Macfarlane Grp. Regulatory News (MACF)

23 August 2018

MACFARLANE GROUP'S INTERIM RESULTS FOR THE SIX MONTHS TO 30 JUNE 2018

Stuart Paterson, Chairman of Macfarlane Group PLC, today said: -

"Macfarlane Group has performed well in the first half of 2018. Group sales of £102.0m, were 14% ahead of the comparable period last year and profit before tax of £3.5m, was 39% higher than in 2017. This strong performance in the first six months of 2018, supplemented by the expected seasonal uplift from the e-commerce sector in the second half of the year, gives the Board confidence that its full year expectations for 2018 will be achieved.

Packaging Distribution grew its sales by 14% in the first half of 2018, with 5% achieved from organic growth and the remainder from the 2017 acquisition of Greenwoods, which is performing well. Gross margin in Packaging Distribution rose to 29.3%, (2017: 29.0%). Operating profit for the division at £3.7m was £1.0m ahead of 2017, an increase of 39%.

Sales in our Manufacturing Operations were 11% above 2017, with strong demand for composite packs for export markets. Both manufacturing businesses experienced lower gross margins as a result of increased raw material prices and unfavourable sales mix, resulting in operating profit of £0.2m, slightly below that achieved in 2017.

After charging net interest of £0.4m, (2017: £0.4m), the Group profit before tax grew by 39% to £3.5m (2017: £2.5m).

Net debt at 30 June 2018 was £11.1m, £3.6m below the level of £14.7m at 31 December 2017. The Group is operating well within its existing bank facility of £30.0m. Consistent with our normal pattern, we expect to be strongly cash generative from trading in the second half of 2018, enabling us to finance up to £4.0m in deferred consideration as forecast, relating to the acquisitions of Nelsons for Cartons and Packaging Limited and Greenwoods Stock Boxes, made in earlier years. Both of these companies are continuing to trade strongly.

On 31 July 2018 and 2 August 2018, we concluded the acquisitions of Tyler Packaging (Leicester) Limited ("Tyler") and Harrisons Packaging Limited ("Harrisons"), two successful packaging distributors, based in Leicester and Leyland respectively. The maximum net cash consideration including deferred payments for both acquisitions is estimated to be £3.5m.

The pension scheme deficit reduced to £9.4m at 30 June 2018 from £11.8m at 31 December 2017, mainly due to the continued payment of deficit reduction contributions during the six month period.

The Board is recommending an 8% increase in the interim dividend to 0.65p per share to be paid on 11 October 2018 to shareholders on the register as at 21 September 2018 (2017: 0.60p per share).

Our strategy is to deliver sustainable profit growth by focusing on added value products and services in our target market sectors, combined with the execution of value-enhancing acquisitions. Macfarlane Group's performance in the first half of 2018 reflects the successful implementation of our strategy and we are confident that the Group will continue to make further progress in the remainder of 2018."

Notes to Editors:

· Macfarlane Group PLC is headquartered in Glasgow, Scotland, listed on the London Stock Exchange (LSE: MACF) in the Industrials Sector and has more than 60 years' experience in the UK packaging industry

· Macfarlane Group's businesses are:

o Macfarlane Packaging is the leading UK distributor of a comprehensive range of protective packaging products

o Labels designs and prints high quality self-adhesive and resealable labels, principally for FMCG companies

o Packaging Design and Manufacture designs and produces protective packaging for high value, fragile products

· Macfarlane Group employs over 900 people at 31 sites, principally in the UK, but also in Ireland and Sweden

· The company has 20,000+ customers in the UK, Europe and USA providing 600,000+ lines to a wide range of industry sectors including: consumer goods; food manufacturing; logistics; internet retail; mail order; electronics; defence and aerospace

Legal Entity Identifier (LEI): 213800LVRYDERSJAAZ73

Macfarlane Group's trading activities comprise two divisions, Packaging Distribution and Manufacturing Operations.

