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PETS Pets At Home Group Plc

283.00
-0.40 (-0.14%)
25 Apr 2024 - Closed
Delayed by 15 minutes
Share Name Share Symbol Market Type Share ISIN Share Description
Pets At Home Group Plc LSE:PETS London Ordinary Share GB00BJ62K685 ORD 1P
  Price Change % Change Share Price Bid Price Offer Price High Price Low Price Open Price Shares Traded Last Trade
  -0.40 -0.14% 283.00 282.80 283.80 285.40 280.00 280.00 619,519 16:35:06
Industry Sector Turnover Profit EPS - Basic PE Ratio Market Cap
Misc Retail Stores, Nec 1.4B 100.7M 0.2114 13.40 1.35B

Pets At Home Group Plc Preliminary Results FY18 to 29 March 2018 (7964O)

22/05/2018 11:43am

UK Regulatory


Pets At Home (LSE:PETS)
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TIDMPETS

RNS Number : 7964O

Pets At Home Group Plc

22 May 2018

22 MAY 2018, THIS ANNOUNCEMENT CONTAINS INSIDE INFORMATION

Pets at Home Group Plc: Preliminary Results FY18

for the 52 week period to 29 March 2018

Back on a stronger competitive footing

 
 GBPm                                     FY17    FY18    Change 
 Group like-for-like revenue growth(#)    1.5%    5.5% 
     Merchandise LFL(#)                   0.8%    5.0% 
     Services & other LFL(#)              7.9%    8.5% 
 
 Group revenue                            834.2   898.9   7.8% 
     Merchandise revenue                  716.7   765.4   6.8% 
     Services & other revenue             117.5   133.5   13.7% 
 
 Group gross margin                       54.2%   51.7%   (249) bps 
 Underlying profit before tax(a, #)       96.4    84.5    (12.3)% 
 Statutory profit before tax              95.4    79.6    (16.6)% 
 
 Free cashflow(#)                         64.6    55.8    (13.6)% 
 

a. Non-underlying items in FY18 include GBP2.7m associated with the closure of Barkers, GBP1.6m accounting charge for the acquisition of minority stakes owned by vet partners in Specialist Referral Centres, and GBP0.6m of other expenses. Non-underlying items in FY17 include GBP1.0m of expenses for the disposal of Farm Away Limited, the Group's equestrian retailing business.

# Alternative Performance Measures (APMs) are defined & reconciled to IFRS, where possible

-- Strong trading in Merchandise with FY18 like-for-like revenue(#) growth of 5.0% (Q4 LFL(#) : 7.5%) and market share gains in food and accessories

-- Omnichannel revenues(#) of GBP51.4m grew at 75.1%, ahead of the online pet market and key competitors

-- Total fee income from First Opinion Joint Venture vet practices up 16.1% to GBP53.1m and double digit revenue growth in Specialist Referral Centres

-- Group PBT position: reflects our cGBP13m price investment in Merchandise, which remains on track and is delivering positive results faster than expected, and a GBP5.0m increase in the provision held for practice loans in our veterinary business

-- Net openings completed: 13 superstores, 25 vet practices and 27 grooming salons. Closed seven Barkers stores as previously announced

   --     Total dividend payable of 7.5 pence per share, maintained at the prior year level 

# Alternative Performance Measures (APMs) are defined & reconciled to IFRS, where possible

Peter Pritchard, Group Chief Executive Officer, commented:

"I'm proud and excited to be taking over as CEO. The value of our business is much greater than being a retailer, or a vet care provider. It's the way we can give pet owners a breadth of products, grooming, vet care and other services. Combined with the way we can serve them through stores, the website and our pet professionals, the colleagues and vets who genuinely care about customers and their pets.

Our plans to reposition retail are working, more customers are coming back to shop with us, and we are committed to returning the business to profit growth. But it hasn't been easy. We took decisive action, threw passion and energy into it, and delivered targeted pricing changes to give customers the products that mattered most to them, with the service and value they expect from us. Our product innovation this year has been the best I can remember and the investment we made in the development of a subscription service is bringing some excellent results, as is Order In-Store, which brings our full online range to every store in the business.

The veterinary services market is a very attractive space in which we can grow. We have a profitable business delivering strong returns, achieved largely through our preference to work in partnership with vets who share in the success of their practice. The shortage of qualified vets in the UK remains an industry wide problem, so we have chosen to slow our practice rollout to be sure we open practices in quality locations for the best vet partners. With slower rollout we can, and need to, focus more on strategies to accelerate growth in our existing practices, where we know there is still huge potential. About 84%(b) of our First Opinion practices are relatively young and whilst they require more funding from us over the next 4-5 years, the long-term prize for us and our vet partners is substantial.

We have a bright future. Year one of our three-year strategy has delivered, and as a business we are on a stronger competitive footing to return to sustainable profit growth. But the job isn't done yet. As our new CEO, my plan has a bigger focus on digital, tapping into the vast potential of our customer and pet data, and taking action to ensure our vet business reaches its potential. Our market has a track record of resilience in a downturn and as we adapt to a changing environment, we will emphasise the things that make Pets at Home unique and best placed to serve the UK's pet loving owners."

b. Refers to vet practices younger than 10 years

# Alternative Performance Measures (APMs) are defined & reconciled to IFRS, where possible

Outlook and guidance

The pet care market remains resilient, with growth in pet products estimated at c2% in 2017, and veterinary services at c5%. We again grew our market share in the vet segment and are pleased to say that following our price repositioning work in retail, we have won back share in the food and accessories markets.(c)

FY19 will be the second of our three year financial transition back to sustainable profit growth, and following our progress in FY18, we are determined to achieve our plan. In the coming financial year we are targeting like-for-like revenue growth ahead of the market in both Retail and our Vet Group, and a transition back to low single digit underlying Group profit(#) growth. We remain a cash generative business with a priority to invest in our core capabilities, particularly our Vet Group.

c. Market information sourced using internal data and UK pet market reports

# Alternative Performance Measures (APMs) are defined & reconciled to IFRS, where possible

FY19 guidance

   --     Rollout: up to five superstores, 20-25 vet practices, 10-20 grooming salons 

-- Group gross margin down (75-125) bps, reflecting the annualisation of last years price investment, mitigated by the growing margin of our vet business

   --     Underlying operational cost(#) growth (excluding depreciation and amortisation) of 3-3.5% 
   --     Depreciation and amortisation GBP37-38m 
   --     Net interest GBP3-3.5m 
   --     Effective tax rate 20% 
   --     Capital investment GBP39-41m 
   --     Group working capital outflow of cGBP20m to support vet practice growth 
   --     Intention to maintain ordinary dividend payment at the prior year level 

-- Non-underlying items: accounting treatment of the minority stakes owned by vet partners in the Specialist Referral Centres is likely to lead to a non cash operating expense charge of GBP1.5-2m. See page 12 for further detail

New financial reporting disclosure

In FY19 our financial reporting will change to two segments that better represent the size of the respective businesses and our internal reporting structures; Retail (includes products purchased online and in-store, pet sales and grooming services) and Vet Group (includes our First Opinion practices and Specialist Referral Centres). In order to familiarise readers of the accounts, and provide a basis for comparability, we show a pro-forma unaudited segmentation for the 52 weeks to 29 March 2018.

 
 GBPm                       Retail    Vet Group   Central costs   Total Group 
 LFL revenue growth (#)      4.6%       15.0%                        5.5% 
 Revenue                    804.9       94.1                         898.9 
 Gross margin               52.2%       47.1%                        51.7% 
 Underlying EBITDA(#)      97.3 (d)   31.9 (e)        (5.8)          123.3 
 Underlying EBIT(#)        65.1 (d)   29.6 (e)        (5.8)          88.8 
 

d. Non-underlying items: GBP2.7m associated with the closure of Barkers

e. Non-underlying items: GBP1.6m accounting charge for the acquisition of minority stakes owned by vet partners in Specialist Referral centres, and GBP0.6m of other expenses

# Alternative Performance Measures (APMs) are defined & reconciled to IFRS, where possible

Board appointments

Tessa Green, Independent Non-Executive Director, has decided to step down from the Board at the Annual General Meeting on 12 July 2018. Tessa will be succeeded by Professor Susan Dawson, Dean of the Institute of Veterinary Science at the University of Liverpool and council member of the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons. Professor Dawson will Chair the Pets Before Profit and Corporate Social Responsibility Committees.

Results presentation

A presentation for analysts and investors will be held today at 10am at Goldman Sachs, River Court, 120 Fleet Street, London EC4A 2BE, attendance is by invitation only. An audio webcast and statement of these results will be available at http://investors.petsathome.com

Investor Relations Enquiries

   Pets at Home Group Plc:                                                     +44 (0)161 486 6688 

Amie Gramlick, Director of Investor Relations

Media Enquiries

   Pets at Home Group Plc:                                                     +44 (0)161 486 6688 

Brian Hudspith, Director of Corporate Affairs

Maitland: +44 (0)20 7379 5151

James McFarlane, Joanna Davidson

About Pets at Home

Pets at Home Group Plc is the UK's leading pet care business; our commitment is to make sure pets and their owners get the very best advice, products and care. Pet products are available online or from our 448 superstores, many of which also have vet practices and grooming salons. Pets at Home also operates a UK leading small animal veterinary business, with 461 First Opinion practices located both in our stores and in standalone locations, as well as four Specialist Referral centres. For more information visit: http://investors.petsathome.com/

Disclaimer

This statement of preliminary financial results does not constitute an invitation to underwrite, subscribe for, or otherwise acquire or dispose of any Pets at Home Group Plc shares or other securities nor should it form the basis of or be relied on in connection with any contract or commitment whatsoever. It does not constitute a recommendation regarding any securities. Past performance, including the price at which the Company's securities have been bought or sold in the past, is no guide to future performance and persons needing advice should consult an independent financial adviser.

