Strictly embargoed until: 07.00, 27 November
2024
Focusrite
plc
("Focusrite" or "the Company" or "the Group")
Final Results for the Year
Ended 31 August 2024
Focusrite plc (AIM: TUNE), the
global music and audio products group supplying hardware and
software used by professional and amateur musicians and the
entertainment industry, announces its Final Results for the year
ended 31 August 2024 (FY24).
Commenting on the final year results Tim Carroll CEO,
said:
"FY24 presented both challenges and opportunities. We
experienced softness in the Content Creation market, primarily due
to inflation impacting consumer confidence and channel de-stocking.
However, we took proactive steps to address these issues and
launched significant new products which will drive future growth
when market conditions improve. Within Content Creation our
underlying end-user registrations were stable over the prior year,
indicating ongoing robust demand for our products across all
channels. Our Audio Reproduction segment delivered strong
results. Recent acquisitions, combined with a focus on innovative
product development, have strengthened our Audio Reproduction
division, driving notable growth despite the broader market
conditions.
The Group has new product launches planned for the coming
year, which will further strengthen our brand positioning.
Additionally, the Group has once again demonstrated its ability to
execute on its proactive M&A strategy and we continue to
carefully consider acquisitions that not only enhance earnings but
also expand our market potential, boost our R&D capabilities,
and add both scale and dynamism to our business.
We remain mindful of the significant global economic and
political challenges, as well as ongoing cost pressures,
particularly in logistics and the supply chain. Consequently,
we continue to manage costs carefully,
whilst making appropriate investment, and focus on
improving gross margins where
there is the opportunity to do
so.
Trading in the first three months of the current financial
period is in line with expectations. We will continue to execute on
our strategy and, in doing so, we remain optimistic about the
Group's future growth prospects."
Financial and operational highlights
|
FY24
|
FY23
|
Change
|
Revenue (£ million)
|
158.5
|
178.5
|
-11.2%
|
Gross margin %
|
44.5%
|
47.5%
|
-3.0ppts
|
Adjusted1
EBITDA2 (£ million)
|
25.2
|
38.6
|
-34.6%
|
Operating profit (£
million)
|
5.7
|
24.3
|
-76.5%
|
Adjusted1 operating
profit (£ million)
|
16.6
|
30.4
|
-45.4%
|
Basic earnings per share
(p)
|
4.5
|
30.4
|
-85.2%
|
Adjusted1 diluted
earnings per share (p)
|
18.0
|
38.4
|
-53.1%
|
Total dividend per share
(p)
|
6.6
|
6.6
|
-
|
Net debt3 (£
million)
|
(12.5)
|
(1.3)
|
+£11.2m
|
· Group
revenue decreased by 11.2%, (-10.0% organic, after adjusting for
acquisitions and currency4) primarily driven by
challenges in the Content Creation division, which experienced a
drop in demand, partially offset by growth in Audio
Reproduction.
o Content Creation:
Revenue fell by 19.1% (-17.4% organic constant currency), as the
market continued to de-stock post-pandemic. Focusrite maintained
its market leadership despite this challenging environment, and
ADAM Audio saw 22.6% growth (+25.5% organic constant
currency).
o Audio
Reproduction: Strong revenue growth of 14.9% (+14.4% organic
constant currency), supported by demand for live events
post-pandemic, acquisitions and product launches, particularly in
immersive audio technologies.
· Gross
margin decreased by 3.0 percentage points, of which 1.3 percentage
point was as a result of a write-down and sale of
Vocaster stock as
previously reported. The remaining decrease was due to
increased freight costs and promotional activity, and supply chain
challenges but freight costs are beginning to stabilise at this
elevated level.
· Adjusted EBITDA declined by 34.7%, with profitability
impacted by the lower sales and cost inflation, though proactive
cost management helped mitigate the downturn.
· Operating profit decreased by 76.5% impacted by a £5.4
million non-cash impairment of Sequential assets reflecting the
current difficulties for premium synthesizers in this
market.
· Net
debt increased by £11.2 million to £12.5 million, primarily due to
investments in product development and acquisitions. The
Group has £50 million of committed credit facilities which provide
strong liquidity for ongoing operations and any potential M&A
activity.
· Innovation: launched 35 new products and made 53 updates,
including Novation's Launchkey MK4 and Sequential's TEO-5 synthesizer, enhancing
the Group's competitive position.
· M&A: the acquisitions of Sheriff Technology and panLab
have bolstered the Group's position in the immersive sound
segment.
1 Adjusted for amortisation
of acquired intangible assets, acquisition and restructuring costs
and other adjusting items
2 Comprising operating profit
adjusted for interest, taxation, depreciation and amortisation see
note 2 Alternative Performance Measures
3 Net debt defined as cash
and cash equivalents, overdrafts and amounts drawn against the RCF
including the costs of arranging the RCF see note 2 Alternative
Performance Measures
4 This is calculated by
comparing FY24 revenue to FY23 revenue adjusted for FY24 exchange
rates and the impact of acquisitions.
Availability of Annual Report and Notice of
AGM
The Annual Report and Accounts for
the financial year ended 31 August 2024 and notice of the Annual
General Meeting ("AGM") of Focusrite will be posted to shareholders
by Friday 13 December and will be available on Focusrite's website
at www.focusriteplc.com.
Dividend timetable
The final dividend is subject to
shareholder approval, which will be sought at Focusrite's AGM on 31
January 2025.
The timetable for the final dividend
is as follows:
31 January 2025
|
AGM to approve
the recommended final dividend
|
24 December 2024
|
Ex-dividend
Date
|
27 December 2024
|
Record
Date
|
7 February 2025
|
Dividend payment
date
|
-Ends-
Enquiries:
|
|
Focusrite plc
|
+44 (0) 1494 462246
|
Tim Carroll (CEO) / Sally McKone
(CFO)
|
|
Investec Bank plc (Nominated Adviser and Joint
Broker)
|
+44 (0) 20 7597 5970
|
David Flin / Nick
Prowting
|
|
Peel Hunt LLP (Joint Broker)
|
+44 (0) 20 7418 8900
|
Ben Cryer / Adam Telling
|
|
Rosewood (Financial PR)
|
+44 (0) 20 7653
8702
|
John West / Llew Angus / Lily
Pearce
|
|
Notes to Editors
Focusrite plc is a global audio
products group that develops and markets proprietary hardware and
software products. Used by audio professionals and musicians, its
solutions facilitate the high-quality production of recorded and
live sound. The Focusrite Group trades under thirteen established
brands: Focusrite, Focusrite Pro, Novation, Ampify, ADAM Audio,
Martin Audio, Optimal Audio, Linea Research Sequential, Oberheim,
Sonnox, OutBoard and TiMax.
With a high-quality reputation and
a rich heritage spanning decades, its brands are category leaders
in the music-making and audio recording industries. Focusrite and
Focusrite Pro offer audio interfaces and other products for
recording musicians, producers and professional audio facilities.
Novation and Ampify products are used in the creation of electronic
music, from synthesizers and grooveboxes to industry-shaping
controllers and inspirational music-making apps. ADAM Audio studio
monitors have earned a worldwide reputation based on technological
innovation in the field of studio loudspeaker technology.
Martin Audio designs and manufactures performance-ready systems
across the spectrum of sound reinforcement applications. Linea
designs, develops, manufactures and sells innovative professional
audio equipment globally. Sequential designs and manufactures
high end analogue synthesizers under the Sequential and Oberheim
brands. Sonnox is a leading designer of innovative, high-quality,
award-winning audio processing software plug-ins for professional
audio engineers. TiMax specialises in innovative immersive audio
and show control technologies. OutBoard manufactures and sells
industry standard rigging control products for live events,
together with enterprise-level safety test, preparation and quality
management for global rental companies and venues.
The Company has offices in four
continents and a global customer base with a distribution network
covering approximately 240 territories.
Focusrite plc is traded on the AIM
market, London Stock Exchange.
Chairman's Report
Following outstanding performance
during the pandemic in the Content Creation division that includes
the Focusrite,
Novation and ADAM Audio
as well as the more recently acquired Sequential,
Oberheim and Sonnox brands, we have experienced a significant
market contraction which is reflected in a reduction in Group
revenues and profit. That said, ADAM Audio is recovering,
with very positive growth of established models in FY24 and has
recently added new desktop-size speakers and the first of a new
headphone range. The emergence of Dolby Atmos for Music is also
creating a renewed interest in new multiple-speaker solutions for
recording studios large and small. We also experienced excellent
growth in the Audio Reproduction division that contains Martin
Audio, Linea Research and the recently acquired TiMax and OutBoard
brands from Sheriff Technology Ltd.
Notwithstanding the market
contraction that has affected all brands that address the content
creation market globally, it has to be noted that our brands, most
notably Focusrite, are still leading in their product categories
with Focusrite believed to be the dominant brand globally in Audio
Interfaces priced below $500, with significant market share. To
support this leading position, the Group has consistently invested in
long-term manufacturing commitments with its manufacturing partners
in China and Malaysia. This has enabled us to meet peaks in demand,
notably during the pandemic, but has resulted in larger than
desired inventories in the sales channel of our most popular
products during the year as pandemic-related demand subsided. These
are being reduced over time. There is a determined policy by the
Board to ensure that the Group maintains a strong balance sheet and
positive cash generation.
The great success story for 2024
has been Martin Audio and the Audio Reproduction Division. Having
last year acquired Linea Research, its amplifier supplier based in
Letchworth, Hertfordshire, Martin has gone from strength to
strength. During the pandemic Martin pivoted to supplying permanent
installations of loudspeakers in venues that took advantage of
being "dark" to
refurbish and re-equip. Once touring and festivals resumed, the
traditional Martin customers that provide sound systems for such
events needed to re-equip having in many cases sold off their
inventories to maintain cashflow during their dark period, Linea
has since doubled its monthly output levels to meet Martin and
third-party demand. Installation continues to be an important
market globally, from auditoria to houses-of-worship, nightclubs
and bars. Importantly Martin Audio systems are the preferred
solutions for BST Hyde Park and Glastonbury having long-term proven superiority
in both reproduction and control (i.e. avoiding sound reaching
sensitive, residential areas). The recent acquisition of TiMax
enables Martin to offer a complete solution for Immersive Audio.
This is a relatively new but important branch of Audio Reproduction
that features in Opera, Drama and Experience events.
At the heart of our strategy is
the commitment to removing barriers to creativity, enabling artists
and professionals alike to deliver high-quality audio. This year,
we launched 35 new products, further strengthening our market
position across key categories. Our continued focus on research and
development, coupled with targeted M&A activity, has ensured
that we remain at the forefront of the rapidly growing immersive
audio market. The acquisitions of Sheriff Technology and panLab
have expanded our Audio Reproduction portfolio, enhancing our
offerings in immersive sound technologies, which we believe will be
a significant growth driver in the coming years.
Our financial position remains
strong, despite the challenging environment. We have maintained low
gearing, and a robust balance sheet, supported by our long-term
bank facilities. We are confident that the investments we have made
this year will lay the groundwork for sustained growth,
particularly as market conditions stabilise in the Content Creation
sector.
Despite the current challenges, we
are excited and positive about the outlook for the Group, each
division is well-managed with strong brands and excellent products,
the executive team are well on top of the challenges at both Group
and operating levels, and investment for the future,
i.e. in product
development and systems (IT and financial), is robust, all of which
we are confident will lead to growth and financial success when
market conditions permit.
Phil Dudderidge
Non-Executive Chairman and Founder
CEO
Statement
Introduction
I am pleased to report on our
results for the year ended 31 August 2024 and to share with you
some commentary on the Group's experiences over this
year.
In summary, FY24 presented both
challenges and opportunities. We experienced softness in the
Content Creation market, primarily due to ongoing inflation
impacting consumer confidence and channel de-stocking. However, we
took proactive steps to address these issues and launched
significant new products which will drive future growth. Our Audio
Reproduction segment delivered strong results, reflecting our
strategic focus on immersive audio technologies. Our acquisitions,
combined with a focus on innovative product development, have
strengthened that division, driving notable growth despite the
broader market conditions.
Our two divisions, Content
Creation and Audio Reproduction, have both had a highly productive
year, with numerous new product launches and updates leading to
increased market share in key product groups. Continued
macroeconomic trends, including cost-of-living pressures, rising
freight charges, and component price increases, have remained a
challenge throughout the year, most notably impacting Content
Creation. The industry is now just beginning to see some
stabilisation after two years of uncertainty as a consequence of a
significant retraction from the post-pandemic spike.
The Group is dedicated to gaining
valuable insights from our customers, actively collecting data
during their onboarding and user journeys as they engage with our
products. We closely monitor Net Promoter Scores
('NPS'),
which serves as a key performance indicator ('KPI') across all our businesses.
Additionally, we combine our proprietary data with industry market
sources to ensure that we consistently stay attuned to our
customers' evolving needs and purchasing behaviours. These efforts have
enabled our products to outperform the market, with increased share
in key categories.
