of GBP3,676k (2017: GBP1,685k, which was the amortization impact from the acquisition date, 12th of July 2017, until the 31st of December 2017).

Restructuring costs of GBP1,235 k include GBP203k in relation to compensation for loss of office in respect of Iain Menneer and a further GBP382k for other senior management.

5. Segment information - from continuing operations

For management purposes, the Group was organised into 2 segments: the Pharmaceuticals and the Wholesale segments. From 2018 onwards, the Group will only report one segment, being Pharmaceuticals, due to the sale of its Wholesaling business.

The Pharmaceutical segment is active in the development and marketing of innovative pharmaceutical products that provide significant benefits to animal health.

The Wholesale segment focused on the sale of veterinary pharmaceuticals, supplies and instruments in the Belgian market and is presented under discontinued operations in the financial information.

The measurement principles used by the Group in preparing this segment reporting are also the basis for segment performance assessment. The Board of Directors of the Group acts as the Chief Operating Decision Maker. As a performance indicator, the Chief Operating Decision Maker controls performance by the Group's revenue, gross margin, Underlying EBITDA and EBITDA. EBITDA is defined by the Group as net profit plus finance expenses, less financial income, plus income taxes and deferred taxes, plus depreciation, amortisation and impairment. Underlying EBITDA equals EBITDA plus non-underlying items.

The following table summarises the segment reporting from continuing operations for each of the reportable periods. As management's controlling instrument is mainly revenue-based, the reporting information does not include assets and liabilities by segment and is as such not presented per segment.

 
                                                                               Adjustments 
GBP'000                               Pharma  Wholesale  Total segments   and eliminations  Consolidated 
------------------------------------  ------  ---------  --------------  -----------------  ------------ 
For the year ended 31 December 2018 
Revenues                              72,470          -          72,470                  -        72,470 
Gross Margin                          37,339          -          37,339                  -        37,339 
Gross Margin %                           52%                        52%                              52% 
Segment underlying EBITDA             11,798          -          11,798                  -        11,798 
Segment underlying EBITDA %              16%                        16%                              16% 
Segment EBITDA                         9,805          -           9,805                  -         9,805 
Segment EBITDA %                         14%                        14%                              14% 
------------------------------------  ------  ---------  --------------  -----------------  ------------ 
For the year ended 31 December 2017 
Revenues                              62,291          -          62,291                  -        62,291 
Gross Margin                          31,924          -          31,924                  -        31,924 
Gross Margin %                           51%                        51%                              51% 
Segment underlying EBITDA              9,698          -           9,698                  -         9,698 
Segment underlying EBITDA %              16%                        16%                              16% 
Segment EBITDA                         7,496          -           7,496                  -         7,496 
Segment EBITDA %                         12%                        12%                              12% 
------------------------------------  ------  ---------  --------------  -----------------  ------------ 
 

The segment EBITDA is reconciled with the consolidated net profit of the year as follows:

 
                                             For the year ended 
                                                 31 December 
------------------------------------------  -------------------- 
GBP'000                                          2018       2017 
------------------------------------------  ---------  --------- 
Segment EBITDA                                  9,805      7,496 
Depreciation, amortization and impairment     (9,588)    (6,480) 
------------------------------------------  ---------  --------- 
Operating profit                                  217      1,016 
Financial expenses                              (840)      (735) 
Financial income                                  266         96 
Income taxes                                    (869)      (592) 
Deferred taxes                                  1,004        300 
------------------------------------------  ---------  --------- 
Net (loss)/profit                               (222)         85 
------------------------------------------  ---------  --------- 
 

Non-current assets excluding deferred tax assets and financial instruments located in Belgium, Spain, Portugal, the United Kingdom and other geographies are as follows:

 
                                                                  For the year ended 
                                                                      31 December 
---------------------------------------------------------------  -------------------- 
GBP'000                                                               2018       2017 
---------------------------------------------------------------  ---------  --------- 
Belgium                                                             18,423     19,691 
Spain                                                                2,127      2,170 
Portugal                                                             4,122      4,101 
UK                                                                  73,913     76,010 
Other                                                                4,510      4,375 
---------------------------------------------------------------  ---------  --------- 
Non-current assets excluding deferred tax assets and financial 
 instruments                                                       103,101    106,347 
---------------------------------------------------------------  ---------  --------- 
 