Certain statements in this statement of preliminary financial results constitute forward-looking statements. Any statement in this document that is not a statement of historical fact including, without limitation, those regarding the Company's future expectations, operations, financial performance, financial condition and business is a forward-looking statement. Such forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results to differ materially. These risks and uncertainties include, among other factors, changing economic, financial, business or other market conditions. These and other factors could adversely affect the outcome and financial effects of the plans and events described in this statement. As a result you are cautioned not to place reliance on such forward-looking statements. Nothing in this statement should be construed as a profit forecast.

Chief Executive Officer's Review

Operational Highlights

 
 ROLLOUT                                                         FY17   FY18 
 
  Stores     Number of stores(f)                                  442    448 
  New superstores (net)                                            15     13 
 
   Vets      Number of vet practices (total)                      436    461 
  Number of standalone vet practices                              147    152 
  Number of in-store vet practices                                289    309 
  New vet practices (net)                                          48     25 
 
 Groomers    Number of groomers(f)                                290    309 
  New groomers (net)                                               50     27 
 
  % of stores with a vet practice & grooming salon                54%    58% 
 
 VIP CLUB 
  VIP Club active members (m) (g)                                 3.7    3.9 
  VIP swipe as % revenue(h)                                       68%    70% 
 
 
 PRODUCT 
  Proportion of product SKUs refreshed                            39%    31% 
 

f FY17 included seven Barkers stores with grooming salons, which have now closed

g Active defined as customers who have purchased during the past twelve months

h Average swipe rate of the card at store tills over latest quarterly period

# Alternative Performance Measures (APMs) are defined & reconciled to IFRS, where possible

Strategic update

Drivers of our like-for-like growth

Home of all things pet

Our biggest competitive asset is the ability to give pet owners the full breadth of pet care; customers who shop across retail, grooming and vet have around three times the spend of those who are just retail customers.

Puppy owners are an opportunity to develop a relationship at one of the most important milestones - the first puppy shop. With that in mind, we gave a complete overhaul to our range and also launched the VIP Puppy Club. By joining the club, customers receive 10% off their first puppy product shop, a free bag of Advanced Nutrition food, their first month for free with a flea product subscription, a free puppy groom and a free vet nurse check. We have seen some great results from our initiative, where we have seen a 25% spending increase by Puppy Club customers.

Home of value and convenience

During the year, we invested cGBP13m in pricing to deliver better value for our customers. We have taken a targeted approach, which began with a campaign that lowered prices and highlighted the value in our private label Advanced Nutrition. This was followed by price adjustments across branded Advanced Nutrition, more food categories and pet essentials. We are confident this is driving a positive reaction with customers, having seen such a strong rebound in Merchandise trade during the year. Advanced Nutrition also performed very well, with 12.7% volume growth and significantly increased private label participation. Looking forward, maintaining a competitive price position will always be part of everyday strategy but this will not be to the same scale as the prior financial year.

Delivering better value for customers is also a priority in our grooming business, where we experienced some slower trading during the year. We are set to launch a trial package in selected salons where for an annual fee, customers can bring their dog for unlimited bath and brush treatments.

Whilst price has been an important part of our improved trading, it doesn't present the full story. Investing in digital helped deliver omnichannel revenue growth of 75%. The two initiatives driving such strong growth are order in-store, and subscription for flea products. We have also improved our website experience with a faster checkout process across mobile, tablet and desktop, and have started to trial repeat order across food products. Looking to the year ahead will see ongoing upgrades to our website look, content and navigation, with more subscription products in our plan.

Home of veterinary excellence

We have a successful veterinary business growing ahead of the market in both First Opinion practices and Specialist Referral Centres. The Vet Group generates cash returns on invested capital(#) of 24% despite the majority of practices (c84%(b) ) being relatively young.

We can attribute the strong revenue growth in our First Opinion practices to a number of competitive differences; but also to the drive of our vet partners in the JV model, who share in the success of the practice. Our model provides vets with business services and cashflow support as they grow, in return for management fees.

The revenue progression for practices, and therefore our fee income, has been relatively consistent. In coming years, as our rollout profile swings more to standalone, rather than in-store practices, we may see some variations in revenue performance, although we still expect the standalone practices to deliver strong returns for the Group.

The path to profit growth for some practices is lengthening as a result of the upward pressure on payroll costs. This factor, combined with the large number of young practices in the business, is leading to increased funding requirements from Pets at Home in the form of working capital operating loans. We expect the overall funding level to continue to grow for the next 4-5 years, after which we expect to see the balance decline, and are comfortable this is mainly a feature of the immaturity of our estate.

With a long term view of growing our practices to maturity, the prize remains; for us in the mature profits from a mainly fixed cost business, and for our vet partners in the form of dividends and the capital value of their practice. We currently have 87 such practices that have fully repaid all debts and we are focusing more on strategies to accelerate growth in our existing practices, to ensure we can deliver the inherent potential of the business.

Retail space evolution and vet practice rollout

With a total of 448 superstores, our store estate is nearing its optimum size. In the coming year we will open only a small number of stores in carefully selected areas, in up to five new locations. At the same time, we will continue to rollout grooming salons amongst the existing store estate and expect to open 10-20.

In our veterinary business we opened a net number of 25 new practices to bring our total to 461. We also transformed more practices to give them extra consulting space, or longer opening hours, so that we have 10 'super surgeries' and six practices opening 24/7. The challenging supply of veterinarians has long been a feature of the UK market and was exacerbated after the Brexit vote (around 30% of vets in the UK are thought to be EU domiciled). In addition, our practice rollout has always been heavily weighted towards the end of our financial year, which has placed an excessive burden on the business and we are taking an active decision to spread this profile more evenly through the year. The supply of veterinarians is unlikely to change in the short term and our priority is to open practices in quality locations for the best vet partners. We expect to open 20-25 practices in the year ahead and have already opened four in the new financial year to date.

Strategic evolution in the year ahead

FY19 will be the second of our three year financial transition back to sustainable profit growth. Delivering the financial plan does not require adhering to our historical strategic priorities of growing like-for-like, space, and margins. Our strategy should evolve with the market and competitive changes, our challenges, and our ambitions.

Our immediate priorities are to address the few remaining areas of our price repositioning programme and taking action to ensure the vet business can deliver on its potential. But in the coming months, we will evolve our longer term strategic plan to become the best pet care business in the world; a bigger focus on digital, data, more services and changing the shape of our stores in an ongoing environment of channel shift.

Peter Pritchard

Group Chief Executive Officer

22 May 2018

Chief Financial Officer's Review

The FY18 audited period represents the 52 weeks to 29 March 2018. The audited comparative period represents 52 weeks to 30 March 2017.

Financial Highlights

 
 FINANCIALS                                                      FY17    FY18      Change 
       Revenue          Revenue Split (GBPm) 
  Food                                                          395.1   421.9        6.8% 
  Accessories                                                   321.6   343.5        6.8% 
  Total Merchandise                                             716.7   765.4        6.8% 
  Services & other(a)                                           117.5   133.5       13.7% 
  Total Group                                                   834.2   898.9        7.8% 
 
  Like-For-Like growth(#)                                        1.5%    5.5% 
  Merchandise LFL (#)                                            0.8%    5.0% 
  Services & other LFL (#)                                       7.9%    8.5% 
 
                        Revenue Mix (% of total revenues) 
  Merchandise                                                   85.9%   85.1%    (79) bps 
  Services & Other                                              14.1%   14.9%      79 bps 
 
     Gross Margin       Merchandise Gross Margin                57.6%   54.8%   (285) bps 
  Services & Other Gross Margin                                 33.3%   34.1%      78 bps 
  Total Gross Margin                                            54.2%   51.7%   (249) bps 
 
        EBITDA          Underlying EBITDA(b,) (#) (GBPm)        130.5   123.3      (5.6)% 
  Underlying EBITDA margin(b,) (#)                              15.6%   13.7%   (194) bps 
 
        Other 
   Income Statement     Underlying PBT (b) (#) (GBPm)            96.4    84.5     (12.3)% 
  Statutory PBT (GBPm)                                           95.4    79.6     (16.6)% 
  Underlying basic EPS(b,) (#) (p)                               15.3    13.5     (11.2)% 
  Statutory basic EPS                                            15.1    12.6     (16.6)% 
  Dividend (p)                                                    7.5     7.5          0% 
 
 Cashflow & Leverage    Free cashflow(#) (GBPm)                  64.6    55.8     (13.6)% 
  CROIC(#)                                                      20.6%   19.4%    (89) bps 
  Leverage (ND/ Underlying EBITDA) (#)                           1.2x    1.1x 
 

a. Includes veterinary Joint Venture fees & other veterinary income, specialist referrals revenue, grooming salon revenue, revenue from live pet sales & insurance

b. Non-underlying items in FY18 includes GBP2.7m associated with the closure of Barkers, GBP1.6m accounting charge for the acquisition of minority stakes owned by vet partners in specialist referral centres, and GBP0.6m of other expenses. Non-underlying items in FY17 includes GBP1.0m of expenses for the disposal of Farm Away Limited, the Group's equestrian retailing business.

# Alternative Performance Measures (APMs) are defined & reconciled to IFRS, where possible

Sales and revenue

Group revenue grew by 7.8% to GBP898.9m (FY17: GBP834.2m) and Group like-for-like revenues(#) (LFL) grew 5.5%.