Our Audio Reproduction division
has continued to grow this year, seizing more opportunities with
our expanded and diversified product portfolio, against a backdrop
of strong demand for live and installed sound systems. Both
acquisitions made during FY24 were in the Audio Reproduction space
and have performed well.
The Group's R&D efforts resulted in the
launch of 35 new products, alongside 53 updates to existing
products and 53 content releases during the fiscal year.
Additionally, we have continued to
refine our go-to-market approach. Most notably, this past year we
took our Linea Research and Optimal Audio business from distributor
to direct-to-retailer in the US and established a local team in Japan
for our Content Creation business.
Our employee base, which now
totals 565, consists of a remarkable group of passionate
professionals, including musicians, DJs, audio engineers, live
sound experts, and podcasters/streamers. We are fortunate to have
employees who actively use our solutions in real-world scenarios,
contributing their experiences, feedback and technical expertise.
We continue to invest in our people and, wherever possible, promote
from within, which resulted in several employees stepping into
larger roles this year. Additionally, we continue to seek and
attract top global talent to further enhance the Group.
Our
Group Structure
The Group is structured into two
core divisions with 13 brands, supported by dedicated regional
sales teams and common Group functions.
Our primary locations are in the
UK (High Wycombe, Letchworth, Oxford, and London), Germany
(Berlin), Hong Kong, Australia (Melbourne) and the US (Los Angeles,
Nashville, and San Francisco).
Additionally, the Group maintains
a proactive approach to M&A, carefully evaluating potential
acquisitions that not only enhance earnings but also expand our
reach into existing and new markets, while boosting our R&D
capabilities. This past year saw two strategic additions to the
Group through M&A: Sheriff Technologies, which includes TiMax
and OutBoard, and Innovate Audio, which includes panlLab software.
Both of these acquisitions have expanded the Group's opportunity
base within the growing immersive sound segment.
Operating Review
Revenue
|
12 months
to
31 August
2024
£'000
|
12
months to
31
August 2023
£'000
|
Reported
Growth
%
|
OCC
Growth1
%
|
Focusrite
|
60.3
|
86.3
|
-30.2
|
-28.2
|
Novation
|
16.2
|
16.6
|
-1.9
|
0.6
|
ADAM Audio
|
22.6
|
18.4
|
22.6
|
25.5
|
Sequential
|
9.7
|
14.5
|
-33.0
|
-31.2
|
Sonnox2
|
2.0
|
1.1
|
72.8
|
8.6
|
Content Creation
|
110.8
|
137.0
|
-19.1
|
-17.4
|
Audio Reproduction
|
47.7
|
41.5
|
14.9
|
14.4
|
Total
|
158.5
|
178.5
|
-11.2
|
-10.0
|
1Organic constant currency
(OCC) growth rate is calculated by comparing FY24 revenue to FY23
revenue adjusted for FY24 exchange rates and the impact of
acquisitions.
2 Sonnox included for 8
months from acquisition in FY23 from December
2022.
FY24 continued to be a challenging
period for our industry, with many sources reporting significant
declines across several of the Group's categories. The diversity of the
Group's portfolio, along with strong product introductions and
market-leading brands, helped mitigate many of these headwinds. The
Content Creation segment has struggled to stabilise post-pandemic,
facing numerous macroeconomic challenges. Inflation, price
increases in freight and components, and a bloated channel across
all categories created a difficult backdrop throughout the year.
However, our brands remain market leaders, maintaining relative
market share levels which stands us in good stead when markets
improve.
In contrast to the Content
Creation environment, Audio Reproduction experienced growth as the
industry continued to recover from the years of depressed demand
during the pandemic. Thanks to the Group's investments in Audio Reproduction
over the past four years, our offerings in this space are now the
most comprehensive they have ever been, enabling us to capitalise
on and win many more opportunities than in previous
years.
Content Creation
|
12 months
to
31 August
2024
£m
|
12
months to 31 August 2023
£m
|
Reported
Growth %
|
OCC
Growth1
%
|
North America
|
49.3
|
65.0
|
-24.1
|
-21.7
|
EMEA
|
47.7
|
52.9
|
-9.9
|
-9.3
|
ROW
|
13.8
|
19.1
|
-27.6
|
-26.1
|
Total
|
110.8
|
137.0
|
-19.1
|
-17.4
|
1Organic constant currency
(OCC) growth rate is calculated by comparing FY24 revenue to FY23
revenue adjusted for FY24 exchange rates and the impact of
acquisitions.
We describe Content Creation as the
process and technologies used to create audio. Our Content Creation
brands are utilised by artists to produce professional-sounding
audio for individual enjoyment through to professional content
created for a wider audience across a variety of mediums. The
brands in this category had mixed performances over the year:
Focusrite and Sequential faced challenges, but this was partially
offset by strong performances from ADAM Audio and Sonnox, resulting
in a 19.1% decline (17.4% on an organic constant currency basis)
year over year.
Content Creation top-line revenue
declined year over year in all regions. North America and APAC
witnessed the biggest declines. The decline in APAC was primarily
due to ongoing softness in China, as reported across trade
publications and other companies within this space. In North
America, while sell-through to
end-customers remained in-line with the
previous year, the decline was driven by industry-wide channel
de-stocking, which persisted throughout the year.
In contrast, Europe, Middle East and Africa ('EMEA') experienced a relatively low decline compared to the prior
year, with most regions and partners performing well. The exception
was one continent-wide reseller who negatively changed their
inventory holding policy very late in Q4 affecting the entire
category.
Focusrite, being the largest
business unit in this category, continued to be impacted by this
high level of channel de-stocking and lower market demand, largely
attributed to cost of living pressures and inflation as well as
resellers and distributors seeking to reduce working capital.
Revenue was further impacted by a targeted reduction of stock in
our US sales channel and a decision made close to year end by one
of our major global distributors to reduce stocking levels.
However, Focusrite's end user sales rankings and market share with top resellers
remained strong and, in some cases, even increased throughout the
year, highlighting the overall strength of the Focusrite brand,
even in a difficult market.
Focusrite/Focusrite Pro branded products and solutions include the Scarlett, Clarett,
Vocaster, Red, and RedNet range of audio interfaces.
The Scarlett range, focused
primarily on the home studio customer, continues to dominate the
market, maintaining its leading global market share. As previously
reported, the Scarlett range underwent a major product transition
late in the second half of FY23, at a time when the global channel
was still heavily overstocked across almost all categories. The
launch of the 4th Generation Scarlett Solo, 2i2, 4i4, and related
bundles was announced at the end of August 2023 to industry-wide
acclaim for the new features and specifications. However, due to
the industry-wide slowdown and channel overstock mentioned earlier,
the Group had to undertake additional promotions on the older 3rd
generation stock to reduce inventory levels, much of which occurred
in the first half of FY24, particularly over the Thanksgiving and
Christmas holiday periods.
The Group has now successfully
wound down the majority of channel and Group inventory of 3rd
generation products, although this did impact the sell-through of
4th generation products in the first half of the year, especially
during the holiday season when more price-conscious customers tend
to dominate. Currently, there is minimal channel inventory
remaining of 3rd generation products, with the Group holding a
small amount, as planned, to sell as B stock through our
direct-to-customer website.
Focusrite's Red and
RedNet solutions continue to be
industry standards for professionals and facilities that require
reliability and quality in complex workflows. These solutions are
used in live and on-air broadcasts, including the US Super Bowl and
Presidential debates, as well as in many professional studios,
especially for post-production and music production rooms with
immersive mixing capabilities.
Novation/Ampify branded
products are a collection of hardware and software solutions
dedicated to the art of electronic music. These products, like
Focusrite's, cater to a wide range of customers, from beginners to
professional electronic music makers. This category continued to
experience softer demand across the industry, however Novation
revenue grew on an organic constant currency basis, due to a
revitalised marketing programme across social media and the launch
of new products. At the end of this past year, we debuted the
new Launchkey MK4 controllers, setting a new benchmark for MIDI
controllers and integration capabilities with any
software.
Ampify, our freemium
software, continues to be an excellent vehicle for attracting new
customers.
ADAM Audio had a strong year
of growth, with revenue increasing 22.6% (25.5% OCC
basis) compared to the
prior year, bucking the industry-wide trend of declines in this
category. This success is primarily attributable to the Group's
execution of our route-to-market strategy, with ADAM moving to the
same distribution network as Focusrite/Novation in many regions.
This shift brought increased focus and awareness to the brand, and
we believe ADAM has increased its market share compared to the
prior year, despite the challenging environment.
Whilst a larger portion of the
revenue came from the lower-priced T Series this past year, the new
A Series solutions have been well received in the professional
market. Many customers are choosing these products for upgrading
their rooms to new immersive mixing formats, such as Dolby Atmos.
Towards the end of the year the launch of a new range of desktop
speakers and the first of a new headphone range further supported
sales growth in the year.
Sequential and Oberheim faced
another very challenging year. Global industry reports indicated
the synthesizer category was down significantly this past year,
particularly for higher-priced products, such as those offered by
Sequential and Oberheim. This has resulted in a £5.4 million
impairment of the Sequential acquired assets, as a result of the
lower base from which future growth is planned. The brand
remains profitable and much of the focus this past year has been on
innovation in lower-priced synthesizers, which are showing much
more stable demand. To that end, Sequential debuted the TEO-5 in
April 2024, with shipments occurring in the final months of the
year. This new synthesizer has become an instant hit, and demand
remains strong.
Sonnox was acquired by the
Group in December 2022, and the group has benefitted from a full
year in FY24, as well as from greater product awareness due to
cross-promotional activities with Focusrite.
Sonnox's suite of plug-ins is designed for
both hobbyists and professionals, greatly enhancing audio
recordings and delivering a highly professional result. As a pure
software business, the portfolio is sold through a select group of
global resellers, as well as direct to end users. Additionally, the
Sonnox development team has been working closely with both the
Focusrite and ADAM Audio development teams on a number of new
products, including the headphones launched in the final quarter of
the year.
Content Creation Summary
The Content Creation market has
faced a very challenging few years post-pandemic, however signs of
stabilisation are now just beginning to emerge. The Group has met
these challenges head-on, making significant progress in reducing
both channel and internal inventories, introducing a number of
product refreshes and major new offerings, and maintaining top
sales rankings in our major categories.
In parallel, we continue to refine
our routes to market and invest in our own e-commerce platform,
which has demonstrated solid growth over the past year. Whilst the
economic outlook remains uncertain, particularly concerning key
factors such as inflation and the cost of living
pressures, we are
confident that our brands will continue to outperform the market
with product registrations remaining stable. As these conditions
improve, we expect to capture a large share of the market
upturn.
Audio Reproduction
|
12 months
to
31 August
2024
£m
|
12
months to
31
August 2023
£m
|
Reported
Growth
%
|
OCC
Growth1
%
|
North America
|
11.4
|
12.7
|
-10.1
|
-6.8
|
EMEA
|
19.2
|
16.6
|
15.9
|
10.8
|
ROW
|
17.1
|
12.2
|
39.6
|
40.6
|
Total
|
47.7
|
41.5
|
14.9
|
14.4
|
1Organic constant currency (OCC) growth rate is calculated by
comparing FY24 revenue to FY23 revenue adjusted for FY24 exchange
rates and the impact of acquisitions.
The Group's Audio Reproduction
brands - Martin Audio, Optimal Audio, Linea Research, TiMax,
panlab, and OutBoard - are focused on delivering state-of-the-art audio to audiences
across a wide spectrum of venues.
The largest music festivals,
renowned theatres, music halls, nightclubs, houses of worship,
universities and stadia rely on our solutions to ensure a rich and
memorable experience.
An example of this includes another
successful festival season, notably at BST Hyde Park and
Glastonbury, which rely on Martin's class-leading optimisation of
audience coverage. This technology allows for maximum coverage
within the audience space while minimising noise outside the event.
With the inclusion of TiMax, panlab and OutBoard this year, the
Group now has the most complete portfolio of solutions in its
history for events of any size, including state-of-the-art
immersive experiences.
To support the new brands and the
expanded portfolio, the Group has grown its sales teams to cover
all targeted verticals . This, along with the continued
post-pandemic industry recovery, resulted in another strong year of
sales growth. Revenue for the Group's Audio Reproduction brands
finished the year up 14.9% year over year and this has carried over
into the new year with a healthy order book.
Our Martin Audio
products are seen and heard at some of the
world's largest
music festivals and tours, as well as many of the most prestigious
music halls and theatres globally. After a major release year in
FY23, Martin Audio introduced two new offerings in FY24: the TH
series of loudspeakers and the iK41 power amplifier.
The TH series is a high-performance
line of loudspeakers, ideal for clubs and medium to large-scale
installations, while the iK41 expands Martin's amplifier range for larger venue
speaker ranges, and other select systems.
Linea Research, one of the
Group's 2022
acquisitions, manufactures professional-grade amplification for a
variety of live sound settings. Linea Research had another strong
year, with production ramped up to double the output of amplifiers
compared to previous years. This success contributed significantly
to Martin Audio's
success, as many of their powered offerings use Linea Research
amplification. Linea Research also continued to sell its amplifiers
as OEM products to external customers worldwide.
