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DCC Dcc Plc

5,525.00
10.00 (0.18%)
23 Apr 2024 - Closed
Delayed by 15 minutes
Share Name Share Symbol Market Type Share ISIN Share Description
Dcc Plc LSE:DCC London Ordinary Share IE0002424939 ORD EUR0.25 (CDI)
  Price Change % Change Share Price Bid Price Offer Price High Price Low Price Open Price Shares Traded Last Trade
  10.00 0.18% 5,525.00 5,530.00 5,540.00 5,585.00 5,470.00 5,545.00 316,267 16:35:28
Industry Sector Turnover Profit EPS - Basic PE Ratio Market Cap
Offices-holdng Companies,nec 22.2B 334.02M 3.3818 16.37 5.47B

DCC PLC Results for the year ended 31 March 2019 (8892Y)

14/05/2019 7:00am

UK Regulatory


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TIDMDCC

RNS Number : 8892Y

DCC PLC

14 May 2019

14 May 2019

DCC Reports Excellent Performance and New Acquisitions

DCC, the leading international sales, marketing and support services group, is today announcing its results for the year ended 31 March 2019.

 
 Highlights                                           2019          2018   % change 
-------------------------------------------- 
 Revenue(1) - continuing(2)                    GBP15.227bn   GBP13.122bn     +16.0% 
                                              ------------  ------------  --------- 
 Adjusted operating profit - continuing(2, 
  3)                                             GBP460.5m     GBP383.4m     +20.1% 
                                              ------------  ------------  --------- 
     DCC LPG                                     GBP201.8m     GBP167.5m     +20.5% 
                                              ------------  ------------  --------- 
     DCC Retail & Oil                            GBP133.7m     GBP113.8m     +17.6% 
                                              ------------  ------------  --------- 
     DCC Technology                               GBP64.7m      GBP47.8m     +35.1% 
                                              ------------  ------------  --------- 
     DCC Healthcare                               GBP60.3m      GBP54.3m     +11.1% 
                                              ------------  ------------  --------- 
 Adjusted earnings per share - 
  continuing(2, 3)                                  358.2p        317.5p     +12.8% 
                                              ------------  ------------  --------- 
 Dividend per share                                138.35p       122.98p     +12.5% 
                                              ------------  ------------  --------- 
 Free cash flow(4)                               GBP434.0m     GBP328.1m 
                                              ------------  ------------  --------- 
 Return on capital employed - continuing(2)          17.0%         17.5% 
                                              ------------  ------------  --------- 
 

-- Excellent performance for the year, notwithstanding the mild weather conditions, with Group adjusted operating profit on continuing operations increasing by 20.1% to GBP460.5 million. All divisions of DCC recorded very strong profit growth.

-- Adjusted earnings per share on continuing activities up 12.8% to 358.2 pence, reflecting the equity placing completed during the year.

-- With approval of this year's final dividend, DCC will have recorded 25 years of unbroken dividend growth since listing in 1994. A proposed 13.7% increase in the final dividend will see the total dividend for the year increase by 12.5%.

-- Excellent cash flow performance, with free cash flow conversion of approximately 94% and a return on capital employed of 17.0%.

-- Another active period of development for DCC with approximately GBP370 million of capital committed to acquisitions. Approximately GBP90 million of new acquisition commitments announced today, including Pacific Coast Energy, DCC LPG's first material follow-on acquisition in the US and DCC Technology's acquisitions of Comm-Tec in Germany and Amacom in the Netherlands, strengthening its European presence.

-- The Group expects that the year ending 31 March 2020 will be another year of profit growth and development.

(1) Prior year revenue restated to reflect the adoption of IFRS 15 Revenue from Contracts with Customers

   (2)   Continuing operations exclude DCC Environmental which was disposed of in May 2017 
   (3)   Excluding net exceptionals and amortisation of intangible assets 

(4) After net working capital and net capital expenditure and before net exceptionals, interest and tax payments

Commenting on the results, Donal Murphy, Chief Executive, said:

"I am very pleased to report that the year ended 31 March 2019 has been another year of significant progress for DCC. An excellent trading performance, very strong cash generation and continued acquisition activity across the Group exemplifies the DCC business model. I am particularly pleased that each division recorded very strong growth in operating profit and traded in line with expectations, given the mild weather conditions experienced during the year.

It has been another active year from a development perspective and we have committed approximately GBP370 million to acquisitions during the period. Each of the new acquisitions announced today are good examples of our divisional strategies in action. DCC LPG's acquisition of Pacific Coast Energy, our first material bolt-on in the US LPG market, will strengthen our position in the north-west of the US, helping to build further scale in that region. Similarly, DCC Technology's acquisition of both Comm-Tec and Amacom significantly enhances our business in Continental Europe and will strengthen our relationships with suppliers and customers in the region.

Following the equity placing completed during the year, DCC has a very strong and liquid balance sheet, leaving the Group well placed to continue its targeted acquisition strategy. The Group continues to have the platforms, opportunities and capability for further development across each of our four divisions.

We expect that the year to 31 March 2020 will be another year of profit growth and development for the Group."

Presentation of results and dial-in / webcast facility

There will be a presentation of these results to analysts and fund managers at 9.00 am today in the London Stock Exchange. The slides for this presentation can be downloaded from DCC's website, www.dcc.ie.

There will also be audio conference access to, and a live webcast of, the presentation. The access details for the presentation are:

Ireland: +353 (0) 1 431 9615

UK / International: +44 (0) 2071 92 8000

Passcode: 5263849

Webcast Link: https://edge.media-server.com/m6/p/iurzueqv

This report, a webcast of the presentation and further information on DCC is available at www.dcc.ie.

For reference, please contact:

 
 Donal Murphy, Chief Executive                             Tel: +353 1 2799 400 
 Fergal O'Dwyer, Chief Financial Officer        Email: investorrelations@dcc.ie 
 Kevin Lucey, Head of Capital Markets                               Web: www.dcc.ie 
 
   For media enquiries: Powerscourt (Lisa             Tel: +44 20 7250 1446 
   Kavanagh) 
 

Group Results

A summary of the Group's results for the year ended 31 March 2019 is as follows:

 
                                                                                 2019      2018 
                                                                                GBP'm     GBP'm   % change 
 Revenue - continuing(1, 2)                                                    15,227    13,122     +16.0% 
 Operating profit(3) 
  DCC LPG                                                                       201.8     167.5     +20.5% 
  DCC Retail & Oil                                                              133.7     113.8     +17.6% 
  DCC Technology                                                                 64.7      47.8     +35.1% 
  DCC Healthcare                                                                 60.3      54.3     +11.1% 
 Group adjusted operating profit(3) - continuing(2)                             460.5     383.4     +20.1% 
 Finance costs (net) and other                                                 (45.9)    (35.4) 
 Profit before net exceptionals, amortisation of intangible assets and tax      414.6     348.0     +19.1% 
 Net exceptional (charge)/credit after tax and non-controlling interests       (24.6)      11.4 
 Amortisation of intangible assets                                             (63.3)    (43.0) 
 Profit before tax                                                              326.7     316.4 
 Taxation                                                                      (55.6)    (49.3) 
 Profit after tax                                                               271.1     267.1 
 Profit after tax - discontinued operations                                         -       0.8 
 Non-controlling interests                                                      (8.5)     (6.1) 
 Attributable profit                                                            262.6     261.8 
 Adjusted earnings per share(3) - continuing(2)                                358.2p    317.5p     +12.8% 
 Adjusted earnings per share(3)                                                358.2p    318.4p     +12.5% 
 Dividend per share                                                           138.35p   122.98p     +12.5% 
 Operating cash flow                                                            607.5     473.4 
 Free cash flow(4)                                                              434.0     328.1 
 Net debt at 31 March                                                            18.4     542.7 
 Pro forma net debt at 31 March(5)                                              108.4     542.7 
 Total equity at 31 March                                                     2,433.5   1,677.9 
 Return on capital employed - continuing(2)                                     17.0%     17.5% 
 (1) Prior year revenue restated to reflect the adoption of IFRS 15 Revenue from Contracts 
  with Customers 
  (2) Continuing operations exclude DCC Environmental which was disposed of in May 2017 
  (3) Excluding net exceptionals and amortisation of intangible assets 
  (4) After net working capital and net capital expenditure and before net exceptionals, interest 
  and tax payments 
  (5) Adjusted for committed acquisition expenditure 
 

Reporting currency

The Group's financial statements are presented in sterling. Results and cash flows of operations based in non-sterling jurisdictions have been translated into sterling at average rates for the year. The principal exchange rates used for the translation of results into sterling were as follows:

 
                                  Average rate 
                    --------------------------- 
                             2019          2018 
                         StgGBP1=      StgGBP1= 
 Euro                      1.1319        1.1366 
 Danish Krone              8.4407        8.4603 
 Swedish Krona            11.7467       11.0482 
 Norwegian Krone          10.9172       10.7901 
 US Dollar                 1.3184        1.3236 
 Hong Kong Dollar         10.3392       10.3312 
 

The impact of currency translation versus the prior period was very modest, with average sterling exchange rates marginally weakening against the euro and US Dollar and marginally strengthening against other relevant currencies.

Revenue - continuing operations

Revenue from continuing operations increased by 16.0% to GBP15.2 billion. Prior year revenue has been restated to reflect the adoption of IFRS 15 Revenue from Contracts with Customers as set out in note 4 to the financial statements.

Volumes in DCC LPG increased by 10.8% to 2.1 million tonnes, driven by DCC LPG's prior year acquisitions of the businesses in the US, Germany and Hong Kong & Macau. On a like-for-like basis, volumes were 2.8% behind the prior year, principally reflecting the warmer than average temperatures across Europe which impacted heating segments. DCC LPG's revenue increased by 30.5%.

DCC Retail & Oil volumes were 12.2 billion litres, modestly behind the prior year, reflecting the disposal of the oil distribution business in Northern Ireland. On a like-for-like basis, volumes declined by 3.8%, reflecting the mild weather conditions and also the impact of reduced volumes in France as a result of the regular nationwide protests. DCC Retail & Oil's revenue increased by 12.2%.

Revenue excluding DCC LPG and DCC Retail & Oil was GBP4.2 billion, an increase of 19.5%, approximately one third of which was organic.

Group adjusted operating profit - continuing operations

Group adjusted operating profit from continuing operations increased by 20.1% to GBP460.5 million, reflecting the contribution from acquisitions and organic growth, notwithstanding the mild weather conditions experienced during the year.

DCC LPG delivered very strong operating profit growth of 20.5%, primarily driven by acquisitions completed in the final quarter of the prior year. As anticipated, organic operating profit was modestly behind the prior year, reflecting the investment in the natural gas and electricity offering in France and the impact of mild weather conditions. Each of the newly acquired businesses in the US, Germany and Hong Kong & Macau was integrated into the Group during the year and performed in line with, or modestly ahead of, expectations.

Operating profit in DCC Retail & Oil was significantly ahead of the prior year, increasing by 17.6%, approximately one third of which was organic. This excellent performance reflects strong organic profit growth in the businesses in Britain, France and Denmark and the contribution from acquisitions completed during the prior year.

DCC Technology achieved very strong operating profit growth of 35.1%, principally driven by the first-time contribution from acquisitions completed in the current year and also good organic growth. The UK and Ireland, DCC Technology's largest business, benefited from market share gains and the continued development of its value-added service proposition.

In DCC Healthcare, operating profit increased by 11.1% and approximately half of the growth was organic. DCC Vital delivered good organic profit growth in GP supplies and medical devices, while DCC Health & Beauty Solutions generated very strong organic growth in both the nutrition and beauty sector. DCC Healthcare also benefited from the contribution from acquisitions completed in the prior year.

 
                              2018/19                 2017/18                  % change 
                      ----------------------  ----------------------  ------------------------- 
                          H1      H2      FY      H1      H2      FY       H1       H2       FY 
 Adjusted operating    GBP'm   GBP'm   GBP'm   GBP'm   GBP'm   GBP'm 
  profit* 
 DCC LPG                40.9   160.9   201.8    44.1   123.4   167.5    -7.2%   +30.4%   +20.5% 
 DCC Retail 
  & Oil                 56.3    77.4   133.7    42.2    71.6   113.8   +33.5%    +8.2%   +17.6% 
 DCC Technology         17.8    46.9    64.7    14.2    33.6    47.8   +25.0%   +39.4%   +35.1% 
 DCC Healthcare         26.9    33.4    60.3    22.0    32.3    54.3   +22.2%    +3.4%   +11.1% 
 Group                 141.9   318.6   460.5   122.5   260.9   383.4   +15.9%   +22.1%   +20.1% 
 
 
 Adjusted EPS* 
  (pence)              107.1   251.1   358.2    95.5   222.0   317.5   +12.1%   +13.1%   +12.8% 
 *Continuing operations excluding net exceptionals and amortisation 
  of intangible assets 
 
 

Finance costs (net) and other

Net finance costs and other increased to GBP45.9 million (2018: GBP35.4 million) and reflects the full year impact of an increase in the Group's gross debt following a private placement debt issuance in the prior year. It also reflects an increase in the Group's average net debt during the year to approximately GBP670 million, from GBP467 million in the prior year and the impact of the increased level of acquisition activity in jurisdictions with relatively higher base interest rates.

Interest was covered 12.2 times by Group adjusted operating profit before depreciation and amortisation of intangible assets (2018: 13.4 times).

