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Breedon Group Plc

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FY2022 Annual Report · Breedon Group Plc
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MAKING A MATERIAL  
DIFFERENCE

ANNUAL REPORT 2022

From our quarries 
and plants come  
the essential 
materials to build  
our environment

Breedon Group Annual report 2022

Strategic report Governance Financial statements Additional information

Contents

Our purpose is to make a 
material difference to the lives 
of our colleagues, customers 
and communities. 

We do that by delivering 
essential materials to build  
the places where we live and 
work, play and in-between.

Record revenue

£1.4bn

Revenue

Record earnings

£136m

Profit before tax

Higher returns

10.8%

Return on invested capital

Essential materials

Investment case
Sustainable growth and proven financial framework

Breedon at a glance
A balanced portfolio of high-quality assets 

Chairman’s statement
Thoughtful capital allocation

Market review
Supplying structurally-attractive growth markets

Business model
Asset-backed , vertically-integrated local operating model

Chief Executive Officer’s review and strategy
Local operating model delivers record earnings

Operating reviews

Great Britain

Ireland

Cement

Key performance indicators

Chief Financial Officer’s review 
Sustainable growth strategy delivered record performance

Managing our risks and opportunities

Principal risks 

Climate-related risks and opportunities

Sustainability
We are a progressive, sustainable business

Stakeholder report
We understand the needs of our stakeholders

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»16

»22

»30

»32

»34

»36

»38

»44

»45

»50

»58

»88

Governance

Corporate governance at a glance

Board of Directors

Corporate governance statement

Audit & Risk Committee report

Nomination Committee report

Sustainability Committee report

Directors’ Remuneration report

Directors’ report

Statement of directors’ responsibilities

Financial statements

Independent Auditor’s report

Consolidated income statement

Consolidated statement of comprehensive income

Consolidated statement of financial position

Consolidated statement of changes in equity

Consolidated statement of cash flows

Notes to the financial statements

Additional information

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01

Essential materials

Breedon is a leading vertically-
integrated construction materials 
group in Great Britain and Ireland.

We supply the construction industry 
with the essential materials needed 
to build the places where we live 
and work, play and in-between. 

We use our core assets to produce 
valued-added downstream 
products, pulling through our 
aggregates and cement to deliver 
asphalt, ready-mixed concrete 
and surfacing solutions to the 
whole construction supply chain.

Breedon Group Annual report 2022Strategic report Governance Financial statements Additional informationBreedon Group Annual report 2022

Strategic report Governance Financial statements Additional information

02

To build where we live

and work

Essential industry

The construction industry provides the 
foundation for our lives, building the places 
where we live and work, play and in-between. 
Breedon is a key contributor to the construction 
materials supply chain, addressing a market 
with an estimated value of £16bn per annum. 

GB mineral product sales  
million tonnes

Aggregates 
Cementitious 
Ready-mixed concrete 
and concrete products 
Asphalt 

Source: MPA

Typical home

12

tonnes of mortar

200

tonnes of aggregates

Breedon Group Annual report 2022

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03

Where we play and in-between

Essential materials

Reserves and resources
billion tonnes

Our products play a critical role in the 
construction and maintenance of our 
homes, offices, schools, roads, and so 
much more. Our assets are valuable, 
so we take great care to maximise their 
sustainable use.

2022

2021

2020

2019

2018

1.0

1.0

1.0

0.9

0.9

Road

A11 15km road reconstruction

150,000

tonnes of asphalt

Breedon Group Annual report 2022

Strategic report Governance Financial statements Additional information

04

Investment case

We offer 
sustainable growth, 
underpinned by a 
proven financial 
framework

The foundations of our asset-backed model  
are one billion tonnes of mineral reserves and 
resources and two well-invested cement plants. 

Our vertically-integrated operating model 
offers margin-enhancing routes to market by 
pulling through our cement and aggregates in 
the production of ready-mixed concrete and 
asphalt, and the provision of surfacing solutions. 

We supply attractive end-markets, such as 
infrastructure and housebuilding, which benefit 
from long-term structural growth trends. 

Our self-help culture of continuous 
improvement supports margin enhancement 
and drives returns in excess of our cost of capital. 

Our disciplined capital allocation drives returns, 
delivers strong Free Cash Flow generation,  
enables multiple routes to growth, and facilitates 
the payment of a progressive dividend. 

At a glance 

»06-07

Business model 

»16-21

Market review 

»10-15

Strategy 

»22-29

Financial review 

»38-43

Breedon Group Annual report 2022

Strategic report Governance Financial statements Additional information

05

Investment case

An outstanding track record 
of sustainable growth

Since our first full year of trading as Breedon, 
we have undertaken over 20 acquisitions while 
simultaneously pursuing organic growth.

In this time, our growth has outpaced our 
markets, we have successfully converted 
profits to cash and rapidly reduced gearing.

Breedon

Six bolt-on 
transactions

Hope

Lagan

Cemex 
UK assets

2011*

2012*

2013*

2014

2015

2016

2017

2018

2019

2020

2021

2022

£169m

£6m

Covenant 
Leverage 
times

5.6

Revenue CAGR 21%

£1,396m

Underlying EBIT CAGR 34%

£155m

3.6

1.9

1.7

1.5

0.9

1.9

1.4

1.9

0.8

0.7

(0.2)

*  Covenant Leverage has been calculated on a consistent basis for all periods, following the principles set out in the Group’s current debt facility agreements. Note 27 of the 

financial statements contains further details of this calculation.

Breedon Group Annual report 2022

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06

Breedon at a glance

A balanced portfolio 
of high-quality assets 
operated by our  
first class team 

Reserves and resources

tonnes
bn

Asset-backed and vertically-integrated

We have a balanced portfolio of high-quality 
assets operated by our highly-engaged,  
first class team of 3,700 colleagues.

Aggregates

>100
quarries

Our quarries supply mineral product 
to our customers and our own 
ready-mixed concrete and asphalt 
plants, pulling materials through our 
vertically-integrated business model.

Cement

2
plants

Two well-invested cement  
plants capable of producing  
more than two million tonnes  
of cement annually.

1 billion

tonnes

We are stewards of one billion 
tonnes of mineral reserves and 
resources, equivalent to over  
30 years of production. 

Connected

Our extensive road and rail 
haulage infrastructure delivers 
our mineral reserves and 
resources sustainably. 

Ready-mixed concrete
>170
plants

More than 170 ready-
mixed concrete plants 
supplying quality 
assured concrete, 
screed and mortar to a 
broad scope of projects.

Asphalt

>50
plants

Surfacing

More than 50 asphalt 
plants supplying quality 
assured materials to a 
wide range of projects 
from car parks to major 
trunk roads.

2015

2016

2017

2018

2019

2020

2021

2022

Our Great Britain surfacing operations are 
strategically located around nine regional  
hubs in England and Scotland, serving our  
customers efficiently and economically. 

Our Ireland surfacing and contracting activities 
benefit from multi-year frameworks and term 
contracts, delivering high-profile projects including 
airport runways and major trunk road resurfacing. 

Breedon Group Annual report 2022

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07

Breedon at a glance

Our culture

Our strategy

Our purpose is to make a material  
difference to the lives of our colleagues, 
customers and communities.

Our values

Our people

We adopt clear authentic behaviours  
to ensure long-term success.

Our people are one of our greatest assets. 
Their safety and wellbeing is the objective 
of our Home Safe and Well campaign  
and one of our highest priorities.

KEEP IT  
SIMPLE

3,700
people

60
new apprentices

77%
engagement score

STRIVE TO  
IMPROVE

MAKE IT  
HAPPEN

SHOW  
WE CARE

Sustain
Sustainability considerations guide all of our decisions

Optimise
Continuously improving efficiency

Expand
Through organic and inorganic growth

Financial framework
Supporting our strategy through investment and  
capital allocation

Our reporting lines

Great Britain

An extensive footprint of 
quarries and downstream 
operations, from Hampshire  
to the Hebrides. 

Ireland

A network of quarries and plants 
across the Island of Ireland, 
supporting a highly regarded 
surfacing business.

Cement

Our Cement division operates two 
well-invested plants in GB and 
Ireland, producing more than two 
million tonnes of cement annually.

More detail 

»30-31

More detail 

»32-33

More detail 

»34-35

Breedon Group Annual report 2022

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08

Chairman’s statement

We are good at what we do

Thoughtful capital allocation 

The macroeconomic conditions the Group 
has encountered for several years now  
have not been easy. We have had to 
contend with the uncertainties caused  
by Brexit, the pandemic, surging inflation, 
political turmoil and recession. What is  
clear from the Group’s performance this 
year, in delivering record earnings while 
growing the business and reducing net 
debt, is that we are good at what we do.  
We keep our people safe and we deliver  
for our customers, regardless of the 
economic backdrop. 

A thank you to the team

The strategic actions the Board has taken 
in recent years to realise our sustainable 
growth vision are embedded and are 
delivering results. While the Board has 
stewarded the Group through a series of 
extraordinary circumstances, the credit  
for producing yet another set of remarkable 
results must go to our people. They have, 
once again, demonstrated their resilience 
and determination and the Board extends 
our gratitude and thanks to the entire 
Breedon team.

Critical to maintaining our positive progress 
is our thoughtful approach to capital 
allocation. As the global macroeconomic 
and geopolitical landscape unfolds, we 
constantly review our capital base and  
how best to deploy our financial resources.

We have continued to invest for growth, 
spending just over £100m on capital 
projects in 2022. We completed three 
strategically important transactions  
and our M&A pipeline remains active. 

We have attractive opportunities to  
expand our geographic footprint in the  
UK and Ireland, and to increase the  
vertical integration of our operations.  
Our record financial performance has 
allowed us to grow our dividend, increasing 
the proportion of earnings we pay out  
to our shareholders.  

Cash dividends paid
£m

8.4

30.5

2022

2021

2020

2019

2018

Amit Bhatia 
Chairman

Thoughtful capital 
allocation is critical to  
our ongoing success.

Breedon Group Annual report 2022

Strategic report Governance Financial statements Additional information

09

Chairman’s statement

A new listing

Confident in our growth plans

Board site visit to Wickwar

To reflect our scale, maturity and growth 
ambitions we intend to move Breedon to the 
Main Market of the London Stock Exchange. 

When Breedon assets were first acquired, 
we owned c.180 million tonnes of mineral 
reserves and resources and operated  
29 quarries in Great Britain.

Today we own one billion tonnes of  
mineral reserves and resources and  
operate over 300 sites across GB and 
Ireland. We generate nearly £1.4bn in 
revenue and £235m of Underlying  
EBITDA, providing employment and 
opportunity for 3,700 colleagues.

Being a member of the Alternative 
Investment Market (AIM) has served us  
well. For over a decade the AIM market 
provided us with access to diverse and 
engaged investors, within a supportive 
community, that understands the needs  
of entrepreneurial businesses such 
as Breedon and we thank them 
wholeheartedly for their support. 

As an established business, with a 
successful track record for growth and cash 
generation, robust corporate governance 
and ambitions for further expansion, we 
believe the Main Market now offers the 
appropriate listing for a group of our scale 
and heritage. Accordingly, we intend to  
seek admission to the premium segment  
of the Official List in the coming months.

Looking forward, it is important that 
we remain aware of the uncertainty 
surrounding economic growth, the rising 
path of interest rates and the potential  
this creates for market softness. 

We are confident we have the building 
blocks for long-term success. At this time 
of increased uncertainty, it is vital that we 
retain our disciplined approach to capital 
allocation, our strong balance sheet and  
our strategic optionality.

Equally important to our progress is our 
growth mindset and the Board believes 
our reinvigorated strategy, enhanced 
sustainability commitment and refreshed 
senior leadership team are all contributing 
to grow the business. 

We have a first class team who we trust  
and the ingredients in place for success.  
I am, therefore, optimistic about our future 
and confident we will deliver our exciting 
growth plans.

Amit Bhatia 
Non-executive Chairman

8 March 2023

The Board site visit to Wickwar in 
September 2022

Breedon Group Annual report 2022

Strategic report Governance Financial statements Additional information

10

Market review

Supplying structurally-
attractive and growing 
markets with essential 
building materials, 
products and services 

2.92x

UK construction  
economic multiplier

Growth drivers

Economic driver

Essential industry

The construction industry is an important 
economic contributor creating,  
maintaining and improving the built 
environment in which we live and work,  
play and in-between. 

A 2022 CBI report identified that every  
£1 spent on UK construction contributed 
£2.92 of value to the UK economy, 
employing 2.3 million people directly and 
generating 6% of UK Gross Value Added. 

The population in our core markets is 
growing and urbanising; in the UK, 3% 
growth is forecast in the coming decade, 
while in RoI, the population is set to increase 
by one million between 2016 and 2040. 
With household formation outpacing 
population growth, the pressure on  
our infrastructure, residential and  
non-residential spaces is likely to persist. 

Nearly two thirds of homes in England and 
Wales are over 50 years old, while there 
have been decades of underinvestment 
in infrastructure. With the pressing need 
to protect the environment, and new 
technological drivers emerging, there  
is a clear need for investment to grow  
our built environment. 

Source: ONS, CBI, Government of Ireland National 
Development Plan 2021-2030.

Mineral products are a key component of 
the construction supply chain, providing 
essential heavyside building materials to the 
construction sector, including aggregates, 
cement and concrete products as well as 
asphalt and surfacing materials. 

The market in GB is relatively consolidated; 
Breedon is one of the top five producers 
who together have access to c.78% of 
all consented reserves, with around 300 
businesses accounting for the remainder. 
The life of consented reserves for 
aggregates across GB is estimated to  
be 31 years, a reduction of almost 30%  
in the past decade. 

Planning consent for new quarries is rarely 
granted, emphasising the need to optimise 
mineral production alongside long-term 
strategic planning to secure extensions to 
the existing estate. Due to the heavy nature 
of the materials and associated costs of 
transport, markets are driven by local and 
regional factors.

Source: MPA, BDS market Intelligence.

Breedon Group Annual report 2022

Strategic report Governance Financial statements Additional information

11

Market review

Growth drivers

Disciplined provision supports mineral products pricing power

The end-markets which we supply are influenced by economic cycles,  
through which the industry has a good track record of managing capacity. 

The mineral products industry supplies essential resources to growing end-markets.  
Over time, aggregates pricing has outpaced inflation.

Aggregates markets by source of supply in Great Britain, 1955-2022
million tonnes

Aggregates prices outpace inflation over time
indexed to 100 in 1996

300

200

100

300

250

200

150

100

50

1955 1960 1965 1970 1975 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005 2010 2015 2020 2022

1996 1998 2000 2002 2004 2006 2008 2010 2012 2014 2016 2018 2020 2022

 Crushed rock     Sand and gravel     Recycled and secondary

 UK PPI: Other mining and quarrying products     UK CPI Index

Source: ONS, BGS, MPA calculations.

Breedon Group Annual report 2022

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12

Market review

Markets

Revenue by end-market

UK

UK 87%
RoI 13%

Infrastructure c.50%
Housing c.20%
Industrial, Commercial and Other c.30%

11th
UK infrastructure 
ranked 11th in the 
world for quality

340,000
new homes required 
each year

A high-quality sustainable built 
environment is important to underpin  
UK economic growth and meet the 
country’s net zero climate change 
commitment, creating a supportive 
backdrop for mineral products.

Infrastructure 

The UK was ranked 11th for its overall quality 
of infrastructure by the World Economic 
Forum in 2019. However, it was only rated 
36th for road infrastructure quality. 

The UK Government published a National 
Infrastructure Strategy in 2020 which 
committed to deliver an infrastructure 
revolution. In the 2022 Autumn Statement, 
the Government confirmed its commitment 
to invest £600bn over the next five years, 
seeking to accelerate delivery of its 
infrastructure portfolio.

Government capital expenditure of  
£93bn in fiscal year 2022 was a substantial 
increase on the 2020 outturn of £70bn,  
and is forecast to rise to £113bn in fiscal  
year 2023, after which it will grow at  
c.1% annually. When compared to 2008, 
total infrastructure output in 2021 had 
increased by 136%, driven by roads  
(+202%), rail (+264%), electricity (+329%)  
and harbours (+115%). 

In its Energy Security Strategy, the UK 
Government has an ambition to deliver up 
to 50GW of offshore wind by 2030. The 
Mineral Products Association (MPA) reports 
an identified need for over 20GW of floating 
wind farms where the turbine sits on a 
floating concrete pontoon. Floating wind 
infrastructure on this scale would require 
over 13 million cubic metres of concrete.

Source: National Infrastructure Strategy, UK 
Government Autumn Statement 2022, CPA, MPA.

£600bn

in the next five years

Breedon Group Annual report 2022

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13

Market review

Markets

Housebuilding 

Industrial, Commercial and Other 

UK Construction Output
£bn

2024f

2023f

2022e

2021

2020

166.3

165.4

173.4

170.1

151.2

Source: CPA industry forecasts January 2023.

UK Infrastructure Output
£bn

2024f

2023f

2022e

2021

2020

30.8

30.1
29.3

28.0

21.8

Source: CPA industry forecasts January 2023.

There is a shortage of housing in the UK 
with an estimated deficit of up to one million 
homes due to housing starts falling short 
of household formation over the past three 
decades. Up to 340,000 new homes are 
required each year to meet demand in 
England alone. After reaching 223,600 
completions in 2007, UK housebuilding was 
slow to recover from the low point in 2013, 
building 214,160 new homes in 2019 before 
the pandemic caused building rates to fall 
over 20% in 2020. 

The UK Government supported the sector, 
extending the Help to Buy scheme for first 
time buyers and incentivising transactions 
with temporary reductions to Stamp Duty 
Land Tax. Consequently, completions 
recovered to c.203,000 in 2021. While 
planning reforms have been proposed, the 
system remains congested and the sector 
delivers fewer new homes than prior to the 
financial crisis. Therefore, the long-term 
shortfall in UK housing is likely to persist. 

Source: House of Commons Library Research Briefing: 
Tackling the under-supply of housing, ONS.

The pandemic has changed where we work, 
how we shop and how we spend our leisure 
time. While office and retail construction 
output remains significantly below levels 
achieved prior to 2008, there are pockets  
of growth and opportunity. 

As changing working practices impact the 
need for fixed office space, particularly 
in London, there are regeneration plans 
underway elsewhere with projects planned 
across the Midlands and North, in keeping 
with the Government’s emphasis on 
‘levelling up’ the UK economy. 

Construction output contributed from 
warehouse building has increased 10%  
since 2008 as the retail sector revised  
its logistics model, investing heavily in  
large distribution centres. 

The transition to electrified transport 
is essential to meet the UK’s net zero 
commitments. The Faraday Institution 
estimates that seven UK-based 
gigafactories will be needed by 2040, each 
producing 20GWh of batteries per annum. 

Source: CPA, Euroconstruct, The Faraday Institution.

13 million m3

Concrete required to meet >20GW of identified 
floating wind infrastructure demand

Breedon Group Annual report 2022

Strategic report Governance Financial statements Additional information

14

Market review

Markets

Ireland

€165bn
National 
Development Plan

5%
of GNI into public 
investment by 2025

RoI remains the fastest growing advanced 
economy in the world, growing GDP by an 
estimated 12% in 2022. Modified Domestic 
Demand (MDD), a better indicator of 
domestic activity, increased by 7.7%, 
providing a positive backdrop for our  
core markets.

As the state prepares to accommodate  
the additional one million people expected 
to live there by 2040, the National Planning 
Framework sets out the strategic  
objectives that will ensure the built  
and natural environment can address  
the challenge responsibly.

Infrastructure 

In 2021 the Government of Ireland 
relaunched the National Development 
Plan (NDP) which outlined over €165bn 
of public investment by 2030. To deliver 
sustainable economic growth and improve 
environmental and social outcomes,  
public investment in RoI will increase to  
5% of GNI by 2025, well above the EU 
average of 3% of GDP. 

The NDP is particularly focused on 
supporting the largest public housing 
programme in the state’s history and a  
large proportion of the spend is targeted 
directly at infrastructure investment in 
roads and transport where Breedon has 
an excellent track record for delivery and 
service. The forecast capital investment 
allocation of €12bn is 5% above the 
estimated 2022 outturn.

Source: National Development Plan, 94th Euroconstruct.

Housebuilding 

Residential construction is expected to be 
buoyant. The most ambitious housing plan 
in RoI’s history, published in September 
2021, contained a series of actions to double 
housing output by 2026, supported by 
more than €4bn of annual Government 
funding. The Housing for All plan targets  
an average annual completion rate 
of 33,000 homes with other sources 
estimating the requirement to be as high  
as 62,000 per annum. In 2021 a total of 
20,600 homes were completed, which 
is projected to rise to 28,000 in 2022, 
reaching 35,000 by 2025. 

Source: 94th Euroconstruct, Government of Ireland.

Ireland construction output
€bn

Irish Government capital expenditure 
€bn

2024f

2023f

2022e

2021

2020

Source: 94th Euroconstruct

28.4

27.3

26.6

24.4

25.2

2024f

2023f

2022e

2021

2020
Source: GoI budget 2023

12.8

11.9

10.9

10.3

9.8

€12bn

capital investment forecast 2023

+5%

compared to 2022

Breedon Group Annual report 2022

Strategic report Governance Financial statements Additional information

15

Market review

Markets

Volumes

168m
tonnes 
primary aggregates

8%
2022
volume reduction

Mineral product volumes normalised 
over the course of 2022, reflecting the 
moderation of economic growth in the  
UK and Ireland.

The MPA reported a gradual loss of 
momentum in GB volumes as the year 
progressed, noting slowing demand  
from commercial projects whose viability 
was impacted by rising input costs.

Volumes in GB, where data is more readily 
available, concluded 2022 below pre-
pandemic levels; primary aggregates 
volumes fell 8.2%, asphalt reduced 6.5% and 
ready-mixed concrete decreased by 3.8%. 

Mortar was the only market to report 
growth in 2022, increasing volumes 3.5%, 
supported by robust housebuilding activity. 

MPA forecasts volumes will soften further 
in 2023, reflecting economic growth and 
construction output projections; primary 
aggregates, ready-mixed concrete and 
asphalt volumes are expected to fall 
between 2% and 5% in 2023. 

GB Aggregates 
million tonnes

GB Ready-mixed concrete 
million m3

2024f

2023f

2022

2021

2020

GB Asphalt 
million tonnes

2024f

2023f

2022

2021

2020

164.0

162.7

168.3

183.3

158.6

2024f

2023f

2022

2021

2020

14.4

14.3

14.8

15.3

13.4

GB Cementitious 
million tonnes

21.4

21.0

21.8

23.3

20.7

2024f

2023f

2022

2021

2020

15.6

13.0

Note: Cementitious market volumes for 2022 will be 
published in late 2023. Forecasts for 2023 and 2024  
are not available.

Source: MPA.

Outlook

Our markets are characterised by steady 
growth and pricing power through the 
cycle. The prospects in both the UK  
and RoI in the medium to long term  
are well-underpinned by high levels of  
pent-up demand. 

RoI construction PMI moved into 
contraction territory for much of 2022, 
concluding the year at 43.2. These levels 
reflect weak repair, maintenance and 
improvement activity and uncertainty 
regarding the near-term economic outlook.

Construction sector output in the UK is 
estimated to have increased by 1.6% in  
2022, although the outlook has moderated. 
UK construction PMI fell to 48.8 in 
December 2022 and the UK is widely 
expected to enter a mild recession in 2023. 

The Construction Products Association 
(CPA) forecasts total construction output 
will fall by 4.7% in 2023 before returning to 
growth in 2024. While industry level data 
has eased, it masks meaningful sector  
level distinctions. 

The cost of living crisis and weak consumer 
sentiment are expected to impact the 
housing sector with private housing 
output forecast to fall by 11% in 2023 before 
stabilising in 2024. However, output in 
infrastructure is expected to increase 
by 2.4% in 2023 and 2.5% in 2024 while 
industrial construction output is forecast  
to rise by 2.3% in 2023. 

Nonetheless, GDP in RoI is forecast to  
grow by 4.7% in 2023, still the fastest 
growth rate in Western Europe. 

Similarly, while MDD is expected to 
moderate in 2023, it is still forecast to  
grow by 1.2% and construction output is 
forecast to grow 2.5% in real terms. 

With employment data still strong, stability 
returning to financial markets, mortgage 
availability stabilising and inflation set to  
roll over, the risks to the upside and 
downside remain evenly balanced. 

We recognise there is uncertainty in the 
near term. However, we are confident we 
have successfully positioned our business  
to take advantage of long-term structural 
growth opportunities in the infrastructure, 
housebuilding and industrial markets.

Source: CPA, ONS, S&P Global/CIPS, BNP Paribas  
Real Estate, HM Treasury, 94th Euroconstruct.

Breedon Group Annual report 2022

Strategic report Governance Financial statements Additional information

16

Business model

What we do

How we do it

Our customers

Generating cash

What sets us apart

How we are maturing

We provide essential products and services 
to the construction supply chain 

S
T
E
S
S
A

D
E
K
C
A
B
-
T
E
S
S
A

VERTICALLY-INTEGRATED

>100
quarries

2
cement 
plants

1bn
tonnes

Higher 
margin

3,700
people

E
L
P
O
E
P
R
U
O

Our first class team is at the 
heart of our business and one 
of our greatest assets. 

  We have an entrepreneurial, 
empowered and engaged 
workforce.

  Our colleagues have 
deep and longstanding 
local relationships and 
are connected to their 
communities, which  
is key to our local  
operating model.

Aggregates

Ready-mixed concrete

Asphalt

Special aggregates

Block

Tile

Surfacing

Better  
ROIC

 
Breedon Group Annual report 2022

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17

Business model

What we do

How we do it

Our customers

Generating cash

What sets us apart

How we are maturing

Our vertically-integrated model aims to maximise 
the return on every tonne of material we produce 

Vertically-integrated operator

Local operating model

Our markets are driven by local and  
regional dynamics due to the nature  
of the products we supply, which travel 
short distances. 

  We have a local sales and distribution 
model which mirrors our local markets.

  Our people are embedded in their 
local markets, with clear price and cost 
visibility, and are empowered to make 
timely entrepreneurial decisions.

Buy and build platform

Breedon’s strong growth has been 
delivered through a balance of acquisition 
and organic expansion. 

  Organic investment is supported by  
our healthy balance sheet and strong 
cash generation.

  We are a trusted owner of assets and 
have an active M&A pipeline. 

T
C
A
R
T
X
E

E
C
U
D
O
R
P

We are a business-to-business operator, 
supplying our customers and our own 
downstream operations.

  We own or operate over 100 quarries 
in GB and RoI with an extensive 
mineral planning pipeline.

  Our processes are designed  
to optimise the assets under  
our stewardship. 

Our downstream operations pull  
through sales of our valuable  
upstream aggregates. 

  Two cement plants produce over  
two million tonnes of cement. 

  Our ready-mixed concrete,  
asphalt and block plants utilise our 
own aggregates and cement to  
produce quality assured materials. 

Our strategically-located surfacing 
business benefits from long-term 
framework contracts. 

R
E
V
I
L
E
D

  Our surfacing strategy draws  
material through the model, 
enhancing margins within a 
conservative risk profile. 

  We deliver surfacing and  
maintenance services to national  
and local road network operators,  
and airport operators.

Breedon Group Annual report 2022

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18

Business model

What we do

How we do it

Our customers

Generating cash

What sets us apart

How we are maturing

We enable an extensive network of customers to build, 
maintain and improve the built environment

Revenue by end-market

We are a business-to-business provider, 
serving an extensive network of customers. 
Our primary end-markets are infrastructure, 
housebuilding and industrial.

  We provide materials to small local 
businesses, materials merchants and 
major international contractors.

  The infrastructure projects delivered 
by our customers are backed by central 
government funding or local authorities. 

Due to the nature of our products,  
we are typically engaged in the early 
stages of construction projects. 

  Our materials are utilised in 
foundations and groundworks or the 
early phases of building production. 

  Our exposure to repair,  
maintenance and improvement 
construction is limited. 

Our special aggregates and 
Welsh Slate businesses supply 
prestigious customers. Our Welsh 
Slate product is used by Historic 
England to restore listed buildings 
while our Breedon Golden Amber 
self-binding gravel, which is ideal 
for pathways and driveways, is the 
only product of its kind to hold a 
Royal Warrant.

Infrastructure c.50%
Housing c.20%
Industrial, Commercial and Other c.30%

Our associate, BEAR Scotland, 
is a leading integrated services 
provider and a strategic 
partner to Transport Scotland, 
managing and maintaining 
some of Scotland’s most 
important roads through long-
term framework contracts.

Breedon Group Annual report 2022

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19

Business model

What we do

How we do it

Our customers

Generating cash

What sets us apart

How we are maturing

Breedon’s business model is highly cash generative, 
delivering a strong balance sheet and strategic optionality 

Highly cash generative

Deploying capital

Our business model is highly cash 
generative, rapidly converting revenue  
and profit into cash. 

  Upstream product orders have short lead 
times, varying based on the nature of the 
construction project. 

  Delivering downstream products and 
services pulls high-value products 
through the vertically-integrated model. 

  Investment in systems and processes 
ensures cash collection is efficient, 
quickly converting revenue to cash. 

Our balanced portfolio of assets and 
services delivers a blended operating 
margin and return on invested capital.

  Upstream mineral products deliver a  
high operating margin. However, the 
capital-intensive nature of the assets 
impacts the return on invested capital. 

  Conversely, downstream services have 
low capital requirements and deliver 
higher returns on invested capital. 

  Our thoughtful capital allocation 
approach balances returns generated  
by our asset portfolio. 

We deploy our capital responsibly, 
maintaining strategic optionality. 

Investment for growth 

Capital investment is evaluated for both 
maintenance and growth objectives and  
all opportunities are considered through  
a sustainability lens.

  We invest in replenishing our mineral 
reserves and resources and extending 
our quarry assets where possible. 

  Our assets operate in abrasive 
environments and we invest  
proactively to maintain and  
upgrade our capital equipment.

Financing Breedon’s future 

Capital deployment opportunities are 
balanced to maintain strategic optionality 
and maximise return on invested capital.

  Breedon has an excellent track  
record of rapidly reducing leverage 
following acquisitions. 

  In 2021, a progressive dividend policy  
was introduced, targeting a payout  
ratio of 40% of Underlying EPS over time.

Breedon Group Annual report 2022

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20

Business model

What we do

How we do it

Our customers

Generating cash

What sets us apart

How we are maturing

Breedon’s local model and investment approach  
are significant differentiators

Our assets

Our people

Our 3,700 colleagues are typically 
embedded in the communities where  
our sites are located. Consequently,  
they are motivated by a close connection  
to the business and the community with  
a deep sense of ownership.

Our brand

Breedon has grown to be a top five 
heavyside construction materials provider 
in GB and Ireland in just over a decade. 
Our brand is gaining prominence with 
a reputation for quality of product and 
reliability of service.

Our reputation as an asset owner

We have a reputation as a good owner 
and acquirer of assets. Our M&A pipeline is 
populated with family-run operations for 
whom this is an important consideration.

Opening a new quarry or cement plant 
is challenging. Consequently, our asset-
backed model allows us to maintain our 
strong position in the market. 

  Securing incremental permits and 
continuous parcels of land to existing 
quarries is achievable.

  Our state-of-the-art cement plant in 
Kinnegad was commissioned in 2002 
and is one of the most modern plants  
in Europe.

Our investment strategy

Our thoughtful approach to capital 
allocation has delivered a balanced  
growth profile where M&A and organic 
expansion have contributed evenly. 

  Since we began trading as Breedon, 
we have acquired and integrated over 
20 businesses, where we have a strong 
track-record of improving operations 
and profitability.

  Disciplined capital investment ensures 
our assets are well maintained and 
incorporate the latest innovations.

Breedon Group Annual report 2022

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21

Business model

Ready for the next chapter of growth

What we do

How we do it

Our customers

Generating cash

What sets us apart

How we are maturing

Sustain

Thriving in a low-
carbon economy

Sustainability is the filter through which  
all strategic decisions are reviewed as we 
seek to make a material difference to all  
our stakeholders. 

Our sustainability framework sets out 
how Breedon is responding to the urgent 
challenge posed by climate change.

We have established a strategy and 
framework with clear focus areas and  
a range of measurable targets.

We continue to increase transparency  
and disclosure as we move towards our 
2030 targets.

Optimise

Maximising the  
value of our assets

We are a trusted steward of minerals 
and businesses, delivering continuous 
improvement to drive efficiencies of scale 
and increase the utilisation of our assets. 

Perpetual improvement is embedded  
in our culture and reflected in our core 
values. Every day, our experienced team 
makes it happen and strives to improve.

We fully integrate acquired assets, applying 
Breedon best practice, ensuring our 
operations are competitive.

Each year we review and enhance 
our operations, using innovation and 
technology to improve outcomes.

Expand

Multiple options to 
grow our business

Breedon is the product of over a decade 
of organic growth coupled with carefully 
selected transactions. 

We will continue to complement organic 
growth with carefully selected acquisitions 
to expand our footprint and capabilities. 

We have established platforms in GB and 
RoI, with an extensive network of quarries, 
plants and downstream operations.

We serve structurally growing end-markets, 
underpinned by long-term government 
funding commitments, and our M&A 
pipeline in GB and RoI is active.

Financial framework

Connecting strategy 
to thoughtful  
capital allocation

Our financial framework sets out the 
principles governing how we implement  
our strategy to grow sustainably. 

The cash we generate is responsibly 
combined with external sources of  
finance, prioritising a strong balance  
sheet and strategic flexibility.

Breedon Group Annual report 2022

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22

Chief Executive Officer’s review and strategy

Local operating model 
delivers record earnings

£155m
Underlying EBIT

£136m
Profit before tax

The construction materials industry is 
a central pillar of sustainable economic 
growth, helping to create and maintain  
the places where we live and work,  
play and in-between. 

During 2022, our key construction  
end-markets, notably infrastructure, 
housebuilding and industrial, continued  
to benefit from long-term structural  
growth drivers, enabling us to report  
record results once again, growing revenue 
by 13% and Underlying EBIT by 16%. 

Against this supportive landscape,  
our entrepreneurial and decentralised 
teams stayed close to their customers, 
capitalising on their embedded position 
within local markets which informed  
timely commercial decisions. Our dynamic 
pricing strategy, complemented by our 
strategic hedging programme and careful 
cost management, ensured full cost 
recovery, delivering revenue of £1,396.3m 
(2021: £1,232.5m) and Underlying EBIT of 
£155.0m (2021: £133.6m), along with  
margin expansion of 30bps to 11.1%. 

Thanks to our first class team 

Our agile team is first class and one of 
our greatest assets. Their resilience and 
dedication remain a key driver of our 
operational performance and they  
deliver, regardless of the challenges 
they face. I am extremely proud of our 
colleagues’ achievements this year, 
delivering high- quality service to our 
customers and growing and improving  
the business, while giving back to their  
local communities. For this I thank them  
all wholeheartedly.

Progressing towards  
medium-term targets

Cash generation remained robust and 
we continued to invest for growth; we 
completed three strategically significant 
bolt-on acquisitions and increased our net 
capital expenditure to £102m (2021: £71m) 
as bottlenecks in the supply chain relaxed 
while reducing our Covenant Leverage 
to 0.7x (2021: 0.8x). ROIC exceeded our 
medium-term target, increasing 130bps 
to 10.8%. As a result of increased levels of 
capital investment, tax and working capital 
movements, Free Cash Flow conversion  
for the year was 29% (2021: 59%).

Rob Wood  
Chief Executive 
Officer

Our tried and tested  
local model delivered 
record earnings.

Breedon Group Annual report 2022

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23

Chief Executive Officer’s review and strategy

The Board regularly reviews capital 
allocation scenarios, balancing capital 
investment and M&A with reducing debt 
and returning cash to shareholders, while 
prioritising profitable growth and ROIC.  
Alongside these record results, the Board 
has approved a full-year dividend of 2.1p 
(2021: 1.6p), an increase of 31%, as we 
continue to implement our progressive 
dividend policy. 

As a result of this strong and balanced 
financial performance, we have made 
excellent progress towards the targets  
we set out at our Capital Markets Event 
in the Autumn of 2021, growing revenue, 
margins and returns while maintaining a 
healthy financial position and increasing  
dividends to shareholders.

See Chief Financial Officer’s review 
for more detail

»38-43

Resilient platform for 
sustainable growth

Our strategy

During Breedon’s relatively short history,  
a resilient platform has been built and tested 
in a range of market conditions, from Brexit 
and the pandemic to surging inflation 
coupled with political turmoil and rising 
interest rates. 

This foundation has been created through  
a consistent and well-executed strategy, 
and has delivered market-leading growth 
and consistent cash flow. Since our first  
full year of trading as Breedon in 2011,  
the business has grown revenue 21%  
and Underlying EBIT 34% on average  
per annum. 

Our business has created significant value 
and we have continued to develop our 
platform through the execution of our 
strategy; embed a culture of Sustainability, 
Optimise our assets and Expand our 
footprint and capability, while maintaining  
a disciplined financial framework. 

Sustain
Sustainability considerations guide all of our decisions

Optimise
Continuously improving efficiency

Expand
Through organic and inorganic growth

Financial framework
Supporting our strategy through investment and 
capital allocation

»26

»27

»28

»29

Breedon Group Annual report 2022

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24

Chief Executive Officer’s review and strategy

Strategic building blocks 
for growth

Sustain

Our sustainability framework sets out 
how Breedon is responding to the urgent 
challenge posed by climate change and 
continues to gain traction alongside 
increased disclosure.

We confirmed our commitment to the 
Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi)  
in 2022 which in due course will be  
followed with the release of a plan  
outlining the trajectories required to  
achieve science-based carbon reductions 
following the 1.5°C warming pathway.

We enhanced our risk considerations in 
respect of the Task Force on Climate-
Related Financial Disclosures (TCFD), 
providing a clear analysis of how climate 
change impacts our risk and opportunity 
landscape, and undertaking our first 
detailed scenario analysis. 

Sustainable growth strategy delivering

We made further progress at our cement 
plants, achieving our highest ever combined 
rate of alternative fuel substitution and 
biomass usage, nearing 50% while at  
times exceeding 90% at Kinnegad. 

Our electricity requirements in 2022 were 
substantially all sourced through renewable 
contracts and we were awarded planning 
permission at Kinnegad to install a solar 
farm with the capacity to deliver up  
to 17MW, up to 20% of the plant’s  
energy needs. 

Our Hope plant continued to engage in 
the pioneering HyNet carbon capture and 
storage infrastructure project as a member 
of the Peak Cluster and we have received 
planning consent to progress with the 
alternative raw material (ARM) project.

Our deliberate focus on health, safety 
and wellbeing brings together best 
practice, embracing new and innovative 
technologies with the ambition to 
become a leading company in health, 
safety and wellbeing. 

In 2022, we maintained our strong track 
record, with the lost time injury frequency 
rate (LTIFR) falling to 2.10 (2021: 2.19) while 
the lost time injury severity rate (LTISR) 
halved. This was achieved by reinvigorating 
our Home Safe and Well programme, 
increasing training and conducting nearly 
40% more visible felt leadership (VFL) 
site visits.

With ambitious growth plans, it is critical  
we continue to invest in our talent. In 2022 
we enhanced our colleague communication 
platform, supported 93 colleagues through 
higher and further education programmes 
in collaboration with the Universities of  
Derby and Newcastle, and recruited 60  
new apprentices across the business. 

In recognition of the rising cost of living,  
we made two additional payments to  
salary during the year to over 3,000  
of our colleagues. 

These actions were recognised in our 
engagement survey; an unprecedented 
75% of our colleagues took part producing 
an engagement score of 77%, eight 
percentage points higher than in 2021.