Merchandise revenue, which includes food and accessories, grew by 6.8% to GBP765.4m (FY17: GBP716.7m), with LFL revenue(#) of 5.0%. This reflects particularly strong performance from our omnichannel business, which grew its revenues by 75.1% to GBP51.4m, but also from store sales, which grew by 3.9%. Food revenue grew by 6.8% to GBP421.9m (FY17: GBP395.1m), with strength across all areas of dog and cat food, including Advanced Nutrition, where revenue grew by 6.0% GBP189.8m (FY17: GBP179.1m).

Accessories revenue grew by 6.8% to GBP343.5m (FY17: GBP321.6m), where dog accessories and toys were a core driver, alongside subscription plans in licensed flea prevention products.

Services revenue grew by 13.7% to GBP133.5m (FY17: GBP117.5m), with LFL revenues(#) of 8.5%. We saw good growth across our Vet Group in both Specialist Referral Centres and also the First Opinion business, where practice income increased by 16.1% to GBP53.1m (FY17: GBP45.8m). Also within Services, our grooming salons experienced slower growth than in prior periods, and we also saw some weakness in trade from declining pet sales, which is an ongoing trend.

# Alternative Performance Measures (APMs) are defined & reconciled to IFRS, where possible

Gross margin

Group gross margin declined by 249 bps to 51.7% (FY17: 54.2%).

Gross margin within Merchandise was 54.8%, a reduction of 285 bps over the prior year (FY17: 57.6%), in line with our plans. This mainly reflects our price repositioning activities of cGBP13m, a foreign currency impact of GBP5.7m from the movement in USD versus GBP and the growth of our omnichannel business, which has a greater mix of food product versus higher margin accessories.

Gross margin within Services increased by 78 bps to 34.1% (FY17: 33.3%). We saw expansion in the underlying gross margin of veterinary First Opinion practices and Specialist Referral Centres, but at an overall level, the First Opinion business saw a decline in gross margin due to a GBP5.0m increase in the provision held for practice operating loans. We also experienced a significant improvement in the margin of pet sales in store, which reflects our activities to improve and simplify the care and welfare routines. This benefit is expected to be a one-off feature of FY18.

Underlying EBITDA(#) and operating costs

Underlying EBITDA(#) was GBP123.3m (FY17: GBP130.5m), with a margin of 13.7% (FY17: 15.6%).

Selling and distribution (S&D) expenses of GBP309.5m decreased as a percentage of Group revenue, to 34.4% (FY17: 35.5%). Within this, we saw GBP2.5m in cost savings as a result of our energy saving programme, and occupation costs (rent, service charges and other costs) again declined as a percentage of sales as we benefit from the rent paid by vet practices in our stores, which contributed GBP11.7m (FY17: GBP10.7m). Colleague costs also declined as a percentage of sales, particularly in relation to stores, where we have reduced payroll hours by streamlining non customer facing activities.

Underlying administration expenses of GBP66.3m were 7.4% of revenue (FY17: 6.6%), where we are seeing growth in Vet Group operating costs, alongside our investment in business systems and omnichannel.

Non-underlying costs totaled GBP4.9m. Of this, GBP2.7m relates to the closure of our trial Barkers stores and the associated lease commitments and write down of fixed assets. In addition, GBP1.6m of non-underlying costs were recognised in relation to the ownership structures and accounting treatment of the veterinary Specialist Referral centres (see detailed note below on page 21.) There were also GBP0.6m of M&A related expenses, for transactions that were not completed.

Depreciation and amortisation, which is contained within our total operating costs, increased to GBP34.5m (FY17 GBP29.6m).

# Alternative Performance Measures (APMs) are defined & reconciled to IFRS, where possible

Underlying finance expense

Underlying net finance expense(#) for the year was GBP4.3m (FY17: GBP4.5m).

Taxation, trading profit & EPS

Underlying pre tax profit(#) was GBP84.5m (FY17: GBP96.4m) and statutory pre tax profit, was GBP79.6m (FY17: GBP95.4m).

Underlying total tax expense(#) for the period was GBP17.0m, a rate of 20% on underlying pre tax profit(#) .

Underlying profit for the period(#) , after tax, was GBP67.5m (FY17: GBP76.3m) and underlying basic earnings per share(#) were 13.5 pence, (FY17: 15.3 pence). Statutory basic earnings per share were 12.6 pence (FY17: 15.1 pence).

# Alternative Performance Measures (APMs) are defined & reconciled to IFRS, where possible

Working capital(#) and funding for vet practices

The cash movement in trading working capital(#) for FY18 was an inflow of GBP9.4m. This was comprised of a GBP4.1m increase in inventory, offset by a GBP3.9m decrease in receivables and a GBP9.6m increase in payables.

We increased our working capital support to First Opinion veterinary practices with GBP14.8m in operating loans. This created an overall increase in Group receivables of GBP10.9m and overall Group cash working capital outflow of GBP5.4m.

Operating loans represent cash funding we choose to provide to Joint Venture First Opinion veterinary practices, to assist with their working capital requirements and underpin their growth to maturity. The gross value of operating loans at the end of the financial year was GBP38.0m (FY17: GBP23.2m), against which a provision of GBP8.3m is held (FY17: GBP3.3m). The increased provision reflects both the longer maturity curves for practices, as well as an improvement in methodology used to assess the operating loan balance. A provision has been applied to all outstanding practice loan balances, which we believe is more appropriate considering the growing size of our First Opinion business.

# Alternative Performance Measures (APMs) are defined & reconciled to IFRS, where possible

Capital investment

Capital investment was GBP40.7m (FY17: GBP44.5m), where GBP12.8m is represented by the refurbishment and retrofit of services into our existing store estate (FY17 GBP16.8m) and new store capital investment totalled GBP7.3m (FY17: GBP6.4m). Investment in business systems totalled GBP10.0m (FY17: GBP7.2m), and GBP2.3m was part of the energy savings programme to fit LED lighting and smart energy management systems in our store estate (FY17: GBP5.8m). Cash capital expenditure was GBP41.6m (FY17: GBP40.9m).

Cashflow and capital structure

Free cash flow (FCF) after interest, tax and before acquisitions(#) was GBP55.8m (FY17: GBP64.6m), representing a cash conversion rate of 45% (FY17: 49%). The decline in FCF when compared with the prior year is driven by our price investments in the Merchandise business, increased working capital requirements and the purchase of shares to satisfy colleague stock option schemes.

# Alternative Performance Measures (APMs) are defined & reconciled to IFRS, where possible

 
 Free cashflow (#) (GBPm)      FY17     FY18 
 Cash EBITDA(c,#)             133.0    127.2 
 Working capital(#)           (2.4)    (5.4) 
 Operating loans provision 
  movement                     0.1      5.0 
 Tax                          (19.3)   (19.1) 
 Interest cost                (4.2)    (3.9) 
 Capital expenditure          (42.6)   (44.0) 
 Purchase of shares for 
  colleague stock options      0.0     (4.0) 
 Reported free cashflow        64.6     55.8 
 

c. Defined as underlying EBITDA plus IFRS2 share based payment charges

# Alternative Performance Measures (APMs) are defined & reconciled to IFRS, where possible

The Group's net debt position at the end of period was GBP135.2m, which represents a leverage ratio(#) of 1.1x underlying EBITDA.

 
 GBPm                                        FY17      FY18 
                                              (53       (53 
 Opening net debt                         (162.0)     153.7 
 Free cashflow(#)                            64.6      55.8 
 Ordinary dividends paid                   (39.9)    (37.3) 
 Acquisitions                              (14.8)       0.0 
 Other                                      (1.6)       0.0 
---------------------------------------  --------  -------- 
 Closing net debt                         (153.7)   (135.2) 
 Leverage (ND / underlying EBITDA(#) )       1.2x      1.1x 
 

# Alternative Performance Measures (APMs) are defined & reconciled to IFRS, where possible

Our capital structure and allocation policy remains as previously stated, with a priority to invest in areas that will expand the Group and deliver appropriate returns, particularly within our veterinary business. It is our intention to maintain a prudent approach to balance sheet management in the current economic environment, but retain some flexibility to increase leverage to an appropriate level in the event that suitable investment or acquisition opportunities arise. And dependent upon our acquisition outlook and if we do not foresee investment uses, it is our intention to return surplus free cashflow to shareholders.

Dividend

The Board has recommended a final dividend of 5.0 pence per share, giving a total dividend of 7.5 pence per share in respect of the 2018 financial year, equal with the prior year.

The final dividend will be proposed by the Directors at the 2018 AGM and is in addition to the interim dividend of 2.5 pence per share, paid to shareholders on the 12 January 2018. The ex-dividend date will be 14 June 2018 and, if approved at the Company's forthcoming AGM, will be paid to shareholders on 17 July 2018 to those shareholders on the register at the close of business on 15 June 2018.

Foreign exchange outlook

The Group purchases products from Asia to a value of around US$65 million each year. Our policy is to use a mix of foreign exchange forward contracts to hedge our USD requirement for the next 12 months and up to 50% of the following 6 months. The movement in hedged contract rates for FY18, which were at an average rate of 1.30 USD:GBP, created a GBP5.7m adverse cost to the Group. The majority of our hedging requirement for FY19 is in place, at an average rate of 1.34 USD:GBP, which is expected to have a positive financial impact of around cGBP1 million.

