REG - Virgin Wines UK PLC - FY24 Trading Update

Virgin Wines UKAnnouncement

25/07/2024 07:00

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RNS Number : 7376X  Virgin Wines UK PLC  25 July 2024

25 July 2024

Virgin Wines UK plc

("Virgin Wines", the "Company" or the "Group")

 

FY24 Trading Update

 

Revenue resilient, with EBITDA and PBT ahead of market expectations

 

Virgin Wines UK plc (AIM: VINO), one of the UK's largest direct-to-consumer
online wine retailers, is pleased to announce a trading update for the year
ended 30 June 2024 (the "Period").

 

Revenue was in line with the prior year at £59m (FY23: £59m), while enhanced
margins and operational efficiencies, particularly in warehouse fulfilment,
drove an improvement in profitability.

 

EBITDA(1) increased by 260% to £2.8m (FY23: £780k), with Profit/(Loss)(1)
before tax expected to be £1.95m (FY23: Loss £430k).

 

The balance sheet remains strong with net cash at the end of the Period
significantly higher at £10.2m (FY23: £5.5m), driven by a strong bottom-line
performance and improved inventory management. Gross cash including WineBank
customer deposits totaled £18.3m (FY23: £13.5m) and the business remains
debt free.

 

Despite an inflationary environment and ongoing cost pressures the Group
increased its gross margins to 31.9% (FY23: 29.6%), driven by the Company's
unique sourcing model and strong cost control.

 

New customer conversion rates on to the Group's subscription schemes increased
materially to 55.5% (FY23: 49.2%) and, in a similarly positive vein,
cancellation rates on the Company's flagship WineBank membership service
improved to 16.1% (FY23: 17.3%).

 

Although customer acquisition has continued to be challenging, the rate of
acquisition increased throughout Q4 whilst the Group maintained its
disciplined approach, decreasing the fully costed cost per acquisition to
£19.62 (FY23: £19.91).

 

The Company's new value proposition, Warehouse Wines, that launched
pre-Christmas 2023, has started encouragingly with a particularly strong Q4,
and an improving rate of customer acquisition. The business intends to make
increased levels of investment in this key new initiative over FY25 and
beyond.

 

Share Buyback Programme Update

 

Further to the Company's announcement on 30 May 2024 detailing a repurchase of
shares and the launch of a share buyback programme (the "Programme"), a total
of 310,735 ordinary shares in the Company have been repurchased. These shares
are now held in treasury in anticipation of the future exercise of share
options under the Company's long term incentive plan and the Company has now
paused the Programme, with the timing of future potential repurchases
remaining under active consideration.

 

(1) EBITDA and Reported Profit/(Loss) before tax are stated before share based
payments. FY24 figures remain subject to audit. FY23 comparatives are post
FY23 exceptional costs.

 

 

Jay Wright, Chief Executive Officer at Virgin Wines, commented:

 

"I am pleased to report a full-year performance with resilient sales despite a
challenging consumer and inflationary market backdrop. Both EBITDA and PBT
were ahead of expectations, being significantly up year-on-year due to
expanded gross margins and reduced operating variables.

 

Demand remains strong for our range of wines and subscription schemes. Our
flagship WineBank service was recently recognised as 'Wine Club of the Year'
at the prestigious International Wine Challenge awards, and over the past 12
months we have seen it deliver increased new customer conversion rates and
decreased cancellation rates. Our B2B sales continue to grow while our newly
launched value proposition, Warehouse Wines, has also delivered encouraging
initial results.

 

We enter FY25 with the business performing well, and we remain confident for
the future due to the strength of the underlying business model, our
disciplined cost control and unique sourcing model."

 

- Ends -

 

Enquiries:

 

 Virgin Wines UK plc                     Via Hudson Sandler

 Jay Wright, CEO

 Graeme Weir, CFO

 Panmure Liberum Limited

 (Nominated Adviser and Sole Broker)

 Edward Thomas

 Dru Danford

 John Fishley

 Hudson Sandler

 (Public Relations)

 Alex Brennan

 Dan de Belder

 Harry Griffiths

 Eloise Fleet

                                         Tel: +44 20 3100 2222

                                         virginwines@hudsonsandler.com (mailto:virginwines@hudsonsandler.com)

                                         Tel: +44 20 7796 4133

 

Notes to editors:

About Virgin Wines

Virgin Wines is one of the UK's largest direct-to-consumer online wine
retailers. It is an award-winning business which has a reputation for
supplying and curating high quality products, excellent levels of customer
service and innovative ways of retailing.

 

The Company was established in 2000 by the Virgin Group and was subsequently
acquired by Direct Wines in 2005 before being bought out by the Virgin Wines
management team, led by CEO Jay Wright and CFO Graeme Weir, in 2013. It listed
on the London Stock Exchange's Alternative Investment Market (AIM) in 2021.

 

Virgin Wines is headquartered in Norwich, with two fully bonded, national
distribution centres in Preston and Bolton. It stocks over 650 wines sourced
from more than 40 trusted winemaking partners and suppliers around the world
which it sells to a large active customer base, the majority of whom are on
one of the Group's subscription schemes.

The Company drives the majority of its revenue though its fast-growing
WineBank subscription scheme, using a variety of marketing channels, as well
as through its Wine Advisor team, Wine Plan channel and Pay As You Go service.

Along with its extensive range of award-winning products, Virgin Wines was
delighted that its flagship WineBank service was awarded 'Wine Club of the
Year' at the 2024 IWC Awards, was named Online Drinks Retailer of the Year for
2022 at the Drinks Retailing Awards, as well as receiving the bronze award for
Contact Centre of the Year at the 2022 UK National Contact Centre Awards. In
addition, in 2023 the Group's Head of Buying, Sophie Lord, was named Buyer of
the Year by Decanter magazine.

https://www.virginwinesplc.co.uk/ (https://www.virginwinesplc.co.uk/)

 

 

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