Profit before net exceptional items, amortisation of intangible assets and tax

Profit before net exceptional items, amortisation of intangible assets and tax increased by 19.1% to GBP414.6 million.

Net exceptional charge and amortisation of intangible assets

The Group incurred a net exceptional charge after tax and non-controlling interests of GBP24.6 million (2018: net exceptional credit of GBP11.4m) as follows:

 
                                                                            GBP'm 
 Acquisition and related costs                                              (9.6) 
 Restructuring and integration costs and other                             (18.6) 
 IAS 39 mark-to-market gain and related deferred tax                          3.6 
 Net exceptional charge                                                    (24.6) 
-----------------------------------------------------  -------------------------- 
 

Acquisition costs include the professional fees and tax costs relating to the evaluation and completion of acquisition opportunities and amounted to GBP9.6 million.

Restructuring and integration costs and other amounted to GBP18.6 million. The largest component of the charge relates to the ongoing dual running costs relating to the optimisation of DCC Technology's logistics and related infrastructure. The upgraded warehousing and logistics in the UK, Nordics and France are all now operational. The related UK SAP implementation is now live in an element of the UK business, with the remaining components of the business scheduled to go-live during the next financial year. Given the level of acquisitions undertaken in the previous 12 months across the Group, a number of integration-related restructurings took place during the year.

Most of the Group's debt has been raised in the US Private Placement market and swapped, using long term interest and cross currency interest rate derivatives, to both fixed and floating rate sterling and euro. The level of ineffectiveness calculated under IAS 39 on the fair value and cash flow hedge relationships relating to fixed rate debt is charged or credited as an exceptional item. In the year ended 31 March 2019, this amounted to an exceptional non-cash gain of GBP4.3 million. Following this credit, the cumulative net exceptional charge taken in respect of the Group's outstanding US Private Placement debt and related hedging instruments is GBP1.2 million. This, or any subsequent similar non-cash charges or gains, will net to zero over the remaining term of this debt and the related hedging instruments.

The charge for the amortisation of acquisition-related intangible assets increased to GBP63.3 million from GBP43.0 million in the prior year, with the increase principally reflecting acquisitions completed in the current and prior year.

Profit before tax

Profit before tax increased to GBP326.7 million.

Taxation

The effective tax rate for the Group remained consistent at 17.0%. The Group's tax rate is influenced by the geographical mix of profits arising in any year and the tax rates attributable to the individual territories.

Adjusted earnings per share

Adjusted earnings per share on a continuing basis increased by 12.8% to 358.16 pence. This reflects an 18.7% increase in adjusted earnings offset by a 5.2% increase in the average number of shares in issue during the year, primarily as a result of the equity placing which was successfully completed on 2 October 2018.

Total adjusted earnings per share increased by 12.5% to 358.16 pence.

Dividend

The Board is recommending an increase of 13.7% in the final dividend to 93.37 pence per share, which, when added to the interim dividend of 44.98 pence per share, gives a total dividend for the year of 138.35 pence per share. This represents a 12.5% increase over the total prior year dividend of 122.98 pence per share. The dividend is covered 2.6 times by adjusted earnings per share on a continuing basis (2018: 2.6 times). It is proposed to pay the final dividend on 18 July 2019 to shareholders on the register at the close of business on 24 May 2019.

Over its 25 years as a listed company, DCC has an unbroken record of dividend growth at a compound annual rate of 14.4%.

Return on capital employed

The creation of shareholder value through the delivery of consistent, long-term returns well in excess of its cost of capital is one of DCC's core strategic aims. The return on capital employed by division was as follows:

 
                        2019    2018 
 DCC LPG               17.1%   17.4% 
 DCC Retail & Oil      18.6%   18.7% 
 DCC Technology        14.3%   16.1% 
 DCC Healthcare        16.6%   16.7% 
 Group - continuing    17.0%   17.5% 
--------------------  ------  ------ 
 

In 2019, the Group continued to generate very strong returns on capital employed with the modest decrease in the return on capital employed versus the prior year principally reflecting the impact of the substantial acquisition spend in both the current and prior year, as the Group entered new geographies and the recent organic investments made in the warehousing and operating infrastructure of the UK, Nordics and France.

As set out in note 2, IFRS 16 Leases will replace IAS 17 Leases in the next financial year. The Group currently expects to recognise a lease liability and corresponding increase in property, plant and equipment of approximately GBP320 million on transition. The increase in capital employed resulting from the new accounting standard would reduce the Group's 2019 return on capital employed to approximately 15.4%.

Cash flow

The Group generated very strong operating and free cash flow during the year as set out below:

 
 Year ended 31 March                                                             2019          2018 
                                                                                GBP'm         GBP'm 
 
 Group operating profit                                                         460.5         384.4 
 
 Decrease/(increase) in working capital                                          37.5        (13.8) 
 Depreciation and other                                                         109.5         102.8 
 
 Operating cash flow                                                            607.5         473.4 
 
 Capital expenditure (net)                                                    (173.5)       (145.3) 
 
 Free cash flow                                                                 434.0         328.1 
 
 Interest and tax paid, net of dividend from equity accounted investments      (77.3)        (96.0) 
 
 Free cash flow after interest and tax                                          356.7         232.1 
 
 Acquisitions                                                                 (296.8)       (691.0) 
 Disposals                                                                        8.5         160.1 
 Dividends                                                                    (117.0)       (102.9) 
 Exceptional items                                                             (34.6)        (12.6) 
 Share issues                                                                   593.2           3.3 
 
 Net inflow/(outflow)                                                           510.0       (411.0) 
 
 Opening net debt                                                             (542.7)       (121.9) 
 Translation and other                                                           14.3         (9.8) 
 Closing net debt                                                              (18.4)       (542.7) 
---------------------------------------------------------------------------  --------  ------------ 
 

Operating cash flow in 2019 was GBP607.5 million compared to GBP473.4 million in the prior year. Working capital decreased by GBP37.5 million, primarily as a result of a reduction in working capital at businesses acquired during the last 18 months. Overall working capital days were negative 0.4 days sales, compared to negative 2.0 days sales in the prior year, reflecting the acquisition during the year of businesses with positive working capital characteristics. On a like-for-like basis, working capital days were modestly improved on the previous year. DCC Technology selectively uses supply chain financing solutions to sell, on a non-recourse basis, a portion of its receivables relating to certain larger supply chain/sales and marketing activities. The level of supply chain financing at 31 March 2019 increased modestly on the prior year and had a positive impact on Group working capital days of 4.9 days (31 March 2018: 4.4 days) or GBP211.4 million (2018: GBP202.2 million).

Net capital expenditure amounted to GBP173.5 million for the year (2018: GBP145.3 million) and was net of disposal proceeds of GBP8.8 million (2018: GBP7.6 million). The increase in net capital expenditure over the prior year reflects the increasing scale of the Group and a number of investments being undertaken to support its continued organic growth and development. Capital expenditure in DCC LPG principally comprised development expenditure to support the ongoing conversion of oil customers to LPG and the initial investment in relation to the Avonmouth LPG storage facility in the UK. The ongoing investment in new retail sites and site upgrades in France and Norway were the principal items in the Retail & Oil division. As previously reported, DCC Technology has made significant investments in improving its logistics and warehousing infrastructure in the UK, Nordics and France. Within DCC Healthcare, DCC Health & Beauty Solutions is expanding its manufacturing footprint in the soft gel facility in South Wales which will significantly increase the scale and capability of the facility. Net capital expenditure for the Group exceeded the depreciation charge in the year by GBP63.9 million.

The Group's free cash flow amounted to GBP434.0 million, representing a 94% conversion of operating profit into free cash flow.

Committed acquisitions, disposals and net capital expenditure

Committed acquisition spend in the period and net capital expenditure amounted to GBP541.8 million. An analysis by division is shown below:

 
                      Acquisitions   Capex   Total 
                             GBP'm   GBP'm   GBP'm 
 DCC LPG                      38.5    76.1   114.6 
 DCC Retail & Oil             17.0    64.0    81.0 
 DCC Technology              311.0    16.8   327.8 
 DCC Healthcare                1.8    16.6    18.4 
 Total                       368.3   173.5   541.8 
-------------------  -------------  ------  ------ 
 

DCC LPG

Pacific Coast Energy

In April 2019, DCC LPG acquired Pacific Coast Energy, an LPG distribution business operating in the north-west of the US for an enterprise value of approximately GBP30 million. The business trades under a number of brand names, supplying both residential and commercial customers in Washington and Oregon from five well-located facilities. DCC LPG has an existing modest presence in the north west region and the acquisition of Pacific Coast Energy, DCC's first material bolt-on acquisition in the US market, will provide an enlarged presence in this attractive regional market.

DCC Retail & Oil

DCC Retail & Oil completed a number of small complementary bolt-on acquisitions during the period, primarily in the UK and France. These acquisitions have been successfully integrated into the existing businesses.

DCC Technology

DCC Technology has today announced the agreement to acquire Comm-Tec GmbH ("Comm-Tec") in Germany and Amacom Holding BV ("Amacom") in the Netherlands.

Comm-Tec

Comm-Tec is a leading value-added distributor of Pro AV and IT products to system integrators and resellers across Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Italy and Spain. The business recorded revenue of approximately EUR90 million in its latest financial year and employs approximately 150 people. The acquisition of Comm-Tec represents a material extension of DCC Technology's Pro AV offering in Europe.

Amacom

Amacom is a leading distributor of consumer electronics, AV and IT products, primarily to the retail and e-tail sectors in the Netherlands. The business recorded revenue of approximately EUR160 million in its latest financial year and employs approximately 80 people. Amacom will provide DCC Technology with an efficient distribution footprint in the Netherlands and an attractive portfolio of product categories and suppliers.

The combined initial enterprise value of Amacom and Comm-Tec is approximately GBP55 million and both acquisitions are subject to customary regulatory approvals.

Jam

In September 2018, DCC Technology announced the acquisition of Jam, a market-leading North American specialist sales, marketing and services business serving the professional audio, musical instruments and consumer electronics product sectors.

Headquartered in Montreal, Canada, Jam is a world-leader in the professional audio and musical instruments sectors, providing a range of industry-leading, value-adding services and solutions to both its vendor and customer partners. This product sector and channel specialisation includes marketing and sales support, in-house technicians providing technical support, after-sales, repair and warranty repair services, in-house graphics and print services and the provision of white-label e-commerce platforms for smaller retailers and resellers. The business recorded revenue of US$323 million in the year ended 30 April 2018 and employs approximately 570 people.

The acquisition of Jam significantly strengthened DCC Technology's position in the North American market building on the acquisition of Stampede in July 2018. Importantly, the very strong service capability of Jam is consistent with DCC Technology's increasing focus on positioning itself as a specialist service partner for customers and suppliers, providing extensive brand reach, market access and simplifying the complex supply chain of its chosen sectors.

Stampede

In July 2018, DCC Technology announced the acquisition of Stampede, a specialist distributor of Pro AV products and solutions in North America.

Headquartered in Buffalo, New York, Stampede, one of the leading specialist Pro AV distributors in the US, supplies Pro AV products including large format display, projectors, lamps, drones and accessories to system integrators, value-added resellers, retailers and etailers in the US, Canada and the UK. Stampede also provides Pro AV solutions to the hospitality, government, corporate and education sectors. Stampede partners with, and supplies products from, leading Pro AV brands such as Christie, Epson, LG, NEC, Samsung and Sharp. Stampede recorded revenue of US$280 million in the year ended 31 December 2017 and employs approximately 210 people.

The acquisition of Stampede represented DCC Technology's first acquisition in North America and is consistent with DCC Technology's strategy to extend the geographic footprint and product range of its successful and growing Pro AV business, strengthening its partnership with existing suppliers, while also broadening its base of customers and suppliers.

Kondor

In July 2018, DCC announced the acquisition of Kondor, based in the South of England. Kondor distributes audio and mobile accessory products to etailers, retailers and mobile operators in the UK and Continental Europe. It partners with mobile and accessory brand owners and has an extensive portfolio of own-brand products, complementing its third-party brands. Kondor also provides outsourced category management services, including category/brand management, marketing support, promotional display, brand support and advanced stock solutions, to the retail channel.

DCC Retail & Oil

Denmark Aviation

In March 2019, DCC Retail & Oil's Danish business agreed to create a new branded marketing and distribution aviation business with Shell Aviation. The business will supply national and international airlines with aviation fuel from seven Danish airports. The business is the largest supplier of aviation fuel in the country, serving Denmark's busiest airports. The relationship, which involved Shell Aviation taking a stake in DCC's existing Danish aviation operations, combines DCC's local presence and supply infrastructure with Shell's global expertise in aviation and capabilities in jet fuel production and supply.

Oil Distribution Northern Ireland

In April 2018, DCC Retail & Oil completed the disposal of its fuel storage terminal in Belfast and its distribution business in Northern Ireland. The distribution business sold approximately 250 million litres of product in the year ended 31 March 2018.

Total cash spend on acquisitions for the year ended 31 March 2019

The total cash spend on acquisitions completed in the year was GBP296.8 million and included the payment of deferred and contingent acquisition consideration previously provided of GBP30.3 million.

Financial strength

An integral part of the Group's strategy is the maintenance of a strong and liquid balance sheet, which amongst other benefits, enables it to take advantage of development opportunities as they arise. On 2 October 2018, the Group completed an equity placing raising approximately GBP600 million, significantly strengthening the Group's balance sheet following a period of record development expenditure.