Macfarlane's Packaging Distribution business is the UK's leading specialist distributor of protective packaging materials. Macfarlane operates from 23 Regional Distribution Centres ("RDCs") and 3 satellite sites, supplying customers with a comprehensive range of protective packaging materials and services on a local, regional and national basis. Macfarlane meets the needs of customers by enabling them to ensure their products are cost-effectively protected in transit and storage by offering a comprehensive product range, single source supply, Just-In-Time delivery, tailored stock management programmes, electronic trading and independent advice on both packaging materials and packing processes.

The main features of our first half performance in 2018 were:

l Sales growth of 14% comprised 5% organic growth and additional sales growth of 9% from our 2017 acquisition;

l Strong progress in the development of our National Account business in the industrial sector with incremental business from existing customers in H1 2018;

l Sales to internet retailers accounted for 19% of business in H1 2018. We continue to develop and win business in this key growth sector and our Innovation Lab in Milton Keynes has supported our sales growth in 2018;

l The Third-party Logistics ("3PL") sector represents 10% of our total business as we continue to strengthen our partnerships with key 3PL operators;

l Gross margin is 29.3% (2017 - 29.0%) reflecting favourable margins in our 2017 acquisition and the recovery of industry-wide input price increases on paper-based products in Q2 2018; and

l Overhead increases in the current year are primarily due to the impact of acquisitions; meanwhile the strong cost control ethos throughout the business remains.

We expect sales to continue to be weighted towards H2 2018 reflecting the proportion of internet retailers in our customer base. The key areas we shall focus on to support this are:

l Maintaining our focus on the growth potential for protective packaging in key market segments - the e-commerce sector, National Accounts in the industrial sector and 3PL operators;

l Providing UK and pan-European customers requiring our capabilities on a European basis with access to our offering and where appropriate, utilising the benefits of our NovuPak membership;

l Improving our sourcing through stronger relationships with our existing supplier base;

l Continuing the price recovery programme for paper-related input price increases;

l Rolling out the new products introduced to the business from recent acquisitions, particularly Airsac and Shelf-Ready Packaging;

l Pursuing cost-reduction opportunities from productivity improvements and in our property portfolio;

l Maintaining the focus on working capital management to facilitate future growth; and

l Supplementing organic growth by the identification and completion of further suitable high-quality acquisitions. Our recent acquisitions, Tyler and Harrisons, are good local businesses with a strong customer focus, which are expected to integrate well into the Macfarlane network.

Macfarlane's Manufacturing Operations comprise Packaging Design & Manufacture and Labels.

We operate the Packaging Design & Manufacture business from two UK sites - Grantham and Westbury - where we design, manufacture and assemble custom-designed packaging solutions for customers requiring cost-effective methods of protecting high value products in storage and transit. We differentiate ourselves through our technical expertise, design capability, industry accreditations and national capability through the partnership with Macfarlane Packaging Distribution.

Packaging Design & Manufacture sales increased by 16% from last year's levels, with strong growth from customers focusing on export markets. Actions to reduce operating costs were implemented, which, with the benefit of stronger sales, resulted in profit in H1 2018 being above the same period in 2017.

Our Labels business designs and prints self-adhesive labels for major FMCG customers in the UK and Europe and resealable labels for major customers in the UK, Europe and the USA. The business operates from production sites in Kilmarnock and Wicklow and a sales and design office in Sweden, which focuses on the development and growth of our resealable labels business, Reseal-it. More product sectors are adopting the re-sealable label format and this is a key strategic focus for the Labels management team.

In H1 2018 sales at Macfarlane Labels were 6% higher than in 2017 reflecting growth in pre-applied labels in FMCG sectors. Profit in the first half of 2018 was below that achieved in 2017, due to an unfavourable sales mix, but showed an improved run-rate in the second quarter.

