Interim / Quarterly Report • Jan 28, 2018
Interim / Quarterly Report
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INTERIM REPORT 2018
Wetherspoon owns and operates pubs throughout the UK and Ireland. The company aims to provide customers with good-quality food and drinks, served by well-trained and friendly staff, at reasonable prices.
The pubs are individually designed and the company aims to maintain them in excellent condition.
Year end 29 July 2018
Preliminary announcement for 2018 14 September 2018
Report and accounts for 2018 14 September 2018
Annual general meeting 15 November 2018
View this report online: jdwetherspoon.com/investors-home
Revenue £830.4m (2017: £801.4m) +3.6%1
Free cash flow2 £36.8m (2017: £49.2m) -25.3%
Like-for-like sales +6.1%
Free cash flow2 per share 34.8p (2017: 44.2p) -21.3%
Half-year dividend 4.0p (2017: 4.0p) Maintained
Contribution to the economy taxes paid £356.1m (2017: £331.6m)
Operating profit £74.0m (2017: £65.1m) +13.6%
Before exceptional items After exceptional items3
Operating profit £74.0m (2017: £65.1m) +13.6%
Profit before tax £62.0m (2017: £51.4m) +20.6%
Profit before tax £54.3m (2017: £39.9m) +36.1%
Earnings per share (including shares held in trust) 45.7p (2017: 33.8p) +35.2%
Earnings per share (including shares held in trust) 39.2p (2017: 27.2p) +44.1%
1 In our pre-close statement of 24 January 2018, we stated that total sales growth was 4.3%. For the purposes of the pre-close statement, we compared weeks 1 to 25 of this financial year with weeks 2 to 26 of the last financial year – the same 25 'calendar weeks'. In the current half-year statement, we compare weeks 1 to 26 of this financial year with weeks 1 to 26 of the previous financial year. The reason for the difference in reference periods is that the year ended 30 July 2017 was a 53-week period.
2 As defined in note 9 to the interim financial statements and our accounting policies, as disclosed in the company's annual report for the year ended 30 July 2017. 3 Exceptional items as disclosed in the notes to the interim financial statements, note 7.
In the 26 weeks ended 28 January 2018, like-for-like sales increased by 6.1% with total sales increasing by 3.6% to £830.4m (2017: £801.4m).
Like-for-like bar sales increased by 5.7% (2017: 2.4%), food by 6.9% (2017: 5.1%) and fruit machines by 4.6% (2017: decreased by 2.1%). Like-for-like room sales at our hotels increased by 3.1% (2017: 14.8%). Bar sales were 61.0% of total sales, food 35.3%, fruit machines 2.5% and room sales 1.1%.
Operating profit increased by 13.6% to £74.0m (2017: £65.1m). The operating margin was 8.9% (2017: 8.1%). Profit before tax and exceptional items increased by 20.6% to £62.0m (2017: £51.4m). The improved performance in the period was due mainly to strong sales and the sale of some lower-margin pubs.
Earnings per share, including shares held in trust by the employee share scheme, and before exceptional items, increased by 35.2% to 45.7p (2017: 33.8p). Earnings-per-share growth was higher than profit growth, mainly as a result of share buybacks.
As illustrated in the table in the tax section below, the company paid taxes of £356.1m in the period under review, approximately 30.2% higher than five years ago (2013: £273.5m).
Net interest was covered 5.5 times by profit before interest, tax and exceptional items (2017: 4.6 times). Total capital investment was £61.4m in the period (2017: £102.8m). £7.5m was spent on freehold reversions of properties where Wetherspoon was the tenant (2017: £55.8m), £35.1m on existing pubs (2017: £28.6m) and £18.8m on new pub openings and extensions (2017: £18.4m).
Exceptional items totalled £6.8m (2017: £7.3m). Twelve pubs were sold or closed in the period. There was a £5.9m (2017: £6.6m) loss on disposal and an impairment charge of £1.1m (2017: £5.2m) for closed pubs and pubs which are on the market. The cash effect of the exceptional charges was an inflow of £0.8m from the proceeds of pub disposals.
Free cash flow, after capital investment of £35.0m in existing pubs (2017: £28.4m) and payments of tax and interest, was £36.8m (2017: £49.2m). Free cash flow per share decreased by 21.3% to 34.8p (2017: 44.2p). The decrease was due mainly to increased expenditure on existing pubs, increased corporation tax payments and a reduction in payables.
The board declared an interim dividend of 4.0p per share for the current interim financial period ending 28 January 2018 (2017: 4.0p per share). The interim dividend will be paid on 31 May 2018 to those shareholders on the register at 4 May 2018.
We expect the overall corporation tax charge for the financial year, including current and deferred taxation, to be approximately 23.4% before exceptional items (30 July 2017: 25.1%). This reduction is due primarily to decreases in the amounts of non-qualifying depreciation and expenditure not allowable for tax purposes.
As in previous years, the company's tax rate is higher than the standard UK tax rate, owing mainly to depreciation which is not eligible for tax relief.
During the half year, 3,497,500 shares were repurchased by the company for cancellation, representing approximately 3.21% of the issued share capital, at a cost of £36m, including stamp duty, representing an average cost per share of 1,025p.
At the year end, the company had a liability for share purchases of £15.5m which was settled during the half year, ended 28 January 2018.
As at 28 January 2018, the company's net debt, including bank borrowings and finance leases, but excluding derivatives, was £756.4m, an increase of £60.1m, compared with that of the previous year end (30 July 2017: £696.3m).
The net-debt-to-EBITDA ratio was 3.48 times at the period end (30 July 2017: 3.39). The company has total bank facilities available, excluding finance leases, of £860m (30 July 2017: £860m).
For the foreseeable future, it is intended that the company's net-debt-to-EBITDA ratio will be around 3.5 times. The ratio would rise for a temporary period, if there were, for example, a sudden deterioration in trading, in which instance the company would seek to reduce the level in a timely manner. Insofar as it is possible to generalise, the board believes that debt levels of between 0 and 2 times EBITDA are a sensible long-term benchmark.
As indicated previously, a higher level of debt may be justifiable when interest rates are low and other factors are favourable.
During the period, we opened three new pubs and closed 12, bringing the number open at the period end to 886. Following a review of our estate, in recent years, we placed around 100 pubs on the market, 88 of which have now been sold, are under contract or have been closed.
Pubs and restaurants pay proportionally far higher levels of UK tax than do supermarkets. The main disparity relates to VAT (value added tax), since supermarkets pay no VAT in respect of their food sales, whereas pubs pay 20%, enabling supermarkets to subsidise their alcoholic drinks prices. Pubs also pay approximately 18p per pint in respect of business rates, while supermarkets pay less than 2p per pint.
In addition, the government has, in recent years, introduced both a 'late-night levy' and additional fruit/slot machine taxes, further reducing the competitive position of pubs in relation to supermarkets.
The tax disparity with supermarkets is unfair. Pubs create significantly more jobs and more taxes per pint or per meal than do supermarkets and it does not make social or economic sense for the UK tax régime to favour supermarkets. We acknowledge the need for companies to pay a reasonable level of taxes, but hope that legislators will make prompt progress in creating a level playing field for all businesses which sell similar products.
The taxes paid by Wetherspoon in the period under review were as follows:
| First half | 2018 | 2017 |
|---|---|---|
| (estimate – UK only) | £m | £m |
| VAT | 162.5 | 156.5 |
| Alcohol duty | 85.4 | 79.3 |
| PAYE and NIC | 54.1 | 45.1 |
| Business rates | 27.5 | 25.3 |
| Corporation tax | 12.2 | 8.3 |
| Machine duty | 5.2 | 5.0 |
| Climate change levy | 4.5 | 4.8 |
| Carbon tax | 1.7 | 1.7 |
| Landfill tax | 1.3 | 1.2 |
| Fuel duty | 1.0 | 1.0 |
| Premise licence and TV licences | 0.4 | 0.4 |
| Stamp duty | 0.3 | 3.0 |
| TOTAL TAX | 356.1 | 331.6 |
| Tax per pub (£000) | 402.0 | 362.8 |
| Tax as % of sales | 42.9% | 41.4% |
| Pre-exceptional profit after tax | 48.2 | 37.7 |
| Profit after tax as % of sales | 5.8% | 4.7% |
As previously highlighted, the company's philosophy is to try continuously to upgrade as many areas of the business as possible.
In November 2015, the government's Food Standards Agency (FSA) issued a report which named Wetherspoon equal top of the largest 20 food chains for hygiene standards over the preceding five years. Currently , 92% of our pubs have obtained the maximum five rating, under the FSA scheme, with 98% of pubs receiving a rating of four or above. This record reflects extremely hard work by our central catering, audit and operations team, as well as by the teams in our pubs.
We have recently been recognised as a 'Top Employer UK' by the Top Employers Institute for 15 consecutive years.
The company has also recently been recognised for the quality of the facilities in its pubs, winning in six categories at the 'loo of the year' awards.
During the period under review, we allocated £21.2m in bonuses and free shares to employees, 97% of which was paid to those below board level and 84% to those working in our pubs.
There has been a huge debate, since the referendum, about the economic effects of Brexit. In particular, trade organisations like the CBI and the BRC, supported by the FT, the Sunday Times, the Guardian, the chairmen of Whitbread and Sainsbury's and others, have misled the public by saying that food prices will automatically rise if we leave the EU without a deal.
This is a fallacy – the EU is a protectionist organisation which imposes high taxes on food, clothing, wine and thousands of other items from non-EU countries – which comprise around 93% of the world's population. Like Monty Python's Dennis Moore, as illustrated by Sam Akaki in appendix 1 below, the EU "….steals from the poor and gives to the rich…".
In fact, MPs have the power to eliminate these import taxes in March 2019, thereby reducing prices for the public, just as their predecessors achieved the same objective by repealing the Corn Laws almost two centuries ago.