Optimal Audio, the
Group's
commercial audio brand, focuses on delivering high-quality sound to
a wide range of commercial installations. Optimal Audio has become
popular with system integrators for installations in restaurants,
gyms, smaller clubs and universities. With 18 new releases this
past year and a suite of products to fit commercial audio
requirements of any size, Optimal Audio experienced a strong year
of growth, with the pipeline expanding as system integrators
globally began specifying Optimal Audio in their bids.
Audio Reproduction Summary
The Audio Reproduction market
continues to flourish post-pandemic, a testament to the global
appreciation for live music and events with pristine audio quality.
All industry data points to the market normalising over the coming
year, as the large pent-up demand that built up during the lockdown
begins to unwind. While many sources predict flat demand for the
upcoming year, we believe that with the expanded scale and reach of
the Group's audio
reproduction portfolio, we will outperform these
forecasts.
Routes to Market
Content Creation
Our Content Creation brands are sold
worldwide through a network of distributors and resellers which
specialise in music technologies, as well as through our own
direct-to-customer websites. The global route-to-market footprint
for our Content Creation brands has changed dramatically over the
past few years. Our efforts to form consolidated sales and
marketing teams across the Americas, EMEA, and APAC regions have
had a profound impact on the leverage and focus we receive from our
global partners.
For our acquired brands, such as
ADAM Audio and Sequential, the Group has been transitioning
distribution in some markets to align all of our Content Creation
brands with top distributors in those areas. Additionally, we have
seen significant growth in our reseller-direct and key accounts
across both EMEA and APAC. As mentioned previously, our
direct-to-end-user segment has experienced solid growth, driven by
the investments the Group has made in IT infrastructure and the
integration of brands and e-commerce websites.
Audio Reproduction
Our Audio Reproduction brands
operate globally through system integrators, rental companies and
pro-audio specific resellers. As with our Content Creation
division, the route-to-market for the Audio Reproduction division
has also undergone changes. Most notably, this past year we have
taken our Linea and Optimal Audio business on to a direct-to-dealer
model in the US, bringing us closer to our end users and improving
gross margins.
Summary and Outlook
FY24 presented both challenges and
opportunities. We experienced softness in the Content Creation
market, primarily due to inflation impacting consumer confidence
and channel de-stocking. However, we took proactive steps to
address these issues and launched significant new products which
will drive future growth when market conditions improve. Within
Content Creation our underlying end-user registrations were stable
over the prior year, indicating ongoing robust demand for our
products across all channels. Our Audio Reproduction segment
delivered strong results. Recent acquisitions, combined with a
focus on innovative product development, have strengthened our
Audio Reproduction division, driving notable growth despite the
broader market conditions.
The Group has new product launches
planned for the coming year, which will further strengthen our
brand positioning. Additionally, the Group has once again
demonstrated its ability to execute on its proactive M&A
strategy and we continue to carefully consider acquisitions that
not only enhance earnings but also expand our market potential,
boost our R&D capabilities, and add both scale and dynamism to
our business.
We remain mindful of the
significant global economic and political challenges, as well as
ongoing cost pressures, particularly in logistics and the supply
chain. Consequently, we continue
to manage costs carefully, whilst making
appropriate investment, and focus on improving gross margins where there
is the opportunity to do so.
Trading in the first three months of
the current financial period is in line with expectations. We will
continue to execute on our strategy and, in doing so, we remain
optimistic about the Group's future growth prospects.
Tim
Carroll
Chief Executive Officer
27 November 2024
Financial Review
Overview
With ongoing challenges in the
global Content Creation market, the Group has experienced a revenue
decline of 11.2%. Additionally, gross margin was impacted by a
one-off provision and heightened freight rates, leading to a 34.6%
reduction in adjusted EBITDA. This resulted in a decline of 53.1%
in adjusted diluted earnings per share (EPS).
Income statement
|
2024
£m
Adjusted
|
2024
£m
Non-underlying1
|
2024
£m
Reported
|
2023
£m
Adjusted
|
2023
£m
Non-underlying1
|
2023
£m
Reported
|
Revenue
|
158.5
|
-
|
158.5
|
178.5
|
-
|
178.5
|
Cost of sales
|
(88.0)
|
-
|
(88.0)
|
(93.7)
|
-
|
(93.7)
|
Gross profit
|
70.5
|
-
|
70.5
|
84.8
|
-
|
84.8
|
Administrative expenses
|
(45.3)
|
(0.1)
|
(45.4)
|
(46.2)
|
(1.7)
|
(47.9)
|
EBITDA
|
25.2
|
(0.1)
|
25.1
|
38.6
|
(1.7)
|
36.9
|
Amortisation of intangible
assets
|
(5.7)
|
(10.8)
|
(16.5)
|
(5.5)
|
(4.4)
|
(9.9)
|
Depreciation of tangible assets
|
(2.9)
|
-
|
(2.9)
|
(2.7)
|
-
|
(2.7)
|
Operating profit
|
16.6
|
(10.9)
|
5.7
|
30.4
|
(6.1)
|
24.3
|
Net finance expense
|
(3.2)
|
-
|
(3.2)
|
(1.6)
|
-
|
(1.6)
|
Profit before tax
|
13.4
|
(10.9)
|
2.5
|
28.8
|
(6.1)
|
22.7
|
Income tax expense
|
(2.7)
|
2.8
|
0.1
|
(6.2)
|
1.3
|
(4.9)
|
Profit for the period
|
10.7
|
(8.1)
|
2.6
|
22.6
|
(4.8)
|
17.8
|
1Non-underlying costs and
income as defined in note 2 and note 5 to the financial
statements.
Revenue
Revenue for the Group decreased by
11.2%, from £178.5 million to £158.5 million. Adjusting for
acquisitions and at constant currency, this represents an organic
decline of 10.0%. Sheriff was acquired in December 2023, and FY24
included eight months of revenue from this acquisition. Sonnox was
acquired in December 2022, with FY23 including eight months of
revenue.
The average Euro exchange rate
was €1.16
(FY23: €1.15).
Sterling strengthened against the US dollar, moving from an average
of $1.21 in FY23 to $1.26 in FY24. This reduced reported revenue,
but the currency impact was broadly neutral at the gross profit
level, as the majority of cost of sales are also incurred in US
dollars.
Revenue by
brand:
|
FY24
Revenue
£m
|
FY24
Acquisition
£m
|
FY24
Organic
£m
|
FY23
Revenue
£m
|
FY23
Exchange
£m
|
FY23
Constant
Currency
£m
|
FY24
Reported
Growth
|
FY24
OCC
Growth1
|
Focusrite
|
60.3
|
-
|
60.3
|
86.3
|
(2.4)
|
83.9
|
-30.2%
|
-28.2%
|
Novation
|
16.2
|
-
|
16.2
|
16.6
|
(0.4)
|
16.2
|
-1.9%
|
0.6%
|
ADAM Audio
|
22.6
|
-
|
22.6
|
18.5
|
(0.5)
|
18.0
|
22.6%
|
25.5%
|
Sequential
|
9.7
|
-
|
9.7
|
14.5
|
(0.4)
|
14.1
|
-33.0%
|
-31.2%
|
Sonnox
|
2.0
|
(0.8)
|
1.2
|
1.1
|
-
|
1.1
|
72.8%
|
8.6%
|
Content Creation
|
110.8
|
(0.8)
|
110.0
|
137.0
|
(3.7)
|
133.3
|
-19.1%
|
-17.4%
|
Audio Reproduction - Martin
Audio
|
47.7
|
(0.9)
|
46.8
|
41.5
|
(0.6)
|
40.9
|
14.9%
|
14.4%
|
Total
|
158.5
|
(1.7)
|
156.8
|
178.5
|
(4.3)
|
174.2
|
-11.2%
|
-10.0%
|
1OCC (organic constant
currency growth). This is calculated by comparing FY24 revenue with
FY23 revenue adjusted for FY24 exchange rates and the impact of
acquisitions.
The reported decline in organic
constant currency revenue
for the year of 10.0% reflects similar trends to
those seen in the first half of the year. Our Content Creation
brands continued to face difficult markets, with ongoing
cost-of-living pressures impacting end-consumer demand.
Additionally, a reduction of stock in the US reseller channel for
Focusrite offset improvements across our other Content Creation
brands. Meanwhile, our Audio Reproduction brands benefitted from an
expanded product offering and the tail end of increased demand for
experiences following the end of COVID-19.
Within Content Creation, our
biggest business unit, the Focusrite
brand, declined by 30.2% (28.2% on an
organic constant currency basis) to £60.3 million (FY23: £86.3
million). As referenced at the half-year mark, actions were taken
to reduce stock in the US, which impacted sales to this region in
particular. In addition, delays to the launch of the higher-end
Scarlett range products, due to engineering team constraints,
further affected revenue in FY24, along with the ongoing difficult
market conditions.
In contrast, the second half of
the year saw positive signs across all other Content Creation
brands. Our Novation synthesizer brand declined by 1.9%
in FY24 (organic
constant currency growth of 0.6%), significantly better than the
overall market, supported by a refreshed marketing focus and the
introduction of the Launchkey MK4 range. ADAM Audio grew by 22.6%
(organic constant currency 25.5%), benefiting from a new route to
market in the US, now aligned with Focusrite and Novation, and the
strong performance of the entry-level T Series range.
Sequential revenue declined by
33.0% (organic constant currency 31.2%) compared to the prior year,
though the second half saw a smaller decline of 11.1% compared to
47.6% in the first half, as revenue levels stabilised. This was
helped by the introduction of a new, lower-priced synthesizer, the
Teo-5, in May 2024. FY24 was also the first full year of revenue
from Sonnox, delivering growth of 8.6% and total revenue of £2.0
million (FY23: £1.1 million).
Our Audio Reproduction
division grew from £31.9 million in FY22
to £41.5 million in FY23, and has now grown to £47.7 million in
FY24, driven by strong demand since the lifting of COVID-19
restrictions and a strengthened range through new product
development and targeted acquisitions. Linea Research continued to
grow ahead of its record-breaking FY23 production levels and, with
the addition of Sheriff Technology and Innovate Audio this year,
the division now has a complete spatial audio offering. A further
20 new products were introduced this year across Martin and
Optimal, in addition to major releases in FY23. This enabled the
division to continue delivering strong growth, with a 9.6% increase
in the second half as the market began to normalise, and 14.9%
growth for the full year (14.4% organic constant
currency).
Revenue by
region:
|
FY24
Revenue
£m
|
FY24
Acquisition
£m
|
FY24
Organic
£m
|
FY23
Revenue
£m
|
FY23
Exchange
£m
|
FY23
Constant
Currency
£m
|
FY24
Growth
|
FY24 OCC
Growth1
|
North America
|
60.7
|
(0.3)
|
60.4
|
77.7
|
(2.8)
|
74.9
|
-21.8%
|
-19.2%
|
EMEA
|
66.9
|
(1.2)
|
65.7
|
69.5
|
(0.8)
|
68.7
|
-3.7%
|
-4.5%
|
Rest of the World
|
30.9
|
(0.2)
|
30.7
|
31.3
|
(0.7)
|
30.6
|
-1.3%
|
0.4%
|
Total
|
158.5
|
(1.7)
|
156.8
|
178.5
|
(4.3)
|
174.2
|
-11.7%
|
-10.0%
|
1OCC (organic constant
currency growth). This is calculated by comparing FY24 revenue with
FY23 revenue adjusted for FY24 exchange rates and the impact of
acquisitions.
North America represents 38% of
the Group's
revenue and saw a 19.2% decline on an organic constant currency
basis, impacted by de-stocking in the reseller channel of Focusrite
particularly in the second half of the year, compared to the
initial sell-in of Scarlett Gen 4
in the prior year, together with a weaker market
hit by cost-of-living issues. Content Creation brands in North
America reported a year-on-year decline of 24.1% (-21.7% organic
constant currency). Audio Reproduction's strong growth elsewhere
was hampered in the US by supply chain process issues, resulting in
a decline of 10.1% (reported) and -6.8% (organic constant
currency). These issues have now been addressed with increased
stock levels in the US.
EMEA, which represents 43% of
Group revenue, declined by 3.7% (-4.5% organic constant currency)
to £66.9 million. Audio Reproduction was strong, delivering 15.9%
growth (10.8% organic constant currency), marking the second
consecutive year of double-digit growth, with significant gains in
both live and installed sound. Content Creation brands declined by
9.9% (-9.3% organic constant currency). With ADAM Audio and
Novation returning to growth, the decline was driven by weakness in
the market impacting Sequential and Focusrite, exacerbated by a
change in stocking policy by a key reseller which impacted sales in
the final quarter.
The Rest of the World (ROW),
comprising mainly APAC and LATAM, represents the remaining 19% of
Group revenue. Overall, the region was down 1.3% (reported)
compared with FY23, though it posted 0.4% growth on an organic
constant currency basis. This result included very strong growth in
Audio Reproduction of 39.6% across the year, offset by a 27.6%
decline in Content Creation, indicative of the global pattern.