The priorities for the Manufacturing Operations in the second half of 2018 are to:

l Maintain Packaging Design & Manufacture sales growth, particularly in key sectors e.g. Defence, Aerospace and Medical;

l Continue to improve operational efficiency at both Packaging Design & Manufacture sites;

l Prioritise new sales activity on higher added value bespoke composite pack product range;

l Continue to strengthen the relationship between our Packaging Design & Manufacture operations and our Packaging Distribution business to create both sales and cost synergies;

l Accelerate the Reseal-it growth momentum through improved geographic penetration, extending the product range and introducing Reseal-it to new product sectors; and

l Increase self-adhesive label sales with key brands to create a more balanced customer portfolio.

Summary and Future Prospects

Macfarlane Group's businesses all have strong market positions with differentiated product and service offerings. We have a flexible business model and a clear strategic plan incorporating a range of actions, which is being effectively implemented and is reflected in consistent, profitable growth and cash-flow generation in recent years.

Our future performance is largely dependent on our own efforts to grow sales, increase efficiencies and bring high quality acquisitions into the Group. With a focus on the most attractive UK market sectors for our products and services, combined with our successful track record of growth and acquisitions, we expect 2018 to be another successful year for Macfarlane Group.

The principal risks and uncertainties, which could impact on the performance of the Group, were outlined in our Annual Report and Accounts for 2017 (available on our website at www.macfarlanegroup.com) together with the mitigating actions. These remain substantially the same for the remaining six months of the current financial year and are summarised below:

l The Group's businesses are impacted by commodity-based raw material prices and manufacturer energy costs, with profitability sensitive to supplier price changes. The Group works closely with its supplier and customer base to manage effectively the scale and timing of these price movements and any resultant impact on profit;

l Given the multi-site nature of its business the Group has an extensive property portfolio comprising 3 owned sites and 34 leased sites, 3 of which are sub-let. The portfolio can give rise to risks in relation to ongoing lease costs, dilapidations and fluctuations in value. The Group adopts a proactive approach to managing property costs and exposures;

l The Group has a significant investment in working capital in trade receivables and inventories. There is a risk that this investment is not fully recovered. Rigour is applied to the management of trade receivables and inventories throughout the Group to mitigate these risks;

l The Group needs continued access to funding to meet its trading obligations and to support organic growth and acquisitions. There is a risk that the Group may be unable to obtain funds or that such funds will only be available on unfavourable terms. The Group's borrowing facility comprises a committed facility of £30 million with Lloyds Bank PLC, available until June 2022, which finances our trading requirements and supports controlled expansion, providing a medium-term funding platform for growth;

l In Packaging Distribution, the business model reflects a decentralised approach with a high dependency on effective local decision-making. There is a risk that local decisions may not always meet overall corporate objectives. This is closely monitored in the Group with regular reviews of performance and prospects for all locations;

l The Group's defined benefit pension scheme is sensitive to a number of key factors; investment returns, discount rates used to calculate the scheme's liabilities and mortality assumptions. Small changes in these assumptions could cause significant movements in the pension deficit. The Group has sought to manage the volatility of the pension scheme deficit caused by these factors by undertaking exercises to reduce liabilities, more effectively match the investment profile with the liability profile and making contributions to reduce the deficit; and

l The Group's growth strategy includes acquisitions as a key component. There are risks that the availability of acquisition candidates may reduce, or that acquisitions may not perform as expected either after acquisition or on integration into the Group. Having made nine acquisitions since 2014, the Group has well-established due diligence and integration processes and procedures and seeks to acquire quality businesses which will perform well in the Group.

The Group operates a formal framework for the identification and evaluation of the major business risks faced by each business and determines an appropriate course of action to manage these risks.

Cautionary Statement

This announcement has been prepared solely to provide additional information to shareholders to assess the Group's strategy and the potential for the strategy to succeed. It should not be relied on by any other party or for any other purpose.

This announcement contains certain forward-looking statements relating to operations, performance and financial status. Such statements involve risk and uncertainty because they relate to events and depend upon circumstances that will occur in the future and should be treated with caution as there are a number of factors, including both economic and business risk factors that could cause actual results or developments to differ materially from those expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements.