Optimise

In an industry where new reserves and 
plants are limited by restrictive planning 
practices, we carefully manage the valuable 
resources we own. Every day, our team 
looks for ways to improve the business and 
this culture of continuous self-help ensures 
we are constantly improving the efficiency 
of our operations and maximising the 
returns from our products and services.

In 2022, we implemented electronic proof 
of delivery across the Group, improving 
our customer service, accelerating cash 
receipts and using less paper. We delivered 
£2m of synergies as planned from the 
integration of the acquired Cemex assets 
and introduced an operating model in 
GB to optimise quarrying efficiency and 
proliferate best practice.

77%

employee engagement

60

new apprentices

1bn

tonnes mineral reserves and resources

>30

years mineral reserve life

Breedon Group Annual report 2022

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25

Chief Executive Officer’s review and strategy

Expand

Growth at Breedon has always been 
balanced between buy and build.  
In 2022, the business grew organically, 
delivering 11% revenue growth on  
a like-for-like basis and 13% overall.

Our vertically-integrated model is backed 
by one billion tonnes of mineral reserves 
and resources making us one of the largest 
heavyside building materials suppliers in 
the UK and Ireland, with mineral reserves 
under our stewardship equivalent to over 
30 years of production. The diligent long-
term planning of our land management 
teams means our mineral planning pipeline 
is currently in excess of 100 million tonnes.

Our downstream ready-mixed concrete, 
asphalt and surfacing operations are largely 
self-sufficient, enabling us to pull materials 
through the operating model, adding  
value through the process. This year, 
we brought together the asphalt assets 
acquired from Cemex with our proven 
surfacing capability to win a place on the 
National Highways Pavement Delivery 
Framework in England.

Our outstanding team has been built 
around an entrepreneurial culture of 
empowerment and decentralisation 
which makes us a strong partner for our 
customers, and a trusted owner of assets, 
and contributes to our active M&A pipeline.

Many of our acquisition opportunities 
come to us through our local knowledge 
and personal engagement with the 
asset owners. 

In 2022, we acquired concrete supplier 
RT Mycock, further extending our reach 
and capability. 

We enhanced our surfacing platform 
with the addition of Thomas Bow, an East 
Midlands surfacing business we have 
worked in partnership with since 2018. 

We expanded our aggregates capability 
with the acquisition of Severn Sands, 
a family-run marine sand dredging 
business, bringing valuable licences 
in the Bristol channel into the business. 
These transactions, with a combined 
spend of £15.1m, were immediately  
accretive to earnings, and have met 
or exceeded our expectations.

Outlook

We enter 2023 in a strong position, 
supplying structurally growing end-markets 
with essential materials, delivered by our 
outstanding team and underpinned by  
a healthy financial position. 

We recognise the UK economic backdrop 
remains uncertain, particularly with regard 
to residential housebuilding. However,  
the end-markets we serve benefit from 
long-term structural growth dynamics. 

The CPA continues to expect UK 
infrastructure and industrial construction 
output will grow in 2023, underpinned by 
large ongoing projects. Euroconstruct 
forecasts construction output in RoI will 
grow 2.5% in real terms, supported by 
the strong macroeconomic backdrop 
and structural need for housing and 
infrastructure investment. 

Our successful dynamic pricing strategy, 
forward hedging programme and careful 
approach to cost management, which 
enabled us to fully recover input cost 
increases in 2022, remain in place.

Our strategy provides multiple options for 
growth and our strong balance sheet and 
thoughtful approach to capital allocation 
offers the financial flexibility to take 
measured action at the right time.

Our M&A pipeline remains robust and we 
continue to engage with asset owners in GB 
and Ireland as we seek to infill our existing 
capability and footprint in the near-term. 

Longer-term, we continue to explore 
the possibility of selectively establishing 
a platform in the US, a large and 
fragmented market that offers  
attractive growth prospects, in-line  
with our rigorous investment criteria.  
The cultural and regulatory profile  
matches our home markets, playing to  
our experience and strong track record  
of acquisition integration. 

The Breedon model has repeatedly 
demonstrated its resilience, delivering 
strong operational performances 
irrespective of the macroeconomic 
backdrop, and we remain confident  
in our ability to deliver.

Rob Wood 
Chief Executive Officer

8 March 2023

Breedon Group Annual report 2022

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26

Chief Executive Officer’s review and strategy

Sustain

Operating a sustainable business  
is one of our highest priorities and  
all strategic decisions are made  
with this in mind.

Breedon has a long history of taking positive actions 
to embed a culture of sustainability. Through 
our bespoke sustainability framework, we have 
introduced a range of measurable performance 
indicators to drive our sustainability performance, 
while increasing transparency and disclosure.

KPIs

  Emissions intensity – 
Group Revenue

  Emissions intensity – 
Cement

  Employee LTIFR

  Employee TIFR

  People positively 
impacted

  Sustainable products

Progress during the year

  New Board-level Sustainability Committee 
established, meeting three times.

  Our commitment to develop science-based 
carbon reduction targets was accepted by SBTi.

  We fully comply with TCFD and assessed and 
quantified the potential physical and transitional 
risks posed by climate change.

  We launched a range of products with 
sustainability attributes, Breedon Balance.

Future priorities

  Continue to improve the robustness of our 
performance data and disclose our performance 
to a credible external framework.

More detail on 
our KPIs

»36-37

Risks

  Climate change

  Environmental impact

  Health, safety  
and wellbeing

  Input costs

  Legal and regulatory

 Market conditions

 Mineral reserves

  People

  Product specification

More detail on 
our Risks

»44-49

Surfacing sustainably  
for all stakeholders

Surfacing colleagues   working safely in Scotland

Showing our colleagues 
and customers we care 

Surfacing sustainably starts with 
keeping our people, contractors, 
clients and other road users 
safe. In 2022, we conducted 
safety workshops to engage our 
workforce and promote health, 
safety and wellbeing practices.  
We made real progress, reducing 
both the number and severity  
of injuries.

We are reducing our carbon 
footprint by resurfacing roads in situ 
in Scotland. This involves recycling 
the existing material with a small 

amount of new product, directly 
onto the road surface, reducing 
cost, truck movements, delivery 
time and congestion. 

Our sustainability credentials are 
important to our customers as they 
set their own net zero objectives. 
As part of the National Highways 
Pavement Delivery tender, we 
committed to supply projects 
from quarries within 40 miles and 
progressively replace all fossil 
fuelled vehicles. We will generate 
social value by employing locally 
with 5% of the team comprising 
apprentices, graduates and  
degree placement students.

Breedon Group Annual report 2022

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27

Chief Executive Officer’s review and strategy

Optimise

We are a trusted steward of  
mineral reserves and resources, 
continually improving the  
efficiency of our operations. 

In an industry where new reserves and plants 
are limited by restrictive planning practices, we 
carefully manage the valuable resources we own. 
Our processes are continually refined to maximise 
the value of every tonne of material we quarry  
and manufacture. Our land management process 
has a long-term pipeline coupled with disciplined 
quarry acquisition and development. 

Progress during the year

  Implemented electronic proof of delivery 
across the Group, improving customer service, 
accelerating cash receipts and using less paper. 

  Delivered £2m synergies as planned from the 
integration of the acquired Cemex assets.

  Introduced an operating model in GB to  
optimise quarrying efficiency.

Future priorities

  Perpetual improvement is embedded in our 
culture and our people constantly strive to 
improve our practices and processes.

  We have particular regard to our responsibility 
as stewards of the land we own with a long-term 
plan to maximise planning consents.

KPIs

  Adjusted Underlying 
Basic EPS

  Free Cash Flow 
conversion

  Return on invested 
capital

  Revenue

  Underlying EBIT margin

More detail on 
our KPIs

»36-37

Risks

  Acquisitions

  Digitisation

  Environmental impact

  Failure of a critical asset

  Mineral reserves

  People

  Product specification

More detail on 
our Risks

»44-49

Culture of  
continuous self-help

The response was remarkable  
and the impact significant.  
The progress of ideas was  
captured and monitored with  
clear accountability for taking 
action. While some ideas 
cost nothing, the benefit was 
incalculable, making our employees 
feel valued and heard, driving 
engagement at the plant to  
over 80%.

Kinnegad cement plant   living our values 

Constantly striving 
to improve

Our people are always looking for 
ways to improve their day-to-day 
practices. In 2022, the Kinnegad 
team reflected our core values 
by implementing their ‘Strive to 
Improve’ initiative. 

The team created a competitive 
platform, generating ideas to  
drive change and add value. 
Colleagues were empowered to 
improve the employee environment, 
inspire smarter ways of working  
and generate sustainable 
improvements to health, safety 
and wellbeing, energy use and 
environmental impact. 

Breedon Group Annual report 2022

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28

Chief Executive Officer’s review and strategy

Expand

We flex our multiple options to grow 
according to market conditions.

Our balanced track record of growth is driven  
by exposure to structurally growing end markets 
and carefully acquired assets. Our sophisticated 
land management is complemented by perpetual 
optimisation and vertical integration.

Progress during the year

  Working in partnership with Colas, surfacing 
solutions expanded in GB, winning a place  
on the National Highways Pavement  
Delivery Framework in England. In addition,  
the acquisition of Thomas Bow added  
surfacing capacity in the East Midlands.

  We acquired Severn Sands, a marine dredging 
sand and concrete business.

  Our land management teams replenished 
mineral utilised in 2022, and we have a  
mineral reserves and resources pipeline  
of over 100 million tonnes.

Future priorities

KPIs

  Covenant Leverage

  Free Cash Flow 
conversion

  Revenue

  Reserves and resources

  Return on  
invested capital

  Underlying EBIT margin

More detail on 
our KPIs

»36-37

Risks

  Acquisitions

  Currency risk

  Financing and  
interest rate risk

  Legal and regulatory

  Market conditions

  Mineral reserves

  A healthy M&A pipeline in the UK and Ireland.

More detail on 
our Risks

»44-49

  Longer-term, we continue to evaluate 
opportunities in the US while awaiting 
appropriate market conditions to execute  
our third platform strategy.

Extending aggregates 
reserves in Great Britain

Bristol channel   acquired valuable dredging licences

The acquisition delivers valuable 
long-term dredging licences in the 
Bristol Channel and ensures our 
downstream concrete operations 
in the Gloucestershire and South 
Wales region, acquired through 
the Cemex transaction, are fully 
vertically-integrated. 

Breedon acquires  
Severn Sands

In August, we acquired Severn 
Sands, a family-run marine sand 
dredging business, operating in  
the Bristol Channel area. 

Severn Sands is our first marine 
aggregates business in Great 
Britain, extending our operational 
capability, securing mineral reserves 
and resources and increasing  
the self-sufficiency of our  
GB operations. 

Breedon Group Annual report 2022

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29

Chief Executive Officer’s review and strategy

Financial  
framework

Our financial framework governs 
how we connect our strategy to 
investment and capital allocation. 

Our financial framework sets out how we allocate 
capital to the multiple growth options available to 
us. The framework prioritises sustainable growth 
and responsible leverage, focusing on return on 
capital investment and profitability, while ensuring 
a strong balance sheet that gives us flexibility.

Progress during the year

KPIs

  Covenant Leverage

  Dividend per share

  Free Cash Flow 
conversion

  Return on  
invested capital

  Underlying EBIT margin

More detail on 
our KPIs

»36-37

  We concluded our increased two-year capital 
investment plan.

Risks

  Acquisitions

  Credit risk

  Currency risk

  Financing and  
interest rate risk

  Input costs

  Market conditions

More detail on 
our Risks

»44-49

  Return on invested capital exceeded our target 
of 10%, significantly sooner than expected.

  Healthy cash flow generation enabled us to 
reduce Covenant Leverage while simultaneously 
delivering our growth strategy and increasing 
our dividend payment. 

Future priorities

  Maintain our thoughtful approach to capital 
allocation, retaining our strong balance sheet  
and strategic optionality.

  Maintain target Covenant Leverage of between 
1x and 2x, only moving outside this range to 
ensure financial resilience or for compelling 
acquisition opportunities. 

Capital allocation delivers 
strategic priorities

Mansfield asphalt plant   commissioned November 2022

Delivering sustainable 
growth investment

The Mansfield asphalt plant has a 
well-established customer base  
and leading market share across  
the East Midlands. 

At over 25 years old, the 
existing plant was due to be 
decommissioned. Investment was 
approved to expand the facility and 
the new plant was commissioned  
on time and within the allocated 
£6.5m budget. 

Our capital deployment typically 
satisfies more than one of our 
strategic priorities. Investment in 
Mansfield has expanded capacity. 
By using enhanced software we 
will optimise the efficiency of the 
new plant. Sustainability measures 
will improve significantly, reducing 
power consumption by 40%, 
allowing the use of up to 50% of 
recycled asphalt and providing  
our customers with a choice of  
cold and warm asphalt mixes.

Breedon Group Annual report 2022

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30

Operating reviews   Great Britain

Great Britain

Our GB team had a successful 
year, delivering significant organic 
growth, fully recovering rising input 
costs and keeping our people safe. 

Highlights

Revenue

£972.4m

+15.0%

Underlying EBIT

£86.4m

+16.3%

  Outstanding trading performance; strong 
organic growth, Underlying EBIT margin 
increased to 8.9%.

  Growing surfacing operations; positions  
on national and local frameworks.

  Active M&A; strategically important bolt-on 
transactions, adding capability and capacity.

  Significant capital investment to  
underpin growth. 

Outstanding trading 
performance

Aggregates
million tonnes

2022

2021

2020

2019

2018

Asphalt
million tonnes

2022

2021

2020

2019

2018

Concrete
million m3

2022

2021

2020

2019

2018

23.2

25.7

19.0

17.6

17.8

2.8

3.0

2.3

1.9

1.9

2.5

2.9

3.0

2.8

3.1

Our associate, BEAR Scotland, successfully 
retained the Transport Scotland North 
West Network Management contract, while 
Breedon remained the dedicated materials 
supplier to BEAR and Amey in Scotland on 
the North West and North East contracts.

Our GB team had a successful year.  
We kept our people safe and delivered 
significant organic growth, fully recovering 
rising input costs despite unpredictable 
market conditions. Our extensive 
network, local market knowledge and 
entrepreneurial culture meant we recorded 
revenue of £972.4m (2021: £845.2m),  
an increase of 15% in the year, or 11% on  
a like-for-like* basis. 

Volumes normalised in line with the broader 
aggregates industry as UK economic 
growth moderated. Rising input costs  
drove the well-publicised need for price 
increases and were fully recovered,  
leading to Underlying EBIT of £86.4m  
(2021: £74.3m). Underlying EBIT margin 
increased by 10bps to 8.9%. 

Investing for growth

In 2021 we invested in our surfacing 
business, growing the team and extending 
capability. We built on that platform  
in 2022, expanding our presence in the  
East Midlands, acquiring the Thomas Bow 
surfacing business with which we had 
partnered since 2018. This investment  
was validated when we were awarded a 
place on the National Highways Pavement 
Delivery Framework in England. 

*  Like-for-like reflects reported values adjusted for  

the impact of acquisitions and disposals.

Breedon Group Annual report 2022

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31

Operating reviews   Great Britain

Delivering our products sustainably is an 
operational imperative. Revenue generated 
from asphalt and concrete products 
with sustainable attributes accelerated 
materially from 21% in 2021 to 38%  
in 2022. We launched Breedon Balance,  
our new product range that meets  
stringent sustainability criteria. 

In anticipation of a change to building 
regulations in 2023, we are investing in  
a network of silos that will allow us to 
increase the proportion of CEM II in our 
concrete mix, a cement product with a 
reduced carbon footprint.

GB outlook

We are mindful of the challenges faced 
by our customers; while we recognise the 
uncertainties they face, the CPA continues 
to–forecast growth in infrastructure and 
industrial end-markets and we remain 
focused on working collaboratively with 
all our customers to meet their needs and 
maximise the efficiency of our operations. 

We are already seeing the benefits of the 
actions we took in 2022 to invest for growth 
and improve processes and systems and we 
expect this to continue. 

We expanded our strategic capability and 
reserves through the acquisition of Severn 
Sands, a marine sand dredging business, and 
increased our ready-mixed concrete offering 
through the acquisition of RT Mycock. 

We complemented our M&A activities with 
significant organic investment, directing 
c.40% of the increased spend towards 
projects aimed at driving growth. 

The completion and commissioning of 
the Mansfield asphalt plant met all our 
strategic goals. This £6.5m investment has 
expanded the plant’s production capacity, 
optimised efficiency, and offers improved 
sustainability features by enabling the  
use of up to 50% recycled asphalt while 
reducing its carbon footprint. 

Supplying materials 
sustainably

Health, safety and wellbeing remains  
our highest priority. In 2022, we hosted 
regular safety workshops across the 
business, improved our injury frequency 
rate and materially reduced the severity  
of injuries sustained. 

Operating the business model relies on our 
ability to optimise the use of our mineral 
reserves and resources and extend the 
life of our quarries. In 2022, we secured 
14 million tonnes of mineral reserves and 
resources with an extensive pipeline at 
various stages of planning. 

Delivering our surfacing 
strategy sustainably

Surfacing operations   Gloucestershire airport runway

Embodying our strategy to 
Sustain, Optimise and Expand

Our surfacing business came into 
its own in 2022, embodying our 
strategy to Sustain, Optimise  
and Expand. 

We were successful on a number 
of framework tenders which will 
pull through more materials in 
the coming years, expanding our 
contribution from surfacing and 
optimising production at  
our asphalt plants. We are  

winning high-quality work, 
leveraging our collaborative 
partnerships with Colas and 
Volker Fitzpatrick to deliver for 
National Highways and the Defence 
Infrastructure Organisation.

Our clients increasingly require us 
to operate sustainably. Our place on 
the National Highways Pavement 
Delivery Framework was secured 
with commitments to minimise the 
carbon footprint of our delivery 
while maximising the social value  
we generate.

Breedon Group Annual report 2022

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32

Operating reviews > Ireland

Ireland

Our team in Ireland delivered 
a resilient performance, fully 
recovering input costs and  
winning high quality new work. 

Highlights

Revenue

£226.2m

+0.4%

Underlying EBIT

£28.3m

+0.4%

  Resilient operating performance; delivered 
stable revenue and earnings. 

  Experienced team and exceptional track 
record; winning high-quality new work  
with full cost recovery.

  Repositioning for growth and profitability; 
extending mineral reserves and resources, 
adding manufacturing capacity, rebranded  
as Breedon.

Across the year as a whole, our 
infrastructure and housing end-markets 
remained robust, supporting a high degree 
of input cost recovery which yielded  
stable results, recording revenue of 
£226.2m, Underlying EBIT of £28.3m  
and Underlying EBIT margin of 12.5%. 

The encouraging medium-term economic 
backdrop in Ireland is led by population 
expansion, accompanied by fundamental 
infrastructure and housing shortages. 
Within this market we have an exceptional 
track record for delivering complex projects 
on time, to budget and safely, which enables 
us to secure high-quality, risk-managed 
tenders, with price indexation mechanisms. 

Our reputation for high-quality surfacing 
works helped us secure 27 trunk road 
projects and hundreds of local road 
resurfacing tenders across the Island of 
Ireland in the year. We completed work on 
the M1 near Dublin and the A2 in Belfast, 
operating both contracts within restrictions 
to weekend and night-time operations. 
To meet our clients’ needs, these projects 
required significant planning, collaboration 
with local stakeholders and commitment 
from our supply chain, so we were pleased 
to deliver them on time and to budget.

Resilient performance

Our team in Ireland delivered a resilient 
performance, fully recovering input costs 
and winning high-quality new work.  
Our business has an established market 
position across the Island of Ireland and  
an experienced team, embedded within  
a healthy network of repeat customers. 

Softness in aggregate and asphalt volumes 
at the half year reflected the absence of the 
governing Assembly in NI and the tendering 
delays in RoI. Tendering activity in RoI 
accelerated notably in the second half.

Exceptional track record  
wins high-quality work

In NI, the DfI revised the procurement 
process for infrastructure tenders,  
leading to a number of contract awards 
coming through in the second half of 2022. 
We were successful in the first two rounds 
of awards, securing both the Down and 
Armagh District Term Surfacing contracts. 
Tenders have been submitted for the 
remaining rounds with outcomes phased 
through 2023.

We have a successful street lighting 
maintenance business in NI which 
benefits from the switch to more efficient 
LED technology. In the second half, we 
were pleased to win two Street Lighting 
Maintenance contracts with the DfI,  
each for a five-year term. 

Breedon Group Annual report 2022

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33

Operating reviews > Ireland

Positioning for  
profitable growth

We are positioning the Ireland business f 
or growth and profitability; during 2022  
we rebranded Whitemountain and Lagan  
as Breedon and we invested in the team. 

A review of strategic opportunities in 
Ireland crystallised our decision to exit our 
civil engineering business in 2022 where  
the contract risk profile had deteriorated. 

We are building new relationships to 
complement our existing commercial 
and public authority partnerships and 
broadening our reach, enabling us to 
leverage our expanded footprint and  
pull through more of our own material. 

We made further progress with minerals 
in 2022 and have opportunities at various 
stages of the planning process. In the year 
we secured 11 million tonnes of incremental 
reserves and resources, reopened the 
dormant Cahersiveen quarry in Kerry  
and progressed a number of other 
extension opportunities.

Ireland outlook

The Government of Ireland has set out clear 
long-term spending commitments and 
RoI remains the fastest growing economy 
in Western Europe. In NI, while the pace 
of activity continues to be impacted by 
the absence of the governing Assembly, 
our business is underpinned by multi-year 
frameworks and term contracts. High-
quality tenders are coming to market and 
our experienced and agile team are well 
positioned to win further work. 

Aggregates
million tonnes

2022

2021

2020

2019

2018

Asphalt
million tonnes

2022

2021

2020

2019

2018

Concrete
million m3 

2022

2021

2020

2019

2018

3.2

3.5

2.7
2.6

1.0

1.0

1.1

1.1

0.9

0.2
0.2

0.2

1.6

0.1

0.1

Supporting sustainable  
urban regeneration

Landmark Harland & Wolff shipyard   Titanic Quarter, Belfast

Connecting the iconic  
Titanic Quarter

The iconic Titanic Quarter,  
situated in the heart of Belfast’s 
Innovation District, is one of 
Europe’s largest urban waterfront 
regeneration projects, with 
sustainable development at  
the heart of the design.

In 2022, in partnership with Belfast 
Harbour and Titanic Quarter Ltd, 
we delivered the Eastern Access 

Road, connecting Queen’s Island 
waterfront to the A2 and Belfast 
City beyond. 

Adjacent to the landmark 
Harland & Wolff shipyard, the 
new road provides 500 metres 
of four lane carriageway with 
upgraded pedestrian and cycling 
infrastructure. A new bike station 
was installed to encourage the 
many visitors to the area to adopt 
active forms of travel.

Breedon Group Annual report 2022

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34

Operating reviews > Cement

Cement

Our cement plants in GB and Ireland 
enjoyed their most successful 
year ever, aided by the hard work 
of our colleagues.

Highlights

Revenue

£300.7m

+22.4%

Underlying EBIT

£52.1m

+25.2%

  Strong trading performance; growing 
revenue, earnings and margin.

  Excellent manufacturing performance:  
Hope retained Plant Mastery status with  
kiln reliability over 96%.

  Pushing the alternative fuel boundaries: 
Kinnegad achieved 77% fossil fuel 
replacement, exceeding 90% at times.

Strong organic growth

Our cement plants in GB and Ireland 
enjoyed their most successful year ever, 
aided by the hard work of our colleagues. 
The division delivered strong revenue 
earnings growth in 2022 as demand in the 
UK for cement and cementitious products 
remained robust. Cement volumes fell 9% 
to 2.2 million tonnes from the elevated levels 
of 2021, driven primarily by lower concrete 
volumes and reduced imports. 

Pricing remained resilient, increasing 
steadily during the year in response to rising 
input costs. We introduced a dynamic and 
transparent pricing strategy, implementing 
a carbon surcharge mechanism which gives 
our customers direct visibility of the carbon 
cost of the cement they purchase.

Our forward hedging strategy afforded us 
a clear view of our input costs, empowering 
our commercial teams to focus on full cost 
recovery. Consequently, revenue increased 
22% to £300.7m, delivering Underlying  
EBIT of £52.1m, expanding margin by  
40bps to 17.3%.

Remarkable team 
performance

Our teams are embedded in their 
communities and have a deep personal 
connection to the plants. They take 
enormous pride in meeting their 
stakeholders’ needs and maximising  
plant performance. 

Our Kinnegad plant improved kiln reliability, 
a creditable performance in light of 
the high proportion of alternative fuels 
it utilises  which adds complexity to the 
production process.

In 2021, our Hope plant achieved Plant 
Mastery status for delivering three 
consecutive years of kiln reliability in excess 
of 96%. This is an industry recognised 
measure which denotes market-leading 
plants with strong cost and quality 
control, high workforce engagement and 
excellent health, safety and environmental 
records. This remarkable performance was 
sustained in 2022, delivering kiln reliability 
of 96.1% as a result of the rigorous forward 
planning and maintenance programme 
operated by the team. 

Both plants delivered three complex 
planned kiln maintenance shutdowns  
on schedule and within budget. 

Breedon Group Annual report 2022

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35

Operating reviews > Cement

Material sustainability 
progress

One of our 2030 targets is a 30% reduction 
in gross carbon intensity per tonne of 
cementitious product. We are pursuing 
numerous strategies to reduce our carbon 
footprint, switching away from fossil fuel 
inputs, reducing the clinker content of 
our cementitious products and turning to 
innovation for carbon abatement solutions.

In 2022, both plants increased fossil fuel 
replacement, achieving a combined rate 
nearing 50% alternative fuel utilisation. 
Hope increased fuel replacement by two 
percentage points while Kinnegad once 
more improved its world-leading alternative 
fuel usage to 77% (2021: 75%). 

Kinnegad was granted planning permission 
for a 17MW solar farm while Hope received 
the necessary planning consent to start the 
ARM project in earnest. 

Reducing the clinker content of our 
products supports our clients’ sustainability 
objectives. Lower clinker content product 
(CEM II) now comprises 50% of Kinnegad 
sales (2021: 40%) and we expect this 
contribution to continue to increase. 

With respect to carbon abatement, our 
Hope plant is actively involved in the HyNet 
industrial decarbonisation, carbon capture 
and storage project as a member of the 
Peak Cluster. Our participation in this 
pioneering infrastructure project  
will facilitate the capture, transport  
and storage of CO2 emissions.

Cement outlook

The outlook for the cement market is 
positive, underpinned by large ongoing 
infrastructure projects in the UK. In 
RoI, housing and infrastructure are 
supported by the Government of Ireland’s 
development plans to accommodate  
a rapidly growing population. 

Cement
million tonnes

2022

2021

2020

2019

2018

2.2

2.4

2.0

2.0

2.0

Pushing the boundaries  
of alternative fuels

Kinnegad cement plant    RoI

Substituting fossil fuel

Both our cement plants substitute 
high levels of fossil fuels with  
waste-derived materials that  
would otherwise go to landfill. 

In 2022, we consumed c.160,000 
tonnes of non-recycled plastic and 
paper, used tyres, biomass waste 
and wastewater pellets to heat  
our cement kilns. 

Due to the variability in the 
combustion profile of alternative 
fuels, increasing their use adds 

significant complexity to the 
production process. Nonetheless, 
our rigorous operation and 
maintenance schedules have 
enabled both plants to raise 
reliability, optimise production 
levels and continue to push the 
boundaries of alternative fuel usage.

Hope, built in 1929, reached 35% 
fuel replacement while Kinnegad 
continues to push boundaries,  
at times exceeding 90%.

Breedon Group Annual report 2022

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36

Why we chose this measure

How we performed

Link to  
remuneration

Key performance indicators

Revenue
£

Financial

Our financial KPIs are used to measure 
progress against our strategy and act  
as risk monitors.

There have been no changes to either  
the metrics used as financial KPIs,  
or the calculation methodology during  
the current year.

Where a financial KPI is a non-statutory 
measure of performance, a reconciliation  
to the most directly related statutory 
measure is provided in note 27 to the 
financial statements.

Links to remuneration

ST

LT

Considered by Remuneration Committee as 
part of determining the annual cash bonus

Impacts vesting levels of our longer-term 
performance share plans

Remuneration report

»116-133

Underlying  
EBIT margin
%

Adjusted 
Underlying  
Basic EPS
pence

Dividend  
per share
pence

Covenant  
Leverage
times

Return on  
invested capital
%

Free Cash Flow 
conversion
%

2022

2021

2020

2019

2018

2022

2021

2020

2019

2018

2022

2021

2020

2019

2018

2022

2021

2020

2019

2018

2022

2021

2020

2019

2018

2022

2021

2020

2019

2018

2022

2021

2020

2019

2018

1,396.3

1,232.5

This metric tracks the Group’s  
top-line growth. 

This metric tracks changes in the 
relative profitability of the Group.

928.7

929.6

862.7

11.1

10.8

8.2

12.5

12.0

7.08

5.98

3.15

5.08

4.70

Revenue increased through timely 
implementation of our dynamic  
pricing strategy, partially offset by 
expected volume reductions to more 
normal levels in line with the market.

Our Underlying EBIT margin further 
improved during 2022, helped by 
dynamic pricing recovering input 
costs, our layered approach to 
hedging and delivery of the  
Cemex synergy benefits.

ST

LT

This metric tracks changes in  
adjusted Underlying Basic EPS  
for our shareholders. 

Our adjusted Underlying EPS 
increased in line with earnings  
to a record high.

2.1

This metric tracks cash returned to 
shareholders through dividends.

1.6

We first declared a dividend in 2021 
and have increased our payout in  
2022 in both absolute terms and 
relative to earnings per share. 

0.7

0.8

This is a key credit metric for our 
providers of debt finance which tracks 
the ability of the Group to maintain 
sufficient liquidity to service the needs of 
the business and determines the margin 
payable on our revolving credit facility.

Year-end Covenant Leverage  
of 0.7x represents continued  
de-gearing following acquisition-
related increases during 2020  
and 2018.

1.4

1.9

1.9

10.8

9.5

This metric tracks how well the  
Group generates returns in relation  
to the average capital invested.

ROIC strengthened through the  
year to 10.8% which is in excess of  
our cost of capital and represents  
a five-year high for the Group.

29

5.5

59

50

64

8.8

9.9

94

This metric tracks the conversion of 
Underlying EBITDA into Free Cash 
Flow, which is a key indicator that  
the Group is able to generate  
sufficient cash to support its  
capital allocation priorities. 

The reduction in year reflects  
the impact of increased level of  
capital expenditure , tax and working 
capital cash flows. We continue 
to target average Free Cash Flow 
conversion of 50%.

Breedon Group Annual report 2022

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37

Why we chose this measure

How we performed

Link to  
remuneration

Key performance indicators

Employee LTIFR
per million  
hours worked

Non-financial

Our non-financial KPIs are used to measure 
progress against our strategy and act as  
risk monitors.

We have included for the first time three 
additional non-financial metrics and their 
2021 comparatives which track progress 
against our 2030 sustainability targets  
for Planet, People and Places, being:

  Emissions intensity per tonne of 
cementitious product

  People positively impacted

  Sustainable product sales

For further information on our 2030 
sustainability targets, including details 
on how these metrics have been defined, 
see the Sustainability review on page 58.

Links to remuneration

ST

LT

Considered by Remuneration Committee as 
part of determining the annual cash bonus

Impacts vesting levels of our longer-term 
performance share plans

Remuneration report

»116-133

Employee TIFR
per million  
hours worked

Reserves and 
resources
billion tonnes

Emissions 
intensity – 
Revenue
kgCO2e per  
£ revenue

Emissions 
intensity – 
Cementitious 
reduction per tonne 
from 2005 baseline

People 
positively 
impacted
number of people  
per year

Sustainable 
product sales
% total concrete and 
asphalt revenue

2022

2021

2020

2019

2018

2022

2021

2020

2019

2018

2022

2021

2020

2019

2018

2022

2021

2020

2019

2018

2022

2021

2020

2019

2018

2022

2021

2020

2019

2018

2022

2021

2020

2019

2018

2.10

2.19

1.95

This industry-standard metric tracks 
our health and safety performance  
and enables us to maintain a strong 
health and safety culture. 

We were pleased to see a decrease 
in the LTIFR during the year, but 
this remains higher than previous 
years and we are targeting further 
reductions for 2023.

1.05

1.81

14.59

15.57

15.42

17.17

20.54

1.0

1.0

1.0

0.9

0.9

This is a wider measure of our health 
and safety performance, which 
indicates the total injury frequency 
rate of the Group. 

Our performance has improved  
year on year, and we will continue  
to work hard to reduce this measure.

This metric tracks the level of reserves 
and resources available to the Group. 

We maintained our asset base at  
1.0 billion tonnes, with consumption 
being offset by new reserves acquired 
by the Group. At current volumes,  
this equates to around 32 years  
of production.

Our total location-based emissions 
for this period were 1.8 MtCO2e, a 
decrease of 4.9% in comparison to 
2021. The resultant emissions intensity 
is 1.3 kgCO2e/£ revenue, a reduction 
of 19% in comparison to 2021. 

1.3

1.6

1.7

1.9

This is a reporting requirement of 
the UK Government’s SECR regime 
which tracks our overall carbon 
intensity and has been reported 
by the Group since 2019.

23%

23%

This tracks the progress in 
decarbonising our cement production 
and aligns with our 2030 target to 
achieve a 30% reduction in gross 
carbon intensity per tonne of 
cementitious product. 

From our 2005 baseline we have 
achieved a 23% reduction to date. 
We are targeting further reductions 
in line with our longer-term 2050 
decarbonisation roadmap. 

11,114

17,814

This is a key measure of social value 
and aligns with our 2030 target to 
positively impact 100,000 people.

We increased the number of people 
positively impacted during the  
year, bringing the total number of 
people positively impacted to date  
up to 28,928, achieving 28.9% of  
our 2030 target. 

37%

25%

This tracks our success in increasing 
our sales of sustainable products and 
aligns with our 2030 target to achieve 
50% of our concrete and asphalt sales 
revenue from products with enhanced 
sustainability attributes.

We achieved 37% of our concrete 
and asphalt sales revenue from 
products with enhanced sustainability 
attributes. This compares to 25% in 
2021 and reflects an increased market 
demand for these products.

ST

ST

ST

ST

ST

ST

Breedon Group Annual report 2022

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38

Chief Financial Officer’s review

Revenue and Underlying EBIT

Great Britain

Ireland

Cement

Central administration

Share of profit of associate  
and joint ventures

Eliminations

Total

2022

2021

Revenue  
£m

Underlying  
EBIT*  
£m

Revenue  
£m

Underlying  
EBIT*  
£m

972.4

226.2

300.7

–

–

(103.0)

1,396.3

86.4

28.3

52.1

(15.3)

3.5

–

155.0

845.2

225.4

245.6

–

–

(83.7)

1,232.5

74.3

28.2

41.6

(13.4)

2.9

–

133.6

*  Underlying results are stated before acquisition-related expenses, redundancy and reorganisation costs,  

property losses, amortisation of acquisition intangibles and related tax items.

In 2022 we delivered another year of 
record performance, advancing revenue 
and Underlying EBIT through robust 
pricing, disciplined cost management and 
improvements in operating performance, 
and reduced our Covenant Leverage  
to 0.7x.

We achieved this record performance 
against a backdrop of significant input cost 
inflation throughout 2022 and the impact 
of more challenging macroeconomic 
conditions towards the end of the year.

Revenue for the year at £1,396.3m 
increased by 13% compared to 2021 
(£1,232.5m), reflecting the success of our 
dynamic pricing strategy in recovering 
input cost increases, offset by the expected 
reduction in volumes to more normal levels 
following exceptional post-Covid demand 
in 2021, and the moderation of UK economic 
growth. Pricing contributed 20ppt of the 
improvement, partially offset by overall 
volume reductions which impacted  
growth by 10ppt. 

On a like-for-like basis, excluding the impact 
of acquisitions, revenue increased by 11%.

We delivered a record earnings 
performance with Group operating profit 
of £144.5m (2021: £124.5m) and there was 
an encouraging improvement in our share 
of profit of associate and joint ventures of 
£3.5m (2021: £2.9m). 

Our Underlying EBIT of £155.0m was  
up £21.4m or 16% on 2021 (£133.6m),  
with each division growing earnings 
compared to 2021.

Underlying EBIT margins strengthened 
to 11.1% ahead of 10.8% reported in 2021, 
helped in part by synergy benefits of £2m 
from the Cemex assets, in line with the 
target communicated at the time of the 
acquisition. This represents further progress 
towards our medium-term ambition to 
generate an Underlying EBIT margin of 
between 12% and 15%.

James 
Brotherton  
Chief Financial 
Officer

Our sustainable growth strategy 
delivered record performance 
and further reductions in 
Covenant Leverage.

Breedon Group Annual report 2022

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39

Chief Financial Officer’s review

Impact of acquisitions

Profit before tax

Our performance included a contribution of 
£35.6m revenue and £1.0m Underlying EBIT 
from the three strategic bolt-on acquisitions 
which completed during the second half of 
the year. 

Non-underlying items 

Non-underlying items in the year amounted 
to a pre-tax cost of £7.0m (2021: £6.2m), of 
which the majority was £4.8m (2021: £3.6m) 
of amortisation of acquired intangible 
assets. Other non-underlying items 
comprised a net £1.5m of gains and losses 
recognised on the disposal of properties 
and £0.7m of acquisition-related costs. 

Interest

Net finance costs in the year totalled £12.2m 
(2021: £13.1m) and included interest on the 
Group’s debt facilities and lease liabilities, 
amortisation of bank arrangement fees, and 
the unwinding of discounting on provisions.

Finance costs were lower than the prior year 
as leverage continued to fall and we realised 
a full year of benefits from the refinancing 
undertaken during 2021.

Approximately 40% of the Group’s available 
facilities are at fixed rates of interest, with 
the remainder floating relative to SONIA  
or EURIBOR as appropriate.

Profit before tax was £135.8m, 19% above 
2021 (£114.3m). Underlying profit before tax 
was £142.8m, 19% above 2021 (£120.5m).

Tax

The Group recorded an Underlying tax 
charge at an effective rate of 16.0% (2021: 
16.1%), which in absolute terms equated  
to a charge of £22.9m (2021: £19.4m).

We recognised a non-cash deferred tax 
charge of £1.1m (2021: £17.3m) to measure 
movements in our deferred tax liability in 
the UK at a higher tax rate than the current 
statutory rate of 19%.

We remeasured our existing liability in 2021 
following the UK Government substantively 
enacting legislation to increase the future 
rate of corporation tax to 25% from 19%. 
To remain consistent we have continued to 
present rate change impacts as a separate 
line within the Underlying column of the 
consolidated income statement.

The statutory tax charge, which includes the 
full impact of the deferred tax rate changes 
outlined above, was £23.2m (2021: £35.7m).

Alongside the legislated tax rate change in 
the UK from 19% to 25% which will increase 
the future effective tax rate of the Group 
from 2023, the Group may be impacted 
in the future by BEPS Pillar 2, the OECD 
initiative for a global minimum 15% rate, 

as a result of our trading operations in RoI 
where the statutory rate of corporation tax 
is 12.5%. The Group’s corporation tax charge 
in RoI was £6.0m in 2022, so while exposure 
is not expected to be material, we continue 
to closely monitor developments.

We complied effectively with our stated 
tax strategy, and we continue to make a 
significant contribution to the economies  
in which we operate through taxation,  
either borne by the Group or collected  
on behalf of, and paid to the tax authorities.  
In 2022 the total taxes borne and collected 
by the Group amounted to c.£210m 
(2021: c.£210m). 

Earnings per share

Statutory Basic EPS increased by 43%  
to 6.65p (2021: 4.65p), while Underlying 
Basic EPS for the year totalled 7.02p  
(2021: 4.96p).