At 31 March 2019, the Group had net debt of GBP18.4 million, total equity of GBP2.4 billion, cash resources, net of overdrafts, of GBP1.5 billion and a further GBP400 million of undrawn, committed debt facilities. The Group's outstanding term debt had an average maturity of 5.3 years (6.4 years including commitments). Substantially all of the Group's debt has been raised in the US Private Placement market with an average credit margin of 1.61% over floating Euribor/Libor. In April 2019, DCC successfully drew down a private placement issuance equivalent to GBP353 million, which will refinance private placement debt maturing within the next 12 months.

At 31 March 2019, the Group's net debt:EBITDA was less than 0.1 times and on a pro-forma basis, adjusting solely for the acquisition commitments announced today, net debt:EBITDA at 31 March 2019 would be approximately 0.2 times.

Outlook

The Group expects that the year ending 31 March 2020 will be another year of profit growth and development.

Annual Report and Annual General Meeting

DCC's 2019 Annual Report will be published in June 2019. The Company's Annual General Meeting will be held at 11.00 am on Friday 12 July 2019 in The InterContinental Hotel, Simmonscourt Road, Ballsbridge, Dublin 4, Ireland.

Performance Review - Divisional Analysis

 
 DCC LPG                            2019        2018   % change 
---------------------------- 
 Volumes (thousand tonnes)     2,078.3kT   1,876.2kT     +10.8% 
                              ----------  ----------  --------- 
 Operating profit              GBP201.8m   GBP167.5m     +20.5% 
                              ----------  ----------  --------- 
 Operating profit per tonne     GBP97.11    GBP89.27      +8.8% 
                              ----------  ----------  --------- 
 Return on capital employed        17.1%       17.4% 
                              ----------  ----------  --------- 
 

DCC LPG delivered very strong growth, notwithstanding the mild weather conditions experienced in Europe, with operating profit increasing by 20.5% to GBP201.8 million, driven by acquisitions. The integration of each of the US, German and Hong Kong & Macau businesses was completed during the year and each business performed in line with, or modestly ahead of, expectations during the year.

Overall volumes increased by 10.8%, driven by the contribution from the aforementioned acquisitions. On a like-for-like basis volumes declined by 2.8%, reflecting the mild weather conditions across Europe which impacted heating segments. The operating profit per tonne increased versus the prior year, principally due to the positive effect on mix of the newly acquired businesses.

The business in France performed in line with expectations, with good procurement and cost control offsetting the impact of lower volumes due to the warmer than normal weather conditions. The business continues to focus on diversifying its offering to complement its very strong position in the retail and domestic LPG segments. The business made good progress during the year in increasing its presence in the commercial LPG market, rolled out approximately 200 'Click & Collect' automated cylinder dispensers and has also developed a nascent business in the retailing of wood pellets. Similarly, the B2C natural gas and electricity start-up initiative launched in the prior year continues to develop, albeit in a competitive marketplace. These initiatives are aimed at leveraging the strength of the 'Butagaz' brand and developing a broader position in the French energy market.

DCC LPG delivered good growth in volumes in Britain and Ireland, despite the warmer weather conditions, with particular success in growing its sales to industrial and commercial customers, with the commercial and environmental benefits of LPG continuing to attract new customers to the segment. In Britain, the Countrywide LPG business was successfully integrated during the second half of the financial year. The British business continues to invest in its operational infrastructure and was recently granted planning permission to convert an existing LNG facility in Avonmouth into a large LPG storage terminal which, when completed, will provide enhanced security of supply to the business.

The US business has performed well since acquisition and benefited from the colder than normal weather conditions experienced in its regional markets. The business recently completed the acquisition of Pacific Coast Energy, its first material bolt-on acquisition, as it continues to target further expansion in the highly fragmented US LPG market.

DCC LPG now has substantial operations in ten countries and is very well placed to continue its development both in existing and new territories, as well as continuing to develop its position in adjacencies, which broadens the service offering of the division.

 
 DCC Retail & Oil                   2019        2018   % change 
---------------------------- 
 Volumes (litres)               12.151bn    12.308bn      -1.3% 
                              ----------  ----------  --------- 
 Operating profit              GBP133.7m   GBP113.8m     +17.6% 
                              ----------  ----------  --------- 
 Operating profit per litre      1.10ppl     0.92ppl     +19.6% 
                              ----------  ----------  --------- 
 Return on capital employed        18.6%       18.7% 
                              ----------  ----------  --------- 
 

DCC Retail & Oil delivered very strong growth, with operating profit increasing to GBP133.7 million, 17.6% ahead of the prior year. This excellent performance reflects both the continuing focus of the business on increasing its penetration of value-added products and services, which drove very strong organic profit growth in the year, and the full year impact of acquisitions completed in the prior year.

DCC Retail & Oil sold 12.2 billion litres of product, a modest decline on the prior year. On a like-for-like basis (adjusting for acquired volumes and the disposal of the Northern Irish distribution business in April 2018), volumes declined by 3.8%. This reflected the mild weather conditions, which impacted both agricultural and heating-related volumes, and also the impact of reduced volumes in France where the business was affected by the regular nationwide protests.

In Britain and Ireland, the business delivered good organic profit growth. A strong performance in the commercial sector and the positive mix impact from the expansion into premium fuels and value-added services offset the impact of adverse weather conditions on both heating volumes in the last quarter and agricultural demand seen earlier in the year. The business continued its recent growth in the lubricants sector, delivering good organic growth and also acquiring two modest lubricants blending businesses during the period. Following the complementary acquisition of SNAP in the prior year, the business continues to invest in the expansion of its activities in unmanned retail and in its HGV truck stop network, where the business is adding well-located sites across Britain. It now offers additional services to HGVs at these truck stops, such as secure parking and truck washes, which is enabled by SNAP's technology platform. The Fuel Card business performed very well, delivering strong organic profit growth in both fuel and non-fuel income streams, and placed an increased focus on customer engagement in a competitive market.

The Scandinavian business performed very well, primarily driven by strong organic operating profit growth and the full year contribution of Esso Norway. Notwithstanding the difficult weather conditions which impacted both agricultural and heating-related volumes, the Danish business recorded very strong operating profit growth as the business continued to both develop its offering in differentiated fuels and to improve the performance of the retail and commercial business acquired in 2017. In Norway, management continues to drive improvements in what remains a difficult retail market environment. In March 2019, the Danish business agreed to create a new branded marketing and distribution business with Shell Aviation, which involved Shell taking a stake in the existing Danish aviation operations, giving the business access to Shell's global network and settlements platform, further strengthening DCC Retail & Oil's presence in the aviation fuels market.

In France, the business delivered good organic profit growth, despite the impact of the regular nationwide protests. The growth in France has been supported by initiatives in customer engagement, loyalty programmes, fuel differentiation through Esso's 'Synergy' fuels, and the modest bolt-on acquisition of a network of Esso dealers that completed during the year. The other Continental European businesses also performed very well during the year.

DCC Retail & Oil now has substantial operations in eight countries and has developed a scalable platform to grow the business in existing and new territories.

 
 DCC Technology                      2019         2018   % change 
---------------------------- 
 Revenue                       GBP3.631bn   GBP3.006bn     +20.8% 
                              -----------  -----------  --------- 
 Operating profit                GBP64.7m     GBP47.8m     +35.1% 
                              -----------  -----------  --------- 
 Operating margin                    1.8%         1.6% 
                              -----------  -----------  --------- 
 Return on capital employed         14.3%        16.1% 
                              -----------  -----------  --------- 
 

DCC Technology recorded very strong growth with operating profit increasing by 35.1%, driven by acquisitions completed in the current year and strong organic profit growth in the UK & Ireland. It was also a very significant period of development activity, with DCC Technology entering the North American market and today announcing the further strengthening of its European presence through the acquisitions of Comm-Tec in Germany and Amacom in the Netherlands. The improvement in operating margin reflects the increasing proportion of service-led revenue in the business, whilst the recent strategic investments made in the warehousing and operating infrastructure of the UK, Nordics and France held back the division's return on capital employed.

In the UK & Ireland, the business achieved very strong revenue and profit growth, driven by market share gains and growth in the mobile, datacentre and AV sectors. The business also benefited from the continued development of its service proposition, including device life cycle management. The upgrade of the enterprise management system in the UK business is continuing, with the system now live in an element of the UK business, with the remaining components of the business scheduled to go live during the next financial year. The upgrade is expected to significantly enhance the capability of the business to service its customers and suppliers.

The acquisitions of Comm-Tec and Amacom announced today substantially strengthen DCC Technology's position in Continental Europe, while the significant investment made in the infrastructure in France and the Nordics has enhanced the service offering in the region, will drive efficiencies in the business and support future growth. Comm-Tec is a leading value-added distributor of Pro AV and IT products to system integrators and resellers across Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Italy and Spain and Amacom is a leading distributor of consumer electronics, AV, and IT products, primarily to the retail and e-tail sectors in the Netherlands.

The business in the Middle East continued to generate very strong organic revenue and profit growth, reflecting further development of its relationships with key retailers in the region.

As previously reported, DCC Technology also acquired two businesses in North America during the year, Stampede and Jam, both of which are trading in line with expectations. Stampede and Jam provide platforms for DCC Technology to develop and expand its business in North America, in particular in the Pro AV, Pro Audio and consumer electronics market.

With its increasing scale and geographic reach and significant investments in operational infrastructure and service capability, DCC Technology is very well placed to continue its development and become a leading specialist technology and value-added services business, delivering an industry-leading services offering to technology manufacturers, resellers and retailers in both existing and new markets.

 
 DCC Healthcare                     2019        2018   % change 
---------------------------- 
 Revenue                       GBP576.4m   GBP514.6m     +12.0% 
                              ----------  ----------  --------- 
 Operating profit               GBP60.3m    GBP54.3m     +11.1% 
                              ----------  ----------  --------- 
 Operating margin                  10.5%       10.6% 
                              ----------  ----------  --------- 
 Return on capital employed        16.6%       16.7% 
                              ----------  ----------  --------- 
 

DCC Healthcare again delivered very strong operating profit growth, driven by excellent organic growth in the health and beauty sector and also benefiting from acquisitions completed in the prior year.

DCC Vital, which is focused on the sales and marketing of medical devices and pharmaceuticals to healthcare providers in Britain and Ireland, performed well and delivered good organic profit growth in the supply of medical products into the hospital and GP channels in Britain. The business generated strong growth in sales of its own medical and surgical products into hospitals, particularly in the areas of cardiac monitoring, anaesthesia and laparoscopic surgery. DCC Vital strengthened its position as the market leader in the GP channel in Britain, generating very strong profit growth including the benefit of synergies from the successful integration of two small complementary bolt-on acquisitions completed in the prior year. DCC Vital's pharma activities performed satisfactorily, with good profit growth in Britain driven by the strength of its supply chain, which offset a slightly weaker performance in the Irish market.

DCC Health & Beauty Solutions, which provides outsourced solutions to international nutrition and beauty brand owners, generated very strong organic profit growth and also benefited from the first-time contribution from the prior year acquisition of Elite One Source. In the nutrition sector, the business generated very strong organic growth as it continues to support the international growth of key customers, particularly this year in the Chinese and Scandinavian markets, by providing a high-quality service encompassing innovation, manufacturing flexibility and technical support. The business also benefited from the development of new nutritional liquid products on behalf of customers. In the beauty sector, DCC generated excellent organic growth across a range of existing and new customers, driven in particular by strong demand for premium brands in the travel sector.

DCC Health & Beauty Solutions continues to invest in its facilities against the positive background of continuing global market growth and strong customer demand for its services. The business made good progress on a number of on-going investment projects across its manufacturing footprint, which will add significant new capacity and capability. The most material investment is at DCC Health & Beauty Solutions' soft gel facility in south Wales. DCC has grown its European market share in soft gels on the back of its market-leading capability in complex formulation and vegetarian soft gel products. This expansion project, which is scheduled to be commissioned over the summer months, will almost double soft gel capacity, allowing the business to leverage its latest technology innovations in organic vegetarian and delayed release soft gel products.

Forward-looking statements

This announcement contains some forward-looking statements that represent DCC's expectations for its business, based on current expectations about future events, which by their nature involve risk and uncertainty. DCC believes that its expectations and assumptions with respect to these forward-looking statements are reasonable, however because they involve risk and uncertainty as to future circumstances, which are in many cases beyond DCC's control, actual results or performance may differ materially from those expressed in or implied by such forward-looking statements.