Accounting treatment of veterinary Specialist Referral centres

Three of our four centres are structured as a Shared Venture ownership model, where Pets at Home maintains a minimum 75% controlling share, with the remaining shares owned by multiple clinician Shared Venture Partners (SVPs). Pets at Home has an option to buy the SVP shares in the future, with the value of these shares related to profit performance targets. The accounting treatment of such an option is therefore structured as a forward contract. Within the income statement, the discounted future value of the SVP's shares is recognised as an expense over the period to which the option can be exercised, and recognised as an non-underlying expense. We continue to expect this charge to be GBP1.5-2m for FY19.

New financial reporting disclosure

In FY19 our financial reporting will change to two segments that better represent the size of the respective businesses and our internal reporting structures; Retail (includes products purchased online and in-store, pet sales and grooming services) and Vet Group (includes our First Opinion practices both in-store and online, and Specialist Referral veterinary centres).

In order to familiarise readers of the accounts, and provide a basis for comparability, we show a proforma unaudited segmentation for the 52 weeks to 29 March 2018.

 
 GBPm                       Retail    Vet Group   Central costs   Total Group 
 LFL revenue growth (#)      4.6%       15.0%                        5.5% 
 Revenue                    804.9       94.1                         898.9 
 Gross margin               52.2%       47.1%                        51.7% 
 Underlying EBITDA(#)      97.3 (d)   31.9 (e)        (5.8)        123.3 (3) 
 Underlying EBIT(#)        65.1 (d)   29.6 (e)        (5.8)        88.8 (3) 
 

d. Non-underlying items: GBP2.7m associated with the closure of Barkers

e. Non-underlying items: GBP1.6m accounting charge for the acquisition of minority stakes owned by vet partners in specialist referral centres, and GBP0.6m of other expenses

# Alternative Performance Measures (APMs) are defined & reconciled to IFRS, where possible

Mike Iddon

Chief Financial Officer

22 May 2018

Alternative Performance Measures ("APMs")

Guidelines on Alternative Performance Measures (APMs) issued by the European Securities and Markets Authority came into effect for all communications released on or after 3 July 2016 for issuers of securities on a regulated market.

In the reporting of financial information, the Directors have adopted various APMs of historical or future financial performance, position or cash flows other than those defined or specified under International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS).

The Directors measure the performance of the Group based on the following financial measures which are not recognised under EU-adopted IFRS, and consider these to be important measures in evaluating the Group's strategic and financial performance. The Directors believe that these APMs assist in providing additional useful information on the underlying trends, performance and position of the Group.

APMs are also used to enhance the comparability of information between reporting periods, by adjusting for non-underlying items, to aid the user in understanding the Group's performance.

Consequently, APMs are used by the Directors and management for performance analysis, planning, reporting and incentive setting purposes and have remained consistent with prior year.

All APMs relate to the current period's results and comparative periods where provided.

The key APMs used by the Group are:

'Like-for-Like' sales growth comprises total revenue in a financial period compared to revenue achieved in a prior period, for stores, online operations, grooming salons, vet practices & Specialist Referral centres that have been trading for 52 weeks or more

Omnichannel revenue: revenue net of discounts and VAT from core online, sales, subscriptions and order to store.

EBITDA: Earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation before the effect of non-underlying items in the period.

Free Cash Flow: being net cash from operating activities, after tax, less net cash used in investing activities (excluding acquisitions), less interest paid and debt issue costs, and is stated before cash flows for non-underlying costs.

CROIC: Cash return on invested capital, represents cash returns divided by the average of gross capital (GCI) invested for the last twelve months. Cash returns represent pre-Non-underlying operating profit before property rentals and share based payments subject to tax then adjusted for depreciation and amortisation. GCI represents gross property, plant and equipment plus software and other intangibles excluding the goodwill created on the acquisition of the Group by KKR (GBP906,445,000) plus net working capital, plus capitalised rent multiplied by a factor of 8x.

Financial Statements

Financial Information

The financial information set out in this preliminary statement of annual results has been extracted from the Group's financial statements, which have been approved by a resolution of the Board of directors of the Company on 22 May 2018 and agreed with the Company's auditor.

The financial information set out in this preliminary statement does not constitute the Company's statutory accounts for the year ended 29 March 2018 as defined in section 434 of the Companies Act 2006 (the "Act") which have not yet been delivered to the Registrar of Companies.

The Company's auditor has reported on the FY18 financial statements. Its reports were unqualified and did not draw attention to any matters by way of emphasis. The reports also did not contain statements under section 498 of the Act.

Consolidated income statement

 
                                             52 week period ended                  52 week period ended 30 March 
                                                 29 March 2018                                  2017 
------------------------  ------  -----------------------------------------  ----------------------------------------- 
                                                                                             Non-underlying 
                                    Underlying    Non-underlying               Underlying       items (note 
                                       trading       items (note      Total       trading                3)      Total 
                            Note        GBP000         3) GBP000     GBP000        GBP000            GBP000     GBP000 
------------------------  ------  ------------  ----------------  ---------  ------------  ----------------  --------- 
Revenue                        2       898,924                 -    898,924       834,169                 -    834,169 
Cost of sales                        (434,316)                 -  (434,316)     (382,287)                 -  (382,287) 
------------------------  ------  ------------  ----------------  ---------  ------------  ----------------  --------- 
Gross profit                           464,608                 -    464,608       451,882                 -    451,882 
Selling and distribution 
 expenses                            (309,482)                 -  (309,482)     (296,012)                 -  (296,012) 
Administrative expenses        3      (66,323)           (4,929)   (71,252)      (54,950)             (996)   (55,946) 
------------------------  ------  ------------  ----------------  ---------  ------------  ----------------  --------- 
Operating profit             2,3        88,803           (4,929)     83,874       100,920             (996)     99,924 
Financial income               6           685                 -        685           760                 -        760 
Financial expense              7       (4,963)                 -    (4,963)       (5,300)                 -    (5,300) 
------------------------  ------  ------------  ----------------  ---------  ------------  ----------------  --------- 
Net financing expense                  (4,278)                 -    (4,278)       (4,540)                 -    (4,540) 
------------------------  ------  ------------  ----------------  ---------  ------------  ----------------  --------- 
Profit before tax                       84,525           (4,929)     79,596        96,380             (996)     95,384 
Taxation                       8      (16,983)               201   (16,782)      (20,061)                41   (20,020) 
------------------------  ------  ------------  ----------------  ---------  ------------  ----------------  --------- 
Profit for the period                   67,542           (4,728)     62,814        76,319             (955)     75,364 
------------------------  ------  ------------  ----------------  ---------  ------------  ----------------  --------- 
 

All activities relate to continuing operations.

Basic and diluted earnings per share attributable to equity shareholders of the Company:

 
                                                        52 week          52 week 
                                                   period ended     period ended 
                                                       29 March         30 March 
                                          Note             2018             2017 
--------------------------------------  ------  ---------------  --------------- 
Equity holders of the parent - basic         5            12.6p            15.1p 
Equity holders of the parent- diluted        5            12.5p            15.0p 
--------------------------------------  ------  ---------------  --------------- 
 

Dividends paid and proposed are disclosed in note 9.

# Alternative Performance Measures (APMs) are defined & reconciled to IFRS, where possible

Consolidated statement of comprehensive income

 
                                                                     52 week 
                                                                period ended    52 week period 
                                                                    29 March          ended 30 
                                                                        2018        March 2017 
                                                       Note           GBP000            GBP000 
--------------------------------------------------  -------  ---------------  ---------------- 
Profit for the period                                                 62,814            75,364 
Other comprehensive income 
Items that are or may be recycled subsequently 
 into profit or loss: 
Foreign exchange translation differences                                  71              (26) 
Cash flow hedges - reclassified to profit and 
 loss                                                                  (473)             (330) 
Effective portion of changes in fair value of 
 cash flow hedges                                                    (1,695)             1,862 
-----------------------------------------------------------  ---------------  ---------------- 
Other comprehensive income for the period, before 
 income tax                                                          (2,097)             1,506 
Income tax on other comprehensive income                                 412             (297) 
-----------------------------------------------------------  ---------------  ---------------- 
Other comprehensive income for the period, net 
 of income tax                                                       (1,685)             1,209 
-----------------------------------------------------------  ---------------  ---------------- 
Total comprehensive income for the period                             61,129            76,573 
-----------------------------------------------------------  ---------------  ---------------- 
 

