MANCHESTER UNITED PLC: 2014 First Quarter Results

  • TOTAL REVENUE UP 29.1%
  • RECORD FIRST QUARTER REVENUE OF £98.5 MILLION
  • COMMERCIAL REVENUE INCREASED 39.3%
  • RECORD ADJUSTED EBITDA UP 36.2%

MANCHESTER, England--()--Manchester United (NYSE: MANU; the “Company” and the “Group”) – one of the most popular and successful sports teams in the world - today announced financial results for the 2014 fiscal first quarter ended 30 September 2013.

Highlights

  • Commercial revenues of £59.9 million
    • Sponsorship revenue increased 62.6%.
    • Retail, merchandising apparel & product licensing revenue up 13.8%.
  • Twelve new sponsorship deals activated in the first quarter – Aeroflot and Bulova (global); Pepsi, Apollo Tyres, Federal Tyres and Manda Fermentation (regional); Commercial Bank Qatar, Emirates Bank, MBNA and afb (financial services); Sky NZ (MUTV) and True Corporation (mobile and MUTV).
  • Broadcasting revenues increased 40.9% due to the new FAPL domestic and international TV rights agreements.

Commentary

Ed Woodward, Executive Vice Chairman commented, “We are pleased to have achieved another record first quarter, driven by the strength of our commercial business and increased broadcasting revenues. Our unique approach to the commercial business will continue to drive future growth. We are also excited by the continuing rise in the value of sports content, evidenced, amongst other things, by the recently announced BT deal for the UK rights to broadcast the Champions League and Europa League matches for three seasons from 2015/16. This deal represents a meaningful increase over the current arrangement, which should translate into higher broadcasting revenues for the participating clubs.”

Outlook

For fiscal 2014, Manchester United continues to expect:

  • Revenue to be £420m to £430m.
  • Adjusted EBITDA to be £128m to £133m.

This assumes the team finishes third in the FA Premier League and reaches the quarter-finals of the UEFA Champions League and the domestic cups.


Key Financials (unaudited)

£ million (except adjusted earnings per share)   Three months ended

30 September

   
  2013   2012 Change
Commercial revenue 59.9 43.0 39.3%
Broadcasting revenue 19.3 13.7 40.9%
Matchday revenue 19.3 19.6 (1.5)%
Total revenue 98.5 76.3 29.1%
Adjusted EBITDA* 22.2 16.3 36.2%
 
(Loss)/profit for the period (i.e. Net Income) (0.3) 20.5 N/A
Adjusted profit/(loss) for the period (i.e. Adjusted Net Income/(Loss))* 2.2 (0.6) N/A
Adjusted basic and diluted earnings/(loss) per share (pence)* 1.37 (0.39) N/A
 
Gross debt 361.0 359.7 0.4%
Cash and cash equivalents 83.6 52.5 59.2%

* Adjusted EBITDA, adjusted profit for the period and adjusted basic and diluted earnings/(loss) per share are non-IFRS measures. See “Non-IFRS Measures: Definitions and Use” below and the accompanying Supplemental Notes for the definitions and reconciliations for these non-IFRS measures and the reasons we believe these measures provide useful information to investors regarding the Group’s financial condition and results of operations.



Revenue Analysis

Commercial

Commercial revenue for the quarter was £59.9 million, an increase of £16.9 million, or 39.3%, over the prior year quarter.

  • Sponsorship revenue for the quarter was £45.2 million, an increase of £17.4 million, or 62.6%, over the prior year quarter primarily due to a significant increase from the pre-season tour, higher renewals and the activation of new global and regional sponsorships.
  • Retail, Merchandising, Apparel & Product Licensing revenue for the quarter was £10.7 million, an increase of £1.3 million, or 13.8%, over the prior year quarter, primarily due to additional profit share pursuant to the agreement with Nike.
  • New Media & Mobile revenue for the quarter was £4.0 million, a decrease of £1.8 million over the prior year quarter, due to the expiration of a few of our mobile partnerships.

Broadcasting

Broadcasting revenue for the quarter was £19.3 million, an increase of £5.6 million, or 40.9%, over the prior year quarter, due to increased revenue from the Premier League domestic and international rights agreements, one additional live Premier League game compared to the prior year quarter, and increases in share of UEFA Champions League fixed pool distributions as we finished 1st in the Premier League in season 2012/13 compared to 2nd in the 2011/12 season.

