SHEP Shepherd Neame Limited

Shepherd Neame

Interim results for the 26 weeks to 23 December 2023

Shepherd Neame, Britain's Oldest Brewer and owner and operator of 296 high quality pubs in Kent and the Southeast, today announces results for the 26 weeks ended 23 December 2023.

In a period of robust demand, the Company has performed well achieving strong like-for-like sales growth, record H1[1] revenues and an increase in underlying profits despite continued inflationary pressures across the business.

Consumer demand remained good, record revenue, improved underlying profit

· Revenue for the half year grew by +4.3% to a record £89.0m (H1 2023: £85.3m)

· Underlying EBITDA[2] grew by +5.2% to £12.0m (H1 2023: £11.4m)

· Underlying operating profit grew by +8.0% to £6.8m (H1 2023: £6.3m)

· Underlying profit before tax[3] grew by +9.9% to £3.8m (H1 2023: £3.5m)

· Statutory profit before tax was £1.1m (H1 2023: £5.5m)

· £6.6m invested in core capital expenditure (H1 2023: £4.0m)

· Underlying basic earnings per share[4] were 18.3p (H1 2023: 18.7p). The benefit of the increase in underlying profit has been offset by the higher rate of tax. Basic earnings per share were 4.4p (H1 2023: 28.9p)

· Net assets per share[5] were £11.92 (H1 2023: £12.12)

· Interim dividend of 4.2p (H1 2023: 4.0p), an increase of +5.0%

Operational performance

Operational highlights

·      Total retail sales up +12.3% to £41.4m (H1 2023: £36.9m), boosted by a strong Christmas

· For the adjusted Christmas period, from 1 to 31 December 2023, like-for-like retail sales were up +14.9% vs 2022

· Retail like-for-like drink sales up +8.9% vs H1 2023

· Retail like-for-like food sales up +3.7% vs H1 2023

· Total occupancy was down at 73.4% (H1 2023: 81.6%) but RevPAR held up well at £86 (H1 2023: £90)

·      Tenanted trade was resilient and continues to perform well

·      Divisional revenue was £17.7m (H1 2023: £17.4m) and operating profit was £6.6m (H1 2023: £6.9m)

·      Beer volumes are down as cask ale and bottled ales decline, but strong performance in independent on-trade

· Divisional revenue was £29.2m (H1 2023: £30.3m), with an operating profit of £0.2m (H1 2023: loss of £0.4m)

· New logistics contract for warehousing and distribution as we invest in service and heartland

Current trading and outlook

Jonathan Neame, CEO of Shepherd Neame, said:

"Consumer demand has remained robust, with exceptional trade over the Christmas period. It has been a particularly strong period for our London pubs as people continue to return to their offices.

Whilst the inflation outlook is improving overall, we do face new inflationary challenges such as the further rise to the National Living Wage.

We are encouraged by the performance of our recent retail developments and have a good pipeline of schemes to deliver to further improve the premium quality of the estate.   

We have a strong balance sheet, a well-balanced, cash generative business and a fantastic team of dedicated talent that give us confidence in our long-term prospects."

20 March 2024

NOTES FOR EDITORS

Shepherd Neame is Britain's oldest brewer. Established in 1698 and based in Faversham, Kent it employs around 1,800 people.

The Company operates 296 pubs, of which 219 were tenanted or leased, 71 managed and six were held as investment properties under commercial free of tie leases. 85% of the estate is freehold. The pub estate ranges from inns and hotels to destination dining, great traditional and local community pubs.

The Company brews, markets and distributes its own beers to national and export customers under a range of highly successful brand names including Spitfire, Bishops Finger, Whitstable Bay and Bear Island.

The Company also has a partnership with Boon Rawd Brewery Company for Singha beer, Thailand's original premium beer.

INTERIM STATEMENT

OVERVIEW

I am pleased to report a strong trading period for the Company in the six months to 23 December 2023 and, at last, the easing of some of the inflationary pressures the Company has faced in recent years.

Consumer demand has remained robust throughout the period. Our pubs, in particular, have performed well, with strong like-for-like sales growth in both tenanted and retail pubs. Revenue has risen to record levels for the first half of the year. Net debt, excluding lease liabilities, is broadly level even after a period of significant investment, and the interim dividend has again been increased.

An unseasonably damp summer in the key trading months of July and August temporarily hampered demand in our coastal sites over the holidays, before a late burst of sunshine in September and early October. We only experienced six days of rail strikes during the period, compared to the severe disruption in the prior year. Christmas trade was exceptional, as consumers celebrated their first uninterrupted Christmas since 2019, with many of our pubs achieving daily or weekly record sales.

Throughout the period, we have enjoyed the continued return to offices by city-centre workers and in-bound tourism nearing pre-pandemic levels. Consequently, this has been a particularly strong period for our London pubs.

Whilst the cost-of-living crisis is still squeezing consumer pockets, hospitality has fared better than high street retail. Within that context, pubs have generally been performing better than casual dining, once again proving the resilience of the Great British pub.