These statements are made by the directors in good faith based on the information available to them up to the time of their approval of this announcement. Nothing in this Interim Results Statement should be construed as a profit forecast or an invitation to deal in the securities of the Group.

Statement of Directors' Responsibilities

The Directors of Macfarlane Group PLC are

S.R. Paterson Chairman

P.D. Atkinson Chief Executive

J. Love Finance Director

M.R. Arrowsmith Non-Executive Director/Senior Independent Director

J.W.F. Baird Non-Executive Director

R. McLellan Non-Executive Director

The Directors confirm that, to the best of their knowledge:-

(i) the condensed set of financial statements has been prepared in accordance with IAS 34 Interim Financial Reporting as adopted by the EU;

(ii) the interim management report includes a fair review of the information required by:

a. DTR 4.2.7R of the Disclosure and Transparency Rules, being an indication of important events that have occurred during the first six months of the financial year and their impact on the condensed set of financial statements; and a description of the principal risks and uncertainties for the remaining six months of the year; and

b. DTR 4.2.8R of the Disclosure and Transparency Rules, being related party transactions that have taken place in the first six months of the current financial year and that have materially affected the financial position or performance of the entity during that period; and any changes in the related party transactions described in the last annual report that could do so.

Approved by the Board of Directors on 23 August 2018 and signed on its behalf by

………………………….. ………………………

Peter D. Atkinson John Love

Chief Executive Finance Director

INDEPENDENT REVIEW REPORT TO MACFARLANE GROUP PLC

We have been engaged by the company to review the condensed set of financial statements in the half-yearly financial report for the six months ended 30 June 2018 which comprises the condensed consolidated income statement, the condensed consolidated statement of comprehensive income, the condensed consolidated statement of changes in equity, the condensed consolidated balance sheet, the condensed consolidated cash flow statement and the related explanatory notes.

Based on our review, nothing has come to our attention that causes us to believe that the condensed set of financial statements in the half-yearly financial report for the six months ended 30 June 2018 is not prepared, in all material respects, in accordance with IAS 34 Interim Financial Reporting as adopted by the EU and the Disclosure Guidance and Transparency Rules ("the DTR") of the UK's Financial Conduct Authority ("the UK FCA").

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 UK. 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. We read the other information contained in the half-yearly financial report and consider whether it contains any apparent misstatements or material inconsistencies with the information in the condensed set of financial statements.

A review is substantially less in scope than an audit conducted in accordance with International Standards on Auditing (UK) 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.

The half-yearly financial report is the responsibility of, and has been approved by, the directors. The directors are responsible for preparing the half-yearly financial report in accordance with the DTR of the UK FCA.

As disclosed in note 1, the annual financial statements of the group are prepared in accordance with International Financial Reporting Standards as adopted by the EU. The directors are responsible for preparing the condensed set of financial statements included in the half-yearly financial report in accordance with IAS 34 as adopted by the EU.

Our responsibility

Our responsibility is to express to the company a conclusion on the condensed set of financial statements in the half-yearly financial report based on our review.

The purpose of our review work and to whom we owe our responsibilities

Hugh Harvie

for and on behalf of KPMG LLP

Chartered Accountants

319 St Vincent Street

Glasgow G2 5AS

23 August 2018

MACFARLANE GROUP PLC

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED INCOME STATEMENT (UNAUDITED)

FOR THE SIX MONTHS ENDED 30 JUNE 2018

MACFARLANE GROUP PLC

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENT OF COMPREHENSIVE INCOME (UNAUDITED)

FOR THE SIX MONTHS ENDED 30 JUNE 2018

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENT OF CHANGES IN EQUITY (UNAUDITED)

FOR THE SIX MONTHS ENDED 30 JUNE 2018

MACFARLANE GROUP PLC

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENT OF CHANGES IN EQUITY (UNAUDITED)

FOR THE SIX MONTHS ENDED 30 JUNE 2017

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENT OF CHANGES IN EQUITY

FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2017

MACFARLANE GROUP PLC

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEET (UNAUDITED) AT 30 JUNE 2018