Matchday

Matchday revenue for the quarter was £19.3 million compared to £19.6 million in the prior year quarter, which included one-off fees earned from the staging of Olympic Games football matches at Old Trafford whereas the current year quarter included fees earned from participating in this season’s Community Shield match which we did not participate in last season.



Other Financial Information

Operating expenses

Total operating expenses for the quarter were £90.2 million, an increase of £15.4 million, or 20.6%, over the prior year quarter.

Staff costs

Staff costs for the quarter were £52.9 million, an increase of £12.6 million, or 31.3%, over the prior year quarter. This increase was primarily due to the impact of a full period of wage costs relating to players signed part way through the prior year quarter, contractual player wage increases and bonuses associated with the growth of our commercial business. Additionally, the prior year quarter benefitted from a one-off receipt of £1.3 million in respect of players on International duty at Euro 2012.

Other operating expenses

Other operating expenses for the quarter were £23.4 million, an increase of £3.7 million, or 18.8%, over the prior year quarter primarily due to increased pre-season tour travel costs, and higher gateshare payments to domestic cup opponents and sponsorship servicing.

Depreciation & amortization of players’ registrations

Depreciation for the quarter was £2.0 million, an increase of £0.1 million, or 5.3%, over the prior year quarter. Amortization of players’ registrations was £11.9 million, £2.1 million or 21.4% higher than the prior year quarter. The unamortized balance of players’ registrations at 30 September 2013 was £144.7 million.

Net finance costs

Net finance costs for the quarter were £9.8 million, a decrease of £2.6 million, or 21.0%, over the prior year quarter. The decrease was primarily due to a £4.1 million reduction in interest payable on our secured borrowings and a £7.8 million reduction in premium paid and accelerated amortization related to the senior secured note repurchases in the prior year quarter; partially offset by a £7.6 million gain on re-translation of our US dollar borrowings in the prior year quarter.

On 1 July 2013 we started hedging the foreign exchange risk on a portion of our future US dollar revenues using our US dollar borrowings as the hedging instrument. As a result, FX gains or losses arising on re-translation of our US dollar borrowings are now initially recognized in other comprehensive income, rather than recognized in the income statement immediately. Amounts previously recognized in other comprehensive income and accumulated in a hedging reserve are subsequently reclassified into the income statement in the same accounting period and within the same income statement line (i.e. commercial revenue) as the underlying future US dollar revenues. This will reduce foreign exchange volatility in our income statement.

More recently, we have entered into a floating to fixed interest rate swap on our $315.7 million secured term loan creating a maximum and minimum interest rate of approximately 4.1% and 2.8% respectively (subject to leverage grid) from 25 November 2013 for the remaining life of the facility.

Tax

The tax credit for the quarter was £0.2 million, compared to a credit of £26.5 million in the prior year quarter (which predominantly related to the recognition of a deferred tax asset for the US tax basis inherited from Red Football LP). There have been no changes to the estimates and judgements in relation to the valuation of deferred tax assets since the June 2013 year end.

Cash flows

Net cash generated from operating activities for the quarter was £23.2 million, an increase of £13.9 million, primarily due to a £15.4 million reduction in interest paid.

Capital expenditure on property, plant and equipment for the quarter was £4.1 million, £0.7 higher than the £3.4 million in the prior year quarter.

Net player capital expenditure for the quarter was £26.8 million, a decrease of £2.7 million from the prior year quarter.

Net cash used in financing activities for the quarter was £0.1 million, a decrease of £7.6 million from £7.5 million net cash generated in the prior year quarter. In the prior year quarter the Company raised £70.3 million from our IPO, the proceeds of which were used to repurchase a portion of our US dollar denominated senior secured notes, comprising a principal value of £62.6 million and a premium on repurchase of £5.3 million.



Conference Call Information

The Company’s conference call to review first quarter fiscal 2014 results will be broadcast live over the internet today, 14 November 2013 at 8:00 a.m. Eastern Time and will be available on Manchester United’s investor relations website at http://ir.manutd.com. Thereafter, a replay of the webcast will be available for thirty days.


About Manchester United

Manchester United is one of the most popular and successful sports team in the world, playing one of the most popular spectator sports on Earth.