Adjusted Underlying Basic EPS, calculated 
using Underlying earnings and adjusted 
to exclude the impact of the £1.1m (2021: 
£17.3m) charge recognised in respect of 
deferred tax rate changes, increased by  
18% to 7.08p (2021: 5.98p).

Statutory Diluted EPS was 6.63p (2021: 
4.62p), with the only adjustment made in 
calculating dilution relating to employee 
share option schemes. Adjusted Underlying 
Diluted EPS was 7.05p (2021: 5.95p). 

Return on invested capital

Using average invested capital, ROIC 
strengthened through the year to end 
2022 at 10.8% (2021: 9.5%) which is in 
excess of the Group’s cost of capital and 
demonstrates progress in achieving our 
medium-term target to consistently  
deliver ROIC in excess of 10%.

Statement of financial position

Net assets at 31 December 2022 were 
£1,043.8m (2021: £949.8m). 

Total non-current assets of £1,370.7m  
(2021: £1,317.7m) increased as a result  
of the impact of exchange rates on  
euro- denominated assets and the 
acquisitions completed during 2022.

Current assets were £63.3m higher than 
December 2021; reflecting the impact of 
inflation on working capital balances, higher 
cash holdings and increasing raw materials 
inventory levels at our cement plants to 
manage possible supply chain disruption 
and ensure continuity of production. 

Total liabilities increased year on year,  
with provision balances increasing to  
reflect the impact of a higher inflation rate 
used in the calculation of long-term site 
restoration liabilities, partially offset by 
corresponding increases in discount rates, 
as a result of external market movements 
during the year. 

Breedon Group Annual report 2022

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40

Chief Financial Officer’s review

Year-on-year change in volumes 

Impairment reviews

We completed our annual impairment 
review of goodwill and retain comfortable 
levels of headroom relative to the carrying 
value of our asset base.

Input cost and  
hedging strategy

Input cost inflation had a significant  
impact on our results, with energy (gas and 
electricity), fuels, bitumen and the cost of 
carbon emission permits under both the UK 
and EU ETS schemes all showing significant 
volatility. Although energy costs have fallen 
from the peaks experienced in the second 
half of 2022, they remain elevated relative 
to historic levels and cost price volatility is 
expected to continue into 2023.

Our strategy is to hedge substantially all 
energy and carbon requirements for at least 
one year in advance, with further layered 
purchases extending into future years,  
to deliver near-term cost certainty. 

A proportion of our bitumen requirements 
are hedged in the short term, typically for 
larger contracts where pricing is agreed in 
advance. Remaining purchases are at spot; 
the market for asphalt, in which bitumen is 
the primary purchased raw material, has 
historically responded quickly to bitumen 
price changes. Other fuels are purchased  
at spot and passed on.

Our 2022 earnings have benefited from 
our hedging programme, with the primary 
impact being to provide near-term cost 
certainty and delay the point at which the 
Group has been exposed to increased input 
cost prices. In turn this allows time for our 
dynamic approach to pricing to reflect the 
underlying market movements, avoiding 
a potentially significant cost of under 
recovery due to sales pricing lags.

For 2023, we are substantially hedged in 
line with our policy. Recent reductions  
in the cost of energy have moved our 
forward position to more closely align  
with market rates. However, our hedges  
are still expected to provide a net benefit  
to the Group during 2023.

Volumes

Volumes reduced in the year as expected 
to more normal levels following exceptional 
post-Covid demand in 2021 and the 
moderation of UK economic growth. 

When compared to 2019, volumes of our 
core products remain ahead on a like-for-
like basis: aggregates up 1%, asphalt up 9%, 
and cement up 9%. Ready-mixed concrete 
volumes decreased by 9% compared to 
2019, reflecting the planned closure of less 
profitable plants in 2021 and an increased 
commercial focus.

Aggregates
million tonnes

29.2

+8%

4 year CAGR

Asphalt
million tonnes

+8%

4 year CAGR

26.3

-10%

vs 2021

4.1

3.8

-8%

vs 2021

21.7

20.2

19.4

3.3

3.0

2.8

2018

2019

2020

2021

2022

2018

2019

2020

2021

2022

Concrete
million m3

3.1

3.0

-2%

4 year CAGR

Cement
million tonnes

+2%

4 year CAGR

3.3

3.0

-8%

vs 2021

2.6

2.4

2.2

-9%

vs 2021

2.0 2.0 2.0

2018

2019

2020

2021

2022

2018

2019

2020

2021

2022

Note: Reported percentage movements are based on non-rounded data.

Breedon Group Annual report 2022

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41

Chief Financial Officer’s review

2022 Net Debt movement
£m

Free Cash Flow +£68.7 million

235.0

£0

(33.3)

(9.0)

(25.8)

(212.5)

3.8

(102.0)

(15.1)

(30.5)

(8.3)

(197.7)

49.3

(148.4)

Opening 
Net Debt 

Underlying 
EBITDA

Working 
capital 
and provisions

Interest

Tax

Net capital 
expenditure

Other 
operating 
cash flow

Acquisitions

Dividends 
paid

Other

Closing
Net Debt 

IFRS 16 

Inflow

Outflow

Free Cash Flow

We generated £68.7m of Free Cash 
Flow (2021: £127.3m) while significantly 
increasing capital investment.

Net capital expenditure increased by 
£30.7m to £102.0m (2021: £71.3m) 
comprising capital investment of £106.8m 
offset by £4.8m of proceeds from specific 
asset disposals. This increased investment 
was in line with our market guidance of  
c.£170m in aggregate across 2021  
and 2022.

Working capital flows reflected strong  
cash collection offset by the purchase of 
UK ETS carbon credits, inventory build 
to ensure continuity of production at our 
cement plants and the impact of inflation  
on working capital balances.

Free Cash Flow conversion

Closing 
Net Debt 
(excluding 
IFRS 16)

As a result of increased levels of capital 
investment, tax and working capital 
movements, Free Cash Flow conversion  
for the year was 29% (2021: 59%).

We continue to target average Free  
Cash Flow conversion after regular  
capital investment of 50%.

Acquisitions

Our Net Debt increased by £15.1m (2021: 
£6.1m) as a result of the three bolt-on 
acquisitions completed during 2022.  

Breedon Group Annual report 2022

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42

Chief Financial Officer’s review

Net Debt

At 31 December 2022, Net Debt was 
£197.7m (2021: £212.5m). Net Debt  
includes IFRS 16 lease liabilities of  
£49.3m (2021: £51.0m). 

Our Covenant Leverage at the year end was 
0.7x (2021: 0.8x) reflecting the resilience 
of the Group’s balance sheet and allows 
significant flexibility in pursuing our 
sustainable growth strategy. 

Borrowing facilities

The Group’s borrowing facilities comprise 
a £350m multi-currency revolving credit 
facility (RCF) and a £250m US private 
placement (USPP).

During the year, we exercised our 
option to extend the RCF for a one-year 
period. Arrangement fees of £0.7m were 
capitalised in the year and will be amortised 
over the period of the additional borrowing.

Following the exercise of the extension 
option, the RCF is available to the Group 
until June 2025 with an option to extend  
for up to a further year. Interest on the  
RCF is calculated as a margin referenced  
to the Group’s Covenant Leverage plus 
SONIA or EURIBOR according to the 
currency of borrowing.

The USPP issued in 2021 provides long-term 
financing at low fixed interest rates with an 
average fixed coupon of approximately 2%. 
The USPP comprises £170m sterling and 
£80m drawn in euro, with a maturity profile 
between 2028 and 2036. 

Our borrowing facilities are subject to 
leverage and interest cover covenants 
which are tested half-yearly, and we 
remained fully compliant with all covenants 
during the year. 

The Group maintains a strong liquidity 
position and at 31 December 2022 total 
undrawn borrowing facilities available  
to the Group amounted to £350m.

Dividend

Tax strategy

Breedon’s tax strategy governs our 
approach to tax compliance, and is 
underpinned by the following principles: 

  To comply with all relevant  
tax regulations

  To ensure ethical tax practice is 
maintained and tax planning  
is undertaken responsibly

  To engage proactively and transparently 
with relevant tax authorities

  To manage tax risks effectively  
and maintain a high standard of  
tax governance

The strategy is reviewed by the Audit &  
Risk Committee on behalf of the Board  
on at least an annual basis, and full  
details can be found on our website  
at www.breedongroup.com/policies.

Subject to shareholder approval, we intend 
to pay a dividend in respect of the 2022 
financial results of 2.1p, an increase of 31% 
from 2021 (1.6p). 

This equates to a payout ratio of 30%  
(2021: 27%) of adjusted Underlying EPS. 
Assuming continued positive trading 
conditions and cash generation, the Group 
continues to target a payout ratio of 40%  
of Underlying EPS over time.

An interim dividend of 0.7p (2021: 0.5p)  
was paid on 30 September 2022 and, 
subject to shareholder approval, the 
remaining 1.4p (2021: 1.1p) will be paid  
as a final dividend on 5 May 2023. 

Under IFRS dividends are recorded in the 
financial statements of the accounting 
period in which they are declared. 
Accordingly dividend payments amounting 
to £30.5m (2021: £8.4m) have been 
recognised in the 2022 financial statements.

Thoughtful capital allocation is core to our 
financial strategy, and we remain confident 
that our progressive dividend policy will not 
compromise the Group’s ability to execute 
on our strategic objectives.

Breedon Group Annual report 2022

Strategic report Governance Financial statements Additional information

43

Chief Financial Officer’s review

Our capital allocation model
Investment as a differentiator

Maximise value 
through capital 
deployment

Investment 
opportunities

Strategic 
objectives

Excess capital

Disciplined  
capital deployment

I

C
N
A
G
R
O

A
&
M

Reserves and 
resources

Profitable 
growth

Business 
investment

Bolt-on

Margin 
improvement

3rd platform 
exploration

Strong  
balance sheet

Dividends

Debt  
reduction

Capital allocation

2023 technical guidance

Conservative and disciplined financial 
management and the maintenance of a 
strong balance sheet are at the core of our 
thoughtful approach to capital allocation. 
The Board will always seek to deploy our 
capital responsibly, focusing on organic 
investment in our business to ensure that 
our asset base is well invested. We will 
continue to pursue selective acquisitions 
which will accelerate our strategic 
development and that we are confident  
will create long-term value.

This conservative approach to financial 
management enables us to pursue capital 
growth for our shareholders through 
active development of our business, while 
supporting our progressive dividend policy.

We expect working capital to experience 
the normal seasonal outflow in the first  
half of 2023, with an overall modest 
inflationary outflow for the full year  
of c.£20m.

We continue to prioritise investment in  
the business and expect to invest c.£90m  
in capital projects during 2023.

Cash costs of dividends paid during 2023 
will be c.£35m and our net interest expense 
c.£15m, of which c.£9m will be cash interest.

We expect an effective tax rate of c.20%, 
reflecting the increased statutory rate 
of tax in the UK, with cash tax payments 
higher than the effective rate as a result of 
the accelerated superdeduction capital 
allowances claimed in 2021 and 2022.

James Brotherton 
Chief Financial Officer 

8 March 2023

Breedon Group Annual report 2022

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44

Managing our risks and opportunities

Our ‘four lines of defence’  
risk management and internal  
control framework facilitates  
effective risk management

Risk approach

Risk is an inherent and accepted element 
of doing business, and effective risk 
management is fundamental to how we run 
our business and deliver on our strategy. 
Breedon’s risk management and internal 
control framework facilitates identification 
of existing and emerging risks, and the 
development of actions or processes to 
accept, transfer or mitigate those risks  
to an acceptable level.

The level of the risk accepted in pursuit 
of our strategic goals is guided by our 
risk appetite, which is set by the Board 
and reviewed on an annual basis. This 
provides clear guidance to management 
as to the nature and level of risk the Board 
considers acceptable and sets appropriate 
boundaries for business activities and 
behaviours. For each of our principal risks 
our risk appetite is disclosed on page 45.

Breedon’s risk management and internal 
control framework utilises a ‘four lines 
of defence’ approach, with roles and 
responsibilities defined as set out below.

Risk process

Our formal risk review processes apply a 
common methodology for identifying  
and assessing risk.

Each division and Group function maintains 
a risk register which is formally reviewed 
by the entity or Head of Function at least 
twice a year. The outputs from these 
reviews are analysed by the Group Risk 
and Controls manager and significant risks 
included on the Group risk register. The 
Group risk register is reviewed at least twice 
a year by the Executive Committee and 
the Board. Once identified and assessed, 
risks are assigned to a member of senior 
management who has responsibility for 

For financial controls, we have further 
embedded our framework, performing 
second line testing to provide assurance 
on the divisional self-assessment as to the 
effectiveness of all key financial controls. 
We continue to work closely with RSM, 
who provide Breedon with an outsourced 
independent internal audit service, 
on the reviews which they conducted 
during the year, including monitoring the 
implementation of the recommendations 
arising from those reviews.

Risk methodology

The nature of the principal risks we have 
identified remains consistent with 2021. 
These are reported under three categories 
of risk, Strategic, Operational and Financial.

Strategic risks

Events that may make it difficult, or 
even impossible, for the Group to 
achieve its strategic objectives.

Operational risks

Events or threats that are inherent in 
our day-to-day operations.

Financial risks

Threats arising from ineffective 
management and control of the 
Group’s financial resources or 
movements in the financial markets.

embedding appropriate risk processes 
in the day-to-day operations which they 
oversee. Risk management actions are 
agreed and tracked through the risk  
review processes.

Emerging risks

In addition to the principal risks, the Board 
considers those areas where an existing 
or an emerging threat may impact the 
Group in the longer term. These risks 
are identified and reported through the 
routine risk process described above 
and typically represent risks beyond the 
three-year assessment period, or where 
we have insufficient information to make 
a reasonable assessment of the potential 
impact and likelihood on the Group.

Emerging risks include longer-term 
macroeconomic conditions, the evolution 
of the digitalisation landscape and the 
transitional risks that arise from the impact 
of climate change. Detail on these emerging 
risks and how we monitor and mitigate 
them is included within our principal  
risk disclosure.

Focus in the year

During 2022 our risk and controls team 
continued to strengthen and enhance 
risk management processes, with the 
development of additional functional risk 
registers which, together with our divisional 
risk registers, inform the Group risk 
processes. This included incorporating  
the key findings from the TCFD climate-
related scenario analysis performed  
during the year.

Breedon Group Annual report 2022

Strategic report Governance Financial statements Additional information

45

Managing our risks and opportunities

‘Four lines of defence’ risk management  
and internal control framework

Board

Audit & Risk Committee

Overall responsibility for the Group’s 
risk management and internal 
control framework, and for reviewing 
effectiveness. The CFO has executive 
management responsibility for risk  
and internal control.

Reviews the suitability and effectiveness of the risk 
management and internal control framework on behalf of 
the Board. Performance by the business against risk appetite 
is monitored and reported to the Audit & Risk Committee. 
Monitoring the effectiveness and independence of the  
internal and external auditors.

Principal risks

The nature of the Group’s principal risks remains unchanged. Changes to the net 
risk ratings are captured within the risk trends set out in the risk heat table below. 
Further details can be found within the principal and emerging risks section on 
pages 46 to 49.

The principal risks and uncertainties outlined in this section reflect those risks that, 
in the opinion of the Board, might materially affect the Group’s future performance, 
prospects or reputation.

The assessment of these principal and emerging risks and the effectiveness of 
the associated controls put in place reflect management’s current expectations, 
forecasts and assumptions, and will be subject to changes in our internal and 
external environments.

Senior management and risk owners

Ensure that the risk management and internal control 
framework is embedded within their respective business  
area and develop an effective risk culture.

1st line of defence

Front line teams

2nd

line of defence

3rd

line of defence

Group risk and controls

Internal audit

Responsible for providing 
independent assurance over 
risk and control activities 
performed by the first and  
second line.

Any Breedon colleague who 
makes decisions, deploys 
resources or contributes to 
an outcome is responsible for 
identifying associated risks 
and implementing internal 
processes and controls to 
manage those risks.

4th

line of defence

External audit and regulators

Provides expertise and 
support to the front line teams 
responsible for designing the 
risk management policies, 
processes and controls, 
monitoring the ongoing 
effectiveness of internal 
controls and the reporting  
of risk across the Group.

Other monitoring functions

Responsible for designing 
policies and processes and 
monitoring the effectiveness  
of processes and controls, for 
their area of accountability.

Risk

1  Acquisitions

2  Climate change

3  Digitalisation

4  Market conditions

5  Mineral reserves

6  People

7  Environmental impact

8  Failure of a critical asset

9  Health, safety and wellbeing

10 Input costs

11  IT and cyber security

12 Legal and regulatory

13 Product specification

14 Credit risk

15 Currency risk

16 Financing and interest rate risk

Appetite

Net risk rating

Trend

High

Medium

Medium

Very high

Medium

High

Low

Low

Very low

Very low

Very low

Medium

Very low

Very low

Low

Low

Low

Low

High

High

Medium

Medium

High

High

High

High

High

High

Low

Medium

Low

Low

c
i
g
e
t
a
r
t
S

l

a
n
o
i
t
a
r
e
p
O

l

a
i
c
n
a
n
F

i

 
 
Breedon Group Annual report 2022

Strategic report Governance Financial statements Additional information

46

Managing our risks and opportunities

Net risk rating

Trend

Low

Medium

High

Very high

No change

Increase

Risk description

Management response

Risk description

Management response

1    Acquisitions
We may fail to complete the 
acquisitions required to support 
our growth strategy, or competition 
authorities may restrict the businesses 
we are able to acquire. 

We might overpay for, fail to integrate, 
or not achieve the expected returns 
from an acquisition.

s
k
s
i
r
c
i
g
e
t
a
r
t
S

2    Climate change
If we do not successfully decarbonise 
our business in line with our targets and 
the wider industry, we may be exposed 
to significant additional costs and 
reduced demand for our products.

For full details on the physical and 
transition risks posed by climate 
change, alongside our response to 
those risks, see our TCFD report from 
page 50.

We have a strong acquisition track record over 
many years with most transactions to date 
transacted on a bilateral basis. Our approach 
to acquisitions is underpinned by a rigorous 
due diligence process, supported by specialist 
advisers, and includes careful consideration of 
competition regulation and sustainability.

A delegation of authority is in place to ensure 
acquisitions are subject to appropriate 
approvals, and acquired businesses are subject 
to detailed integration plans, implemented 
by dedicated project teams with progress 
monitored by the Board. 

In 2022 we successfully completed three bolt-
on acquisitions and see potential for further 
acquisitions in new and existing geographies.

We have set our carbon reduction targets and 
are in the process of developing additional 
targets under the SBTi initiative. We are 
transparent in reporting our progress against 
these and senior management remuneration  
is structured to incentivise delivery.

The Executive committee is responsible for  
the design, implementation and execution  
of the sustainability strategies and policies  
of the Group.

The Board retains overall ownership of  
climate-related risks and opportunities, and is 
supported by the Sustainability Committee.

3    Digitalisation
Failure to keep pace with advances 
in technology and customer digital 
expectations could lead to loss of 
custom, increases in the cost of  
doing business and not meeting  
our strategic objectives.

Our IT team provides the infrastructure, software 
and expertise to support our digital agenda,  
with external support as appropriate.

During 2022 we appointed a Chief Information 
Officer and established a Digital Delivery team  
to implement our digitalisation strategy.

4     Market conditions
Changes in the macroeconomic 
environment, including shifts in 
Government policy and the level  
of competition within the market,  
could all have an impact on demand  
for our products. 

Although the medium to long-term 
position remains positive, the current 
high levels of macroeconomic 
uncertainty and high inflation could 
pose an increased risk to demand in  
the near term.

s
k
s
i
r
c
i
g
e
t
a
r
t
S

5     Mineral reserves
Failure to replenish mineral reserves 
and resources on an adequate and 
timely basis could deprive Breedon  
of a key raw material.

Our customer base is well diversified across 
public and private sector organisations, 
who supply infrastructure, commercial and 
residential projects. 

We closely follow published indicators of activity 
in our geographies and sectors and maintain 
regular contact with our key stakeholders to 
identify significant trends or events which  
could impact our business. 

Our budgeting and forecasting process 
incorporates this data and allows us to adapt 
accordingly for any long-term changes in the 
economic environment.

Our Land and Mineral Resources team monitors 
our mineral assets to assess both the quality 
and the longevity of our resources and have 
successfully secured further new reserves  
at a number of existing sites during 2022.

We proactively monitor our compliance  
with all applicable regulatory requirements 
which govern the operation of our assets  
and communicate regularly with our 
stakeholders, especially those directly  
impacted by our operations.

6    People
Failure to recruit, develop and retain the 
right people, or to maintain a positive 
culture and working environment, could 
have an adverse impact on our ability to 
meet our strategic objectives.

Our People team provides the framework of 
policies and procedures to mitigate this risk. We 
have made good progress in implementing our 
five-year People Plan, which was approved by 
the Board during 2021, and aims to embed our 
values, attract a talented and diverse workforce, 
provide opportunities for everyone and ensure 
Breedon remains a great place to work.

 
 
Breedon Group Annual report 2022

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47

Managing our risks and opportunities
Managing our risks and opportunities

Net risk rating

Trend

Low

Medium

High

Very high

No change

Increase

Risk description

Management response

Risk description

Management response

7     Environmental 

impact

Our impact on the environment, 
including water, waste disposal, 
recycling, air pollution and our impact 
on biodiversity could expose us to 
regulatory breaches, financial penalties, 
disruption, clean-up costs and 
reputational risk.

The growing focus on biodiversity net 
gain, natural capital and deforestation 
brings forward the need to ensure that 
our land holdings deliver a positive 
contribution to nature.

8     Failure of a  
critical asset
An unplanned production outage at 
one of our two cement plants or at a 
small number of critical quarries could 
cause significant operational disruption 
and loss of earnings.

s
k
s
i
r
l

a
n
o
i
t
a
r
e
p
O

We have policies in place setting clear 
expectations on how we should manage our 
environmental impact, which are complemented 
by a training programme which is accredited  
by the Institute of Environmental Management 
and Assessment.

Targets have been approved by the Board which 
aim to improve our environmental impacts in 
respect of energy, carbon, water, waste and 
biodiversity. We closely monitor environmental 
compliance and seek continued improvement, 
with stringent monitoring, maintenance and 
reporting systems in place to detect and  
prevent incidents.

Our sites have real-time performance monitoring 
and preventative maintenance and inspection 
programmes. Each of our cement kilns is subject 
to an annual shutdown in accordance with a 
planned maintenance schedule and in 2022  
all shutdowns were completed successfully.

Back up processes and facilities are in place 
across critical areas of the plants and spare parts 
are held for critical equipment. Specialist plant 
engineers are employed and external support  
is utilised when appropriate.

We hold Business Interruption Insurance  
and continue to strengthen business  
continuity plans.

9     Health, safety  
and wellbeing
Failure to identify and manage health, 
safety and wellbeing risks could  
result in harm to our employees  
and other stakeholders. 

This may also expose us to significant 
disruption, financial liabilities, 
prosecution and reputational damage.

10   Input costs
Breedon, along with the rest of the 
industry and wider economy, has seen 
significant input cost inflation in 2022 
and volatility is expected to continue 
during 2023, particularly in relation to 
energy, fuel and carbon. 

Failure to pass on these cost rises could 
significantly impact our profitability.

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The Group Head of Health, Safety and Wellbeing 
has day-to-day management responsibility for 
health, safety and wellbeing risk and reports 
directly to the Chief Executive Officer.

We promote a strong safety culture with a focus 
on continuous improvement, provide relevant 
training, and facilitate personal ownership of 
health, safety and wellbeing. This is supported 
by effective health, safety and wellbeing 
communications, detailed investigations into 
both actual and potential incidents, and the 
sharing of lessons to help to prevent recurrence.

The majority of our raw material requirements 
are minerals which have been purchased at 
historic cost and sit as mineral reserves and 
resources in our quarries, providing a significant 
natural hedge against inflation.

For those items which we do purchase, our 
experience in recent years has demonstrated 
that our dynamic pricing strategy is able  
to recover rapidly increasing costs from  
our markets.

This is supported by our layered hedging 
strategy which provides a degree of cost 
certainty around energy, bitumen and carbon 
credits under both UK and EU ETS schemes.

 
 
Breedon Group Annual report 2022

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48

Managing our risks and opportunities

Net risk rating

Trend

Low

Medium

High

Very high

No change

Increase

Risk description

Management response

Risk description

Management response

13    Product 

specification

New materials or construction methods 
could reduce the demand for our core 
products and services. 

Failure to deliver product to specified 
quality standards could result in 
customer claims and impact our 
reputation for quality.

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Our product technical teams evaluate and 
research new products, materials, methods  
and technologies and test these in the field to 
assess their performance.

We have launched our eco products range 
Breedon Balance with careful focus on ensuring 
that our customers are provided with clear and 
verified information about our products and 
their environmental impact.

We do not have a history of significant quality 
claims from our customers, and maintain strict 
quality control policies and procedures, high 
quality laboratories and experienced technical 
teams, in addition to holding all appropriate 
business accreditations and insurances.

11     IT and cyber 
security

A cyber security breach could cause 
operational disruption, financial 
penalties and reputational damage.

Systems integration projects or 
significant IT changes may lead to 
business disruption.

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12    Legal and 
regulatory
Breedon employees and business 
partners must comply with all 
applicable laws and regulations,  
and conduct our operations in 
accordance with accepted principles  
of good corporate governance. 

A number of legislative changes over 
recent years have increased both the 
level of our corporate responsibility 
and the level of potential fines which 
we would incur in addition to the 
reputational damage and disruption 
resulting from any breach of laws  
or regulations.

Our IT support team, with the support of external 
service providers, monitors and responds to new 
and expanding cyber risks and strengthens the 
Group’s cyber resilience. 

The Group has implemented best practice 
controls to prevent, detect and respond  
quickly to events. Policies, processes and user 
training are all in place to define the standards 
of control and educate users on the constantly 
evolving cyber risk landscape, and during 2022 
a number of enhancements were implemented 
following an internal audit review of the Group’s 
cyber security.

All IT system development projects are  
carefully planned and managed with defined 
governance and control procedures, and we 
have an ongoing IT systems enhancement 
programme. During 2022, the Group Information 
services team successfully led the integration 
project to bring the Ireland business onto the 
Group’s finance systems.

Our compliance teams monitor and respond to 
legal and regulatory developments, supported 
by external expertise where required.

Our Code of Conduct clearly defines our  
purpose and corporate values and our 
compliance training programme is being 
distributed to all colleagues through our  
online learning and development platform.

Our Tax Strategy is approved by the Audit & 
Risk Committee and sets out how we ensure 
compliance with all relevant tax laws and 
regulations. Compliance is monitored Group-
wide applying the principles of the Senior 
Accounting Officer requirements in the UK.

We operate an externally facilitated confidential 
whistleblowing process, with all reports, 
subsequent findings and follow up actions  
shared with the Audit & Risk Committee.

 
 
Breedon Group Annual report 2022

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49

Managing our risks and opportunities

Net risk rating

Trend

Low

Medium

High

Very high

No change

Increase

Risk description

Management response

14   Credit risk
We are exposed to credit risk from our 
sales to customers.

Although we have not experienced 
significant credit losses to date, these 
may be more likely to arise in coming 
years as a result of the challenging 
macroeconomic environment. 

15   Currency risk
Our operations are located in the UK  
and Ireland which use the pound and  
the euro respectively as currency.  
We also transact in other currencies  
as both customer and supplier. 

Accordingly, we are exposed to  
both transactional and translational 
currency risk.

Credit risk insurance cover is maintained over  
the majority of our private sector customers.

We maintain regular contact with our key 
customers and monitor our credit limits  
closely. Formal authorisation procedures are  
in place for both insured and uninsured risk  
and routine reporting provides oversight of  
our credit risk exposure.

Our activities are conducted primarily in the  
local currencies of our respective businesses, 
resulting in a low level of foreign currency 
transactional risk. 

Translation risk is partially mitigated by matching 
foreign currency investments to borrowings, 
and we generally do not seek to mitigate 
transactional exchange risks through hedging.

16    Financing and 

interest rate risk

If liquidity is not appropriately 
managed, we may not have sufficient 
financial resources to meet our 
obligations as they fall due,  
to invest in our business or to  
undertake acquisitions.

We maintain strong relationships with our 
lenders and shareholders, with long-term 
financing facilities in place which provide 
significant levels of liquidity headroom and a 
solid platform for future growth.

These comprise a £350m revolving credit facility 
which expires in 2025 (with a potential extension 
to 2026) and a £250m USPP with tenors expiring 
between 2028 and 2036. 

We borrow from financial institutions 
and are therefore exposed to 
fluctuations that occur to the interest 
rates charged on those borrowings.

We aim to minimise interest costs while 
maintaining appropriate levels of liquidity 
through an appropriate mix of borrowing at  
fixed and floating rates.

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50

Climate-related risks and opportunities

Task Force on Climate-related 
Financial Disclosures

As part of our sustainability strategy to 
increase disclosure and transparency, 
we have voluntarily complied with TCFD 
reporting requirements.

Our Sustainability Report from page 58 
sets out how Breedon is responding to the 
urgent challenge posed by climate change, 
our progress against the metrics and 
targets which we have set to decarbonise 
our business and the practical actions we 
are taking to achieve this. 

Our TCFD disclosure supplements the 
Sustainability Report by providing a clear 
analysis for our stakeholders on how 
climate change impacts Breedon’s risk and 
opportunity landscape, and the governance 
arrangements we have in place to support 
delivery of our strategy.

During 2022 we evolved our TCFD 
reporting, including revisiting our climate 
risk assessment process to reflect the latest 
external data and undertaking, for the  
first time, detailed scenario analysis to 
better understand and quantify our risks 
and opportunities. 

TCFD Pillar

Our response

Governance
Disclose the organisation’s  
governance around climate-related  
risks and opportunities.

Strategy
Disclose the actual and potential  
impacts of climate-related risks and 
opportunities on the organisation’s 
businesses, strategy, and financial 
planning where such information  
is material.

Risk management
Disclose how the organisation  
identifies, assesses, and manages 
climate-related risks.

Metrics and targets
Disclose the metrics and targets  
used to assess and manage relevant 
climate-related risks and opportunities 
where such information is material.

The Board retains overall responsibility for climate-related risks and 
opportunities. The Board is supported by the Sustainability Committee,  
which was formed during 2022, and is comprised of all of the members of  
the Board and chaired by Carol Hui.

 The Executive Committee is responsible for the design, implementation  
and execution of the sustainability strategies and policies of the Group.

Our Head of Sustainability leads Breedon’s sustainability team. She reports 
directly to the CEO and has day-to-day management responsibility for 
climate-related issues. 

Climate change presents both opportunities and risks for Breedon in 
delivering our sustainable growth strategy.

To ensure that the latest scientific evidence on the impacts of climate change 
is properly understood and to stress test the impact on our strategy, we 
modelled the impact of our most material risks under a range of possible 
warming scenarios. 

This exercise highlighted a number of tactical actions to manage climate risks 
and opportunities, but has not required fundamental adjustments to our 
strategy. Our strategic commitment to sustainability is demonstrated through 
Sustain being one of our key strategic pillars, with decarbonisation a critical 
element of delivering value for all of our stakeholders.

Climate change-related risk identification, assessment and management is 
considered through the Group’s overall risk management and internal  
control framework.

During 2022, we engaged with a third party to support our risk review 
processes, specifically in respect of climate risks. The output from this has 
helped to develop a standalone sustainability risk register, owned by the  
Head of Sustainability and integrated into our overall risk assessment process. 

We report CO2 metrics in line with the UK SECR , which include both absolute 
emissions (Scope 1 and 2) alongside intensity measures relative to revenue  
and volumes. 

We have committed to net zero by 2050, with medium-term targets set 
through to 2030, and will develop targets for SBTi validation in due course  
and report on progress against these. 

Delivery of these objectives is supported through short-term targets, the 
achievement of which is linked to incentive schemes which form part of  
senior managers’ remuneration.

Further information

See page 51 for further 
details of climate-
related governance 
arrangements.

The report of the 
Sustainability 
Committee is on  
page 114 and 115.

See page 56 for  
details of climate 
scenarios modelled.

For more information  
on how sustainability fits 
into our wider strategy 
see pages 26 and 58.

Our climate-related  
risks and opportunities 
are detailed on pages  
52 to 54.

For more details on 
our risk management 
processes, see page 44.

See page 63 for our 
detailed SECR reporting 
and page 37 for our 
carbon targets and 
progress made against 
them in 2022.

For details of how 
sustainability objectives 
impact remuneration, 
see 37.

Breedon Group Annual report 2022

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51

Climate-related risks and opportunities

Governance

Role of the Board

  The Board is ultimately responsible  
for our strategy to create sustainable 
value for all our stakeholders over the 
long term. 

  The Board retains ownership of climate-
related risks and opportunities, and is 
supported by the Committees of the 
Board. It receives regular updates from 
management on climate-related issues.

  Carol Hui is Chair of our  
Sustainability Committee. 

Role of management

  The Executive Committee is responsible 
for the design, implementation and 
execution of the strategies and policies  
of the Group in relation to sustainability.

  Our Head of Sustainability leads 
Breedon’s sustainability team. She 
reports directly to the CEO and chairs  
our cross-divisional working groups  
for Planet, People and Places.

  The sustainability team supports our 
businesses to ensure that sustainability is 
effectively embedded into our working 
practices, climate-related KPIs are 
accurately defined and quantified,  
and that practical measures are in  
place to make progress against our 
climate-related targets.

Sustainability Committee 

  Oversees sustainability strategies, 
policies, and targets.

  Evaluates the performance of 
the Group over time in delivering 
against these targets.

Audit & Risk Committee 

  Considers the integrity of  
climate-related disclosures.

  Reviews the effectiveness  
of risk identification and 
management processes,  
including climate-related risk.

  Oversees appropriate assurance  
on disclosed climate metrics.

Remuneration Committee 

  Designs remuneration  
structures ensuring alignment  
with climate targets.

  Monitors performance against 
climate-related targets when 
approving remuneration.

Nomination Committee 

  Ensures Board and senior 
managers have sufficient 
experience to provide effective 
leadership on climate issues.

Climate risk management 
process

Our TCFD process

  Climate change is one of Breedon’s 
principal risks, with climate-related risks 
and opportunities integrated into the 
Group’s overall risk management and 
internal control framework, which is set 
out on page 45.

  As part of the ongoing risk process, a 
full climate risk review was undertaken 
during 2022 to ensure that our risk 
assessment reflected the latest scientific 
understanding of the likely impacts of 
climate change. 

  The climate risk review assessed 
the risks and opportunities arising 
from both physical and transitional 
impacts of climate change. Risk levels 
were considered over different time 
horizons through to 2050 and under 
three different possible warming 
scenarios, allowing for a comprehensive 
understanding of the evolving  
risk landscape.

  The formal output of this exercise was 
used to update our sustainability risk 
register which tracks our climate risks 
alongside the effectiveness of mitigating 
actions taken by the Group. 

  This exercise unpinned the selection 
of the most significant climate-related 
risks and opportunities which we have 
modelled in our scenario analysis.  
This is set out in further detail below. 

Assessment of potential climate  
risks to identify a longlist of possible 
climate-related impacts.

Discussions with operational management 
to assess risks using Breedon’s standard 
risk framework and shortlist the most 
significant climate risks and opportunities 
for further consideration.

Scenario analysis performed, with external 
data analysis, to estimate the unmitigated 
impact under each climate scenario in the 
short, medium and longer term.

Findings communicated to the Board  
and senior operational management. 
Action plans agreed to help to mitigate  
risk impacts.

Integration into 
business as usual risk 
management processes, with 
plans to mitigate identified risks 
considered as part of our overall 
risk process. Sustainability risk 
register updated to capture 
both detailed risk information 
and mitigating actions. 

Breedon Group Annual report 2022

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52

Climate-related risks and opportunities

Net risk rating

Net opportunity rating

Low

Medium

High

Very high

Low

Medium

High

Very high

Our principal climate-related risks and opportunities are as follows:

Risk/opportunity description

Management response

Risk

Flooding

Landslides

Timeframe

Net rating

Medium to long

Medium to long

Low

Low

 Flooding

Sites may be at increased risk of 
flooding – either from rising sea levels 
or increased rainfall causing rivers  
to overflow.

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Water availability

Medium to long

Medium

Carbon pricing

Short to long

Very high

Capital cost of transition

Short to long

Very high

Fuel costs and availability

Medium to long

Very high

Reputational damage

Short to long

Substitute products

Medium to long

High

Low

Opportunity

Alternative uses of land resources

Medium to long

Very high

Climate resilience and/or green  
infrastructure projects

Short to long

Very high

Sustainable products

Short to long

High

 Landslides 

Sites may be at increased risk  
of landslides.

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  Water availability 
Climate change could put additional 
stress on the availability of water, which 
is a key operating material for a number 
of our quarries and concrete plants.

  Carbon pricing

We purchase carbon allowances for  
our carbon emissions under both UK 
and EU ETS schemes.

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The cost of these allowances is forecast 
to rise over the long term under nearly 
all climate scenarios, as a factor of 
both market pricing and the gradual 
withdrawal of existing free allowances 
to incentivise investment in low  
carbon technologies. 

If the cost of emissions allowances rises 
faster than the speed that we are able 
to decarbonise, this would result in 
increased input costs.

Only a small number of sites are expected to 
be impacted by flooding risk, these are mostly 
leasehold sites that could be relocated. 

Business interruption plans are in place and 
flood risk is considered as part of our capital 
investment process to ensure future investments 
are sustainable.

Our planning and estates teams conduct 
regular geological surveys to monitor landslide 
and landslip risks at our quarries and ensure 
appropriate contingency plans are in place.

Only a small number of non-quarry locations 
are expected to be impacted. These are mostly 
leasehold sites that could be relocated, and 
geological risk is considered as part of our 
capital investment process, where relevant,  
to ensure future investments are sustainable.

We are installing smart meters at our top water 
consuming sites to understand demand patterns 
and allow us to scope operational contingency 
measures, including water storage.

We have carbon reduction targets and 
roadmaps across our business, and have 
committed to refining these through the SBTi 
process during 2023. Progress against our 
targets is monitored via KPIs which are linked  
to executive remuneration.

These will reduce the carbon intensity of our 
business and the corresponding requirement  
for emissions allowances.

To the extent that carbon prices rise more 
rapidly than the impact can be mitigated 
through carbon reduction, our dynamic pricing 
strategy has allowed us to pass on increases to 
date and we expect this to continue.

 
 
 
 
Breedon Group Annual report 2022

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53

Climate-related risks and opportunities

Net risk rating

Low

Medium

High

Very high

Risk/opportunity description

Management response

Risk/opportunity description

Management response

  Capital cost  
of transition

While the capital costs of our carbon 
reduction strategy are reflected in our 
financial plans, the technology required 
to decarbonise our Cement business 
is not yet proven at scale and it is 
consequently not possible to quantify 
the gross cost of the transition over  
the longer term.

It is likely that very substantial capital 
investment will be required, which could 
limit funds available to invest in growth 
projects elsewhere in the business. 

To be commercially viable, the costs 
of this investment would need to be 
passed into the market through  
higher pricing, and without clarity as  
to the level of investment required,  
it is unclear how this might impact 
demand for cement. 

  Fuel costs and 
availability

The transition to a lower carbon 
economy is forecast to impact the cost 
and availability of fuels which Breedon 
currently uses or may use in the future.

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Our base case scenario is that the required 
carbon reduction technologies will be 
developed to operate at scale over the medium 
term, and that these will represent commercially 
viable investments either on a standalone  
basis or with the benefit of additional 
government subsidy. 

We are closely monitoring developments in 
emissions reducing technology, and our financial 
forecasting processes reflect the costs of 
anticipated sustainability projects.