# Alternative Performance Measures (APMs) are defined & reconciled to IFRS, where possible

Consolidated balance sheet

 
                                                          At 29 March     At 30 March 
                                                 Note     2018 GBP000     2017 GBP000 
---------------------------------------------  ------  --------------  -------------- 
Non-current assets 
Property, plant and equipment                                 129,904         128,835 
Intangible assets                                             992,929         990,266 
Other non-current assets                                       20,182          16,990 
---------------------------------------------  ------  --------------  -------------- 
                                                            1,143,015       1,136,091 
---------------------------------------------  ------  --------------  -------------- 
Current assets 
Inventories                                                    60,529          56,420 
Other financial assets                                          1,160           1,863 
Trade and other receivables                                    74,848          69,567 
Cash and cash equivalents                                      59,824          56,345 
---------------------------------------------  ------  --------------  -------------- 
                                                              196,361         184,195 
---------------------------------------------  ------  --------------  -------------- 
Total assets                                                1,339,376       1,320,286 
---------------------------------------------  ------  --------------  -------------- 
Current liabilities 
Trade and other payables                                    (173,856)       (165,887) 
Corporation tax                                               (8,881)        (10,609) 
Provisions                                                      (835)           (492) 
Other financial liabilities                                   (3,392)         (1,509) 
---------------------------------------------  ------  --------------  -------------- 
                                                            (186,964)       (178,497) 
---------------------------------------------  ------  --------------  -------------- 
Non-current liabilities 
Other interest-bearing loans and borrowings        10       (194,519)       (209,296) 
Other payables                                               (36,200)        (35,028) 
Provisions                                                    (2,200)         (1,394) 
Other financial liabilities                                   (8,693)         (8,023) 
Deferred tax liabilities                                      (4,448)         (5,404) 
---------------------------------------------  ------  --------------  -------------- 
                                                            (246,060)       (259,145) 
---------------------------------------------  ------  --------------  -------------- 
Total liabilities                                           (433,024)       (437,642) 
---------------------------------------------  ------  --------------  -------------- 
Net assets                                                    906,352         882,644 
---------------------------------------------  ------  --------------  -------------- 
Equity attributable to equity holders of the 
 parent 
Ordinary share capital                                          5,000           5,000 
Consolidation reserve                                       (372,026)       (372,026) 
Merger reserve                                                113,321         113,321 
Translation reserve                                                40            (31) 
Cash flow hedging reserve                                       (950)             806 
Retained earnings                                           1,160,967       1,135,574 
---------------------------------------------  ------  --------------  -------------- 
Total equity                                                  906,352         882,644 
---------------------------------------------  ------  --------------  -------------- 
 

# Alternative Performance Measures (APMs) are defined & reconciled to IFRS, where possible

On behalf of the Board:

Mike Iddon Group Chief Financial Officer

Company number: 08885072

Consolidated statement of changes in equity as at 29 March 2018

 
                                                                      Cash flow 
                                Share    Consolidation      Merger      hedging    Translation     Retained      Total 
                              capital          reserve     reserve      reserve        reserve     earnings     equity 
                               GBP000           GBP000      GBP000       GBP000         GBP000       GBP000     GBP000 
-------------------------  ----------  ---------------  ----------  -----------  -------------  -----------  --------- 
Balance at 30 March 2017        5,000        (372,026)     113,321          806           (31)    1,135,574    882,644 
Total comprehensive 
income 
for the period 
Profit for the period               -                -           -                           -       62,814     62,814 
Other comprehensive 
 income                             -                -           -      (1,756)             71            -    (1,685) 
-------------------------  ----------  ---------------  ----------  -----------  -------------  -----------  --------- 
Total comprehensive 
 income 
 for the period                     -                -           -      (1,756)             71       62,814     61,129 
-------------------------  ----------  ---------------  ----------  -----------  -------------  -----------  --------- 
Transactions with owners, 
recorded directly in 
equity 
Equity dividends paid               -                -           -            -              -     (37,341)   (37,341) 
Share based payment 
 charge                                                                                               3,936      3,936 
Purchase of own shares              -                -           -            -              -      (4,016)    (4,016) 
-------------------------  ----------  ---------------  ----------  -----------  -------------  -----------  --------- 
Total contributions by 
 and 
 distributions to owners            -                -           -            -              -     (37,421)   (37,421) 
-------------------------  ----------  ---------------  ----------  -----------  -------------  -----------  --------- 
Balance at 29 March 2018        5,000        (372,026)     113,321        (950)             40    1,160,967    906,352 
-------------------------  ----------  ---------------  ----------  -----------  -------------  -----------  --------- 
 

# Alternative Performance Measures (APMs) are defined & reconciled to IFRS, where possible

Consolidated statement of changes in equity as at 30 March 2017

 
                                                                      Cash flow 
                                Share    Consolidation      Merger      hedging    Translation     Retained      Total 
                              capital          reserve     reserve      reserve        reserve     earnings     equity 
                               GBP000           GBP000      GBP000       GBP000         GBP000       GBP000     GBP000 
-------------------------  ----------  ---------------  ----------  -----------  -------------  -----------  --------- 
Balance at 31 March 2016        5,000        (372,026)     113,321        (429)            (5)    1,097,623    843,484 
Total comprehensive 
income 
for the period 
Profit for the period               -                -           -                           -       75,364     75,364 
Other comprehensive 
 income                             -                -           -        1,235           (26)            -      1,209 
-------------------------  ----------  ---------------  ----------  -----------  -------------  -----------  --------- 
Total comprehensive 
 income 
 for the period                     -                -           -        1,235           (26)       75,364     76,573 
-------------------------  ----------  ---------------  ----------  -----------  -------------  -----------  --------- 
Transactions with owners, 
recorded directly in 
equity 
Equity dividends paid               -                -           -            -              -     (39,850)   (39,850) 
Share based payment 
 charge                             -                -           -            -              -        2,437      2,437 
-------------------------  ----------  ---------------  ----------  -----------  -------------  -----------  --------- 
Total contributions by 
 and 
 distributions to owners            -                -           -            -              -     (37,413)   (37,413) 
-------------------------  ----------  ---------------  ----------  -----------  -------------  -----------  --------- 
Balance at 30 March 2017        5,000        (372,026)     113,321          806           (31)    1,135,574    882,644 
-------------------------  ----------  ---------------  ----------  -----------  -------------  -----------  --------- 
 

# Alternative Performance Measures (APMs) are defined & reconciled to IFRS, where possible

Consolidated statement of cash flows

 
                                                             52 week period    52 week period 
                                                                      ended             ended 
                                                                   29 March          30 March 
                                                                       2018              2017 
                                                                     GBP000            GBP000 
---------------------------------------------------------  ----------------  ---------------- 
Cash flows from operating activities 
Profit for the period                                                62,814            75,364 
Adjustments for: 
Depreciation and amortisation                                        34,483            29,621 
Financial income                                                      (685)             (760) 
Financial expense                                                     4,963             5,300 
Loss on disposal of subsidiary                                            -               690 
Loss/(profit) on disposal of property, plant & equipment              1,628             (176) 
Share based payment charges                                           3,936             2,437 
Taxation                                                             16,782            20,020 
---------------------------------------------------------  ----------------  ---------------- 
                                                                    123,921           132,496 
Increase in trade and other receivables                             (5,234)           (8,863) 
Increase in inventories                                             (4,531)           (4,979) 
Increase in trade and other payables                                 11,474            11,469 
Increase in provisions                                                1,149                63 
---------------------------------------------------------  ----------------  ---------------- 
                                                                    126,779           130,186 
Tax paid                                                           (19,054)          (19,299) 
---------------------------------------------------------  ----------------  ---------------- 
Net cash flow from operating activities                             107,725           110,887 
---------------------------------------------------------  ----------------  ---------------- 
Cash flows from investing activities 
Proceeds from sale of property, plant and equipment                     814             1,830 
Disposal of subsidiary, net of cash disposed                              -               677 
Interest received                                                       685               722 
Investment in other financial assets                                (2,146)           (3,420) 
Loans issued                                                          (872)           (2,247) 
Loans repaid                                                              -               500 
Acquisition of subsidiary, net of cash acquired                           -          (14,831) 
Acquisition of property, plant and equipment and other 
 intangible assets                                                 (41,613)          (40,896) 
---------------------------------------------------------  ----------------  ---------------- 
Net cash used in investing activities                              (43,132)          (57,665) 
---------------------------------------------------------  ----------------  ---------------- 
Cash flows from financing activities 
Equity dividends paid                                              (37,341)          (39,850) 
Proceeds from new loan                                                    -             8,000 
Repayment of borrowings                                            (15,000)                 - 
Purchase of own shares                                              (4,016)                 - 
Finance lease obligations                                             (181)             (109) 
Interest paid                                                       (4,576)           (4,916) 
---------------------------------------------------------  ----------------  ---------------- 
Net cash used in financing activities                              (61,114)          (36,875) 
---------------------------------------------------------  ----------------  ---------------- 
Net Increase in cash and cash equivalents                             3,479            16,347 
Cash and cash equivalents at beginning of period                     56,345            39,998 
---------------------------------------------------------  ----------------  ---------------- 
Cash and cash equivalents at end of period                           59,824            56,345 
---------------------------------------------------------  ----------------  ---------------- 
 

# Alternative Performance Measures (APMs) are defined & reconciled to IFRS, where possible

Notes

1 Basis of preparation

Pets at Home Group Plc (the Company) is a company incorporated in the United Kingdom and its registered office is Epsom Avenue, Stanley Green, Handforth, Cheshire, SK9 3RN.

The company is listed on the London Stock Exchange.

The consolidated financial statements for the 52 week period ended 29 March 2018 have been prepared in accordance with International Financial Reporting Standards as adopted by the EU (Adopted IFRS) and were approved by the Directors of the Company on 21(st) May 2018 along with this preliminary announcement.

The consolidated financial statements are prepared on the historical costs basis except for derivative financial instruments, share based payments and certain investments measured at their fair value.

The financial information included in this preliminary statement of results does not constitute statutory accounts within the meaning of Section 435 of the Companies Act 2006 (the "Act"). The financial information for the 52 week period ended 29 March 2018 has been extracted from the statutory accounts on which an unqualified audit

opinion has been issued. Statutory accounts for the 52 week period ended 29 March 2018 will be delivered to the Registrar of Companies following the Company's Annual General Meeting.

The auditors have consented to the publication of the Preliminary Announcement as required by Listing Rule 9.7a having completed their procedures under APB bulletin 2008/2.

The directors of Pets at Home Group Plc, having made appropriate enquiries, consider that adequate resources exist for the Group to continue in operational existence for the foreseeable future and that, therefore, it is appropriate to adopt the going concern basis in preparing the consolidated financial statements for the 52 week period ended 29 March 2018.