Through our 135-year heritage we have won 62 trophies, enabling us to develop the world’s leading sports brand and a global community of 659 million followers. Our large, passionate community provides Manchester United with a worldwide platform to generate significant revenue from multiple sources, including sponsorship, merchandising, product licensing, new media & mobile, broadcasting and matchday.



Cautionary Statement

This press release contains forward-looking statements. You should not place undue reliance on such statements because they are subject to numerous risks and uncertainties relating to the Company’s operations and business environment, all of which are difficult to predict and many are beyond the Company’s control. Forward-looking statements include information concerning the Company’s possible or assumed future results of operations, including descriptions of its business strategy. These statements often include words such as “may,” “might,” “will,” “could,” “would,” “should,” “expect,” “plan,” “anticipate,” “intend,” “seek,” “believe,” “estimate,” “predict,” “potential,” “continue,” “contemplate,” “possible” or similar expressions. The forward-looking statements contained in this press release are based on our current expectations and estimates of future events and trends, which affect or may affect our businesses and operations. You should understand that these statements are not guarantees of performance or results. They involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and assumptions. Although the Company believes that these forward-looking statements are based on reasonable assumptions, you should be aware that many factors could affect its actual financial results or results of operations and could cause actual results to differ materially from those in these forward-looking statements. These factors are more fully discussed in the “Risk Factors” section and elsewhere in the Company’s Registration Statement on Form F-1, as amended (File No. 333-182535) and the Company’s Annual Report on Form 20-F (File No. 001-35627).



Non-IFRS Measures: Definitions and Use

1. Adjusted EBITDA

Adjusted EBITDA is defined as profit for the period before depreciation, amortisation of, and profit on disposal of, players’ registrations, exceptional items, net finance costs, and tax credit.

We believe adjusted EBITDA is useful as a measure of comparative operating performance from period to period and among companies as it is reflective of changes in pricing decisions, cost controls and other factors that affect operating performance, and it removes the effect of our asset base (primarily depreciation and amortisation), capital structure (primarily finance costs), and items outside the control of our management (primarily taxes). Adjusted EBITDA has limitations as an analytical tool, and you should not consider it in isolation, or as a substitute for an analysis of our results as reported under IFRS as issued by the IASB. A reconciliation of profit for the period to adjusted EBITDA is presented in supplemental note 2.

2. Adjusted profit/(loss) for the period (i.e. Adjusted Net Income/(Loss))

Adjusted profit/(loss) for the period is the adjusted profit/(loss) for the period attributable to owners of the parent, calculated, where appropriate, by adding the profit for the period attributable to non-controlling interest to the (loss)/profit for the period attributable to owners of the parent, adjusting for material charges related to the IPO, the repurchase of senior secured notes, foreign exchange losses/gains on US dollar denominated bank accounts and borrowings, and fair value movements on derivative financial instruments, subtracting the actual tax credit for the period, (subtracting)/adding the adjusted tax (expense)/credit for the period (based on an normalized tax rate of 35%; 2012: 35%) and subtracting the profit for the period attributable to non-controlling interest. The normalized tax rate of 35% is management’s estimate of the tax rate likely to be applicable to the Group in the long-term.

We believe that in assessing the comparative performance of the business, in order to get a clearer view of the underlying financial performance of the business, it is useful to strip out the distorting effects of material charges related to ‘one-off’ transactions such as the IPO (including the associated recognition of deferred tax assets or liabilities) and repurchase of senior secured notes, plus the impact of foreign exchange reflected in the retranslation of the US dollar denominated bank accounts and borrowings, and in the fair value movement on derivative financial instruments; and then to apply a ‘normalized’ tax rate (for both the current and prior periods) of the US statutory rate of 35%. We have refined the calculation of adjusted profit/(loss) by also now adjusting for foreign exchange losses/gains on US dollar denominated bank accounts and borrowings and fair value movements on derivative financial instruments. A reconciliation of (loss)/profit for the period attributable to owners of the parent to adjusted profit/(loss) for the period attributable to owners of the parent is presented in supplemental note 3.

3. Adjusted basic and diluted earnings/(loss) per share

Adjusted basic and diluted earnings/(loss) per share is calculated by dividing the adjusted profit/(loss) for the period attributable to owners of the parent by the weighted average number of ordinary shares in issue during the period, and is presented in supplemental note 3.



