Earnings Release • Nov 25, 2020
Earnings Release
Open in ViewerOpens in native device viewer
Paris, 25 November 2020
This press release presents consolidated financial results established under IFRS accounting rules, currently being audited, and closed by the Pierre et Vacances SA Board of Administration on 24 November 2020.
Whereas operating performances on 15 March 2020 were ahead of the targets set in the Change Up plan, the Covid-19 health crisis obliged the Group to close almost all of its tourism sites from mid-March to late-May/early-June. Exceptional measures were implemented to reduce costs, including flexibility in staff costs through temporary unemployment measures, adapting onsite spending and rental payments halt over the closure period.
During the fourth quarter of the year, the Group delivered another remarkable revenue performance, especially at the Center Parcs Domains and the Pierre & Vacances mountain sites with occupancy rates above those of the 2019 summer season.
These performances confirmed the extent to which the Group's brand offerings are suited to demand for family-oriented and local tourism.
In order to cover operating losses caused by the health crisis, on 10 June 2020, the Group subscribed to a €240 million statebacked loan through its pool of banks. In addition, the maturity on the €200 million revolving credit line, initially maturing in March 2021, was prolonged by 18 months.
This financial support testified to the banks' confidence in the Group's fundamentals and resilience to overcome the impacts of the health crisis.
On 29 January 2020, the Pierre & Vacances-Center Parcs Group presented its strategic plan for 2024, Change Up1, aimed at accelerating and strengthening the Group's transformation in order to ensure its long-term profitability.
The plan is based on three main pillars:
1 For further information on the Change Up plan, please consult the press release and presentation of 29 January 2020 available on the Group's website : www.groupepvcp.com
The Group's operating performance on 15 March 2020, prior to the announcement of measures related to the health crisis, were ahead of the targets set in the Change Up plan. Same-structure accommodation revenue was up 6.7% (vs. +4.7% expected on an average annual basis), driven by the Center Parcs division, which benefited from the first effects of renovation works at the Domains.
The deployment of the Change Up strategic plan also continued during the lockdown period:
On 30 September 2020, implementation of the new organisation was virtually complete. On 1 October, the HR and Legal teams joined the Business Line and Holding company organisations, followed by the Finance teams as of mid-November. Elsewhere, the cost-cutting plan is progressing in line with the planned schedule with almost 75% of the savings expected over the duration of the plan secured.
In 2007, the Group began a project to set up a Center Parcs domain in the township of Roybon in the Isère region of France. The project received constant backing from local authorities for its environmental qualities, its impact in terms of employment and revenues and its ability to shake-up and rebalance the region.
For more than 10 years, legal procedures contesting the administrative authorisations have prevented the project from materialising. Since the land clearing permission, vital for the project's materialisation, was made void on 12 July 2020, and with access to the site blocked by so-call "zadist" militants (French Zone à Défendre - zone to defend) who have been illegally occupying the land since 2014, the Group decided to abandon the project on 8 July 2020.
Center Parcs confirms its development in France and Northern Europe under the framework of its Change Up strategic plan, with innovative concepts:
The financial elements and sales indicators commented on in this press release stem from operating reporting, which is more representative of the performances and economic reality of the contribution of each of the Group's businesses i.e. :
A reconciliation table with the primary financial statements is present in the appendix to this press release.
| € millions | 2019/2020 | 2018/2019 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| according to | according to | ||
| operating reporting | operating reporting | ||
| Tourism | 1,022.7 | 1,365.1 | -25.1% |
| - Pierre & Vacances Tourisme Europe (PVTE) | 407.3 | 596.8 | -31.8% |
| - Center Parcs Europe (CPE) | 615.4 | 768.2 | -19.9% |
| o/w accommodation revenue | 685.7 | 923.6 | -25.8% |
| Pierre & Vacances Tourisme Europe | 265.7 | 406.9 | -34.7% |
| P&V France | 160.0 | 205.2 | -22.0% |
| Adagio and P&V Spain | 105.7 | 201.7 | -47.6% |
| - Center Parcs Europe | 420.0 | 516.6 | -18.7% |
| Property development | 275.0 | 307.7 | -10.6% |
| Full-year total | 1,297.8 | 1,672.8 | -22.4% |
Over the full-year running from 1 October 2019 to 30 September 2020, the Group's revenue totalled €1,297.8 million.
Revenue from property development totalled €275.0 million over 2019/2020, (vs. €307.7 million in 2018/2019), driven primarily by the contribution from the Senioriales residences (€65.4 million), Center Parcs Lot-et-Garonne (€32.6 million), the PV premium residence in Meribel (€31.4 million) and renovation operations at Center Parcs Domains (€102.4 million vs. €158.1 million in 2018/2019).