   2          Segmental reporting 

The Directors consider there to be one operating and reportable segment, being that of the sale of pet products and services through retail outlets, specialist vet referral services and the Group's websites.

The Group's Board receives monthly financial information at this level and uses this information to monitor the performance of the store portfolio, allocate resources and make operational decisions. The internal reporting received focuses on the Group as a whole and does not identify other individual segments. To increase transparency, the Group has decided to include an additional voluntary disclosure analysing revenue within the reportable segment.

 
                         52 week      52 week 
                          period       period 
                        ended 29     ended 30 
                      March 2018   March 2017 
Revenue                   GBP000       GBP000 
-------------------  -----------  ----------- 
Food                     421,894      395,121 
Accessories              343,508      321,550 
Services and other       133,522      117,498 
-------------------  -----------  ----------- 
                         898,924      834,169 
-------------------  -----------  ----------- 
 

The 'services and other' category includes revenue from management fees for first opinion veterinary surgeries, veterinary services, grooming services, insurance commissions and the sale of pets.

The performance of the operating segment is primarily based on a measure of earnings before interest, tax, depreciation, and amortisation (EBITDA) before Non-underlying items. This can be reconciled to statutory operating profit as follows:

 
                                                          52 week period  52 week period 
                                                                ended 29        ended 30 
                                                              March 2018      March 2017 
                                                                  GBP000          GBP000 
--------------------------------------------------------  --------------  -------------- 
Operating profit                                                  83,874          99,924 
Non-underlying items                                               4,929             996 
--------------------------------------------------------  --------------  -------------- 
Underlying operating profit before Non-underlying items           88,803         100,920 
--------------------------------------------------------  --------------  -------------- 
Depreciation and amortisation                                     34,483          29,621 
--------------------------------------------------------  --------------  -------------- 
Underlying EBITDA                                                123,286         130,541 
--------------------------------------------------------  --------------  -------------- 
 
   3     Expenses and auditor's remuneration 

Included in operating profit are the following:

 
                                                52 week period  52 week period 
                                                      ended 29        ended 30 
                                                    March 2018      March 2017 
                                                        GBP000          GBP000 
----------------------------------------------  --------------  -------------- 
Non-underlying operating expenses (see below)            4,929             996 
Depreciation of tangible fixed assets                   28,280          25,690 
Amortisation of intangible assets                        6,203           3,931 
Rentals under operating leases: 
 Hire of plant and machinery                             4,387           4,484 
 Property                                               75,922          73,002 
Rental income from third party sublets                 (1,041)           (828) 
Rental income from related parties                     (7,138)         (6,277) 
Profit on disposal of fixed assets                           -           (176) 
Share based payment charges                              3,936           2,437 
----------------------------------------------  --------------  -------------- 
 

Non-underlying items in operating profit in the 52 week period ended 29 March 2018 totalled GBP4,929,000 (2017: GBP996,000). Of this, GBP2,685,000 relates to the closure of our seven trial Barkers stores, the associated lease commitments including disposal of fixed assets (GBP1,628,000). Non-underlying operating expenses also includes GBP1,625,000 in relation to the increase in the fair value of the put and call option over the non-controlling interests in Dick White Referrals Limited, Eye-Vet Limited and Anderson Moores Veterinary Specialists Limited and GBP619,000 in relation to aborted property and acquisition costs.

Non-underlying items in operating profit in the period ended 30 March 2017 of GBP966,000 represent costs incurred in relation to the disposal of the Groups 100% holding in Farm-Away Ltd. The costs include legal and professional fees, redundancy costs and property costs.

The costs noted above are considered by the Directors to be non-underlying as they relate to either an event that is not expected to re-occur in future periods (as is the case with the closure of Barkers and disposal of Farm-Away), or the increase in the fair value of put/call liabilities which the Directors consider warrant separate disclosure due to the nature of these arrangements.

   4     Colleague numbers and costs 

The average number of persons employed (full time equivalents) by the Group (including Directors) during the period, analysed by category, was as follows:

 
                         52 week period  52 week period 
                               ended 29        ended 30 
                             March 2018      March 2017 
                                 Number          Number 
-----------------------  --------------  -------------- 
Sales and distribution            6,142           6,152 
Administration                      559             659 
-----------------------  --------------  -------------- 
                                  6,701           6,811 
-----------------------  --------------  -------------- 
 

The aggregate payroll costs of these persons were as follows:

 
                                                      52 week period  52 week period 
                                                            ended 29        ended 30 
                                                          March 2018      March 2017 
                                                              GBP000          GBP000 
----------------------------------------------------  --------------  -------------- 
Wages and salaries                                           180,952         162,936 
Social security costs                                         15,233          13,337 
Contributions to defined pension contribution plans            5,725           5,251 
----------------------------------------------------  --------------  -------------- 
                                                             201,910         181,524 
----------------------------------------------------  --------------  -------------- 
 
   5     Earnings per share 

Basic earnings per share is calculated by dividing the net profit for the period attributable to ordinary shareholders by the weighted average number of ordinary shares outstanding during the period.

Diluted earnings per share is calculated by dividing the net profit for the period attributable to ordinary shareholders by the weighted average number of ordinary shares outstanding during the period plus the weighted average number of ordinary shares that would be issued on the conversion of all dilutive potential ordinary shares into ordinary shares.

 
                                                   52 week period ended               52 week period ended 
                                                       29 March 2018                      30 March 2017 
-------------------------------------------  ---------------------------------  --------------------------------- 
                                              Underlying  After Non-underlying   Underlying  After Non-underlying 
                                                 trading                 items      trading                 items 
-------------------------------------------  -----------  --------------------  -----------  -------------------- 
Profit attributable to equity shareholders 
 of the parent (GBP000s)                          67,542                62,814       76,319                75,364 
-------------------------------------------  -----------  --------------------  -----------  -------------------- 
 
Basic weighted average number of shares      500,000,000           500,000,000  500,000,000           500,000,000 
Dilutive potential ordinary shares             3,119,537             3,119,537    4,032,406             4,032,406 
-------------------------------------------  -----------  --------------------  -----------  -------------------- 
Diluted weighted average number of shares    503,119,537           503,119,537  504,032,406           504,032,406 
-------------------------------------------  -----------  --------------------  -----------  -------------------- 
 
Basic earnings per share                           13.5p                 12.6p        15.3p                 15.1p 
Diluted earnings per share                         13.4p                 12.5p        15.1p                 15.0p 
-------------------------------------------  -----------  --------------------  -----------  -------------------- 
 
   6     Finance income 
 
                       52 week period  52 week period 
                             ended 29        ended 30 
                           March 2018      March 2017 
                               GBP000          GBP000 
---------------------  --------------  -------------- 
Interest receivable               685             760 
Total finance income              685             760 
---------------------  --------------  -------------- 
 
   7     Finance expense 
 
                                        52 week period  52 week period 
                                              ended 29        ended 30 
                                            March 2018      March 2017 
                                                GBP000          GBP000 
--------------------------------------  --------------  -------------- 
Bank loans at effective interest rate            4,773           5,113 
Other interest expense                             190             187 
--------------------------------------  --------------  -------------- 
Total finance expense                            4,963           5,300 
--------------------------------------  --------------  -------------- 
 
   8     Taxation 

Recognised in the income statement

 
                                                        52 week period  52 week period 
                                                              ended 29        ended 30 
                                                            March 2018      March 2017 
                                                                GBP000          GBP000 
------------------------------------------------------  --------------  -------------- 
Current tax expense 
Current period                                                  17,837          20,953 
Adjustments in respect of prior periods                          (511)           (964) 
------------------------------------------------------  --------------  -------------- 
Current tax expense                                             17,326          19,989 
------------------------------------------------------  --------------  -------------- 
Deferred tax expense 
Origination and reversal of temporary differences                (669)           (907) 
Impact of difference between deferred and current tax 
 rates                                                           (260)              45 
Adjustments in respect of prior periods                            385             893 
------------------------------------------------------  --------------  -------------- 
Deferred tax expense                                             (544)              31 
------------------------------------------------------  --------------  -------------- 
Total tax expense                                               16,782          20,020 
------------------------------------------------------  --------------  -------------- 
 

The UK corporation tax standard rate for the period was 19% (2017: 20%). The March 2016 budget announced a further reduction in the corporation tax rate to 17% from 1 April 2020. The deferred tax liability has been calculated based on the rate of 18% which is the blended rate at which items are expected to reverse.