Pleasingly, the inflation outlook for cost of goods is improving and pricing in food, raw materials, energy, and energy-related products is stabilising, albeit at a level around +10% higher than the prior year. Whilst we do face new inflationary challenges, such as the further rise to the National Living Wage which takes effect from 1 April 2024, hospitality businesses are potential beneficiaries of the additional discretionary spend this will put in consumers' pockets.

We are pleased to note that business rates relief for the majority of our tenanted pubs has been extended for one further year to the end of March 2025.

We have increased investment in our core business back to pre-pandemic levels. We have carried out some superb transformational projects during this period in the retail estate, with pleasing results so far. We have a great pipeline of transformational projects and an ambitious programme ahead.

This year is a 53-week financial year and we have taken the decision to reinvest the additional profit from this extra week in increased investment in the estate.

The performance in this half is only made possible thanks to the quality of our teams. We have strength in depth across our business. It is thanks to the hard work, dedication and skill of our brilliant team members and licensee partners that we can perform at such a high level when circumstances are right.

I am particularly delighted that we achieved our highest monthly net promoter score across our retail business during a very busy December. We scored well in The Licensee Index, an independent survey benchmarking us against our peer set. We have won a number of awards for our beers. We are also finalists in The Publican Awards for Best Partnership Pub Company and for Best New Site for our development at the Duke of Cumberland in Whitstable.

FINANCIAL RESULTS

Revenue was £89.0m (H1 2023: £85.3m), an increase of +4.3% on the prior year.

Underlying operating profit was £6.8m (H1 2023: £6.3m), an increase of +8.0%.

Underlying profit before tax was £3.8m (H1 2023: £3.5m), an increase of +9.9%.

Statutory profit before tax was £1.1m (H1 2023: £5.5m).

Underlying basic earnings per share were 18.3p (H1 2023: 18.7p). The benefit of the increase in underlying profit has been offset by the increase in the tax rate.

Net assets per share were £11.92 (H1 2023: £12.12).

DIVIDEND

The Board is declaring an interim dividend of 4.2p per share (H1 2023: 4.0p), an increase of +5.0%.

The dividend will be paid to those shareholders on the register as at 5 April 2024 and paid on 19 April 2024.

CASHFLOW, NET DEBT, AND INVESTMENT

Cashflow has remained robust. During the period, underlying EBITDA was £12.0m (H1 2023: £11.4m), an increase of +5.2%.

Net debt, excluding lease liabilities, was £83.7m (H1 2023: £82.8m). Statutory net debt was £139.4m (H1 2023: £138.9m).

The cash and net debt position has supported an increase in core capital expenditure. In the first half, we invested £6.6m (H1 2023: £4.0m) in core capital expenditure and a further £0.8m on new site acquisitions (H1 2023: £6.7m). Total capital expenditure during the period was £7.4m (H1 2023: £10.7m).

TENANTED AND RETAIL PUB OPERATIONS

OVERVIEW

As at 23 December 2023, we owned 296 pubs (June 2023: 296), of which 219 (June 2023: 217) are tenanted or leased, 71 (June 2023: 72) are retail pubs and six (June 2023: seven) operated on a free-of-tie basis as investment properties. 85% of our pubs are owned freehold.

During the period we transferred one retail pub to tenanted. We sold one pub (H1 2023: three) and acquired one pub - the Ship Inn, Herne Bay - which will be operated under tenancy.

We have also agreed to buy the freehold of the Bishops Finger in Smithfield Market, to complete in July 2024. We believe that this site has excellent long-term potential as this area becomes the new cultural heart of the City of London, with the redevelopment of the market and relocation of the Museum of London.

Since the summer, we have carried out several major capital projects with the aim of further premiumising our retail estate. The Duke of Cumberland in Whitstable underwent a £1.7m transformation as it transferred to the retail estate. We have added eight superior bedrooms here. We have invested £0.7m at the Tom Cribb, near Leicester Square, and £1.3m at the Royal Crown in Rochester. We have carried out smaller schemes at the Windsor Castle in Carshalton and a bedroom refurbishment at the Royal Albion in Broadstairs. Since Christmas we have reopened the Crown at Blackheath where we have invested £0.7m.

We have an ambitious plan under development for further major schemes in our retail business.

RETAIL PUBS AND HOTELS

For the 26 weeks to 23 December 2023, our retail pubs achieved encouraging like-for-like sales growth of +6.2% (H1 2023: +11.9%).

Inside the M25, like-for-like sales were up +17.5% (H1 2023: +39.1%) and outside the M25 up +1.8% (H1 2023: +3.4%).

For the adjusted Christmas period, from 1 to 31 December, like-for-like retail sales were up +14.9%, driven by drinks sales at +18.9% and food sales at +11.6%, with accommodation sales softer at -7.3%.

For the 26 weeks, like-for-like drinks sales were up +8.9%, like-for-like food sales were up +3.7% and like-for-like accommodation down -2.2%.

At 23 December 2023, we operated 240 (H1 2023: 232) rooms in our retail estate. Occupancy was down at 73.4% (H1 2023: 81.6%), reflecting fewer staycations. Revenue per available room held up well at £86 (H1 2023: £90).