Property reservations recorded with individual investors over the year represented sales volumes of €200.2 million, vs. €256.2 million over 2018/2019, after a slowdown in second half reservations (€74.9 million vs. €124.0 million in H2 2018/2019).
| (€ millions) | 2019/2020 | 2018/2019 |
|---|---|---|
| Revenue | 1,297.8 | 1,672.8 |
| CURRENT OPERATING PROFIT (LOSS) | - 171.5 | 30.9 |
| Tourism | - 155.3 | 29.6 |
| Tourism Villages Nature® Paris | - 10.1 | - 5.5 |
| Tourism excl. Villages Nature® Paris | - 145.2 | 35.1 |
| Property development | -16.2 | 1.3 |
| Other operating income and expenses | - 133.6 | - 9.7 |
| Financial expenses | - 22.2 | - 20.8 |
| Share of profit (loss) of equity-accounted investments | - 1.0 | 0.9 |
| PRE-TAX PROFIT | - 328.3 | 1.3 |
| Tax | - 7.8 | -34.4 |
| NET PROFIT (LOSS) FOR THE YEAR | - 336.1 | - 33.0 |
| Group share | - 336.2 | - 33.0 |
| Non-controlling interests | +0.1 | 0.0 |
The current operating loss amounted to €171.5 million (vs. current operating profit of €30.9 million in 2018/2019), heavily affected by the impact of the Covid-19 crisis on the Group's activities.
After robust growth momentum in the period running up to the first lockdown, with current operating profit up 17%, or +€18 million, the Group then recorded a €388 million decline in revenue over the rest of the year, resulting in a loss of around €203 million at the current operating level after taking account of the savings generated (partial unemployment schemes, halt in rental payments…).
The first savings recorded as part of the Change Up plan also helped offset the cost of implementing health measures at the sites and at the head office.
The current operating loss for the tourism activities therefore stood at €155.3 million vs. a profit of €29.6 million in 2018/2019.
The current operating loss for the property development activity stood at €16.2 million, dented by a slowdown in property reservations and the shift in the launch of certain projects.
Current operating profit for 2019 included the significant contribution from disposal/renovation operations postponed from 2018 to 2019, partly offset by complementary costs for the Allgaü domain (net impact of +€12 million).
Other operating expenses totalled €133.6 million. Apart from costs related to the reorganisation of the Group (€33.5 million in line with forecasts for the Change Up plan), these included an impairment charge for the value of property stocks for €61.8 million, primarily related to the abandoned Center Parcs project at Roybon (€41 million) and the ensuing review of other projects in France (definition of alternative projects aimed at making them more acceptable). Elsewhere the current backdrop prompted the Group to write down the value of certain intangible assets for an amount of around €30 million. Meanwhile, costs related to site withdrawals represented around €5 million.
Net financial expenses totalled €22.2 million, higher than the previous year's level mainly due to additional interest expenses for the cautionary drawing on credit lines prior to the crisis (these were reimbursed on 30 September 2020) and the state-backed loan obtained in June 2020.
Tax expenses mostly concerned the reversal of deferred tax assets in France and Spain, related to the updating of short-term revenue projections following the Covid crisis.
The Group net loss stood at €336.1 million for 2019/2020 (vs. -€33.0 million in 2018/2019), in an unprecedented crisis situation.
| € millions | 09/30/2020 | 09/30/2019 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Goodwill | 140.0 | 158.9 | -18.9 |
| Net fixed assets | 362.3 | 383.7 | -21.4 |
| Lease assets | 86.1 | 91.7 | -5.6 |
| TOTAL USES | 588.4 | 634.3 | -45.9 |
| Share capital | -83.9 | 251.4 | -335.3 |
| Provisions for risks and charges | 111.2 | 76.2 | 35.0 |
| Net financial debt | 330.6 | 130.9 | 199.7 |
| Debt related to lease asset obligations | 94.7 | 97.7 | -3.0 |
| WCR and others | 135.8 | 78.1 | 57.7 |
| TOTAL RESOURCES | 588.4 | 634.3 | -45.9 |
Net financial debt (bank/bond debt less net cash) generated by the Group on 30 September 2020 broke down as follows:
| € millions | 30/09/2020 | 30/09/2019 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bank/bond debt | 528.8 | 244.4 | 284.4 |
| Cash (net of overdrafts drawn) | -198.3 | -113.5 | -84.8 |
| Available cash | -205.3 | -114.8 | -90.5 |
| Overdrafts drawn | 7.0 | 1.3 | 5.7 |
| Net financial debt | 330.6 | 130.9 | 199.6 |
Net financial debt on 30 September 2020 (€330.6 million) corresponded primarily to:
On 30 September 2020, the Group had €450 million in liquidities (cash available to which more than €250 million in revolving credit and non-drawn overdraft lines can be added).
A second wave of the Covid-19 pandemic led various European governments to take new restrictive measures as of early November. The Group has therefore been obliged to close all of its PV and CP sites in France, Germany and Belgium, for a period of four weeks minimum as of 2 November 2020. So far, only the Center Parcs Domains in the Netherlands remain open, albeit with a reduced offer (closure of bars and restaurants and a limited number of people in the Aquamundo).
FY 2020/2021 will be affected by the second wave of the pandemic, however, the Group's current cash level is sufficient to overcome this new episode of the crisis.