Deferred tax recognised in comprehensive income

 
                                                          52 week period  52 week period 
                                                                ended 29        ended 30 
                                                              March 2018      March 2017 
                                                                  GBP000          GBP000 
--------------------------------------------------------  --------------  -------------- 
Effective portion of changes in fair value of cash flow 
 hedges                                                            (412)             297 
--------------------------------------------------------  --------------  -------------- 
 

Reconciliation of effective tax rate

 
                                        52 week period ended 29             52 week period ended 30 March 
                                               March 2018                                2017 
                                  -----------------------------------  ---------------------------------------- 
                                  Underlying 
                                     trading  Non-underlying    Total       Underlying  Non-underlying    Total 
                                      GBP000    items GBP000   GBP000   trading GBP000    items GBP000   GBP000 
--------------------------------  ----------  --------------  -------  ---------------  --------------  ------- 
Profit for the period                 67,542         (4,728)   62,814           76,319           (955)   75,364 
Total tax expense                     16,983           (201)   16,782           20,061            (41)   20,020 
--------------------------------  ----------  --------------  -------  ---------------  --------------  ------- 
Profit excluding taxation             84,525         (4,929)   79,596           96,380           (996)   95,384 
--------------------------------  ----------  --------------  -------  ---------------  --------------  ------- 
Tax using the UK corporation 
 tax rate for the period of 
 20% (53 week period ended 31 
 March 2016: 20%)                     16,060           (937)   15,123           19,276           (199)   19,077 
Impact of change in tax rate 
 on deferred tax balances              (260)               -    (260)               45               -       45 
Depreciation on expenditure 
 not eligible for tax relief             588               -      588              706               -      706 
Expenditure not eligible for 
 tax relief                              721             736    1,457              105             158      263 
Adjustments in respect of prior 
 periods                               (126)               -    (126)             (71)               -     (71) 
--------------------------------  ----------  --------------  -------  ---------------  --------------  ------- 
Total tax expense                     16,983           (201)   16,782           20,061            (41)   20,020 
--------------------------------  ----------  --------------  -------  ---------------  --------------  ------- 
 

The UK corporation tax standard rate for the 52 week period ended 29 March 2018 was 19% (52 week period ended 30 March 2017: 20%). The effective tax rate before Non-underlying items for the 52 week period ended 31 March 2018 was 20%. The principal reason for the difference in rate relates to the non-deductibility of depreciation charged on certain items of capital expenditure.

   9     Dividends paid and proposed 
 
 
                                                            52 week period  52 week period 
                                                                     ended           ended 
                                                                  29 March        30 March 
                                                                      2018            2017 
                                                                    GBP000          GBP000 
----------------------------------------------------------  --------------  -------------- 
Declared and paid during the period 
Final dividend of 5.5p per share (2017: 5.5p per share)         24,912              27,396 
Interim dividend of 2.5p per share (2017: 2.5p per share)           12,429          12,454 
----------------------------------------------------------  --------------  -------------- 
Proposed for approval by shareholders at the AGM 
Final dividend of 5.0p per share (2017: 5.0p per share)             24,836          24,912 
----------------------------------------------------------  --------------  -------------- 
 

The trustees of the following holdings of Pets at Home Group Plc shares under the Pets at Home Group Employee Benefit Trusts have waived or otherwise foregone any and all dividends paid in relation to the period ended 29 March 2018 and 30 March 2017 and to be paid at any time in the future (subject to the exceptions in the relevant trust deed) on its respective shares for the time being comprised in the Trust Funds: Computershare Nominees (Channel Islands) Limited (holding at 29 March 2018: 3,271,102 shares, holding at 30 March 2017: 1,319,091 shares) and Wealth Nominees Limited (holding at 29 March 2018: nil shares, holding at 30 March 2017: 434,056 shares).

   10   Other interest-bearing loans and borrowings 
 
 
                           At 29 March   At 30 March 
                           2018 GBP000   2017 GBP000 
------------------------  ------------  ------------ 
Non-current liabilities 
Secured bank loans             194,519       209,296 
Total liabilities 
------------------------  ------------  ------------ 
Secured bank loans             194,519       209,296 
------------------------  ------------  ------------ 
 

Terms and debt repayment schedule

 
                                                                                  Carrying                  Carrying 
                                                                    Face value   amount at    Face value   amount at 
                                       Nominal                     at 29 March    29 March   at 30 March    30 March 
                                      interest                            2018        2018          2017        2017 
                       Currency           rate  Year of maturity        GBP000      GBP000        GBP000      GBP000 
--------------------  ---------  -------------  ----------------  ------------  ----------  ------------  ---------- 
Senior Finance Bank 
 Loans                      GBP   LIBOR +1.25%              2020       195,000     194,519       210,000     209,296 
--------------------  ---------  -------------  ----------------  ------------  ----------  ------------  ---------- 
 

The Group's Senior Financing Facilities (as amended in April 2015) include a revolving credit facility (RCF) of GBP260m. The RCF expires in April 2020 and is reviewed each period. Interest is charged at LIBOR plus a margin based on leverage (net debt: EBITDA). Face value represents the principal value of the Senior Finance Bank Loans. The bank loan is secured against the various tangible, intangible and monetary assets of the Group (excluding investments in joint ventures and hedging agreements).

Interest-bearing borrowings are recognised initially at fair value, being the principal value of the loan net of attributable transaction costs. Subsequent to initial recognition, interest-bearing borrowings are stated at a carrying value, which represents the amortised cost of the loans using the effective interest method less any impairment losses.

At 29 March 2018 the Group had a revolving credit facility of GBP260m with a drawn amount of GBP195m.

The analysis of repayments on the loans is as follows:

 
                                                       At 30 March 
                                          At 29 March         2017 
                                          2018 GBP000       GBP000 
---------------------------------------  ------------  ----------- 
Within one year or repayable on demand              -            - 
Between one and two years                           -            - 
Between two and five years                    195,000      210,000 
---------------------------------------  ------------  ----------- 
                                              195,000      210,000 
---------------------------------------  ------------  ----------- 
 

The combined loans at 29 March 2018 and 30 March 2017 are held by the Company.

Analysis of changes in net debt

 
                                                   At              Non-cash            At 
                                             30 March  Cash flow   movement      29 March 
                                          2017 GBP000     GBP000     GBP000   2018 GBP000 
---------------------------------------  ------------  ---------  ---------  ------------ 
Cash and cash equivalents                      56,345      3,479          -        59,824 
Debt due within one year at face value              -          -          -             - 
Debt due after one year at face value       (210,000)     15,000          -     (195,000) 
---------------------------------------  ------------  ---------  ---------  ------------ 
Net debt                                    (153,655)     18,479          -     (135,176) 
---------------------------------------  ------------  ---------  ---------  ------------ 
 

Glossary - Alternative Performance Measures

Guidelines on Alternative Performance Measures (APMs) issued by the European Securities and Markets Authority came into effect for all communications released on or after 3 July 2016 for issuers of securities on a regulated market.

In the reporting of financial information, the Directors have adopted various APMs of historical or future financial performance, position or cash flows other than those defined or specified under International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS).

The Directors measure the performance of the Group based on the following financial measures which are not recognised under EU-adopted IFRS, and consider these to be important measures in evaluating the Group's strategic and financial performance. The Directors believe that these APMs assist in providing additional useful information on the underlying trends, performance and position of the Group.

APMs are also used to enhance the comparability of information between reporting periods, by adjusting for non-underlying items, to aid the user in understanding the Group's performance.

Consequently, APMs are used by the Directors and management for performance analysis, planning, reporting and incentive setting purposes and have remained consistent with prior year.

All APMs relate to the current period's results and comparative periods where provided.

 
 APM                  Definition                         Reconciliation 
                     ----------------------------- 
 Cash                 Underlying EBITDA                  Cash EBITDA             FY17       FY18       Note 
  EBITDA               (see below) adjusted               (GBPm) 
                       for share based payment 
                       charge. 
---------------      ----------------------------- 
     Underlying 
      EBITDA                                                                     130.5      123.3 
 
     Share based 
      payment 
      charge                                                                     2.4        3.9        3 
                                                                                ---------  ---------  ------------ 
     Cash EBITDA                                                                 132.9      127.2 
    --------------------------------------------------------------------------  ---------  ---------  ------------ 
 CROIC                Cash return on invested            CROIC                   FY17       FY18       Note 
                       capital, represents 
                       cash returns divided 
                       by the average of 
                       gross capital (GCI) 
                       invested for the last 
                       twelve months. Cash 
                       returns represent 
                       underlying operating 
                       profit before property 
                       rentals and share 
                       based payments subject 
                       to tax then adjusted 
                       for depreciation and 
                       amortisation. GCI 
                       represents gross property, 
                       plant and equipment 
                       plus software and 
                       other intangibles 
                       excluding the goodwill 
                       created on the acquisition 
                       of the Group by KKR 
                       (GBP906,445,000) plus 
                       net working capital, 
                       plus capitalised rent 
                       multiplied by a factor 
                       of 8x. 
---------------      ----------------------------- 
                                                         Cash returns: 
---------------      ----------------------------- 
     Underlying 
      operating 
      profit                                                                     100.9      88.8 
     Property 
      rental costs                                                               73         75.9       3 
     Share based 
      payment 
      charges                                                                    2.4        3.9        3 
                                                                                ---------  ---------  ------------ 
                                                                                 176.4      168.7 
     Effective 
      tax rate                                                                   20%        20% 
     Tax charge 
      on above                                                                   -35.3      -33.7 
                                                                                ---------  ---------  ------------ 
                                                                                 141.1      134.9 
     Depreciation 
      and amortisation                                                           29.6       34.5       3 
                                                                                ---------  ---------  ------------ 
     Cash returns                                                                170.7      169.4 
 
                                                         Gross capital 
                                                          invested 
                                                          (GCI): 
     Gross property, 
      plant and 
      equipment                                                                  234.9      263.1 
     Intangibles                                                                 1,005.50   1,014.40 
     Less KKR 
      goodwill                                                                   -906.5     -906.5 
     Investments                                                                 12.6       14.7 
     Net working                                                                                       see 
      capital                                                                    -87.4      -89.8       definition 
     Capitalised 
      operating 
      leases                                                                     584        607.4      8x 
                                                                                ---------  ---------  ------------ 
     GCI                                                                         843.1      903.3 
     Average                                                                     827.6      873.2 
                                                                                ---------  ---------  ------------ 
     Cash returns/average 
      CGI                                                                        20.60%     19.40% 
    --------------------------------------------------------------------------  ---------  ---------  ------------ 
 Underlying           Earnings before interest,          Underlying              FY17       FY18       Note 
  EBITDA              tax, depreciation                   EBITDA (GBPm) 
                      and amortisation before 
                      the effect of Non-underlying 
                      items in the period. 
                      This is a key management 
                      incentive metric. 
---------------      ----------------------------- 
     Statutory 
      operating 
      profit (audited)                                                           99.9       83.9 
 