Two articles I have written on this subject for Wetherspoon News (appendix 1) and The Independent newspaper (appendix 2) are included below. The issues have also been examined by Matt Ridley in The Times (appendix 3).
Another frequently repeated Brexit concern is that the much bigger EU economy will be better able to withstand a Mexican standoff than the UK.
This is also a fallacy. For example, Wetherspoon is one of the biggest customers, or possibly the biggest customer, of the excellent Swedish cidermaker Kopparberg. If trade barriers were imposed, so as to make Kopparberg uneconomic, then Wetherspoon could switch to UK suppliers or those from elsewhere in the world.
In this case, the principal losers in a trade war would be the inhabitants of a small town in Sweden, where Kopparberg is produced, rather than the UK economy. Unfortunately for the Swedes, the EU negotiators, unlike those of the UK, are not subject to judgement at the ballot box, so Kopparberg's influence on the outcome may be minimal.
The same principle applies to thousands of EU imports including Prosecco, Champagne and many wines and spirits – in almost all cases there are suitable, and often excellent, alternatives to EU products available elsewhere.
In fact, the biggest danger for EU producers, whose wine industry, for example, has lost huge market share to the New World, in spite of import taxes, is that UK consumers take umbrage at what they see as the overbearing behaviour of EU negotiators, and decide to favour products which originate elsewhere.
Provided that the UK parliament votes to eliminate tariffs, EU producers will, in any event, be faced with a far more competitive UK market – since New Zealand wine producers, for example, will be able to compete on an equal, import tax-free basis, for the first time. So, the antagonistic approach of EU negotiators, which risks alienating UK consumers, is extremely unhelpful to businesses within their own bloc.
Most economists who criticise Brexit use hypothetical arguments, but, in the real world, the UK can eliminate import taxes, improving living standards and simplifying the Byzantine tax system – both of these factors will improve the outlook for consumers and businesses in the UK.
In the six weeks to 11 March 2018, like-for-like sales increased by 3.8% and total sales increased by 2.6%.
The company anticipates higher costs in the second half of the financial year, in areas including pay, taxes and utilities. In view of these additional costs, and our expectation that growth in like-for-like sales will be lower in the next six months, the company remains cautious about the second half of the year.
Nevertheless, as a result of slightly better-thanexpected year-to-date sales, we currently anticipate an unchanged trading outcome for the current financial year.
Tim Martin Chairman 15 March 2018
Wetherspoon News foils the CBI plan to fool the public about food prices Few people are capable of expressing, with equanimity, opinions which differ from the prejudices of their social environment. Most people are incapable of forming such opinions. – Albert Einstein
'deal' with the EU – a battle in which we took on much of the national press and big business. The perpetrators of the myth – the CBI, the British Times, The Guardian, the chairmen of Sainsbury's and Whitbread and others – have had to accept that MPs do, indeed, have the power, in March next
eliminate taxes, also called tariffs, on non-EU food imports, including coffee, rice, wine and thousands of other products. Imports This will mean, under World Trade Organisation rules, that there are no taxes, either, on food imports from the EU itself. In addition, on leaving, MPs have the power, as the £200 million per week of net payments to the EU, and to divert those funds for domestic purposes – maybe the NHS, maybe tax breaks for the less well-off… MPs can choose.
are now caught by EU boats, with devastating effects in many fishing communities.
Economists deal? The main reason is that highly educated people (and the heads of the above organisations, who all went to Oxford or Cambridge University) are often Clapham omnibus'.
Philby, Burgess and the Apostles of the 1930s, seduced by undemocratic creeds, all went to Cambridge University.
Wetherspoon News has had, at least, a temporary victory in the battle to correct the myth that food prices would inevitably rise in the absence of a
Retail Consortium, the Financial Times, The Sunday
year, to lower food prices at a stroke, by voting to
government lawyers have repeatedly stated, to end
Another benefit is that the UK can regain control of
its historic fishing waters – 60% of fish in UK waters So, why have the CBI, the City and most banks and economists insisted that we're all doomed without a more susceptible to daft ideas than the 'man on the
Indeed, some of the most articulate advocates of democracy in the referendum were Oxbridge grads. An unfortunate by-product of education, for the credulous, is the toxic belief that the elite knows best.
Clarke, Mandelson, Blair, Heseltine and Howe, along with their peers at the CBI, Goldman Sachs, Arthur Andersen, Ernst and Young, most of the City and the Financial Times, urged us, with revolutionary zeal, to join the disastrous euro – in spite of the fact that its
predecessor, the exchange rate mechanism, had brought the country to its knees only a few years before.
Elite This 'we know best' attitude, incorporating a grudging view of democracy, is typical of the elite –
adviser, and Cambridge graduate, Mark Brumby. In a February newsletter to clients, he said: "Democracy, which is great, but which gave us
Boaty McBoatface and the Birdie Song … has now given us Brexit." Brumby adds that The Times newspaper warns liberals that "they should not sneer
at populism". Brumby himself then says that "if you substitute 'look aghast' for 'sneer' and 'ignorance' for 'populism' … you might get a different answer". The indiscreet Brumby, influential in the City, says in public what around 70–80% of the elite say in private.
They mistrust the hoi polloi – and have started to call ideas or movements with which they disagree 'populism'. But, in reality, populism is Churchill in the 1930s, the Boston Tea Party,
J D WETHERSPOON PLC INTERIM REPORT 2018 5 the Beatles, Rap, Punk, Martin Luther King, Mahatma Gandhi, the suffragettes, the smashing of the Berlin Wall, the Internet and a million other interventions. Not all are great, but populism, distilled through a democratic system, is humanity's greatest achievement.
Twenty years ago, middle-aged Oxbridge males like
Luckily you, the public, remained unimpressed.
and is illustrated by comments from City investment
parliament whose MPs can't even initiate legislation, don't hesitate to attribute the referendum result to racism or ignorance. They also have a more immediate motive for the orchestrated campaign to frighten the public about food price rises. Deal If the public can be convinced about the necessity of a deal with the EU, they can also be convinced to stay in the EU's 'customs union'.
But the modern-day apostles, who evangelise the
EU's unelected presidents, unaccountable court and
EU consumers.
The customs union means that EU countries, which
such as lower food prices and control of fishing rights.
Nice try Carolyn Fairbairn of the CBI, David Tyler of Sainsbury's, Richard Baker of Whitbread and others, but we've rumbled the latest edition of Project Fear. Listen up, big chiefs. The EU is leading most of Europe on a tragic path, away from democracy.Just ask the Greeks.
Einstein, a seriously clever guy who never went to university, said that real genius was knowing what
public is infinitely greater than yours. It's painful for big egos to accept, but the public really does know Tim Martin, Chairman "
So, when it comes to complex issues like the euro
J D WETHERSPOON PLC INTERIM REPORT 2018 6
According to historian Martin Gilbert the truth exists, but it's hidden in a fog by lack of evidence and lack of perspective – other impediments include intellectual arrogance and misinformation, especially in politics. It's fascinating to see, at close quarters, the process by which myths are dismantled and the truth emerges in our democratic system.
The Confederation of British Industry (CBI) and the British Retail Consortium (BRC), abetted by the chairmen of Whitbread and Sainsbury's, have had considerable success in creating a fog which has misled the public, MPs and commentators about food prices. The Financial Times, Sunday Times and Guardian, for example, have all run stories stating that failure to agree a deal with the EU will result in substantial food price rises – a key part of their "cliff-edge" narrative of economic dislocation.
The false thesis is that reverting to World Trade Organisation rules, in the absence of an EU "deal", automatically results in tariffs, currently imposed on non-EU countries only, applying equally to imports from the EU itself. This is untrue, since WTO rules allow our Parliament to emulate New Zealand, Singapore and Hong Kong, among others, by eliminating food tariffs, provided the policy applies equally to all nations. Such rules would, as many Remainers admit, cause prices to fall in shops – and pubs.
In a Jeremy Vine show debate the Labour MP, Chuka Umunna, repeated the canard about food price rises. It was obvious that Chuka had swallowed the CBI line and really believed what he was saying, so I took to Twitter, for the first time ever, to try to correct his understandable misinterpretation. In an exchange of tweets, Chuka stuck religiously to his guns, but his followers got the point even so.
| Mineral fuels and pharmaceuticals | 0% |
|---|---|
| Machinery | 2% |
| Iron and steel, copper, wood | 2% |
| Aircraft | 3% |
| Vehicles | 9% |
| Clothes | 12% |
| Footwear | 10% |
| Processed foods | 20-35% |
| Cereals and meat | 45-50% |
Their comments, hidden in a fog of abuse, abandoned the automatic-price-rise-post-Brexit position and instead said that UK farmers would suffer. That at least, unlike Chuka's position, is a valid argument. Indeed, it was a vexed and divisive debate in the 1830s and 40s, when almost precisely the same issues arose with regard to the Corn Laws. They were created to keep corn prices at a high level, by restricting imports, principally to protect landowners whose views predominated in Parliament at the time. However, their imposition eventually had devastating consequences for the poor, and was felt by many to have had catastrophic consequences in Ireland during the potato famine. When the Corn Laws were eventually abandoned, food prices fell.
The pub industry in the UK was also notorious for "trade protection" for most of the 20th century. Brewers were protected by a licensing system which favoured vested interests, but caused high prices and reduced competition in pubs and restaurants. Nostalgia aside, it is clear to most people that the abandonment of "barriers to entry" has led to a dramatic increase in the number of independent pubs, bars and restaurants, and to greater choice and higher standards than in the past.
There are thousands of examples of the benefits to the public of increased choice and competition. New Zealand farmers, to take one example, were protected by trade barriers in the recent past. There was huge anxiety about the elimination of tariffs there, but free trade has been a great success farming productivity has surged, living standards have improved and food exports have boomed.