Revenue by product category

 
                                         For the year ended 
                                             31 December 
--------------------------------------  -------------------- 
GBP'000                                      2018       2017 
--------------------------------------  ---------  --------- 
Companion animals                          44,465     33,670 
Production animals                         22,824     23,680 
Horses                                      4,618      4,682 
Petfood, Instrumentation and Services         563        259 
--------------------------------------  ---------  --------- 
Total                                      72,470     62,291 
--------------------------------------  ---------  --------- 
 

Revenue by geographical area:

 
                          For the year ended 
                              31 December 
-----------------------  -------------------- 
GBP'000                       2018       2017 
-----------------------  ---------  --------- 
Europe                      71,507     61,424 
Belgium                      8,260      8,781 
The Netherlands              1,719      1,142 
United Kingdom              16,802      9,459 
Germany                      9,784      8,907 
Spain                       20,706     20,909 
Italy                        4,984      4,458 
Portugal                     4,600      4,514 
European Union - other       4,652      3,254 
Asia                           558        471 
Middle East Africa             139         45 
Other                          266        351 
-----------------------  ---------  --------- 
Total                       72,470     62,291 
-----------------------  ---------  --------- 
 

Revenue by category:

 
                  For the year ended 
                      31 December 
---------------  -------------------- 
GBP'000               2018       2017 
---------------  ---------  --------- 
Product sales       71,025     62,162 
Services sales       1,445        129 
---------------  ---------  --------- 
Total               72,470     62,291 
---------------  ---------  --------- 
 

Product revenue is recognised when the performance obligation is satisfied at a point in time. Service revenue is recognised by reference of the stage of completion.

Share Options:

During the year Iain Menneer exercised 5,142 share options granted in 2014 under the Save As You Earn scheme (SAYE) at an option price of GBP1.05 per share. The value of this exercise was GBP5,399. The SAYE options held by Chris Brewster, totalling options over 8,571 shares, lapsed during the year. As at 31st December 2018, no options are held or have been granted to the Directors.

6 Financial expenses - from continuing operations

Financial expenses includes the following elements:

 
                            For the year ended 
                                31 December 
-------------------------  -------------------- 
GBP'000                         2018       2017 
-------------------------  ---------  --------- 
Interest expense                 637        527 
Foreign currency losses          119        111 
Other financial expenses          84         97 
Total                            840        735 
-------------------------  ---------  --------- 
 

7 Financial income - from continuing operations

Financial income includes the following elements:

 
                                   For the year ended 
                                       31 December 
--------------------------------  -------------------- 
GBP'000                                2018       2017 
--------------------------------  ---------  --------- 
Foreign currency exchange gains         192         64 
Other financial income                   74         32 
Total                                   266         96 
--------------------------------  ---------  --------- 
 

8 Income tax - from continuing operations

Income tax

The following table shows the breakdown of the tax expense for 2018 and 2017:

 
                                                                    For the year ended 
                                                                        31 December 
-----------------------------------------------------------------  -------------------- 
GBP'000                                                                  2018      2017 
-----------------------------------------------------------------  ----------  -------- 
Current tax charge                                                      (963)     (770) 
Tax adjustments in respect of previous years                               94       178 
Total current tax charge                                                (869)     (592) 
Deferred tax - origination and reversal of temporary differences          597       300 
Deferred tax - adjustments in respect of previous years                   407         - 
 Total deferred tax charge                                              1,004       300 
-----------------------------------------------------------------  ----------  -------- 
Total tax income/(expense) for the year                                   135     (292) 
-----------------------------------------------------------------  ----------  -------- 
 

The total tax expense can be reconciled to the accounting profit as follows:

 
                                                                For the year ended 
                                                                       31 December 
------------------------------------------------------------  -------------------- 
GBP'000                                                               2018    2017 
------------------------------------------------------------  ------------  ------ 
(Loss)/profit before tax                                             (357)     377 
Tax at 19% (2017: 19.25%)                                               68    (73) 
Effect of: 
 Overseas tax rates                                                 (64)      126 
Non-deductible expenses                                              (156)   (201) 
Income not subject to tax                                              215      66 
Other tax credits and tax deductions                                     -     (1) 
Other permanent tax differences                                      (133)    (56) 
Other taxes                                                           (38)    (37) 
Changes in statutory enacted tax rate                                 (15)   (294) 
Tax adjustments in respect of previous year                            501     178 
Non recognition of deferred tax on current year losses               (195)       - 
Share based payment deductions                                        (48)       - 
------------------------------------------------------------  ------------  ------ 
Income tax credit/(expense) as reported in the consolidated 
 income statement                                                      135   (292) 
------------------------------------------------------------  ------------  ------ 
 

The tax credit of GBP2,151k (2017: GBP1,454k) shown within "non-underlying items" on the face of the consolidated income statement, which forms part of the overall tax credit of GBP135k (2017, tax charge of GBP292k) relates to the items in note 5.