     Depreciation 
      and amortisation                                                           -29.6      -34.5      3 
     Non-underlying 
      items                                                                      -1         -4.9       3 
                                                                                ---------  ---------  ------------ 
     Underlying 
      EBITDA                                                                     130.5      123.3 
    --------------------------------------------------------------------------  ---------  ---------  ------------ 
 Free                 Free cash flow being               Free cash               FY17       FY18       Note 
  cash                net cash from operating             flow (GBPm) 
  flow                activities, after 
                      tax, less net cash 
                      used in investing 
                      activities (excluding 
                      acquisitions), less 
                      interest paid, debt 
                      issue costs, purchase 
                      of own shares and 
                      finance lease obligations, 
                      and is stated before 
                      cash flows for 
                      Non-underlying 
                      costs. 
---------------      ----------------------------- 
     Free cash 
      flow                                                                       64.6       55.8 
 
     Dividends                                                                   -39.9      -37.3      CFS 
                                                         Acquisition             -14.8      -          CFS 
                                                          of subsidiary 
                                                         Disposal                0.7        -          CFS 
                                                          of subsidiary 
                                                         Loans issued            -2.2       -          CFS 
                                                         Proceeds                8          -          CFS 
                                                          from new 
                                                          loan 
                                                         Repayment               -          -15        CFS 
                                                          of borrowings 
                                                                                ---------  ---------  ------------ 
     Net increase 
      in cash                                                                    16.3       3.5 
                                                         CFS = Consolidated Statement 
                                                          of Cash Flows 
---------------      -----------------------------      ---------------------------------------------------------- 
 Gross                Gross profit divided               Information provided in 
  profit               by revenue expressed               the consolidated income 
  margin               as a percentage                    statement. 
  (%) 
---------------      -----------------------------      ---------------------------------------------------------- 
 Like-for-like        'Like-for-like' sales              Not applicable. 
                       growth comprises total 
                       revenue in a financial 
                       period compared to 
                       revenue achieved in 
                       a prior period, for 
                       stores, online operations, 
                       grooming salons, vet 
                       practices and referral 
                       centres that have 
                       been trading for 52 
                       weeks or more 
---------------      -----------------------------      ---------------------------------------------------------- 
 Net debt             Cash and cash equivalents          A reconciliation of net 
                       less loans and borrowings          debt is provided in note 
                                                          10. 
---------------      -----------------------------      ---------------------------------------------------------- 
 Underlying           Underlying basic earnings          Underlying              FY17      FY18        Note 
  basic               per share (EPS) is                  basic EPS 
  EPS                 based on earnings                   (p) 
                      per share before the 
                      impact of certain 
                      costs or incomes that 
                      derive from events 
                      or transactions that 
                      fall outside the normal 
                      activities of the 
                      Group, and are excluded 
                      by virtue of their 
                      size and nature in 
                      order to reflect 
                      management's 
                      view of the performance 
                      of the Group. 
---------------      ----------------------------- 
     Underlying 
      basic EPS                                                                  15.3      13.5 
 
     Non-underlying 
      items                                                                      -0.2      -0.9        5 
                                                                                --------  ----------  ------------ 
     Basic Earnings 
      per share                                                                  15.1      12.6 
    --------------------------------------------------------------------------  --------  ----------  ------------ 
 Underlying           Underlying operating               Underlying              FY17      FY18        Note 
  operating           profit is based on                  operating 
  profit              operating profit before             profit (GBPm) 
                      the impact of certain 
                      costs or incomes that 
                      derive from events 
                      or transactions that 
                      fall outside the normal 
                      activities of the 
                      Group, and are excluded 
                      by virtue of their 
                      size and nature in 
                      order to reflect 
                      management's 
                      view of the performance 
                      of the Group. 
---------------      ----------------------------- 
     Underlying 
      operating 
      profit                                                                     100.9     88.8 
 
     Non-underlying 
      items                                                                      -1        -4.9        3 
                                                                                --------  ----------  ------------ 
     Operating 
      profit                                                                     99.9      83.9 
    --------------------------------------------------------------------------  --------  ----------  ------------ 
 Underlying           Underlying profit                  Underlying              FY17      FY18        Note 
  profit               before tax (PBT) is                PBT (GBPm) 
  before               based on pre-tax profit 
  tax                  before the impact 
                       of certain costs or 
                       incomes that derive 
                       from events or transactions 
                       that fall outside 
                       the normal activities 
                       of the Group, and 
                       are excluded by virtue 
                       of their size and 
                       nature in order to 
                       reflect management's 
                       view of the performance 
                       of the Group. 
---------------      ----------------------------- 
     Underlying 
      PBT                                                                        96.4      84.5 
 
     Non-underlying 
      items                                                                      -1        -4.9        3 
                                                                                --------  ----------  ------------ 
     PBT                                                                         95.4      79.6 
    --------------------------------------------------------------------------  --------  ----------  ------------ 
 Underlying           Underlying profit                  Underlying              FY17      FY18        Note 
  profit              after tax (PAT) is                  PAT (GBPm) 
  after               based on post tax 
  tax                 profit before the 
                      impact of certain 
                      costs or incomes that 
                      derive from events 
                      or transactions that 
                      fall outside the normal 
                      activities of the 
                      Group, and are excluded 
                      by virtue of their 
                      size and nature in 
                      order to reflect 
                      management's 
                      view of the performance 
                      of the Group. 
---------------      ----------------------------- 
     Underlying 
      PAT                                                                        76.3      67.5 
 
     Non-underlying 
      items                                                                      -1        -4.9 
                                                                                --------  ----------  ------------ 
     PAT                                                                         75.4      62.6 
    --------------------------------------------------------------------------  --------  ----------  ------------ 
 Underlying           Underlying total tax               Underlying              FY17      FY18        Note 
  total                expense is based on                total tax 
  tax expense          the statutory tax                  expense 
                       expense for the period             (GBPm) 
                       (being the net of 
                       current and deferred 
                       tax) before the impact 
                       of certain costs of 
                       incomes that derive 
                       from events or transactions 
                       that fall outside 
                       the normal activities 
                       of the Group, and 
                       are excluded by virtue 
                       of their size and 
                       nature in order to 
                       reflect management's 
                       view of the performance 
                       of the Group. 
---------------      ----------------------------- 
     Underlying 
      tax expense                                                                -20       -17 
 
     Non-underlying 
      items                                                                       -        0.2         3,8 
                                                                                --------  ----------  ------------ 
     Tax expense                                                                 -20       -16.8 
    --------------------------------------------------------------------------  --------  ----------  ------------ 
 Working              Working capital movement           Net working             FY17      FY18        Note 
  capital              is a measure of the                capital 
                       cash required by the               (GBPm) Movement 
                       business to fund its 
                       inventory, receivables 
                       and payables. The 
                       change year on year 
                       reflects the cash 
                       in/outflow in relation 
                       to changes in the 
                       working capital cycle 
                       excluding Non-underlying 
                       items. The change 
                       in working capital 
                       is a key component 
                       of the free cash flow 
                       measure of the Group. 
---------------      ----------------------------- 
     Net working 
      capital                                                                    -2.3      2.9 
 
                                                         Being: 
     Increase 
      in trade 
      and other 
      receivables                                                                -8.9      -6          CFS 
     Increase 
      in inventories                                                             -5        -4.1        CFS 
     Increase 
      in trade 
      and other 
      payables                                                                   11.5      11.8        CFS 
     Excluding 
      movement 
      in payables 
      relating 
      to Non-underlying 
      items                                                                                -2.4 
     Decrease 
      in provisions                                                              0.1       1.1         CFS 
     Excluding 
      movement 
      in provision 
      relating 
      to                                                                                   -0.9 
                                                                                --------  ----------  ------------ 
                                                         Non-underlying 
                                                          items 
                                                                                --------   ---------  ------------ 
     Net working 
      capital                                                                    -2.3      -0.4 
                                                         CFS = Consolidated Statement 
                                                          of Cash Flows 
                                                         Net working             FY17      FY18        Note 
                                                          capital 
     Receivables                                                                 69.7      74.8 
     Inventory                                                                   56.4      60.5 
     Trade and 
      other receivables 
      (incl Corporation 
      Tax)                                                                       -211.6    -222.1 
     Provisions                                                                  -0.5      -0.8 
     Non-current 
      provisions                                                                 -1.4      -2.2 
                                                                                --------  ----------  ------------ 
     Net working 
      capital                                                                    -87.4     -89.8 
    --------------------------------------------------------------------------  --------  ----------  ------------ 
 Omni                 Revenue net of discounts           (GBPm)                  FY17      FY18        Note 
  channel             and VAT from core 
  Revenue             online, sales, subscriptions 
                      and order to store. 
                                                                                 51.4      29.4 
    --------------------------------------------------------------------------  --------  ----------  ------------ 
 Underlying           Earnings before interest            (GBPm)                 FY17      FY18        Note 
  EBIT                 and tax agreed to 
                       operating profit relating 
                       to underlying trading 
---------------      ----------------------------- 
     Operating 
      profit relating 
      to Underlying 
      trading 
      (EBIT)                                                                     100.9     88.8 
    --------------------------------------------------------------------------  --------  ----------  ------------ 
 
 

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