MACFARLANE GROUP PLC

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED CASH FLOW STATEMENT (UNAUDITED)

FOR THE SIX MONTHS ENDED 30 JUNE 2018

MACFARLANE GROUP PLC

SIX MONTHS ENDED 30 JUNE 2018

NOTES TO THE CONDENSED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (UNAUDITED)

1. Basis of preparation

Macfarlane Group PLC is a public company listed on the London Stock Exchange, incorporated and domiciled in the United Kingdom. The Group's annual financial statements are prepared in accordance with International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRSs) as adopted by the EU. Other than as disclosed below, as required by the Disclosure and Transparency Rules of the Financial Conduct Authority, this condensed set of financial statements has been prepared applying the accounting policies that were applied in the preparation of the company's published consolidated financial statements for the year ended 31 December 2017. This condensed set of financial statements has been prepared in accordance with IAS 34 Interim Financial Reporting as adopted by the EU.

This is the first set of Group financial statements where IFRS 15 and IFRS 9 have been applied, both with effect from 1 January 2018.

(i) The adoption of IFRS 15 Revenue from Contracts with Customers has not resulted in significant changes to the revenue recognition policy applied in the Group's financial statements for the year ended 31 December 2017. This is due to the nature of the majority of existing customer contracts entered into by the Group recognising revenue at the point of transfer of goods to the customer, consistent with the revenue recognition framework in IFRS 15. As a result, no adjustments have been made to the 31 December 2017 balance sheet nor to opening retained earnings at 1 January 2018.

(ii) IFRS 9 Financial Instruments contains provisions for the calculation of impairment losses for doubtful trade receivables. This has not resulted in any significant changes to the existing methodology used to calculate provisions applied in the Group's 2017 financial statements. As a result, no adjustments have been made to the 31 December 2017 balance sheet nor to opening retained earnings at 1 January 2018.

The Directors are in the process of evaluating the impact of IFRS 16 Leases in the Group's 2019 financial statements. The Group's financial commitments under all operating leases at 31 December 2017 are set out in note 22 to the 2017 financial statements. From 1 January 2019 all operating leases will be reclassified as finance leases under IFRS 16. Adoption of this standard will result in an increase in gross assets and gross liabilities on the balance sheet and reclassifications of expenditure between operating costs and finance costs in the income statement. There will be no net cash flow impact arising from the new accounting standard and the Group does not currently intend to alter its approach as to whether assets should be leased or acquired outright going forward.

Judgements, assumptions and estimation uncertainties

In preparing the condensed financial statements, management has made judgements, estimates and assumptions, which affect the application of the Group's accounting policies and the reported amounts of assets, liabilities, income and expenses. Actual results may differ from the amounts estimated. Estimates and underlying assumptions are reviewed on an ongoing basis, with revisions to estimates recognised prospectively.

Information about judgements, assumptions and estimation uncertainties made in applying accounting policies that have the most significant effect on the amounts recognised in these financial statements and therefore have the most significant risk of resulting in a material adjustment are as follows:-

Business activities, risks and financing

The Group's business activities, together with the factors likely to affect its future development, performance and financial position are set out in the Interim Management Report on pages 1 to 6.

The Group's principal financial risks in the medium term relate to liquidity and credit risk. Liquidity risk is managed by ensuring that the Group's day-to-day working capital requirements are met by having access to committed banking facilities with suitable terms and conditions to accommodate the requirements of the Group's operations. Credit risk is managed by applying considerable rigour in managing the Group's trade receivables. The Directors believe that the Group is adequately placed to manage its financial risks effectively in the current economic climate.

The Group's banking arrangements with Lloyds Bank PLC comprise a committed facility of £30 million, expiring in June 2022, secured over part of Macfarlane Group's trade receivables and bearing interest at commercial rates. The facility has financial covenants for interest cover and over trade receivables headroom.