Within Audio Reproduction, China was particularly strong due to the
delayed removal of COVID-19 restrictions, while in Content Creation
the consumer electronics market remained weak.
Segment Profit
Segment profit is disclosed in
more detail in note 5 to the financial statements
under 'Business
Segments'. The
revenue is compared with the directly attributable costs to
calculate profit by segment. There have been no additional segments
this year, as Sheriff and Innovate are managed as part of the
Martin brand segment.
Gross Profit
Gross margin decreased in FY24 to
44.5% from 47.5% in FY23 as a result of a one-off stock clearance,
increasing freight rates, and ongoing promotional activity. As
noted in the first half, a £1 million provision was made to reduce
the net realisable value of Vocaster stock, which was subsequently
sold to a European distribution partner. This significantly
improved the working capital position and reduced stock to
normalised levels but had a negative 1.3 percentage point impact on
the full-year margin. Despite its positive reception, Vocaster
faced 12-month launch delays due to component availability issues
during the pandemic. This resulted in initial launch quantities
exceeding market demand as the market for podcasts softened
unexpectedly.
After adjusting for the Vocaster
write-down, underlying margins decreased by 1.7% from the prior
year, with the biggest impact coming from freight rates, which
increased by 2 percentage points (as a percentage of sales) year on
year. Logistical issues in the Red Sea and congested ports
worldwide ensured that rates continued to escalate. Across our two
divisions underlying product margins differed. Content
Creation margins reduced compared to the prior year as promotions
continued at an elevated level in order to partially mitigate the
impact of channel de-stocking and cost of living issues, whereas
Audio Reproduction margins increased due to an increase in sales to
China which are at a higher margin.
For the next financial period, we
expect freight rates to remain at their current elevated levels,
reflecting ongoing global geo-political instability. While
promotional activity in the Content Creation division may reduce
somewhat as stock levels in the channel hopefully normalise,
offsetting this we expect the mix of sales for Audio Reproduction
to return to previous levels as sales strengthen in other regions
compared with China where, as noted, sales are at a higher margin. As a result,
we expect the underlying gross margin to remain broadly flat next
year.
Administrative Expenses
Administrative expenses consist of
sales, marketing, operations, the uncapitalised element of research
and development, and central functions such as legal, finance, and
the Group Board. These expenses totalled £64.8 million, up from
£60.5 million last year. This includes depreciation and
amortisation of £8.6 million (FY23: £8.1 million), amortisation of
acquired intangible assets of £5.5 million (FY23: £4.5 million),
and non-underlying items of £5.5 million (FY23: £1.7 million),
which are discussed in more detail below. Excluding non-underlying
items, depreciation, and amortisation, administrative costs were
£45.3 million (FY23: £46.2 million), a decrease of £0.9 million
compared to the prior year.
In such a difficult market, costs
have been tightly controlled across the Group, and bonus and
share-based payment costs reduced to £1.5 million below the prior
year. and £2.0 million normalised "on-target" levels. In addition, £0.4 million of
one-off costs related to office site moves and refurbishments in
FY23 did not repeat in FY24.
Offsetting these savings, new
acquisitions added £0.8 million to the cost base, with the
annualisation of Sonnox contributing £0.4 million, and the addition
of Sheriff adding a further £0.4 million, which will fully
annualise in the following financial period. While average
headcount reduced slightly across the Group this year, the largest
cost increases were related to inflation, with pay rises
implemented during the peak of cost-of-living impacts, resulting in
an increase of £1.4 million. We have continued to invest in our
people and strengthen our innovation teams in particular this year,
which will result in a similar inflationary uplift in the following
financial period.
Adjusted EBITDA
EBITDA is a non-GAAP measure
widely recognised in the financial markets. It is used (as adjusted
for non-underlying items) as a key performance measure and forms
the basis for some of the senior management incentivisation within
the Group. Adjusted EBITDA decreased from £38.6 million in FY23 to
£25.2 million in FY24. This reduction was primarily due to the
lower sales and lower gross margin described earlier.
Depreciation and Amortisation
Depreciation of £2.9 million
(FY23: £2.7 million) was charged on tangible fixed assets on a
straight-line basis over the assets' estimated useful lives. This
figure remained stable compared to the prior year, following the
investment in new offices in FY23.
Amortisation on non-acquired
intangibles is mainly charged on capitalised development costs,
writing off the development costs over the lifespan of the
resultant product. Development costs related to individual products
are written off over periods ranging from two to ten years,
reflecting the differing lifespans of products across our brands.
Normally, capitalised development costs exceed amortisation,
reflecting the Group's continued investment in product development.
During FY24, capitalised development costs amounted to £8.8 million
(FY23: £8.6 million), compared with amortisation of £5.7 million
(FY23: £5.5 million). We expect development costs to remain at this
level as we continue to invest in further product refreshes and
develop new products. Additionally, this year saw the completion of
our acquisition of licences to utilise certain technologies, adding
£3.0 million to intangible assets during the year, with plans to
incorporate these technologies into our future product
roadmap.
The amortisation of acquired
intangible assets totalled £5.5 million during the period (FY23:
£4.4 million) and has been disclosed within adjusted items.
Underlying amortisation in FY24 was £5.7 million (FY23: £5.5
million), increasing slightly as more products were launched during
year.
Non-underlying Items
In FY24, the Group acquired
Sheriff Technology and Innovate Audio, with associated acquisition
costs amounting to £0.1 million (FY23: £0.4 million related to the
Sonnox acquisition). There were no earn-out payments in FY24
whereas in FY23 earn-outs related to the Linea Research and
Sequential acquisitions were completed and paid out, resulting in a
cost of £0.8 million.
Non-underlying items also include
amortisation of intangible assets from acquisitions, amounting to
£5.5 million (FY23: £4.4 million). This increase is due to the
inclusion of Sheriff Technology and the annualisation of Sonnox
amortisation for brands and technology. Additionally, FY23 included
the benefit of a one-off adjustment for £1.0 million of
amortisation that was incorrectly charged in prior years on assets
not yet brought into use. For further details, see notes 2 and 7 of
the financial statements.
The Sequential and Oberheim
syntheziser brands were purchased in 2021 and
2022 for £14.5 million and £4.5 million respectively. The acquired
assets have a net book value of £15.9 million at 31 August 2024 including £2.5
million of goodwill. Both brands are iconic within the industry and
since acquisition have had a good track record of launching
critically acclaimed new products. However, this sector of
the market has been particularly hard hit by cost-of-living issues,
particularly for the higher price point products, and the industry
has seen year on year contractions in demand. This has
resulted in a lower starting point for future forecasts and greater
risk to forecasts. Consequently, the Board, based on
management's
estimate of recoverability (see note 7 to the financial
statements), have decided to recognise a one-off, non-cash
impairment of £5.4 million.
Notwithstanding this impairment,
Sequential remains profitable with plans to extend the range of
both brands further with the introduction of lower price point
products, which is expected to bring the brands back to
growth.
Foreign exchange and hedging
Sterling has remained relatively
stable compared with the Euro between years, but the average rate
has weakened against the US dollar.
Exchange rates
|
2024
|
2023
|
Average
USD:GBP
|
1.26
|
1.21
|
EUR:GBP
|
1.17
|
1.15
|
Year end
USD:GBP
|
1.31
|
1.27
|
EUR:GBP
|
1.19
|
1.17
|
During the year, Sterling
strengthened against the average US dollar rate, moving from $1.21
to $1.26. The US dollar accounts for 40% of Group revenue but over
80% of the cost of sales so, while this resulted in increased
revenue, the impact on gross profit was neutral. The Euro comprises
approximately a quarter of revenue but incurs little cost.
The policy adopted by the Group is to hedge
approximately 75% of Euro flows for the next 12 months and
approximately 50% for the year thereafter. Currently we are reviewing the scope and levels of currency
of the policy and aim to have updated hedges in place before the
end of the 2025 calendar year.
Finance costs
Finance costs of £3.2 million
(FY23: £1.6 million) primarily arose on interest on the
Group's revolving
credit facility (RCF) drawdowns. This increase is due to higher
interest rates throughout the year and increased drawdowns to fund
working capital.
Corporation Tax
In FY24, the corporation tax
credit totalled £0.1 million on reported profit before tax of £2.5
million, an effective tax rate of (4)% (FY23:
21.8%). The
lower tax rate is the result of a number of adjustments
upon finalisation of the group's prior year tax
returns, none of which are in isolation significant, combined with
tax reliefs gained through patent box claims. Adjusting for non-underlying items and prior year
adjustments, the effective tax rate is 23.9% (FY23: 21.7%) on
adjusted profit before tax of £13.4 million. Going
forward, we expect the effective tax rate to remain broadly in line
with the UK corporate tax rate.
Earnings Per Share (EPS)
The basic EPS for the year was 4.5
pence, down 85.2% from 30.4 pence in FY23. This decrease is
primarily due to a combination of factors, including the reduction
in operating profits, the non-cash impairment of intangible
acquired assets and the increase in the UK corporate tax rate from
19% to 25% in April 2023. The adjusted diluted EPS, which accounts
for the dilutive effect of share options, decreased by 53.1%, from
38.4 pence in FY23 to 18.0 pence in FY24.
|
2024
pence
|
2023
pence
|
Change
%
|
Basic
|
4.5
|
30.4
|
(85.2)
|
Diluted
|
4.4
|
30.2
|
(85.4)
|
Adjusted1
basic
|
18.3
|
38.7
|
(52.7)
|
Adjusted1
diluted
|
18.0
|
38.4
|
(53.1)
|
1Adjusted for
amortisation of acquired intangible assets and other adjusting
items (see notes 7 and 11).
Balance sheet
|
2024
£m
|
2023
£m
|
Non-current assets
|
94.0
|
95.9
|
Current assets
|
|
|
Inventories
|
49.3
|
55.3
|
Trade and other
receivables
|
37.6
|
32.9
|
Cash
|
22.0
|
26.8
|
Bank loan
|
(34.5)
|
(28.1)
|
Current liabilities
|
(34.8)
|
(45.4)
|
Non-current liabilities
|
(17.6)
|
(18.9)
|
Net assets
|
116.0
|
118.5
|
Non-current Assets
The non-current assets comprise
goodwill of £14.2 million, other intangible assets of £66.1
million, property, plant, and equipment of £11.1 million, and a
deferred tax asset of £2.7 million. The goodwill of £14.2 million
(FY23: £16.1 million) decreased due to the impairment of Sequential
(see note 7 for assumptions), slightly offset by the acquisition of
Sheriff Technology this year, for a total consideration of £2.9
million, including goodwill of £0.7 million.
The other intangible assets of
£66.1 million (FY23: £66.7 million) consist primarily of
capitalised research and development costs and acquired intangible
assets related to product development and branding. The capitalised
development costs in use have a carrying value of £15.0 million
(FY23: £10.0 million), which increased with the launch of 35
products this year. Products and technology under development
amount to £7.1 million (FY23: £8.5 million), of which £2.0 million
relates to acquired assets under development (FY23: £2.0 million).
During the year, £8.8 million of costs were capitalised (FY23: £8.6
million), and underlying amortisation was £5.7 million (FY23: £5.5
million). Approximately 65% of development costs are capitalised,
and they are amortised over the life of the relevant
products.
Acquired capitalised development
costs had a carrying value of £22.0 million (FY23: £24.3 million)
at year-end. This has reduced due to the annual amortisation charge
of £3.6 million, and the impairment of Sequential of £1.1 million,
offset by the inclusion of Sheriff's development costs of £2.0
million.
The remaining intangible assets,
totalling £22.8 million (FY23: £23.9 million), include brands of
£16.1 million (FY23: £20.1 million) acquired as part of
acquisitions, which are amortised over 10 years for ADAM Audio, 20
years for Martin Audio, 15 years for Sequential and Linea Research,
and 10 years for Sonnox. The Sequential brand asset has been
impaired by £1.3 million as part of the overall impairment.
Intellectual property, licence and trademarks of £5.9 million
(FY23: £3.4 million) have increased by £2.5 million, due to the
final stage payments relating to a platform technology development
which will be used in later iterations of several major product
ranges.
Tangible assets comprising
property, plant and equipment decreased from £12.5 million at the
end of FY23 to £11.1 million at the end of FY24, due to the annual
depreciation charge. There were no significant capital additions or
lease renewals during the year, following the office move and
refurbishments in FY23.
Working capital
At the end of the year, working
capital was 32.8% of revenue (FY23: 23.9%). This reflects a phasing
of working capital towards year-end, driven by the launch of
several new products, including the Scarlett Gen 4 higher range products, ADAM
Audio desktop speakers and headphones, and the Sequential Teo-5,
which were sold to sales channel partners in the final quarter. As
a result, debtor and creditor balances were high in the final
quarter, but effective credit management ensured minimal issues
with collections or bad debts during the year. Issues noted at the
half year have improved, with stock and therefore debtor holdback
reducing with our US distributor by $6 million during the second
half of the year. However, overall debtors increased at year
end due to sales phasing in the final quarter of the
year.