The Group's fundamentals should enable it to rebound in the coming months to restore the trajectory of the Change Up plan, by reference to the remarkable performances of the 2020 summer period, with high levels of activity, sometimes higher than those of the 2019 summer period.
As stated above, operating reporting is more representative of the performances and economic reality of the contribution of each of the Group's businesses, i.e. :
The reconciliation table with the primary financial statements are therefore set out below:
| FY 2020 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| operating | IFRS 11 | Impact of IFRS | FY 2020 | |
| (€ millions) | reporting | adjustments | 16 | IFRS |
| Revenue | 1,297.8 | - 59.2 | - 67.0 | 1,171.5 |
| External purchases and services | -1,054.3 | +55.1 | +377.3* | - 621.9 |
| Operating income and expenses | -354.4 | +16.5 | +4.6 | -333.3 |
| Depreciation, amortisation, provisions | -60.6 | +4.1 | -253.5 | -310.0 |
| Current operating profit (loss) | - 171.5 | +16.5 | +61.4 | - 93.7 |
| Other operating income and expense | - 133.6 | 0.2 | 0.0 | - 133.4 |
| Financial items | - 22.2 | +2.5 | - 150.5 | - 170.2 |
| Equity associates | - 1.0 | -19.2 | - 5.0 | - 25.2 |
| Income tax | -7.8 | 0.0 | 5.1 | - 2.6 |
| NET PROFIT (LOSS) FOR THE YEAR | - 336.1 | 0.0 | - 89.0 | - 425.1 |
* of which cost of sales: +€66.3m, Rents: +€311.0m
| FY 2019 operating | IFRS 11 | FY 2019 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| (€ millions) | reporting | adjustments | IFRS |
| Revenue | 1,672.8 | - 77.8 | 1,595.0 |
| Current operating profit (loss) | 30.9 | -0.6 | 30.2 |
| Other operating income and expense | - 9.7 | +0.1 | - 9.6 |
| Financial items | - 20.8 | +2.3 | - 18.5 |
| Equity associates | 0.9 | - 3.5 | - 2.5 |
| Income tax | - 34.4 | +1.7 | - 32.7 |
| NET PROFIT (LOSS) FOR THE YEAR | - 33.0 | 0.0 | - 33.0 |
| FY 2020 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| operating | FY 2020 | ||
| (€ millions) | reporting | Impact of IFRS 16 | IFRS |
| Goodwill | 140.0 | 0.0 | 140.0 |
| Net fixed assets | 362.3 | - 2.5 | 359.8 |
| Lease/right of use assets | 86.1 | 2,247.8 | 2,333.9 |
| Uses | 588.4 | 2,245.3 | 2,833.7 |
| Share capital | -83.9 | - 477.3 | - 561.2 |
| Provisions for risks and charges | 111.2 | 6.9 | 118.1 |
| Net financial debt | 330.6 | 0.0 | 330.6 |
| Debt related to lease assets / lease obligations | 94.7 | 2,789.5 | 2,884.2 |
| WCR and others | 135.8 | - 73.9 | 61.9 |
| Resources | 588.4 | 2,245.3 | 2,833.7 |
| FY 2020 operating | FY 2020 | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| (€ millions) | reporting | Impact of IFRS 16 | IFRS |
| Cash flows after interest and tax | -223.0 | +160.4 | -62.6 |
| Change in working capital requirement | +66.9 | +8.4 | +75.3 |
| Flows from operations | -156.1 | +168.8 | 12.7 |
| Net investments related to operations | -40.1 | - | -40.1 |
| Net financial investments | +0.8 | - | +0.8 |
| Flows allocated to investments | -39.3 | - | -39.3 |
| Operating cash flows | -195.4 | +168.8 | -26.6 |
| Flows allocated to financing | +280.2 | -168.8 | +111.4 |
| CHANGE IN CASH | +84.8 | 0.0 | +84.8 |
For its operating reporting, the Group continues to integrate joint operations under the proportional integration method, considering that this presentation is a better reflection of its performance. In contrast, joint ventures are consolidated under equity associates in the consolidated IFRS accounts.
IFRS 16 "Leases" must be applied for the years open as of 1 January 2019, namely 2019/2020 for the Pierre & Vacances-Center Parcs Group.
The Group has opted for the simplified retrospective transition method, with a retrospective calculation of right-of-use assets. Choosing this method implies that previous periods will not be restated.
As set out in the Note relative to Accounting Principles in the appendix to the Group's consolidated accounts, application of IFRS 16 results in:
The lease expense is cancelled in return for the reimbursement of the debt and the recognition of financial interest. The right-of-use asset is the object of straight-line depreciation over the duration of the lease.
✓ Cancelling, in the financial statements, a share of revenue and the capital gain for disposals undertaken under the framework of property operations with third-parties (given the Group's right-of-use rights). Given that the Group's business model is based on two distinct businesses, as monitored and presented in its operating reporting, adjustment for this would not measure and reflect the underlying performance of the Group's property business, and for this reason in its financial communication, the Group continues to present property development operations as they are recorded from its operating monitoring.
Building tools?
Free accounts include 100 API calls/year for testing.
Have a question? We'll get back to you promptly.