REG - Pets at Home Grp - FY25 pre-close statement

Pets at HomeAnnouncement

31/03/2025 07:15

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RNS Number : 7900C  Pets At Home Group Plc  31 March 2025

 

 

 

 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE, 31 MARCH 2025

Pets at Home Group Plc: FY25 pre-close statement

Pets at Home Group plc, the UK's leading pet care business, today provides a
pre-close update in respect to the 52-week period to 27 March 2025.

For FY25:

 •    Group underlying profit before tax (PBT) for FY25 is expected to be £133m, in
      line with previous guidance.
 •    Q4 trends have been broadly as we planned across Retail and Vets, against a
      challenging and volatile UK consumer backdrop.
 •    We finish FY25 with record numbers of Pets Club members, higher customer
      satisfaction and having grown our clinical talent with more vets and more vet
      nurses.
 •    We have successfully completed the transition of online sales to our Stafford
      distribution centre, meaning we begin FY26 with a single DC, having completed
      our network optimisation.
 •    Our new digital platform is also now functioning well, with particularly
      strong growth in subscriptions.
 •    The completion of our network optimisation and new digital platform mean we
      have now fully completed our two major strategic programs, setting our retail
      business up to return to sales growth and market outperformance in FY26.
 •    We expect to finish FY25 in a net cash position, after having return c£85m to
      investors during the year.

 

As we look to FY26:

 •    We expect the current market conditions and subdued consumer backdrop to
      continue into the new financial year.
 •    In our Vet Group, which now represents more than half of our Group underlying
      PBT:
      -                                         We expect further progress in underlying PBT albeit against the comparative of
                                                the exceptional levels of growth delivered in FY24 and FY25.
      -                                         Going forward we are accelerating the rollout of new practices, and will
                                                deliver at least 10 in FY26, together with a further 15 extensions.
      -                                         We now expect the provisional findings of the CMA to be released over Summer
                                                2025, rather than previous expectations of May 2025.
 •    We will invest c£3m in a new, capital-light insurance proposition which will
      leverage our best-in-class consumer data, large customer base and leading
      brand.
 •    In Retail:
      -                                         Given the uncertain economic backdrop for both demand and inflation, our plan
                                                for FY26 assumes subdued UK pet retail market growth continues. Against this,
                                                we expect to outperform the market as our investments in digital bear fruit.
      -                                         In this uncertain environment we will focus on what we can control: putting
                                                consumers at the heart of our business, being committed to remaining
                                                competitive and keeping tight control of our cost base.
      -                                         We are facing cost increases including the externally imposed headwinds of
                                                NLW/NICs (c£18m impact) and new packaging regulations (£2m), the rebuild of
                                                variable pay (c£10m) and we are investing a further £3m in marketing costs
                                                to drive sales.
      -                                         We plan to make significant savings through material cost reduction and
                                                productivity initiatives to deliver no more than a 5% increase in operating
                                                costs in FY26.
      -                                         The extent to which we can further mitigate cost inflation will depend on the
                                                rate of sales growth we are able to deliver, which is dependent on how
                                                consumer demand evolves and how inflation comes through.
      -                                         Overall, taking into account our current view of demand and costs we expect
                                                Retail underlying PBT to decline year on year.
 •    Taking all this into account, this would lead to a FY26 Group underlying PBT
      outcome down year on year, within a range of £115-125m.
 •    Having gone through a period of significant change in the business over the
      past 2 years, we are now through this period of disruption and elevated
      investment. FY26 will see capex return to normalised levels of less than £50m
      and we do not expect any non-underlying costs.
 •    We remain highly cash generative and will continue to deploy capital in line
      with our established framework, remaining committed to our ordinary dividend.

 

Our next scheduled update will be our FY25 preliminary results announcement on
28 May 2025.

 

Investor Relations Enquiries
 Pets at Home Group Plc:
 Andrew Porteous, Director of Investor Relations  +44 (0) 7740 361 849
 Aaron Wood, Head of Investor Relations           +44 (0) 7702 083 154

 

Media Enquiries
 Pets at Home Group Plc
 Natalie Cullington, Head of Communications              +44 (0) 7974 594 701
 Citigate Dewe Rogerson:
 Angharad Couch                                          +44 (0) 7507 643 004

 
About Pets at Home

Pets at Home Group Plc is the UK's leading pet care business, providing pets
and their owners with the very best advice, products

and care. Pet products are available online or from over 450 pet care centres,
many of which also have vet practices and grooming

salons. The Group also operates a leading small animal veterinary business,
with over 440 veterinary general practices located both

in our pet care centres and in standalone locations. For more information
visit: https://www.petsathomeplc.com/

Disclaimer

This trading statement does not constitute an invitation to underwrite,
subscribe for, or otherwise acquire or dispose of any Pets at Home Group Plc
shares or other securities nor should it form the basis of or be relied on in
connection with any contract or commitment whatsoever. It does not constitute
a recommendation regarding any securities. Past performance, including the
price at which the Company's securities have been bought or sold in the past,
is no guide to future performance and persons needing advice should consult an
independent financial adviser. Certain statements in this trading statement
constitute forward-looking statements. Any statement in this document that is
not a statement of historical fact including, without limitation, those
regarding the Company's future plans and expectations, operations, financial
performance, financial condition and business is a forward-looking statement.
Such forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that
may cause actual results to differ materially. These risks and uncertainties
include, among other factors, changing economic, financial, business or other
market conditions. These and other factors could adversely affect the outcome
and financial effects of the plans and events described in this statement. As
a result, you are cautioned not to place reliance on such forward-looking
statements. Nothing in this statement should be construed as a profit
forecast.

 

This announcement contains information that is inside information for the
purposes of Article 7 of the UK version of Regulation (EU) No. 596/2014 which
is part of UK law by virtue of the European Union (Withdrawal) Act 2018, as
amended (the Market Abuse Regulation ("MAR")). Upon the publication of this
announcement, such information will no longer constitute inside information.
Andrew Porteous, the Company's Director of Investor Relations, is the person
responsible for making the notification for the purposes of Article 17 of MAR.

 

 

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