For those with long memories, tariffs and protection also did little to help the British car manufacturing industry – and are unlikely to help British farmers or manufacturers today, especially in the long run. The CBI and big-business boardrooms, through religious attachment to the EU – which follows their equivalent zeal for the disastrous Exchange Rate Mechanism and the euro – have undoubtedly fooled some of the people some of the time. However, in a democracy the truth will emerge, and Chuka and members of the public who have been duped will quickly see through the cloud of misinformation. In due course, the debate will move on to the question of the validity of the EU's modern-day Corn Laws.
The emergence of the truth about food prices may, or may not, change political positions in the country about the EU, but the existence of the debate shows how democracy works, and why it's the best system. The main argument in favour of Brexit, illunderstood in the echo chamber of Remain, is that the EU's lack of democracy, its distant parliament, unelected presidents and unaccountable court prevent the very debates and direct dialogues with lawmakers, like Chuka, upon which freedom and prosperity depend. "
Tim Martin
Appendix 3 - Matt Ridley, February 26 2018, The Times
Corbyn's post-Brexit customs union would hurt the poor "
If reports are accurate, there is at least one thing in Jeremy Corbyn's speech today with which I will agree: "The EU is not the root of all our problems and leaving it will not solve all our problems. Likewise the EU is not the source of all enlightenment and leaving it does not inevitably spell doom for our country. Brexit is what we make of it together." Yet this makes his overall conclusion, that we should stay in "a" customs union with the European Union, all the more baffling. That would be the worst of all worlds. It would be, in an inversion of the Labour Party's phrase, "for the few, not the many".
As Steven Pinker sets out in his new book Enlightenment Now, human beings are cursed by a pervasive negativity bias, "driven by a morbid interest in what can go wrong". Yet again and again, we defy the pessimists and improve the world. Brexit is fertile ground for this proclivity for pessimism because it has not yet happened. Our imaginations, and those of people with political axes to grind, run riot.
This is being exploited by the paid servants of big business and big government to try to keep us in a customs union system that benefits both. Ordinary people, in my experience, mostly see through this, as they did on referendum day. As a report from the organisations Labour Leave, Economists for Free Trade and Leave Means Leave calculated, the poor would benefit most from Brexit. If the Labour Party is really on the side of the poor rather than the elite, the EU customs union is a curious thing to defend. As David Paton, the professor of industrial economics at Nottingham University Business School, pointed out in a recent paper, The Left-wing Case for Free Trade, free trade always used to be a left-wing cause.
Free trade says to the poorest: we will enable you to get access to the cheapest and best products and services from wherever in the world they come. We will not, in the economist Joan Robinson's arresting image, put rocks in our own harbours to obstruct arriving cargo ships just because other people put rocks in theirs. The customs union, however, says: if Italy wants rocks in its harbours to protect its rice growers against Asian competition, then Britain must have them too, even though it grows no rice.
Take trainers. Britain makes very few such shoes. It imports lots. The average external EU customs union tariff on them is 17 per cent. Four fifths of this money goes straight to the European Commission. Poor people do not necessarily buy more trainers than rich people but trainers are a higher percentage of their spending. Their inflated trainer prices mean they spend less on other things, which hurts other producers, many of them British, affecting jobs and pay. The tariffs are there for pure protectionism: to aid the shoe industry elsewhere in Europe.
The purpose of all production is consumption, said Adam Smith. Or, as the American wit PJ O'Rourke put it, "imports are Christmas morning; exports are January's Mastercard bill". Yet the conversation about the customs union has been conducted almost entirely on behalf of producers, and exporters in particular. Remember, according to the Office for National Statistics in 2016, trade with the EU accounts for only 12 per cent of gross domestic product. It is not unreasonable to put the interests of the other 88 per cent first.
The poor are consumers too. So are businesses, including ones that export. They import raw materials and other goods and the cheaper those are, the more competitive our exporters will be. Outside a customs union, we would not have to cut all tariffs. If we wanted to protect certain British industries then we could, although I hope we would do so sparingly and temporarily.
This argument for free trade is not just a theoretical one. It was demonstrated unambiguously when we flourished after repealing the Corn Laws, which also privileged producers at the expense of consumers, in the mid-19th century. It was demonstrated by the two most free-trading economies in the world, Singapore and Hong Kong, as they roared past us in the prosperity league table from very poor to very rich in recent decades, and more recently by New Zealand and Australia, fast-growing since their turns towards freer trade.
The customs union diverts our trade towards Europe at the expense of poorer countries. Instead of buying ground coffee from African factories with low costs, we buy it from Germany: there is no tariff on coffee beans imported from Africa but a tariff on processed coffee. The customs union is not a free trade area. It would be possible to be in a free trade area with the EU while outside a customs union, like Iceland, Norway and Liechtenstein.
That we voted to leave the customs union should not be in doubt. The Vote Leave organisation made clear that "Britain lacks the power to strike free trade deals with its trading partners outside Europe. Being in the EU means that Brussels has full control of our trade policy . . . if we vote Leave, we can negotiate for ourselves." The government made clear that "a common external trade policy is an inherent and inseparable part of a customs union" and that apart from emulating Turkey's subservient relationship with the EU, "all the alternatives involve leaving the customs union". In 1846, two years before the publication of The Communist Manifesto, Richard Cobden, the campaigning manufacturer and politician whose rational optimism has proved a better guide to subsequent history than the conflictobsessed dialectic of Karl Marx, made a speech in Manchester. "I believe that the physical gain will be the smallest gain to humanity from the success of this principle [free trade]," he said. "I look farther; I see in the free trade principle that which shall act on the moral world as the principle of gravitation in the universe — drawing men together, thrusting aside the antagonism of race, and creed, and language, and uniting us in the bonds of eternal peace.
"I have looked even farther . . . I believe that the desire and the motive for large and mighty empires; for gigantic armies and great navies — for those materials which are used for the destruction of life and the desolation of the rewards of labour — will die away; I believe that such things will cease to be necessary, or to be used, when man becomes one family, and freely exchanges the fruits of his labour with his brother man."
Give it a try, Jeremy. " J D Wetherspoon plc, company number: 1709784
| Notes | Unaudited 26 weeks ended 28 January 2018 Before exceptional items £000 |
Unaudited 26 weeks ended 28 January 2018 After exceptional items £000 |
Unaudited 26 weeks ended 22 January 2017 Before exceptional items £000 |
Unaudited 26 weeks ended 22 January 2017 After exceptional items £000 |
Audited 53 weeks ended 30 July 2017 Before exceptional items £000 |
Audited 53 weeks ended 30 July 2017 After exceptional items £000 |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Revenue | 4 | 830,392 | 830,392 | 801,435 | 801,435 | 1,660,750 | 1,660,750 |
| Operating costs | (756,405) | (756,405) | (736,334) | (736,334) (1,532,242) (1,532,242) | |||
| Operating profit | 5 | 73,987 | 73,987 | 65,101 | 65,101 | 128,508 | 128,508 |
| Property gains | 6 | 1,653 | 1,653 | 586 | 586 | 2,807 | 2,807 |
| Property losses - exceptional | 7 | (7,656) | (11,885) | (26,868) | |||
| Profit before interest and tax | 75,640 | 67,984 | 65,687 | 53,802 | 131,315 | 104,447 | |
| Finance income | 27 | 27 | 38 | 38 | 72 | 72 | |
| Finance income – exceptional | 7 | – | 402 | 402 | |||
| Finance costs | (13,666) | (13,666) | (14,310) | (14,310) | (28,557) | (28,557) | |
| Profit before tax | 62,001 | 54,345 | 51,415 | 39,932 | 102,830 | 76,364 | |
| Income tax expense | 8 | (13,785) | (13,785) | (13,760) | (13,760) | (25,846) | (25,846) |
| Income tax expense – exceptional | 8 | 881 | 4,138 | 5,541 | |||
| Profit for the period | 48,216 | 41,441 | 37,655 | 30,310 | 76,984 | 56,059 | |
| Earnings per ordinary share (p) | |||||||
| - Basic1 | 9 | 46.7 | 40.1 | 34.6 | 27.8 | 70.8 | 51.5 |
| - Diluted2 | 9 | 45.7 | 39.2 | 33.8 | 27.2 | 69.2 | 50.4 |
| Notes | Unaudited 26 weeks ended 28 January 2018 £000 |
Unaudited 26 weeks ended 22 January 2017 £000 |
Audited 53 weeks ended 30 July 2017 £000 |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Items which will be reclassified subsequently to profit or loss: | ||||
| Interest-rate swaps: gain taken to other comprehensive income | 16 | 12,101 | 30,381 | 24,581 |
| Tax on items taken directly to other comprehensive income | 16 | (2,056) | (5,800) | (4,814) |
| Currency translation differences | (762) | 883 | 2,104 | |
| Net gain recognised directly in other comprehensive income | 9,283 | 25,464 | 21,871 | |
