YouGov Regulatory News (YOU)

31 July 2020

YouGov plc

("YouGov" or "the Group")

Pre-Close Trading Update and Notice of Results

YouGov, the international research data and analytics group, today announces its pre-close trading update for the full year ending 31 July 2020.

The Group is pleased to report that trading continues to be in line with the Board's expectations for the full year. Despite economic uncertainty over the past few months, it has performed well through this period, delivering growth in both revenue and profit for the full year.

While the Group has been very resilient and is yet to see any material impact of COVID-19 on its business, it continues to actively monitor this fluid situation, maintaining tight cost controls and closely managing cash. YouGov has not taken any furlough funding and has maintained full continuity of service during this period. We retain a focus on employee well-being and safety while the majority of our workforce continues to work from home.

During the second half, Data Products continues to be the standout division, maintaining its strong performance in the UK and the US. Data Services' performance has been largely steady, as decline in typical project work has been offset by an increase in COVID-related research. We have seen solid performance in Custom Research, with the longstanding contract in Kurdistan wound down at the end of March as expected. Our acquisition of SMG Insight, now YouGov Sport, has continued to deliver robust results despite the current environment.

While some retail clients are delaying their projects due to the pandemic, the Group has seen increased opportunity from its technology clients and government work, including on COVID-19 and health-related issues.

The Group continues to invest in its technology platform and panels as part of its current five-year plan to strengthen its data products and geographic reach. The Group remains in a comfortable cash position and has maintained flexibility during these uncertain times, while supporting our clients.

YouGov will publish Full Year Results for the year ended 31 July 2020 on Tuesday 6 October 2020.

About YouGov

YouGov is an international research and data analytics group.

Our mission is to supply a continuous stream of accurate data into what the world thinks, so that organisations can better serve the communities that sustain them. 

Each day, our highly engaged proprietary global panel of over 9 million people provides us with thousands of data points on consumer opinions, attitudes and behaviour. We combine this continuous stream of data with our research expertise to provide insights that enable intelligent decision-making and informed conversations.

YouGov's integrated suite of products, services and tools operates as a systematic platform serving YouGov data and intelligence for all stages of the marketing workflow. Our ground-breaking syndicated Data Products include the daily brand perception tracker, YouGov BrandIndex, and the media planning and segmentation tool, YouGov Profiles. Data Services comprises of our market-leading YouGov Omnibus service which provides a fast and cost-effective solution for reaching nationally representative and specialist samples. YouGov's Custom Research division offers a wide range of quantitative and qualitative research, tailored by sector specialist teams to meet clients' specific requirements. Our YouGov Sport business specialises in sports media measurement and sponsorship evaluation.

With operations in the UK, North America, Mainland Europe, the Nordics, the Middle East and Asia Pacific, YouGov has one of the world's largest research networks.

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For further information visit yougov.com.