ROBUST PROGRESS DURING FY20; ACTIONS TAKEN TO MITIGATE IMPACT OF Covid-19; ENHANCED STRATEGY TO deliver sustained long-term growth
Otto de Bont, Chief Executive Officer, said:
“We made robust progress during the year, delivering financial results in line with our expectations and a number of strategic and financial objectives including: raising €107m through strategic disposals, receiving permission to resume TGG shipments at ATM, delivering our cost synergies and other restructuring projects, and we made good progress with a growing pipeline of circular solutions and partnerships.
“Renewi provides an essential service in the front line of maintaining vital services to hospitals, businesses and communities and our dedicated employees have been able to keep serving our customers whilst we have innovated to ensure a safe working environment. Our specific actions on cost and cash will preserve our liquidity even in an extended crisis and we have secured amendments to our banking covenants until September 2021. As a result of these actions, we are well placed to mitigate the impact of Covid-19.
“Looking forward, the momentum towards a circular economy is unstoppable. Today, we announce our enhanced strategy, which will enable us to capture the growth opportunities from the circular economy, and our Renewi 2.0 programme, which will deliver improved customer service as well as €20m of cost benefits through digitisation and optimised internal processes. Aligned with our enhanced strategy, we have defined our ambitious sustainable development goals.”
Financial Summary
Financial performance in line with expectations
Revenue from ongoing businesses up 2% to €1.70bn1
Underlying EBIT from ongoing businesses down 10% to €72.0m1
Underlying profit before tax from ongoing businesses down 23% to €44.5m1
Underlying EPS from ongoing businesses down 25% to 4.1 cents per share1
Core net debt* of €457m (2019: €552m), representing 2.98x EBITDA and below bank covenant of 3.5x
As previously announced, total non-trading and exceptional items of €120m, €35m of which were cash, resulting in a statutory loss after tax of €77.1m for the year and a basic loss per share of 7.7 cents per share (2019: loss per share 9.0 cents)
As previously announced, no final dividend to be paid due to Covid-19, resulting in a total dividend for the year of 0.45p per share
1Numbers quoted on an ongoing businesses basis (excluding the results of the businesses sold during the year) and are stated on an IAS 17 basis, excluding the positive impact of the implementation of IFRS 16 the new lease accounting standard to enable meaningful comparisons. The definition and rationale for the use of non-IFRS measures are included in note 18.
*Core net debt excludes the impact of IFRS 16 leases and net debt relating to the UK PFI/PPP contracts.
Operational and Strategic Highlights
Continued growth in core Commercial Division despite weaker markets and Covid-19
Restrictions lifted on TGG soil shipments at ATM and first shipment made; initial capacity installed to make construction materials from TGG
Good performance in Monostreams and Municipal Divisions, with operational improvements and restructuring delivering benefits; lower profits in Municipal as expected
Enhanced strategy announced to capture profitable growth in the circular economy by being the leader in recycling and in secondary materials production
€40m integration cost synergies delivered.New €20m Renewi 2.0 programme to create a simpler, more efficient and more digital business with higher margins and improved cash flows
Divisional structure simplified from five to four, creating commercial synergy and reducing cost and risk
Ambitious new sustainability strategy, closely aligned with core business strategy
Successful secondary listing on Euronext Amsterdam exchange
Covid-19 Update
As previously announced on 29 May 2020, significant actions taken to mitigate the impact of Covid-19 on our people, customers and operations
€252m of liquidity at 31 March 2020 and appropriate bank covenant amendments secured to September 2021
Swift and decisive action taken to reduce operating costs and preserve cash flows, saving €60m during FY21
Executive Directors and Board elected to take a voluntary 20% cut in remuneration during the period of lockdown and the Executive Committee has taken a voluntary 10% cut, executive bonuses for last year will be paid in shares, preserving cash and the bonus scheme for the current year is suspended
Volume reductions during lockdown slightly lower than originally expected, remaining cautious as to shape of economic recovery
Outlook
Based on our experience since the second half of March, we expect Covid-19 to result in a potential reduction in EBIT and cash of up to €20m in the first quarter compared with our previous expectations. This outflow is comfortably contained within our €252m of liquidity as at 31 March 2020 and our revised banking covenants. The outlook for the remainder of the year will be dependent on the nature and timing of the lifting of lockdown restrictions and the speed of economic recovery. Longer term, waste volumes are resilient through cycles and the transition to increased recycling remains a strong long-term structural growth driver for the Group. The recovery of earnings at ATM and our Renewi 2.0 programme are expected to further support sustained future earnings growth.