Key Performance Indicators

                    Three months ended
30 September
2013   2012
Commercial % of total revenue 60.8% 56.4%
Broadcasting % of total revenue 19.6% 18.0%
Matchday % of total revenue 19.6% 25.6%
Home Matches Played
FAPL 3 3
UEFA competitions 1 1
Domestic Cups 1 1
 
Other
Employees at period end 810 735
Staff costs % of revenue 53.7% 52.8%

Phasing of Premier League home games   Quarter 1   Quarter 2   Quarter 3   Quarter 4   Total
2013/14 season* 3 6 7 3 19
2012/13 season 3 7 5 4 19
2011/12 season 3 7 5 4 19

*Subject to changes in broadcasting scheduling

CONSOLIDATED INCOME STATEMENT

(unaudited; in £ thousands, except per share and shares outstanding data)

  Three months ended

30 September

 

  2013   2012
Revenue 98,521   76,316
Operating expenses (90,208) (74,811)
Profit on disposal of players’ registrations   996   4,818
Operating profit   9,309   6,323
Finance costs (9,838) (12,476)
Finance income   59   89
Net finance costs   (9,779)   (12,387)
Loss before tax (470) (6,064)
Tax credit   177   26,532
(Loss)/profit for the period   (293)   20,468

Attributable to:

Owners of the parent

(293) 20,386
Non-controlling interest   -   82
    (293)   20,468
 
(Loss)/earnings per share attributable to owners of the parent:
Basic and diluted (loss)/earnings per share (pence) (0.18) 12.73
Weighted average number of ordinary shares outstanding (thousands)   163,819   160,134
     

CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEET

(unaudited; in £ thousands)

 
    As of

30 September

2013

  As of

30 June

2013

  As of

30 September

2012

ASSETS
Non-current assets
Property, plant and equipment 256,244 252,808 250,479
Investment property 14,051 14,080 14,169
Goodwill 421,453 421,453 421,453
Players’ registrations 144,680 119,947 135,634
Trade and other receivables 241 1,583 1,500
Deferred tax asset   139,434   145,128   24,589
    976,103   954,999   847,824
Current assets
Derivative financial instruments 882 260 1,228
Trade and other receivables 64,292 68,619 69,887
Current tax receivable - - 3,551
Cash and cash equivalents   83,602   94,433   52,527
    148,776   163,312   127,193
Total assets   1,124,879   1,118,311   975,017
 
 

CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEET (continued)

(unaudited; in £ thousands)

 
   

As of

30 September

2013

 

As of

30 June

2013

 

As of

30 September

2012

EQUITY AND LIABILITIES
Equity

Share capital

52 52 52

Share premium

68,822 68,822 68,666

Merger reserve

249,030 249,030 249,030

Hedging reserve

16,342 231 791

Retained earnings

  129,949   129,825   8,069

Equity attributable to owners of the parent

464,195 447,960 326,608

Non-controlling interest

  -   -   (1,921)
    464,195   447,960   324,687
Non-current liabilities

Derivative financial instruments

1,649 1,337 1,701

Trade and other payables

18,014 18,413 23,232

Borrowings

353,476 377,474 353,966

Deferred revenue

18,023 17,082 7,131

Provisions

845 988 1,247

Deferred tax liabilities

  14,913   17,168   25,608
    406,920   432,462   412,885
Current liabilities

Derivative financial instruments

571 29 -

Current tax liabilities

5,472 900 1,128

Trade and other payables

72,929 78,451 79,437

Borrowings

7,571 11,759 5,740

Deferred revenue

166,757 146,278 150,714

Provisions

  464   472   426
    253,764   237,889   237,445
Total equity and liabilities   1,124,879   1,118,311   975,017
 

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENT OF CASH FLOWS

(unaudited; in £ thousands)

  Three months ended

30 September

    2013   2012
Cash flows from operating activities  
Cash generated from operations (see supplemental note 4) 32,770 33,883
Interest paid (9,146) (24,503)
Debt finance costs relating to borrowings (19) -
Interest received 59 85

Income tax paid

  (487)   (202)
Net cash generated from operating activities   23,177   9,263
Cash flows from investing activities
Purchases of property, plant and equipment (4,093) (3,396)
Purchases of players’ registrations (33,450) (34,897)
Proceeds from sale of players’ registrations   6,655   5,364
Net cash used in investing activities   (30,888)   (32,929)
Cash flows from financing activities
Proceeds from issue of shares - 70,258