Creditors continue to be paid on
time. Inventory overall has reduced by £5 million to £49.3 million
from the £55.3 million at August 2023 and February 2024. This
is due to the ongoing reduction in Scarlett stock as the
remaining Generation 3 inventory is sold. Martin Audio stock has remained at
elevated levels as stock is brought into the US to provide greater
stock availability and mitigate any potential tariff
increases.
Cash flow
|
2024
£m
|
2023
£m
|
Cash and cash equivalents at
beginning of year
|
26.8
|
12.8
|
Foreign exchange
movements
|
(0.4)
|
(1.0)
|
Cash and cash equivalents at end of
year
|
22.0
|
26.8
|
Net (decrease)/increase in cash and
cash equivalents (per Cash Flow Statement)
|
(4.4)
|
15.0
|
Change in bank loan
|
(6.6)
|
(15.2)
|
Increase in net debt (before foreign
exchange movements)
|
(11.0)
|
(0.2)
|
Add back: equity dividend
paid
|
3.9
|
3.6
|
Add back: acquisition of business
(net of cash acquired)
|
2.5
|
7.2
|
Free cash (outflow)/inflow
|
(4.6)
|
10.6
|
Add back: non-underlying
items
|
0.1
|
1.7
|
Underlying free cash
outflow/inflow1
|
(4.5)
|
12.3
|
1Defined as cash flow before
equity dividends, acquisition of subsidiary (net of cash acquired)
and adjusting items.
|
Debt
The net debt balance at the
year-end was £12.5 million (FY23: net debt £1.3 million). In
October 2024, the Group extended the £50 million RCF facility,
along with an uncommitted facility with HSBC and NatWest, for an
additional year, with a new expiry date of September 2028. At
year-end, the Group had drawn down £35.1 million of the RCF (FY23:
£28.2 million) to support our working capital
requirements.
The underlying free cash flow for
the full year was a cash outflow of £4.5 million (FY23: cash inflow
of £12.3 million), leading to a year-end net debt position of £12.5
million. Within this, the movement in working capital included an
outflow of £8.9 million (FY23: outflow of £7.6 million), largely
driven by debtor and creditor phasing, as explained above.
Capital investment for the year totalled £14.2 million (FY23: £14.4
million), of which £9.7 million (FY23: £9.2 million) related to
capitalised R&D gross of any attributable tax credits,
reflecting the Group's ongoing commitment to product development. We expect this
level of investment to continue to support the
Group's product
roadmap.
Historically the Group has
converted around 45% to 50% of EBITDA to free cashflow. Given
the ongoing tough markets and our commitment to investment in
product development we expect this to be lower over the next 12
months, with the Group nevertheless remaining inherently cash
generative.
Dividend
The Board is proposing a final
dividend of 4.5 pence per share (FY23 final dividend: 4.5 pence),
which would result in a total of 6.6 pence per share for the year,
in line with the prior year (FY23: 6.6 pence). This represents an
adjusted earnings dividend cover of 2.7 times (FY23: 5.8
times).
Change in Accounting Reference Date
As announced on 30 October, the
Group will be changing its accounting reference date from 31 August
to 28 February, with the next audited results being presented for
the 18 months to 28 February 2026. Interim results will be
presented for the 6 months to 28 February 2025 and for the 12
months to 31 August 2025.
Summary
FY24 brought continued challenges,
with market weakness in Content Creation due to cost-of-living
pressures and channel de-stocking. However, the diversity of the
Group's portfolio
helped offset these challenges, with strong growth in Audio
Reproduction and the successful launch of new products, maintaining
our leadership in key categories.
Our balance sheet remains robust,
despite the challenges of the year, with net debt at a level of
less than half EBITDA providing the Group with the stability to
weather these markets and we remain confident in our ability to
navigate uncertain markets whilst continuing to focus on innovation
and product development in order to deliver long-term
value.
Sally McKone
Chief Financial Officer
27 November 2024
Principal Risks and Uncertainties
Overview
Effective risk management is
intrinsic to enabling and supporting our business strategy and our
commitments to customers, community, climate and
environment.
We are committed to conducting our
business responsibly, safely and legally, while making
risk-informed decisions when responding to opportunities or threats
that present themselves. The Board is responsible for risk
management and the General Executive Committee is responsible for
setting and monitoring the appetite for risks and the effective
management of risk across the Focusrite Group.
The table below sets out our
principal risks. Please note, this list does not include all of our
risks. Risks which change or are not presently known, or are
currently considered to be less material, may also have adverse
effects. The table below includes a description of the risk, notes
on any changes since the previous year and the residual risk, the
impact on the business and risk mitigation.
Principal risk/uncertainty
|
Mitigation
|
Business strategy development and implementation (No risk movement)
The risk of not identifying and
reacting to changing market conditions, not being able to
implement our acquisition strategy or bring efficiencies to
our route to market strategy can impact our
growth.
The risk remains relatively stable
as we monitor drivers for macroeconomic changes and implement
appropriate response strategies to manage their impact on the
Focusrite Group's performance. This has enabled us to ensure
that the risk is managed appropriately in line
with any changes to external conditions.
|
Impact on the
business
Failing to develop products which
engage and inspire our customers will mean that our investors lose
confidence in our business.
Risk
Mitigation
The Group has a multi-stranded
resilience plan with an increasingly diverse range
of products which ensures there are various revenue streams to
enable Group growth and undertakes rigorous customer testing which
helps ensure that new products and next generation
products will be well received by customers. We also have
an increasing number of direct-to-market routes which enables
us to reach more customers.
|
Product Innovation (Risk
increasing)
Risks associated with our ability
to design, manufacture and position our products to generate
returns and value for stakeholders in a fast‑changing
industry.
We have increased our user testing
and influencer endorsements to test and exalt our
products to ensure that they meet the current market
expectations.
|
Impact on the
business
A design strategy that does not
result in innovative products may lead to a lower demand for
our products which will impact our ability to deliver returns
to stakeholders and fund our investment and growth
opportunities.
It may also result in our product
portfolio being less resilient to climate-related risks or
movements in commodity prices or inflationary pressures and
other macroeconomic factors. In the short term, these may
reduce our cash flow and in the long term could adversely
affect the results of our operations and
performance.
Risk
mitigation
The Group has developed resilient
strategies, processes and frameworks to grow and protect our
product portfolio. Our business development strategy focuses
on enhancing our product portfolio to ensure the Group retains
its competitive advantage and identifies threats
to or opportunities for our products.
|
Product supply (Risk
increasing)
Risks associated with market demand,
including the availability of materials to manufacture
products and our ability to sell and deliver products
into new and existing key markets.
Exposure to risks associated with
our product supply increased in
FY24 due to external changes
over which we have little influence.
|
Impact on the
business
Multiple ongoing global conflicts
and rising geopolitical tensions as well as increased volatility
and uncertainty in the international trading environment
could cause disruption of global supply chains and affect
macroeconomic conditions and our ability to sell to our
products.
Risk
mitigation
We continually monitor and
assess:
· our ability to access key markets;
· product demand and our sales plans;
· relationships with our sales partners; and
· geopolitical and macroeconomic developments and trends,
etc.
Identifying weather and/or
climate-related vulnerabilities is also one of our considerations
as we seek to mitigate disruptions to our ability to physically
access materials. We also continue to explore and increase the
level of interchangeability in our supply chain to reduce the
risk presented by single-source materials, namely electronic
components.
Continuing to diversify our product
portfolio will also reduce exposure to product supply
risks.
Leveraging the longstanding
relationships we have with our logistics partners to minimise
impact of freight disruptions.
|
People (Risk
decreasing)
People are critical to the Group's
ability to meet the needs of its customers and end users and
achieve its goals as a business. Not only do we need to have the
right talent, we also need to be agile and innovative to drive
business change and results. Leading from that we also need
to make sure that we always have the right leaders in
place in terms of succession planning.
Failure to attract, retain and
develop senior managers and technical personnel, and to embed our
values in our culture, could impact on the delivery
of our purpose and business performance.
|
Impact on the
business
We continue to rely on key
individuals to contribute to the success of the Group.
We need our people to develop their skills in order to
future-proof the Group's business whilst being able to attract,
retain and motive people.
Risk
Mitigation
We are promoting work-life balance
and improving our training and development programmes. Succession
planning for key roles and the identification of any new skillsets
are reviewed by the Board.
|
Climate change (Risk
increasing)
Climate change is a multifaceted
risk to the business at many levels. Failure to deliver on
climate change initiatives, particularly around the reduction in
the use of energy and carbon within required timescales, will have
short, medium and long‑term climate change risks to
residents, businesses and infrastructure.
|
Impact on the
business
Reduced availability of raw
materials could have several effects from fluctuating and rising
prices to uncertainty in the supply chain to our having to use
lower quality raw materials in our products.
We expect regulation and the
possibility taxes on less sustainable materials or processes
to increase.
We are also aware that climate
change is a concern for our customers and stakeholders who expect
us to lead the way in running a sustainable business and it will
have an impact on our reputation if we fail to adequately
address these concerns.
Risk
Mitigation
Managing our operations towards a
low-carbon future e.g. through the use of recycled materials in
order to sustain the longevity and prosperity of the business
remains one of our key mitigation efforts.
Sustainability criteria is embedded
throughout the product design process in order to mitigate risks
and identify opportunities to deliver our Environment and Climate
objectives.
Systems to monitor and reduce the
environmental impact of our operations and ensure compliance with
environmental legislation are in place.
|
Information security, data privacy, business continuity and
cyber risks (Risk increasing)
Protecting the availability,
confidentiality and integrity of Group's information assets is
critical to successful trading.
The threat of an information
security breach or an unauthorised attack is an ongoing and
increasingly sophisticated risk that the Group believes would
negatively impact its reputation. Similarly, the inadvertent
processing of customer or employee data in a manner deemed
unethical or unlawful could result in significant financial
penalties, remediation costs, reputational damage and/or
restrictions on our ability to operate.
|
Impact on the
business
Disruption to our information
systems may have a significant impact on our
sales, cash flows and profits.
An information security breach could
lead to unauthorised access to, or loss of, personal information,
financial data or intellectual property.
Risk
Mitigation
The Group's business continuity plan
is reviewed and tested on a regular basis.
Existing systems will be hardened to
ensure we are following industry best practice.
Regular system and application
patching is in place including the use of vulnerability scanning
and penetration testing to identify security weaknesses across our
attack surface.
Security awareness training and
phishing simulation frequency will be further embedded,
to help manage human risk.
Investment in our security controls
will continue as we look to continuously improve our current
posture.
AI Governance has been set and we
will aim to both manage the security and privacy risks of using AI,
and leverage the technology to defend against emerging
threats.
|
Macroeconomic/Geopolitical conditions
(Risk increasing)
In a world
where geopolitical relations are being strained by episodic
upheaval, many major economic countries have or could have changes
of government and financial turbulence, there is a sense of global
destabilisation which is causing an uncertain outlook and is making
it harder to predict customer demand and undertake long-term
planning.
|
Impact on the
business
We recognise that the smallest
economic or geopolitical event can cause any company
to edge past the tipping point of resilience, and we have
seen the effect that less predictable and harder-to-handle
inflation has had on our sales patterns.
Risk
mitigation
The Group has developed resilient
strategies, processes and frameworks to grow and protect our
product portfolio. Our business development strategy focuses on
enhancing our product portfolio to ensure the Group retains its
competitive advantage and identifies threats
to or opportunities
for our products.
|
Changes to Risk Scores vs Prior Year
Information security, data privacy, business continuity and
cyber risks Risk
increasing
Organisations are becoming more
vulnerable to cyber threats due to the increasing reliance on
computers, networks, programs, social media and data globally. A
relatively small data breach or a common cyber attack has a massive
negative business impact. The level of
cyber attacks from 'bad actors' has increased alongside increased
geo-political uncertainty. Whilst the
measures we are taking ensure our cyber security programme
increases each year, we, along with many other businesses, are
finding that the frequency and sophistication of cyber security
incidents is increasing.
Product innovation, Product supply and
Macro-economic/Geopolitical conditions Risks increasing
There is a heightened level of
macroeconomic uncertainty relating to cost-inflation leading to
rising prices which has been exacerbated by the wars
in Ukraine and the Middle East. These are impacting our
customers' disposable income, thereby changing the products
they buy and increasing our operational costs which,
together, affects several of our principal risks.
The supply chain risks facing the
Group have again changed shape over the last year. In addition
short term supply issues can impact our ability to launch new
products in an increasingly competitive environment. The global
business climate is increasingly uncertain with manufacturers
facing a myriad of challenges, including high energy prices and
unexpected fluctuations in raw material costs as well as rising
geopolitical tensions disrupting global supply chains. Many raw
materials are becoming harder to secure and their fluctuating costs
can have a significant impact on the profitability and pricing of
products. As the various factors are not expected to be alleviated
in the short term, this will remain a significant risk for the
Group.