The tax rates used for the 2018 and 2017 reconciliation above are the corporate tax rates of 29.58% in 2018 and 33.99% in 2017 (Belgium), 25% (the Netherlands), 30.7% in 2018 and 29% in 2017 (Germany), 33% (France), 25% (Spain), 24% in (Italy), 21% (Portugal) and 19% (the United Kingdom). These taxes are payable by corporate entities in the above mentioned countries on taxable profits under tax law in that jurisdiction.

Changes to the UK corporation tax rate were substantially enacted as part of the Finance Bill 2017 (on 6th September 2016). They include reductions to the main rate to reduce the rate to 17% from 1st April 2020.

A similar tax reform in Belgium was substantially enacted in December 2017. The tax rate will gradually decrease from 33.99% (current) to 29.58% in 2018 and 2019 and to 25% from 2020 onwards.

Deferred taxes at the balance sheet date have been measured using the enacted tax rates and reflected in these financial statements.

Deferred tax

(a) Recognised deferred tax assets and liabilities

 
                                          Assets       Liabilities          Total 
-------------------------------------  ------------  ----------------  ---------------- 
GBP'000                                 2018   2017     2018     2017     2018     2017 
-------------------------------------  -----  -----  -------  -------  -------  ------- 
Goodwill                                  23    (7)    (632)    (362)    (609)    (369) 
Intangible assets                        834    515  (4,969)  (6,118)  (4,135)  (5,603) 
Property, plant and equipment             45     28     (43)     (25)        2        3 
Financial fixed assets                     1      1        -        -        1        1 
Inventory                                  3     51     (21)     (24)     (18)       27 
Trade and other payables/receivables       3    297       43        -       46      297 
Accruals and deferred income               -     19        -       75        -       94 
Tax losses carried forward               790    699      101        -      891      699 
-------------------------------------  -----  -----  -------  -------  -------  ------- 
Total                                  1,699  1,603  (5,521)  (6,454)  (3,822)  (4,851) 
-------------------------------------  -----  -----  -------  -------  -------  ------- 
 

(b) Movements during the year

Movement of deferred taxes during 2018:

 
                                   Balance                                     Acquired 
                                        at                                      through       Foreign          Balance 
                                 1 January  Recognised          Disposal       business      exchange   at 31 December 
GBP'000                               2018   in income   of subsidiaries   combinations   adjustments             2018 
------------------------------  ----------  ----------  ----------------  -------------  ------------  --------------- 
Goodwill                             (369)       (234)                 -              -           (6)            (609) 
Intangible assets                  (5,603)       1,458                 -              -            10          (4,135) 
Property, plant and equipment            3         (1)                 -              -             -                2 
Financial fixed assets                   1           -                 -              -             -                1 
Inventory                               26        (50)                 5              -             1             (18) 
Trade and other 
 payables/receivables                  298       (250)                 -              -           (2)               46 
Accruals and deferred income            94        (94)                 -              -             -                - 
Tax losses carry forward 
 and other tax benefits                699         175                 -              -            17              891 
------------------------------  ----------  ----------  ----------------  -------------  ------------  --------------- 
Net deferred tax                   (4,851)       1,004                 5              -            20          (3,822) 
------------------------------  ----------  ----------  ----------------  -------------  ------------  --------------- 
 

Movement of deferred taxes during 2017:

 
                                      Balance                                     Acquired                     Balance 
                                           at                                      through       Foreign            at 
                                    1 January  Recognised          Disposal       business      exchange   31 December 
GBP'000                                  2017   in income   of subsidiaries   combinations   adjustments          2017 
---------------------------------  ----------  ----------  ----------------  -------------  ------------  ------------ 
Goodwill                                (220)       (138)                 -              -          (11)         (369) 
Intangible assets                         175         565                 -        (6,356)            13       (5,603) 
Property, plant and equipment              13          27                 -           (38)             1             3 
Financial fixed assets                      1           -                 -              -             -             1 
Inventory                                  46          57               (4)           (76)             3            26 
Trade and other 
 payables/receivables                     565       (285)                 -              -            18           298 
Accruals and deferred income              173       (331)                 -            247             5            94 
Tax losses carry forward and 
 other tax benefits                       292         405              (13)              -            15           699 
---------------------------------  ----------  ----------  ----------------  -------------  ------------  ------------ 
Net deferred tax                        1,045         300              (17)        (6,223)            44       (4,851) 
---------------------------------  ----------  ----------  ----------------  -------------  ------------  ------------ 
 

Tax losses

The Group has unused tax losses, tax credits and notional interest deduction available in an amount of GBP3,141k for 2018 (2017: GBP2,636k).

Deferred tax assets have been recognised on available tax losses carried forward for some legal entities, resulting in amounts recognised of GBP788k (2017: GBP699k). This was based on management's estimate that sufficient positive taxable basis will be generated in the near future for the related legal entities with fiscal losses.

9. Earnings per share

Diluted earnings per share amounts are calculated by dividing the net profit attributable to ordinary equity holder of the parent Company by the weighted average number of ordinary shares outstanding during the year plus the weighted average number of ordinary shares that would be issued on conversion of all potential dilutive ordinary shares.

The following income and share data was used in the earnings per share computations:

Profit / (loss) from continuing and discontinuing operations

 
                                                       For the year ended 31 December 
------------------------------------------------  ---------------------------------------- 
                                                         2018         2017    2018    2017 
GBP'000                                            Underlying   Underlying   Total   Total 
------------------------------------------------  -----------  -----------  ------  ------ 
Net profit/(loss) from continuing operations            7,016        5,175   (222)      85 
Net profit/(loss) from discontinuing operations            40          109   (776)      99 
------------------------------------------------  -----------  -----------  ------  ------ 
Net profit/(loss) attributable to ordinary 
 equity holders of the parent adjusted for 
 the effect of dilution                                 7,056        5,284   (998)     184 
------------------------------------------------  -----------  -----------  ------  ------ 
 

Average number of shares (basic and diluted)

 
                                                                For the year ended 31 December 
-----------------------------------------------------  ------------------------------------------------ 
                                                              2018         2017        2018        2017 
number of shares                                        Underlying   Underlying       Total       Total 
-----------------------------------------------------  -----------  -----------  ----------  ---------- 
Weighted average number of ordinary shares for basic 
 earnings per share                                    60,008,714   41,998,692   60,008,714  41,998,692 
Dilutive potential ordinary shares                     5,452        178,191      5,452       178,191 
-----------------------------------------------------  -----------  -----------  ----------  ---------- 
Weighted average number of ordinary shares adjusted 
 for effect of dilution                                60,014,166   42,176,883   60,014,166  42,176,883 
-----------------------------------------------------  -----------  -----------  ----------  ---------- 
 

Basic earnings/(loss) per share

 
                                                          For the year ended 31 December 
---------------------------------------------------  ---------------------------------------- 
                                                            2018         2017    2018    2017 
                                                      Underlying   Underlying   Total   Total 
                                                           Pence        Pence   Pence   Pence 
---------------------------------------------------  -----------  -----------  ------  ------ 
From continuing operations attributable to 
 the ordinary equity holders 
 of the company                                             11.7         12.3   (0.4)     0.2 
From discontinued operation                                  0.1          0.3   (1.3)     0.2 
---------------------------------------------------  -----------  -----------  ------  ------ 
Total basic earnings/(loss) per share attributable 
 to the ordinary equity holders of the company              11.8         12.6   (1.7)     0.4 
---------------------------------------------------  -----------  -----------  ------  ------ 
 

Diluted earnings/(loss) per share

 
                                                               For the year ended 31 December 
--------------------------------------------------- 
                                                            2018         2017    2018    2017 
                                                      Underlying   Underlying   Total   Total 
                                                           Pence        Pence   Pence   Pence 
---------------------------------------------------  -----------  -----------  ------  ------ 
From continuing operations attributable to 
 the ordinary equity holders 
 of the company                                             11.7         12.3   (0.4)     0.2 
From discontinued operation                                  0.1          0.3   (1.3)     0.2 
---------------------------------------------------  -----------  -----------  ------  ------ 
Total basic earnings/(loss) per share attributable 
 to the ordinary equity holders of the company              11.8         12.5   (1.7)     0.4 
---------------------------------------------------  -----------  -----------  ------  ------ 
 

10. Goodwill

On acquisition, goodwill acquired in a business combination is allocated to the cash-generating units which are expected to benefit from that business combination. These cash-generating units correspond to the nature of the business, following the separate divisions Pharmaceuticals and Wholesale. The goodwill has been allocated to the cash-generating units ("CGU") as follows:

 
                        For the year ended 
                            31 December 
---------------------  -------------------- 
GBP'000                     2018       2017 
---------------------  ---------  --------- 
CGU: Pharmaceuticals      50,937     50,856 
CGU: Wholesale                 -        557 
---------------------  ---------  --------- 
Total                     50,937     51,413 
---------------------  ---------  --------- 
 

The changes in the carrying value of the goodwill can be presented as follows for the years 2018 and 2017:

 
GBP'000                 Total 
---------------------  ------ 
At 1 January 2017       9,958 
Additions              41,048 
Currency translation      406 
---------------------  ------ 
At 31 December 2017    51,413 
Disposals               (106) 
Impairment              (456) 
Currency translation       86 
---------------------  ------ 
At 31 December 2018    50,937 
---------------------  ------ 
 

The goodwill balance decreased as a result of the disposal of Medini nv in 2018 by GBP106k (see note 3) and impairment of goodwill relating to the non-core Orthopaedics business by GBP456k.

Goodwill allocated to the Pharmaceuticals CGU includes goodwill recognised as a result of past business combinations of Esteve, Equipharma NV, Ecuphar BV, Cardon Pharmaceuticals NV and the reverse acquisition of Animalcare Group plc in 2017. As of 31 December 2018, no goodwill is allocated to the Wholesale CGU following the disposal of Medini nv.

The discount rate and growth rate (in perpetuity) used for value in use calculations are as follows:

                                                                   2018                       2017 
   Discount rate (pre-tax)                        10.5                        10.2 
   Growth rate (in perpetuity) %              2.0                          2.0 

Cash flow forecasts are prepared using the current operating budget approved by the Directors, which covers a three-year period and an appropriate extrapolation of cash flows beyond this. The cash flow forecasts assume revenue and profit growth in line with our strategic priorities.

The Group's impairment review is sensitive to a change in assumptions used, most notably the discount rates and the perpetuity growth rates.

A 1% increase in discount rates would cause the value in use of the CGU to reduce by GBP14.0m but would not give rise to an impairment.

A 1% reduction in perpetuity growth rates would cause the value in use of the CGU to reduce by GBP12.5m but would not give rise to an impairment.

The CGU is highly sensitive to any reductions in short-term cash flows, whether driven by lower sales growth, lower operating profits or lower cash conversion. A 15% reduction in total annual cash flows would give rise to an impairment of GBP0.5m in the CGU. An increase in discount rates of 2.21% or a reduction in perpetuity growth rates of 2.6% would also give rise to an impairment in the CGU of GBP48k and GBP235k respectively.

11. Intangible assets

The changes in the carrying value of the intangible assets can be presented as follows for the years 2018 and 2017:

 
                                          Patents,  Product portfolios 
                                      distribution           & product 
                         In Process         rights         development  Capitalized 
GBP'000                         R&D     & licenses               costs     software     Total 
-----------------------  ----------  -------------  ------------------  -----------  -------- 
Acquisition value 
At 1 January 2017             2,839         12,437              16,956          187    32,419 
Additions                       550            187               1,174          468     2,379 
Change due to business 
 combinations                10,013          4,561              21,041            -    35,615 
Disposals                         -           (29)                   -            -      (29) 
Currency translation            116            510                 704           14     1,344 
Other                             -             19                   -           48        67 
-----------------------  ----------  -------------  ------------------  -----------  -------- 
At 31 December 2017          13,518         17,685              39,875          717    71,795 
-----------------------  ----------  -------------  ------------------  -----------  -------- 
Additions                     3,525          1,340                 670          452     5,987 
Change due to business 
 combinations                     -           (29)                 (5)            -      (34) 
Currency translation             36            104                 128           12       280 
Other                             -              8                   -            -         8 
-----------------------  ----------  -------------  ------------------  -----------  -------- 
At 31 December 2018          17,079         19,108              40,668        1,181    78,036 
-----------------------  ----------  -------------  ------------------  -----------  -------- 
Amortization 
At 1 January 2017             (467)        (2,351)             (8,298)         (57)  (11,173) 
Additions                     (751)        (2,523)             (2,589)        (190)   (6,053) 
Currency translation           (23)          (124)               (359)          (5)     (511) 
Other                             -              8                   5         (34)      (21) 
-----------------------  ----------  -------------  ------------------  -----------  -------- 
At 31 December 2017         (1,241)        (4,990)            (11,241)        (286)  (17,758) 
-----------------------  ----------  -------------  ------------------  -----------  -------- 
Additions                   (1,423)        (2,716)             (3,504)        (322)   (7,965) 
Change due to business 
 combinations                     -             29                   3            -        32 
Impairments                   (852)              -                   -            -     (852) 
Currency translation           (10)           (64)                (76)          (6)     (156) 
Transfers                         -              -                   -         (15)      (15) 
Other                          (10)             20                   2            -        12 
-----------------------  ----------  -------------  ------------------  -----------  -------- 
At 31 December 2018         (3,536)        (7,721)            (14,816)        (629)  (26,702) 
-----------------------  ----------  -------------  ------------------  -----------  -------- 
Net carrying value 
At 31 December 2018          13,543         11,387              25,852          552    51,334 
At 31 December 2017          12,277         12,695              28,634          431    54,037 
-----------------------  ----------  -------------  ------------------  -----------  -------- 
 

12. Borrowings

The loans and borrowings include the following:

 
                                                      For the year ended 
                                                             31 December 
------------------------------                      -------------------- 
                                Interest 
GBP'000                             rate  Maturity       2018       2017 
------------------------------  --------  --------  ---------  --------- 
Other loans                        1.56%                   22         51 
                                 Euribor 
Revolving credit facilities       +1.50%  March 22     25,513     26,768 
                                 Euribor 
Roll over investment facility     +1.50%  March 22      2,063      2,676 
                                 Euribor 
Acquisition loan                  +1.75%  March 22      4,025      3,992 
Total loans and borrowings                             31,623     33,487 
------------------------------  --------  --------  ---------  --------- 
of which non -current                                  30,975     32,854 
 current                                                  648        633 
------------------------------  --------  --------  ---------  --------- 
 

Revolving credit facilities and roll over investment facilities

In mid-2016, the Group refinanced all of its outstanding investment loans with different banks. Financing arrangements were entered into with four Belgian banks. These financing arrangements have been split equally amongst these four banks. The agreements consist of:

EUR41.5m revolving credit facilities

EUR10m available acquisition financing

EUR4.08m investment loans

The loans have a variable, EURIBOR based interest rate, increased with a margin of 1.5% or 1.75%. The revolving credit facilities and the acquisition financing have a bullet maturity in March 2022. The investment loans are repaid in 23 monthly instalments.

13. Deferred income and accrued charges

Deferred income and accrued charges consist of the following:

 
                                          For the year ended 
                                                 31 December 
--------------------------------------  -------------------- 
GBP'000                                      2018       2017 
--------------------------------------  ---------  --------- 
Accrued charges                             2,133      1,868 
Deferred income - due within one year         190        219 
Other                                           2         29 
--------------------------------------  ---------  --------- 
Total due within one year                   2,325      2,116 
--------------------------------------  ---------  --------- 
Deferred income - Due after one year          617        780 
--------------------------------------  ---------  --------- 
 

Accrued charges mainly relate to accrued product development expenses of GBP1,188k (2017: GBP757k) and several accrued charges relating to commissions and bonuses in Ecuphar Veterinaria for an amount of GBP255k (2017: GBP333k) and GBP181k for Belphar.

Deferred income are contract liabilities that arise from certain services sold by the Group's subsidiary Animalcare Ltd. In return for a single upfront payment, Animalcare Ltd commits to a fixed term contract to provide certain database, pet reunification and other support services to customers. There is no contractual restriction on the amount of times the customer makes use of the services. At the commencement of the contract, it is not possible to determine how many times the customer will make use of the services, nor does historical evidence provide indications of any future pattern of use. As such, income is recognised evenly over the term of the contract, currently between 8 and 14 years.