Repayment of borrowings

  (91)   (62,704)
Net cash (used in)/generated from financing activities   (91)   7,554
Net decrease in cash and cash equivalents (7,802) (16,112)
Cash and cash equivalents at beginning of period 94,433 70,603
Exchange losses on cash and cash equivalents   (3,029)   (1,964)
Cash and cash equivalents at end of period   83,602   52,527



SUPPLEMENTAL NOTES

1 General information

Manchester United plc (the “Company”) and its subsidiaries (together the “Group”) is a professional football club together with related and ancillary activities. The Company incorporated under the Companies Law (2011 Revision) of the Cayman Islands, as amended and restated from time to time.

 

2 Reconciliation of (loss)/profit for the period to adjusted EBITDA

        Three months ended

30 September

          2013

£’000

      2012

£’000

(Loss)/profit for the period (293)       20,468
Adjustments:
Tax credit (177) (26,532)
Net finance costs 9,779 12,387
Profit on disposal of players’ registrations (996) (4,818)
Exceptional items - 3,098
Amortization of players’ registrations 11,904 9,823
Depreciation         1,983       1,917
Adjusted EBITDA         22,200       16,343

 

3 Reconciliation of (loss)/profit for the period attributable to owners of the parent to adjusted
profit/(loss) for the period and adjusted basic and diluted earnings/(loss) per share

  Three months ended

30 September

 

  2013

£’000

  2012

£’000

(Loss)/profit for the period attributable to owners of the parent (293)   20,386
Add: profit for the period attributable to non-controlling interest   -   82
(Loss)/profit for the period (293) 20,468
Professional advisors fees relating to the issue of shares - 3,098

Accelerated amortisation of issue discount and debt finance costs
associated with the repurchase of senior secured notes

- 2,543
Premium on repurchase of senior secured notes - 5,244
Foreign exchange loss on US dollar denominated bank accounts 3,029 1,964
Foreign exchange gain on US dollar denominated borrowings - (7,644)
Fair value movement on derivative financial instruments 884 16
Tax credit   (177)   (26,532)
Adjusted profit/(loss) before tax 3,443 (843)

Adjusted tax (expense)/credit (using a normalised US statutory rate of 35%)

  (1,205)   295
2,238 (548)
Subtract: profit for the period attributable to non-controlling interest   -   (82)
Adjusted profit/(loss) for the period (i.e. Adjusted Net Income/(Loss))   2,238   (630)
 
Adjusted basic and diluted earnings/(loss) per share (pence) 1.37 (0.39)
Weighted average number of ordinary shares outstanding (thousands)   163,819   160,134

The Group has refined the calculation of adjusted profit/(loss) by also now adjusting for foreign exchange losses/gains on US dollar denominated bank accounts and borrowings and fair value movements on derivative financial instruments.

 

4 Cash generated from operations

        Three months ended

30 September

          2013

£’000

      2012

£’000

(Loss)/profit from continuing operations (293)       20,468
Tax credit         (177)       (26,532)
Loss on ordinary activities before tax (470) (6,064)
Depreciation charges 1,983 1,917
Amortisation of players’ registrations 11,904 9,823
Profit on disposal of players’ registrations (996) (4,818)
Net finance costs 9,779 12,387
Share-based payments 383 327
Fair value gains on derivative financial instruments (160) (111)
Reclassified from hedging reserve (188) -
Decrease in trade and other receivables 10 6,358
Increase in trade and other payables and deferred revenue 10,685 14,210
Decrease in provisions         (160)       (146)
Cash generated from operations         32,770       33,883

Contacts

Investor Relations:
Samanta Stewart
+44 207 054 5928
ir@manutd.co.uk
or
Media: Philip Townsend
Manchester United plc
+44 161 868 8148
philip.townsend@manutd.co.uk
or
Jim Barron / Michael Henson
Sard Verbinnen & Co + 1 212 687 8080

Contacts

Investor Relations:
Samanta Stewart
+44 207 054 5928
ir@manutd.co.uk
or
Media: Philip Townsend
Manchester United plc
+44 161 868 8148
philip.townsend@manutd.co.uk
or
Jim Barron / Michael Henson
Sard Verbinnen & Co + 1 212 687 8080