We are an active member of the MPA and the 
Global Cement and Concrete Association 
(GCCA), supporting collaborative approaches 
to climate challenges and policy development 
across the sector.

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 Reputational damage 

If our sustainability strategy does not 
demonstrably succeed in meeting the 
challenge of climate change, or we fail 
to meet our carbon reduction targets 
due to a perceived lack of commitment, 
we may suffer significant reputational 
damage impacting our relationships 
with our customers, employees, 
investors and other stakeholders. 

We demonstrate our commitment to 
sustainability by taking visible actions today 
to decarbonise our business, setting ourselves 
credible targets for the future and underpinning 
this with appropriate governance structures.

Our investments in sustainability projects 
provide tangible evidence that we take reducing 
carbon emitted by our operations seriously. 
We simultaneously continue to raise the bar on 
transparency and disclosure with a commitment 
to the SBTi made during 2022.

Our Group Head of Sustainability provides 
subject matter expertise in this area, and 
the Board is supported, in particular by the 
Sustainability Committee, to ensure that our 
governance structures are appropriate, to 
provide challenge and scrutiny, and to  
monitor progress.

 Substitute products 
If a lower carbon substitute product 
for concrete emerged which was 
commercially scalable, there could  
be a reduction in demand for concrete 
and cement products. 

There is no obvious scalable substitute product 
for concrete available at present and we believe 
it is unlikely that one will be developed in the  
near term.

Over the longer term, the targeted reduction  
in the carbon intensity of our operations will 
reduce the advantage of substitutes.

Our Energy team monitors developments in 
fuel costs and availability, and works closely 
with operational teams to ensure that we have 
maximum optionality on the types of fuel 
capable of being used in our plants.

We are also investing in a number of renewable 
energy generation projects for electricity to 
reduce dependency on volatile markets, provide 
longer-term cost certainty and become a more 
sustainable business.

 
 
Breedon Group Annual report 2022

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54

Climate-related risks and opportunities

Net opportunity rating

Low

Medium

High

Very high

Risk/opportunity description

Management response

Financial impacts

We are in the process of undertaking a strategic 
review of land holdings to ensure that we are 
maximising future value for our stakeholders.

Where restored land may have an alternative 
use, we have paused our usual sales process 
pending the conclusion of this review.

Where we have been able to utilise external data sources to quantify a climate-related risk 
or opportunity, we have disclosed details of the data source and the resultant possible 
financial impact (prior to mitigating actions) which has informed our scenario analysis.

For those risks which cannot be reliably quantified, we have assumed that a worst case 
scenario (before mitigations) would be £52m of operating profit foregone per annum, 
representing the 2022 Underlying EBIT contribution from our Cement business. 

Data source

Risk modelled

Output (highest modelled impact)

  Alternative uses of 
land resources 
We have significant land holdings, 
typically areas of our quarries on which 
restoration has been completed, 
which could be used for alternative 
purposes such as carbon sequestration 
to generate our own emissions 
credits, biodiversity net gain or to host 
renewable energy infrastructure,  
such as solar farms. 

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  Climate resilience  
and/or green 
infrastructure projects
Our products are used in infrastructure 
projects which both enhance physical 
climate resilience, such as flood 
defence schemes, and in transitional 
technologies, such as green energy 
networks. Increasing investment 
into these type of projects increases 
demand for our existing products.

Our network of operating locations and 
significant mineral reserves throughout  
the UK and Ireland means we are well positioned 
to take advantage of increased demand  
arising from climate resilience and green 
infrastructure projects.

  Sustainable products
Demand for more sustainable products 
is expected to increase, which provides 
a market opportunity to improve both 
volumes and margins through product 
innovation and investment in lower 
carbon technologies. 

In 2022 we launched Breedon Balance, our 
sustainable product range, and we continue  
to review opportunities for innovation within  
our products.

Capital investment supports these product 
developments, with a recent multi-million pound 
investment approved to install silos throughout 
our ready-mixed concrete network to offer  
lower carbon CEM II ready-mixed concrete.

World Resources Institute’s 
Aqueduct Floods tool to  
determine flood risk.

Flooding

Landslide risks using UNEP  
GRID WESR:Risk.

Landslides

WRI’s Aqueduct Water Risk Atlas 
to determine risk of water stress 
impacting production.

Water 
availability

International Energy Agency’s 
Global Energy and Climate model.

Carbon 
pricing

Fuel price projections are derived 
from an Integrated Assessment 
Model framework which simulates, 
in a forward-looking fashion, the 
dynamics within and between  
the energy, land use, water, air 
pollution and health, economy  
and climate systems.

Fuel 
costs and 
availability

Under the most pessimistic climate scenario 
modelled, less than 2% of operating profit is 
estimated to be at risk due to an increased 
risk of flooding to 2050.

Under the most pessimistic climate scenario 
modelled, less than 2% of operating profit is 
estimated to be at risk due to an increased 
risk of landslides to 2050.

Under the most pessimistic climate  
scenario modelled, less than 1% of operating 
profit is estimated to be at risk due to a  
lack of water availability until 2030, and  
less than 2% to 2050.

To achieve net zero by 2050, all free 
allowances are withdrawn and carbon price 
grows rapidly to reach £181/tonne by 2050. 
Assuming no reduction of current emissions 
levels, this would represent a gross cost of 
c.£275m per annum to Breedon.

To achieve net zero by 2050, fuel availability 
is limited and costs increase significantly. 
Assuming Breedon’s current fuel mix  
does not change from a 2021 baseline,  
this could add up to £40m of increased  
cost to Breedon by 2030 and £70m per 
annum by 2050.

 
Breedon Group Annual report 2022

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55

Climate-related risks and opportunities

Scenario analysis

Outcome of scenarios modelled

Climate scenarios considered and 
impact on risk 

  Our financial plan, which is incorporated 
into our viability and impairment 
assessments, assumes that the UK 
and Ireland meet their stated policy 
commitments to net zero by 2050  
on time and in full. However, there  
remain a number of different possible 
warming scenarios as government  
policy and scientific understanding 
evolve over time.

  During 2022 we undertook a detailed 
scenario analysis of the impact of three 
possible different warming scenarios  
on our most significant climate-related 
risks and opportunities.

  Risks have been assessed over short, 
medium and longer term time horizons. 
The short-term analysis to 2025 
aligns with our short-term financial 
planning cycle, 2030 with the timing 
of our medium-term decarbonisation 
roadmap and 2050 with our longer-term 
commitment to achieving net zero by  
this date. 

  Underpinning the analysis in each 
scenario is an assumption that the costs 
of transition impact the industry equally 
and that no scalable substitute product 
for concrete emerges in the near term.

In each scenario modelled, the Group 
would continue to be profitable and cash 
generative, although in some scenarios 
some restructuring of our operating model 
may be required to achieve this.

Given the need to decarbonise our cement 
operations, we are significantly more 
exposed to transitional than physical 
climate risks. 

Therefore the Orderly and Disorderly 
scenarios which involve a successful 
transition to net zero by 2050 present 
the highest risk to Breedon as a result of 
elevated transitional risks in those pathways. 
Opportunities are less impacted by the 
transition pathway, but are greater in the 
Orderly and Disorderly scenarios.

Relative exposure to transition and physical risks under 
each of the Group’s climate scenarios

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Disorderly 
transition

Orderly 
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Adaptation

Physical risks 

 
 
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Climate-related risks and opportunities

TRANSITIONAL RISKS

PHYSICAL RISKS

OPPORTUNITIES

LOW

HIGH

Risk/opportunity impact (unmitigated)

2025

2030

2050

Scenario

Orderly transition
The Orderly transition scenario assumes that climate policies are introduced early and gradually 
become more stringent, limiting the increase in global temperatures to more manageable levels.

1.5 – 2.5°C

Transitional risks increase as climate action is more rapid and ambitious than current policy,  
which would include significant increases in carbon pricing and investment in renewable energy.

Physical risks are relatively subdued in comparison to other scenarios as expected temperature 
increases are lower, but still reflect increases in the frequency and intensity of extreme weather  
events and disruptions to weather patterns.

2.0 – 3.5°C
Disorderly transition
The Disorderly transition scenario assumes a delayed introduction of climate policies, with global 
greenhouse gas emissions increasing throughout the 2020s before more drastic action is taken by 
governments from 2030 to achieve net zero by 2050, with global temperatures reaching significantly 
higher levels than under the Orderly transition scenario.

Transitional risks are therefore the highest of all scenarios reflecting the greater severity of the 
measures required as a result of the delayed implementation of policy measures, while physical  
risks also increase relative to the Orderly transition model as increased global temperatures result  
in more extreme weather events.

Adaptation 
The Adaptation scenario assumes that some climate policies are implemented, but that these are  
not sufficient to halt significant global warming.

3.0 – 5.0°C+

Critical temperature thresholds are exceeded, leading to severe and irreversible physical impacts, 
resulting in the highest level of physical risk across the three scenarios modelled. 

Policy measures focus less on incentivising decarbonisation and more on adaptation, resulting in  
lower levels of transitional risk and increased spend on climate resilience projects. 

Risk /opportunity

Carbon pricing

Capital cost of transition

Fuel costs and availability

Reputational damage 

Water availability 

Alternative uses of land resources 

Climate resilience and/or green 
infrastructure projects 

Carbon pricing

Capital cost of transition

Fuel costs and availability

Reputational damage 

Water availability 

Alternative uses of land resources 

Climate resilience and/or green 
infrastructure projects 

Carbon pricing

Capital cost of transition

Fuel costs and availability

Reputational damage 

Water availability 

Alternative uses of land resources 

Climate resilience and/or green 
infrastructure projects 

Breedon Group Annual report 2022

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57

Climate-related risks and opportunities

Impact on strategy

Metric 

Risks/opportunity

  Sustainability remains a critical element 
of our strategy which underpins the 
whole of our operating model.

  The greatest climate-related risks arise 
from transitional impacts, which are 
mitigated through the strategic actions 
being taken to decarbonise our business 
and achieve net zero by 2050.

  We are well positioned to capitalise  
on climate-related opportunities,  
with a strategy to grow the percentage 
of sales from products with sustainable 
attributes, and are in the process of 
reviewing our land holdings to assess 
how we can best utilise them to  
maximise sustainable, environmentally 
friendly outcomes.

  Our operating locations in the UK and 
Ireland are exposed to relatively low 
physical risk, and consequently this 
does not require a significant strategic 
response. A number of tactical initiatives 
are in place to ensure that the physical 
risks to achieving our strategy are 
appropriately managed.

  The key metrics that we have selected 
to measure our success in executing our 
sustainability strategy are as follows:

GHG emissions – 
scope 1 & 2

Emissions 
intensity

Energy use

Gross carbon 
intensity 
per tonne 
cementitious 
product

Sustainable 
concrete & 
asphalt sales

Carbon pricing

Capital cost of transition

Fuel costs and availability

Reputational damage 

Carbon pricing

Capital cost of transition

Fuel costs and availability

Reputational damage 

Fuel costs and availability

Reputational damage 

Sustainable products

The targets which have been set for 
each of these metrics are set out in the 
Sustainability review from page 58.

Climate in the  
financial statements

We have considered the financial reporting 
implications of the impacts of climate 
change on the financial statements.

Impairment of non-current assets

As noted in our impairment testing 
disclosure in note 9 of the financial 
statements, there may be elevated levels  
of climate-related risk in respect of assets  
in our Cement division as clarity emerges  
on the costs and corresponding commercial 
impact of the transition to net zero. 
However there is no current indication  
of impairment under either base or 
sensitised scenarios.

Inventory obsolescence

If market demand were to decline 
significantly as a result of climate change, 
impacting consumer purchasing habits, 
the cost of inventory held on the Group’s 
balance sheet may become irrecoverable.

There has been no sign of decreasing 
demand for the Group’s products as a 
result of societal responses to climate 
change. Furthermore, any change in 
consumer demand is expected to occur 
over a prolonged period of time. Financial 
controls are in place to identify these shifts 
in demand and we would expect to have 
sufficient time to identify any risks and 
adapt stock production accordingly.

The Group’s inventories includes 
some spare parts held for our Cement 
plants. As discussed in our impairment 
testing disclosures, the technological 
advancements required to achieve net 
zero could result in these items becoming 
obsolete over time, but at present these 
parts are held to support a profitable 
trading business and are not impaired.

Recoverability of trade debtors

The economic impacts of climate change 
may damage our customers’ liquidity, 
leading to irrecoverable debts. Cash 
collection has remained strong across the 
Group throughout 2022 and we mitigate 
this risk through credit insurance policies.

We have not identified any indicators 
that our customers’ ability to settle debts 
has been impacted by climate change 
factors. Financial controls are in place to 
identify any concerns regarding bad debts. 

Furthermore, any risks arising as a result 
of climate change are expected to occur 
slowly over an extended period of time, 
enabling management to respond.

Trade payables and other liabilities

The economic impacts of climate change 
may damage our suppliers’ abilities to 
continue in operation, disrupting our supply 
chain. We have not identified any signs 
that the ability of our suppliers to continue 
trading is currently impacted by climate 
change and consider this unlikely.

Where we hold provisions for restoration, 
it is likely that the sustainability standards 
governing restoration obligations will 
increase over time. However, this would not 
impact measurement of existing liabilities. 

Going Concern and Viability

We have considered the impact of climate 
change through the short to medium-term 
forecasts used to support our use of the 
Going Concern assumption in preparing 
our financial statements, and our Viability 
assessment over a three-year period.

Over the longer term, it is possible that  
the impact of climate change could result  
in increased costs of capital. However  
we completed a successful refinancing 
exercise in 2021 at competitive interest 
rates, we maintain positive relationships 
with our lenders and there has been no 
indication that the impact of climate  
change will result in any significant issue  
in the Group obtaining finance.

Sustainability

58

Our sustainability strategy and framework 
has clear focus areas and targets

Planet

»60

People

»70

Places

»77

Make a material difference to 
the environment

Make a material difference to 
society

Make a material difference to 
the built environment

2030 
TARGET

30% reduction in gross 
carbon intensity per tonne 
cementitious product 
(from 2005 baseline)

FOCUS 
AREAS

Carbon reduction 

Responsible resource  
use and waste reduction

Positively impact more 
than 100,000 people 

Develop and empower a 
diverse, talented workforce 

Positive impact on the 
communities in which 
we work

Positive impact on nature 
We are committed to industry best practice 
and biodiversity 
standards of sustainability

(cid:121) The Group became a full member of the Global Cement and Concrete Association (GCCA) in 2018, 
which drives responsibility in the global manufacture and use of cement and concrete and which 
encourages compliance with their Sustainability charter*, including the publication of targets and 
performance data

Fundamental operating Principles »82

50% of our concrete and 
asphalt sales revenue from 
products with enhanced 
sustainability attributes

Higher performance or lower 
embodied carbon potential 
products and services

Develop solutions that will 
help customers achieve  
their sustainability goals

Cross-industry collaboration

We are a 
progressive, 
sustainable 
business

(cid:121) In the last 12 months Breedon joined:

(cid:121) We support the MPA UK concrete and cement industry ‘Roadmap to Beyond Net Zero’ which 

launched in October 2020, aiming to remove more CO2 from the atmosphere than the industry emits 
each year. Breedon co-chairs both the UK Concrete Steering Group and the UK Concrete Sustainable 
We are committed to industry best practice 
Construction Committee
standards of sustainability

(cid:121) In the last 12 months Breedon joined:

Health, safety  
and wellbeing

Good  
governance

Ethics and 
compliance

(cid:3013) 40 of the world's leading cement and concrete companies to unveil a joint-industry, global '2050 

Alignment with best practice

(cid:121) The Group became a full member of the Global Cement and Concrete Association (GCCA) in 2018, 
which drives responsibility in the global manufacture and use of cement and concrete and which 
encourages compliance with their Sustainability charter*, including the publication of targets and 
performance data

Climate Ambition’ aspiring to deliver society with carbon neutral concrete by 2050
Mineral Products  
Association member

up to delivering a Post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework, urging international governments to 
adopt policies now to reverse nature loss in this decade 

(cid:3013) more than 560 companies worldwide as part of ‘Business for Nature’s Call to Action’ in the run-

Global Cement and Concrete 
Association member

(cid:121) We support the MPA UK concrete and cement industry ‘Roadmap to Beyond Net Zero’ which 

launched in October 2020, aiming to remove more CO2 from the atmosphere than the industry emits 
each year. Breedon co-chairs both the UK Concrete Steering Group and the UK Concrete Sustainable 
Construction Committee

(cid:3013) some of the biggest names in UK construction to sign the Gangmasters and Labour Abuse 
Authority’s Construction Protocol, and became a corporate partner for ‘Scotland Against 
Slavery’,  signaling our commitment to work collaboratively to help eradicate slavery and labour
Climate-related risk assessment
exploitation from the supply chains across the building industry 

Contributing to UN SDGs

Quality

Stakeholder 
engagement

Business for Nature  
commitment

SBTi commitment

(cid:3013) 40 of the world's leading cement and concrete companies to unveil a joint-industry, global '2050 

Climate Ambition’ aspiring to deliver society with carbon neutral concrete by 2050

(cid:3013) more than 560 companies worldwide as part of ‘Business for Nature’s Call to Action’ in the run-

7 ESG INVESTOR PRESENTATION • SEPTEMBER 2021

up to delivering a Post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework, urging international governments to 
adopt policies now to reverse nature loss in this decade 

(cid:3013) some of the biggest names in UK construction to sign the Gangmasters and Labour Abuse 
Authority’s Construction Protocol, and became a corporate partner for ‘Scotland Against 
Slavery’,  signaling our commitment to work collaboratively to help eradicate slavery and labour
exploitation from the supply chains across the building industry 

7 ESG INVESTOR PRESENTATION • SEPTEMBER 2021

* GCCA Sustainability Charter detail available in Appendix

* GCCA Sustainability Charter detail available in Appendix

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Breedon Group Annual report 2022

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59

Sustainability

Our purpose 
and progress

Our purpose is to make a material difference to the lives of our colleagues,  
customers and communities, and our products play an essential part in  
creating a sustainable built environment for everyone.

Breedon’s Sustainability Strategy and 
Framework focuses on our most material 
areas of impact – Planet, People and Places, 
underpinned by our Principles – and is 
linked to our Company vision, strategy  
and purpose.

Embedding our approach

Over the past year we have embedded a 
consideration for sustainability more firmly 
throughout our business. We established a 
Board-level Sustainability Committee and 
appointed Executive Committee sponsors 
and cross-divisional working groups to 
support the divisions in achieving their 
targets for each of the Planet, People, 
Places and Principles focus areas. 

Progress in 2022

Good progress has been made towards 
our remuneration-linked 2030 targets, 
including the launch of Breedon Balance, 
a range of products that have enhanced 
sustainability attributes. 

In addition to the Cement divisions’ 
decarbonisation roadmap to 2050, we have 
published a roadmap for the GB Materials 
and Surfacing Solutions divisions. 

Furthermore, our commitment to develop 
science-based carbon reduction targets 
was accepted by the Science Based  
Targets initiative. 

We have undertaken climate scenario 
modelling to better understand potential 
risks and opportunities, and in doing so 
we have met the requirements of the 
Task Force on Climate-Related Financial 
Disclosures. More detail on our response  
to those risks is on pages 50 to 57.

The scope and quality of our performance 
data has increased year-on-year. In 2022  
we have further improved the assessment 
and recording of our Scope 3 emissions and, 
to demonstrate our continued commitment 
to accurate and transparent reporting, 
Bureau Veritas UK provided an independent 
limited assurance opinion on our Health 
and Safety metrics, energy consumption 
and Scope 1 and Scope 2 greenhouse gas 
emissions, as well as an assurance readiness 
check for our improved Scope 3 emissions. 
The full Limited Assurance Statement  
can be found on our website at  
www.breedongroup.com/sustainability.

Future focus

Our focus for 2023 will be to continue 
making progress on our shorter-term 
targets toward a further reduction in  
Group carbon intensity; positively 
impacting people; and increasing the  
sales of sustainable products, aligned  
with our longer-term 2030 goals. 

We will continue to improve the robustness 
of our performance data and align our 
reporting to a recognised sustainability 
reporting framework. We have committed 
to disclose our full Environmental, Social 
and Governance (ESG) performance to  
a credible external framework in 2023.

In addition we will conduct a new Materiality 
Assessment to ensure our sustainability 
focus continues to be on the areas of 
greatest impact and importance to our 
business and to our stakeholders. 

60

Sustainability   Planet

Planet
Our focus

Our aim is to make a positive material difference to the environment. 
We are committed to achieving net zero by 2050, managing resources 
responsibly and creating a positive impact on nature. 

2030 target

30% reduction in gross carbon intensity 
per tonne cementitious product

Focus areas

Related risks

UN SDG alignment

»61

»66

  Climate change
  Environmental impact
  Input costs 
  Legal and regulatory

  Environmental impact
  Input costs 
  Legal and regulatory
  Mineral reserves

»68

  Environmental impact
  Legal and regulatory

Carbon and  
energy reduction

Responsible resource 
use and waste 
reduction

Positive impact 
on nature and 
biodiversity

Highlights

Emissions intensity  
per tonne cementitious 
product

Emissions intensity  
by revenue 

Emissions intensity 
per tonne core 
product

Alternative fuel  
usage rate  

23%

reduction from  
2005 baseline

Trees planted 

1.3

kgCO2e/£

46.3

kgCO2e/t

48.5%

Biodiversity  
Action Plans

Climate-related  
risks assessed 

SBTi commitment 
accepted 

c.31,000

25

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Breedon Group Annual report 2022

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61

Sustainability   Planet

Carbon and energy reduction

Progress highlights

YoY improvement

Emissions intensity – Cementitious 
% reduction per tonne from 2005 baseline

2022

2021

2020

2019

2018

23%

23%

Emissions intensity – Revenue
kgCO2e/£
2022

1.3

2021

2020

2019

2018

1.6

1.7

1.9

Emissions intensity by core products
kgCO2e/t core products
2022

46.3

2021

2020

2019

2018

Energy intensity
kWh/tonne

2022

2021

2020

2019

2018

44.2

47.2

54.8

71.7

68.3

75.0

84.5

Stable

We have maintained a 23% reduction from 
our 2005 baseline year. We are targeting 
further reductions in line with our 2050 
decarbonisation roadmap.

19%

Our total location-based emissions were 
1.8 MtCO2e. The resultant emissions 
intensity is 1.3kgCO2e/£ revenue, a 
reduction of 19% in comparison to 2021.

Our focus on getting  
to net zero 

We are committed to achieving net zero  
by 2050 and will make every effort to  
reach this goal sooner. 

Net zero means eliminating almost all Scope 
1 and 2 emissions and significantly reducing 
our Scope 3 emissions, with any residual 
emissions permanently offset through fully 
validated and approved schemes. 

The challenge is significant, and one  
which cannot be achieved without a 
coordinated effort between our colleagues, 
our customers, our supply chain and  
our wider stakeholders. 

To ensure that our commitments contribute 
to the wider global decarbonisation 
goals, Breedon formally submitted its 
commitment letter to the SBTi in July  
2022, which was accepted. We will develop 
near-term targets following the SBTi Net 
Zero Standard and the 1.5°C pathway and 
will submit these to SBTi for validation in 
due course. 

Following our SBTi target validation, we will 
update our decarbonisation roadmaps to 
ensure each of our business divisions has 
a framework for their reduction strategies 
and firm targets in place out to 2030 and 
beyond and we will report progress against 
these targets in future reports. 

Cement decarbonisation roadmap to 2050

Initial progress

Current decade Completing the transition

-5%

Our emissions intensity per tonne of core 
product sales increased by 5%. This metric 
uses the total location-based Scope 1 and  
2 emissions as shown on page 63.

-5%

Our total energy intensity per tonne of core 
product sales increased by 5% from 2021. 
This metric uses the total energy excluding 
road transport as shown on page 63.

*
y
t
i
s
n
e
t
n

I

n
o
b
r
a
C

1000

900

800

700

600

500

400

300

200

100

0

Gross
Net

Net 
zero

by 2050

CCUS

Contribution

Fuels and 
power

Clinker 
factor

1990s

2000s

2010s

2020s

2030s

2040s

*  kgCO2 gross or net/t cementitious

 
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62

Sustainability   Planet

Climate-related financial disclosures 

What we said we would do

Progress in 2022

Establish Planet Working Groups  
across each division. 

Carry out TCFD climate scenario  
analysis and use output to highlight  
risks, inform priority actions and  
highlight areas of investment. 

  A cross-divisional Planet Working 
Group was established and met  
four times in the year.

  Carried out our first TCFD climate 
scenario analysis, the results of which 
can be found on pages 50 to 57.

Expand the Scope 3 data collection and 
reporting to include additional categories. 

  Increased the number of Scope 3 
categories from 4 to 11. 

  Additional assurance readiness  
checks undertaken to further  
inform improvements to our data  
and processes.

As part of our longer-term commitment, we 
continue to engage in the pioneering HyNet 
carbon capture and storage infrastructure 
project as a member of the Peak Cluster.

We support the aims of the TCFD and have 
adopted their reporting recommendations 
to aid both our understanding of climate 
change impacts on our business, and of  
our business on climate change. 

During 2022 we engaged a third party 
to carry out detailed climate scenario 
modelling on the impact climate change 
could have on the Breedon business and 
our operational activities out to 2050  
and beyond.

The climate modelling looked at several 
physical and transitional risks relevant to 
our operations, mapped on an Orderly 
transition, Disorderly transition and 
Adaptation scenario perspective.

These risks were further modelled  
with key value drivers such as future  
cost of fuel, carbon credits and availability 
of raw materials to provide a view of  
more detailed short, medium and  
long-term climate-related risks and 
opportunity considerations. 

This enabled us to quantify the financial 
impacts of potential risks and focus  
our strategic considerations relating  

to investment, innovation, our products  
and markets. 

The short-term analysis to 2025 aligns with 
our short-term financial planning cycle, the 
medium-term analysis aligns with our 2030 
decarbonisation target and roadmap, and 
the longer-term analysis aligns with our 
commitment to achieve net zero by 2050.

The key targets we monitor are:

  30% reduction in gross carbon intensity 
per tonne cementitious product; and 

  50% of revenue from sales of  
concrete and asphalt products with 
enhanced sustainability attributes.

These targets are included in our key  
non-financial KPIs on page 37 and are  
linked to remuneration. 

Full details of the methodology used and 
the results of the modelling can be found  
in the TCFD section on pages 50 to 57. 

Reducing carbon emissions

We continue to make good progress 
on our operational energy and carbon 
improvements; understanding our energy 
improvement opportunities at sites; and 
allocating funds to renewables projects  
and for the construction of CEM II silos 
which will increase our ability to provide 
lower carbon products across the UK.

In addition to our Cement division’s net 
zero roadmap above, a Carbon Reduction 
Plan (aligned with UK Government’s 
Procurement Policy Note 06/21) has  
been developed and published on our 
website for our GB Materials and  
Surfacing Solutions divisions. 

Breakdown of Scope 3 categories

GHG Protocol – Scope 3 emissions categories

2022  
tonnes  
CO2e

% of Total 
Scope 1, 2, 3 
emissions

Scope 1 
 71%
Scope 2  3%
Scope 3  26%

1: Purchased goods and services

348,753

14.3%

2: Capital goods

3: Fuel and energy-related activities

4: Upstream transportation  
and distribution

5: Waste generated in operations

6: Business travel

7: Employee commuting

8: Upstream leased assets

9: Downstream transportation  
and distribution

10: Processing of sold products

12: End-of-life treatment of sold products

27,593

121,988

90,837

1,007

840

7,338

270

20,290

4,936

72

1.1%

5.0%

3.7%

0.0%

0.0%

0.3%

0.0%

0.8%

0.2%

0.0%

Scope 3 total

623,923

25.5%

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63

18,057

3,975

51,558

73,590

86,539

-15.0%

Scope 3 reporting

Sustainability   Planet

Breedon Group energy and carbon consumption and emissions 2022

Great Britain

Ireland

Cement

2022  
Group total

2021

% diff 
(2022/21)

On-site combustion 
(MWh)

Electricity (MWh)

Road Transport (MWh)

Energy (MWh)

Process emissions 
Scope 1 (tCO2e)

Scope 1 (tCO2e)

Scope 2 (tCO2e)  
location based

Scope 2 (tCO2e)  
market-based

Total (tCO2e)  
location-based

Total (tCO2e)  
market-based

UK

Rest of World

Total

547,974

160,886

93,374

73,003

16,538

11,466

1,761,280 2,470,140 2,578,588
379,861

241,559

351,471

15,620

100,089

112,796

714,351

188,890 2,018,459 2,921,700 3,071,245

n/a

n/a

1,046,836 1,046,836

1,098,517

154,730

43,001

502,307

700,038

730,075

-4.2%

-7.5%

-11.3%

-4.9%

-4.7%

-4.1%

0

1,948

257

2,205

–

172,787

46,976

1,600,701

1,820,464

1,915,131

-4.9%

154,730

44,949 1,549,400 1,749,079 1,828,592

-4.3%

Energy MWh

2,153,399

768,301

tCO2e  
(inc. process)

%

74%

26%

1,341,524

478,940

%

74%

26%

2,921,700

100% 1,820,464

100%

The table above shows the total annual energy use associated with the consumption of 
electricity, natural gas, all other fuels combusted on site, and fuel consumed for relevant 
business transport purposes, for the period 1 January to 31 December 2022, and a 
comparison with 2021. To provide a true reflection of our relevant emissions, this disclosure 
extends beyond the minimum requirement set by the regulations and includes direct 
process emissions associated with cement manufacture. 

Bureau Veritas UK provided an independent limited assurance opinion on our 2022 data for 
energy consumption and Scope 1 and Scope 2 GHG emissions. The full Limited Assurance 
Statement can be found on our website at www.breedongroup.com/sustainability.

Methodology

The methodology applied to the calculation 
of greenhouse gas emissions is the GHG 
Protocol Corporate Accounting and 
Reporting Standard. 

We have applied an operational control 
boundary, and carbon conversion factors 
have been taken from UK Government GHG 
Conversion Factors for Company Reporting 
– 2022. Emissions are reported as CO2e. 
Location and market-based electricity 
emissions have been reported, as per 
previous years, to reflect the Group’s  
choice of electricity supply.

We have made good progress on 
understanding and measuring our  
Scope 3 emissions, expanding the number 
of categories we measure from 4 to 11. 

As a result of our engagement with SBTi, 
all 15 categories of Scope 3 emissions were 
re-assessed during 2022 and data sources 
identified that would meet the requirements 
of the GHG protocol Scope 3 calculation 
guidance. Four categories were identified 
as not relevant or where the emissions 
were already accounted for within 
other reporting scopes. The remaining 
11 categories of Scope 3 emissions total 
623,923 tonnes CO2e and relate to 25.5%  
of total emissions. Details can be seen in  
the Breakdown of Scope 3 Categories  
chart on page 62.

Our focus for 2023 and beyond is to further 
improve the robustness of the primary data 
and to reduce the impacts from these areas.

Emissions intensity

We have used a carbon intensity metric 
to express the emissions, for the purpose 
of establishing a baseline and for ongoing 
comparison. The intensity metric chosen 
is by £ revenue. Using our ‘location-based’ 
emissions total, the resultant emissions 
intensity is 1.3kgCO2e/£ revenue. This 
represents a reduction of 19% in comparison 
to 2021. 

We have continued to make progress at  
our two Cement works with improvements 
to the use of alternative fuels and raw 
materials and have achieved a combined 
48.5% replacement of fossil fuels. 

The focus for 2023 will include feasibility 
studies for several carbon and energy 
reduction levers including carbon capture 
and use or storage (CCUS) and further 
reductions to clinker factors.

In order to reduce our Scope 2 emissions, 
we have undertaken assessments for 
the use of on-site renewables across the 
Breedon portfolio. Several projects have 
been identified as a result and will be 
progressed in 2023.

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64

Sustainability   Planet

Alternative raw materials and alternative fuels

What we said we would do

Progress in 2022

70

new trucks on the 
road in GB

60%

reduction in NOx

8%

reduction in  
carbon emissions

Investigate alternative fuels for use  
in our quarry mobile plant to reduce  
our carbon emissions.

Improve the efficiency and utilisation  
of our own fleet.

  Trialled the use of HVO in quarry 
dumper vehicle as alternative to diesel.

  Trials of low carbon alternative fuels 
and innovative technologies in our plant 
machinery and mobile equipment.

  Further reduction of transportation 
and haulage impacts through specific 
targets for an all-electric business  
car and van fleet, and a roadmap for  
our internal haulage fleet towards 
electric and hydrogen.

Our cement plants substitute high levels 
of fossil fuels with waste-derived materials 
that would otherwise go to landfill. 

In 2022 we achieved record levels of 
alternative fuel use. Hope increased to 
35%, up from 33% last year and Kinnegad 
achieved 77%, up from 75% last year. 

Kinnegad’s precalcining and kiln burning 
systems have been modified to maximise 
use of alternative fuels. At times it exceeded 
90% replacement, utilising 93,000 tonnes 
of alternative fuels, of which 86% was Solid 
Recovered Fuel, 10% was Liquid Recovered 
Fuel and 4% was Meat and Bone Meal.

Current volumes of waste derived fuels  
at Hope are approaching 70,000 tonnes 
per annum. Apart from the heat these  
fuel streams generate, the ash contained 
within these fuels is incorporated into  
the final product, thereby reducing the 
amount of virgin raw materials that need  
to be quarried.

Projects to make continued improvement 
in this area are ongoing.

Other alternative fuel trials have taken place 
across the Group in 2022. Hydrotreated 
Vegetable Oil (HVO) trials in quarry vehicles 
took place in Northern Ireland and an order 
was placed for an onboard electrolyser 
to be installed into a diesel-powered 
excavator which drip feeds hydrogen into 
the combustion chamber of the engine, 
with potential improvements to fuel 
consumption and air quality. The results of 
this trial will be published on our website.

Transport and logistics

Across GB, we put 70 new trucks on the 
road. These were all Euro 6 and, compared 
to the older fleet, give a 60% reduction in 
nitrogen oxides (NOx) and an 8% reduction 
in carbon emissions. These improvements 
are gained from more efficient engines and 
fuel management systems. 

Following the improved fuel efficiency and 
road safety in the vehicles where we had 
installed the Lightfoot Dynamic system 
previously, we continued to install the 
Lightfoot system in vans and 4x4s used 
across the business. 

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Sustainability   Planet

Energy management

What we said we would do

Progress in 2022

Extend the scope of the ISO 50001:2018 
Energy Management System.

  Ireland ISO 50001 certificate extended 
to Dublin port. 

  Commenced pre-assessment  
of the ISO 50001 standard for our  
GB operations, including Hope  
Cement Works.

  New energy and carbon surveys 
were undertaken in 2022, with several 
improvement opportunities identified. 

Implement a range of energy-saving 
opportunities identified in the 2021  
energy surveys and carry out further 
energy surveys.

Explore opportunities for renewables  
to be deployed at appropriate sites.

  Identified several on-site renewable 
projects for development in 2023.

  Rollout of on-site renewables across 
viable Breedon sites, focusing on 
rooftop or ground solar, wind and  
hydro-electric generation.

In GB, Breedon Cement and Breedon 
Trading have begun the process of 
certification with an accreditor appointed 
and audits of the energy management 
system taking place in the first half of 2023.

Last year we said we would increase  
the number of plants accredited to the  
ISO 50001 energy management standard. 
In Ireland we have expanded the scope of 
certification to cover Dublin Port Bitumen 
Terminal and will look to bring in more of  
the southern plants in 2023. 

Increasing energy efficiency

Our businesses continue to drive for  
energy efficiency improvements, including 
regular reviews of sites’ baseload energy 
usage to ensure electricity used during  
non-operational hours is minimised.

Operational efficiency audits continued in 
2022 at our Norton Bottoms quarry where 
a deep dive into the production rates, losses 
and processes on site resulted in a reduction 
of 20% energy consumption per tonne of 
output versus the previous year. 

At our Dowlow quarry, by understanding 
the impacts of the flow of mobile plant 
on site, and through weekly planning 
meetings and improvements to planned 
maintenance, a saving of 5% on fuel 
consumption was realised.

Renewable energy

Almost all our electricity was supplied from 
renewable contracts in 2022 , although our 
on-site generation has been limited to date.

During 2022 we carried out renewable 
energy feasibility assessment studies 
at a number of sites to identify on-site 
opportunities. 

The largest project is a field solar array 
for up to 17MW at land adjacent to our 
Kinnegad cement plant. Planning consents 
have been received for the project, which 
will have the capacity to deliver up to 20%  
of the plant’s energy needs. 

Naunton quarry is supplied by solar generated 
renewable energy

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Sustainability   Planet

Responsible use of resources, 
wastes and water

Progress highlights

YoY improvement

2.4ppt

Hope increased to 35%, up from 33%  
in 2021 and Kinnegad achieved 77%,  
up from 75% in 2021.

Pollution prevention  
and control

We closely monitor environmental 
compliance and seek continued 
improvement, with stringent monitoring, 
maintenance and reporting systems in 
place to detect and prevent incidents.

With 94% of our operational sites certified 
to the ISO 14001:2015 environmental 
management system standard, routine 
internal and external audits are carried out 
to ensure we comply with environmental 
legislation and understand and mitigate our 
environmental impacts. In 2022, 149 internal 
audits and 140 external audits were carried 
out across the Group. No environmental 
enforcements were received in the year.

What we said we would do

Progress in 2022

Determine and begin the site construction 
for Hope’s ARM project.

  Planning permission received for  
Hope’s new ARM project.

1.6ppt

The combined rate of biomass used at our 
cement plants is at a record high of 21.1%

Complete development work on  
the Kinnegad reception systems to  
further improve alternative material 
handling systems. 

  New system implemented at Kinnegad 
plant enables the site to receive and 
process deliveries of alternative 
materials more efficiently. 

6%

Our mains water per tonne of core product 
sales reduced by 6% from 2021.

Further recycled asphalt planings (RAP) 
additions to asphalt plants and maximise 
recovery of materials.

  Several asphalt plants improved to 
enable increased utilisation of RAP. 
Mansfield asphalt plant capable of up  
to 50% RAP utilisation (see page 29). 

Minimising waste sent  
to landfill

We continue to work with our waste 
contractor partners to minimise waste  
sent to landfill. Through engagement  
with suppliers, clear waste segregation 
practices and identifying reuse 
opportunities, we follow the waste  
hierarchy at our operations.

Steps have been taken to look at the 
packaging we put out into the market,  
even though the vast majority of our 
products are supplied without any 
packaging. At our brick and tile site in 
Ireland we now have at least 30% recycled 
plastic in all our packaging and we have 
removed paper sheets, eliminating eight 
tonnes of paper use per annum.

Alternative fuels substitution rate
kiln fuel

2022

2021

2020

2019

2018

% biomass used
kiln fuel

2022

2021

2020

2019

2018

Mains water
litres/tonne

2022

2021

2020

2019

2018

48.5%

46.1%

45.2%

43.0%

21.1%

19.5%

20.2%

17.7%

13.7

14.5

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Sustainability   Planet

Reuse of secondary and  
waste materials 

Where sites produce material that may  
not be suitable for primary sources, we  
seek to identify opportunities for reuse. 

At our Tom’s Forest quarry, a relatively 
innovative process has been deployed 
to make use of overburden. The material, 
largely decomposed granite, has been put 
through a wash plant to reclaim a sand-like 
material for use in ready-mixed concrete. 
Since the Aberdeen market is short of 
sand, this saves a large number of lorry 
movements which would otherwise have 
been used to import sand to the concrete 
plant on site.

The use of RAP increased in 2022. In 
Scotland we increased our use of RAP  
in the asphalt business to 14,500 tonnes, 
saving around 600 tonnes of bitumen and 
reusing 13,900 tonnes of old road surfaces 
in new production. 