Group Income Statement

For the year ended 31 March 2019

 
                                                                      2019                                           2018 (restated*) 
                              --------------------------------------------  --------------------------------------------------------- 
                                        Pre   Exceptionals                             Pre                Exceptionals 
                               exceptionals       (note 6)           Total    exceptionals                    (note 6)          Total 
 Continuing           Notes         GBP'000        GBP'000         GBP'000         GBP'000                     GBP'000        GBP'000 
 operations 
 
 Revenue                5        15,226,893              -      15,226,893      13,121,671                           -     13,121,671 
 Cost of sales                 (13,589,254)              -    (13,589,254)    (11,714,846)                           -   (11,714,846) 
                              -------------  -------------  --------------  --------------  --------------------------  ------------- 
 Gross profit                     1,637,639              -       1,637,639       1,406,825                           -      1,406,825 
 Administration 
  expenses                        (410,388)              -       (410,388)       (384,701)                           -      (384,701) 
 Selling and 
  distribution 
  expenses                        (793,514)              -       (793,514)       (652,636)                           -         (652,636) 
 Other operating 
  income                             45,600          2,537          48,137          28,652                       1,156         29,808 
 Other operating 
  expenses                         (18,815)       (30,722)        (49,537)        (14,740)                    (46,269)       (61,009) 
                              -------------  -------------  --------------  --------------  --------------------------  ------------- 
 Adjusted operating profit          460,522       (28,185)         432,337         383,400                    (45,113)        338,287 
 Amortisation of intangible 
  assets                           (63,312)              -        (63,312)        (43,059)                           -       (43,059) 
                                                                            --------------  --------------------------  ------------- 
 Operating profit       5           397,210       (28,185)         369,025         340,341                    (45,113)        295,228 
 Finance costs                     (83,595)              -        (83,595)        (73,156)                           -       (73,156) 
 Finance income                      36,980          4,307          41,287          37,421                         299         37,720 
 Equity accounted 
  investments' 
  profit after tax                      717              -             717             368                           -            368 
                                                                            --------------  --------------------------  ------------- 
 Profit before tax                  351,312       (23,878)         327,434         304,974                    (44,814)        260,160 
 Income tax 
  expense                          (55,617)          (685)        (56,302)        (49,289)                      25,407       (23,882) 
                              -------------  -------------  --------------  --------------  --------------------------  ------------- 
 Profit for the year 
  (continuing 
  operations)                       295,695       (24,563)         271,132         255,685                    (19,407)        236,278 
 Profit for the 
  year 
  from 
  discontinued 
  operations             9                -              -               -             801                      29,842         30,643 
                              -------------  -------------  --------------  --------------  --------------------------  ------------- 
 Profit after tax 
  for 
  the financial 
  year                              295,695       (24,563)         271,132         256,486                      10,435        266,921 
                              -------------  -------------  --------------  --------------  --------------------------  ------------- 
 
 Profit 
 attributable to: 
 Owners of the 
  Parent                            287,156       (24,563)         262,593         250,420                      11,404        261,824 
 Non-controlling 
  interests                           8,539              -           8,539           6,066                       (969)          5,097 
                              -------------  -------------  --------------  --------------  --------------------------  ------------- 
                                    295,695       (24,563)         271,132         256,486                      10,435        266,921 
                              -------------  -------------  --------------  --------------  --------------------------  ------------- 
 Earnings per 
 ordinary 
 share 
 Basic earnings 
  per 
  share              7                                             280.14p                                                    293.83p 
 Diluted earnings 
  per 
  share              7                                             279.73p                                                    292.79p 
 Basic adjusted 
  earnings 
  per share          7                                             358.16p                                                    318.35p 
 Diluted adjusted 
  earnings 
  per share          7                                             357.63p                                                    317.21p 
                                                            --------------                                              ------------- 
 
 Earnings per ordinary share 
 - 
 continuing operations 
 Basic earnings 
  per 
  share              7                                             280.14p                                                    259.44p 
 Diluted earnings 
  per 
  share              7                                             279.73p                                                    258.52p 
 Basic adjusted 
  earnings 
  per share          7                                             358.16p                                                    317.45p 
 Diluted adjusted 
  earnings 
  per share          7                                             357.63p                                                    316.31p 
                                                            --------------                                              ------------- 
 * See note 
  4 
 

Group Statement of Comprehensive Income

For the year ended 31 March 2019

 
 
                                                                2019      2018 
                                                             GBP'000   GBP'000 
 
 Group profit for the financial 
  year                                                       271,132   266,921 
 
 Other comprehensive income: 
 Items that may be reclassified subsequently 
  to profit or loss 
 Currency translation: 
 - arising in the year                                         5,649       682 
 - recycled to the Income Statement 
  on disposal                                                      -   (4,548) 
 Movements relating to cash flow 
  hedges                                                       1,555   (3,030) 
 Movement in deferred tax liability 
  on cash flow hedges                                          (264)       433 
                                                            --------  -------- 
                                                               6,940   (6,463) 
                                                            --------  -------- 
 Items that will not be reclassified 
  to profit or loss 
 Group defined benefit pension obligations: 
 - remeasurements                                            (1,346)     5,215 
 - movement in deferred tax asset                                223     (665) 
                                                            --------  -------- 
                                                             (1,123)     4,550 
                                                            --------  -------- 
 
 Other comprehensive income for the 
  financial year, net of tax                                   5,817   (1,913) 
                                                            --------  -------- 
 
 Total comprehensive income for 
  the financial year                                         276,949   265,008 
                                                            --------  -------- 
 
 Attributable to: 
 Owners of the Parent                                        269,387   259,336 
 Non-controlling interests                                     7,562     5,672 
                                                            --------  -------- 
 
                                                             276,949   265,008 
                                                            --------  -------- 
 
 Attributable to: 
 Continuing operations                                       276,949   234,365 
 Discontinued operations                                           -    30,643 
                                                            --------  -------- 
 
                                                             276,949   265,008 
                                                            --------  -------- 
 
 

Group Balance Sheet

 
 As at 31 March 2019                                           Restated 
                                                       2019        2018 
                                          Notes     GBP'000     GBP'000 
 ASSETS 
 Non-current assets 
 Property, plant and equipment                      996,536     933,038 
 Intangible assets and goodwill                   2,069,558   1,953,831 
 Equity accounted investments                        24,233      24,461 
 Deferred income tax assets                          26,142      26,154 
 Derivative financial instruments                   143,554     103,085 
                                                  3,260,023   3,040,569 
                                                 ----------  ---------- 
 
 Current assets 
 Inventories                                        678,006     530,473 
 Trade and other receivables                      1,517,507   1,426,217 
 Derivative financial instruments                    67,987       8,050 
 Cash and cash equivalents                        1,554,093   1,038,827 
                                                 ----------  ---------- 
                                                  3,817,593   3,003,567 
 
 Total assets                                     7,077,616   6,044,136 
                                                 ----------  ---------- 
 
 EQUITY 
 Capital and reserves attributable to owners 
  of the Parent 
 Share capital                                       17,422      15,455 
 Share premium                                      882,561     280,533 
 Share based payment reserve               10        28,706      22,883 
 Cash flow hedge reserve                   10      (14,887)    (16,178) 
 Foreign currency translation reserve      10       107,722     101,096 
 Other reserves                            10           932         932 
 Retained earnings                                1,368,250   1,237,937 
                                                 ----------  ---------- 
 Equity attributable to owners 
  of the Parent                                   2,390,706   1,642,658 
 Non-controlling interests                           42,821      35,259 
                                                 ----------  ---------- 
 Total equity                                     2,433,527   1,677,917 
                                                 ----------  ---------- 
 
 LIABILITIES 
 Non-current liabilities 
 Borrowings                                       1,442,356   1,598,521 
 Derivative financial instruments                     1,122      10,732 
 Deferred income tax liabilities                    174,250     169,421 
 Post employment benefit obligations       12       (1,397)       (286) 
 Provisions for liabilities                         269,580     278,890 
 Acquisition related liabilities                     73,586      71,454 
 Government grants                                      342         237 
                                                 ----------  ---------- 
                                                  1,959,839   2,128,969 
                                                 ----------  ---------- 
 
 Current liabilities 
 Trade and other payables                         2,218,838   2,063,260 
 Current income tax liabilities                      49,799      19,769 
 Borrowings                                         331,573      74,897 
 Derivative financial instruments                     9,008       8,474 
 Provisions for liabilities                          47,208      44,451 
 Acquisition related liabilities                     27,824      26,399 
                                                 ----------  ---------- 
                                                  2,684,250   2,237,250 
 Total liabilities                                4,644,089   4,366,219 
                                                 ----------  ---------- 
 
 Total equity and liabilities                     7,077,616   6,044,136 
                                                 ----------  ---------- 
 
 Net debt included above                   11      (18,425)   (542,662) 
                                                 ----------  ---------- 
 

Group Statement of Changes in Equity

 
 For the year                               Attributable to owners of the 
 ended 31 March                                         Parent 
 2019 
                  ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 
                                                                                Other                             Non- 
                            Share               Share         Retained       reserves                      controlling          Total 
                          capital             premium         earnings          (note          Total         interests         equity 
                                                                                  10) 
                          GBP'000             GBP'000          GBP'000        GBP'000        GBP'000           GBP'000        GBP'000 
 
 At 1 April 2018           15,455             280,533        1,237,937        108,733      1,642,658            35,259      1,677,917 
 IFRS 9 
  transition 
  adjustment 
  (note 4)                      -                   -          (3,349)              -        (3,349)                 -        (3,349) 
                  ---------------  ------------------  ---------------  -------------  -------------  ----------------  ------------- 
 At 1 April 2018 
  (restated)               15,455             280,533        1,234,588        108,733      1,639,309            35,259      1,674,568 
 Profit for the 
  financial year                -                   -          262,593              -        262,593             8,539        271,132 
 
 Currency 
  translation                   -                   -                -          6,626          6,626             (977)          5,649 
 Group defined 
 benefit pension 
 obligations: 
 - 
  remeasurements                -                   -          (1,346)              -        (1,346)                 -        (1,346) 
 - movement in 
  deferred tax 
  asset                         -                   -              223              -            223                 -            223 
 Movements 
  relating to 
  cash 
  flow hedges                   -                   -                -          1,555          1,555                 -          1,555 
 Movement in 
  deferred tax 
  liability 
  on cash flow 
  hedges                        -                   -                -          (264)          (264)                 -          (264) 
 Total 
  comprehensive 
  income                        -                   -          261,470          7,917        269,387             7,562        276,949 
 
 Issue of share 
  capital                   1,967             600,970         (10,847)              -        592,090                 -        592,090 
 Re-issue of 
  treasury 
  shares                        -               1,058                -              -          1,058                 -          1,058 
 Share based 
  payment                       -                   -                -          5,823          5,823                 -          5,823 
 Dividends                      -                   -        (116,961)              -      (116,961)                 -      (116,961) 
 
 At 31 March 
  2019                     17,422             882,561        1,368,250        122,473      2,390,706            42,821  2,433,527 
                  ---------------  ------------------  ---------------  -------------  -------------  ----------------  ------------- 
 
 
 For the year                               Attributable to owners of the 
 ended 31 March                                         Parent 
 2018 
                  ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 
                                                                                Other                             Non- 
                            Share               Share         Retained       reserves                      controlling          Total 
                          capital             premium         earnings          (note          Total         interests         equity 
                                                                                  10) 
                          GBP'000             GBP'000          GBP'000        GBP'000        GBP'000           GBP'000        GBP'000 
 
 At 1 April 2017           15,455             277,211        1,074,434        111,034      1,478,134            29,587      1,507,721 
 
 Profit for the 
  financial year                -                   -          261,824              -        261,824             5,097        266,921 
 
 Currency 
 translation: 
 - arising in 
  the year                      -                   -                -            107            107               575            682 
 - recycled to 
  the Income 
  Statement 
  on disposal                   -                   -                -        (4,548)        (4,548)                 -        (4,548) 
 Group defined 
 benefit pension 
 obligations: 
 - 
  remeasurements                -                   -            5,215              -          5,215                 -          5,215 
 - movement in 
  deferred tax 
  asset                         -                   -            (665)              -          (665)                 -          (665) 
 Movements 
  relating to 
  cash 
  flow hedges                   -                   -                -        (3,030)        (3,030)                 -        (3,030) 
 Movement in 
  deferred tax 
  liability 
  on cash flow 
  hedges                        -                   -                -            433            433                 -            433 
 Total 
  comprehensive 
  income                        -                   -          266,374        (7,038)        259,336             5,672        265,008 
 
 Re-issue of 
  treasury 
  shares                        -               3,322                -              -          3,322                 -          3,322 
 Share based 
  payment                       -                   -                -          4,737          4,737                 -          4,737 
 Dividends                      -                   -        (102,871)              -      (102,871)                 -      (102,871) 
 
 At 31 March 
  2018                     15,455             280,533        1,237,937        108,733      1,642,658            35,259      1,677,917 
                  ---------------  ------------------  ---------------  -------------  -------------  ----------------  ------------- 
 

Group Cash Flow Statement

 
 For the year ended 31 March 2019 
                                                           2019        2018 
                                               Note     GBP'000     GBP'000 
 Cash flows from operating activities 
 Profit for the financial year                          271,132     266,921 
 Add back non-operating expenses/(income): 
 - tax                                                   56,302      24,046 
 - share of equity accounted investments' 
  profit                                                  (717)       (368) 
 - net operating exceptionals                            28,185      15,271 
 - net finance costs                                     42,308      35,452 
                                                     ----------  ---------- 
 Group operating profit before 
  exceptionals                                          397,210     341,322 
 Share-based payments expense                             5,823       4,737 
 Depreciation                                           109,626      93,722 
 Amortisation of intangible assets                       63,312      43,059 
 Profit on disposal of property, 
  plant and equipment                                   (2,182)       (167) 
 Amortisation of government grants                         (40)        (36) 
 Other                                                  (3,709)       4,555 
 Decrease/(increase) in working 
  capital                                                37,465    (13,758) 
                                                     ----------  ---------- 
 Cash generated from operations 
  before exceptionals                                   607,505     473,434 
 Exceptionals                                          (34,619)    (12,602) 
                                                     ----------  ---------- 
 Cash generated from operations                         572,886     460,832 
 Interest paid                                         (78,031)    (69,900) 
 Income tax paid                                       (34,500)    (65,437) 
                                                     ----------  ---------- 
 Net cash flows from operating 
  activities                                            460,355     325,495 
                                                     ----------  ---------- 
 