We understand the short-term risks
and impacts, and we have the right teams, governance, innovative
products and strategies in place to be able to ride out the current
storm. The longer-term impacts remain uncertain, and
we continue to monitor the associated risks closely and
respond accordingly.
Escalating geo-political tensions
Global risk reports indicate a
predominantly negative outlook for the world over the next two
years that is expected to worsen over the next decade through a
combination of instability, global catastrophes and turbulent
conditions which will have unknown consequences
on customers and businesses.
Group's view: Geopolitical
risks are not new. We review the effect trade tariffs or trade
embargos being imposed between countries where we trade and
manufacture and market recovery being slower than previously
anticipated. The impending change in government in the US, a key
market for the Group, has increased the level of uncertainty for
the Group, particularly with regard to the threatened increase in
import tariffs for goods from overseas, particularly those from
China.
Actions we will take: We
recognise that risks are interconnected and have the potential to
be influenced by other risks, and as such there is no single
solution. We have continued to diversify our strategies to help
build a safety net, boosting our manufacturing capabilities in
order to ensure we can quickly scale up production should a
location become unviable, and using inventory buffers to give us
time to react to global challenges.
Emerging Risk Themes
Emerging risk themes are
reported alongside our principal risks. We
conduct horizon scanning to enable a medium- and longer-term view
of potential disruptors to our business. As part of our risk
assessment process, we analyse internal and external sources of
emerging risk themes through review of leading external
publications including attending industry seminars and forums,
gathering insights via top-down and bottom-up risk workshops with
internal stakeholders, and seeking professional consultation where
required. We are currently tracking several emerging risk themes
such as political, economic, technological, environment and talent.
Examples of those emerging themes that have a potential impact and
require a response are set out below:
Identified Risk
|
Group's view
|
Actions we will take
|
AI
Generative AI is viewed
as a strategic risk
|
For the Group it is seen not only as
a risk, but also as an opportunity that can offer great
potential for product development automation which could lead to
competitive advantages
|
We continue to harness AI to drive
operational and cost efficiencies, as well as strategic business
trans-formation programmes where the opportunity arises whilst
being aware of the growing amount of harmful misinformation,
increasingly sophisticated privacy breaches and cyber-security
threats.
|
FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS
Certain statements in this
announcement are forward-looking. Although the Directors believe
that their expectations are based on reasonable assumptions, any
statements about future outlook may be influenced by factors that
could cause actual outcomes and results to be materially
different.
Consolidated Income Statement
For the year ended 31 August 2024
|
Note
|
2024
|
2023
|
|
|
£000
|
£000
|
Revenue
|
4
|
158,524
|
178,465
|
Cost of Sales
|
|
(88,031)
|
(93,616)
|
Gross Profit
|
|
70,493
|
84,849
|
Administrative Expenses
|
|
(64,797)
|
(60,506)
|
Adjusted EBITDA (non-GAAP measure)
|
|
25,219
|
38,568
|
Depreciation and
Amortisation
|
|
(8,574)
|
(8,087)
|
Adjusting items:
|
|
|
|
Amortisation of acquired intangible
assets
|
|
(5,510)
|
(4,451)
|
Impairment of intangible
assets
|
7
|
(5,355)
|
-
|
Other adjusting items
|
7
|
(84)
|
(1,687)
|
Operating profit
|
|
5,696
|
24,343
|
Finance income
|
|
100
|
770
|
Finance costs
|
|
(3,292)
|
(2,365)
|
Profit before tax
|
|
2,504
|
22,748
|
Income tax
(credit)/charge
|
8
|
104
|
(4,951)
|
Profit for the period from continuing
operations
|
2,608
|
17,797
|
|
|
|
|
Earnings per share
|
|
|
|
Basic (pence per share)
|
10
|
4.5
|
30.4
|
Diluted (pence per share)
|
10
|
4.4
|
30.2
|
The accompanying notes on pages 26
to 37 form part of these abbreviated financial
statements.
Consolidated Statement of Comprehensive
Income
For the year ended 31 August 2024
|
Note
|
2024
|
2023
|
|
|
£000
|
£000
|
Profit for the period (attributable to equity
shareholders)
|
2,608
|
17,797
|
Items that may be subsequently reclassified to the income
statement
|
|
Exchange losses on translation of
foreign operations
|
|
(923)
|
(1,742)
|
(Loss)/gain on forward exchange
contracts
|
|
(491)
|
784
|
Tax on hedging instrument
|
|
67
|
(186)
|
Exchange gain/(loss) on acquired
amortisation
|
|
123
|
(18)
|
Total comprehensive income for the period
|
|
1,384
|
16,635
|
Consolidated Statement of Financial Position
As at 31 August 2024
|
Note
|
2024
|
2023
|
|
|
£000
|
£000
|
Assets
|
|
|
|
Non-current assets
|
|
|
|
Goodwill
|
|
14,194
|
16,138
|
Other intangible assets
|
11
|
66,065
|
66,709
|
Property, plant and
equipment
|
|
11,096
|
12,495
|
Deferred tax assets
|
|
2,666
|
533
|
Total non-current assets
|
|
94,021
|
95,875
|
Current assets
|
|
|
|
Inventories
|
|
49,267
|
55,256
|
Trade and other
receivables
|
|
37,391
|
32,384
|
Cash and cash equivalents
|
|
22,040
|
26,787
|
Current tax asset
|
|
226
|
-
|
Derivative financial
instruments
|
|
-
|
491
|
Total current assets
|
|
108,924
|
114,918
|
Current liabilities
|
|
|
|
Trade and other payables
|
|
(30,745)
|
(39,703)
|
Other liabilities
|
|
(1,527)
|
(1,761)
|
Current tax liabilities
|
|
(2,022)
|
(2,619)
|
Provisions
|
|
(522)
|
(1,270)
|
Bank loan
|
|
(34,565)
|
(28,093)
|
Total current liabilities
|
|
(69,381)
|
(73,446)
|
Net
current assets
|
|
39,543
|
41,472
|
Total assets less current liabilities
|
|
133,564
|
137,347
|
Non-current liabilities
|
|
|
|
Deferred tax
|
|
(10,815)
|
(10,824)
|
Other liabilities
|
|
(6,793)
|
(8,071)
|
Total non-current liabilities
|
|
(17,608)
|
(18,895)
|
Total liabilities
|
|
(86,989)
|
(92,341)
|
Net
assets
|
|
115,956
|
118,452
|
|
|
|
|
Capital and Reserves
|
|
|
|
Share capital
|
|
59
|
59
|
Share premium
|
|
115
|
115
|
Merger reserve
|
|
14,595
|
14,595
|
Merger difference reserve
|
|
(13,147)
|
(13,147)
|
Translation reserve
|
|
(3,680)
|
(2,757)
|
Hedging reserve
|
|
-
|
491
|
EBT reserve
|
|
(1)
|
(1)
|
Retained earnings
|
|
118,015
|
119,097
|
Equity attributable to the owners of
the Company
|
115,956
|
84,347
|
Total Equity
|
|
115,956
|
118,452
|
The financial statements were
approved by the Board of Directors and authorised for issue on 27
November 2024. They were signed on its behalf by:
Tim
Carroll
Sally McKone
Chief Executive
Officer
Chief Financial Officer
Consolidated Statement of Changes in Equity
For the year ended 31 August 2024
|
Share
capital
|
Share
premium
|
Merger
reserve
|
Merger difference
reserve
|
Translation
reserve
|
Hedging
reserve
|
EBT reserve
|
Retained
earnings
|
Total
|
|
£000
|
£000
|
£000
|
£000
|
£000
|
£000
|
£000
|
£000
|
£000
|
Balance at 31 August
2022
|
59
|
115
|
14,595
|
(13,147)
|
(1,015)
|
(293)
|
(1)
|
105,003
|
105,316
|
Profit for the period
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
17,797
|
17,797
|
Other comprehensive
income
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
(1,742)
|
784
|
-
|
(204)
|
(1,162)
|
Total comprehensive
income
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
(1,765)
|
784
|
-
|
17,593
|
16,635
|
Share based payments deferred tax
deduction
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
5
|
5
|
Share based payments current tax
deduction
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
(123)
|
(123)
|
EBT shares issued
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
1
|
584
|
585
|
Share-based payments
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
(1)
|
(246)
|
(247)
|
Shares withheld to settle tax
obligations
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
(216)
|
(216)
|
Premium on shares in lieu of
bonuses
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
106
|
106
|
Dividends paid
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
(3,609)
|
(3,609)
|
Balance at 31 August
2023
|
59
|
115
|
14,595
|
(13,147)
|
(2,757)
|
491
|
(1)
|
119,097
|
118,452
|
Profit for the period
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
2,608
|
2,608
|
Other comprehensive (loss)/income
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
(923)
|
(491)
|
-
|
190
|
(1,224)
|
Total comprehensive income
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
(923)
|
(491)
|
-
|
2,798
|
1,384
|
Share based payments deferred tax deduction
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
(84)
|
(84)
|
EBT shares issued
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
22
|
22
|
Share-based payments
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
158
|
158
|
Shares withheld to settle tax obligations
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
(106)
|
(106)
|
Dividends paid
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
(3,870)
|
(3,870)
|
Balance at 31 August 2024
|
59
|
115
|
14,595
|
(13,147)
|
(3,680)
|
-
|
(1)
|
118,015
|
115,956
|
Consolidated Cash Flow Statement
For the year ended 31 August 2024
|
|
2024
|
2023
|
|
Note
|
£000
|
£000
|
Operating activities
|
|
|
|
Profit for the financial
year
|
|
2,608
|
17,797
|
Income tax
(credit)/expense
|
8
|
(104)
|
4,951
|
Net interest expense
|
|
3,192
|
1,595
|
Loss on disposal of property, plant
and equipment
|
|
13
|
187
|
Loss on disposal of intangible
assets
|
|
75
|
27
|
Amortisation of
intangibles
|
|
11,198
|
9,861
|
Impairment of goodwill and acquired
intangibles
|
|
5,355
|
-
|
Depreciation of property, plant and
equipment
|
|
2,887
|
2,677
|
Other non-cash items
|
|
(625)
|
(229)
|
Share-based payments
credit/(charge)
|
|
158
|
(246)
|
Operating cashflow before movements in working
capital
|
|
24,757
|
36,620
|
Increase in trade and other
receivables
|
|
(4,909)
|
(3,599)
|
Decrease/(increase) in
inventories
|
|
6,362
|
(6,916)
|
(Decrease)/increase in trade and
other payables
|
|
(10,367)
|
2,922
|
Operating cash flows before interest and tax
|
|
15,843
|
29,027
|
Net interest
|
|
(2,403)
|
(1,699)
|
Income tax paid
|
|
(1,781)
|
(1,856)
|
Cash generated by operations
|
|
11,659
|
25,472
|
Net foreign exchange
movements
|
|
(563)
|
860
|
Net cash from operating activities
|
|
11,096
|
26,332
|
Investing activities
|
|
|
|
Purchase of property, plant and
equipment
|
|
(1,540)
|
(3,204)
|
Purchase of intangible
assets
|
|
(3,040)
|
(2,024)
|
Capitalised R&D
costs
|
|
(9,660)
|
(9,163)
|
Proceeds from disposal of
intangible assets
|
|
-
|
5
|
Acquisition of business, net of
cash acquired
|
|
(2,494)
|
(7,153)
|
Net cash used in investing activities
|
|
(16,734)
|
(21,539)
|
Financing activities
|
|
|
|
Proceeds from loans and
borrowings
|
|
9,355
|
15,226
|
Repayments of loans and
borrowings
|
|
(2,750)
|
-
|
Payment of lease
liabilities
|
|
(1,423)
|
(1,427)
|
Equity dividends paid
|
|
(3,870)
|
(3,609)
|
Net cash used in financing activities
|
|
1,312
|
10,190
|
Net (decrease)/increase in cash and
cash equivalents
|
|
(4,326)
|
14,983
|
Cash and cash equivalents at the
beginning of the year
|
|
26,787
|
12,758
|
Foreign exchange
movements
|
|
(421)
|
(954)
|
Cash and cash equivalents at the end of the
year
|
|
22,040
|
26,787
|
Notes to the Final Results
For the year ended 31 August 2024
1. BASIS OF
PREPARATION
The financial information set out above does not constitute
the company's statutory accounts for the years ended 31 August 2024
or 2023 but is derived from those accounts. Statutory accounts for
2023 have been delivered to the registrar of companies, and those
for 2024 will be delivered in due course. The auditor has reported
on those accounts; their reports were (i) unqualified, (ii) did not
include a reference to any matters to which the auditor drew
attention by way of emphasis without qualifying their report and
(iii) did not contain a statement under section 498 (2) or (3) of
the Companies Act 2006.
The Board of Directors has a
reasonable expectation that the Company and the Group have adequate
resources to continue in operational existence and meet their
liabilities as they fall due for a period of at least 12 months
from the approval of these financial statements ('the going concern
period'). Accordingly, the financial statements have been prepared
on a going concern basis.