| Profit for the period | 41,441 | 30,310 | 56,059 | |
| Total comprehensive income for the period | 50,724 | 55,774 | 77,930 |
1 Calculated excluding shares held in trust.
2 Calculated using issued share capital which includes shares held in trust.
J D Wetherspoon plc, company number: 1709784
| Notes | Unaudited cash flow 26 weeks |
Unaudited free cash flow1 26 weeks |
Unaudited cash flow 26 weeks |
Unaudited free cash flow1 26 weeks |
Audited cash flow 53 weeks |
Audited free cash flow1 53 weeks |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ended 28 January 2018 £000 |
ended 28 January 2018 £000 |
ended 22 January 2017 £000 |
ended 22 January 2017 £000 |
ended 30 July 2017 £000 |
ended 30 July 2017 £000 |
||
| Cash flows from operating activities | |||||||
| Cash generated from operations | 10 | 104,066 | 104,066 | 105,052 | 105,052 | 224,403 | 224,403 |
| Interest received | 15 | 15 | 26 | 26 | 57 | 57 | |
| Net exceptional finance income | – | 402 | 402 | ||||
| Interest paid | (12,236) | (12,236) | (13,150) | (13,150) | (26,834) | (26,834) | |
| Corporation tax paid | (12,163) | (12,163) | (8,250) | (8,250) | (20,683) | (20,683) | |
| Net cash inflow from operating activities | 79,682 | 79,682 | 84,080 | 83,678 | 177,345 | 176,943 | |
| Cash flows from investing activities | |||||||
| Purchase of property, plant and equipment | (32,513) | (32,513) | (18,775) | (18,775) | (45,056) | (45,056) | |
| Purchase of intangible assets | (2,468) | (2,468) | (9,633) | (9,633) | (13,502) | (13,502) | |
| Investment in new pubs and pub extensions | (27,620) | (18,012) | (40,285) | ||||
| Freehold reversions | (11,288) | (49,582) | (88,603) | ||||
| Proceeds of sale of property, plant and equipment | 2,726 | 8,798 | 19,620 | ||||
| Net cash outflow from investing activities | (71,163) | (34,981) | (87,204) | (28,408) | (167,826) | (58,558) | |
| Cash flows from financing activities | |||||||
| Equity dividends paid | 17 | (8,437) | (8,933) | (13,352) | |||
| Purchase of own shares for cancellation | (51,647) | (25,359) | (28,445) | ||||
| Purchase of own shares for share-based payments | (7,938) | (7,938) | (6,046) | (6,046) | (10,449) | (10,449) | |
| Loan advances | 15 | 72,595 | 59,944 | 47,236 | |||
| Net cash inflow/(outflow) from financing activities | 4,573 | (7,938) | 19,606 | (6,046) | (5,010) | (10,449) | |
| Net change in cash and cash equivalents | 15 | 13,092 | 16,482 | 4,509 | |||
| Opening cash and cash equivalents | 50,644 | 46,135 | 46,135 | ||||
| Closing cash and cash equivalents | 63,736 | 62,617 | 50,644 | ||||
| Free cash flow | 36,763 | 49,224 | 107,936 | ||||
| Free cash flow per ordinary share | 9 | 34.8p | 44.2p | 97.0p |
1 Free cash flow is a measure not required by accounting standards; a definition is provided in our accounting policies.
J D Wetherspoon plc, company number: 1709784
| Notes | Unaudited | Unaudited | Audited |
|---|---|---|---|
| 28 January 2018 |
22 January 2017 |
30 July 2017 |
|
| £000 | £000 | £000 | |
| Assets | |||
| Non-current assets | |||
| Property, plant and equipment 11 |
1,300,358 | 1,229,252 | 1,282,633 |
| Intangible assets 12 |
28,219 | 30,809 | 29,691 |
| Investment property 13 |
7,522 | 7,577 | 7,550 |
| Other non-current assets 14 |
8,102 | 8,693 | 8,272 |
| Derivative financial instruments 15 |
16,204 | 17,645 | 11,380 |
| Deferred tax assets | 4,556 | 5,626 | 6,612 |
| Total non-current assets | 1,364,961 | 1,299,602 | 1,346,138 |
| Assets held for sale | 276 | 4,182 | 1,524 |
| Current assets | |||
| Inventories | 20,531 | 20,401 | 21,575 |
| Receivables | 24,827 | 29,517 | 21,029 |
| Cash and cash equivalents 15 |
63,736 | 62,617 | 50,644 |
| Total current assets | 109,094 | 112,535 | 93,248 |
| Total assets | 1,474,331 | 1,416,319 | 1,440,910 |
| Liabilities | |||
| Current liabilities | |||
| Borrowings 15 |
(113) | (80) | (17,461) |
| Derivative financial instruments 15 |
(3,728) | – | – |
| Trade and other payables | (278,283) | (278,329) | (313,525) |
| Current income tax liabilities | (13,096) | (12,327) | (12,159) |
| Provisions | (4,408) | (4,526) | (5,175) |
| Total current liabilities | (299,628) | (295,262) | (348,320) |
| Non-current liabilities | |||
| Borrowings 15 |
(819,991) | (758,536) | (729,487) |
| Derivative financial instruments 15 |
(39,271) | (50,741) | (50,276) |
| Deferred tax liabilities | (69,003) | (71,519) | (69,731) |
| Provisions | (1,890) | (2,850) | (1,890) |
| Other liabilities | (11,583) | (12,433) | (12,383) |
| Total non-current liabilities | (941,738) | (896,079) | (863,767) |
| Net assets | 232,965 | 224,978 | 228,823 |
| Shareholders' equity | |||
| Share capital 18 |
2,110 | 2,211 | 2,180 |
| Share premium account | 143,294 | 143,294 | 143,294 |
| Capital redemption reserve | 2,321 | 2,220 | 2,251 |
| Hedging reserve | (22,239) | (27,470) | (32,284) |
| Currency translation reserve | 4,133 | 3,561 | 4,899 |
| Retained earnings | 103,346 | 101,162 | 108,483 |
| Total shareholders' equity | 232,965 | 224,978 | 228,823 |
The financial statements, on pages 8 to 29, approved by the board of directors and authorised for issue on 15 March 2018, are signed on its behalf by:
Director Director
John Hutson Ben Whitley
| Share capital |
Share | Capital premium redemption |
Hedging reserve |
Currency translation |
Retained earnings |
Total | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| £000 | account £000 |
reserve £000 |
£000 | reserve £000 |
£000 | £000 | ||
| At 24 July 2016 | 2,273 143,294 | 2,158 (52,051) | 2,340 109,434 207,448 | |||||
| Total comprehensive income | 24,581 | 1,221 | 29,972 | 55,774 | ||||
| Profit for the period | 30,310 | 30,310 | ||||||
| Interest-rate swaps: cash flow hedges | 30,381 | 30,381 | ||||||
| Tax on items taken directly to comprehensive income | (5,800) | (5,800) | ||||||
| Currency translation differences | 1,221 | (338) | 883 | |||||
| Purchase of own shares for cancellation | (62) | 62 | (28,445) (28,445) | |||||
| Share-based payment charges | 4,966 | 4,966 | ||||||
| Tax on share-based payment | 214 | 214 | ||||||
| Purchase of own shares for share-based payments | (6,046) | (6,046) | ||||||
| Dividends | (8,933) | (8,933) | ||||||
| At 22 January 2017 | 2,211 143,294 | 2,220 (27,470) | 3,561 101,162 224,978 | |||||
| Total comprehensive income | (4,814) | 1,338 | 25,632 | 22,156 | ||||
| Profit for the period | 25,749 | 25,749 | ||||||
| Interest-rate swaps: cash flow hedges | (5,800) | (5,800) | ||||||
| Tax on items taken directly to comprehensive income | 986 | 986 | ||||||
| Currency translation differences | 1,338 | (117) | 1,221 | |||||
| Purchase of own shares for cancellation | (31) | 31 | (15,442) (15,442) | |||||
| Share-based payment charges | 5,745 | 5,745 | ||||||
| Tax on share-based payment | 208 | 208 | ||||||
| Purchase of own shares for share-based payments | (4,403) | (4,403) | ||||||
| Dividends | (4,419) | (4,419) | ||||||
| At 30 July 2017 | 2,180 143,294 | 2,251 (32,284) | 4,899 108,483 228,823 | |||||
| Total comprehensive income | 10,045 | (766) | 41,445 | 50,724 | ||||
| Profit for the period | 41,441 | 41,441 | ||||||
| Interest-rate swaps: cash flow hedges | 12,101 | 12,101 | ||||||
| Tax on items taken directly to comprehensive income | (2,056) | (2,056) | ||||||
| Currency translation differences | (766) | 4 | (762) | |||||
| Purchase of own shares for cancellation | (70) | 70 | (36,205) (36,205) | |||||
| Share-based payment charges | 5,464 | 5,464 | ||||||
| Tax on share-based payment | 534 | 534 | ||||||
| Purchase of own shares for share-based payments | (7,938) | (7,938) | ||||||
| Dividends | (8,437) | (8,437) | ||||||
| At 28 January 2018 | 2,110 143,294 | 2,321 (22,239) | 4,133 103,346 232,965 |
During the half year, 3,497,500 shares were repurchased by the company for cancellation, representing approximately 3.21% of the issued share capital, at a cost of £36.2m, including stamp duty, representing an average cost per share of 1,025p.
At the year end, the company had a liability for share purchases of £15.5m which was settled during the half year, ended 28 January 2018.
J D Wetherspoon plc is a public limited company, incorporated and domiciled in England and Wales. Its registered office address is: Wetherspoon House, Central Park, Reeds Crescent, Watford, WD24 4QL
The company is listed on the London Stock Exchange.
This condensed half-yearly financial information was approved for issue by the board on 15 March 2018.
This interim report does not comprise statutory accounts within the meaning of Sections 434 and 435 of the Companies Act 2006. Statutory accounts for the year ended 30 July 2017 were approved by the board of directors on 14 September 2017 and delivered to the Registrar of Companies. The report of the auditors, on those accounts, was unqualified, did not contain an emphasis-of-matter paragraph or any statement under Sections 498 to 502 of the Companies Act 2006.
There are no changes to the principal risks and uncertainties as set out in the financial statements for the 53 weeks ended 30 July 2017, which may affect the company's performance in the next six months. The most significant risks and uncertainties relate to the taxation on, and regulation of, the sale of alcohol, cost increases and UK disposable consumer incomes. For a detailed discussion of the risks and uncertainties facing the company, refer to the annual report for 2017, pages 41 and 43.
This condensed half-yearly financial information of J D Wetherspoon plc (the 'Company'), which is abridged and unaudited, has been prepared in accordance with the Disclosure and Transparency Rules of the Financial Services Authority and with International Accounting Standards (IAS) 34, Interim Financial Reporting, as adopted by the European Union. This interim report should be read in conjunction with the annual financial statements for the 53 weeks ended 30 July 2017 which were prepared in accordance with IFRSs, as adopted by the European Union.
The directors have made enquiries into the adequacy of the Company's financial resources, through a review of the Company's budget and medium-term financial plan, including capital expenditure plans and cash flow forecasts; they have satisfied themselves that the Company will continue in operational existence for the foreseeable future. For this reason, they continue to adopt the going-concern basis in preparing the Company's financial statements.
The financial information for the 53 weeks ended 30 July 2017 is extracted from the statutory accounts of the Company for that year.
The interim results for the 26 weeks ended 28 January 2018 and the comparatives for 22 January 2017 are unaudited, yet have been reviewed by the independent auditors. A copy of the review report is included at the end of this report.
With the exception of tax, the accounting policies adopted in the preparation of the interim report are consistent with those applied in the preparation of the Company's annual report for the year ended 30 July 2017 – and the same methods of computation and presentation are used.
Taxes on income in the interim periods are accrued using the tax rate which would be applicable to expected total annual earnings.
The following new standards, amendments to standards or interpretations are mandatory for the first time for the financial year beginning 31 July 2017 and will have a minimal impact on the financial statements:
Recognition of deferred tax assets for
unrealised losses – amendments to IAS 12
Disclosure initiative – amendments to IAS 7
Annual improvements to IFRS 2014 – 2016 cycle
Standards and interpretations which are not yet effective and have not been early adopted by the Company:
On 13 January 2016, the International Accounting Standards Board issued IFRS 16 – 'Leases' which is effective for periods starting on or after 1 January 2019. IFRS 16 requires lessees to recognise a lease liability reflecting future lease payments and a right-of-use asset for lease contracts, subject to exceptions for short-term leases and leases of low-value assets.
The impact of this standard is expected to be material. The choice of transition method is expected to be significant.
The standard gives the option to either fully restate or recognise an asset equal to the value of the liability on the date of transition.
The Company is waiting for clarification on the tax treatment of this change, before selecting the transition method.
On 28 May 2014, the International Accounting Standards Board issued IFRS 15 – 'Revenue from Contracts with Customers' which is effective for periods starting on or after 1 January 2018. The impact of this accounting standard on the Company's accounts is considered immaterial. The Company does not have long-term contractual relationships with its customers.
On 24 July 2014, the International Accounting Standards Board issued IFRS 9 – 'Financial Instruments: Recognition and Measurement' which is effective for periods starting on or after 1 January 2018. IFRS 9 addresses the classification, measurement and derecognition of financial assets and financial liabilities, introduces new rules for hedge accounting and a new impairment model for financial assets.
Debt instruments currently classified as 'held to maturity' and measured at amortised cost will meet the conditions for classification at amortised cost under IFRS 9.
The Company believes that its current hedge relationships will qualify as continuing hedges, on the adoption of IFRS 9.
Revenue disclosed in the income statement is analysed as follows:
| Unaudited | Unaudited | Audited | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 26 weeks | 26 weeks | 53 weeks | |
| ended | ended | ended | |
| 28 January | 22 January | 30 July | |
| 2018 | 2017 | 2017 | |
| £000 | £000 | £000 | |
| Sales of food, beverages, hotel rooms and machine income | 830,392 | 801,435 | 1,660,750 |
This is stated after charging/(crediting):
| Notes | Unaudited | Unaudited | Audited |
|---|---|---|---|
| 26 weeks | 26 weeks | 53 weeks | |
| ended | ended | ended | |
| 28 January | 22 January | 30 July | |
| 2018 | 2017 | 2017 | |
| £000 | £000 | £000 | |
| Concession rental payments | 11,474 | 11,639 | 24,784 |
| Minimum operating lease payments | 22,430 | 23,727 | 44,828 |
| Repairs and maintenance | 32,182 | 29,232 | 66,219 |
| Net rent receivable | (679) | (743) | (1,422) |
| Share-based payments | 5,464 | 4,966 | 10,711 |
| Depreciation of property, plant and equipment 11 |
34,270 | 32,741 | 66,483 |
| Amortisation of intangible assets 12 |
3,992 | 3,332 | 6,931 |
| Depreciation of investment properties 13 |
28 | 28 | 55 |
| Amortisation of other non-current assets 14 |
170 | 206 | 400 |
| Notes | Unaudited 26 weeks ended 28 January 2018 £000 |
Unaudited 26 weeks ended 22 January 2017 £000 |
Audited 53 weeks ended 30 July 2017 £000 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Non-exceptional property (gains)/losses | |||
| Loss/(gain) on disposal of fixed assets | (988) | 62 | (615) |
| Additional costs of disposal | 15 | – | 25 |
| Other property gains | (680) | (648) | (2,217) |
| (1,653) | (586) | (2,807) | |
| Exceptional property losses | |||
| Loss on disposal of fixed assets – disposal programme | 3,580 | 5,618 | 15,099 |
| Additional costs of disposal | 2,330 | 976 | 3,262 |
| Impairment of property, plant and equipment | 1,131 | 5,169 | 7,787 |
| Onerous lease provision | 615 | 122 | 720 |
| 7 | 7,656 | 11,885 | 26,868 |
| Total property losses | 6,003 | 11,299 | 24,061 |
| Unaudited | Unaudited | Audited | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 26 weeks | 26 weeks | 53 weeks | |
| ended | ended | ended | |
| 28 January | 22 January | 30 July | |
| 2018 £000 |
2017 £000 |
2017 £000 |
|
| Exceptional property losses | |||
| Disposal programme | |||
| Loss on disposal of pubs | 5,910 | 6,594 | 18,361 |
| Impairment of property plant and equipment | 1,131 | 3,899 | 5,943 |
| Impairment of other non-current assets | – | 1,270 | 141 |
| Onerous lease reversal | – | (235) | (1,319) |
| Onerous lease provision | 242 | 252 | 1,659 |
| 7,283 | 11,780 | 24,785 | |
| Other property losses | |||
| Impairment of property, plant and equipment | – | – | 1,664 |
| Impairment of intangible assets | – | – | 39 |
| Onerous lease reversal | (110) | (208) | (696) |
| Onerous lease provision | 483 | 313 | 1,076 |
| 373 | 105 | 2,083 | |
| Total exceptional property losses | 7,656 | 11,885 | 26,868 |
| Other exceptional items | |||
| Net exceptional finance income | – | (402) | (402) |
| – | (402) | (402) | |
| Total pre-tax exceptional items | 7,656 | 11,483 | 26,466 |
| Exceptional tax | |||
| Exceptional tax items | – | (4,413) | (4,155) |
| Tax effect on exceptional items | (881) | 275 | (1,386) |
| (881) | (4,138) | (5,541) | |
| Total exceptional items | 6,775 | 7,345 | 20,925 |
The Company has offered several of its sites for sale. During the half year end, 11 pubs had been sold, two were classified as held for sale and two additional pubs had been closed as part of the pub-disposal programme. In the table above, those costs classified as loss on disposal are the loss on sold sites and associated costs to sale.
The costs classified above as impairment of assets held for sale of £1,131,000 relate to the write-down of assets to their assessed recoverable amount for any pubs which the Company has committed to selling. It is the view of management that the Company is committed to selling when a contract for sale has been exchanged.
The onerous lease provision relates to pubs for which future trading profits, or income from subleases, are not expected to cover the rent. The provision takes several factors into account, including the expected future profitability of the pub and also the amount estimated as payable on surrender of the lease, where this is a likely outcome. In the period, £373,000 was charged net in respect of onerous leases.
Property impairment relates to the situation in which, owing to poor trading performance, pubs are unlikely to generate sufficient cash in the future to justify their current book value. In the period, no exceptional charge was incurred in respect of the impairment of property, plant and equipment, as required under IAS 36. All exceptional items listed above generated a net cash inflow of £845,000.
Impairments recognised in last half-year accounts were reclassified as disposal losses in the full-year accounts, if the pub was sold in the second half of the year.
The taxation charge for the 26 weeks ended 28 January 2018 is based on the pre-exceptional profit before tax of £62.0m and the estimated effective tax rate before exceptional items for the 26 weeks ended 28 January 2018 of 22.2% (July 2017: 25.1%). This comprises a pre-exceptional current tax rate of 22.0% (July 2017: 23.9%) and a pre-exceptional deferred tax charge of 0.2% (July 2017: 1.2%).
The UK standard weighted average tax rate for the period is 19% (2017: 19.67%). The current tax rate is higher than the UK standard weighted average tax rate owing, mainly to depreciation which is not eligible for tax relief.
| Unaudited | Unaudited | Audited | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 26 weeks | 26 weeks | 53 weeks | |
| ended | ended | ended | |
| 28 January | 22 January | 30 July | |
| 2018 £000 |
2017 | 2017 | |
| £000 | £000 | ||
| Income tax before exceptional items | |||
| Current income tax: | |||
| Current tax | 13,645 | 12,491 | 24,837 |
| Prior year adjustment | (6) | (93) | (246) |
| Total current income tax | 13,639 | 12,398 | 24,591 |
| Deferred tax: | |||
| Origination and reversal of temporary differences | (162) | 1,601 | 1,103 |
| Adjustment in respect of prior period | 308 | (239) | 152 |
| Total deferred tax | 146 | 1,362 | 1,255 |
| Total income tax expense before exceptional items | 13,785 | 13,760 | 25,846 |
| Exceptional income tax | |||
| Exceptional current income tax: | |||
| Current tax on exceptional items | (221) | 59 | 161 |
| Total exceptional current income tax | (221) | 59 | 161 |
| Exceptional deferred tax: | |||
| Deferred tax on exceptional items | (660) | 216 | (1,547) |
| Impact of change in the UK tax rate – exceptional | – | (4,413) | (4,155) |
| Total exceptional deferred tax | (660) | (4,197) | (5,702) |
| Total exceptional income tax credit on exceptional items | (881) | (4,138) | (5,541) |
| Tax charge in the income statement | 12,904 | 9,622 | 20,305 |
| Unaudited | Unaudited | Audited | |
| 26 weeks ended |
26 weeks ended |
53 weeks ended |
|
| 28 January | 22 January | 30 July | |
| 2018 | 2017 | 2017 | |
| £000 | £000 | £000 | |
| Taken through equity | |||
| Current tax on share-based payment | (320) | (127) | (159) |
| Deferred tax on share-based payment | (214) | (87) | (263) |
| Tax charge credit | (534) | (214) | (422) |
| Unaudited 26 weeks |
Unaudited 26 weeks |
Audited 53 weeks |
|
| ended | ended | ended | |
| 28 January | 22 January | 30 July | |
| 2018 | 2017 | 2017 | |
| £000 | £000 | £000 | |
| Taken through comprehensive income | |||
| Deferred tax charge on swaps | 2,299 | 5,496 | 4,835 |
| Impact of change in UK tax rate | (243) | 304 | (21) |
| Tax charge | 2,056 | 5,800 | 4,814 |
Earnings per share are based on the weighted average number of shares in issue of 105,605,135 (2017: 111,364,354), including those held in trust in respect of employee share schemes. Earnings per share, calculated on this basis, are usually referred to as 'diluted', since all of the shares in issue are included.
Accounting standards refer to 'basic earnings' per share – these exclude those shares held in trust in respect of employee share schemes.
| Unaudited | Unaudited | Audited | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 26 weeks | 26 weeks | 53 weeks | |
| ended | ended | ended | |
| 28 January | 22 January | 30 July | |
| Weighted average number of shares | 2018 | 2017 | 2017 |
| Shares in issue (used for diluted EPS) | 105,605,135 | 111,364,354 | 111,293,971 |
| Shares held in trust | (2,366,388) | (2,441,371) | (2,500,717) |
| Shares in issue less shares held in trust | 103,238,747 | 108,922,983 | 108,793,254 |
The weighted average number of shares held in trust for employee share schemes has been adjusted to exclude those shares which have vested, but which remain in trust.
| 26 weeks ended 22 January 2017 unaudited | Profit | Basic EPS pence per ordinary |
Diluted EPS pence per ordinary |
|---|---|---|---|
| £000 | share | share | |
| Earnings (profit after tax) | 41,441 | 40.1 | 39.2 |
| Exclude effect of exceptional items after tax | 6,775 | 6.6 | 6.5 |
| Earnings before exceptional items | 48,216 | 46.7 | 45.7 |
| Exclude effect of property gains/(losses) | (1,653) | (1.6) | (1.6) |
| Underlying earnings before exceptional items | 46,563 | 45.1 | 44.1 |
| 26 weeks ended 22 January 2017 unaudited | Profit | Basic EPS pence per ordinary |
Diluted EPS pence per ordinary |
|---|---|---|---|
| £000 | share | share | |
| Earnings (profit after tax) | 30,310 | 27.8 | 27.2 |
| Exclude effect of exceptional items after tax | 7,345 | 6.8 | 6.6 |
| Earnings before exceptional items | 37,655 | 34.6 | 33.8 |
| Exclude effect of property gains/(losses) | (586) | (0.6) | (0.5) |
| Underlying earnings before exceptional items | 37,069 | 34.0 | 33.3 |
| 53 weeks ended 30 July 2017 audited | Profit | Basic EPS | Diluted EPS |
|---|---|---|---|
| pence per | pence per ordinary |
||
| ordinary | |||
| £000 | share | share | |
| Earnings (profit after tax) | 56,059 | 51.5 | 50.4 |
| Exclude effect of exceptional items after tax | 20,925 | 19.3 | 18.8 |
| Earnings before exceptional items | 76,984 | 70.8 | 69.2 |
| Exclude effect of property gains/(losses) | (2,807) | (2.6) | (2.6) |
| Underlying earnings before exceptional items | 74,177 | 68.2 | 66.6 |
Owners' earnings measure the earning attributable to shareholders from current activities adjusted for significant non-cash items and one-off items. Owners' earnings are calculated as profit before tax, exceptional items, depreciation and amortisation and property gains and losses less reinvestment in current properties and cash tax. Cash tax is defined as the current year current tax charge.
| 26 weeks ended 28 January 2018 unaudited | Owner's | Basic EPS | Diluted EPS |
|---|---|---|---|
| Earnings | pence per | pence per | |
| ordinary | ordinary | ||
| £000 | share | share | |
| Profit before tax and exceptional items (income statement) | 62,001 | 60.1 | 58.7 |
| Exclude depreciation and amortisation (note 2) | 38,460 | 37.3 | 36.4 |
| Less reinvestment in current properties | (35,091) | (34.0) | (33.2) |
| Exclude property gains and losses (note 3) | (1,653) | (1.7) | (1.6) |
| Less cash tax (note 7) | (13,645) | (13.2) | (12.9) |
| Owners' earnings | 50,072 | 48.5 | 47.4 |
| 26 weeks ended 22 January 2017 unaudited | Owner's | Basic EPS | Diluted EPS |
| Earnings | pence per | pence per | |
| ordinary | Ordinary | ||
| £000 | share | Share | |
| Profit before tax and exceptional items (income statement) | 51,415 | 47.2 | 46.2 |
| Exclude depreciation and amortisation (note 2) | 36,307 | 33.3 | 32.6 |
| Less reinvestment in current properties | (28,588) | (26.2) | (25.7) |
| Exclude property gains and losses (note 3) | (586) | (0.5) | (0.5) |
| Less cash tax (note 7) | (12,491) | (11.5) | (11.2) |
| Owners' earnings | 46,057 | 42.3 | 41.4 |
| 53 weeks ended 30 July 2017 audited | Owner's | Basic EPS | Diluted EPS |
| Earnings | pence per | pence per | |
| ordinary | Ordinary | ||
| £000 | share | Share | |
| Profit before tax and exceptional items (income statement) | 102,830 | 94.5 | 92.4 |
| Exclude depreciation and amortisation (note 2) | 73,869 | 67.9 | 66.4 |
| Less reinvestment in current properties | (65,912) | (60.6) | (59.2) |
| Exclude property gains and losses (note 3) | (2,807) | (2.6) | (2.6) |
| Less cash tax (note 7) | (24,837) | (22.8) | (22.3) |
| Owners' earnings | 83,143 | 76.4 | 74.7 |
The diluted owners' earnings per share increased by 14.5% (year end 2017: decreased by 6.9%).
| Analysis of additions by type | Unaudited | Unaudited | Audited |
|---|---|---|---|
| 26 weeks | 26 weeks | 53 weeks | |
| ended | ended | Ended | |
| 28 January | 22 January | 30 July | |
| 2018 | 2017 | 2017 | |
| Reinvestment in existing pubs | 35,091 | 28,588 | 65,912 |
| Investment in new pubs and pub extensions | 18,803 | 18,371 | 46,894 |
| Freehold reversions | 7,520 | 55,831 | 95,326 |
| 61,414 | 102,790 | 208,132 |
| Analysis of additions by category | Unaudited | Unaudited | Audited |
|---|---|---|---|
| 26 weeks | 26 weeks | 53 weeks | |
| ended | ended | ended | |
| 28 January | 22 January | 30 July | |
| 2018 | 2017 | 2017 | |
| Property, plant and equipment (note 11) | 58,894 | 95,700 | 198,556 |
| Intangible assets (note 12) | 2,520 | 7,090 | 9,576 |
| 61,414 | 102,790 | 208,132 |
| Free cash | Basic free | Diluted free | |
|---|---|---|---|
| flow | cash flow | cash flow | |
| pence per | pence per | ||
| ordinary | ordinary | ||
| £000 | share | share | |
| 26 weeks ended 28 January 2018 | 36,763 | 35.6 | 34.8 |
| 26 weeks ended 22 January 2017 | 49,224 | 45.2 | 44.2 |
| 53 weeks ended 30 July 2017 | 107,936 | 99.2 | 97.0 |
The calculation of free cash flow per share is based on the net cash generated by business activities and available for investment in new pub developments and extensions to current pubs, after funding interest, corporation tax, loan issue costs, all other reinvestment in pubs open at the start of the period and the purchase of own shares under the employee share-based schemes ('free cash flow'). It is calculated before taking account of proceeds from property disposals, inflows and outflows of financing from outside sources and dividend payments and is based on the weighted average number of shares in issue, including those held in trust in respect of the employee share schemes.
| Notes | Unaudited | Unaudited | Audited |
|---|---|---|---|
| 26 weeks | 26 weeks | 53 weeks | |
| ended | ended | ended | |
| 28 January | 22 January | 30 July | |
| 2018 | 2017 | 2017 | |
| £000 | £000 | £000 | |
| Profit for the period | 41,441 | 30,310 | 56,059 |
| Adjusted for: | |||
| Tax 8 |
12,904 | 9,622 | 20,305 |
| Share-based charges 5 |
5,464 | 4,966 | 10,711 |
| Loss on disposal of property, plant and equipment 6 |
2,592 | 5,680 | 14,484 |
| Net onerous lease provision 6 |
615 | 122 | 720 |
| Net impairment charge 7 |
1,131 | 5,169 | 7,787 |
| Interest receivable | (27) | (38) | (72) |
| Interest payable | 13,105 | 12,533 | 25,740 |
| Depreciation of property, plant and equipment 11 |
34,270 | 32,741 | 66,483 |
| Amortisation of intangible assets 12 |
3,992 | 3,332 | 6,931 |
| Depreciation on investment properties 13 |
28 | 28 | 55 |
| Amortisation of other non-current assets 14 |
170 | 206 | 400 |
| Amortisation of bank loan issue costs 15 |
561 | 1,777 | 2,817 |
| Aborted properties costs | 262 | 631 | 1,157 |
| Net exceptional finance income 7 |
– | (402) | (402) |
| 116,508 | 106,677 | 213,175 | |
| Change in inventories | 1,044 | (1,233) | (2,407) |
| Change in receivables | (2,788) | (793) | 4,980 |
| Change in payables | (10,698) | 401 | 8,655 |
| Cash flow from operating activities | 104,066 | 105,052 | 224,403 |
| Freehold and long-leasehold property |
Short- leasehold property |
Equipment, fixtures and fittings |
Assets under construction |
Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| £000 | £000 | £000 | £000 | £000 | |
| Cost: | |||||
| At 24 July 2016 | 935,742 | 413,661 | 541,125 | 60,545 | 1,951,073 |
| Additions | 52,097 | 1,855 | 14,507 | 27,241 | 95,700 |
| Transfers | 14,403 | 3,163 | 2,860 | (20,426) | – |
| Exchange differences | 435 | 80 | 156 | 365 | 1,036 |
| Transfer to held for sale | (10,059) | (5,004) | (4,493) | – | (19,556) |
| Disposals | (13,723) | (8,082) | (10,813) | – | (32,618) |
| Reclassification | 16,546 | (16,546) | – | – | – |
| At 22 January 2017 | 995,441 | 389,127 | 543,342 | 67,725 | 1,995,635 |
| Additions | 60,640 | 3,911 | 30,966 | 7,339 | 102,856 |
| Transfers | 6,525 | 107 | 974 | (7,606) | – |
| Exchange differences | 434 | 82 | 161 | 376 | 1,053 |
| Transfer to held for sale | 6,570 | 1,511 | 1,811 | – | 9,892 |
| Disposals | (18,439) | (17,364) | (15,453) | – | (51,256) |
| Reclassification | 15,765 | (15,765) | – | – | – |
| At 30 July 2017 | 1,066,936 | 361,609 | 561,801 | 67,834 | 2,058,180 |
| Additions | 10,932 | 1,238 | 25,961 | 20,763 | 58,894 |
| Transfers | 16,799 | 981 | 4,211 | (21,991) | – |
| Exchange differences | (280) | (52) | (102) | (242) | (676) |
| Transfer to held for sale | (1,506) | (529) | (951) | – | (2,986) |
| Disposals | (6,798) | (4,742) | (4,401) | – | (15,941) |
| Reclassification | 5,341 | (5,341) | – | – | – |
| At 28 January 2018 | 1,091,424 | 353,164 | 586,519 | 66,364 | 2,097,471 |
| Accumulated depreciation and impairment: | |||||
| At 24 July 2016 | (181,040) | (207,144) | (374,377) | – | (762,561) |
| Provided during the period | (7,746) | (6,729) | (18,266) | – | (32,741) |
| Exchange differences | (13) | (8) | (82) | – | (103) |
| Impairment loss | (3,885) | (836) | (447) | – | (5,168) |
| Transfer to held for sale | 6,134 | 5,234 | 4,055 | – | 15,423 |
| Disposals | 6,259 | 4,400 | 8,108 | – | 18,767 |
| Reclassification | (9,644) | 9,644 | – | – | – |
| At 22 January 2017 | (189,935) | (195,439) | (381,009) | – | (766,383) |
| Provided during the period | (8,056) | (6,294) | (19,392) | – | (33,742) |
| Exchange differences | (23) | (15) | (104) | – | (142) |
| Impairment loss | 1,023 | (2,637) | (825) | – | (2,439) |
| Transfer to held for sale | (4,208) | (1,682) | (1,398) | – | (7,288) |
| Disposals | 6,362 | 15,737 | 12,348 | – | 34,447 |
| Reclassification | (10,537) | 10,537 | – | – | – |
| At 30 July 2017 | (205,374) | (179,793) | (390,380) | – | (775,547) |
| Provided during the period | (8,185) | (6,237) | (19,848) | – | (34,270) |
| Exchange differences | – | (3) | (21) | – | (24) |
| Impairment loss | (826) | (149) | (156) | – | (1,131) |
| Transfer to held for sale | 1,261 | 529 | 920 | – | 2,710 |
| Disposals | 2,586 | 4,520 | 4,043 | – | 11,149 |
| Reclassification | (2,309) | 2,309 | – | – | – |
| At 28 January 2018 | (212,847) | (178,824) | (405,442) | – | (797,113) |
| Net book amount at 28 January 2018 | 878,577 | 174,340 | 181,077 | 66,364 | 1,300,358 |
| Net book amount at 30 July 2017 | 861,562 | 181,816 | 171,421 | 67,834 | 1,282,633 |
| Net book amount at 22 January 2017 | 805,506 | 193,688 | 162,333 | 67,725 | 1,229,252 |
| Net book amount at 24 July 2016 | 754,702 | 206,517 | 166,748 | 60,545 | 1,188,512 |
During the period, two (2017: seven) pubs, with a carrying value of £276,000 (2017: £4,133,000), were classified as held for sale. These pubs are being disposed of as part of the Company's pub-disposal programme. Other movements include property impairment and foreign currency translation.
In addition, a carrying value of £Nil (2017: £49,000) was transferred out of other non-current assets held for sale, totalling £276,000 (2017: £4,182,000) related to the same pubs.
| £000 | |
|---|---|
| Cost: | |
| At 24 July 2016 | 56,591 |
| Additions | 7,090 |
| Transfer to held for sale | (8) |
| Disposals | (6) |
| At 22 January 2017 | 63,667 |
| Additions | 2,486 |
| Transfer to held for sale | 8 |
| Disposals | (487) |
| At 30 July 2017 | 65,674 |
| Additions | 2,520 |
| Disposals | (2) |
| At 28 January 2018 | 68,192 |
| Accumulated depreciation and impairment: | |
| At 24 July 2016 Provided during the period |
(29,540) (3,332) |
| Transfer to held for sale | 8 |
| Disposals | 6 |
| At 22 January 2017 | (32,858) |
| Provided during the period | (3,599) |
| Exchange differences | 1 |
| Transfer to held for sale | (8) |
| Disposals | 481 |
| At 30 July 2017 | (35,983) |
| Provided during the period | (3,992) |
| Disposals | 2 |
| At 28 January 2018 | (39,973) |
| Net book amount at 28 January 2018 | 28,219 |
| Net book amount at 30 July 2017 | 29,691 |
| Net book amount at 22 January 2017 | 30,809 |
Net book amount at 24 July 2016 27,051
The intangible assets relates to computer software and development.
| £000 | |
|---|---|
| Cost: | |
| At 24 July 2016 | 7,751 |
| At 22 January 2017 | 7,751 |
| At 30 July 2017 | 7,751 |
| At 28 January 2018 | 7,751 |
| At 24 July 2016 | (146) |
|---|---|
| Provided during the period | (28) |
| At 22 January 2017 | (174) |
| Provided during the period | (27) |
| At 30 July 2017 | (201) |
| Provided during the period | (28) |
| At 28 January 2018 | (229) |
| Net book amount at 28 January 2018 | 7,522 |
|---|---|
| Net book amount at 30 July 2017 | 7,550 |
| Net book amount at 22 January 2017 | 7,577 |
| Net book amount at 24 July 2016 | 7,605 |
Rental income received in the period from investment properties was £157,000 (2017: £177,000). Operating costs, excluding depreciation, incurred in relation to these properties amounted to £10,000 (2017: £4,000).
In the opinion of the directors, the cost as stated above is equivalent to the fair value of properties.
| Lease premiums |
|
|---|---|
| £000 | |
| Cost: | |
| At 24 July 2016 | 16,230 |
| Transfer to held for sale | (76) |
| Disposals | (1,661) |
| At 22 January 2017 | 14,493 |
| Transfer to held for sale | (181) |
| Disposals | (1,585) |
| At 30 July 2017 | 12,727 |
| At 28 January 2018 | 12,727 |
| Accumulated depreciation and impairment: | |
| At 24 July 2016 | (6,505) |
| Provided during the period | (206) |
| Transfer to held for sale | 27 |
| Disposals | 884 |
| At 22 January 2017 | (5,800) |
| Provided during the period | (194) |
| Impairment loss | (180) |
| Transfer to held for sale | 235 |
| Disposals | 1,484 |
| At 30 July 2017 | (4,455) |
| Provided during the period | (170) |
| At 28 January 2018 | (4,625) |
| Net book amount at 28 January 2018 | 8,102 |
| Net book amount at 30 July 2017 | 8,272 |
| Net book amount at 22 January 2017 | 8,693 |
| Net book amount at 24 July 2016 | 9,725 |
| 30 July 2017 £000 |
Cash flows £000 |
Non-cash movement £000 |
28 January 2018 £000 |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cash and cash equivalents | ||||
| Cash in hand | 50,644 | 13,092 | – | 63,736 |
| Total cash and cash equivalents | 50,644 | 13,092 | – | 63,736 |
| Borrowings | ||||
| Bank loans – due before one year | (17,347) | 17,347 | – | – |
| Other loans | (114) | 61 | (60) | (113) |
| Current net borrowings | (17,461) | 17,408 | (60) | (113) |
| Bank loans – due after one year | (729,397) | (90,003) | (561) | (819,961) |
| Other loans | (90) | – | 60 | (30) |
| Non-current net borrowings | (729,487) | (90,003) | (501) | (819,991) |
| Total borrowings | (746,948) | (72,595) | (561) | (820,104) |
| Net debt | (696,304) | (59,503) | (561) | (756,368) |
| Derivatives | ||||
| Interest-rate swaps asset – due after one year | 11,380 | – | 4,824 | 16,204 |
| Interest-rate swaps liability – due before one year | – | – | (3,728) | (3,728) |
| Interest-rate swap liability – due after one year | (50,276) | – | 11,005 | (39,271) |
| Total derivatives | (38,896) | – | 12,101 | (26,795) |
| Net debt after derivatives | (735,200) | (59,503) | 11,540 | (783,163) |
The table below highlights any differences between the book value and the fair value of financial instruments.
| Unaudited | Unaudited | Unaudited | Unaudited | Audited | Audited | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 28 January | 28 January | 22 January | 22 January | 30 July | 30 July | |
| 2018 | 2018 | 2017 | 2017 | 2017 | 2017 | |
| Book value | Fair value | Book value | Fair value | Book value | Fair value | |
| £000 | £000 | £000 | £000 | £000 | £000 | |
| Financial assets at amortised cost | ||||||
| Cash and cash equivalents | 63,736 | 63,736 | 62,617 | 62,617 | 50,644 | 50,644 |
| Receivables | 6,514 | 6,514 | 4,312 | 4,312 | 2,122 | 2,122 |
| 70,250 | 70,250 | 66,929 | 66,929 | 52,766 | 52,766 | |
| Financial liabilities at amortised cost | ||||||
| Trade and other payables | (219,061) | (219,061) | (224,316) | (224,316) | (259,798) | (259,798) |
| Borrowings | (820,104) | (820,165) | (758,616) | (754,916) | (746,948) | (746,951) |
| (1,039,165) | (1,039,226) | (982,932) | (979,232) | (1,006,746) | (1,006,749) | |
| Derivatives – cash flow hedges | ||||||
| Non-current interest-rate swap assets | 16,204 | 16,204 | 17,645 | 17,645 | 11,380 | 11,380 |
| Current interest-rate swap liabilities | (3,728) | (3,728) | – | – | – | – |
| Non-current interest-rate swap liabilities | (39,271) | (39,271) | (50,741) | (50,741) | (50,276) | (50,276) |
| (26,795) | (26,795) | (33,096) | (33,096) | (38,896) | (38,896) |
The fair value of derivatives has been calculated by discounting all future cash flows by the market yield curve at the balance sheet date. The fair value of borrowings has been calculated by discounting the expected future cash flows at the half year end's prevailing interest rates.
At 28 January 2018, the Company had fixed-rate swaps designated as hedges of floating-rate borrowings. The floating-rate borrowings are interest-bearing borrowings at rates based on LIBOR, fixed for periods of one month.
| Change in fair value |
Deferred tax |
Total | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Changes in valuation of swaps | £000 | £000 | £000 |
| Fair value at 22 January 2017 (unaudited) | 33,096 | (5,626) | 27,470 |
| Gain taken directly to other comprehensive income | 5,800 | (986) | 4,814 |
| Fair value at 30 July 2017 (audited) | 38,896 | (6,612) | 32,284 |
| Loss taken directly to other comprehensive income | (12,101) | 2,056 | (10,045) |
| Fair value at 28 January 2018 (unaudited) | 26,795 | (4,556) | 22,239 |
IFRS 7 requires disclosure of fair value measurements by level, using the following fair value measurement hierarchy:
The fair value of the interest-rate swaps of £26.8m is considered to be level 2. All other financial assets and liabilities are measured in the balance sheet at amortised cost, and their valuation is also considered to be level 2.
| Unaudited | Unaudited | Audited | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 26 weeks | 26 weeks | 53 weeks | |
| ended | ended | ended | |
| 28 January | 22 January | 30 July | |
| 2018 | 2017 | 2017 | |
| £000 | £000 | £000 | |
| Paid in the period | |||
| 2016 final dividend | – | 8,933 | 8,933 |
| 2017 interim dividend | – | – | 4,419 |
| 2017 final dividend | 8,437 | – | – |
| 8,437 | 8,933 | 13,352 | |
| Dividends in respect of the period | |||
| Interim dividend | 4,215 | 4,416 | – |
| Final dividend | – | – | 8,488 |
| 4,215 | 4,416 | 8,488 | |
| Dividend per share | 4p | 4p | 8p |
| Dividend cover | 4.9 | 3.4 | 4.2 |
Dividend cover is calculated as profit after tax and exceptional items over dividend paid.
| Number of shares 000s |
Share capital £000 |
|
|---|---|---|
| Opening balance at 24 July 2016 (audited) | 113,655 | 2,273 |
| Repurchase of shares | (3,106) | (62) |
| Closing balance at 22 January 2017 (unaudited) | 110,549 | 2,211 |
| Repurchase of shares | (1,550) | (31) |
| Balance at 30 July 2017 (audited) | 108,999 | 2,180 |
| Repurchase of shares | (3,498) | (70) |
| Closing balance at 28 January 2018 (unaudited) | 105,501 | 2,110 |
All issued shares are fully paid.
There were no material changes to related-party transactions described in the last annual financial statements. There have been no related-party transactions having a material effect on the Company's financial position or performance in the first half of the current financial year.
The Company had £28.1m of capital commitments for which no provision had been made, in respect of property, plant and equipment, at 28 January 2018 (2017: £5.6m).
The Company has some sites in the property pipeline; however, any legal commitment is contingent on planning and licensing. Therefore, there are no commitments at the balance sheet date, in respect of these sites.
The directors confirm that this condensed interim financial information has been prepared in accordance with IAS 34, as adopted by the European Union, and that the interim management report includes a fair review of the information required by DTR 4.2.7 and DTR 4.2.8, namely:
The directors of J D Wetherspoon plc are listed in the J D Wetherspoon annual report for 30 July 2017. A list of current directors is maintained on the J D Wetherspoon plc website: jdwetherspoon.com
By order of the board
John Hutson Ben Whitley Director Director 15 March 2018 15 March 2018
We have been engaged by the Company to review the condensed set of financial statements in the half-yearly financial report of J D Wetherspoon plc for the 26 weeks ended 28 January 2018 which comprises the Income statement, the Statement of comprehensive income, cash flow statement, Balance sheet, Statement of changes in equity and the related notes. We have read the other information contained in the half-yearly financial report which comprises the financial highlights, Chairman's statement and operating review and considered whether it contains any apparent misstatements or material inconsistencies with the information in the condensed set of financial statements.
This report is made solely to the Company, in accordance with International Standard on Review Engagements (UK and Ireland) 2410, 'Review of Interim Financial Information performed by the Independent Auditor of the Entity' issued by the Auditing Practices Board. Our review work has been undertaken so that we might state to the Company those matters we are required to state to it in an independent review report and for no other purpose. To the fullest extent permitted by law, we do not accept or assume responsibility to anyone other than the Company for our review work, for this report, or for the conclusion we have formed.
The half-yearly financial report is the responsibility of, and has been approved by, the directors. The directors are responsible for preparing the halfyearly financial report in accordance with the Disclosure and Transparency Rules of the United Kingdom's Financial Conduct Authority.
As disclosed in note 2 the annual financial statements of the Company are prepared in accordance with International Financial Reporting Standards as adopted by the European Union. The condensed set of financial statements included in this half-yearly financial report has been prepared in accordance with International Accounting Standard 34, 'Interim Financial Reporting', as adopted by the European Union.
Our responsibility is to express a conclusion on the condensed set of financial statements in the halfyearly financial report based on our review.
We conducted our review in accordance with International Standard on Review Engagements (UK and Ireland) 2410, 'Review of Interim Financial Information Performed by the Independent Auditor of the Entity' issued by the Auditing Practices Board for use in the United Kingdom. A review of interim financial information consists of making enquiries, primarily of persons responsible for financial and accounting matters, and applying analytical and other review procedures. A review is substantially less in scope than an audit conducted in accordance with International Standards on Auditing (UK and Ireland) and consequently does not enable us to obtain assurance that we would become aware of all significant matters that might be identified in an audit. Accordingly, we do not express an audit opinion.
Based on our review, nothing has come to our attention that causes us to believe that the condensed set of financial statements in the halfyearly financial report for the 26 weeks ended 28 January 2018 is not prepared, in all material respects, in accordance with International Accounting Standard 34, 'Interim Financial Reporting', as adopted by the European Union and the Disclosure and Transparency Rules of the United Kingdom's Financial Conduct Authority.
Grant Thornton UK LLP Statutory Auditor, Chartered Accountants London 15 March 2018
| Name | Address | Town | Postcode | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Royal Victoria Pavilion | Harbour Parade | Ramsgate | CT11 8LS | UK |
| The Crown Hotel | 23 High Street | Biggleswade | SG18 0JE | UK |
| Captain Ridley's Shooting Party | 183–185 Queensway | Bletchley | MK2 2ED | UK |
| Name | Address | Town | Postcode | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Thomas Telford | 65–69 Whitby Road | Ellesmere Port | CH65 8AB | UK |
| The John Laird | 88 Claughton Road | Birkenhead | CH41 6ES | UK |
| The Ice Wharf | 22–24 Strand Road | Derry | BT48 7AB | UK |
| The Diamond Tap | 42 Cheap Street | Newbury | RG14 5BX | UK |
| The Railway | 202 Upper Richmond Road | Putney | SW15 6TD | UK |
| The Crockerton | Greyfriars Road | Cardiff | CF10 3AD | UK |
| The Isaac Wilson | 61 Wilson Street | Middlesbrough | TS1 1SF | UK |
| The Squire Knott | 55–57 Yorkshire Street | Oldham | OL1 3SL | UK |
| The Robert Hamilton | 12–14 Bank Street | Airdrie | ML6 6AF | UK |
| The Gaffers Row | 48 Victoria Street | Crewe | CW1 2JE | UK |
| The Gatehouse | Chichester Gate, Terminus Road | Chichester | PO19 8EL | UK |
| The Granite City | Main Terminal Aberdeen Airport | Aberdeen | AB21 7DU | UK |
J D Wetherspoon plc Wetherspoon House, Central Park Reeds Crescent, Watford, WD24 4QL
01923 477777 jdwetherspoon.com
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