Movements in the Group's deferred income liabilities during the current year are as follows:

 
                                                     For the year ended 
                                                            31 December 
-------------------------------------------------  -------------------- 
GBP'000                                                 2018       2017 
-------------------------------------------------  ---------  --------- 
Balance at the beginning of the year                     999          - 
Acquired through business combinations                     -        925 
Income deferred to following periods                     139        181 
Release of income deferred from previous periods       (331)      (107) 
-------------------------------------------------  ---------  --------- 
Balance at the end of the year                           807        999 
-------------------------------------------------  ---------  --------- 
 

14. Equity

Share capital

 
                                                         For the year ended 
                                                                31 December 
---------------------------------------------------  ---------------------- 
Number of shares                                           2018        2017 
---------------------------------------------------  ----------  ---------- 
Allotted, called up and fully paid Ordinary Shares 
 of 20p each                                         60,057,161  59,913,900 
---------------------------------------------------  ----------  ---------- 
 
 
                                                       For the year ended 
                                                              31 December 
---------------------------------------------------  -------------------- 
GBP'000                                                   2018       2017 
---------------------------------------------------  ---------  --------- 
Allotted, called up and fully paid Ordinary Shares 
 of 20p each                                            12,012     11,983 
---------------------------------------------------  ---------  --------- 
 

The following share transactions have taken place during the year ended 31st December 2018:

 
                               For the year ended 
                                      31 December 
---------------------------  -------------------- 
GBP'000, except share data           2018    2017 
---------------------------  ------------  ------ 
At 1 January 2018              59,913,900  11,983 
Exercise of share options         143,261      29 
---------------------------  ------------  ------ 
At 31 December 2018            60,057,161  12,012 
---------------------------  ------------  ------ 
 

On 13th July 2017, the Group completed the reverse acquisition of Animalcare Group plc. In aggregate, 37,322,894 new Ordinary Shares were allotted and issued, comprising 8,571,428 new placing shares and 28,751,466 consideration shares.

During the year a total of 143,261 shares were issued in relation to the grant of options over the Company's share by Animalcare Ltd under the Animalcare Group plc Executive Share Option Scheme and the Save As You Earn (SAYE) Share Option Scheme.

Dividends

 
                                                         For the year ended 
                                                                31 December 
-----------------------------------------------------  -------------------- 
GBP'000, except share data                                  2018       2017 
-----------------------------------------------------  ---------  --------- 
Ordinary interim dividend for the period ended 30th 
 June 2017 of 4.7p per share                                   -      2,816 
Ordinary final dividend paid for the year ended 31st 
 December 2017 of 2.0p per share                           1,200          - 
Ordinary interim dividend paid for the period ended 
 30th June 2018 of 2.0 per share                           1,201          - 
-----------------------------------------------------  ---------  --------- 
                                                           2,401      2,816 
-----------------------------------------------------  ---------  --------- 
 

The proposed final dividend of 2.4 pence per share is subject to approval of shareholders at the Annual General Meeting and has not been included as a liability as at 31st December 2018, in accordance with IAS 10 "Events After the Balance Sheet Date".

Non-controlling interest

The non-controlling interest is GBPnil at 31st December 2018 (2017: GBP2k). The decrease to GBPnil during 2018 is due to the sale of the Wholesaling business.

15. Annual Report

This Preliminary financial information is not being sent to Shareholders.

A further announcement will be made when the Annual Report and Accounts for the year ended 31(st) December will be made available on the Company's website and copies sent to shareholders.

Further copies will be available to download on the Company's website at: www.animalcaregroup.co.uk and will also be available from the Company's registered office address: 10 Great North Way, York Business Park, Nether Poppleton, York, YO26 6RB

This information is provided by RNS, the news service of the London Stock Exchange. RNS is approved by the Financial Conduct Authority to act as a Primary Information Provider in the United Kingdom. Terms and conditions relating to the use and distribution of this information may apply. For further information, please contact rns@lseg.com or visit www.rns.com.

END

FR CKKDQPBKKNQN

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April 30, 2019 02:01 ET (06:01 GMT)

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