The Group meets its day-to-day
working capital requirements from cash balances and a revolving
credit facility of £50 million, of which £35 million was drawn at
the Balance Sheet date, which was extended in September 2024 for a
further year to a maturity date of September 2028. The availability
of the revolving credit facility is subject to continued compliance
with certain covenants.
The Directors have prepared
projected cash flow forecasts for the going concern period. These
forecasts include the base case, along with three discrete severe
but plausible downside scenarios, which include potential impacts
from risks identified from the business including
· Loss of our largest customer, our distributor for Focusrite,
Novation and ADAM Audio in the US
· Loss of a key contract manufacturer, potentially due to
increased storm intensity, as flagged in our climate risk
analysis
· Reduction in gross margin due to ongoing pricing pressures
and the potential impact of import tariffs for goods imported into
the US
Whilst climate change is
considered to bring both risks and opportunities to the Group, as
outlined in our Environmental, Social, Governance ('ESG') section
in the Annual Report, we consider the quantifiable risk in the
short term to relate to increased storm intensity, resulting in the
potential loss of a distributor or contract manufacturer
and this is included within our scenarios.
The increased geopolitical
risk which could impact our manufacturing partners in China
has also been considered, but has not been modelled,
given the considered likelihood and scale of global sanctions would
not deem this a plausible scenario.
The base case covers a period of
at least 12 months from the date of signing and includes demanding
but achievable forecast growth. The forecast has been extracted
from the Group's FY25 budget and three-year plan for the remainder
of the going concern period.
Key assumptions
include:
· Future growth assumptions consistent with those assumed in
the Group's internal plans for market growth and new product
introductions and adjusted for the annualisation of recent
acquisitions.
· Working capital requirements in line with historic
trends
· Continued investment in research and development in all areas
of the Group.
· Dividends consistent with the Group's dividend
policy
· No additional investment in acquisitions in the forecast
period
· Foreign exchange rates in line with those prevailing as at 31
August 2024
Throughout the period, the
forecast cash flow information indicates that the Group will have
sufficient cash reserves and headroom on the revolving credit
facility to continue to meet its liabilities throughout the
forecast period as well as continuing to maintain covenant
compliance.
The Directors have modelled three
severe but plausible downside scenarios to take account of the
risks identified above. These models assume that purchases of
stock will, in time, reduce to reflect reduced sales, if they
occurred. The Group would respond to a revenue or gross
margin shortfall by taking reasonable steps to reduce dividends,
overheads and capital expenditure within its control. These
mitigants have been included in each of the downside scenarios.
Across these scenarios, the most significant impact expected would
be a draw down from the revolving credit facility of an average of
around £40 million for a period of 7 months, however the Group
would be expected to remain well within the terms of its loan
facility with the leverage covenant (net debt to adjusted EBITDA)
in the period not exceeding the maximum of 2.5x.
Separately, as a reverse stress
test, the Directors estimate that if the Group were to experience a
reduction in revenue expectations of greater than 30% compared to
the base case, permanently from the start of the forecast period,
leverage could rise to the upper limits allowed by the banking
covenants by October 2025. This scenario includes consequential
reductions in the purchases of stock and dividends as well as other
mitigating cost reductions. However, the Directors'
view is that any scenario of a revenue shortfall of greater than
the severe yet plausible scenario above is not
realistic.
In practice, the Group is still
currently experiencing stable levels of consumer registrations and
underlying customer demand, and therefore the revenue levels have
been maintained at expected levels since year end. The Group is
increasing working capital, as is usual in the period prior to the
Thanksgiving and Christmas holiday season, with the Group's net
debt balance reducing from a net position of £12.5 million reported
at year end to approximately net debt of £17.8 million at 25
November 2024, which is expected to improve by the end of the
following financial period.
As a result, the Directors are
confident that the Group and Company will have sufficient funds to
continue to meet their liabilities as they fall due for at least 12
months from the date of approval of the financial statements and
therefore have prepared the financial statements on a going concern
basis.
2.
ALTERNATIVE PERFORMANCE MEASURES
('APMs')
The Group has applied certain
alternative performance measures ('APMs') within these financial results. A
reconciliation to GAAP measures is provided in the table below or
are cross referenced to tables within the Financial review section.
The APMs presented are used in discussions with the Board,
management and investors to aid the understanding of the
performance of the Group. The Group considers that the presentation
of APMs allows for improved insight to the trading performance of
the Group. The Group consider that the term 'Adjusted' together with an adjusting items
category, best reflects the trading performance of the
Group.
Adjusting items are those items that
are unusual because of their size, nature or incidence, and are
applied consistently year on year. The Directors consider that
these items should be separately identified within their relevant
income statement category to enable full understanding of the
Group's
results. Items included are acquisition
costs, earnout payable to employees of acquired businesses,
impairment of goodwill and acquired intangible assets and
restructuring costs
The following APMs have been used in
these financial results:
• Organic constant currency growth - this is calculated by
comparing current period revenue to prior period revenue adjusted
for current period exchange rates and the impact of acquisitions,
shown within the Financial Review.
• Adjusted EBITDA - comprising earnings (operating profit)
adjusted for interest, taxation, depreciation, amortisation and
adjusting items. This is shown on the face of the income
statement.
• Adjusted operating profit - operating profit adjusted for
adjusting items.
• Adjusted earnings per share ('EPS') - earnings per share
excluding adjusting items.
• Free cash flow - net increase/(decrease) in cash and cash
equivalents excluding net cash used acquisitions, movements on the
bank loan and dividends paid.
• Underlying free cash flow - as free cash flow but adding back
adjusting items.
• Net debt - comprised of cash and cash equivalents, overdrafts
and amounts drawn against the RCF including the costs of arranging
the RCF.
A reconciliation of all items is
provided in the table below
Profit definitions
|
FY24
Adjusted
EBITDA
|
FY24
Adjusted Operating
Profit
|
FY24
Adjusted Diluted Earnings
Per Share
|
FY23
Adjusted
EBITDA
|
FY23
Adjusted Operating Profit
|
FY23
Adjusted
Diluted Earnings
Per
Share
|
|
£000
|
£000
|
£000
|
£000
|
£000
|
£000
|
Reported:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Operating Profit
|
5,696
|
5,696
|
|
24,343
|
24,343
|
|
Profit after tax
|
|
|
2,608
|
|
|
17,797
|
Add back/(deduct)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Underlying depreciation and
amortisation
|
8,574
|
-
|
-
|
8,087
|
|
|
Amortisation on acquired
intangibles
|
5,510
|
5,510
|
5,510
|
4,451
|
4,451
|
4,451
|
Acquisition costs
|
98
|
98
|
98
|
367
|
367
|
367
|
Impairment of goodwill and
intangibles
|
5,355
|
5,355
|
5,355
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
Earnout in relation to
acquisitions
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
786
|
786
|
786
|
Restructuring
|
(14)
|
(14)
|
(14)
|
534
|
534
|
534
|
Tax on adjusting items
|
|
|
(2,842)
|
|
|
(1,319)
|
Adjusted
|
25,219
|
16,645
|
10,715
|
38,568
|
30,481
|
22,616
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Weighted average number of total
ordinary shares including dilutive impact (000's)
|
59,400
|
|
|
58,953
|
Adjusted diluted EPS (p)
|
|
|
18.0
|
|
|
38.4
|
Cashflow definitions
|
FY24
Free cash
flow
|
FY24
Adjusted free cash
flow
|
|
FY23
Free cash
flow
|
FY23
Adjusted free cash
flow
|
|
£000
|
£000
|
|
£000
|
£000
|
Net (decrease)/increase in cash and
cash equivalents during the year
|
(4,326)
|
(4,326)
|
|
14,983
|
14,983
|
Add back dividends paid
|
3,870
|
3,870
|
|
3,609
|
3,609
|
Add back cash outflow in relation to
acquisition of business
|
2,494
|
2,494
|
|
7,153
|
7,153
|
Change in bank loan
|
(6,605)
|
(6,605)
|
|
(15,226)
|
(15,226)
|
Add back; adjusting items
|
-
|
84
|
|
-
|
1,687
|
Free cashflow/Adjusted free cashflow
|
(4,567)
|
(4,483)
|
|
10,519
|
12,206
|
Definition of net debt
|
FY24
Net debt
|
FY23
Net debt
|
Cash and cash equivalents
|
22,040
|
26,787
|
Bank loan
|
(35,101)
|
(28,192)
|
RCF arrangement fee
|
536
|
99
|
Net
debt
|
(12,525)
|
(1,306)
|
3.
acquisition of a subsidiary
On 19 December 2023, the Group
completed the acquisition of 100% of the share capital of Sheriff
Technology Limited (Sheriff), which trades principally under the
OutBoard and TiMax brands. The total consideration has been
calculated as £2.8 million, with £2.4 million paid on
completion. An additional amount of up to £1.2 million is due
in January 2025 upon the achievement of agreed gross profit
targets, with a forecast discounted amount of £0.4 million being
included as additional consideration at 28 August 2024.
The acquisition was funded by a drawdown of £2.3
million on the existing revolving credit facility of £50 million
with HSBC and NatWest. Sheriff had £0.1 million of cash at the
acquisition date such that the net cash consideration was £2.3
million.
Sheriff is a UK-based company
specialising in innovative entertainment technologies, which it
sells globally. Operating under two sub-brands - TiMax and OutBoard
- their products are vital
for professionals in the audiovisual industry, particularly in live
performances, event management, and the rapidly expanding sector of
immersive sound experiences.
For the period between the
acquisition date and 31 August 2024, Sheriff contributed revenue of
£0.9 million and a profit before tax of £0.2 million to the Group.
If the acquisition had occurred on 1 September 2023, management
estimates that OutBoard's revenue would have been £1.4 million and profit before tax
for the period would have been £0.3 million.
Acquisition-related costs
The Group incurred
acquisition-related costs of £0.1 million on legal fees and due
diligence costs relating to the acquisition of Sheriff. These have
been included in adjusting item costs to give investors a better
understanding of the costs related to the acquisition of
Sheriff. Additionally, because of their size, nature and the
fact that they vary from acquisition to acquisition, the Group
considers it a better reflection of the trading performance to show
these separately.
Identifiable assets acquired and liabilities
assumed
The following table summarises the
recognised amounts of assets acquired, and liabilities assumed at
the date of acquisition:
Recognised values on acquisition
|
£000
|
SoundHub
technology
|
1,600
|
Motor control technology
|
425
|
Intangible assets
|
2,025
|
Property, plant and
equipment
|
2
|
Working capital (including
cash)
|
584
|
Deferred tax liability
|
(506)
|
Net
identifiable assets and liabilities at fair value
|
2,105
|
Goodwill recognised on
acquisition
|
750
|
Consideration recognised
|
2,855
|
The acquired deferred tax liability
has been estimated by applying the uplift in asset fair value to
the average expected corporate tax rates over the life of the
assets.
Measurement of fair values
The valuation techniques used for
measuring the fair value of material assets acquired were as
follows:
Assets acquired
|
Valuation technique
|
Property, plant and
equipment
|
Cost approach
|
Developed technology
|
Income approach (multi-period excess
earnings method "MEEM")
|
|
The key assumption used is the
forecast revenues attributable to the existing asset.
|
Goodwill
The goodwill recognised is
attributable to:
·
the skills and technical talent of the Sheriff
workforce;
·
income growth potential from new products, future
relationships;
·
alignment to the Group's existing customer base;
and
·
strong strategic fit.
Intangible assets sensitivity analysis
In assessing the estimated useful
life of the intangible assets, management considered the
sensitivity in the forecast sales on the valuation of the developed
technology. The following table details the sensitivity to a 10%
increase and decrease in the sales forecast and related cost of
sales impact this would have on the valuation of the
assets.
|
|
Valuation
impact
|
Asset
|
Cost
|
10% sales
increase
|
10% sales
decrease
|
Developed technology
|
2,025
|
292
|
(262)
|
In June 2024, the Group purchased
100% of the share capital of Innovate Audio Ltd for £217,000, net
of cash of £17,000, this resulted in acquired intangible asset
additions of developed technology of £200,000.
In December 2022, the Group purchased
Sonnox Ltd for £9,095,000, resulting in acquired intangible assets
additions of £5,553,000 and goodwill of £2,683,000 arising due to
this business combination.
4.
