Preliminary Results
SUSTAINED OPERATING MARGIN AND STRONG CASH GENERATION; FULL YEAR DIVIDEND UP 25%
FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS
· Group revenue up 1.4% at £4,845m, down 1.4% on a like-for-like basis
· Adjusted operating profit, up 4.3% to £327m, adjusted PBT up 1.1% to £300m, and adjusted EPS up 2.1% to 95.1p
· Reported PBT after exceptional items (note 6 and note 9) up 16.2% to £313m
· Sustained adjusted operating margin to 6.7%
· Free cash flow generated of £242m
· Underlying £155m debt reduction, net debt down to £452m, with lease adjusted net debt to EBITDAR at 3.2x (2011: 3.4x) (note 17)
· Full year dividend of 25p per share up 25%, with adjusted dividend cover now 3.8 times
OPERATING HIGHLIGHTS
· Increased BSS synergy target achieved and integration programme near completion
· Toolstation network expansion to 123 branches and Toolstation Europe trial launched in the Netherlands
· Gross margin before synergies increased by 0.2%
· Tight cost control, like-for-like overheads down 2.3%
· Solfex systems acquired on 30 January 2013 for initial consideration of £8m