Divisional revenue in Retail pubs was up +12.3% at £41.4m (H1 2023: £36.9m). Underlying operating profit was up +13.3% at £5.3m (H1 2023: £4.7m). Divisional operating profit was down at £3.4m (H1 2023: £4.7m).

TENANTED PUBS

Trade in our tenanted pubs has remained resilient during this period. As in our retail pubs, trends are biased towards London and drink led sites. Our community pubs have done well and we continue to attract a steady flow of high-quality applicants for the small number of pubs where we are seeking a new partner.

In both the tenanted and retail pub estates we have increased our maintenance levels and number of external decoration projects.

Like-for-like net pub income was +5.1% (H1 2023: +7.1%).

Divisional revenue in Tenanted pubs was up +1.5% to £17.7m (H1 2023: £17.4m) and divisional operating profit was £6.6m (H1 2023: £6.9m).

BREWING AND BRANDS

This division continues to evolve in the face of challenges in the marketplace and a shift away from the historically strong categories of cask beer and premium bottled ales. Whilst we have continued to see lower volumes in these areas, we have seen a stronger performance in the on-trade (including our own pubs) and in keg beers.

Our performance in the independent free trade has been strong with volume growth in many brands, particularly keg beers. Almost all our volume decline is in bottled beers in the off-trade, where prices have had to increase to offset the inflationary impact of glass, malt, CO2, packaging waste, and logistics. As a consequence of this volume drop, we have reluctantly made 10 roles redundant in our packaging operation.

During the period, we have also entered into a new contract with GXO Logistics. Under this agreement we will exit the national shared-user network that we have utilised for the last 10 years. From March 2024, we have transitioned to a dedicated operation with all warehousing and logistics based at our site in Faversham. This will deliver improvements in customer service levels and strengthen our proposition in our heartland. Investment in the new agreement will come at a higher cost, the full impact of which will not be felt until 2025.

The restructuring of our packaging and logistics operations gave rise to an exceptional cost of £0.8m in the first half.

We have refreshed the Spitfire Lager brand with new livery and glassware, as it continues to deliver good growth in our business. We have brewed some excellent beers with great taste and flavour from the Small Batch brewery. To support our on-trade business, we have modernised our keg plant with an upgrade and new robot, at a cost of £0.5m.

In common with others in our industry, divisional revenue in Brewing and Brands was down -3.8% on lower volumes to £29.2m (H1 2023: £30.3m). Total beer volume was -10.5% vs H1 2023. Own beer volume was -16.7% vs H1 2023. The division has returned to profit at £0.2m (H1 2023: loss of £0.4m).   

INVESTMENT PROPERTY

As at 23 December 2023, the Company owned investment property valued at £6.7m (H1 2023: £6.9m). We have sold one property during the period (2023: two). Much of the local development has stalled in the last year, as house building has slowed, but we continue to promote sites in the local area for potential development and remain convinced of their long-term merits.

OUTLOOK AND CURRENT TRADING

The strong Christmas trade has given everyone a boost. Demand is robust, cost trends appear to be improving, and recruitment of good talent - whilst never easy - is more stable.

However, the impact of higher interest rates is still feeding through into mortgages as some homeowners come off low fixed-rate deals and the impact for many is yet to be felt. On the other hand, real wages are starting to grow again. If this continues, and prices start to stabilise and interest rates fall, as many predict, then these factors should result in higher net disposable income in due course.

In terms of costs, the National Living Wage will increase by +9.8% in April to £11.44, making a total increase of 59% in the rate since 2016, and the eligibility age is to be reduced to 21. This increase will increase our costs by £1.8m on a full year basis and impact the last quarter of this financial year by £0.4m. As we renew our agreement with our logistics provider, the cost will rise materially throughout 2025.

We are encouraged by the performance to date of our recent development schemes. We continue to take a long-term view and remain focused on inward investment and have many great schemes to deliver.

For the 12 weeks to 16 March 2024, like-for-like sales in our retail pubs were +4.9% vs 2023. Like-for-like tenanted pub income for the nine weeks to 24 February 2024 was +3.3% vs 2023. Total beer volume was -11.8% vs 2023. Own beer volume was -16.9% vs 2023.

This has been, to say the least, a turbulent few years for the hospitality sector. There have been many challenges and pitfalls. We try to adapt to the short-term challenges, such as inflationary pressures, as best we can, whilst at the same time remaining alive to the great long-term opportunities which we uncover. The fundamental strengths of Shepherd Neame, as a well-balanced, well-invested, cash generative business, with great people operating at the heart of our communities, are intact. We remain confident in your Company's long-term prospects.

JONATHAN NEAME

Chief Executive

GROUP income statement
For the 26 weeks ended 23 December 2023

All results are derived from continuing activities.

Group statement of comprehensive income
For the 26 weeks ended 23 December 2023

GROUP STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL POSITION
As at 23 December 2023

GROUP STATEMENT OF CHANGES IN EQUITY

For the 26 weeks ended 23 December 2023

GROUP STATEMENT OF CASH FLOWS

For the 26 weeks ended 23 December 2023

¹Bank overdrafts are disclosed within current borrowings totalling £4,828k.