The Directors are of the opinion that the Group's cash and revenue projections, which they believe are based on prudent market data and past experience taking account of reasonably possible changes in trading performance given current market and economic conditions, show that the Group should be able to operate within its current facilities and comply with its banking covenants.

In assessing the going concern basis, the Directors have considered the Group's business activities, the financial position of the Group and the Group's risks and uncertainties. The Directors have a reasonable expectation that, despite the current uncertain economic environment, the Company and the Group have adequate resources to continue in operational existence for the foreseeable future. For this reason this condensed set of financial statements have been prepared on the going concern basis.

Approval and review of condensed financial statements

These condensed financial statements were approved by the Board of Directors on 23 August 2018.

This condensed set of financial statements is unaudited but has been formally reviewed by the auditor and their Independent Review Report to the Company is set out on page 7.

2. General information

Comparative figures for the financial year ended 31 December 2017 are extracted from Macfarlane Group's statutory accounts for 2017. Those accounts have been reported on by the Company's auditor and delivered to the Registrar of Companies. The report of the auditor was (i) unqualified, (ii) did not include a reference to any matters to which the auditor drew attention by way of emphasis without qualifying their report, and (iii) did not contain a statement under section 498 (2) or (3) of the Companies Act 2006.

3. Segmental information

The Group's principal business segment is Packaging Distribution, comprising the distribution of packaging materials and supply of storage and warehousing services in the UK. The remaining operations for the manufacture and supply of self-adhesive and resealable labels to a variety of FMCG customers in the UK, Europe and USA and the design, manufacture and assembly of timber, corrugated and foam-based packaging materials in the UK comprise one segment headed Manufacturing Operations. No individual business segment within Manufacturing Operations represents more than 10% of Group revenue or profit in each period presented.

The Packaging Distribution business has historically benefited from additional demand in the final months of the year, resulting in revenue and profitability at higher levels in the second half of the year.

Tax for the first six months has been charged at 19.00% (2017 - 19.25%) representing the best estimate of the effective tax charge for the full year.

An interim dividend of 0.65p per share, payable on 11 October 2018 was declared on 23 August 2018 and has therefore not been included as a liability in these condensed financial statements.

On 21 September 2017, the Group's subsidiary, Macfarlane Group UK Limited, acquired the packaging business and selected assets of Almadon Limited (formerly Greenwoods Stock Boxes Limited) and 100% of the issued share capital of Nottingham Recycling Limited, for a total consideration of approximately £17.22 million. £7.97 million was paid in cash on acquisition, and £6.0 million was settled by the issue of shares. The deferred consideration of £3.25 million is payable in the final quarter of 2018, subject to certain trading targets being met in the twelve month period ending on 20 September 2018.

On 29 July 2016, the Group acquired 100% of Nelsons for Cartons & Packaging Limited for a total consideration of £7.2 million. £4.7 million was paid in cash on acquisition with £1.0 million settled by the issue of shares. Of the deferred consideration of £1.5 million, £0.75 million was paid in the final quarter of 2017 and £0.75 million will be paid in the third quarter of 2018.

Both businesses are packaging distributors, accounted for in the Packaging Distribution segment. Goodwill arising on these acquisitions is attributable to the anticipated future profitability of the distribution of the Group's product ranges in the UK and anticipated operating synergies from future combinations of activities with the existing Packaging Distribution network. All deferred consideration is recognised in liabilities at the respective reporting dates. Fair values assigned to net assets acquired and consideration paid and payable are set out below:-

Cash and cash equivalents (which are presented as a single class of asset on the balance sheet) comprise cash at bank and other short-term highly liquid investments with maturity of three months or less.

10. Retirement benefit obligations

The figures below have been prepared by Aon Hewitt and are based on the results of the triennial actuarial valuation as at 1 May 2017, updated to 30 June 2018 and 31 December 2017 and the actuarial valuation at 1 May 2014 updated to 30 June 2017. The assets in the scheme and the net liability position of the scheme as calculated under IAS 19 are as follows: