Financial Performance

Revenue £1,798.0m 2017: £1,683.9m, +6.8% on a reported basis, +10.7% on an underlying basis¹

Trading profit² £197.2m 2017: £165.5m, +19.1% on a reported basis, +24.1% on an underlying basis¹

Return on sales² 11.0%, 2017: 9.8%, +120 basis points, +120 basis points on an underlying basis¹

Profit before tax £156.2m, 2017: £97.1m, 60.9% increase

Headline earnings per share³ 49.6p, 2017: 40.7p, 21.9% increase

Recommended final dividend 13.8p per share, 2017: 12.5p per share

Group full-year dividend 19.8p per share, 2017: 18.0p per share

Year-end net debt² £248.0m, 1.0x net debt to EBITDA ratio, 2017: £274.3m – 1.3x

^{1. Underlying basis is at constant currency and excludes separately reported items and the impact of acquisitions and disposals.}

^{2. For definitions of alternative performance measures, refer to Note 4 of the Group Financial Statements.}

^{3. Headline results refer to continuing operations and exclude separately reported items.}