Wincanton results: record levels of growth
Wincanton plc has announced its half year results for the six months ended 30 September 2021.
Key financial measures
Financial highlights
- Revenue growth of 28.6% in H1, excluding businesses disposed of during FY 20/21
- Underlying profit before tax of £27.3m up 42.9% from prior year, back ahead of pre-pandemic profit levels (H1 19/20: £26.2m)
- Driver cost headwinds mitigated by business model; less than 20% of Group revenue is closed book transport of which price increases or exits have been agreed on c.90%
- Free cash flow generation of £17.9m in H1, prior year cash position benefitted from significant temporary Covid-19 deferred payments, acquisition funded through cash reserves
- Interim dividend of 4.00p (H1 20/21: 2.85p), up 40.4% in line with underlying earnings
James Wroath, Chief Executive Officer of Wincanton commented: “We have delivered a strong set of results in the first half of the year with record levels of growth and positive contributions from all parts of the business. Importantly, we have also made meaningful progress against our strategic priorities. We completed the acquisition of Cygnia and commenced operations at our automated facility in Rockingham, and this significantly strengthens our eCommerce proposition. I am particularly pleased that we have delivered this performance notwithstanding the well-documented challenges across the supply chain. We are taking steps to address shortages of labour and we are well positioned to deal with the cost pressures we are seeing across our markets.
So far this year, we have secured a healthy level of new customer contracts, renewed agreements with businesses we are proud to have supported for many years and have a strong pipeline of new opportunities ahead of us. We are continuing to strengthen our offer to customers through investments in digital and robotic innovation and a culture of continuous improvement in our services. All of this positions us well to benefit from the changes we are seeing in our markets.”