TOP NEWS: Currys swings to annual loss, declares no final dividend

(Alliance News) - Currys PLC said its profit was offset by poor Nordic performances in its ...

Alliance News 6 July, 2023 | 8:00AM
Email Form Facebook Twitter LinkedIn RSS

(Alliance News) - Currys PLC said its profit was offset by poor Nordic performances in its financial report, with revenue down and the company pulling its final dividend.

Shares in the London-based electronics and electrical goods retailer, fell 13% to 46.70 pence in London on Thursday morning.

Currys swung to a pretax loss in its year ended April 29 of GBP450 million from a profit of GBP126 million.

The company said this loss was caused by a non-cash impairment of GBP511 million of UK and Ireland goodwill arising out of the Dixons Carphone merger in 2014.

Currys noted that its adjusted pretax profit of GBP119 million was at the top end of guidance for its financial year, though it was down 38% from restated GBP192 million.

Revenue decreased by 6.2% to GBP9.51 billion, down from GBP10.14 billion.

Currys adjusted earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortization fell by 12% to GBP524 million from GBP594 million. This was driven by the drop in Nordic adjusted Ebitda which fell 41% to GBP156 million from GBP265 million in the year prior.

"In the Nordics, the markets we operate across have been experiencing a painful period with softer demand coupled with cost of goods sold inflation, exacerbated by excess stock and some competitions pursuing strategies focussed on growth at expense of profit or cashflow," Chief Executive Alex Baldock said.

Currys declared no final dividend for its financial year, down from 2.15p per share the prior year.

"Cognisant of the uncertain economic outlook, the board has decided not to declare a final dividend for the 2023 financial year. Our capital allocation priorities remain unchanged," said Currys.

The company said trading at the start of the year has been consistent with board expectations, but noted the remaining uncertainty of the economic outlook.

Currys said it plans capital expenditure spending of GBP80 million in financial 2024, down 25% from the previous year due to tighter controls and lower transformational spend. The company also said it expects net exceptional cash costs of GBP50 million due to increased property costs and restructuring.

In the long-term, the company will continue to target a minimum 3.0% adjusted earnings before interest and tax margin, and expects exceptional cash costs to fall significantly from financial 2025 onwards.

By Will Neill, Alliance News reporter

Comments and questions to newsroom@alliancenews.com

Copyright 2023 Alliance News Ltd. All Rights Reserved

Email Form Facebook Twitter LinkedIn RSS

Securities Mentioned in Article

Security Name Price Change (%) Morningstar
Rating
Currys PLC 70.55 GBX -0.56 -

About Author

Alliance News

Alliance News provides Morningstar with continuously updating coverage of news affecting listed companies.

© Copyright 2024 Morningstar, Inc. All rights reserved.

Terms of Use        Privacy Policy        Modern Slavery Statement        Cookie Settings        Disclosures