 Investing activities 
 Inflows: 
 Proceeds from disposal of property, 
  plant and equipment                                     8,810       7,617 
 Dividends received from equity 
  accounted investments                                     420       1,980 
 Disposal of subsidiaries                                 8,492     160,063 
 Interest received                                       34,831      37,399 
                                                         52,553     207,059 
                                                     ----------  ---------- 
 Outflows: 
 Purchase of property, plant and 
  equipment                                           (182,311)   (152,997) 
 Acquisition of subsidiaries                     13   (266,525)   (664,109) 
 Payment of accrued acquisition 
  related liabilities                                  (30,311)    (26,910) 
                                                     ----------  ---------- 
                                                      (479,147)   (844,016) 
                                                     ----------  ---------- 
 Net cash flows from investing 
  activities                                          (426,594)   (636,957) 
                                                     ----------  ---------- 
 
 Financing activities 
 Inflows: 
 Proceeds from issue of shares                          593,148       3,322 
 Net cash inflow on derivative 
  financial instruments                                       -      11,275 
 Increase in interest-bearing loans 
  and borrowings                                        201,357     458,593 
 Increase in finance lease liabilities                      492         766 
                                                        794,997     473,956 
                                                     ----------  ---------- 
 Outflows: 
 Repayment of interest-bearing 
  loans and borrowings                                (201,357)    (58,130) 
 Repayment of finance lease liabilities                   (630)         (4) 
 Dividends paid to owners of the 
  Parent                                          8   (116,961)   (102,871) 
                                                      (318,948)   (161,005) 
                                                     ----------  ---------- 
 Net cash flows from financing 
  activities                                            476,049     312,951 
                                                     ----------  ---------- 
 
 Change in cash and cash equivalents                    509,810       1,489 
 Translation adjustment                                 (8,075)    (10,018) 
 Cash and cash equivalents at beginning 
  of year                                               964,293     972,822 
                                                     ----------  ---------- 
 Cash and cash equivalents at end 
  of year                                             1,466,028     964,293 
                                                     ----------  ---------- 
 
 Cash and cash equivalents consists 
  of: 
 Cash and short term bank deposits                    1,554,093   1,038,827 
 Overdrafts                                            (88,065)    (74,534) 
                                                      1,466,028     964,293 
                                                     ----------  ---------- 
 
 

Notes to the Condensed Financial Statements

For the year ended 31 March 2019

   1.             Basis of Preparation 

The financial information, from the Group Income Statement to note 17, contained in this preliminary results statement has been derived from the Group financial statements for the year ended 31 March 2019 and is presented in sterling, rounded to the nearest thousand. The financial information does not include all the information and disclosures required in the annual financial statements. The Annual Report will be distributed to shareholders and made available on the Company's website www.dcc.ie. It will also be filed with the Companies Registration Office. The auditors have reported on the financial statements for the year ended 31 March 2019 and their report was unqualified. The financial information for the year ended 31 March 2018 represents an abbreviated, restated (see note 4) version of the Group's statutory financial statements on which an unqualified audit report was issued and which have been filed with the Companies Registration Office. The financial information presented in this report has been prepared in accordance with the Listing Rules of the Financial Services Authority and the accounting policies that the Group has adopted for 2019 which are consistent with those applied in the prior year.

   2.             Accounting Policies 

The Group has adopted the following standards, interpretations and amendments to existing standards during the financial year:

IFRS 9 Financial Instruments:

This standard replaces IAS 39 Financial Instruments: Recognition and Measurement. The Standard includes requirements for recognition and measurement, classification, and de-recognition of financial instruments, a new expected credit loss model for calculating impairment on financial assets and new rules for hedge accounting. The new standard also introduced expanded disclosure requirements and changes in presentation.

- Impairment of Financial Assets:

The new impairment model requires the recognition of impairment provisions based on expected credit losses rather than only incurred credit losses as was the case under IAS 39. Trade receivables represent one of the Group's most significant financial assets and are subject to IFRS 9's new expected credit losses model. The Group's impairment methodology has been revised in line with the new requirements of IFRS 9 and the simplified approach to providing for expected credit losses has been applied which uses a lifetime expected loss allowance for all trade receivables. Details of the impact on the Group's financial statements is provided in note 4.

- Hedge Accounting:

The Group has made the accounting policy choice allowed under IFRS 9 to continue to apply the hedge accounting requirements of IAS 39 until the amended standard resulting from an IASB project on macro hedge accounting becomes effective. Accordingly, there has been no impact on the accounting for hedging relationships.

IFRS 15 Revenue from Contracts with Customers:

This standard replaced IAS 18 Revenue, IAS 11 Construction Contracts and related interpretations. This standard establishes principles for reporting useful information to users of financial statements about the nature, amount, timing and uncertainty of revenue and cash flows arising from contracts with customers. It specifies how and when revenue should be recognised as well as requiring enhanced disclosures. Revenue is recognised when an identified performance obligation has been met and the customer can direct the use of, and obtain substantially all the remaining benefits from, a good or service as a result of obtaining control of that good or service. Details of the impact on the Group's financial statements is provided in note 4.

There following changes to IFRS became effective for the Group during the financial year but did not result in material changes to the Group's consolidated financial statements:

              --      Annual Improvements to IFRS 2014 -2016 Cycle; 

-- Amendments to IFRS 4: Applying IFRS 9 Financial Instruments with IFRS 4 Insurance Contracts;

              --      Amendments to IFRS 2: Classification and measurement of share-based payment transactions; 
              --      IFRIC Interpretation 22: Foreign Currency Transactions and Advance Consideration; and 
              --      Amendments to IAS 40: Transfers of Investment Property. 

The Group has not applied certain new standards, amendments and interpretations to existing standards that have been issued but are not yet effective, the most significant of which are as follows:

IFRS 16 Leases (effective date: DCC financial year beginning 1 April 2019):

This standard will replace IAS 17 Leases. The changes under IFRS 16 are significant and will predominantly affect lessees, the accounting for which is substantially reformed. The lessor accounting requirements contained in IFRS 16's predecessor, IAS 17, will remain largely unchanged. The main impact on lessees is that almost all leases will be recognised on the balance sheet as the distinction between operating and finance leases is removed for lessees. Under IFRS 16, an asset (the right to use the leased item) and a financial liability to pay rentals are recognised. The only exemptions are short-term leases and low-value leased assets. The standard introduces new estimates and judgemental thresholds that affect the identification, classification and measurement of lease transactions. More extensive disclosures, both qualitative and quantitative, are also required for both lessees and lessors.

At transition date, the Group will calculate the lease commitments outstanding at that date and apply appropriate discount rates to calculate the present value of the lease commitment which will be recognised as a liability and a right of use asset on the Group's Balance Sheet. In the Income Statement, the Group currently recognises operating lease rentals in operating expenses. Under the new standard, a right of use asset will be capitalised and depreciated over the term of the lease with an associated finance cost applied annually to the lease liability.

The Group's future minimum rentals payable under non-cancellable operating leases at 31 March 2019 amounted to GBP376.3 million and the charge recognised in the Income Statement for the year ended 31 March 2019 amounted to GBP66.0 million. These amounts provide an indication of the scale of leases held at 31 March 2019 but exclude the impact of discounting, assessment of the expected term of leases (including renewal options) and exemptions for short-term leases and low-value leased assets.

The Group will apply IFRS 16 from its effective date using the modified retrospective approach, which means that comparatives do not need to be restated. The Group will apply the recognition exemption for both short-term leases and low-value leased assets. The Group will also apply the practical expedient allowing leases previously classified as operating leases and ending within 12 months of the date of transition, to be accounted for as short-term leases.

The Group's assessment of the impact of adopting IFRS 16 is in the process of being finalised. The actual adjustment on transition could differ to the estimated impact provided below due to changes in underlying assumptions. Based on the work performed to date, the expected impact of IFRS 16 as applied to the current year results is as follows:

                 --      Property, plant and equipment: increase of GBP320 million with a corresponding increase in net debt; 
                 --      Adjusted operating profit: increase of GBP6 million; 
                 --      Net finance cost: increase of GBP8 million; 
                 --      Adjusted earnings per share: decrease of 1.8 pence; and 
                 --      Return on capital employed: decrease of 1.6%. 

IFRIC 23 Uncertainty over Income Tax Treatments (effective date: DCC financial year beginning 1 April 2019):

This IFRIC clarifies the accounting for uncertainties in income taxes and is to be applied to the determination of taxable profit (or tax loss), tax bases, unused tax losses, unused tax credits and tax rates, when there is uncertainty over income tax treatments under IAS 12 Income Taxes. The Group does not expect the adoption of this IFRIC to have a material impact on the consolidated financial statements.

Other changes to IFRS have been issued but are not yet effective for the Group. However, they are either not expected to have a material effect on the consolidated financial statements or they are not currently relevant for the Group.

   3.            Reporting Currency 

The Group's financial statements are presented in sterling, denoted by the symbol 'GBP'. Results and cash flows of operations based in non-sterling countries have been translated into sterling at average rates for the year, and the related balance sheets have been translated at the rates of exchange ruling at the balance sheet date. The principal exchange rates used for translation of results and balance sheets into sterling were as follows:

 
                             Average rate         Closing rate 
                    ----------------------  -------------------- 
                          2019        2018       2019       2018 
                      StgGBP1=    StgGBP1=   StgGBP1=   StgGBP1= 
 
 Euro                   1.1319      1.1366     1.1651     1.1430 
 Danish Krone           8.4407      8.4603     8.6977     8.5187 
 Swedish Krona         11.7467     11.0482    12.1146    11.7548 
 Norwegian Krone       10.9172     10.7901    11.2536    11.0607 
 US Dollar              1.3184      1.3236     1.3090     1.4083 
 Hong Kong Dollar      10.3392     10.3312    10.2755    11.0522 
 
   4.            Restatement 

Measurement period adjustments:

The Group Balance Sheet for the year ended 31 March 2018 has been restated due to the finalisation of the valuation of the separately identifiable intangible assets acquired on the DCC Propane (previously 'Retail West') and TEGA business combinations. In the year ended 31 March 2018 the Group reported that the acquisitions of DCC Propane and TEGA both completed on 31 March 2018 and, as such, it had not been feasible to perform a preliminary assignment of fair values to identifiable net assets. IFRS 3 Business Combinations allows for the recognition of provisional fair values where the initial accounting for the business combination is incomplete. The Group has now completed this assignment of fair values to identifiable net assets and the most significant amendment has been the recognition of customer and supplier related intangible assets. The net impact of the prior year restatement on the previously reported Group Balance Sheet is summarised as follows:

 
                                                 As at 31 March 2018 
                                   ---------------------------------------------- 
                                      Previously 
                                        reported   Adjustment            Restated 
                                         GBP'000      GBP'000             GBP'000 
 
 Intangible assets                       500,396      110,652             611,048 
 Goodwill                              1,436,566     (93,783)           1,342,783 
                                   -------------  -----------  ------------------ 
 Intangible assets and goodwill        1,936,962       16,869           1,953,831 
 Other non-current assets              1,086,738            -           1,086,738 
                                   -------------  -----------  ------------------ 
 Non-current assets                    3,023,700       16,869           3,040,569 
                                   -------------  -----------  ------------------ 
 
 Deferred income tax liabilities       (152,552)     (16,869)           (169,421) 
 Other non-current liabilities       (1,959,548)            -         (1,959,548) 
 Non-current liabilities             (2,112,100)     (16,869)         (2,128,969) 
                                   -------------  -----------  ------------------ 
 

The Group Income Statement was not impacted by the adjustments detailed above.

Revenue recognition:

As disclosed in the 31 March 2018 Annual Report, the Group undertook a detailed analysis of the impact of IFRS 15 Revenue from Contracts with Customers, which became effective during the current year. This analysis included a focus on whether certain revenue streams might be more appropriately recorded on an agency ('net') basis rather than on a principal ('gross') basis. In particular, the Group concluded that under the new standard, a portion of its fuel card activities constituted acting in the role of an agent rather than that of a principal. Consequently, revenue from these activities is now recorded on a 'net' basis i.e. the Group recognises the gross profit contribution on the revenue line with no overall net impact on gross profit.

In accordance with transition options available under IFRS 15, the Group has restated the Group Income Statement comparatives for the year ended 31 March 2018 as follows:

 
                             Year ended 31 March 2018 
                 ----------------------------------------------- 
                    Previously 
                      reported    Adjustment            Restated 
                       GBP'000       GBP'000             GBP'000 
 
 Revenue            14,264,639   (1,142,968)          13,121,671 
 Cost of sales    (12,857,814)     1,142,968        (11,714,846) 
                 -------------  ------------  ------------------ 
 Gross profit        1,406,825             -           1,406,825 
                 -------------  ------------  ------------------ 
 
 

Impairment of financial assets:

The Group adopted IFRS 9 Financial Instruments from 1 April 2018. In accordance with the transitional provisions of IFRS 9, comparative figures have not been restated. The impact of adopting IFRS 9 did not have a material impact on the Group's consolidated financial statements and the adjustment on application at 1 April 2018 was GBP3.3 million.

 
 
   5. Segmental Reporting 
 
   DCC is a leading international sales, marketing and support services 
   group headquartered in Dublin, Ireland. Operating segments are reported 
   in a manner consistent with the internal reporting provided to the 
   chief operating decision maker. The chief operating decision maker 
   has been identified as Mr. Donal Murphy, Chief Executive and his 
   executive management team. 
 
   The Group is organised into four operating segments: DCC LPG, DCC 
   Retail & Oil, DCC Technology and DCC Healthcare. 
 
   DCC LPG is a leading liquefied petroleum gas ('LPG') sales and marketing 
   business with presences in Europe, North America and Asia and a developing 
   business in the retailing of natural gas and electricity in Europe; 
 
   DCC Retail & Oil is a leader in the sales, marketing and retailing 
   of transport fuels and commercial fuels, heating oils and related 
   products and services in Europe; 
 
   DCC Technology is a leading route-to-market and supply chain partner 
   for global technology brands; and 
 
   DCC Healthcare is a leading healthcare business, providing products 
   and services to healthcare providers and health and beauty brand 
   owners. 
 
   Net finance costs and income tax are managed on a centralised basis 
   and therefore these items are not allocated between operating segments 
   for the purpose of presenting information to the chief operating 
   decision maker and accordingly are not included in the detailed segmental 
   analysis below. Intersegment revenue is not material and thus not 
   subject to separate disclosure. 
 

An analysis of the Group's performance by segment and geographic location is as follows:

   (a)           By operating segment 
 
                                               Year ended 31 March 2019 
  --------------------------------------------------------------------- 
 
 
                                          DCC Retail 
                                DCC LPG        & Oil    DCC Technology  DCC Healthcare           Total 
                                GBP'000      GBP'000           GBP'000         GBP'000         GBP'000 
 
 Segment revenue              1,778,293    9,241,281         3,630,934         576,385      15,226,893 
                              ---------  -----------  ----------------  --------------  -------------- 
 
 Adjusted operating profit      201,826      133,731            64,638          60,327         460,522 
 Amortisation of intangible 
  assets                       (31,525)     (10,574)          (14,885)         (6,328)        (63,312) 
 Net operating exceptionals 
  (note 6)                      (7,041)      (4,063)          (16,175)           (906)        (28,185) 
                              ---------  -----------  ----------------  --------------  -------------- 
 Operating profit               163,260      119,094            33,578          53,093         369,025 
                              ---------  -----------  ----------------  --------------  -------------- 
 
 
                                   Year ended 31 March 2018 (restated) 
  -------------------------------------------------------------------- 
 
 
                                          DCC Retail 
                                DCC LPG        & Oil    DCC Technology   DCC Healthcare           Total 
                                GBP'000      GBP'000           GBP'000          GBP'000         GBP'000 
 
 Segment revenue              1,362,796    8,238,170         3,006,141          514,564      13,121,671 
                              ---------  -----------  ----------------  ---------------  -------------- 
 
 Adjusted operating profit      167,485      113,757            47,840           54,318         383,400 
 Amortisation of intangible 
  assets                       (21,312)      (8,983)           (5,566)          (7,198)        (43,059) 
 Net operating exceptionals 
  (note 6)                      (8,127)     (21,788)          (12,164)          (3,034)        (45,113) 
                              ---------  -----------  ----------------  ---------------  -------------- 
 Operating profit               138,046       82,986            30,110           44,086         295,228 
                              ---------  -----------  ----------------  ---------------  -------------- 
 
   (b)           By geography 

The Group has a presence in 17 countries worldwide. The following represents a geographical analysis of revenue and non-current assets in accordance with IFRS 8, which requires disclosure of information about the country of domicile (Republic of Ireland) and countries with material revenue and non-current assets.

Revenue from continuing operations is derived almost entirely from the sale of goods and is disclosed based on the location of the entity selling the goods. The analysis of non-current assets is based on the location of the assets. There are no material dependencies or concentrations on individual customers which would warrant disclosure under IFRS 8.

 
                                     Revenue       Non-current assets* 
                      ------------------------  ------------------------ 
                                      Restated                  Restated 
                             2019         2018         2019         2018 
                          GBP'000      GBP'000      GBP'000      GBP'000 
 
Republic of Ireland       849,795      842,913      128,138      129,050 
United Kingdom          7,345,634    6,749,855    1,118,552    1,050,804 
France                  2,958,479    2,671,257      862,014      882,276 
Other                   4,072,985    2,857,646      981,623      849,200 
                      -----------  -----------  -----------  ----------- 
                       15,226,893   13,121,671    3,090,327    2,911,330 
                      -----------  -----------  -----------  ----------- 
 
 

* Non-current assets comprise intangible assets and goodwill, property, plant and equipment and equity accounted investments

Disaggregation of revenue

The following table disaggregates revenue by primary geographical market, major revenue lines and timing of revenue recognition.

 
                                               Year ended 31 March 2019 
  --------------------------------------------------------------------- 
 
 
                                           DCC Retail 
                                  DCC LPG       & Oil    DCC Technology      DCC Healthcare         Total 
                                  GBP'000     GBP'000           GBP'000             GBP'000       GBP'000 
 
 Republic of Ireland (country 
  of domicile)                    128,086     365,814           268,795              87,100       849,795 
 United Kingdom                   298,731   4,125,047         2,477,365             444,491     7,345,634 
 France                           911,829   1,835,326           211,324                   -     2,958,479 
 Other                            439,647   2,915,094           673,450              44,794     4,072,985 
                                ---------  ----------  ----------------  ------------------  ------------ 
 Revenue                        1,778,293   9,241,281         3,630,934             576,385    15,226,893 
                                ---------  ----------  ----------------  ------------------  ------------ 
 
 
 Products transferred at 
  point in time              1,778,293  9,241,281  3,630,934             576,385          15,226,893 
 Products transferred over 
  time                               -          -          -                   -                   - 
                             ---------  ---------  ---------  ------------------  ------------------ 
 Revenue                     1,778,293  9,241,281  3,630,934             576,385          15,226,893 
                             ---------  ---------  ---------  ------------------  ------------------ 
 
 
 LPG and related products     1,778,293          -          -                   -     1,778,293 
 Oil and related products             -  9,241,281          -                   -     9,241,281 
 Technology products and 
  services                            -          -  3,630,934                   -     3,630,934 
 Medical and pharmaceutical 
  products                            -          -          -             344,955       344,955 
 Nutrition and health & 
  beauty products                     -          -          -             231,430       231,430 
                              ---------  ---------  ---------  ------------------  ------------ 
 Revenue                      1,778,293  9,241,281  3,630,934             576,385    15,226,893 
                              ---------  ---------  ---------  ------------------  ------------ 
 
 
                                            Year ended 31 March 2018 
  ------------------------------------------------------------------ 
 
 
                                           DCC Retail 
                                  DCC LPG       & Oil    DCC Technology      DCC Healthcare         Total 
                                  GBP'000     GBP'000           GBP'000             GBP'000       GBP'000 
 
 Republic of Ireland (country 
  of domicile)                    134,833     329,110           294,616              84,354       842,913 
 United Kingdom                   244,453   3,977,826         2,108,702             418,874     6,749,855 
 France                           783,124   1,674,603           213,530                   -     2,671,257 
 Other                            200,386   2,256,631           389,293              11,336     2,857,646 
                                ---------  ----------  ----------------  ------------------  ------------ 
 Revenue                        1,362,796   8,238,170         3,006,141             514,564    13,121,671 
                                ---------  ----------  ----------------  ------------------  ------------ 
 
 
 Products transferred at 
  point in time              1,362,796  8,238,170  3,006,141             514,564          13,121,671 
 Products transferred over 
  time                               -          -          -                   -                   - 
                             ---------  ---------  ---------  ------------------  ------------------ 
 Revenue                     1,362,796  8,238,170  3,006,141             514,564          13,121,671 
                             ---------  ---------  ---------  ------------------  ------------------ 
 
 
 LPG and related products     1,362,796          -          -                   -     1,362,796 
 Oil and related products             -  8,238,170          -                   -     8,238,170 
 Technology products and 
  services                            -          -  3,006,141                   -     3,006,141 
 Medical and pharmaceutical 
  products                            -          -          -             338,654       338,654 
 Nutrition and health & 
  beauty products                     -          -          -             175,910       175,910 
                              ---------  ---------  ---------  ------------------  ------------ 
 Revenue                      1,362,796  8,238,170  3,006,141             514,564    13,121,671 
                              ---------  ---------  ---------  ------------------  ------------ 
 
   6.             Exceptionals 
 
 
                                                        2019       2018 
                                                     GBP'000    GBP'000 
 
 Restructuring costs                                (19,430)     (29,419) 
 Acquisition and related costs                       (9,564)     (12,789) 
 Impairment of property, plant and equipment               -      (3,735) 
 Adjustments to contingent acquisition 
  consideration                                        1,727          477 
 Other operating exceptional items                     (918)          353 
 Net operating exceptional items                    (28,185)     (45,113) 
 
 Mark to market of swaps and related debt              4,307          299 
                                                   ---------  ----------- 
 Net exceptional items before taxation              (23,878)     (44,814) 
 
 Deferred tax                                          (685)       25,407 
                                                   ---------  ----------- 
 Net exceptional items after taxation 
  (continuing operations)                           (24,563)     (19,407) 
 
 Profit on disposal of discontinued operations             -       29,842 
                                                   ---------  ----------- 
 Net exceptional items after taxation               (24,563)       10,435 
 
 Non-controlling interest share of net 
  exceptional items after taxation                         -          969 
                                                   ---------  ----------- 
 Net exceptional items attributable to 
  owners of the Parent                              (24,563)       11,404 
                                                   ---------  ----------- 
 

Acquisition and related costs include the professional fees and tax costs relating to the evaluation and completion of acquisition opportunities and amounted to GBP9.564 million.

Restructuring and integration costs amounted to GBP19.430 million. The largest component of this cost relates to the ongoing dual running costs relating to the optimisation of DCC Technology's logistics and related infrastructure. The upgraded warehousing and logistics in the UK, Nordics and France are all now operational. The related UK SAP implementation is now live in an element of the UK business, with the remaining components of the business scheduled to go-live during the next financial year. Given the level of acquisitions undertaken in the previous 12 months across the Group, a number of integration-related restructurings took place during the year.

Most of the Group's debt has been raised in the US Private Placement market and swapped, using long-term interest and cross currency interest rate derivatives, to both fixed and floating rate sterling and euro. The level of ineffectiveness calculated under IAS 39 on the fair value and cash flow hedge relationships relating to fixed rate debt, is charged or credited as an exceptional item. In the year ended 31 March 2019, this amounted to an exceptional non-cash gain of GBP4.307 million. Following this credit, the cumulative net exceptional charge taken in respect of the Group's outstanding US Private Placement debt and related hedging instruments is GBP1.194 million. This, or any subsequent similar non-cash charges or gains, will net to zero over the remaining term of this debt and the related hedging instruments.

The deferred tax credit of GBP25.407 million included in the prior year principally reflects the impact of the recent reduction of the statutory corporation tax rate in France and a corresponding reduction in the Group's deferred tax liabilities associated with the Group's brand and other intangible assets in France.

There was a non controlling interest credit of GBP0.969 million in the prior year in relation to certain exceptional charges.

The profit on disposal of discontinued operations in the prior year of GBP29.842 million related to the gain recorded on the profitable sale of DCC's environmental division which completed in the prior year.

   7.             Earnings per Ordinary Share 
 
                                Discontinued                     Discontinued 
                   Continuing     operations                       Continuing      operations 
                   operations       (note 9)       Total           operations        (note 9)        Total 
                         2019           2019        2019                 2018            2018         2018 
                      GBP'000        GBP'000     GBP'000              GBP'000         GBP'000      GBP'000 
 
Profit 
 attributable to 
 owners of the 
 Parent               262,593              -     262,593              231,181          30,643      261,824 
Amortisation of 
 intangible 
 assets after tax      48,565              -      48,565               33,245               -       33,245 
Exceptionals 
 after tax 
 (note 6)              24,563              -      24,563               18,438        (29,842)     (11,404) 
                   ----------  -------------  ----------  -------------------  --------------  ----------- 
Adjusted profit 
 after 
 taxation and 
 non-controlling 
 interests            335,721              -     335,721              282,864             801      283,665 
                   ----------  -------------  ----------  -------------------  --------------  ----------- 
 
                   Continuing   Discontinued                       Continuing    Discontinued 
                   operations     operations       Total           operations      operations        Total 
                         2019           2019        2019                 2018            2018         2018 
Basic earnings          pence          pence       pence                pence 
per ordinary 
share                                                                                   pence        pence 
 
Basic earnings 
 per ordinary 
 share                280.14p              -     280.14p              259.44p          34.39p      293.83p 
Amortisation of 
 intangible 
 assets after tax      51.81p              -      51.81p               37.31p               -       37.31p 
Exceptionals 
 after tax             26.21p              -      26.21p               20.70p        (33.49p)    (12.79p) 
                   ----------  -------------  ----------  -------------------  --------------  ----------- 
Adjusted basic 
 earnings 
 per 
 ordinary share       358.16p              -     358.16p              317.45p           0.90p      318.35p 
                   ----------  -------------  ----------  -------------------  --------------  ----------- 
 
Weighted average 
 number 
 of ordinary 
 shares in 
 issue 
 (thousands)                                      93,736                                           89,106 
                                              ----------                                       ----------- 
 
 
 

Basic earnings per share is calculated by dividing the profit attributable to owners of the Parent by the weighted average number of ordinary shares in issue during the year, excluding ordinary shares purchased by the Company and held as treasury shares. The adjusted figures for basic earnings per ordinary share (a non-GAAP financial measure) are intended to demonstrate the results of the Group after eliminating the impact of amortisation of intangible assets and net exceptionals.