Revenue
An analysis of the
Group's revenue
by reportable segment and by location of customer is as
follows:
|
Year ended 31 August
2024
|
|
Year
ended 31 August 2023
|
|
North
America
|
EMEA
|
Rest of
World
|
Total
|
|
North
America
|
EMEA
|
Rest of
World
|
Total
|
|
£000
|
£000
|
£000
|
£000
|
|
£000
|
£000
|
£000
|
£000
|
Focusrite
|
28,672
|
24,492
|
7,114
|
60,278
|
|
45,724
|
29,334
|
11,259
|
86,317
|
Novation
|
6,649
|
6,544
|
3,064
|
16,257
|
|
6,078
|
6,711
|
3,776
|
16,565
|
ADAM Audio
|
8,565
|
11,646
|
2,399
|
22,610
|
|
5,657
|
10,072
|
2,720
|
18,449
|
Sequential
|
4,737
|
4,172
|
73796
|
9,705
|
|
7,115
|
6,309
|
1,056
|
14,480
|
Sonnox
|
722
|
829
|
417
|
1,968
|
|
405
|
492
|
242
|
1,139
|
Content Creation
|
49,345
|
47,683
|
13,790
|
110,818
|
|
64,979
|
52,918
|
19,053
|
136,950
|
Audio Reproduction
|
11,397
|
19,236
|
17,073
|
47,706
|
|
12,684
|
16,601
|
12,230
|
41,515
|
Total
|
60,742
|
66,919
|
30,863
|
158,524
|
|
77,663
|
69,519
|
31,283
|
178,465
|
The amount of revenue sold to
external customers in the UK was £11,759,000 (2023:
£20,782,000).
5.
Business segments
Information reported to the Board
of Directors for the purposes of resource allocation and assessment
of segment performance is focused on the main product groups which
the Group sells. Similarly, the results of Novation and Ampify also
meet the aggregation criteria set out in IFRS 8 Segmental
Reporting. The Group's reportable segments under IFRS 8 are therefore as
follows:
Focusrite
- Sales of Focusrite
and Focusrite Pro branded products
Novation
- Sales of Novation or Ampify branded
products
ADAM Audio -
Sales of ADAM Audio branded products
Martin Audio
- Sales of Martin Audio, Optimal
Audio, Linea Research, panLab, Timax & OutBoard
products
Sequential -
Sales of Sequential branded products
Sonnox
- Sales of
Sonnox branded products
Segment revenues and
results
The accounting policies of the
reportable segments are the same as the Group's accounting policies described in
note 3 of the Annual Report. Segment profit represents the profit
earned by each segment without allocation of the share of central
administration costs, including Directors' salaries, investment revenue and
finance costs, and income tax expense. This is the measure reported
to the Board of Directors for the purpose of resource allocation
and assessment of segment performance.
Central administration costs
comprise principally the employment-related costs and other
overheads incurred by the Group. Also included within central
administration costs is the expense relating to the share option
scheme of £158,000 for the year ended 31 August 2024
(2023: credit of £282,000).
The following is an analysis of
the Group's
revenue and results by reportable segment:
|
Year
ended 31 August
|
|
2024
|
2023
|
|
£'000
|
£'000
|
Revenue from external customers
|
|
|
Focusrite
|
60,278
|
86,317
|
Novation
|
16,257
|
16,565
|
ADAM Audio
|
22,610
|
18,449
|
Sequential
|
9,705
|
14,480
|
Sonnox
|
1,968
|
1,139
|
Martin Audio
|
47,706
|
41,515
|
Total
|
158,524
|
178,465
|
Segment profit
|
|
|
Focusrite
|
22,481
|
40,130
|
Novation
|
7,654
|
9,133
|
ADAM Audio
|
11,217
|
9,570
|
Sequential
|
4,044
|
6,705
|
Sonnox
|
1,899
|
1,125
|
Martin Audio
|
23,198
|
18,186
|
|
70,493
|
84,849
|
Central distribution costs and
administrative expenses
|
(59,358)
|
(58,819)
|
Adjusting items (note 7)
|
(5,439)
|
(1,687)
|
Operating profit
|
5,696
|
24,343
|
Finance income
|
100
|
770
|
Finance costs
|
(3,292)
|
(2,365)
|
Profit before tax
|
2,504
|
22,748
|
Tax
|
104
|
(4,951)
|
Profit after tax
|
2,608
|
17,797
|
The Group's non-current assets,
analysed by geographical location, were as follows:
|
2024
|
2023
|
|
£'000
|
£'000
|
Non-current assets
|
|
|
North America
|
8,014
|
8,937
|
Europe, Middle East and
Africa
|
85,981
|
86,725
|
Rest of the World
|
26
|
213
|
Total non-current assets
|
94,021
|
95,875
|
|
|
|
UK
|
67,400
|
68,867
|
Information about major
customers
Included in revenues shown for FY24
is £29.8 million (FY23: £48.1 million) attributed to the
Group's largest
customer, which is located in North America.
6.
Profit for the year
Profit for the year has been arrived
at after charging/(crediting):
|
|
Year ended 31
August
|
|
|
2024
|
2023
|
|
Note
|
£000
|
£000
|
Net foreign exchange
losses
|
|
241
|
331
|
Loss on disposal of property, plant
and equipment
|
|
13
|
187
|
Research and development
costs
|
|
2,241
|
4,873
|
Depreciation and impairment of
property, plant & equipment
|
|
2,887
|
2,677
|
Amortisation and impairment of
intangibles
|
11
|
14,030
|
9,861
|
Impairment of goodwill
|
|
2,523
|
-
|
Cost of inventories within cost of
sales
|
|
74,147
|
75,548
|
Staff costs
|
|
27,341
|
28,235
|
Movement in expected credit
loss
|
|
88
|
(292)
|
Share based payments
|
|
158
|
(282)
|
7.
Adjusting ITEMS
The following adjusting items have
been disclosed in the period because they do not reflect the
underlying business activities for the Group:
|
Year ended 31
August
|
|
2024
|
2023
|
|
£000
|
£000
|
Acquisition costs
|
98
|
367
|
Earnout accrual in relation to
acquisitions
|
-
|
786
|
Restructuring
|
(14)
|
534
|
Adjusting items
|
84
|
1,687
|
Impairment of goodwill and acquired
intangible assets
|
5,355
|
-
|
Amortisation of acquired intangible
assets
|
5,510
|
4,451
|
Total adjusting items for Adjusted EBITDA
|
10,949
|
6,138
|
Tax on adjusting items
|
(2,842)
|
(1,319)
|
Total adjusting items for Adjusted profit after
tax
|
8,107
|
4,819
|
Acquisition costs in FY24 relate to
the acquisition of Sheriff Technology Ltd in December 2023, and
Sonnox in the prior year.
The impairment of goodwill and
intangible assets relates to the write down of the goodwill and
intangible assets in relation the Sequential CGU. The Sequential
CGU comprises the Sequential and Oberheim brands, managed through
one management and innovation team. Sequential was acquired in 2021
for £14.5 million, and the Oberheim brand was acquired in 2022 for
£4.5 million. The assets of the CGU have a net book value pre
impairment of £18.7m at the 31 August 2024 including £2.6 million
of goodwill before the impact of any impairment charge.
Since the acquisitions, the
broader Musical Instruments industry has suffered, impacted by both
lower demand due to cost of living issues and a surplus of stock in
the channel post COVID-19 impacting pricing across multiple
categories. Sequential operates at the premium semi-professional
end of the market, with products priced around $3,000 - $5,000 and
as a result have been particularly hard hit by these issues with a
reported revenue decline of 33.0% this year and 10.5% in
FY23.
The Sequential team have managed
this decline well, successfully relaunching the Oberheim brand with
the award winning OBX8 synthesizer and introducing the lower cost
Teo 5 synthesizer this year, with plans to further extend the lower
price point range of both brands. This is expected to bring the
brands back to growth, however given the lower base in FY24 and the
time needed to bring these products to market, this has resulted in
a lower overall cashflow going forward and a resulting impairment
of £5.4 million. This impairment has been allocated to
goodwill of £2.6 million and the remainder (£2.8 million) to
acquired brands and intellectual property and research in
development now in use.
Forecasts assumed the release of
products in line with the existing product roadmap. A reasonable
possible change could be a 6 month delay in the launch of
these products, which would result in a further impairment of £2
million. Gross margins are assumed to improve marginally due to
production efficiencies. A reasonable possible change would be an
assumption that they remain flat due to increased promotional
activity which would result in a further impairment of £2 million.
The long term growth rate is assumed to be 2% based on IMF
estimates. A reasonable possible change would be a drop of 0.5%
which would result in a further impairment of £0.8 million. A
reasonable possible change in the WACC would reduce the impairment
charge.
This impairment was calculated
using the Five Year Forecast, calculating a post tax cashflow and
using a post tax WACC of 12.1%, with profits taxable in the US in
California.
8.
Tax
|
Year ended 31
August
|
|
2024
|
2023
|
|
£000
|
£000
|
Corporation tax charges
|
|
|
Over provision in prior
year
|
(359)
|
(309)
|
Current year
|
3,014
|
4,745
|
|
2,655
|
4,436
|
Deferred taxation
|
|
|
(Over)/under provision in prior
year
|
(140)
|
249
|
Current year
|
(2,619)
|
266
|
|
(104)
|
4,951
|
Corporation tax is calculated at 25%
(2023: 21.5%) of the estimated taxable profit for the year.
Taxation for the US and German subsidiaries are calculated at the
rates prevailing in the respective jurisdiction.
The tax charge for each year can be
reconciled to the profit per the income statement as
follows:
|
Year ended 31
August
|
|
2024
|
2023
|
|
£000
|
£000
|
Current taxation
|
|
|
Profit before tax on continuing
operations
|
2,504
|
22,748
|
Tax at the UK corporation tax rate
of 25% (2023: 21.5%)
|
626
|
4,894
|
Effects of:
|
|
|
Expenses not deductible for tax
purposes
|
236
|
480
|
Other differences
|
200
|
(26)
|
Rate changes
|
(177)
|
-
|
Additional UK tax reliefs
|
(428)
|
(642)
|
Prior period adjustment
|
(499)
|
(59)
|
Effect of change in standard rate of
deferred tax
|
-
|
12
|
Impact of foreign tax
rates
|
(62)
|
292
|
Tax
(credit)/charge for the year
|
(104)
|
4,951
|
Expenses not deductible relate to the
costs of acquisition and entertainment expenses.
Tax credited directly to
equity
In addition to the amount charged to
the income statement and other comprehensive income, the following
amounts of tax have been recognised in equity:
|
2024
|
2023
|
|
£'000
|
£'000
|
Share based payment deferred tax
deduction
|
84
|
5
|
Share based payment current tax
deduction
|
-
|
(123)
|
|
84
|
(118)
|
The net corporation tax creditor is
£1,796,000 (2023: £2,619,000).
9.
Dividends
The following equity dividends have
been paid or proposed for the period:
|
Year to
31 August 2024
|
Year to
31 August 2023
|
Total dividend per qualifying
ordinary share
|
6.6p
|
6.6p
|
During the year, the Company paid an
interim dividend in respect of the year ended 31 August 2024 of 2.1
pence per share (FY23: 2.1 pence per share).
On 25 November 2024, the Directors
proposed a final dividend of 4.5 pence per share (FY23: 4.5 pence
per share) making a total of 6.6 pence per share for the year
(FY23: 6.6 pence per share).
10
Earnings per share ('EPS')
The calculation of the basic and
diluted EPS is based on the following data:
|
Year ended 31
August
|
Earnings
|
2024
|
2023
|
|
£'000
|
£'000
|
Profit after tax
|
2,608
|
17,797
|
Adjusting items (note 2)
|
10,949
|
6,138
|
Tax on adjusting items (note
2)
|
(2,842)
|
(1,319)
|
Total underlying profit for adjusted
EPS calculation
|
10,715
|
22,616
|
|
|
|
|
Year ended 31
August
|
|
2024
|
2023
|
|
Number
|
Number
|
|
'000
|
'000
|
Number of shares
|
|
|
Weighted average number of ordinary
shares
|
58,612
|
58,506
|
Effect of dilutive potential
ordinary shares:
|
|
|
Share option plans
|
788
|
447
|
Weighted average number of ordinary
shares including dilutive impact
|
59,400
|
58,953
|
|
|
|
EPS
|
Pence
|
Pence
|
Basic EPS
|
4.5
|
30.4
|
Diluted EPS
|
4.4
|
30.2
|
Adjusted basic EPS
|
18.3
|
38.7
|
Adjusted diluted EPS
|
18.0
|
38.4
|
The Group presents basic and
diluted EPS data for its ordinary shares. Basic EPS is calculated
by dividing the profit attributable to ordinary shareholders by the
weighted average number of ordinary shares outstanding during the
period. For diluted EPS, the weighted average number of ordinary
shares is adjusted for the dilutive effect of potential ordinary
shares arising from the exercise of granted share
options.
At 31 August 2024, the total
number of ordinary shares issued and fully paid was 59,211,639.
This included 588,017 (FY23 624,173) shares held by the EBT to
satisfy options vesting in future years. The operation of this EBT
is funded by the Group so the EBT is required to be
consolidated, with the result that the weighted average number of
ordinary shares for the purpose of the basic EPS calculation
is the net of the weighted average number of shares in issue of
59,211,639 (59,073,009) less the weighted average number of shares
held by the EBT of 599,129 (FY23: 566,408). It should be noted that
the only right relinquished by the Trustees of the EBT is the
right to receive dividends. In all other respects, the shares
held by the EBT have full voting rights. The effect of dilutive
potential ordinary share issues is calculated in accordance with
IAS 33 and arises from the employee share options currently
outstanding, adjusted by the profit element as a proportion of the
average share price during the period.