Our investment in our Mansfield asphalt 
plant has extended our RAP capabilities 
further with up to 50% substitution rates 
possible. The site will be able to reuse tar 
bound material through a cold mix process. 
More details can be found on page 29.

Our water supply contracts are  
being consolidated to improve  
automated measurement and  
monitoring, and to reduce costs.

Our focus for 2023 will be on our top  
mains water consuming sites and  
installing smart metering to identify  
any opportunities for savings.

Responsible use of water

During 2022 our sites in Ireland carried out 
water surveys to get a good understanding 
of the flows of water on site, where further 
metering would be beneficial and where 
there are potential water savings. The 
actions resulting from these surveys  
will begin to be implemented in 2023.

We continue to focus on reducing our 
reliance on mains water and have ponds 
and lagoons at specific sites, including a 
newly installed settlement lagoon system 
at Lobinstown quarry. 

What we said we would do

Progress in 2022

Improve waste generation data  
collection and prepare for UK-wide  
digital waste tracking service. 

Improve water data gathering by installing 
meters to monitor water discharge 
volumes and recycled water usage.

Develop Environmental  
Sustainability training.

  Improvements in site’s waste data 
collection and continued engagement 
through industry association circular 
economy group to prepare for the 
digital tracking service.

  Water survey has been completed  
for all Breedon Ireland sites. Additional 
water meters will be installed at key  
sites in 2023.

  Institute of Environmental Management 
and Assessment (IEMA) accreditation 
obtained for the Breedon Sustainability 
Centre; this allowed our approved 
internal teams to deliver IEMA certified 
courses to our managers.

IEMA Sustainability Skills for Managers

As corporate members of IEMA, we work 
together to develop our workforce against 
a backdrop of numerous sustainability 
and climate threats. In 2021 we began 
developing bespoke IEMA approved 
training for our business that could be 
delivered by our teams.

In early 2022 we became an approved 
IEMA Training Centre and delivered our 
first approved course in June. The first 
course developed and rolled out was based 
on IEMA’s Sustainability Skills for Managers, 
a two-day course intended to support 
managers and supervisors from any 
industry in understanding the strategic and 
operational implications of environmental 
sustainability. This was made bespoke 
to Breedon’s Sustainability strategy, 
operations and management systems. 
Over 40 managers have been through the 
training to date with the rollout continuing 
throughout the business.

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Sustainability   Planet

Positive impact on nature 
and biodiversity

Progress highlights

YoY improvement

Trees planted
Thousands of trees planted in year

2022

2021

2020

2019

2018

31.3

24.8

26%

Over 31,000 trees were planted at sites 
across the Group in 2022.

What we said we would do

Progress in 2022

Actively implement the Hope land 
management plan devised with the 
Derbyshire Wildlife Trust. 

  Tree work, enhanced planting and glade 
creation progress made and ongoing 
across the site.

Work with the Woodland Trust to  
identify additional planting areas.

  GB land holdings reviewed. 

Develop Biodiversity Action Plans (BAP)
for 15 key sites.

  Developed 25 BAPs for key sites.

The growing focus on biodiversity net gain, 
natural capital, land use and deforestation 
brings forward the need to ensure that our 
land holdings deliver a positive contribution 
to nature. At Breedon, we are uniquely 
positioned to do more for nature and 
biodiversity than many other organisations. 

We have over 13,000 hectares of land 
in GB alone, good relationships with the 
nature groups and communities around 
our operations, and many engaged and 
enthusiastic colleagues who are keen to  
do more for the ecosystems on the sites 
they work around every day.

Enhancing biodiversity across 
our sites

Our ambition for 2022 was to develop BAPs for 
15 of our key sites. We exceeded our ambition, 
developing a total of 25 BAPs in 2022, giving us 
vital insight into how to manage and enhance 
biodiversity at these key sites. 

We intend to develop BAPs for a number 
of other sites in 2023. A biodiversity week 
will be held in the spring to raise further 
awareness of actions that our colleagues 
can take to promote biodiversity at work,  
at home and in the community.

Habitat creation

Many projects moved forwards in 2022 
including the continued development of 
the wetlands at North Cave, extending 
the sand martin colonies at Sandy Bay 
and Ballystockart and the introduction of 
beehives to Rossmore quarry. In addition, 
over 31,000 trees were planted at sites 
across the Group in 2022.

Biodiversity partnerships

We made progress with the Derbyshire 
Wildlife Trust as part of Hope Cement 
Works’ land management plan. Work has 
been carried out on the meadow area and 
the planting of around 600 new trees across 
the site. Further biodiversity improvements 
are planned in 2023 and, to support this, 
a dedicated biodiversity officer is being 
recruited for GB Cement. 

Our Kingscourt Brick factory has joined 
the Guaranteed Irish Forest initiative, 
which aims to encourage climate action 
engagement and increase biodiversity.

Heritage and archaeology

Recent excavations at Black Cat quarry 
and the nearby Tempsford area in 
Bedfordshire have revealed a diverse range 
of archaeological remains, stretching from 
the Upper Palaeolithic to the early medieval 
period, with particular concentrations from 
the early Bronze Age, the Iron Age, the 
Roman period, and some echoes of a  
Viking presence, too. 

As well as providing illuminating insights 
into the area’s past, the archaeological 
works at Black Cat quarry generated 
numerous opportunities for engagement 
with the local community, providing talks  
to various heritage and community groups. 

Children and staff from a local school  
visited the site to experience archaeology 
first-hand, meeting the quarry manager, 
touring the site, and even excavating test-
pits. The archive has been deposited at the 
Higgins Art Gallery and Museum in Bedford, 
and full excavation reports are available 
through the Archaeological Data Service.

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Future focus

  We are committed to achieve a 2% 
improvement on Group carbon 
intensity (per tonne of product, 
normalised to 2022 production levels) 
by end of 2023.

  We will focus on improving our 
recording of Scope 3 data and on 
identifying opportunities to achieve 
reductions in these emissions. 

  We will develop potential science–
based carbon reduction targets for 
strategic consideration, with an aim  
to make a formal science-based  
target commitment in due course.

  We will develop a Group-wide waste 
reduction plan to achieve zero general 
waste to landfill by 2025, highlighting 
materials across the divisions that could 
be used or reused to lower the carbon 
intensity of our products. 

  We will demonstrate an increase in the 
use of recycled, reused, or alternative 
raw materials in the manufacture of  
our cement, brick and tile, concrete  
and asphalt products. 

  We will develop 14 additional 
Biodiversity Action Plans for key  
sites by the end of 2023. 

Sustainability   Planet

Bird ringing programme  
at Mullaghglass

Following on from a bird survey carried 
out at our Mullaghglass landfill site in 
the Belfast Hills in 2021, Russell Drew, 
Environment Manager for Breedon 
Ireland, engaged with representatives 
from the Constant Effort Sites Scheme 
(CES), a national standardised bird 
ringing programme within the British 
Trust for Ornithology, to begin a 
programme of bird ringing on site. 

This scheme is supported by a 
partnership between Breedon Ireland 
and the British Trust for Ornithology 
(BTO) and the Joint Nature Conservation 
Committee on behalf of the Department 
of Agriculture, Environment and Rural 
Affairs (DAERA), Northern Ireland.

Fourteen young local people (all under 
25) are being trained to become BTO 
licensed bird surveyors and ringers.  
To date two have graduated and have 
been licensed by DAERA and the 
remaining 12 should complete their 
training over the next 6-12 months.

Over the spring and summer of 2022, 
12 bird ringing visits took place at our 
Mullaghglass site where 410 birds were 
processed, covering 25 species. 

The team also reported an impressive 
variety of dragonflies and damselflies 
from the new pond area. 

In the past two years, I have 
seen significantly more wildlife 
at Mullaghglass landfill site 
and on other secure Breedon 
properties than I have seen on 
many local nature reserves. 

Aidan Crean, CES lead 

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70

Sustainability   People

People
Our focus

Our 3,700 colleagues are the heart of our business, and we aim to 
attract, develop and retain talent to help us achieve our long-term goals. 
We aim to be a good neighbour to the communities in which we work, 
ensuring that we operate ethically and responsibly.

2030 target

Positively impact more than  
100,000 people

Focus areas

Related risks

UN SDG alignment

Develop and empower 
a diverse, talented 
workforce

Positive impact on the 
communities in which 
we work

Highlights

Employee 
engagement rate 

»71

  Health, safety and wellbeing
 People

»74

 Mineral reserves

New apprentices 

Managerial and senior roles  
held by women

77%

60

143

Employee training 
hours

Awarded Silver  

People positively impacted since 2021  
(28.9% of 2030 target) 

21,919

5% Club 

28,928

Charitable donations 

Material donations

Good Neighbour Plans in place

£318,087

669 tonnes

55

 
 
 
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Sustainability   People

Develop and empower 
a diverse, talented workforce

Colleague engagement 

What we said we would do

Progress in 2022

Establish People Working Groups  
across our business divisions. 

  Cross-divisional People Working Group 
was established, with four meetings 
held in 2022.

Ensure further development of local 
employee forums.

  Local employee forums embedded 
across the Group.

Making our business a great place to work is 
essential as we rely on our 3,700 colleagues 
to deliver for our customers every day. 

Colleague engagement continues to be a 
high priority and this year we launched our 
new ‘always listening’ approach to the way 
we measure engagement with a new-look 
colleague survey – ‘Your Say’.

The engagement survey was sent to all 
colleagues across all disciplines and our 
overall engagement score significantly 
improved to 77% compared to 69% in 2021.

The survey sought to understand how 
motivated colleagues are to do a good 
job; how proud colleagues are to work for 
Breedon; and if they would recommend 
Breedon as a great place to work. 

We actively encourage our colleagues to 
express their opinions and ideas through 
various engagement and social channels, 
such as our employee engagement surveys, 
our well-established colleague listening 
sessions, intranet, and our social media 
collaboration tool, Yammer. 

In 2021 Pauline Lafferty became our 
designated Non-executive Director for 
Workforce Engagement. In September, 
Pauline had the opportunity to visit  
our GB Wales and South Focus Group  
at Wickwar quarry where she gained a  
first-hand understanding of the views  
from our colleagues following the launch  
of ‘Your Say’. 

The Focus Group involved colleagues  
with differing levels of experience,  
grade and roles to stimulate good 
discussion and give our colleagues  
the opportunity to offer their thoughts  
on the business. Various topics were 
covered such as community engagement, 
training and development, leadership, 
employee recognition mechanisms  
and employee communications. 

We will continue to build on this, working 
with our colleagues across all areas of  
the Group to make Breedon an even  
better place to work.

Colleague wellbeing

Our colleague wellbeing is critical to us,  
and we understand and appreciate that  
the pandemic has affected our colleagues  
in different ways. 

As part of our commitment, we were 
delighted to welcome a new Head of Health, 
Safety and Wellbeing to Breedon in May. 
Details of our health, safety and wellbeing 
strategy and performance can be found on 
pages 83 and 84. 

An integrated wellbeing framework is at 
the heart of all our plans. We have already 
provided lots of help and support to our 
colleagues throughout the year, around 
their physical and mental wellbeing. In 
light of the cost-of-living crisis, we put 
in place additional support and advice 
around financial wellbeing, providing help 
with financial literacy, managing debt 
and longer-term planning for savings, 
investment and retirement. 

Furthermore, through our Home Safe and 
Well programme, we have significantly 
enhanced our welfare facilities across the 
business, with help and support from our 
colleagues. We will continue this journey 
throughout 2023.

Diversity and inclusion 

What we said we would do

Progress in 2022

Focus on our strategy to create a  
diverse, inclusive workforce that is  
fair and attractive to those wishing to 
pursue a career in our industry.

  Reviewed our social media engagement 
and the way vacancies are advertised to 
be more inclusive. 

  Focused on attracting women  
into the sector, especially driver and 
managerial roles.

Increase the number of women in 
managerial roles as well as attracting  
women drivers to ensure we are creating 
more opportunities within the sector.

  Increased the number of women in 
managerial and senior roles by 20% 
from 119 to 143.

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Sustainability   People

Diversity and inclusion 

Progress highlights

YoY improvement

We aim to make Breedon a more inclusive, 
diverse and fairer place to work. We are in 
the early stages of our equality, diversity 
and inclusion journey and are working to 
formalise a cohesive strategy based on 
research we undertook in 2022, so that 
we can implement the right approach to 
support our colleagues. 

In 2022 we reviewed the way we attract 
and recruit talent, undertaking training 
on advertising vacancies and on broader 
engagement across our social media 
platforms. Our intention is to continue 
to develop our brand awareness and 
attraction pipeline to be more inclusive 
and diverse to positively impact candidate 
attraction.

We focused on increasing the number of 
women in managerial roles during 2022.  
As a result, we now have 143 managerial  
and senior roles held by women. 

Our gender pay gap remains consistent 
with previous years and we are on course  
to greater gender pay parity in the future.

Our focus for 2023 is to create an evidence-
led approach to diversity, equality and 
inclusion that will respond to colleague 
expectations, as well as directly link to our 
business strategy and growth requirements. 
This will see us put in place a number of 
commitments, which will see us build a 
diverse and inclusive culture, where we 
provide a supportive working environment 
for all our colleagues.

Education, skills, training and development

Progress highlights

YoY improvement

20%

We now have 143 managerial and senior 
roles held by women. 

Stable

Whilst we have increased the number of 
women in senior and managerial roles,  
the % of women across our wider 
workforce remains at 14%.

50 to 59 years

2022

2021

60 to 69 years

2022

2021

70 plus years
0.5%

2022

2021

0.6%

13.6%

13.6%

Hours of training provided to employees

29.5%

29.1%

2022

2021

2020

2019

2018

21,919

13,651

61%

21,919 hours of training were provided  
to employees.

It is essential that we recruit, develop and 
retain the right people and that we maintain 
a positive culture and working environment. 

We have made good progress in 
implementing our five-year People Plan, 
which was approved by the Board during 
2021, and aims to embed our values, attract 
a talented and diverse workforce, provide 

opportunities for everyone and ensure 
Breedon remains a great place to work. 

We actively support colleagues  
with technical and professional 
qualifications, funded through our levy  
and business sponsorship. 

Number of women at management level

2022

2021

2020

2019

2018

% women in workforce

2022

2021

2020

2019

2018

143

119

14%

14%

13%

Workforce breakdown by age
16 to 21 years

2022

2021

2.5%

2.7%

22 to 29 years

2022

2021

11.7%

11.8%

30 to 39 years

2022

2021

40 to 49 years

2022

2021

19.9%

20.3%

22.3%

21.9%

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Sustainability   People

Highlights for 2022 include: 

Leadership development

Developing the next generation of talent 

  Two colleagues awarded the Minerals 
Engineering Society ‘Outstanding 
Achievement Award’ whilst undertaking 
the University of Derby foundation 
degree in mineral extractives. This was  
in recognition for their mental health  
in construction projects. 

  Twenty-one colleagues achieved 
certificate and diploma qualifications 
related to our industry, awarded by the 
University of Derby, with a further seven 
colleagues achieving foundation degrees  
with distinction. 

As a foundation for a new approach to 
leadership development, we have focused 
our leaders on managing and accelerating 
people performance by introducing a new 
performance management framework. 
Extensive training and coaching continues 
to be carried out across the Group to equip 
our leaders.

Aligned to our health, safety and wellbeing 
agenda, we have integrated wellbeing 
measurement and conversations into  
this framework to ensure these become 
part of our ways of working. 

The appetite for learning continues to grow, 
with 50 new enrolments in higher and 
further education programmes, adding 
to the 15 colleagues already engaged with 
their studies. 

Our focus in 2023 is to build on this and 
create conversational confidence in our 
leaders. This will include more targeted 
development from supervisory level  
and upwards. 

Hebrides surfacing team supporting back-to-work rehabilitation

Together with a local social enterprise 
company, Hebrides Alpha, we have supported 
over 270 days of supervised back-to-work 

rehabilitation for individuals with past alcohol 
or drug-related issues through our Stornoway 
Airport Coastal Protection project. 

Progress highlights

YoY improvement

Number of graduates/apprentices 
recruited in year 

62

41

2022

2021

2020

2019

2018

11

17

51%

We have recruited a record number of new 
apprentices (60) of which 13% are female.

What we said we would do

Progress in 2022

Focus on early-years careers and 
introduce ambassadors to work with 
schools to encourage the younger 
generation to pursue science, technology, 
engineering and mathematics careers. 

  We have appointed a dedicated  
Early Careers Manager. 

Create more opportunities through our 
graduate and apprenticeship schemes. 

  Two graduates recruited and 60 new 
apprenticeships, including LGV drivers.

We offer a wide range of graduate and 
apprenticeship programmes reflecting the 
breadth and diversity of our people and our 
business. In 2022 we focused on skills for 
the future, prioritising our efforts on four 
key disciplines: electrical and mechanical 
maintenance technicians, mineral products 
technicians, drivers, and quarry operatives. 

We added two graduates to the 15 recruited 
in 2021 and concentrated on providing 
a robust programme of experience and 
securing positions for them. Our main 
focus in 2022 has been on growing the 

apprenticeship opportunities across the 
business, recruiting a record number of 60 
new apprentices of which 13% are female. 

We appointed an Early Careers Manager 
to ensure we have the best programmes in 
place to attract a pipeline of young people 
to build their careers at Breedon. 

We were pleased to have been awarded 
silver membership of The 5% Club in 
recognition of the work we have done to 
build and develop our workforce, increasing 
the number, quality and range of ‘earn and 
learn’ opportunities across the UK. 

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Sustainability   People

Positive impact on communities Making a positive impact on society

Progress highlights

YoY improvement

People positively impacted
number of people per year

17,814

11,114

2022

2021

2020

2019

2018

Community/charitable 
financial donations £

£318,097

£154,906

2022

2021

2020

2019

2018

60%

Our cumulative total is 28,928 people 
positively impacted. This is 28.9% of our 
target to positively influence 100,000 
people by 2030.

105%

We more than doubled the amount of 
financial donations made to communities 
and charitable organisations.

Community/charitable 
material donations tonnes

2022

2021

2020

2019

2018

669

513

30%

We donated 669 tonnes of material to 
communities and charitable organisations.

Neighbour complaints 

29

45

72

2022

2021

2020

2019

2018

36%

The number of complaints has reduced  
to a record low.

What we said we would do

Progress in 2022

Establish a methodology, such as  
the National Themes, Outcomes  
and Measures (TOMS) framework,  
to enable us to capture and quantify  
our social value impacts.

  The People Working Group established 
a framework and developed a 
methodology for the Group to calculate 
the number of People Positively  
Impacted by our actions.

  Using our People Positively Impacted 
methodology we are able to calculate 
and report social value impacts for 
specific projects.

Throughout 2022 we positively impacted 
17,814 people, which when added to the 
11,114 people we positively impacted in  
2021, brings our cumulative total to  
28,928 people positively impacted.  
This is 28.9% of our 2030 target.

Our focus for 2023 is to further improve  
our data availability and robustness to  
more fully calculate and report our  
Social Value impacts. 

Focus on increasing the provision of  
social value measurements in tenders.

We aim to create a positive impact on  
the communities in which we operate. 

‘Social Value’ extends beyond employee 
volunteering and charitable support. 
Providing access to employment, creating 
a safe and inclusive working environment, 
developing a diverse and talented 
workforce, our spend with local suppliers, 
and the positive impacts we have on the 
environment all create a positive impact  
on society. 

In 2021 we set a target to positively impact 
100,000 people by 2030. This required 
our People Working Group to establish 
a framework and methodology, broadly 
aligned to the TOMS framework, to enable 
us to calculate and report on the number  
of people we positively impact. 

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Sustainability   People

Good Neighbour Plans

Our businesses have active liaison 
programmes with the communities in  
which they operate, and they seek to 
consider their interests and concerns  
in their operational activities. 

As part of our focus on being a good 
neighbour to the communities around our 
operational sites, our ambition for 2022  
was to develop bespoke Good Neighbour 
Plans (GNP) for 30 key sites. 

We have exceeded this and by the end  
of the year we had 55 GNPs in place,  
41 in GB and 14 in Ireland. We plan to 
develop additional GNPs in 2023. 

Volunteering and supporting 
the local community

Community involvement and stakeholder 
engagement is important to us and  
we are taking positive actions.

In 2022 we donated 669 tonnes of our 
material to communities and charitable 
organisations and we doubled our  
financial donations. 

This year we formed charitable partnerships 
and we introduced a new colleague 
volunteering programme – Make a 
Difference Day. 

We have supported several of our 
colleagues’ volunteering efforts, from  
hiking or cross-country charity bike rides  
to school and careers events or historic 
garden preservation, to make an impact  
in the areas that they operate. 

We have allocated up to £100,000 per 
annum to use for matched funding to 
encourage further involvement and impact. 
In 2022 the Company matched the local 
funding raised by colleagues’ for victims  
of the Ukraine conflict. 

A highlight in 2022 was a weekend family 
fun event at our Holme Hall quarry in South 
Yorkshire in September. Our graduates 
assisted with the planning and organisation 
of the event which was supported by 
many colleagues and local businesses. 
Over 2,000 people from across the local 
community came to the site to understand 
more about the vital role of the quarry, our 
work in the local area, and to see areas of 
the site that have already been restored, 
providing woodland and thriving habitats 
for nature conservation. 

What we said we would do

Progress in 2022

Implement GNPs at all key sites.

  55 GNPs are now in place across  
GB and Ireland.

Implement a colleague  
volunteering programme. 

  Launched a new colleague volunteering 
programme, ‘Make a Difference Day’. 

Open day at Holme Hall quarry

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76

Sustainability   People

Future focus

  We are committed to demonstrating 
a positive impact to 25,000 people by 
the end of 2023. 

  We will improve our ability to 
demonstrate the Social Value of our 
activities through further embedding 
the social value methodology 
developed in 2022 and undertaking an 
impact assessment for each division. 

  We will review and improve the process 
of formally promoting opportunities 
and recording volunteering hours to 
better reflect the actual level of activity 
being undertaken across the Company. 

  We will create a culture of sustainable 
improvement by improving colleague 
knowledge, competency and 
engagement on sustainability.

  We will deliver an employee 
engagement survey and aim to 
maintain the participation rate of  
75% for 2023.

  We will further develop leadership 
capability through the delivery of  
three identified programmes by the 
end of 2023; Safety Culture Leadership, 
Senior Leader programme and 
Leadership Essentials for managers  
and supervisors.

School Climate Challenge

Colleagues from Hope Cement Works 
worked with the Hope Valley Climate 
Action group to run the School Climate 
Challenge with over 300 children in  
Hope Valley. 

This inspired the children to consider 
practical steps to tackle climate change. 
The children made three pledges to do 
something new and took these home to 
involve their families in taking action. 

In addition, participation was promoted 
for the Hope Valley Climate Action 
group’s ‘Use the Bus’ campaign and  
‘Walk to School’ week. A film is being 
made and a teacher’s pack developed to 
enable the School Climate Challenge to 
be made available to all UK schools. 

The children were engaged by Ghazala 
Ahmad-Mear sharing her story of the 
South Pole Energy Challenge 2018, 
the first polar expedition to use only 
renewable energy. 

The children were educated about the 
effects of climate change on Antarctica 
and how that affects us. Working in small 
groups, the children played a card game 
devised by Steve Platt, focusing on home 
energy, travel, consumption, nature, 
money and communicating. 

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Sustainability   Places

Places
Our focus

Our focus on research, development, innovation and collaboration 
aims to provide our customers with products that contribute to a more 
sustainable built environment.

2030 target

50% of our concrete and asphalt sales revenue from 
products with enhanced sustainability attributes

Focus areas

Related risks

UN SDG alignment

Sustainable products 
and services

»78

 Market conditions
 Product specification

»80

 Climate change
 Product specification

»81

 Market conditions

Research, 
development 
and innovation

Collaboration 
and influence

Highlights

Revenue from sustainable concrete  
and asphalt products

Breedon Balance sustainable  
product range launched

37%

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Sustainability   Places

Sustainable products 
and services

Sustainable products 

Our innovative, lower carbon products 
can contribute towards creating a more 
sustainable built environment, including 
infrastructure projects which enhance 

climate resilience, such as flood defence 
schemes, and in transitional technologies 
such as green energy networks.

Progress highlights

YoY improvement

What we said we would do

Progress in 2022

Sustainable concrete and asphalt 
sales revenue % of total concrete 
and asphalt revenue

37%

25%

2022

2021

2020

2019

2018

12ppt

37% of our concrete and asphalt revenue 
was from products with sustainable 
attributes such as lower embodied carbon, 
or an increased percentage of recycled 
content. This compares to 25% in 2021.

Increase sales volumes of bulk  
CEM II product. 

  Increased CEM II volumes to nearly 
400,000 tonnes. 

Develop Environmental Product 
Declarations (EPD) for key products,  
including all our main cement products  
at Hope and Kinnegad.

  Developed and published an EPD  
for Kinnegad’s product. EPDs for  
Hope’s products to follow in 2023.

To be included in our Breedon Balance 
portfolio, products must meet or exceed 
the stringent threshold values we have 
set based around these criteria:

Work with alternative manufactured 
aggregate producers to develop 
suitable aggregate that may be used in 
our concrete blocks and ready-mixed 
concrete business.

  Continued work with OCO Technology 
on manufactured aggregates and 
with recycling companies that process 
Incinerated Bottom Ash as a recycled 
aggregate suitable for use in concrete.

Expand the viability of the successfully 
developed geopolymer concrete that  
has a significantly reduced level of CO2  
and may be used in many applications.

  Several geopolymer concrete projects 
delivered in 2022.

Lower carbon 
footprint than 
a generic 
market 
equivalent

Incorporates 
recycled  
content in 
the product

Less resource 
intensive or  
longer lasting

Positive 
impact on 
nature and 
biodiversity

Positive 
impact  
on water 
usage

Is ethically 
sourced

The following new non-financial KPI will  
be reported from 2022: Revenue from 
concrete and asphalt eco products. 

  Revenue from concrete and  
asphalt products with sustainable 
attributes now formally included  
in non-financial KPIs.

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79

Upgrades to asphalt plants were approved 
in 2022, with a rollout of warm-mix dosing 
systems to begin in 2023. 

The commissioning of the Mansfield asphalt 
plant, equipped with the latest asphalt 
technology will allow the plant to supply 
asphalt with high RAP content and cold  
mix solutions. More detail of this project  
can be found on page 31.

Sustainability   Places

Our 2030 target is to achieve 50% of 
our annual concrete and asphalt sales 
revenue from products that have enhanced 
sustainability attributes such as lower 
embodied carbon, or an increased 
percentage of recycled content. We 
achieved 25% of our annual sales revenue 
from sustainable asphalt and concrete 
products in 2021 and further improved  
on that in 2022 with 37% of our annual 
revenue from these products. Building  
on this performance we are committed  
to deliver a further increase in 2023 of  
3ppt in sales revenue from concrete 
and asphalt products with enhanced 
sustainability attributes.

Our product technical teams evaluate and 
research new products, materials, methods 
and technologies and test these in the field 
to assess their performance. 

One of the key focus areas for 2022 was the 
development and launch of our sustainable 
product offering, Breedon Balance. 

Officially launched in January 2023, 
Breedon Balance products address  
the broad nature of challenges our 
customers face: lowering carbon,  
utilising recycled materials, increasing  
the product life, minimising water  
footprints, enhancing biodiversity, and 
ensuring ethical sourcing practices. 

Over the course of this year we will be 
working with our commercial and sales 
teams to fully integrate the Breedon 
Balance ethos and provide solutions to 
our customers that meet their sustainable 
development goals. 

To reduce the embodied carbon of the 
cement itself, production of the Rapid 
cement (typically around 25kgCO2/tonne 
higher than CEM I) was ceased, and the silo 
space was used to begin the supply of bulk 
CEM II into the GB market. 

Environmental Product Declarations

To enable customers to select the most 
appropriate sustainable product, we 
provide carbon calculations or Lifecycle 
Analysis data on request. 

As a further demonstration of our 
commitment to transparency we provide 
EPDs on key products. In addition to the 
EPD already published for Kingscourt  
Brick, Kinnegad Cement published an  
EPD in 2022 and Hope Cement has EPDs 
under development for 2023. 

Adapting our operations 

Our Hope Cement Works, which 
traditionally produces ordinary Portland 
cement CEM I and a high strength Rapid 
cement, started production of a lower 
carbon CEM II bulk product in 2022. 

The CEM I we produce is typically combined 
with Supplementary Cementitious 
Materials such as fly ash, ground granulated 
blastfurnace slag (GGBS) or limestone at 
our concrete plants to reduce the embodied 
CO2 of our concrete. 

Replacing a portion of the clinker in the  
CEM II mix with limestone lowers the 
embodied CO2 by up to 100kgCO2 /tonne. 
This CEM II can then be combined with 
additional Supplementary Cementitious 
Materials at our concrete plants to lower the 
embodied carbon of our concrete further. 

A multi-million pound investment was 
approved to install silos across the ready-
mixed concrete network to enable us to 
provide lower carbon CEM II ready-mixed 
concrete. In the year, we increased our  
CEM II volumes to nearly 400,000 tonnes. 

In our Surfacing Solutions business, 
a number of recofoam projects were 
delivered, which utilise in situ recycling of 
the existing roads to give both savings of 
the natural resources and carbon savings 
from the reduced transport impacts. Across 
three projects in Scotland alone, the A86 
in Creagdugh, the A96 in Pitmatchie and 
the A77 in Stranrear, we estimate over 600 
tonnes of CO2was saved. 

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80

Sustainability   Places

Research, development  
and innovation

What we said we would do

Progress in 2022

Continue the research, development  
and promotion of sustainable products  
to help our customers mitigate climate 
change impacts.

Establish a new GB technical development 
and innovation centre. 

  Continued laboratory evaluation and 
development of bio-binders.

  Further temperature and fuel use 
reductions for warm-mix asphalts.

  Developed the use of calcined clays 
in concrete and expanded the use of 
geopolymer concrete. 

  Increased the use of recycled  
aggregate in asphalt, concrete,  
and building products. 

  Developed and expanded on the  
use of alkali activated concrete and 
continued research into the injection  
of CO2 into concrete.

  Several options were evaluated but 
did not meet all our requirements. 
This remains a focus for 2023. 

Innovation is a key part of the Breedon 
culture and its future, from the development 
of lower carbon cements, to utilising 
recycled materials in products and from 
adopting new production methods 
to utilising additives that enhance the 
product lifecycle. 

We have further enhanced our working 
relationships with research consultants 
and academia and for our major product 
streams we are partnering with others 
for the development of more sustainable 
products including bio-binders for  
asphalt and self-healing characteristics  
for concrete. 

Minerals locking in carbon

In 2022 Breedon entered into a new venture 
alongside UNDO Carbon Ltd to provide 
a specific mineral product for carbon 
sequestration. Working with UNDO, our 
technical and operational teams identified, 
tested and supplied 25,000 tonnes of the 
optimal mineral material required. 

UNDO spreads mineral-rich crushed basalt 
rock on agricultural land, enriching soil 
health while removing carbon dioxide from 
the atmosphere through a process called 
enhanced rock weathering. 

Rainwater combines with CO2 as it falls through 
the atmosphere, forming carbonic acid. 
When this dilute acid hits the ground, the CO2 
interacts with the basalt rock, mineralises 
and is safely stored as solid bicarbonate ions 
for 100,000+ years. This carbon removal 
technology is permanent, rapid and scalable. 

In 2022 UNDO spread 24,000 tonnes of 
crushed basalt rock across 1,200 hectares 
of farmland, removing approximately 6,000 
tonnes of CO2.

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81

Sustainability   Places

Collaboration and influence

What we said we would do

Progress in 2022

Influencing standards 

Establish a Places Working Group  
across our business divisions.

  Cross-divisional Places Working Group 
established and met four times in 2022.

Ongoing collaboration with UK and  
Ireland universities to develop  
innovative products. 

  Collaborating with universities for the 
development of innovative products 
that potentially require extensive 
research especially in the fields of 
asphalt and concrete. 

  Several confidential projects  
being progressed. 

Cross-industry collaboration 

Collaboration across the supply chain 

As active members of both the Mineral 
Products Association (MPA) and the Global 
Cement and Concrete Association (GCCA), 
we are well positioned to collaborate 
with our peers to tackle the barriers 
towards a greater adoption of sustainable 
solutions. Some of the shared challenges 
being addressed collaboratively are: 
agreeing a standard approach for carbon 
reporting; consistent declarations in EPD 
and Life Cycle Assessment tools; green 
procurement; and changes required to 
existing specifications in product standards 
to allow for more sustainable alternatives 
and mix designs. 

In terms of supply chain collaboration, 
we have a longstanding relationship with 
OCO Technology, who utilise by-products 
from our operations and waste material 
from other industries to produce a carbon 
negative manufactured aggregate. This 
material is then supplied to our plants to 
incorporate into aggregate fill material, 
reducing the demand on natural resources. 
Our technical teams have worked with 
OCO to create a material suitable for use in 
ready-mixed concrete, concrete blocks and 
potentially other product applications. 

Our efforts to inform and influence 
specifications have led to slate material 
from our Welsh Slate operation now being 
specified by the Welsh Government for use 
in bituminous base and binder mixtures.  
The use of secondary slate material 
in ready-mixed concrete is also being 
technically evaluated. This reduces the 
demand for primary materials and makes 
good use of what would otherwise be a 
waste material. 

Further influence on specification is through 
our membership and participation on MPA 
technical committee panels for asphalt, 
concrete and cement BSI standards, 
specifically MPA Asphalt Technical Panel, 
Cement Standards Committee B516,  
and B517 Concrete Standard Committee  
for BS 8500. 

Future focus

  Building on the performance in 2022 
we are committed to deliver a further 
increase of 3ppt in sales revenue from 
concrete and asphalt products with 
enhanced sustainability attributes. 

  In addition, we will launch, monitor 
and start to report on the proportion 
of revenue achieved specifically from 
products that meet the more stringent 
criteria of our Breedon Balance range 
of products. 

  We will train 70% of relevant 
commercial and technical colleagues 
on sustainable solutions. 

Breedon Group Annual report 2022

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82

Sustainability   Principles

Underpinning the pillars of Planet, People and Places, our fundamental 
operating Principles ensure we operate responsibly and transparently. 

Principles
Our focus 

Focus areas

Related risks

UN SDG alignment

Heath, safety and 
wellbeing 

»83

 Health, safety and wellbeing

Good governance 

»85

 Climate change
 Legal and regulatory

Quality

»85

 Product specification

Ethics and integrity

»86

 Legal and regulatory
 People

Stakeholder 
engagement

Highlights

»87

 Climate change
 Market conditions 
 Mineral reserves 
 People

Kinnegad awarded distinction for Increased 
Safety Awareness. 

Board-level Sustainability Committee 
oversight and Executive Committee-level 
ownership of sustainability priorities.

Employee LTISR 
improved by 

Increase in proactive 
safety observations 

Colleagues receiving compliance training  

53%

10%

>2,200

Breedon Group Annual report 2022

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83

Sustainability   Principles

Health, safety and wellbeing

Home Safe and Well

Progress highlights

YoY improvement

Employee LTIFR 
per million hours worked

2022

2021

2020

2019

2018

2.10

2.19

1.95

1.05

1.81

Employee LTI severity rate 
per million hours worked

2022

2021

2020

2019

2018

49.2

105.6

129.3

164.6

Employee TIFR
per million hours worked

2022

2021

2020

2019

2018

14.59

15.57

15.42

17.17

20.54

4%

Our employee lost time injury frequency 
rate fell from 2.19 to 2.10. 

53%

Our employee lost time injury severity 
rate showed a significant improvement, 
reducing from 105.6 to 49.2.

6%

Our employee total injury frequency  
rate has improved year on year.

What we said we would do

Progress in 2022

Continue to embed a culture of looking  
after ourselves and each other to ensure  
our colleagues go home safe and well.

Defibrillators at all GB operational sites 
to provide support to colleagues and 
neighbours in the community.

  Home Safe and Well programme 
messaging embedded into the business. 
Workshops developed for leaders, 
managers and supervisors will be  
rolled out in 2023. 

  Additional defibrillators installed at sites 
across GB, bringing the total to 295. 
These are being registered on British 
Heart Foundations’ national network. 

The development of a strategy for the 
improved support and monitoring of our 
colleagues’ mental health and wellbeing.

  Strategic framework developed to 
support mental health and wellbeing. 

Extend the provision of our health  
and safety wellbeing clinics. 

Further enhancement of Kinnegad’s  
onsite wellness walking trail. 

  Numerous activities relating to mental 
health and wellbeing developed and 
undertaken as part of our strategy. 

  Kinnegad’s wellness walking trail further 
enhanced and in daily use by colleagues 
and the public.

We continue to create an environment 
where we look out for ourselves and  
each other to ensure all our colleagues  
go home safe and well. 

The focus on leadership and the behavioural 
aspects of our health, safety, and wellbeing 
culture are key in taking Breedon to the next 
level of performance. 

Throughout 2022 we have operated with 
a relentless focus on the health, safety and 
wellbeing of our people with the Home Safe 
and Well programme gathering momentum 
as it became embedded in our operations. 

Breedon Group Annual report 2022

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84

Sustainability   Principles

Home Safe and Well is a core thread that 
flows through our health, safety, and 
wellbeing strategy, which covers all our 
sites, assets, people and processes. Over 
recent months there has been an increased 
focus on colleague mental health and the 
expansion of our capability in this area. 

The Home Safe and Well programme  
is starting to bring together best  
practice from across the sector whilst 
exploring cross-sector and industry  
learning opportunities. 

The Home Safe and Well plan concentrates 
Group-wide efforts on the three key 
strategic pillars of People, Places and 
Processes enabled by new and innovative 
technologies. Performance has been 
positive in the first half of the year with 
improved understanding of leading  
and lagging indicator trends which  
present opportunities to continue the 
improvement journey. 

As the Group moves up the Safety Culture 
maturity scale, the business will become 
more informed with improved foresight 
therefore enabling a sector-leading 
approach to the management of health, 
safety and wellbeing.

Safety performance

We safeguard the health, safety and 
wellbeing of all our stakeholders through 
effective management of our operations in 
line with regulations, established industry 
standards and best practice, with risk 
management processes aiming to  
identify risks and implement appropriate 
mitigating processes. 

We promote a strong safety culture with a 
focus on continuous improvement, provide 
relevant training, and facilitate personal 
ownership of health, safety and wellbeing. 
This is supported by effective health, safety 
and wellbeing communications, detailed 
investigations into both actual and potential 
incidents, and the sharing of lessons to help 
to prevent recurrence. 

We have continued to see improvements 
against a number of performance 
indicators. In 2022, we maintained our 
strong health and safety track record, 
with the lost time injury frequency rate 
(LTIFR) falling to 2.10 (2021: 2.19) while 
the lost time injury severity rate (LTISR) 
showed a significant improvement of 
53%, reducing from 105.6 to 49.2 over the 
course of the year. The Group continues to 
look for opportunities to further improve 
performance by focusing on High Priority 
and High Potential events. 

Over 18,600 safety observations were 
raised in 2022, a 10% increase on 2021. 
Of these observations, 94% had been 
resolved by year end. This shows effective 
ongoing engagement and management 
of the proactive and leading health, safety 
and wellbeing activities across the Group. 
We continue to work towards becoming a 
leading company in our fields of operation. 

Wellbeing

Wellbeing is a fundamental part of our 
Sustainability framework, the People Plan, 
and the Home Safe and Well programme. 

We have developed a ‘Wellbeing 
Framework’ that focuses on five priority 
wellbeing areas – mental, physical, financial, 
social and workplace wellbeing – to support 
us in delivering a resilient, healthy, capable 
and sustainable Breedon.

A range of resources such as mental 
health first aiders, health checks, seminars 
on financial management, volunteering 
schemes, diversity networking groups, and 
various working benefits are underway and 
will continue throughout 2023.

The ultimate goal of our Wellbeing 
Framework is to improve the health, safety 
and wellbeing of our colleagues and 
support the communities in which we work.

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Breedon Group Annual report 2022

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85

Sustainability   Principles

Good governance

What we said we would do

Progress in 2022

Establish a Board-level Sustainability 
Committee to review strategies,  
policies and the performance of the  
Group, and to drive improvement in  
relation to sustainability.

  Board-level Sustainability Committee 
established with three meetings held  
in 2022. Further details on page 114. 

  Executive Committee members 
sponsor each of the sustainability pillars 
and cross-divisional working groups 
focus on supporting the delivery of the 
Planet, People, Places and Principles 
objectives across all divisions.

Our Board comprises executive and non-
executive directors with the appropriate 
skills, expertise and experience to discharge 
their duties effectively. The Board adopted 
the QCA Corporate Governance Code 
in 2019 and complies fully with the ten 
principles (see pages 100 to 104). 

In 2022 we established several additional 
measures to enhance the governance  
of our approach to sustainability. 

The Executive Committee have oversight 
and regular involvement in the sustainability 
agenda as part of their broader remit, with 
the Head of Sustainability attending four 
Executive Committee meetings per year. 

Working groups have been established 
for each of the four sustainability strategic 
focus areas of Planet, People, Places and 
Principles. Each of these working groups 
is sponsored by an Executive Committee 
member and has representatives from  
all our divisions to share knowledge and 
best practices to accelerate progress,  
and to make recommendations to the 
Executive Committee. 

The four divisional managing directors 
have each nominated a senior manager 
to be the Sustainability Business Lead 
for their division to effectively embed the 
Group’s sustainability objectives and drive 
improvement actions.

Each of the four divisions have agreed 
specific targets for 2023, demonstrating 
their division’s alignment and contribution 
to the Group’s Sustainability Strategic 
Framework and Objectives. The 
achievement of key sustainability targets 
has been linked to performance incentives. 

Bureau Veritas UK provided an independent 
limited assurance opinion on our 2022  
data for Health and Safety metrics, for 
Scope 1 and Scope 2 greenhouse gas 
emissions and for energy consumption,  
as well as an assurance readiness check  
for our improved Scope 3 emissions.  
The full Limited Assurance Statement  
can be found on our website at  
www.breedongroup.com/sustainability.

To support this approach at Board level, 
a Sustainability Committee is in place, 
chaired by Non-executive Director Carol 
Hui, to review the strategies, policies and 
performance of the Group in relation to 
sustainability, and to drive improvements. 
Further details, including membership of 
the Sustainability Committee, can be  
found on page 114 and 115. 

We will conduct a new Materiality 
Assessment in 2023 to ensure the 
Company’s sustainability focus continues  
to be on the areas of greatest impact  
and importance to our business and  
to our stakeholders.

Quality

Breedon’s systems and processes are 
underpinned by a commitment to quality 
assurance and continual improvement. 

All our production sites are third-party 
accredited to the ISO 9001 quality 
management standard and our expert 
internal audit team continually reviews 
performance against required standards. 

Our in-house technical teams operate  
from laboratories, some of which are  
fully United Kingdom Accreditation  
Service accredited. 

We have robust supplier approval systems 
in place to ensure that our supply chain is 
aligned with our values, and have regular 
reviews of stakeholder needs, including 
customer satisfaction surveys and 
evaluation of complaints.

Breedon Group Annual report 2022

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86

Sustainability   Principles

Ethics and integrity

Progress highlights

YoY improvement

Number of sites covered by Responsible 
Sourcing standard (BES 6001)

2022

2021

2020

2019

2018

151

139

9%

151 concrete plants are certified  
to BES 6001

What we said we would do

Progress in 2022

Deliver online anti-bribery and 
competition law training. 

Undertake a Human Rights Risk 
Assessment exercise to identify potential 
risks in our supply chain. 

Extend BES 6001 Responsible Sourcing 
certification to further key operations.

  E-learning compliance training 
programme developed and delivered  
to over 2,200 relevant colleagues.

  A Human Rights Risk Assessment 
has been scoped and an external 
organisation will undertake this with  
key departments in 2023. 

  BES 6001 Responsible Sourcing 
certification has been extended  
to all concrete plants in GB and  
Breedon Ireland.

and Modern Slavery risks to over 2,200 
colleagues. Additional compliance training 
on Competition and Data Protection was 
given to those of our colleagues whose roles 
required it. In 2023 we will deliver the same 
training via alternative methods such as 
face-to-face toolbox talk style briefings on 
site to those of our colleagues who do not 
have day-to-day IT access. 

We operate a confidential whistleblowing 
line, and all stakeholders are encouraged 
to use this to raise actual or suspected 
breaches of any of our policies or any 
general areas of concern. A summary of 
all whistleblowing complaints, and the 
outcomes, are reported to the Audit & Risk 
Committee with any recurring themes 
assessed as to whether a secondary review 
is required.

Acting in an ethical manner and with 
integrity are crucial to maintaining  
our reputation, upholding the trust  
our stakeholders place in us, and  
delivering success. 

We endeavour to conduct our operations 
on sound business principles and are 
committed to the highest standard of 
ethical conduct. 

Our Code of Conduct (the Code) governs 
and sets the standards of conduct expected 
of all our colleagues. This Code underpins 
our wider suite of compliance policies 
developed to manage our most important 
risks and is available to all employees. 

To enable us to target and monitor training, 
an online learning platform with bespoke 
training courses was developed and 
launched in 2022. 

Throughout 2022 we sought to further 
embed the principles of the Code and 
our policies into the culture of the whole 
organisation by delivering mandatory online 
training on the Code, Anti-Bribery and 
Corruption, the Importance of Information, 

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Sustainability   Principles

Responsible supply chain 

Our suppliers are onboarded to the same 
standards of integrity, with an obligation to 
comply with our Supplier Code of Conduct 
and our policies. Our Modern Slavery 
Statement is published on our website at 
www.breedongroup.com/modern-slavery.

To further inform our Group Risk and 
Responsible Procurement processes, a 
Human Rights Risk Assessment has been 
scoped and will be undertaken in 2023.  
This will involve key employees from 
Operations, HR, Procurement, Payroll and 
Legal. This will map and assess potential risk 
areas in our supply chain and provide advice 
on how to address any identified risks. 

We plan to hold a Supplier Engagement 
Event to share knowledge and improve 
collaboration during 2023 as part of our 
review of our material areas of focus and  
an opportunity for improving engagement.

Stakeholder 
engagement

Our stakeholder report and our material 
topics, our methods of engagement and 
our impacts on stakeholders is on pages  
88 to 93. 

The number of visitors to our sites in 
2022 has increased to over 4,700 and 
includes schools, community groups, 
local businesses, local government 
representatives and investment analysts. 
Over 2,000 visitors attended the successful 
Open Day at Holme Hall quarry. 

We continue to be engaged with industry-
wide topics through our active involvement 
with the GCCA and MPA. 

We have improved the availability of 
information and of our performance, 
making these more visible on our new 
Company website,and we plan to disclose 
our performance further in 2023.

Future focus

  We are committed to voluntarily 
disclosing our performance to a 
credible external framework by end 
2023. This will provide a benchmark 
and gap analysis to aim for incremental 
improvement in 2024. 

  We will further align our data and 
reporting to a recognised sustainability 
reporting framework.

  We will review the remit and 
deliverables of the Planet, People and 
Places working groups to enable the 
delivery of our nearer-term targets.

  We will achieve an improvement in 
wellbeing scores over 2023 through 
implementation of our wellbeing 
strategy and initiatives. 

  We will undertake a Human Rights 
Risk Assessment to further inform 
our Group Risk and Responsible 
Procurement processes. 

  We will conduct a new Materiality 
Assessment in 2023 to ensure the 
Company’s sustainability focus 
continues to be on the areas of  
greatest impact and importance to  
our business and to our stakeholders. 

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Stakeholder report

We understand and respond  
to the needs of our stakeholders

The Board believes that it has acted in a way which  
is likely to promote the success of the Company for  
the benefit of its members and other stakeholders 
through the decisions the Board has taken in the year  
to 31 December 2022. The Board considers the interests 
of stakeholders and the impact of the decisions it takes.

The Board is committed to, and actively 
encourages, effective relationships 
and communication with the Group’s 
stakeholders. The Board believes that by 
taking into account the needs and interests 
of our stakeholders, the value for the Group 
and the long-term success of the Company 
will be maximised. 

Colleagues

We recognise our dedicated workforce 
as a key driver of the value derived from 
the business. Our colleagues are offered 
development opportunities to further  
fulfil their potential. All colleagues are 
offered a fair benefits and compensation  
package relative to their role and level  
in the organisation.

Customers and suppliers

We work alongside our customers by 
striving to deliver the best customer service 
and seek innovative solutions to support 
many of the major projects on which we 
operate. We pride ourselves on going the 
extra mile and recognise customer loyalty 
as a key part of our long-term success.  
The Group recognises the significant role 
its suppliers play in continuing our success. 
We endeavour to maximise value from our 
suppliers and work with them to support 
the delivery of our customers’ needs.

Communities

We are at the heart of the communities 
in which we operate. We recognise our 
responsibility to be good, supportive and 
engaged neighbours. This is addressed  
in our sustainability strategy which sets 
out to positively impact the communities 
in which we operate. Our businesses have 
active liaison programmes and Good 
Neighbour Plans which take into account 
community interests and concerns in  
their operational activities.

Investors and lenders

Our investors and lenders play an important 
role in the continued success of our 
business. We maintain purposeful and  
close relationships with them and our 
sustainable long-term growth strategy 
provides value for our investors and lenders.

Regulators, local government,  
industry associations

Developing and sustaining good 
relationships with the many regulators 
who govern our business is central to the 
success of our business and maintaining 
our licence to operate. We are committed 
to adherence of our legal and regulatory 
obligations. We actively support our 
industry representatives in pursuing the 
best regulatory regime for our business.

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Stakeholder report

Colleagues

Customers and 
suppliers

Communities

Investors and  
lenders

Regulators, local government,  
industry associations

  Physical working conditions

  Product development

  Noise

  Governance

  Climate change

Their  
material issues

  Pay and benefits

  Communication

  Opportunities for development 
and training

  Health, safety and wellbeing

  Sustainability

  Service levels

  Transportation routes

  Sustainability commitments

  Health and safety

  Product quality

  Environment

  Payment practices

  Communication

  Cost

  Support for local causes

  Profitability and return  
on investment

  Sustainability commitments

  Dividend policies

  Environment

  Strategy

Methods of 
engagement

  Colleague engagement surveys

  Direct engagement

  Targeted consultations

  Capital Markets event

  Colleague focus groups

  Contracts and terms of business

  Local liaison meetings

  Site visits and field trips

  Intranet, post, emails, 
newsletters, notices  
and presentations

  Colleague groups and  
social committees

  DNED for Workforce 
Engagement

  Personal development reviews

Improved engagement with 
colleagues ensures we develop, 
motivate and retain our valued 
workforce while promoting and 
attracting new colleagues who  
want to work for us.

Value  
created

  Third-party engagement

  Good Neighbour Plans

  One-to-one meetings

  Website

  Social media

  Telephone calls

  Industry associations

  Community events

  Investor conferences

  Tender quotations

  Letters, emails, notices

  Brokers’ contacts

  360 feedback

  Site tours, open days

 AGM

  Websites

  School visits

Engaging with our customers 
helps us deliver excellent customer 
service and build relationships to 
enable us to get the right product, 
to the right place, at the right time 
for the right price. Engaging with 
our suppliers helps us deliver 
a sustainable supply chain and 
circular economy.

Positive engagement with our 
communities ensures that we 
understand and take into account 
their concerns and needs so  
that we can address these and 
improve the communities that  
we live and work in.

Our engagement with investors  
and lenders ensures that they  
have a clear understanding of our 
business and objectives and are 
prepared to continue with their 
financial support.

Through our engagement we are 
able to respond and contribute to 
sector needs and requirements 
and deliver on compliance and 
regulatory standards, and have 
input in their development.

  Emissions and discharges

  Site restoration and aftercare

  Health and safety

  Logistics practices

  Planning compliance

  Mandatory returns  
and applications

  Regulator visits and meetings

  Notices

  Liaison with local MPs and 
government offices

  Participation in industry 
associations

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Stakeholder report

Board decisions  
2022 stakeholder impact

Here we describe case studies 
or some of the key Board 
decisions taken in the year and 
how stakeholder interests were 
considered are summarised  
on pages 90 to 93.

The Board is responsible for establishing the 
Group’s long-term strategy and objectives, 
however it recognises that the executive 
and senior managers play an important 
role in achieving these goals and, through 
a delegation structure, allows local boards 
and the workforce in those areas to engage 
effectively and react responsibly  
to the needs of our stakeholders.

The Board regularly undertakes site 
visits to engage with colleagues, with the 
Designated Non-executive Director for 
Workforce Engagement embarking on 
additional visits. The executive directors 
frequently interact with colleagues as part 
of their VFL activities across the business. 
The Board engages with shareholders  
at the AGM and hosts meetings with 
investors throughout the year.

Decision to approve a  
new SAYE plan for our  
Irish colleagues

Which stakeholders are impacted

  Colleagues

  Investors and lenders

Consideration of stakeholder interests 
and impact on decision-making

Due to the uncertainty of Brexit 
arrangements the Board had not been 
able to offer an approved SAYE scheme to 
colleagues in RoI since 2018. Colleagues 
that had not applied in 2018 were eager to 
join and participants who were reaching 
their three-year maturity were wanting to 
continue to save and share in the success  
of the Company. 

A new administrator and Trustee for an 
international SAYE scheme were agreed 
and the Board approved plan rules for an 
unapproved SAYE for all colleagues in  
RoI. This decision affected c.10% of  
our colleagues.

Leaton quarry blasting 
presentation for the 
local community 

Investors on a site visit at Cloud Hill quarry

ROI employees at Dublin depot

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Stakeholder report

The Board at the 
2022 AGM

Cement tanker at Hope

Decision to approve a new 
five-year haulage contract  
in GB Cement

Decision to pay final and 
interim dividend

Which stakeholders are impacted

Which stakeholders are impacted

  Investors and lenders

  Communities

  Suppliers and customers

  Colleagues

Consideration of stakeholder interests 
and impact on decision-making

Following a competitive tender, the Board 
agreed to enter into a five-year exclusive 
supply haulage contract with Wincanton for 
GB Cement, commencing 1 January 2023. 

The contract will impact key stakeholders 
through the resultant increase in fleet 
utilisation, improvement in customer  
service through on-time delivery and 
reduction in cost of delivery, due to a  
unified supply chain. 

The improved efficiency of vehicle 
scheduling results in a reduction in fleet 
emissions via reduced delivery miles with 
a net zero target by 2040. As a contributor 
to this target, Wincanton will enable carbon 
offsetting for its customers through a 
certified and recognised programme  
to bridge to lower and zero-carbon 
operations for the long term.

Consideration of stakeholder interests 
and impact on decision-making

The Board took the decision in June 2021 
to implement a structured cash return to 
shareholders in the form of a committed 
and progressive dividend policy. Subject to 
trading conditions and continued sustained 
cash generation the Board agreed to adopt 
a progressive dividend policy that targets 
40% of underlying earnings per share  
over time.

In line with shareholder expectations 
and record revenue and earnings in 
2021, the Board agreed to recommend 
to shareholders at the 2022 AGM a final 
dividend to be paid in May 2022 of 1.1p  
for the financial year ended 2021. This  
was put to shareholders, making a total 
dividend return for the financial year ended 
31 December 2021 of 1.6p. The Board 
agreed in 2022 to make an interim dividend 
payment in September 2022 of 0.7p and will 
put to the AGM in April 2023 a final dividend 
of 1.4p for the year ended 31 December 
2022, giving a total dividend of 2.1p.

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The Board decision to approve entering 
into the contract to provide road surfacing 
services has impacted positively on the local 
community with dedicated locally-based 
colleagues using state-of-the-art paving 
equipment. Breedon’s Longwater asphalt 
plant is located only eight miles away, 
providing 75% less CO2 than a competitor, 
a carbon saving of c.570t through delivery 
vehicle usage alone. The fleet have the latest 
Euro 6 engines and are accredited to the 
Fleet Operated Recognition Scheme and 
are Construction Logistics and Community 
Safety compliant. 

Stakeholder report

Decision to enter into 
a contract for National  
Highways Concrete Road 
Replacement Scheme

Which stakeholders are impacted

  Colleagues

  Communities

  Regulators, local government,  
industry associations

  Suppliers and customers

Consideration of stakeholder interests 
and impact on decision-making

National Highways is undertaking a  
multi-million-pound surface upgrade to 
the A11, as a part of its nationwide drive 
to replace distressed concrete roads. 
The upgrade is to completely remove the 
concrete road surface, which was laid in the 
1990s and some of the foundations, before 
rebuilding the road with a new asphalt 
surface. The upgrade will impact c.45,000 
drivers every day who use the road for  
work, leisure and the movement of goods 
and services. 

Decision to acquire  
Severn Sands Limited

Which stakeholders are impacted

  Communities

  Colleagues

  Suppliers and customers

Consideration of stakeholder interests 
and impact on decision-making

The Board agreed the acquisition of 
Severn Sands, which is a marine dredging 
business operating in the Bristol Channel 
area. The acquisition enhances our 
operational capability, secures mineral 
reserves and resources, and ensures 
our downstream operations in the 
Gloucestershire and South Wales  
region are fully-integrated. 

There are c.30 longstanding colleagues  
that live locally to the site. Through 
engagement with our colleagues they  
have been positively impacted by  
Breedon’s investment. Since acquisition 
our colleagues have benefited from the 
installation of new conveyors and the 
purchase of a new loading shovel which 
helps their work, together with a new 
welfare block and canteen which supports 
their wellbeing. Colleagues have been 
positively impacted through promotion, 
received training and brought onto  
Breedon terms and conditions.

Breedon Group colleagues working on  
the A11 National Highways contract

The M.V. Penfret, the 60 metre marine dredger 
acquired as part of the Severn Sands transaction

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Stakeholder report

Decision to establish a 
Sustainability Committee

Which stakeholders are impacted

  Investors and lenders

  Communities

  Colleagues

  Suppliers and customers

  Regulators, local government,  
industry associations

Consideration of stakeholder interests 
and impact on decision-making

The Board established a Sustainability 
Committee in January 2022 to review the 
strategies, policies and performance of the 
Group in relation to sustainability, so as to 
drive improvement in that area.

A key decision of the Board Sustainability 
Committee was to support the formal 
commitment that Breedon Group would, 
over the next year, develop the necessary 
science-based targets to reach net  
zero by 2050, aligned to a 1.5°C future.  
The Committee supported engagement 
with stakeholders to make them aware of 
our commitment, increased engagement 
with our colleagues and the sharing of 
knowledge and best practices through 
cross-divisional internal Planet, People 
and Places working groups focused on 
supporting the businesses in achieving  
their sustainability objectives.

DNED for Workforce 
Engagement report

Early in 2022, in my role as the Designated 
Non-executive Director for Workforce 
Engagement, I travelled to Scotland 
and visited four Breedon quarries and a 
concrete plant.

Our longstanding VFL approach was the 
template for these engagements, with 
the aim to allow for an open and honest 
exchange of views between our workforce 
and a Board representative.

At Port Dundas concrete plant in Glasgow, 
I spoke with the batcher, truck mixture 
drivers and the area sales and distribution 
teams, covering topics such as health, 
safety and wellbeing. I continued with a tour 
at North Drumboy quarry and reviewed 
our new investment in crushing, screening, 
excavator and loading shovel. Later, I spoke 
with the management team and quarry 
operatives at nearby Bonnington, who 
expressed their view that Breedon’s  
recent investment had meaningfully 
improved morale.

A subsequent visit to our Cowieslinn  
facility focused on coming investment,  
and Breedon’s Make it Happen approach, 
while a final stop at Hyndford sand and 
gravel quarry involved several positive 
discussions with the workforce.

In September, I attended a focus group 
session at Wickwar quarry, following the 
launch of our new-look engagement survey, 
‘Your Say’. This was the first time a director 
with this remit had attended such a session 
– involving team members of different  
levels of experience, grade, and role –  
and feedback was positive. Topics covered 
included community engagement, 
training and development, employee 
recognition mechanisms and employee 
communications.

Pauline Lafferty 
Designated Non-executive Director  
for Workforce Engagement

8 March 2023

Pauline Lafferty engaging with colleagues at 
Wickwar quarry

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Governance

Corporate governance at a glance

Board of Directors

Corporate governance statement

Audit & Risk Committee report

Nomination Committee report

»95

»96

»98

»106

»112

Sustainability Committee report

Directors’ Remuneration report

Directors’ report

Statement of Directors’ responsibilities

»114

»116

»134

»136

 
Breedon Group Annual report 2022

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Corporate governance at a glance

Board overview

Non-executive tenure

Independence

Amit Bhatia

Carol Hui

Pauline Lafferty

Helen Miles

Clive Watson

6 years, 5 months

2 years, 8 months

17 months

21 months

3 years, 5 months

1  Non-executive Chairman
4 Independent
2 Non-independent

Non-executive experience

Attendance

Board

Strategy

Finance/accounting

Risk/internal control

Sector experience

Legal

Sustainability

Workforce

Governance

Listed company

4

4

4

4

3

3

5

5

5

5

d
r
a
o
B

6/6

6/6

6/6

6/6

6/6

6/6

6/6

k
s
i
R
&
t
i
d
u
A

–

–

–

3/3

3/3

3/3

3/3

Amit Bhatia

Rob Wood

James Brotherton

Carol Hui

Pauline Lafferty

Helen Miles

Clive Watson

n
o
i
t
a
r
e
n
u
m
e
R

n
o
i
t
a
n
m
o
N

i

y
t
i
l
i

i

b
a
n
a
t
s
u
S

3/3

2/2

3/3

–

–

3/3

3/3

3/3

3/3

–

–

2/2

2/2

1/2

2/2

–

–

3/3

3/3

3/3

3/3

Ethnicity

White

Board

5

3

3

3

3

8

Audit & Risk Committee

Remuneration Committee

Nomination Committee

Sustainability Committee

Executive Committee

BAME

2

1

1

2

2

0

Gender

Female

Board

Executive Committee

Direct report to Exec Committee

26

3

1

11

Male

4

7

 
 
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Board of Directors

Board 
leadership

Our Board comprises an 
executive leadership team 
with extensive knowledge of 
the international construction 
materials industry, supported 
by experienced non-executive 
directors who bring strong 
governance disciplines and a 
valuable external perspective 
to our business.

Key

A Member of the Audit & Risk Committee

R Member of the Remuneration Committee

N Member of the Nomination Committee

S Member of the Sustainability Committee

Committee chair

Board independence

The Board considers all the non-executive 
directors as independent with the exception 
of Amit Bhatia, who has been appointed 
as Abicad Holding Limited’s representative  
on the Board, pursuant to a relationship  
deed dated 17 November 2015.

Amit Bhatia
Chairman of the Board

Rob Wood 
Chief Executive Officer

James Brotherton
Chief Financial Officer

N S

Independent: No

Independent: No

Independent: No

Amit was appointed to the Board in August 2016, 
appointed Deputy Chairman in April 2018 and 
Non-executive Chairman in May 2019.

Rob was appointed to the Board in March 2014  
as Group Finance Director and took the position 
of Chief Executive Officer in April 2021.

Skills, experience and contribution

Skills, experience and contribution

Amit has over 20 years’ corporate finance and 
private equity experience. He is a founding 
Partner at Summix Capital, a strategic land  
and property fund. He is a Gold Leaf member at 
the Aspen Institute. He was Executive Chairman 
of Hope Construction Materials until it was 
acquired by Breedon Group in August 2016  
when he joined the Board. 

Amit has a strong strategic and entrepreneurial 
approach which he brings to the Board together 
with his governance and stewardship experience 
which, as Chairman, continues to ensure the  
long-term success of the Group.

Other positions held:

  Chairman, Queens Park Rangers Football Club

  Partner at Summix Capital 

Rob has 20 years’ experience in the international 
building materials industry. He qualified as 
a Chartered Accountant with Ernst & Young 
and subsequently joined Hanson PLC where 
he held a number of senior positions including 
Finance Director Brick Continental Europe, 
Finance Director Building Products UK and 
Chief Financial Officer Australia and Asia Pacific. 
Following the acquisition of Hanson PLC by 
HeidelbergCement AG, Rob returned to the UK 
and joined Drax Group plc as Group Financial 
Controller. During his time at Drax he also spent a 
period of time as Head of Mergers & Acquisitions. 

Rob has held an executive position on the  
Board for a number of years bringing solid  
and invaluable operational leadership, as both 
Group Finance Director and Chief Executive 
Officer and fully understands the challenges  
and opportunities for the Group.

Other positions held:

  None

James was appointed to the Board in April 2021 
as Chief Financial Officer.

Skills, experience and contribution

James joined Breedon in January 2021. 
Previously he was CFO of Tyman Plc between 
2010 and 2019, prior to which he was Director 
of Corporate Development for five years.  
Earlier in his career, James worked in investment 
banking roles at Citi and HSBC, after qualifying  
as a chartered accountant at Ernst & Young. 

James has considerable international 
construction sector and corporate experience 
in the areas of finance, strategy, operational 
efficiency, systems development, mergers and 
acquisitions and business integration and has 
contributed significantly to the financial longevity 
and strategic success of the Group.

Other positions held:

 Director, The Quoted Companies Alliance

  Member of the Panel on Takeovers  
and Mergers

 Member of the Pre-Emption Group

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Carol Hui 
Non-executive Director

Pauline Lafferty 
Non-executive Director

Helen Miles 
Non-executive Director

Clive Watson 
Non-executive Director

A R N S

Independent: Yes

A R N S

Independent: Yes

A R N S

Independent: Yes

A R N S

Independent: Yes

Carol was appointed to the Board in May 2020 
and as Chair of the Sustainability Committee in 
January 2022.

Skills, experience and contribution

Previously, Carol was the Chairman at Robert 
Walters plc, an Executive Board Director at 
Heathrow Airport Limited and held senior 
positions at infrastructure companies  
including Amey plc and British Gas plc.  
She was a corporate finance lawyer London  
with Slaughter and May. Carol is an experienced 
non-executive director having served on  
boards in infrastructure, tourism, charities  
and education. She has received numerous  
legal and business awards throughout her  
career including from the Financial Times,  
the International Law Office and PwC. 

Carol brings a diverse perspective to the Board 
and provides it with valuable insight from her 
extensive strategic, commercial, legal and 
sustainability expertise.

Other positions held:

  Non-executive Director, Grainger plc,  
Chair of Responsible Business Committee

  Non-executive Director, British Tourist 
Authority and Chair of the Audit and  
Risk Committee 

  Non-executive Director, Lord Chamberlain’s 
Committee, Royal Household

Pauline was appointed to the Board and as Chair 
of the Remuneration Committee in August 2021 
and is the Designated Non-executive Director  
for Workforce Engagement.

Skills, experience and contribution

Pauline brings significant experience from an 
international career spanning manufacturing 
and supply, executive search and human 
resources. Since retiring from her role as Chief 
People Officer at Weir Group plc, where she 
was responsible for progressing the Group’s 
agenda on all aspects of strategic HR, she has 
embarked on a non-executive portfolio that 
includes being the Chair of the Remuneration 
Committee for XP Power Limited and Scottish 
Events Campus Limited. Prior to Weir Group plc, 
Pauline was a Partner with The Miles Partnership 
and an Executive Director at Russell Reynolds 
Associates in the UK and Australia, and Asia 
Pacific Director of Materials & Supply at Digital 
Equipment Corporation in Hong Kong. 

Pauline brings to the Board significant 
experience with regards to human resources, 
particularly in the key areas for the Board of 
talent, development and retention, employee 
engagement and cultural change. Pauline is a 
strong advocate on the Board for both employee 
engagement and positive culture changes.

Other positions held:

  Non-executive Director, XP Power Limited, 
Chair of Remuneration Committee 

  Non-executive Director, Scottish  
Events Campus Limited, Chair of 
Remuneration Committee

Helen was appointed to the Board in April 2021  
as an independent Non-executive Director.

Skills, experience and contribution

Clive was appointed to the Board in September 
2019 and became the Senior Independent 
Director and Chair of the Audit & Risk Committee 
in April 2020.

Helen brings with her a breadth of operational 
and commercial experience having worked 
within regulated businesses together with her 
broader infrastructure experience developed 
across Telecoms, Leisure and Banking. As a 
member of the UK Board, Helen was instrumental 
in delivering HomeServe’s future growth strategy 
and ensuring a sustainable, customer-focused 
business. As an experienced finance professional, 
Helen was previously Chief Financial Officer 
for Openreach, part of BT Group plc, and has 
extensive experience of delivering major business 
transformation across the Group. Prior to BT 
Group, Helen worked in a variety of sectors and 
organisations such as Bass Taverns Limited, 
Barclays Bank plc, and Compass Group plc. 

Helen’s strong expertise in the Board’s key areas 
of growth strategy and sustainability and her 
customer-focused business and transformation 
experience, fully supports and complements the 
Board’s skill set.

Other positions held:

  Capital and Commercial Services Director, 
Severn Trent Plc

Skills, experience and contribution

Clive has considerable finance experience, having 
previously been the Group Finance Director of 
Spectris plc, Chief Financial Officer and Executive 
Vice President for business support at Borealis, 
Group Finance Director at Thorn Lighting Group 
and held a variety of finance roles at Black & 
Decker. In 2019, Clive retired as a Non-executive 
Director of Spirax Sarco Engineering plc, where 
he was Chair of the Audit Committee and Senior 
Independent Director. 

Clive is both a Chartered Accountant and 
member of the Chartered Institute of Tax with 
significant finance experience in a variety of 
industries which allows him to continue to 
support the Board with its long-term success.

Other positions held:

  Non-executive Director discoverIE Group plc, 
Chair of Audit and Risk Committee

  Non-executive Director Kier Group plc, Chair 
of Risk Management and Audit Committee

  Non-executive Director Trifast plc, Senior 
Independent Director and Chair of Audit and 
Risk Committee

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Corporate governance statement

Board governance

Membership of the Board consists of two 
executive directors and five non-executive 
directors who together have the necessary 
range of skills and experiences (see pages 
96 and 97 for individual biographies) to 
govern the Company effectively. The 
Board is diverse and has a 43% female 
representation on the Board. The Board 
takes into account a number of factors 
when making appointments, including 
other demands and commitments on 
directors’ time and all new Board members 
undergo an induction process. The Board  
is supported on all governance matters by 
the Group General Counsel and has access 
to an online resource library.

The governance structure in 2022 has  
seen the continued development of our 
Board Committees, whose membership 
consist solely of non-executive directors, 
with the establishment of a new 
Sustainability Committee. My role as 
Chairman is separate to that of CEO, held by 
Rob Wood, and we both have distinct and 
agreed responsibilities. Further details on 
the Division of Responsibilities can be found 
on our website at www.breedongroup.
com/division-of-responsibility, which also 
outlines the role of our appointed Senior 
Independent Director, Clive Watson. 
With the exception of myself, all other 
non-executives directors are deemed 
independent which represents over half of 

the Board membership. My performance 
is reviewed by the senior independent 
director which includes discussions with 
the non-executive directors while I am not 
present. The feedback received in 2022  
on my performance was positive.

a presentation on the results noting the 
engagement score of 77%. Our Designated 
Non-executive Director for Workforce 
Engagement, Pauline Lafferty, sat in on a 
follow-up focus group with colleagues to 
clearly understand their views.

As well as formal meetings such as Board 
meetings and strategy sessions, during 
2022 the Board met on an informal basis 
for dinners and site visits, together with 
sessions without executive directors 
present. Attendance at meetings by the 
Board can be found on page 95. The 
Company has an Executive Committee 
which consists of the two executive 
directors and a number of senior executives 
within the business. Members of the 
Executive Committee together with  
other senior managers are invited to  
Board meetings on a regular basis.

Board purpose and culture

Our purpose is to make a material difference 
to the lives of our colleagues, customers 
and communities. As a Board we have 
been fortunate to undertake a number of 
site visits and to meet colleagues in their 
environment to understand their needs, 
how we can make an impact and ensure our 
culture is aligned throughout the Group.

In 2022 we were able to hold our first AGM 
in person since 2019 and welcomed both 
shareholders and stakeholders to the 
meeting. The voting results were a positive 
affirmation of the Board’s assurance of long-
term success for the Company. Our corporate 
website was relaunched in 2022, which is 
easily accessible and ensures that we are able 
to engage effectively with our stakeholders.

Board focus in 2022

During the year, the Board has spent time 
scrutinising, monitoring and reviewing:

Governance – Board Delegated Authority, 
Committee terms of reference, Annual 
report and its disclosures, its effectiveness;

Finance and performance – CEO and CFO 
reports, budget, dividend declaration, 
hedging, final and interim performance;

Strategy – acquisitions, contracts,  
main listing, digitalisation, sustainability,  
US strategy;

The Board considers culture an important 
aspect to its purpose, value and strategy. 
A colleague survey was conducted during 
2022 and the Board was pleased to receive 

Workforce – health and safety, employee 
survey, share schemes and incentives; and

Stakeholders – employee engagement, 
AGM, site visits, investor relations.

I am pleased to introduce 
this year’s corporate 
governance statement, 
in which we describe our 
governance arrangements, 
how the Board and 
its Committees have 
operated, and how the 
Board has discharged its 
responsibilities to ensure  
the long-term success  
of the Company.

Amit Bhatia 
Chairman

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Corporate governance statement

A summary of the governance activities in 
2022 of the Board Committees follows,  
and some of the Board decisions taken and 
how they have impacted our stakeholders 
can be found on page 88 to 93.

Board effectiveness

In line with good governance practice, 
during 2022 the Board undertook an 
internal review of its own effectiveness 
together with that of its Committees.  
The review encompassed a self-assessment 
of individual Board members’ skills, 
knowledge and expertise, and challenged 
them to seek any areas that they would 
like to explore to ensure that they could 
contribute effectively. The Board was also 
asked to review its performance and what 
could be improved in terms of the Board’s 
structure and governance and how well 
they perceived the Board as a whole was 
functioning. A small number of areas 
relating to function and administration  
were identified and the Board has  
agreed to take these forward during 
2023. A separate individual review of my 
performance was carried out by the SID. 
The Board has agreed that an external 
evaluation of its effectiveness will be  
carried out during 2023.

Board Committees 

Audit & Risk

»106

The Board approved new terms of 
reference for the Committee in January 
2022 which widened the Committee’s risk 
remit, following the development of the  
Risk Management Framework and the 
internal controls within the Group. 

During the year, the Committee further 
supported the development and the 
embedment of the four lines of defence 
model, risk assurance mapping and the 
financial controls framework as part of 
the risk management framework. The 
Committee reviewed the principal risks 
alongside the Board and has received 
reports from the outsourced internal audit 
resource together with reports on Risks  
and Controls.

Nomination

»112

The Nomination Committee’s focus in the 
year has been reviewing and challenging 
the succession plan for the executive 
leadership of the Company, including both 
the short-term and long-term succession 
strategy, particularly in relation to the 
executive directors. Following a retirement, 
the Committee oversaw the appointment  
of a new Executive Committee member.

Succession planning is a key priority for the 
Committee to ensure that both the Board 
and the Executive Committee continue 
to have appropriate skills, knowledge, 
expertise and diversity to govern and 
operate the Company for its continued 
long-term success. 

Sustainability

»114

In January 2022, the Board established a 
new Board Committee in recognition of the 
importance of the Group’s sustainability 
strategy. Carol Hui was appointed by the 
Board to chair the Sustainability Committee 
having previously been the Designated 
Non-executive Director for Sustainability 
since 2020. 

During the year, the Committee reviewed 
progress against sustainability strategic 
objectives and targets; reviewed and 
approved the suite of sustainability policies; 
reviewed risks and opportunities that 
relate to sustainability; received regular 
updates on stakeholder engagement and 
communications; and supported the formal 
commitment for Breedon to develop the 
necessary science-based pathway to  
reach net zero by 2050. 

Remuneration

»116

The focus for the Committee in 2022  
has been on implementing the 
remuneration policy put in place in  
2020, setting appropriately challenging 
targets and ensuring pay outcomes 
for 2022 fairly reflect the performance 
of the business given the challenging 
macroeconomic environment. 

The Committee has reviewed the base 
salary of the executive directors and 
Executive Committee in the context of 
workforce increase and reviewed employee 
pay across the Group; determined bonus 
outcomes for 2021 and agreed measures 
and targets for 2022, granted PSP awards 
to executive directors and certain senior 
executives; approved the vesting of the 
2019 PSP award; and received various 
updates on performance of outstanding 
PSP and annual bonus awards whilst 
considering remuneration trends. 

Board focus in 2023

The Board’s focus in 2023 remains the 
health, safety and wellbeing of the Group’s 
colleagues and its continued improvement 
on sustainability performance; the long-
term success strategy of the Company 
which will see the Group look for further 
growth opportunities whether organic or 
through acquisition in the UK, Ireland and 
internationally; and making decisions for  
the benefit of all our stakeholders.

For further information on our strategy,  
see pages 22 to 29.

Following the announcement of our 
intention to seek admission to the premium 
segment of the Official List, the Board will 
look to comply fully with the provisions and 
principles of the UK Corporate Governance 
Code and where it does not, we will 
explain. How we have currently applied 
the provisions and principles of the UK 
Corporate Governance Code can be  
found on page 105.

Breedon Group Annual report 2022

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Corporate governance statement

The Board adopted the QCA Corporate Governance Code with effect from 1 January 2019. A summary of our approach in 2022 is included above and how we comply fully  
is detailed on pages 101 to 104.

Principle

What we did in 2022

Principle

What we did in 2022

Deliver growth
1
Establish a strategy and 
business model which 
promotes long-term value 
for shareholders

The Board discusses strategy 
at every meeting and during 
the year have taken decisions 
towards those strategies. During 
2022 the Board held a focused 
strategy session, which revisited 
its growth strategy, analysed

its current position and 
performance and strategised 
various different routes to 
ensure the longevity of the 
success of the Company for 
its shareholders and other 
stakeholders.

2
Seek to understand and  
meet shareholder needs  
and expectations 

During 2022, various members 
of the Board held both meetings 
and calls with shareholders 
and investors representing a 
significant proportion of the 
Group’s issued share capital. 

All Board members were 
available to meet with 
shareholders at the AGM  
and a facility was available 
whereby questions could be 
asked directly of the Board  
by shareholders in advance  
of the AGM.

3
Take into account wider 
stakeholder and social 
responsibilities and  
their implications for  
long-term success

4
Embed effective risk 
management, considering 
both opportunities and 
threats, throughout  
the organisation

The Board and the appointed 
Designated Non-executive 
Director for Workforce 
Engagement undertook various 
interactions with employees, 
including attending an 
employee focus group, 

following the employee  
survey carried out in 2022.  
The Board, through its 
Sustainability Committee, 
received regular updates  
on the Company’s engagement 
with all stakeholders.

The Board appointed an 
independent internal audit 
function in 2020 and has 
continued to embed the four 
lines of defence assurance 
model within the Group. 

The Audit & Risk Committee 
operated in 2022, with 
an enhanced role and 
responsibilities to support  
the Board with its risk 
management framework.

Maintain a dynamic management framework
5
Maintain the Board as a  
well-functioning, balanced  
team led by the Chairman

During the year, the Board 
reviewed its effectiveness 
and its Committees and the 
SID carried out a review of the 
Chairman’s performance.

The Board received various 
presentations and training 
sessions during the year and 
undertook site visits so that they 
could fulfil their responsibilities. 

Maintain a dynamic management framework continued
6
Ensure that between  
them the directors  
have the necessary  
up-to-date experience, 
skills and capabilities

The Nomination Committee 
and the Board reviewed the 
skills matrix of the Board and 
its Committee, together with 
its membership profile by 
independence, gender, ethnicity 
and tenure and the Nomination

Committee will continue to 
make recommendations on 
appointments based on  
skills, experience and knowledge 
that would complement  
the Board.

7
Evaluate Board 
performance based 
on clear and relevant 
objectives, seeking 
continuous improvement

8
Promote a corporate 
culture that is based  
on ethical values  
and behaviours

9
Maintain governance 
structures and processes 
that are fit for purpose and 
support good decision-
making by the Board

Build trust
10
Communicate how the 
Company is governed 
and is performing by 
maintaining a dialogue with 
shareholders and other 
relevant stakeholders

Following an externally 
facilitated review in 2020, the 
Board undertook a self-assessed 
effectiveness review in 2022 
based on a number of indicators

against their performance 
and identification of any areas 
for development. An external 
evaluation will take place  
in 2023.

The Board continued to embed 
culture and values throughout 
the Group during 2022, through 
seeking to embed the Group’s 
agreed values of keep it simple, 

make it happen, strive to 
improve and show we care.  
An employment engagement 
score of 77% was attained  
in 2022.

The Board formally met six 
times in the year and all its Board 
Committees met their approved 
terms of reference. 

The outcome of the self-
assessed Board effectiveness 
review was that the Board  
and its Committees were  
all considered to be effective  
in 2022.

The Company published its 
Annual Report in March 2022 
and provided both full and half 
year results announcements, 
together with a trading 
statement in November 2022. 

The Board held regular calls and 
meetings with investors during 
the year and was available to 
shareholders in attendance at 
the AGM. The corporate website 
was re-launched in the year, 
which is more user-friendly  
for all our stakeholders.

Breedon Group Annual report 2022

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Corporate governance statement

Deliver growth

Principle 1

Establish a strategy and business  
model which promote long-term  
value for shareholders

The Board has established the Group’s 
strategy and regularly reviews progress 
towards the Group’s objectives. The 
strategy for sustainable long-term growth 
consists of three priorities governed by 
a disciplined financial framework. These 
are embedding a culture of sustainability 
– operating a sustainable business is our 
highest priority and the lens through  
which all strategic decisions must pass; 
optimising our business – we are a 
trusted and credible steward of reserves 
and resources, delivering continuous 
improvement to drive efficiencies of  
scale and increase utilisation of our assets; 
and expanding growth through multiple  
routes – we have a variety of routes to  
grow the business.

The Board ensures that the Group 
communicates its strategy to investors, 
colleagues and other stakeholders using 
means appropriate for each group.

Breedon’s sustainable long-term growth 
business model is highly cash generative, 
supporting the introduction of a progressive 
dividend. The Group provides essential 
construction materials into markets with 
multi-year growth tailwinds, particularly 
infrastructure and housebuilding which 
have long-term pipelines. Breedon’s high-
quality earnings stream and disciplined risk 
framework offers significant growth. 

The Group’s Strategy and Business  
Model, together with the key challenges 
faced by the Group in their execution, are 
described in more detail on pages 16 to 21, 
and 22 to 29. 

Principle 2

Seek to understand and meet 
shareholder needs and expectations

The Board is committed to and actively 
encourages effective relationships and 
communication with the Company’s 
shareholders.

Members of the Board have meetings with 
representatives of institutional shareholders 
and potential investors to promote a greater 
understanding of the business, and the 
Board’s strategy for the continued long-
term success of the business. Through 
these meetings, the Board gains a clear 
understanding of the views of the major 
shareholders, and the needs of potential 
shareholders. The executive directors 
play an important role in ensuring that 

shareholder views are communicated to 
the Board, and we believe that we have 
been successful in ensuring that all directors 
have a clear understanding of major 
shareholders’ views.

The executive directors are  
primarily responsible for shareholder  
liaison and may be contacted via  
investors@breedongroup.com.  
Any individual can subscribe for  
the Group’s regulatory news and 
information via www.breedongroup.com/
subscription-centre.

All shareholders are actively encouraged 
to participate in the AGM. At general 
meetings the Company proposes separate 
resolutions on each substantially separate 
issue. The Company provides shareholders 
with the opportunity to appoint a proxy.  
In addition, proxy votes are counted, and 
the results announced. 

The Chairman of the Board and Board 
Committee Chairs, the Senior Independent 
Director, and all other directors are available 
to answer questions at each AGM.

The Company arranges that notice  
of the AGM and related papers are  
sent to shareholders at least 20 working 
days before the meeting, giving time  
for all shareholders to consider  
resolutions properly.

Principle 3

Take into account wider stakeholder 
and social responsibilities and their 
implications for long-term success

We recognise the importance of balancing 
the interests of our key stakeholders – 
colleagues, customers, investors, suppliers, 
industry regulators and associations 
together with the wider communities in 
which we operate. Engaging with our 
stakeholders strengthens our relationships 
and helps us make better business decisions 
to deliver on our commitments. We have 
a non-executive director for workforce 
engagement and recognise that the 
executive and senior managers of our 
businesses can support engagement  
with our stakeholders to ensure that the 
Board fully understands any concerns.  
The Group has several policies in place 
including Biodiversity, Circular Economy, 
Diversity and Inclusion, Energy and 
Carbon, Health, Safety and Wellbeing, 
Quality, Environment, Social Responsibility, 
and Sustainability and these guide our 
behaviours in relation to our stakeholders.

The way in which the Board engages and 
takes into account stakeholder issues, 
together with the resultant impact is 
detailed on pages 88 to 93.

Breedon Group Annual report 2022

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Corporate governance statement

Principle 4

Embed effective risk management, 
considering both opportunities and 
threats, throughout the organisation

Maintain a dynamic  
management framework

Principle 5

The Board recognises its responsibility 
for determining the nature and extent 
of the principal risks the Group has to 
take to achieve its strategic objectives 
and priorities, and maintains sound risk 
management and internal control systems 
to do so. The Board reviews and approves 
the Group’s risk appetite on an annual basis.

Risk management processes are 
embedded throughout the Group to help 
management identify and understand the 
risks that they face in delivering business 
objectives and the key controls to managing 
those risks. By identifying and managing 
those existing and emerging risks, the 
Board can focus on long-term business 
opportunities. The Board is responsible for 
the Group’s systems of risk management 
and internal control, and reviewing their 
effectiveness. The Audit & Risk Committee 
reviews the suitability and effectiveness of 
risk management processes and controls 
on behalf of the Board.

Further details of the Group’s approach 
to risk management, together with a full 
description of the key risks faced by the 
Group, are set out in pages 44 to 57.

Maintain the Board as a well-functioning, 
balanced team led by the Chairman

The Chairman sets the Board’s agenda and 
the Board is provided with clear, regular 
and timely information on the financial 
performance of the businesses within the 
Group, and of the Group as a whole. In 
addition, other trading reports, contract 
performance and market reports and data, 
including reports on personnel-related 
matters such as health and safety and 
environmental issues, are provided. The 
Board has approved a schedule of matters 
reserved for the Board. The Chairman 
encourages and facilitates each director’s 
contribution to ensure that no one individual 
can dominate its proceedings. All directors 
are encouraged to use their independent 
judgement and to challenge all matters, 
whether strategic or operational. The SID 
undertakes an evaluation of the Chairman 
annually and the Board undertakes an 
external validation of its effectiveness  
every three years.

The Board has established Audit & 
Risk, Remuneration, Sustainability and 
Nomination Committees to support the 
Board in the performance of its duties, and 
the Board believes that the members of 
those Committees have the appropriate 
skills and knowledge to perform the 
functions delegated to them. A review of 
the effectiveness of the Committees is 
carried out annually.

The time commitment expected from 
directors is set out in their service 
agreements or letters of appointment 
(as appropriate). Executive directors are 
required to work such hours as may be 
necessary for the proper performance of 
their duties. The Board has agreed that  
each executive director may take on one 
non-executive directorship of a public 
company outside of the Breedon Group. 
Non-executive directors are expected 
to devote such time as is necessary for 
the proper performance of their duties, 
including in preparation for and attendance 
at Board, Committee and shareholder 
meetings. When accepting their 
appointment, each non-executive director 
confirms that they can allocate sufficient 
time to meet the expectations of their role.

The Board is satisfied that it has a suitable 
balance between independence on the  
one hand, and knowledge of the Group  
on the other, to enable the Board to 
discharge its duties and responsibilities 
effectively. The Board considers all of its 
non-executive directors, with the exception 
of the non-executive Chairman, to be 
independent in character and judgement.

Principle 6

Ensure that between them the directors 
have the necessary up-to-date 
experience, skills and capabilities

The composition and performance of 
the Board, and the skills and experience 
of each director, are regularly evaluated, 
to ensure that they best fit the evolution 
of the Group’s business. The Nomination 
Committee regularly reviews the succession 
plan to ensure that when seeking to 
recommend new members to the Board, 
consideration of a range of relevant matters 
including the diversity of its composition is 
given. The Board considers that each of the 
directors brings a senior level of experience 
and judgement to bear on issues of 
operations, finance, strategy, performance, 
resources (including key appointments)  
and standards of conduct. 

Breedon Group Annual report 2022

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Corporate governance statement

Directors are given regular access to the 
Group’s operations and personnel as and 
when required. Non-executive directors 
have a wealth and breadth of experience 
gained through their directorships on the 
boards of other listed companies. The 
individual biographical details of Directors 
including the skills, experience and 
contribution that they bring to the Board 
can be found on pages 96 and 97.

The roles of non-executive Chairman 
and CEO are not exercised by the same 
individual and the division of responsibility  
is clear and set out on the Group’s  
website at www.breedongroup.com/
division-of-responsibility. 

The primary role of the Chairman is to 
ensure the Board is effective in setting 
and implementing the Group’s direction 
and strategy and the operation of the 
Company’s governance structures. He is 
responsible for leadership of the Board 
and ensuring that the Group maintains 
an appropriate level of dialogue with its 
shareholders. The role of the CEO is to 
oversee the operational management of  
the Group’s businesses, and the role of the 
SID is to act as a sounding board for the 
Chairman and other members of the Board 
and to be an alternative point of access  
for shareholders for matters that they do 
not wish to raise through other channels. 

The Board considers and reviews the 
requirement for continued professional 
development and each director is 
encouraged to reflect on their own 
individual needs. The Board seeks to ensure 
that its awareness of developments in 
corporate governance and the regulatory 
framework is current, as well as remaining 
knowledgeable of any industry-specific 
updates. The Group General Counsel,  
the Group’s Nominated Adviser and other 
external advisers serve to strengthen this 
development by providing guidance and 
updates as required.

Principle 7

Evaluate Board performance based on 
clear and relevant objectives, seeking 
continuous improvement

The Board regularly reviews its own 
effectiveness and considers whether the 
Board comprises the appropriate skills 
to meet the needs of the business. The 
Chairman is in regular contact with each 
member of the Board to ensure that any 
concerns are identified and acted upon. 
The SID undertakes an annual performance 
review of the Chairman. The Board 
carries out an externally facilitated Board 
Effectiveness Review every three years and 
welcomes input as part of the process from 
stakeholders outside of the Board. 

The Board also conducts an internal review 
of its effectiveness during the intervening 
period. The Board is committed to actioning 
any suggestions or recommendations that 
are made to improve its effectiveness.

Principle 8

Promote a corporate culture that is 
based on ethical values and behaviours

All Group colleagues are expected to 
maintain an appropriate standard of 
conduct in all of their activities, and the 
directors seek to set the tone for such 
behaviour through their own actions.

To promote a common culture across 
the organisation, we have defined a clear 
purpose and set of values that support  
the successful delivery of our strategy.  
Led by the Board and Executive  
Committee, the Group continues to  
embed the purpose ‘to make a material 
difference to the lives of our colleagues, 
customers and communities’ to create a 
workplace where people feel safe, proud 
and motivated to do their best. The values 
at the heart of our business: keep it simple; 
make it happen; show we care; and strive 
to improve, will drive the performance of 
the business, motivating and engaging 
colleagues, building customer loyalty  
and strengthening our relationship with 
local communities.

The Group has established a robust 
compliance framework to regulate its 
activities in respect of inter alia business 
conduct, modern slavery, competition law 
compliance, anti-bribery and corruption, 
data protection, whistleblowing, non-
facilitation of tax evasion and conduct of 
suppliers and closely monitors compliance 
with these. The Group has a Diversity & 
Inclusion Policy which the Sustainability 
Committee oversees adherence to.

Through our VFL programme, our leaders 
ensure that there is a culture of safe 
behaviour, by allowing an exchange of  
views in an open and honest environment.

Breedon Group Annual report 2022

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Corporate governance statement

There is a formal schedule of matters 
reserved to the Board which includes 
strategy and management, structure 
and capital, financial reporting and 
controls, internal controls, contracts, 
communication, Board membership 
and other appointments, remuneration, 
governance, sustainability and corporate 
policies. The Board is supported by the 
Audit & Risk, Nomination, Sustainability 
and Remuneration Committees. Terms 
of reference of each Board Committee, 
and the schedule of matters reserved 
to the Board are set out on the Group’s 
website at www.breedongroup.com/
board-committees. The activities of the 
Audit & Risk, Nomination, Sustainability and 
Remuneration Committees during 2022  
are described on pages 106 to 133.

The executive and management teams, 
which are overseen by the CEO with input 
from the individual business managing 
directors, are responsible for day-to-day 
management of the Group’s business  
and its overall trading, operational and 
financial performance. 

Principle 9

Maintain governance structures and 
processes that are fit for purpose and 
support good decision-making by  
the Board

The Board meets at least six times per year 
in accordance with its scheduled meeting 
calendar. The Board receives appropriate 
and timely information prior to each 
meeting, a formal agenda is produced, 
and these papers are distributed in good 
time before each meeting. At the start of 
each meeting, the Board considers any 
Directors’ Conflicts of Interest. The Board 
is responsible for the long-term success of 
the Group and is accountable for overall 
Group strategy, approval of annual budgets, 
annual and interim results, dividend 
policies and approval of major investments, 
including long-term contracts, acquisitions 
or large capital items. However, the Board 
recognises that governance is not just about 
compliance. The Board strives for good 
and effective governance, with informed 
and transparent decisions contributing 
to the delivery of the Group strategy. The 
Chairman is responsible for maintaining 
strategic focus and direction and the 
CEO is responsible for implementing the 
strategy and overseeing the management 
of the Group through the executive and 
management teams.

Build trust

Principle 10

Communicate how the Company 
is governed and is performing 
by maintaining a dialogue with 
shareholders and other relevant 
stakeholders

We are committed to maintaining good 
communications with our shareholders,  
and have put in place appropriate processes 
and structures to allow that to happen. 
The Company communicates with our 
shareholders through the Annual Report 
and Accounts, trading announcements, 
the AGM, the Capital Markets Event and in 
the manner set out in the commentary in 
relation to Principle 2. 

We maintain a dedicated email address 
which current or potential investors  
can use in order to communicate with  
the Group’s investor relations team 
(investors@breedongroup.com). The 
Company announces the result of the proxy 
votes cast for each resolution proposed 
at each general meeting of the Company 
immediately after such meeting, and a 
range of corporate information (including 
all historical annual reports and notices 
of meetings, announcements, dividend 
information and presentations) is made 
available on the Group’s website at  
www.breedongroup.com/investors. 

The Board receives regular updates on the 
views of shareholders through reports from 
its brokers and from directors following 
shareholder engagement. Analysts’ notes 
are reviewed and discussions held with the 
Company’s brokers to maintain a broad 
understanding of varying investor views. 

Breedon Group Annual report 2022

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Corporate governance statement

UK Corporate  
Governance Code

For the year ended 31 December 2022,  
we applied the principles of good 
governance and, although the Board 
has adopted and complies fully with the 
QCA Corporate Governance Code, we 
acknowledge the provisions and principles 
of the 2018 UK Corporate Governance 
Code. The following provides a summary 
against which shareholders can evaluate 
how we have applied the principles.

Board leadership and  
Company purpose

How we assess opportunities and risks is  
set out on pages 45 and 46 with our 
Viability Statement on page 135.

An overview of our purpose, values and 
strategy is set out on page 7.

How we engage with stakeholders is on 
pages 88 to 93 together with the report 
from our designated non-executive  
director for workforce engagement.

The voting results of our latest AGM  
may be found on our website at  
www.breedongroup.com/agm..

The Audit & Risk Committee monitors any 
confidential or whistleblowing concerns. 
The report of the Audit & Risk Committee 
can be found on pages 106 to 111.

Any conflicts of interest are identified 
together with significant shareholdings and 
declared at every meeting. Further details 
on the Board’s biographies can be found  
on pages 96 and 97.

Division of Responsibilities

On appointment I was not independent, 
however we have identified that each of 
the remaining non-executive directors are 
deemed independent and non-executive 
directors make up over half the Board. 
The composition of the Board and their 
independence can be found on pages 
96 and 97 together with any FTSE 100 
companies of which they may be a director.

I regularly hold sessions without executive 
directors present and the SID conducts 
an annual appraisal of my performance 
without my presence. Attendance and  
the number of meetings of the Board  
and its Committees in 2022 can be found  
on page 95.

The roles of Chairman and CEO are not 
exercised by the same individual. The 
responsibilities of the Chairman, CEO 
and SID can be found on our website at 
www.breedongroup.com/divison-of-
responsibility. The Group General  
Counsel supports the Board with  
advice on governance matters.

Composition, succession  
and evaluation

The Nomination Committee’s report can 
be found on pages 112 and 113 and provides 
information on its work during 2022 
including that of succession planning.

All directors stand for annual re-election 
and the tenure of all directors, including  
the Chairman may be found on pages 96  
and 97.

We undertake an annual performance 
of the Board and Committees, which is 
acted upon by the relevant Chair with an 
externally facilitated effectiveness review 
every three years. The next external review 
will take place during 2023.

Audit, Risk and Internal Controls

The report of the Audit & Risk Committee 
describing its work in 2022 can be found on 
pages 106 to 111 including its membership 
and roles and responsibilities. The review  
of the effectiveness of internal controls 
carried out in the year can be found in  
the report. Its terms of reference can  
be found in full on the corporate  
website at www.breedongroup.com/
board-committees.

The Board’s approach to risk management 
and internal controls including the principal 
risks and the identification of emerging risks 
is detailed on pages 44 and 45.

Responsibility for preparing the Annual 
Report can be found on page 136 and 
our statement on Going Concern and 
our assessment of the prospects of the 
Company can be found on page 135.

Remuneration

The report of the Remuneration Committee 
setting out the work of the Committee 
in 2022, together with the remuneration 
schemes and policies can be found on 
pages 116 to 133. Membership of the 
Committee is provided in the report 
including details of the directors’ contracts.

The terms of reference for the 
Remuneration Committee can be found 
on our corporate website at www.
breedongroup.com/board-committees 
and outlines the delegated responsibility for 
determining the policy for remuneration of 
the executive and the fee for the Chairman. 
How these align with the workforce can be 
found on page 125. The remuneration of the 
non-executive directors is determined by 
the Board and is contained in the Directors’ 
Remuneration report on pages 116 to 133.

Amit Bhatia 
Chairman

8 March 2023

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 Audit & Risk Committee report

The role of the Committee is to monitor 
the integrity of the Group’s financial 
statements and ensure that the interests 
of shareholders are properly protected 
in relation to financial reporting, internal 
control and risk management.

The Committee monitors and reviews the 
effectiveness of the internal control and risk 
management framework, alongside the 
wider compliance environment operating 
within the Group which includes the  
Group’s whistleblowing arrangements.

The Committee makes recommendations 
to the Board in respect of the appointment 
of the external auditor, reviews and monitors 
their independence and objectivity, and 
approves their remuneration. It consults 
with the external auditor on the scope of 
their work and reviews all major points 
arising from the audit.

The Committee oversees the Group’s 
outsourced internal audit function which 
reports directly to the Committee, and has 
responsibility for appointing the Head of 
Internal Audit, approving the annual internal 
audit plan, reviewing key outputs from 
internal audit reviews and assessing the 
performance of the function. 

The Committee has relevant financial 
experience at a senior level as set out in  
the biographies on pages 96 and 97.

Terms of reference

 review of auditor independence;

The Committee’s terms of reference reflect 
the current regulatory requirements and 
best practice appropriate to the Group’s 
size, nature and stage of development.  
They were revised and adopted in the 
previous year and are available on the 
Group’s website at www.breedongroup.
com/board-committees. No changes  
to the terms of reference were 
recommended this year. 

Key activities carried out  
in the year

During the year, the Committee met  
three times. Relevant members of 
management including the CEO, CFO, 
Group Financial Controller and Group Risk 
& Controls Manager were in attendance 
at these meetings, which covered the 
following topics:

March 

  review of the Annual Report, including:

  significant accounting issues  
and disclosures;

  Going Concern and Viability;

  review of solvency position to support 
final dividend;

  review of risk management processes 
and principal and emerging risks;

    update on risk management review 
processes and financial controls 
framework implementation;

  review and approval of the Group  
Risk Management Framework;

 update on tax compliance status; 

  update on progress against the internal 
audit plan and findings of internal control 
reviews; and

  approval of the internal audit plan for 
2022 to 2023.

July

  review of the interim financial statements, 
including interim risk disclosure;

  review of solvency position to support 
interim dividend.

  update on risk management review 
processes and financial controls 
framework implementation;

   fair, balanced and understandable 

reporting;

  update on findings of internal control 
reviews; and

  discussion of KPMG’s findings from the 
2021 audit;

  review of whistleblowing reports and 
actions taken. 

The Audit & Risk 
Committee maintained 
its focus on ensuring high 
standards of financial 
governance during  
the year.

Clive Watson 
Chair, Audit & Risk Committee

Attendance

Meetings 
attended

Eligible to 
attend

Clive Watson

Pauline Lafferty

Helen Miles

Carol Hui

3

3

3

3

3

3

3

3

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 Audit & Risk Committee report

November

  approval of KPMG’s external audit 
engagement letter, fees and audit 
strategy for 2022 audit; 

  approval of appointment of Anna Barrell 
as KPMG’s new audit partner, effective 
for the 2023 financial year;

  update on risk management review 
processes and financial controls 
framework implementation;

  annual review of effectiveness of the  
Group’s risk management and internal 
control framework;

  annual review of effectiveness of  
internal audit;

  update on progress against the internal 
audit plan and findings of internal  
control reviews;

  agreed internal audit plan for the 2022  
to 2023 Internal Audit Cycle;

  review of Group tax strategy;

  review of whistleblowing reports and 
actions taken; and

  review of Committee effectiveness.

Significant accounting matters

The Committee considered key accounting 
issues, judgements and disclosures in 
relation to the Group’s 2022 financial 
statements, the most significant of which 
were goodwill impairment testing and 
restoration provisions.

These key issues were discussed and 
reviewed with management and the 
external auditors. The Committee 
challenged judgements made and  
sought clarification where necessary. 

The Committee received a report from 
the external auditor on the work they had 
performed to arrive at their conclusions 
and discussed in detail all significant 
findings contained within that report. The 
information contained in the table below 
should be considered together with KPMG’s 
independent external audit report on pages 
138 to 145 and the accounting policies 
disclosed in the notes to the financial 
statements as referenced in the table.

Area of focus

Audit & Risk Committee review

Conclusions

Impairment of goodwill

See note 
9 to the 
financial 
statements

The Group has £469.6m of goodwill arising 
from acquisitions. This is not amortised  
but is reviewed for impairment on an 
annual basis, or more frequently if there  
are indications that the goodwill may  
be impaired.

The recoverable amounts of each 
segment showed significant 
headroom compared to their 
carrying value when reasonably 
possible changes are made to  
key assumptions.

The Committee noted that key 
judgements were reasonable,  
and that management has 
obtained an external calculation 
for discount rates to reflect 
increasing costs of capital  
during 2022. 

The Committee was satisfied  
that no impairment of goodwill  
was necessary, and that the 
disclosures in the financial 
statements, including those 
around the impact of climate 
change, were appropriate.

The recoverable amounts for each 
segment to which goodwill has been 
allocated are calculated by determining  
the value in use of each segment, based 
on the net present value of projected 
cash flows, with the most significant 
judgements being the forecast financial 
performance, longer-term growth rates 
and discount rates.

The Committee was presented with 
a written report from management 
setting out the basis of the calculation, 
support for the key assumptions used 
and consideration of the Group’s market 
capitalisation. This report included detail 
on the judgements made about the  
impact of climate change on forecast 
financial performance in the impairment 
review, in particular for the Cement 
operating segment.

The Committee discussed these 
judgements with both management  
and the external auditor, and considered 
the appropriateness of the key 
assumptions and the adequacy of the 
disclosure provided in note 9 of the 
financial statements.

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 Audit & Risk Committee report

Area of focus

Audit & Risk Committee review

Conclusions

Area of focus

Audit & Risk Committee review

Conclusions

Provisions

See notes 
16 and 
26 to the 
financial 
statements

The Group holds a provision of £84.7m 
for the future costs of restoring and 
decommissioning its trading assets.  
These amounts can be especially 
significant for the Group’s quarries  
and our two cement plants.

The Group conducts an annual process 
to review the ongoing accuracy and 
adequacy of these provisions, with the aid 
of external experts, where appropriate.

During the year, the level of provision 
increased to reflect expected future 
increases in restoration costs, arising 
primarily from the impact of higher rates  
of inflation experienced during 2022.

The Committee discussed the output 
from the annual review of provisions with 
management and the external auditor.

Accounting impact of climate change

See notes 
9 and 26 
to the 
financial 
statements

Climate change has been identified by 
the Group as a principal risk, and both the 
physical and transitional risks posed by 
climate change could affect accounting 
judgements made in preparing the 
financial statements.

The Committee was presented with a 
paper from management which assessed 
this potential impact, concluding that the 
judgements made in the impairment of 
non-current assets were the only area 
which was likely to impact the financial 
statements materially, as a result of the 
uncertainty surrounding the costs involved 
to transition to net zero by 2050. The 
Committee reviewed the disclosure of 
this as a key accounting judgement in the 
financial statements.

Identification of non-underlying items

The Committee noted the impact 
of inflation on the calculation of 
restoration provisions during  
the year.

See note 
3 to the 
financial 
statements

They concluded that provisions 
were appropriately calculated  
and fairly stated in the accounts.

The identification and presentation of 
certain items as non-underlying on the 
face of the consolidated income statement 
requires management to apply judgement 
in identifying and appropriately disclosing 
these items.

In 2022, total non-underlying items before 
tax were £7.0m (2021: £6.2m), being 
primarily the amortisation of acquired 
intangible assets.

The Committee considered the nature of 
the items which were presented as non-
underlying and the associated disclosures 
in the notes to the financial statements.

The Committee was satisfied 
that the non-underlying items 
identified by management were 
appropriately disclosed and 
that this presentation provides 
stakeholders with useful additional 
understanding of business 
performance by reflecting the way 
in which the business is managed.

They noted that the nature of 
such items was consistent over 
time and were clearly disclosed in 
the accounts with reconciliations 
provided to statutory measures.

The Committee was satisfied that 
the potential impact of climate 
change had been appropriately 
considered in preparing the 
financial statements, and that 
the disclosure fairly reflected the 
nature of the risk and judgements 
made by management.

Acquisition accounting for intangible assets and goodwill

See note 
25 to the 
financial 
statements

During the year, the Group completed 
the acquisition of the three entities for 
a combined consideration of £20.5m. 
Management performed a fair value 
exercise for each of the acquisitions in 
which intangible assets were identified, fair 
valued and assigned a useful economic life, 
over which the assets will be amortised. 

The Audit & Risk Committee reviewed and 
discussed, with both management and 
the external auditor, a paper prepared 
by management setting out the process 
followed to identify the intangible assets, 
the basis of their fair value and the assigned 
useful economic lives.

The Committee was satisfied that 
the intangible assets identified 
as part of the acquisitions are 
appropriate and have been 
accounted for in line with the 
applicable accounting standards.

They noted that the assumptions 
used in the valuation of the assets 
were determined on a consistent 
basis to historical acquisitions.

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 Audit & Risk Committee report

Area of focus

Audit & Risk Committee review

Conclusions

Alternative performance measures

See note 
27 to the 
financial 
statements

The Group utilises a number of Alternative 
Performance Measures in response to 
demand from its shareholders. Care is 
required to ensure that the use of these 
measures is compatible with the Group’s 
obligation to prepare an Annual Report 
which is fair, balanced and understandable.

In particular, these measures should  
be calculated on a consistent and 
transparent basis over time and  
given no more prominence than related 
statutory measures.

The Committee reviewed the use 
and presentation of these measures 
throughout the Annual Report, alongside 
the full reconciliations back to statutory 
measures provided in note 27 to the 
financial statements.

Going Concern and Viability

See note 
1 to the 
financial 
statements 
and the 
Viability 
Statement 
on page 
135

At each reporting date the Group assesses 
whether it remains appropriate to prepare 
accounts on a Going Concern basis and 
makes a statement on its longer-term 
viability as part of its risk reporting.

The Committee reviewed and considered 
a paper setting out why management 
believe that the Group remains a Going 
Concern. This included details of available 
facilities, the profit and cash generation of 
the Group and a sensitivity analysis in the 
form of a ‘severe but plausible’ downside 
scenario. Going Concern was also 
discussed with the external auditor.

The Viability Statement was reviewed, 
alongside a supporting paper from 
management, incorporating both a base 
case and downside scenario covering the 
three-year period of the statement.

The Committee was satisfied the 
use of Alternative Performance 
Measures enhances the reporting 
of the Group by providing 
additional information that is  
useful to users of the accounts.

They further concluded that  
these Alternative Performance 
Measures were consistently 
calculated and have been 
presented fairly together with 
full reconciliations alongside the 
relevant statutory measures.

The Committee recommended 
to the Board the use of the 
Going Concern assumption and 
approved the Viability Statement.

They noted that following the 
strong levels of profit and cash 
generation, the risks facing the 
Group have continued to reduce 
since 2020. The Committee was 
satisfied that the disclosure in the 
basis of preparation note to the 
financial statements included  
all factors relevant to users of  
the accounts.

Fair, balanced and  
understandable assessment

The Committee reviewed the Annual 
Report and was able to confirm to the 
Board that the Committee considered 
the Annual Report and Accounts, 
taken as a whole, was fair, balanced 
and understandable and provided the 
information necessary for shareholders  
to assess the Group’s performance, 
business model and strategy.

External auditor

The external auditor, KPMG, has an 
independent reporting line to the 
Committee and attended all Committee 
meetings held in 2022. At these meetings, 
the Committee met KPMG without the 
executive directors being present to  
provide a forum to raise any matters of 
concern in confidence. 

The Committee discussed and agreed 
the scope of the audit plan with KPMG, 
and subsequently reviewed their findings, 
covering the control environment in 
the Group, key accounting matters and 
mandatory communications. 

The Committee considers the effectiveness 
of KPMG’s audit on an annual basis, 
including consideration of the standard  
of KPMG’s formal communication  
around audit strategy and findings,  
ad hoc engagements throughout the year 

and the feedback which is provided by 
management following an internal survey 
of relevant stakeholders. The Committee 
remains satisfied with the quality of the 
audit provided by KPMG and that they 
remain objective and independent. 

Following the conclusion of the 2022 audit, 
the lead audit partner, Craig Parkin, has 
served the maximum tenure of five years 
and as such will rotate off in the coming 
year. During the year, the Committee 
approved the appointment of Anna Barrell 
who will act as KPMG’s audit partner from 
2023 onwards. 

KPMG, either directly or via KPMG Channel 
Islands Limited, has acted as auditor to the 
Group since its formation in 2008, with 
the audit last subject to a full competitive 
tender in 2019.

KPMG provided £0.1m of non-audit services 
during the year which all related to services 
expressly permitted by the FRC’s 2019 
ethical standard. All work was approved in 
advance by the Committee, is significantly 
less than the audit fee and in the opinion of 
the Committee does not lead to an actual or 
perceived conflict of interest. 

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 Audit & Risk Committee report

Internal audit

RSM continue to provide an outsourced 
internal audit function to the Group.  
They are independent of management  
and the Head of Internal Audit, provided  
by RSM, reports directly to the Chair of  
the Committee. 

The 2022 internal audit plan was completed 
in line with the plan approved by the 
Committee, which received reports from 
RSM on the outcome of those reviews 
and regular updates on actions taken in 
addressing issues previously identified. 

RSM attended the Audit & Risk Committee 
meetings held during the year, At these 
meetings, the Committee met RSM without 
the executive directors being present to 
provide a forum to raise any matters of 
concern in confidence. 

The internal audit plan for 2023 has 
been approved and includes reviews 
covering IT controls and mineral resource 
management, alongside a range of other 
financial and non-financial processes.

During the year, the Committee undertook 
the first annual assessment of the 
performance of the function since its 
inception at the start of 2021.

An internal survey was sent out to relevant 
stakeholders who had worked with RSM, 
with feedback obtained against a balanced 
scorecard of criteria which included 

technical ability, business understanding, 
effective communication, process 
management and the quality of  
audit reporting. 

The Committee concluded that it was 
satisfied with the work performed by  
RSM and that the internal audit function  
was effective.

Risk management and  
internal control

The Audit & Risk Committee monitors 
the effectiveness of the Group’s risk 
management and internal control systems, 
through the following processes:

  The Executive team:

  Reports to the Board on changes in 
the business and external environment 
which present significant risks.

  Provides the Board with monthly 
trading and financial information and 
comparison versus KPIs.

  Regularly informs the Board on 
changes to the competitive landscape.

  Performs a review at least twice a year 
of the principal risks and mitigations 
identified by management through  
the risk management processes.

  The Audit & Risk Committee:

  Receives regular reports on significant 
legal, ethical, compliance and insurance 
matters from the Group General 
Counsel, including summaries of any 
reports received through the Group’s 
whistleblowing hotline.

  Approves the Group risk management 
and internal control framework, 
which sets out the governance, risk 
assessment policies and processes,  
for their review and approval.

  Receives formal reporting from the 
Group Risk & Controls manager on the 
risk review processes followed and 
the outcome of the formal risk reviews 
which form the basis of the Principal 
and emerging risks reporting.

  Reviews progress updates from 
the Group Risk & Controls manager 
covering control remediation actions, 
progress against the internal audit plan 
and reviews both the financial controls 
framework implementation and risk 
management activities.

  Receives an update on the outcomes 
from the annual self-certification 
process for our key financial controls 
against the agreed minimum 
standards, as defined in the Breedon 
Financial Controls Manual, and is 
provided a summary of the results of 
the second line testing performed.

  Reviews reports from RSM concerning 
the design, implementation and 
operating effectiveness of internal 
controls across the Group’s operations, 
including IT and cyber security 
controls. This reporting covers both the 
scope and findings of reviews, actions 
agreed with management as well as 
the progress made by management to 
address any actions.

  Receives regular updates from KPMG, 
which includes findings on risk and 
internal controls arising from their 
work. Subsequent updates on issues 
identified by KPMG are reported to  
the Audit & Risk Committee.

  Receives significant financial 
accounting policies for their review  
and approval.

The Committee also completed its  
annual review of the effectiveness of 
the Group’s internal control and risk 
management framework, concluding that 
this remained effective. 

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 Audit & Risk Committee report

Whistleblowing 

Areas of focus for 2023 

The following areas will be key areas of 
focus heading into 2023 including:

  increased focus on our assessment  
of the effectiveness of non-financial 
mitigating controls and the development 
of an Assurance map and Audit and 
Assurance policy;

  moving to a ‘business as usual’ assurance 
process for financial controls following 
implementation in 2022; and

  enhanced risk reporting to enable the 
monitoring of key risks across the Group 
and provide real-time risk information.

Clive Watson 
Chair, Audit & Risk Committee

8 March 2023

The Group has adopted a whistleblowing 
policy which, together with our confidential 
whistleblowing helpline, gives colleagues  
or any other third party the means to  
raise concerns in confidence and, if they 
wish, anonymously. 

The Committee reviews reports on 
notifications received and ensures 
that arrangements are in place for 
the proportionate and independent 
investigation of such matters and for  
follow-up action.

Committee effectiveness

The last triennial external Board evaluation 
took place during the latter half of 2020, 
which included a review of the effectiveness 
of the Committee and confirmed that the 
Committee was effective. All substantive 
recommendations arising from the review 
were implemented by the Committee 
during 2021.

The Committee undertook a self-assessed 
review of its own effectiveness in 2022, 
reviewing a number of indicators against 
performance and discussed areas they 
believed we were doing well and where any 
improvements could be made. This resulted 
in the Committee declaring that it believed 
that the Committee had been effective 
throughout 2022.

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 Nomination Committee report

It is the responsibility of the Nomination 
Committee to:

  regularly review the structure, size 
and composition (including the skills, 
knowledge, experience and diversity) of 
the Board and make recommendations 
to the Board with regard to any changes;

  give full consideration to succession 
planning for directors and other senior 
executives in the course of its work, 
taking into account the challenges and 
opportunities facing the Company, and 
the skills and expertise needed on the 
Board in the future;

  keep under review the leadership needs 
of the organisation, both executive 
and non-executive, with a view to 
ensuring the continued ability of the 
organisation to compete effectively in 
the marketplace;

  keep up to date and fully informed about 
strategic issues and commercial changes 
affecting the Company and the market in 
which it operates; and

  be responsible for identifying and 
nominating for the approval of the Board, 
candidates to fill Board vacancies as and 
when they arise.

The terms of reference for the  
Nomination Committee are available on 
our website at www.breedongroup.com/
board-committees. 

As required by the Committee’s terms 
of reference, throughout the year the 
Nomination Committee was chaired by the 
Chairman of the Company. The Committee 
comprises at least three directors, the 
majority of which shall be independent 
non-executive directors. The quorum for 
Committee meetings is a minimum of two 
directors which must comprise a majority  
of independent directors.

The Committee was quorate for all 
meetings in 2022 and all members were 
available to speak to shareholders at the 
AGM in 2022. 

Key activities carried out 
in the year 

During the year, the Nomination Committee 
met twice and discussed the following:

  recommended the membership of the 
Sustainability Committee;

  reviewed the succession plan for the 
Board and Executive Committee;

  reviewed the structure, size and 
composition of the Board;

  reviewed its own effectiveness; and

  reviewed its terms of reference

Review of 2022

Following a number of appointments 
to the Board over the last few years, 
the Nomination Committee made 
no recommendations regarding the 
composition of the Board in 2022. However, 
the Nomination Committee considered 
the constitution and membership of the 
newly constituted Sustainability Committee 
and made recommendations to the Board 
on the appointment of the Chair and 
membership of that Committee.

The Nomination 
Committee has continued 
to keep the leadership of 
the Group under review 
to ensure the Board is 
able to govern effectively 
and the executive lead a 
successful organisation.

Amit Bhatia 
Chair, Nomination Committee

Attendance

Meetings 
attended

Eligible to 
attend

Amit Bhatia

Carol Hui

Pauline Lafferty

Helen Miles

Clive Watson

2

2

2

1

2

2

2

2

2

2

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The Nomination Committee firmly believes 
that an inclusive culture, with a range of 
perspectives, should continue as a key 
driver of business success and is committed 
to ensuring that there is a diverse Board with 
key skills and experiences, so as to make 
effective contribution to the sustainable 
long-term growth of the Company.