 
                      Continuing  Discontinued             Continuing       Discontinued 
                      operations    operations      Total  operations         operations               Total 
                            2019          2019       2019        2018               2018                  2018 
Diluted earnings per       pence         pence      pence       pence 
 ordinary share                                                                    pence                 pence 
 
Basic earnings per 
 ordinary 
 share                   279.73p             -    279.73p     258.52p        34.27p                    292.79p 
Amortisation of 
 intangible 
 assets after tax         51.73p             -     51.73p      37.18p                  -                37.18p 
Exceptionals after 
 tax                      26.17p             -     26.17p      20.61p       (33.37p)                (12.76p) 
                      ----------  ------------  ---------  ----------  -----------------  -------------------- 
Adjusted basic 
 earnings 
 per 
 ordinary share          357.63p             -    357.63p     316.31p    0.90p                         317.21p 
                      ----------  ------------  ---------  ----------  -----------------  -------------------- 
 
Weighted average 
 number 
 of ordinary shares 
 in 
 issue (thousands)                                 93,874                                     89,425 
                                                ---------                                 -------------------- 
 
 

The earnings used for the purposes of the continuing diluted earnings per ordinary share calculations were GBP262.593 million (2018: GBP231.181 million) and GBP335.721 million (2018: GBP282.864 million) for the purposes of the continuing adjusted diluted earnings per ordinary share calculations.

The weighted average number of ordinary shares used in calculating the diluted earnings per ordinary share for the year ended 31 March 2019 was 93.874 million (2018: 89.425 million). A reconciliation of the weighted average number of ordinary shares used for the purposes of calculating the diluted earnings per ordinary share amounts is as follows:

 
                                                   2019    2018 
                                                   '000    '000 
 
Weighted average number of ordinary shares in 
 issue                                           93,736  89,106 
Dilutive effect of options and awards               138     319 
                                                 ------  ------ 
Weighted average number of ordinary shares for 
 diluted earnings per share                      93,874  89,425 
                                                 ------  ------ 
 

Diluted earnings per ordinary share is calculated by adjusting the weighted average number of ordinary shares outstanding to assume conversion of all dilutive potential ordinary shares. Share options and awards are the Company's only category of dilutive potential ordinary shares.

Employee share options and awards, which are performance-based, are treated as contingently issuable shares because their issue is contingent upon satisfaction of specified performance conditions in addition to the passage of time. These contingently issuable shares are excluded from the computation of diluted earnings per ordinary share where the conditions governing exercisability would not have been satisfied as at the end of the reporting period if that were the end of the vesting period. The adjusted figures for diluted earnings per ordinary share (a non-GAAP financial measure) are intended to demonstrate the results of the Group after eliminating the impact of amortisation of intangible assets and net exceptionals.

   8.             Dividends 
 
                                                               2019                2018 
                                                            GBP'000             GBP'000 
 
 Final - paid 82.09 pence per share 
  on 19 July 2018 
  (2018: paid 74.63 pence per share 
  on 20 July 2017)                                           73,108              66,520 
 Interim - paid 44.98 pence per 
 share on 12 December 2018 (2018: 
 paid 40.89 pence per share on 
 11 December 2017)                                           43,853              36,351 
 
                                                            116,961             102,871 
                                              ---------------------  ------------------ 
 
 

The Directors are proposing a final dividend in respect of the year ended 31 March 2019 of 93.37 pence per ordinary share (GBP91.744 million). This proposed dividend is subject to approval by the shareholders at the Annual General Meeting.

   9.             Discontinued Operations 

The Group's discontinued operations for the year ended 31 March 2018 comprise the results of the Group's former DCC Environmental segment. There were no discontinued operations during the year ended 31 March 2019.

The following table details the results of discontinued operations included in the Group Income Statement in the prior year ended 31 March 2018:

 
                                                          2018 
                                                       GBP'000 
 
 Revenue                                                29,614 
 Cost of sales                                        (20,292) 
                                                     --------- 
 Gross profit                                            9,322 
 Operating expenses                                    (8,341) 
                                                     --------- 
 Operating profit                                          981 
 Net finance costs                                        (16) 
                                                     --------- 
 Profit before tax                                         965 
 Income tax expense                                      (164) 
                                                     --------- 
                                                           801 
 Profit on disposal of discontinued operations          29,842 
                                                     --------- 
 
 Profit from discontinued operations after 
  tax                                                   30,643 
                                                     --------- 
 
 

The following table details the cash flow from discontinued operations included in the Group Cash Flow Statement in the prior year ended 31 March 2018:

 
                                                      2018 
                                                   GBP'000 
 
 Net cash flow from operating activities           (5,602) 
 Net cash flow from investing activities           (1,332) 
 
 Net cash flow from discontinued operations        (6,934) 
                                                  -------- 
 
   10.          Other Reserves 
 
 
 For the year ended 31 March 
  2019 
                                                                           Foreign 
                                               Share based  Cash flow     currency 
                                                   payment      hedge  translation     Other 
                                                   reserve    reserve      reserve  reserves    Total 
                                                   GBP'000    GBP'000      GBP'000   GBP'000  GBP'000 
 
 
 At 1 April 2018                                    22,883   (16,178)      101,096       932  108,733 
 
 Currency translation                                    -          -        6,626         -    6,626 
 Movements relating to cash 
 flow hedges                                             -      1,555            -         -    1,555 
 Movement in deferred tax liability 
  on cash flow hedges -                                         (264)            -         -    (264) 
 Share based payment                                 5,823          -            -         -    5,823 
 
 At 31 March 2019                                   28,706   (14,887)      107,722       932  122,473 
                                       -------------------  ---------  -----------  --------  ------- 
 
 
 
 
 
 For the year ended 31 March 
  2018 
                                                                           Foreign 
                                               Share based  Cash flow     currency 
                                                   payment      hedge  translation     Other 
                                                   reserve    reserve      reserve  reserves    Total 
                                                   GBP'000    GBP'000      GBP'000   GBP'000  GBP'000 
 
 
 At 1 April 2017                                    18,146   (13,581)      105,537       932  111,034 
 
 Currency translation: 
 - arising in the year                                   -          -          107         -      107 
 - recycled to the Income 
  Statement on disposal                                  -          -      (4,548)         -  (4,548) 
 Movements relating to cash 
 flow hedges                                             -    (3,030)            -         -  (3,030) 
 Movement in deferred tax liability 
  on cash flow hedges -                                           433            -         -      433 
 Share based payment                                 4,737          -            -         -    4,737 
 
 At 31 March 2018                                   22,883   (16,178)      101,096       932  108,733 
                                       -------------------  ---------  -----------  --------  ------- 
 
 
 
   11.          Analysis of Net Debt 
 
                                              2019          2018 
                                           GBP'000       GBP'000 
 Non-current assets 
 Derivative financial instruments          143,554       103,085 
                                      ------------  ------------ 
 
 Current assets 
 Derivative financial instruments           67,987         8,050 
 Cash and cash equivalents               1,554,093     1,038,827 
                                      ------------  ------------ 
                                         1,622,080     1,046,877 
                                      ------------  ------------ 
 Non-current liabilities 
 Finance leases                              (452)         (692) 
 Derivative financial instruments          (1,122)      (10,732) 
 Unsecured Notes                       (1,441,904)   (1,597,829) 
                                      ------------  ------------ 
                                       (1,443,478)   (1,609,253) 
                                      ------------  ------------ 
 Current liabilities 
 Bank borrowings                          (88,065)      (74,534) 
 Finance leases                              (449)         (363) 
 Derivative financial instruments          (9,008)       (8,474) 
 Unsecured Notes                         (243,059)             - 
                                      ------------  ------------ 
                                         (340,581)      (83,371) 
                                      ------------  ------------ 
 
   Net debt                               (18,425)     (542,662) 
                                      ------------  ------------ 
 
 
   12.          Post Employment Benefit Obligations 

The Group's defined benefit pension schemes' assets were measured at fair value at 31 March 2019. The defined benefit pension schemes' liabilities at 31 March 2019 were updated to reflect material movements in underlying assumptions.

The Group's post employment benefit obligations moved from a net asset of GBP0.286 million at 31 March 2018 to a net asset of GBP1.397 million at 31 March 2019. The movement in the net asset position primarily reflects contributions in excess of the current service cost offset somewhat by actuarial losses on liabilities.

   13.          Business Combinations 

A key strategy of the Group is to create and sustain market leadership positions through acquisitions in markets it currently operates in, together with extending the Group's footprint into new geographic markets. In line with this strategy, the principal acquisitions completed by the Group during the year, together with percentages acquired were as follows:

-- The acquisition by DCC Technology of 100% of Stampede Global Holdings Inc. ('Stampede') as announced in July 2018. Stampede is a specialist distributor of professional audio-visual products and solutions to customers based in the US, Canada and the UK;

-- The acquisition by DCC Technology of 100% of Kondor Limited ('Kondor') as announced in July 2018. Kondor distributes audio and mobile accessory products and provides outsourced category management solutions to the retail channel in the UK and Continental Europe; and

-- The acquisition by DCC Technology in September 2018 of 91% of the Jam Group of Companies ('Jam'). Jam is a market-leading North American specialist sales, marketing and services business serving the professional audio, musical instruments and consumer electronics product sectors.

The acquisition data presented below reflects the fair value of the identifiable net assets acquired (excluding net cash/debt acquired) in respect of acquisitions completed during the year.

 
                                                    Restated 
                                             Total     Total 
                                              2019      2018 
                                           GBP'000   GBP'000 
Assets 
Non-current assets 
Property, plant and equipment               12,791   142,432 
Intangible assets - other intangible 
 assets                                     74,053   254,265 
Equity accounted investments                   164       497 
Deferred income tax assets                   2,602     6,409 
                                         ---------  -------- 
Total non-current assets                    89,610   403,603 
                                         ---------  -------- 
 
Current assets 
Inventories                                104,591    35,132 
Trade and other receivables                141,388    51,984 
                                         ---------  -------- 
Total current assets                       245,979    87,116 
                                         ---------  -------- 
 
Liabilities 
Non-current liabilities 
Deferred income tax liabilities           (19,322)  (45,077) 
Post employment benefit obligations              -   (9,636) 
Provisions for liabilities                   (846)  (10,716) 
Government grants                            (147)         - 
Acquisition related liabilities                  -     (102) 
Total non-current liabilities             (20,315)  (65,531) 
                                         ---------  -------- 
 
Current liabilities 
Trade and other payables                 (129,118)  (38,000) 
Provisions for liabilities                   (389)   (4,271) 
Current income tax asset/(liability)           966   (2,629) 
Acquisition related liabilities                  -      (57) 
                                         --------- 
Total current liabilities                (128,541)  (44,957) 
                                         ---------  -------- 
 
Identifiable net assets acquired           186,733   380,231 
Goodwill                                   109,738   311,559 
                                         ---------  -------- 
Total consideration                        296,471   691,790 
                                         ---------  -------- 
 
Satisfied by: 
Cash                                       274,678   682,461 
Cash and cash equivalents acquired         (8,153)  (18,352) 
                                         ---------  -------- 
Net cash outflow                           266,525   664,109 
Acquisition related liabilities             29,946    27,681 
                                         ---------  -------- 
Total consideration                        296,471   691,790 
                                         ---------  -------- 
 

None of the business combinations completed during the year were considered sufficiently material to warrant separate disclosure of the fair values attributable to those combinations. The carrying amounts of the assets and liabilities acquired, determined in accordance with IFRS, before completion of the combination together with the adjustments made to those carrying values disclosed above were as follows:

 
                                               Book   Fair value       Fair 
                                              value  adjustments      value 
Total                                       GBP'000      GBP'000    GBP'000 
 
Non-current assets (excluding goodwill)      17,122       72,488     89,610 
Current assets                              248,807      (2,828)    245,979 
Non-current liabilities                     (1,841)     (18,474)   (20,315) 
Current liabilities                       (126,286)      (2,255)  (128,541) 
                                          ---------  -----------  --------- 
Identifiable net assets acquired            137,802       48,931    186,733 
Goodwill arising on acquisition             158,669     (48,931)    109,738 
                                          ---------  -----------  --------- 
Total consideration                         296,471            -    296,471 
                                          ---------  -----------  --------- 
 

The initial assignment of fair values to identifiable net assets acquired has been performed on a provisional basis in respect of a number of the business combinations above given the timing of closure of these transactions. Any amendments to fair values within the twelve month timeframe from the date of acquisition will be disclosable in the 2020 Annual Report as stipulated by IFRS 3.

As noted in the 2018 Annual Report the acquisitions of DCC Propane (previously 'Retail West') and TEGA both completed on 31 March 2018 and, as such, it was not feasible to perform a preliminary assignment of fair values to identifiable net assets. The Group has now completed an assignment of fair values to identifiable net assets and detailed in note 4.

The principal factors contributing to the recognition of goodwill on business combinations entered into by the Group are the expected profitability of the acquired business and the realisation of cost savings and synergies with existing Group entities.

None of the goodwill recognised in respect of acquisitions completed during the financial year is expected to be deductible for tax purposes.

Acquisition related costs included in other operating expenses in the Group Income Statement amounted to GBP9.564 million.

No contingent liabilities were recognised on the acquisitions completed during the year or the prior financial years.

The gross contractual value of trade and other receivables as at the respective dates of acquisition amounted to GBP146.850 million. The fair value of these receivables is GBP141.388 million (all of which is expected to be recoverable) and is inclusive of an aggregate allowance for impairment of GBP5.462 million.

The fair value of contingent consideration recognised at the date of acquisition is calculated by discounting the expected future payment to present value at the acquisition date. In general, for contingent consideration to become payable, pre-defined profit thresholds must be exceeded. On an undiscounted basis, the future payments for which the Group may be liable for acquisitions completed during the year range from nil to GBP146.9 million.

The acquisitions during the year contributed GBP652.7 million to revenues and GBP10.2 million to profit after tax. Had all the business combinations effected during the year occurred at the beginning of the year, total Group revenue (continuing) for the year ended 31 March 2019 would have been GBP15,501.2 million and total Group profit after tax (continuing) would be GBP265.8 million.

   14.          Seasonality of Operations 

The Group's operations are significantly second-half weighted primarily due to a portion of the demand for DCC's LPG and Retail & Oil products being weather dependent and seasonal buying patterns in DCC Technology.

   15.          Related Party Transactions 

There have been no related party transactions or changes in related party transactions that could have a material impact on the financial position or performance of the Group during the 2019 financial year.

   16.          Events after the Balance Sheet Date 

Pacific Coast Energy

In April 2019, DCC LPG acquired Pacific Coast Energy, an LPG distribution business operating in the north-west of the US for an enterprise value of approximately GBP30 million. The business trades under a number of brand names, supplying both residential and commercial customers in Washington and Oregon from six well-located facilities.

Comm-Tec

Comm-Tec is a leading value-added distributor of Pro AV and IT products to system integrators and resellers across Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Italy and Spain. The business recorded revenue of approximately EUR90 million in its latest financial year and employs approximately 150 people.

Amacom

Amacom is a leading distributor of consumer electronics, AV and IT products, primarily to the retail and e-tail sectors in the Netherlands. The business recorded revenue of approximately EUR160 million in its latest financial year and employs approximately 80 people.

The combined initial enterprise value of Amacom and Comm-Tec is approximately GBP55 million and both acquisitions are subject to customary regulatory approvals.

An initial assignment of fair values to identifiable net assets acquired has not been completed given the timing of the closure of these transactions.

   17.          Board Approval 

This report was approved by the Board of Directors of DCC plc on 13 May 2019.

Supplementary Financial Information

For the year ended 31 March 2019

Alternative Performance Measures

The Group reports certain alternative performance measures ('APMs') that are not required under International Financial Reporting Standards ('IFRS') which represent the generally accepted accounting principles ('GAAP') under which the Group reports. The Group believes that the presentation of these APMs provides useful supplemental information which, when viewed in conjunction with our IFRS financial information, provides investors with a more meaningful understanding of the underlying financial and operating performance of the Group and its divisions.

These APMs are primarily used for the following purposes:

- to evaluate the historical and planned underlying results of our operations;

- to set director and management remuneration; and

- to discuss and explain the Group's performance with the investment analyst community.

None of the APMs should be considered as an alternative to financial measures derived in accordance with GAAP. The APMs can have limitations as analytical tools and should not be considered in isolation or as a substitute for an analysis of our results as reported under GAAP. These performance measures may not be calculated uniformly by all companies and therefore may not be directly comparable with similarly titled measures and disclosures of other companies.

The principal APMs used by the Group, together with reconciliations where the non-GAAP measures are not readily identifiable from the financial statements, are as follows:

Adjusted operating profit ('EBITA')

Definition

This comprises operating profit as reported in the Group Income Statement before net operating exceptional items and amortisation of intangible assets. Net operating exceptional items and amortisation of intangible assets are excluded in order to assess the underlying performance of our operations. In addition, neither metric forms part of Director or management remuneration targets.

 
                                               2019      2018 
Calculation                                 GBP'000   GBP'000 
=========================================  ========  ======== 
Operating profit                            369,025   295,228 
Net operating exceptional items              28,185    45,113 
Amortisation of intangible assets            63,312    43,059 
=========================================  ========  ======== 
Adjusted operating profit - continuing      460,522   383,400 
Adjusted operating profit - discontinued          -       981 
=========================================  ========  ======== 
Adjusted operating profit ('EBITA')         460,522   384,381 
=========================================  ========  ======== 
 

Adjusted operating profit before depreciation ('EBITDA')

Definition

EBITDA represents earnings before net interest, tax, depreciation, amortisation of intangible assets, share of equity accounted investments' profit after tax and net exceptional items.

 
                                          2019      2018 
Calculation                            GBP'000   GBP'000 
====================================  ========  ======== 
Adjusted operating profit ('EBITA')    460,522   384,381 
Depreciation                           109,626    93,722 
====================================  ========  ======== 
EBITDA                                 570,148   478,103 
====================================  ========  ======== 
 

Net interest

Definition

The Group defines net interest as the net total of finance costs and finance income before interest related exceptional items as presented in the Group Income Statement.

 
                                              2019      2018 
Calculation                                GBP'000   GBP'000 
========================================  ========  ======== 
Finance costs before exceptional items    (83,595)  (73,156) 
Finance income before exceptional items     36,980    37,421 
========================================  ========  ======== 
Net interest - continuing                 (46,615)  (35,735) 
Net interest - discontinued                      -      (16) 
========================================  ========  ======== 
Net interest                              (46,615)  (35,751) 
========================================  ========  ======== 
 

Effective tax rate

Definition

The Group's effective tax rate expresses the income tax expense before exceptionals and deferred tax attaching to the amortisation of intangible assets as a percentage of EBITA less net interest.

 
                                                                2019      2018 
Calculation                                                  GBP'000   GBP'000 
==========================================================  ========  ======== 
Adjusted operating profit                                    460,522   384,381 
Net interest                                                (46,615)  (35,751) 
==========================================================  ========  ======== 
Earnings before taxation                                     413,907   348,630 
==========================================================  ========  ======== 
 
  Income tax expense                                          56,302    23,882 
Exceptional deferred tax                                       (685)    25,407 
Deferred tax attaching to amortisation of intangible 
 assets                                                       14,747     9,814 
==========================================================  ========  ======== 
Income tax expense before exceptionals and deferred 
 tax attaching to 
 amortisation of intangible assets - continuing               70,364    59,103 
Income tax expense before exceptionals and deferred 
 tax attaching to 
 amortisation of intangible assets - discontinued                  -       164 
==========================================================  ========  ======== 
Total income tax expense before exceptionals and deferred 
 tax attaching to 
 amortisation of intangible assets                            70,364    59,267 
==========================================================  ========  ======== 
Effective tax rate (%)                                         17.0%     17.0% 
==========================================================  ========  ======== 
 

Adjusted earnings per share

Definition

The Group defines adjusted earnings per share as basic earnings per share adjusted for the impact of net exceptional items and amortisation of intangible assets.

 
                                               2019    2018 
Calculation                                   pence   pence 
===========================================  ======  ====== 
Adjusted earnings per share - continuing     358.16  317.45 
Adjusted earnings per share - discontinued        -    0.90 
===========================================  ======  ====== 
Adjusted earnings per share                  358.16  318.35 
===========================================  ======  ====== 
 

Dividend cover

Definition

The dividend cover ratio measures the Group's ability to pay dividends from earnings.

 
                                             2019    2018 
Calculation                                 pence   pence 
=========================================  ======  ====== 
Adjusted earnings per share - continuing   358.16  317.45 
Dividend                                   138.35  122.98 
=========================================  ======  ====== 
Dividend cover (times)                       2.6x    2.6x 
=========================================  ======  ====== 
 

Net capital expenditure

Definition

Net capital expenditure comprises purchases of property, plant and equipment, proceeds from the disposal of property, plant and equipment and government grants received in relation to property, plant and equipment.

 
                                                              2019      2018 
Calculation                                                GBP'000   GBP'000 
========================================================  ========  ======== 
Purchase of property, plant and equipment                  182,311   152,997 
Proceeds from disposal of property, plant and equipment    (8,810)   (7,617) 
========================================================  ========  ======== 
Net capital expenditure                                    173,501   145,380 
========================================================  ========  ======== 
 

Free cash flow

Definition

Free cash flow is defined by the Group as cash generated from operations before exceptional items as reported in the Group Cash Flow Statement after net capital expenditure.

 
                                                          2019       2018 
Calculation                                            GBP'000    GBP'000 
===================================================  =========  ========= 
Cash generated from operations before exceptionals     607,505    473,434 
Net capital expenditure                              (173,501)  (145,380) 
===================================================  =========  ========= 
Free cash flow                                         434,004    328,054 
===================================================  =========  ========= 
 

Free cash flow (after interest and tax payments)

Definition

Free cash flow (after interest and tax payments) is defined by the Group as free cash flow after interest paid, income tax paid, dividends received from equity accounted investments and interest received.

 
                                                           2019      2018 
Calculation                                             GBP'000   GBP'000 
=====================================================  ========  ======== 
Free cash flow                                          434,004   328,054 
Interest paid                                          (78,031)  (69,900) 
Income tax paid                                        (34,500)  (65,437) 
Dividends received from equity accounted investments        420     1,980 
Interest received                                        34,831    37,399 
=====================================================  ========  ======== 
Free cash flow (after interest and tax payments)        356,724   232,096 
=====================================================  ========  ======== 
 

Cash conversion ratio

Definition

The cash conversion ratio expresses free cash flow as a percentage of adjusted operating profit.

 
                                2019      2018 
Calculation                  GBP'000   GBP'000 
==========================  ========  ======== 
Free cash flow               434,004   328,054 
Adjusted operating profit    460,522   384,381 
==========================  ========  ======== 
Cash conversion ratio (%)        94%       85% 
==========================  ========  ======== 
 

Net debt/EBITDA

Definition

The net debt to earnings before net interest, tax, depreciation, amortisation of intangible assets, share of equity accounted investments' profit after tax and net exceptional items ('EBITDA') ratio is a measurement of leverage, and shows how many years it would take for a company to pay back its debt if net debt and EBITDA are held constant.

 
                              2019      2018 
Calculation                GBP'000   GBP'000 
========================  ========  ======== 
Net debt                    18,425   542,662 
EBITDA                     570,148   478,103 
========================  ========  ======== 
Net debt/EBITDA (times)       0.1x      1.1x 
========================  ========  ======== 
 

Return on capital employed ('ROCE') - continuing

Definition

ROCE represents adjusted operating profit (continuing) expressed as a percentage of the average total continuing capital employed. Total continuing capital employed represents total equity adjusted for net debt/cash, goodwill and intangibles written off, acquisition related liabilities and equity accounted investments.

 
                                                            2019       2018 
Calculation                                              GBP'000    GBP'000 
=====================================================  =========  ========= 
Total equity                                           2,433,527  1,677,917 
Net debt (continuing)                                     18,425    542,662 
Goodwill and intangibles written off (continuing)        333,439    271,399 
Equity accounted investments (continuing)               (24,233)   (24,461) 
Acquisition related liabilities (continuing, current 
 and non-current)                                        101,410     97,853 
                                                       2,862,568  2,565,370 
=====================================================  =========  ========= 
Average total capital employed - continuing            2,713,969  2,190,043 
Adjusted operating profit - continuing                   460,522    383,400 
=====================================================  =========  ========= 
Return on capital employed (%) - continuing                17.0%      17.5% 
=====================================================  =========  ========= 
 

Committed acquisition expenditure

Definition

The Group defines committed acquisition expenditure as the total acquisition cost of subsidiaries as presented in the Group Cash Flow Statement (excluding amounts related to acquisitions which were committed to in previous years) and future acquisition related liabilities for acquisitions committed to during the year.

 
                                                              2019       2018 
Calculation                                                GBP'000    GBP'000 
========================================================  ========  ========= 
Net cash outflow on acquisitions during the year           266,525    664,109 
Cash outflow on acquisitions which were committed 
 to in the previous year                                  (14,750)  (341,253) 
Acquisition related liabilities arising on acquisitions 
 during the year                                            29,946     27,840 
Acquisition related liabilities which were committed 
 to in the previous year                                   (4,099)   (13,404) 
Amounts committed in the current year                       90,700     18,000 
========================================================  ========  ========= 
Committed acquisition expenditure                          368,322    355,292 
========================================================  ========  ========= 
 

Net working capital

Definition

Net working capital represents the net total of inventories, trade and other receivables (excluding interest receivable), and trade and other payables (excluding interest payable, amounts due in respect of property, plant and equipment and government grants).

 
                                                         2019         2018 
Calculation                                           GBP'000      GBP'000 
================================================  ===========  =========== 
Inventories                                           678,006      530,473 
Trade and other receivables                         1,517,507    1,426,217 
Less: interest receivable                               (193)        (126) 
Trade and other payables                          (2,218,838)  (2,063,260) 
Less: interest payable                                  5,058        4,775 
Less: amounts due in respect of property, plant 
 and equipment                                          2,831       10,671 
Less: government grants                                    11            9 
================================================  ===========  =========== 
Net working capital                                  (15,618)     (91,241) 
================================================  ===========  =========== 
 

Working capital (days)

Definition

Working capital days measures how long it takes in days for the Group to convert working capital into revenue.

 
                              2019        2018 
Calculation                GBP'000     GBP'000 
=======================  =========  ========== 
Net working capital       (15,618)    (91,241) 
March revenue            1,343,551   1,418,988 
=======================  =========  ========== 
                              (0.4 
Working capital (days)       days)  (2.0 days) 
=======================  =========  ========== 
 

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