Preliminary results for the year ended 31 December 2016
H&T Group (“H&T” or the “Group”) is pleased to announce its preliminary results for the year ended
31 December 2016.
John Nichols, chief executive of H&T Group, said:
“The Group has delivered a strong financial result in 2016 with a solid operational performance assisted by a higher gold price. We are particularly pleased with the growth in our loan books and the increasing significance of FX and Buyback.
“High street pawnbroking remains challenging and only those companies that can adapt to the new consumer and regulatory landscape will succeed. We believe that H&T has a robust business model capable of delivering a range of products to our customers in a responsible way. We have demonstrated our ability to develop new revenue streams and are well placed to succeed as the market continues to evolve.”
| Financial highlights (£m unless stated) | 2016 | 2015 | Change % |
| Gross profit | 54.8 | 47.5 | 15.4% |
| EBITDA | 13.1 | 10.7 | 22.4% |
| Profit before tax | 9.7 | 6.8 | 42.6% |
| Diluted EPS | 20.88p | 14.86p | 40.5% |
| Proposed final dividend | 5.3p | 4.5p | 17.8% |
| Key performance indicators | 2016 | 2015 | Change % |
| Gross pledge book | £41.3m | £39.0m | 5.9% |
| Redemption of annual lending * | 83.0% | 83.4% | (0.4%) |
| Retail sales | £30.5m | £29.5m | 3.4% |
| Retail gross margin | 36.8% | 35.0% | 1.8% |
| Gold purchasing gross margin | 26.2% | 15.1% | 11.1% |
| Number of stores | 181 | 189 | (4.2%) |
*This is the actual percentage of lending in each year which was redeemed or renewed, the 2016 figure is an estimate based on recent trend and early performance.
Operational highlights:
- Personal Loans grew with the net loan book increasing 123.8% from £4.2m to £9.4m
- Gross pledge book increased 5.9% to £41.3m (2015: £39.0m)
- Development of larger, lower cost Personal Loans and implementation of a high-street brokerage opportunity
- Buyback volume grew 41.7% from £6.0m to £8.5m as a result of further systems improvements
- FX gross profits increased 92.9% to £2.7m (2015: £1.4m)