Amit Bhatia 
Chair, Nomination Committee

8 March 2023

 Nomination Committee report

The focus of the Committee during the year 
has been on the robust succession planning 
for the executive directors and other 
senior executives within the Group. The 
Committee put in place a new succession 
plan which sits alongside the People Plan 
for the Group. As part of the succession 
plan the Nomination Committee oversaw 
the retirement and appointment of a new 
member of the Executive Committee and 
provided its attention to both the shorter-
term succession plans, particularly for 
executive directors, as well as the longer-
term succession plans for the Executive 
Committee. The gender balance of the 
Executive Committee and its direct reports 
can be found on page 95 and the Diversity 
and Inclusion policy was reviewed and 
approved in the year.

The Nomination Committee undertook 
a self-assessed review of its own 
effectiveness in 2022. The Committee 
looked at a number of indicators against 
performance and discussed areas in which 
we believed we were doing well and where 
any improvements could be made. I am  
pleased to confirm that this resulted in  
the Committee declaring that it believed 
that the Committee had been effective in 
2022. As an outcome of the Committee’s 
review of effectiveness, the Committee 
reviewed its terms of reference and 
proposed no changes. 

The Committee is aware that the Board 
complies fully with any requirements of the 
QCA Code as to membership, structure and 
diversity and is also aware of the provisions 
of the UK Corporate Governance Code, 
particularly in relation to composition, 
succession and evaluation. 

The Nomination Committee was pleased 
that the Board was available to speak to 
shareholders at the AGM in 2022 and that  
all directors’ reappointments were 
supported by shareholders.

Focus for 2023

The Nomination Committee will continue 
to review and explore the succession plan, 
with an emphasis on ensuring that there is 
appropriate succession planning in place 
taking into account the challenges and 
opportunities facing the Company. The 
Committee will also oversee and review 
the skills, knowledge and experience of the 
Board to ensure those qualities continue  
to be up to date and appropriate for the 
Board to discharge its duties fully.

An external review of the effectiveness of 
the Board will take place in 2023 and the 
Committee confirms that there remains  
no unactioned areas for development  
from the last external review which took 
place in 2020.

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 Sustainability Committee report

It is the responsibility of the Sustainability 
Committee, on behalf of the Board, to:

  review the environmental impact and 
sustainability of the Group’s operations 
particularly in relation to those activities 
where the Company has its most 
significant environmental impacts in 
respect of energy management and 
climate change, water quality, and 
biodiversity and land use. In doing so, 
considering the Board’s duty to have 
regard to the impact of the Company’s 
operations on the community and the 
environment as well as the Company’s 
other stakeholders, when promoting  
the success of the Company;

  ensure the promotion of socially 
responsible values and standards 
that relate to the social and economic 
communities in which the Group 
operates, are in accordance with the 
Company’s corporate sustainability 
strategy. Ensure the Company can 
demonstrate that it lives through these 
values and can act responsibly in its 
engagement with all stakeholders in 
these communities, locally, nationally  
and internationally;

  review the Group’s policies and 
procedures in relation to sustainability 
and associated matters;

  consider the Group’s overall approach to 
sustainability and ensure it is aligned with 
the Group strategy and, if appropriate, 
recommend amendments to the above 
policies to the Board;

  review and evaluate the sustainability 
performance of the Group including in 
relation to energy and carbon emissions, 
materials and waste management and 
social and community matters;

  develop and recommend to the  
Board corporate sustainability targets 
and key performance indicators and 
receive and review reports on progress 
towards the achievement of such targets 
and indicators; and

  consider matters linked to the Group’s 
corporate sustainability strategy.

The terms of reference for the  
Sustainability Committee are available on 
our website at www.breedongroup.com/
board-committees and are approved by  
the Board. 

Throughout the year the Sustainability 
Committee was chaired by Carol Hui. 
The Committee comprises at least three 
non-executive directors, one of whom is 
the Chair of the Board. The quorum for 
Committee meetings is a minimum of 
two Directors and which must comprise a 
majority of independent directors.

The Group’s People Director, the Head 
of Sustainability and the Head of Health, 
Safety & Wellbeing have a standing 
invitation to attend, and provide updates  
to the Committee at each meeting.

The Committee was quorate for all 
meetings in 2022 and all members were 
available to speak to shareholders at the 
AGM in 2022. 

The Sustainability Committee keeps 
the Board updated on its delegated 
responsibilities in relation to sustainability 
and climate related issues through regular 
updates, and all non-executive directors  
are members of the Committee.

The Sustainability 
Committee, on behalf of 
the Board, has reviewed 
the strategies, policies 
and performance of 
the Group in relation to 
sustainability, so as to 
drive improvement in  
this area.

Carol Hui 
Chair, Sustainability Committee

Attendance

Meetings 
attended

Eligible to 
attend

Carol Hui

Amit Bhatia

Pauline Lafferty

Helen Miles

Clive Watson

3

3

3

3

3

3

3

3

3

3

Breedon Group Annual report 2022

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115

 Sustainability Committee report

Key activities carried out  
in the year 

During the year, the Sustainability 
Committee met three times and discussed 
the following:

  Group-level strategic objectives for 
sustainability for 2022 and 2023 and 
progress against these;

  progress against Group-wide 
sustainability targets and key 
performance indicators;

  reviewed and approved a suite of  
nine Group-level policies;

  approved the commitment to develop 
carbon reduction targets aligned to  
the Science Based Targets initiatives;

  reviewed sustainability risks  
and opportunities;

  reviewed the Annual Report disclosures;

  reviewed the social value framework  
and methodology for measuring  
positive impact; and

  reviewed its own effectiveness and its 
terms of reference.

Review of 2022

The Sustainability Committee commenced 
the year with its inaugural meeting, 
understanding its role and responsibilities 
and considered an annual programme 
of work to ensure the Committee can 
effectively meet its terms of reference  
set by the Board. 

During the year, the Committee has 
considered a number of standing items 
at its meetings including stakeholder 
engagement and communication. Through 
the Company’s promotion of socially 
responsible values and standards, the 
Committee has been encouraged with the 
work that has been demonstrated by the 
Company through its engagement with all 
stakeholders through its regular reporting. 
The Committee has continued to develop 
the Board corporate sustainability targets 
and key performance indicators, which had 
been put in place before it was established 
and during the year the Committee received 
and reviewed reports on progress towards 
the achievement of such targets and 
indicators. The Committee supported the 
formal commitment that the Group would 
over the next year develop the necessary 
science-based targets aligned to a 1.5°C 
or well below 2°C pathway to reach net 
zero by 2050. The Committee supported 
engagement with stakeholders to make 
them aware of our commitment, increased 
engagement with our colleagues and the 

sharing of knowledge and best practices 
through cross-divisional internal Planet, 
People and Places working groups focused 
on supporting the businesses in achieving 
their sustainability objectives.

The Committee had oversight of 
sustainability management and governance 
within the operations of the Company and 
has reviewed the environmental impact 
and sustainability of the Group’s operations 
particularly in relation to those activities 
where the Company has its most significant 
environmental impacts. The Committee 
reviewed and approved the disclosures 
in the 2021 Annual Report and will review 
those for the 2022 Annual Report as part 
of its responsibilities in 2023. During the 
year the Committee continued to review 
the sustainability risks and opportunities as 
well as the Group’s policies and procedures 
in relation to sustainability and associated 
matters. These included Sustainability, 
Biodiversity, Circular Economy, Diversity 
and Inclusion, Energy and Carbon, 
Environment, Health, Safety and Wellbeing, 
Quality, and Social Responsibility policies. 
These are reviewed on an annual basis by 
the Committee.

The Sustainability Committee undertook 
a self-assessed review of its own 
effectiveness in 2022. The Committee 
looked at a number of indicators against 
its performance and discussed areas in 
which we believed we were doing well 

and where any improvements could be 
made. I am pleased to confirm that this 
resulted in the Committee declaring that it 
believed that it had been effective in 2022. 
Following a review of its terms of reference 
the Committee proposed no changes to the 
Board for 2023.

Focus for 2023

The Sustainability Committee will continue 
to have oversight of the strategies, policies 
and performance of the Group in relation 
to sustainability, so as to continue to drive 
improvement in this area across the Group.

With its first year completed, the 
Committee will be embedding best 
governance practice to ensure  
that it continues to carry out its 
responsibilities effectively.

Carol Hui 
Chair, Sustainability Committee

8 March 2023

Breedon Group Annual report 2022

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116

 Directors’ Remuneration report

Remuneration Committee

The Remuneration Committee comprises 
independent non-executive directors. 
Its role is to determine the remuneration 
policy and outcomes for the executive 
directors and senior management within 
the framework agreed by the Board. 
The Committee also determines the 
Chairman’s fee.

The Chairman, Chief Executive Officer  
and Group People Director were invited  
to and attended each meeting.

Independent advisers, FIT Remuneration 
Consultants, were invited to and attended 
each meeting.

The directors have voluntarily prepared a 
Directors’ Remuneration report which has 
taken into account the requirements within 
Schedule 8 to The Large and Medium-sized 
Companies and Groups (Accounts and 
Reports) Regulations 2008 made under 
the UK Companies Act 2006, as if those 
requirements applied to the Company.

Terms of reference

The Committee works within agreed terms 
of reference and makes recommendations 
to the Board. The terms of reference for  
the Committee were reviewed during 
the year and are available on the Group’s 
website at www.breedongroup.com/
board-committees.

Key activities carried out  
in the year

During the year, the Remuneration 
Committee formally met three times  
and discussed:

  base salary changes for the executive 
directors and Executive Committee 
for 2022 in the context of workforce 
increases;

  annual bonus outcomes for 2021 and 
measures and targets for annual bonus 
in 2022;

  approval of the 2019 PSP award vesting 
and the grant of the 2022 PSP awards;

  a review of employee pay across  
the Group;

  a review of remuneration trends and a 
corporate governance update; 

  the effectiveness of the Committee and 
its independent advisers; 

  the Committee’s terms of reference; and

  preparation of the Directors’ 
Remuneration report.

Annual statement

Dear shareholder

This was my first full year as Chair  
of the Remuneration Committee and 
I am pleased to present the Directors’ 
Remuneration report for the year ended  
31 December 2022. 

This report comprises three sections: 

  Annual statement – outlines the 
key items considered by the 
Remuneration Committee during the 
year, including pay outcomes for 2022.

  Directors’ Remuneration policy –  
this sets out the parameters within 
which we operate and implement  
our remuneration arrangements  
for directors.

  Annual report on remuneration – 
outlines the pay outcomes for 2022 
in more detail and sets out how we 
propose to implement our pay policy 
in 2023.

At the 2023 AGM, shareholders will have 
the opportunity for an advisory vote on the 
Directors’ Remuneration report and we look 
forward to your continued support.

Our policy for senior 
executives’ pay supports 
our strategy to deliver 
long-term sustainable 
performance for  
the benefit of all  
our stakeholders. 

Pauline Lafferty 
Chair, Remuneration Committee

Attendance

Pauline Lafferty

Carol Hui

Helen Miles

Clive Watson

Meetings 
attended

Eligible to 
attend

3

3

3

3

3

3

3

3

Breedon Group Annual report 2022

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 Directors’ Remuneration report

2022 business performance 

The Group delivered record performance in 
2022 with revenue of £1.4bn and Underlying 
EBIT of £155m. This was achieved against a 
backdrop of significant cost input inflation 
and the impact of a prolonged difficult 
macroeconomic environment. During the 
year, we have continued to make significant 
investment with £102m spent on capital 
projects and completed three strategically 
important acquisitions. In addition,  
we made excellent progress in delivering 
against our strategic priorities.

2022 remuneration outcomes

Annual bonus

The outcome for the 2022 annual bonus 
reflects the Group’s strong financial 
performance and progress made against 
corporate objectives for the year.

Underlying EBIT performance accounted 
for 75% of the bonus and the 2022 
Underlying EBIT was £155m. The rules of 
the bonus scheme provide that the actual 
level of Underlying EBIT is subject to a 
capital employed moderator. The actual 
capital employed was slightly higher than 
budgeted, resulting in an Underlying  
EBIT for bonus purposes of £154.7m.  
This element of the bonus paid out at  
99.8% of maximum.

The remaining 25% was based on 
sustainability targets (15%) and 
implementation of our people plan  
(10%). Excellent progress towards these 
corporate objectives resulted in a pay  
out of 92% of maximum.

The overall bonus payout was therefore 
122% of base salary.

The Committee considered carefully 
whether the annual bonus outcome  
was consistent with the underlying 
performance of the business. Reflecting 
the strong financial delivery and 
accomplishment of important sustainability 
and people initiatives, no adjustments  
have been applied to the outcome of  
the 2022 bonus. 

2020 PSP

The 2020 PSP awards were subject to an 
EPS measure and were set following  
the onset of the pandemic. Adjusted 
Underlying diluted EPS for 2022 was 7.05p, 
significantly above the maximum target  
of 5.47p. 

Summary of incentive outcomes

2022 Annual bonus

Underlying EBIT

Corporate objectives

The Committee considered the vesting 
outcome of the 2020 PSP and believe it is 
appropriate when considering the:

  strong recovery from the impact  
of Covid;

  substantial increase in revenue and profit 
over the period; and

  significant progress made on strategic 
priorities over a very challenging period.

Accordingly, these awards will vest in full  
in August 2023.

Weighting

% of maximum 
achieved

% of bonus 
achieved

75%

25%

99.8%

92%

74.8%

23%

Overall, bonuses of 122% of salary became payable to executive directors.

PSP 2020 awards

EPS

Weighting

100%

% of PSP award 
achieved

100%

Breedon Group Annual report 2022

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 Directors’ Remuneration report

Shareholders’ and  
colleagues’ views

We are very grateful for the views received 
from major shareholders and seek to 
engage with shareholders on a continuous 
basis on remuneration matters. I can be 
contacted via the Group General Counsel 
should you have any questions on this 
report or more generally in relation to  
the Group’s approach to remuneration.

While Breedon applies the QCA Code, the 
Board takes into account the principles and 
provisions in the UK Corporate Governance 
Code. Under the main Code companies 
are required to establish a mechanism for 
gathering the views of the workforce on 
all matters, including pay. I was appointed 
the non-executive director for workforce 
engagement in 2021, and during 2022  
I made a number of visits to engage with 
the teams at our sites in Scotland, and also 
attended a focus group for the Wales & 
South region comprising colleagues from 
across the business (see page 93). 

Senior management and  
wider workforce

The Committee sets remuneration 
for senior executives, and during the 
year received updates on colleague 
remuneration, policies and practices  
across the Group.

During 2022 we actively supported our 
colleagues through the cost of living crisis 
with additional one-off payments and 
through a series of wellbeing initiatives. 

As referenced in the 2021 Annual report 
a thank you bonus of £400 was paid 
in April 2022 in recognition of 2021 
business performance to colleagues not 
participating in a bonus scheme. A further 
exceptional £400 payment was made in 
November 2022 to the same colleague 
population in recognition for both business 
performance during 2022 and to recognise 
the continued cost of living challenges.

Looking forward to 2023

For 2023, the Committee will implement the 
remuneration policy as follows:

Salary

The Committee considered carefully 
how to address base salaries for 2023 
and considered a number of factors 
including executive directors’ experience, 
performance in the role and salary increases 
for the wider workforce. Consistent with 

latest investor guidance, effective from  
1 April 2023, the CEO and CFO salaries will 
increase by 4.5% to £642,675 and £434,720 
respectively. This is lower than the increase 
that will apply to the general pay review 
across the Group of 6% in 2023 for other 
Breedon colleagues, which includes a 
minimum increase of £1,500 for lower  
paid colleagues.

Pension

No change to benefits. Pension contribution 
rates are in line with the general workforce 
contribution offering.

Annual bonus

The annual bonus opportunity will continue 
to be 125% of salary for executive directors 
in 2023 and be based at 75% on adjusted 
Underlying EBIT with a moderator applied 
to reflect actual capital employed in the 
business versus budget and 25% on key 
strategic objectives including ESG.

PSP

During the year the Remuneration 
Committee reviewed incentive 
opportunities and felt it appropriate to 
increase the PSP policy levels to 175% 
of base salary, from 150%. The increase 
reflects the scale of complexity of the 
Breedon business which now operates 
over 300 sites, an increase from 29 in 
2011, employs 3,700 colleagues and has 
delivered record results in 2022 including 

revenue of £1.4bn. While benchmarking 
has not been the primary driver behind this 
decision, the Committee takes comfort 
that the award level is not out of line with 
listed companies of Breedon’s market 
capitalisation and ensures that there is 
a greater focus on delivering long-term 
success. The Committee is, however, 
aware of the limited visibility in the current 
trading landscape, the current economic 
outlook and the prevailing share price. In 
light of these factors, we have delayed 
implementation of the increased policy 
levels until 2024 and therefore the grant 
level for 2023 will remain at 150% of salary. 
The performance measures will be related 
to stretching EPS growth targets and 
relative Total Shareholder Return (TSR)  
in equal proportions.

As set out in the Chairman’s statement, 
Breedon intends to seek admission to the 
Premium Listing segment of the London 
Stock Exchange. Following admission, 
the Committee will be undertaking a 
comprehensive review of executive pay in 
2023 to ensure remuneration is appropriate, 
for a FTSE 250 business, and that we 
address the provisions and principles of  
the UK Corporate Governance Code.

Breedon Group Annual report 2022

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 Directors’ Remuneration report

Remuneration at a glance

The key elements of executive directors’ remuneration packages and our approach to implementation in 2023 are summarised below:

Fixed pay

Salary (annual base)

  CEO £615,000

Remuneration 2022

Pension

Benefits

  CFO £416,000

  5% of salary in line with the workforce

  Includes private medical insurance, car 
allowance, and executive medical screening

Annual bonus

Maximum opportunity

 125% of salary

Performance measures

 75% Underlying EBIT

Remuneration 2023

  CEO £642,675

  CFO £434,720

  No change

  No change

  No change

  No change

 25% corporate objectives

 Capital employed moderator

  Malus and clawback provisions apply  
and Committee discretion to adjust the  
bonus outcome

Long-term incentives

Award level

 Policy of 150% of salary

 Policy of 175% of salary

 CEO grant 150% of salary

  CEO grant 150% of salary

 CFO grant 150% of salary

  CFO grant 150% of salary

 Two-year hold period applies

  Two-year hold period applies

Performance measures

  50% relative TSR (against the FTSE 250 
constituents excluding investment trusts)

  No change

Shareholding 
guidelines

 50% EPS growth

  Malus and clawback provisions apply  
and Committee discretion to adjust the  
vesting outcome

In employment

 200% of salary

  200% of salary

  Executive directors are required to retain  
half of any vested share awards (net of tax)  
until guideline is achieved

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 Directors’ Remuneration report

Directors’ Remuneration policy

Operation

Maximum opportunity

Performance conditions

To provide a  
competitive base  
salary reflective of  
the particular skills, 
calibre and experience 
of an individual.

Normally reviewed annually or on a significant 
change of responsibilities and typically take effect 
from 1 April.

Salaries are determined by reference to the skills  
and personal performance of the individual.

The Committee takes into account external market 
data and pay and employment conditions elsewhere 
in the Group when considering increases to base 
salary levels.

While there is no maximum salary, increases will 
normally be broadly in line with the range of salary 
increases awarded (in percentage of salary terms)  
to the wider workforce.

Salary increases above this level may be awarded to 
take into account individual circumstances, including 
a change in the scope or responsibilities of the role, 
a change in market practice, a change in the size or 
complexity of the business or to reflect development 
and performance in role.

Other factors which will be taken into account will 
include progression within the role and competitive 
salary levels in companies of a broadly similar size  
and complexity.

To incentivise the 
delivery of annual 
financial, strategic  
and safety objectives.

Executive directors may participate in the annual 
bonus scheme.

For executive directors, the maximum opportunity is 
125% of salary.

Performance measures and targets are set by 
the Committee and, subject to the achievement 
of performance criteria, bonuses are paid in cash 
shortly after the completion of the audit of the 
annual results.

This level of incentive opportunity reflects the 
Committee’s desire to retain a high proportion of 
remuneration on variable pay.

Bonuses are not pensionable.

Malus and clawback provisions will apply and the 
Committee will have a discretion to moderate the 
formulaic outcome under the scheme to ensure it is 
consistent with other stakeholders’ experiences.

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Although there are no formal performance 
conditions, any increase in base salary is only 
implemented after careful consideration of individual 
contribution and performance and having due regard 
to the factors set out in the ‘Operation’ column of  
this table.

Performance measures will be determined  
each year and may be based on financial and  
non-financial objectives.

Financial measures will normally determine the 
majority of the bonus opportunity and the balance 
may be based on non-financial, strategic, personal 
and/or ESG-related objectives.

Where possible, a graduated scale of targets  
is normally set for financial measures, with no  
payout for performance below a threshold level  
of performance.

Any payment is discretionary and will be subject to 
the achievement of stretching performance targets.

The Committee has discretion to adjust the formulaic 
outcome arising from the performance conditions 
in the event that it considers such an outcome is not 
consistent with the wider stakeholder experience.

 
 
Breedon Group Annual report 2022

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121

 Directors’ Remuneration report

Operation

Maximum opportunity

Performance conditions

To drive superior 
performance of the 
Group and delivery of 
the Group’s long-term 
objectives, aid retention 
and align directors’ 
interests with those 
of the Company’s 
shareholders.

Share-based awards of nil cost options or 
conditional awards are granted annually, typically 
based on performance measures set over a  
three-year performance period.

A two-year post vesting holding period applies  
for awards made in 2021 and thereafter.

A 10% in ten years’ dilution limit governing the issue 
of new shares to satisfy all share schemes operated 
by the Company will apply.

Dividend equivalents may be paid for awards to the 
extent they vest.

The maximum award limit in any financial year under 
the plan rules is 250% of base salary.

The normal award level is 175% of salary for executive 
directors, however award levels will remain at 150% of 
salary in 2023.

The vesting of awards is subject to the satisfaction of 
performance conditions, typically measured over a 
period of at least three years.

Performance conditions, and their weightings where 
there is more than one metric, are reviewed annually 
to maintain appropriateness and relevance. Awards 
may be based on measures which could include,  
but are not limited to, EPS and relative TSR.

For awards granted since 2021 onwards, 25% of the 
award will vest for threshold performance with full 
vesting for ‘maximum’ performance.

Malus and clawback provisions apply for awards 
made in 2021 and thereafter.

To aid recruitment and 
retention by allowing 
the directors to make 
provision for long-term 
retirement benefits.

To provide market-
competitive, cost-
effective benefits.

A salary supplement equivalent to the contribution 
that would otherwise be made to a defined 
contribution pension plan or a contribution into  
the Group Pension Plan.

The CEO and CFO, and any future director 
appointments, receive pension contributions aligned 
with the wider workforce pension contribution, 
currently set at 5% of base salary per annum.

None.

Other benefits may include private medical 
insurance, car allowance, and executive  
medical screening.

The Company operates Sharesave schemes on 
an annual basis. These schemes are open to all 
colleagues of the Group, including executive 
directors who have completed the requisite  
length of service at the launch of each invitation.

For external and internal appointments or 
relocations, the Company may pay certain relocation 
and/or incidental expenses as appropriate.

As it is not possible to calculate in advance the cost  
of all benefits, a maximum is not pre-determined.

None.

Sharesave contribution limits and the Sharesave 
option exercise price are set as permitted by the 
applicable tax legislation and apply in the same way 
to all qualifying colleagues.

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Breedon Group Annual report 2022

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 Directors’ Remuneration report

Approach to performance 
measures

The Committee’s approach to the setting 
of performance measures for the annual 
bonus and PSP is to select measures 
that are aligned with the Group’s key 
performance indicators and the interests  
of shareholders. Targets are set at levels 
which require stretching performance  
to be achieved for maximum payout,  
but without encouraging excessive 
risk-taking. When setting targets, the 
Committee considers a number of 
reference points, including the Company’s 
own plans, external expectations and  
the economic environment. 

Annual bonus

The executives’ annual bonus arrangements 
are focused on the achievement of the 
Company’s short- and medium-term 
financial objectives, with financial measures 
selected to closely align the performance 
of the executive directors with the strategy 
of the business and with shareholder value 
creation. Where non-financial objectives are 
set, these are chosen to support the delivery 
of the longer-term strategic milestones and 
linked to those KPIs of most relevance to 
each director’s individual responsibilities.

Details of the measures used for the  
annual bonus are given in the annual  
report on remuneration.

PSP

The aim of the PSP is to motivate executive 
directors and other senior executives 
to achieve performance superior to the 
Company’s peers and to maintain and 
increase earnings levels while at the same 
time ensuring that it is not at the expense 
of longer-term shareholder returns. This 
is reflected in the performance conditions 
of the PSP which are currently based on 
relative TSR and EPS growth.

Illustration of the application 
of the policy

The Committee will review the choice 
of performance measures and the 
appropriateness of the performance  
targets prior to each PSP grant.

The EPS measure is based on growth  
in adjusted earnings per share over  
the performance period. The target  
range is a sliding scale set at the time 
of award taking account of internal and 
external forecasts, to encourage continuous 
improvement and incentivise the delivery  
of stretch performance. 

The TSR condition measures the total 
return received by the Group’s shareholders 
in terms of share price growth and 
dividends over a three-year period and 
compares the TSR with the total returns 
received by shareholders in companies 
within a predetermined and appropriate 

Maximum 
with share price 
growth
Annual Bonus

Illustration of the application of policy
(£000)

CEO

£2,945

£2,463

16%

39%

33%

£1,338
18%

£696

30%

33%

27%

100%

52%

28%

23%

Minimum

Target

Maximum

Total Fixed Remuneration

comparator group. The Remuneration 
Committee’s intention is to reward only  
TSR performance which outperforms  
the comparator group.

The PSP is operated in accordance with 
its terms, which includes the ability of the 
Committee to adjust awards in the event 
of a variation of the Group’s share capital 
and to apply its discretion to ensure that 
the formulaic outcome under the scheme 
is consistent with other stakeholders’ 
experiences. 

The balance between fixed and variable 
‘at risk’ elements of remuneration changes 
with performance. Our policy results in 
a significant proportion of remuneration 
received by executive directors being 
dependent on Company performance.  
The charts above illustrate how the policy 
would function for minimum, on target  
and maximum performance for each 
executive director in 2023.

Assumptions for the chart above:

CFO

£1,673

38%

32%

29%

£1,999

16%

32%

27%

24%

Maximum

Maximum 
with share price
growth

£912
18%
30%

52%

£477

100%

Minimum

Target

PSP

Share Price Growth

  Minimum: Comprises fixed pay  
made up of base salary levels (applying 
from 1 April 2023), the value of pension 
at 5% of annual basic salary and other 
benefits estimated at the value shown 
in the single total figure of remuneration 
table for 2022. 

  On-target: bonus achieved at 50% of 
the maximum opportunity, i.e. 62.5% of 
salary and the on-target level of vesting 
under the PSP taken to be 25% of the  
face value of the award at grant. 

  Maximum: full bonus achieved and PSP 
vesting in full i.e. 125% of salary bonus 
payout and PSP awards to the value of 150% 
of salary vesting for the CEO and CFO.

  Share price appreciation of 50% has been 
assumed for the PSP awards under the 
final ‘maximum with growth’ scenario 
(but no share price appreciation has been 
assumed for the first three sections).

  Amounts relating to all-employee share 
schemes have, for simplicity, been 
excluded from the charts.

Breedon Group Annual report 2022

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 Directors’ Remuneration report

Flexibility, discretion  
and judgement

The Committee operates the annual 
bonus and PSP according to the rules of 
each respective plan which, consistent 
with market practice, include discretion 
in a number of respects in relation to the 
operation of each plan. Discretions include:

  who participates in the plan, the quantum 
of an award and/or payment and the 
timing of awards and/or payments;

  determining the extent of vesting;

  treatment of awards and/or payments  
on a change of control or restructuring  
of the Group; 

  whether an executive director or a  
senior manager is a good/bad leaver  
for incentive plan purposes and whether 
the proportion of awards that vest do 
so at the time of leaving or at the normal 
vesting date(s);

  how and whether an award may be 
adjusted in certain circumstances (for 
example, for a rights issue, a corporate 
restructuring or for special dividends);

  what the weighting, measures and 
targets should be for the annual bonus 
plan and PSP awards from year to year;

  the ability within the policy, if events 
occur that cause the Committee to 
determine that the conditions set in 
relation to an annual bonus plan or 
a granted PSP award are no longer 
appropriate or unable to fulfil their 
original intended purpose, to adjust 
targets and/or set different measures 
or weightings for the applicable annual 
bonus plan or PSP awards. Any adjusted 
performance conditions for PSP awards 
held by executive directors will not be 
materially less difficult to satisfy than the 
original conditions would have been but 
for the relevant event(s); and

  the ability to override formulaic 
outcomes in line with policy.

All assessments of performance are 
ultimately subject to the Committee’s 
judgement and discretion is retained 
to adjust payments in appropriate 
circumstances as outlined in this policy.  
Any discretion exercised (and the  
rationale) will be disclosed.

Non-executive directors’ fees

To provide market-competitive fee levels that reflect the time undertaken in performing the 
role and the director’s experience.

Non-executive directors each receive a basic fee for holding the office of non-executive 
director and may receive an additional fee for further responsibilities (such as holding  
the office of Senior Independent Director, chairing a Board committee or being designated 
as having Board responsibility for a particular area of the Group’s activities). Fees are  
set by the Board as a whole, taking into account market rates and the likely required  
time commitment. 

Non-executive directors do not participate in any incentive scheme, share scheme or 
pension arrangement, but may be eligible to receive benefits such as the use of secretarial 
support, travel costs or other benefits that may be appropriate.

Service agreements/letters of appointment and loss of office 

Each director has a service agreement or letter of appointment with the Company  
as follows:

Director

Date of contract/letter of appointment

Executive directors

Rob Wood

James Brotherton

Non-executive directors

Amit Bhatia

Carol Hui

Pauline Lafferty

Helen Miles

Clive Watson

27 February 2014

17 November 2020

1 August 2016

3 March 2020

17 June 2021

18 November 2020

24 July 2019

Notice period

From the 
director

From the 
Company

12 months

12 months

12 months

12 months

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

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 Directors’ Remuneration report

The Board’s overriding approach to payments for loss of office is to act in shareholders’ 
interests. The principles on which payments for loss of office will be approached are set  
out below.

Notice periods  
and payments in  
lieu of notice

The maximum notice period for executive directors is 12 months. The 
Committee retains the right to terminate an executive director’s service 
agreement by making a payment in lieu of notice, consisting of salary,  
cost of benefits and loss of pension provision for the notice period (or the 
unexpired portion of it).

Annual bonus

PSP

Other payments

It is the Company’s policy to have regard to the executive director’s duty 
to mitigate their loss in respect of those contractual rights that they would 
otherwise be entitled to receive.

The payment of bonus for the year in which the executive director leaves is 
determined by the Committee, taking into consideration their contribution up 
to the leaving date and normal pro-rating for time in service during the year. 

PSP awards will usually lapse on cessation of employment. However, if 
a participant leaves due to death, ill health, injury, retirement with the 
agreement of the Committee, or any other reason at the discretion of the 
Committee, their award shall either vest on the normal vesting date or at the 
date of cessation of employment. In either case, the extent of vesting will 
be determined by reference to the extent the performance conditions are 
satisfied and, unless the Committee determines otherwise, the proportion  
of the vesting period that has elapsed.

Payments may be made in the event of a loss of office under the Sharesave 
scheme, which is governed by its rules and the applicable legislation and 
which does not provide discretion in the case of leavers.

In appropriate circumstances, other payments may be made, such as 
in respect of accrued holiday and outplacement and legal fees and the 
Company may pay any statutory entitlements or settle compromise claims  
in connection with a termination of employment, where considered in the  
best interests of the Company.

  where it is considered appropriate to 
reimburse the new director for any 
costs they may have incurred as a 
consequence of resigning from their 
previous employment.

The Committee would not use this 
discretion to make a non-performance-
based incentive payment, such as a 
guaranteed bonus. 

External appointments for 
executive directors

The Company recognises that its executive 
directors may be invited to become non-
executive directors of other companies. 
Such non-executive duties can broaden a 
director’s experience and knowledge which 
can benefit Breedon. Subject to approval by 
the Board, executive directors are allowed 
to accept non-executive appointments, 
provided that these appointments are not 
likely to lead to conflicts of interest, and the 
Committee will consider its approach to the 
treatment of any fees received by executive 
directors in respect of non-executive roles 
as they arise.

Recruitment policy

When appointing a new executive director, 
the Committee will seek to ensure that 
their remuneration arrangements are in 
the best interests of the Company, and not 
more than is appropriate. The Committee 
will typically determine a new executive 
director’s remuneration package in line 
with the policy set out above. However, 
the Committee retains discretion to award 
different elements of remuneration in 
appropriate circumstances, such as:

  if an interim appointment is being made 
to fill a role on a short-term basis; 

  if, in exceptional circumstances,  
a non-executive director is required  
to take on an executive function;

  if the circumstances of the recruitment 
make it appropriate to provide relocation, 
travel and subsistence payments; 

  where it is considered appropriate to 
reflect remuneration arrangements 
provided by a previous employer, 
including that the Committee may grant 
‘buy-out’ awards to reflect remuneration 
forfeited on leaving a previous employer. 
Any such buy-out award would be 
determined taking into account relevant 
factors of the forfeited award – including 
the period over which it would have 
vested and any applicable performance 
conditions; and

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Consideration of  
shareholders’ views

The Committee is committed to an ongoing 
dialogue with shareholders and welcomes 
feedback on directors’ remuneration. The 
Committee seeks to engage directly with 
major shareholders and their representative 
bodies on changes to the policy. The 
Committee also considers shareholder 
feedback received in relation to the 
remuneration-related resolutions each  
year following the AGM. This, together  
with any additional feedback received  
from time to time (including any updates  
to shareholders’ remuneration guidelines),  
is then considered as part of the 
Committee’s annual review of remuneration 
policy and its implementation.

In its 2020 review of executive 
remuneration the Committee conducted a 
comprehensive consultation exercise which 
elicited feedback from the Company’s 
largest shareholders. The Committee 
was very grateful for the views received. 
The feedback, which was largely positive, 
was used constructively to shape our 
remuneration arrangements.

Consideration of employment 
conditions across the Group

The Committee closely monitors the pay 
and conditions of the wider workforce and 
the design of the Directors’ Remuneration 
policy is informed by the policy for 
employees across the Group. 

While employees are not formally 
consulted on the design of the Directors’ 
Remuneration policy, the Board will 
receive views through our designated 
non-executive director for workforce 
engagement on a variety of areas  
including pay. 

Differences in pay policy for 
executive directors compared 
to wider workforce

As for the executive directors, general 
practice across the Group is to recruit 
employees at competitive market levels of 
remuneration, incentives and benefits to 
attract and retain employees, accounting 
for national and regional talent pools. When 
considering salary increases for directors, 
the Committee will take into account 
salary increases and pay and employment 
conditions across the wider workforce. 
The pension contribution for executive 
directors is consistent with that for the 
general workforce. Senior employees are 
able to earn annual bonuses for delivering 
exceptional performance, with corporate 
performance measures aligned to those set 
for the executive directors. All employees, 
including the executive directors, have  
the opportunity to participate in the  
tax-approved share incentive plans.

There are some differences in the structure 
of the remuneration policy for the executive 
directors compared to that for other 
employees within the organisation, which 
the Committee believes are necessary to 
reflect the differing levels of seniority and 
responsibility. At senior levels, remuneration 
is increasingly long-term, and ‘at risk’ with 
an increased emphasis on performance-
related pay and share-based remuneration. 
This ensures the remuneration of the 
executives is aligned with both the long-
term performance of the Company and  
the interests of shareholders.

Breedon Group Annual report 2022

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126

 Directors’ Remuneration report

Annual report on remuneration

Single total figure of remuneration 

The remuneration of the directors for the year ended 31 December 2022 is shown in the table below:

Director

Executive directors

Rob Wood

James Brotherton

Non-executive directors

Amit Bhatia

Carol Hui

Pauline Lafferty

Helen Miles

Clive Watson

Total

Salary/fees 
£’000

Benefits1 
£’000

Pension2 
£’000

Fixed pay  
Sub-total 
£’000

Annual  
bonus3 
£’000

PSP awards 
vesting4 
£’000

Variable pay 
Sub-total 
£’000

605

412

175

61

67

52

71

1,443

21

21

–

–

–

–

–

42

26

18

–

–

–

–

–

652

451

175

61

67

52

71

752

509

–

–

–

–

–

374

–

–

–

–

–

–

1,126

509

–

–

–

–

–

44

1,529

1,261

374

1,635

3,164

Total 
£’000

1,778

960

175

61

67

52

71

Notes:
1  Benefits paid to Rob Wood and James Brotherton comprise the provision of private medical insurance and a car allowance. 
2  Rob Wood and James Brotherton received a salary supplement in lieu of a contribution to a pension arrangement.
3  Further information in relation to the bonuses payable to Rob Wood and James Brotherton is given on pages 128 to 129 and these bonuses were earned pursuant to the rules of the Group’s executive bonus scheme. 
4  Further information in relation to the PSP awards granted to Rob Wood in 2020 is given on page 129. While these PSP awards are not due to vest until August 2023, they were based on performance measured to 31 December 2022. 
Accordingly, the value of these awards is estimated using the three-month average share price to 31 December 2022 (56.9p). The actual value of these awards at the point of vesting will be set out in next year’s remuneration report.

Breedon Group Annual report 2022

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127

 Directors’ Remuneration report

The remuneration of the directors for the year ended 31 December 2021 was as shown in the table below:

Director

Executive directors
Pat Ward* 
Rob Wood** 
James Brotherton***

Non-executive directors
Amit Bhatia
Carol Hui
Pauline Lafferty****^
Moni Mannings*****
Helen Miles******
Clive Watson
Total

Salary/fees 
£’000

Benefits1 
£’000

Pension2 
£’000

Fixed pay  
Sub-total 
£’000

Annual  
bonus3 
£’000

PSP awards 
vesting4 
£’000

Variable pay 
Sub-total 
£’000

154
534
300

170
55
27
38
37
70
1,385

5
19
15

–
–
–
–
–
–
39

23
35
13

–
–
–
–
–
–
71

182
588
328

170
55
27
38
37
70
1,495

192
719
375

–
–
–
–
–
–
1,286

677
415
–

–
–
–
–
–
–
1,092

869
1,134
375

–
–
–
–
–
–
2,378

Total 
£’000

1,051
1,722
703

170
55
27
38
37
70
3,873

* 

Retired from the Board on 31 March 2021 and remained an employee of the Group for the remainder of the 2021 
financial year.

**  Appointed to the role of CEO on 1 April 2021. Pay comprises remuneration for undertaking the role of Group 

Notes:
1  Benefits paid to Pat Ward, Rob Wood and James Brotherton comprised the provision of private medical insurance 

and a car allowance. 

Finance Director and CEO.

***  Appointed CFO and joined the Board on 1 April 2021.
****  Appointed to the Board and appointed Chair of the Remuneration Committee on 1 August 2021.
*****  Resigned from the Board and Remuneration Committee on 31 July 2021.
****** Appointed to the Board on 1 April 2021.
^  

Appointed as Designated Non-executive Director for Workforce Engagement on 1 August 2021.

2  Pat Ward, Rob Wood and James Brotherton received a salary supplement in lieu of a contribution to a  

pension arrangement.

3  The bonuses payable to Pat Ward, Rob Wood and James Brotherton were earned pursuant to the rules of the 

Group’s executive bonus scheme. 

4  The 2021 report stated the PSP figure was estimated using the three-month average share price to 31 December 
2021 (96.5p). The middle market closing price on the dealing day prior to award (14 April 2022) was 77.8p and the 
PSP figure for Pat Ward and Rob Wood has been updated to reflect this.

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128

 Directors’ Remuneration report

Annual bonus for the year ended 31 December 2022

Corporate objectives (25% of the total bonus)

The difference was calculated by applying the Group’s estimated weighted average  
cost of capital (8%) to the difference between actual and budgeted capital employed.

The annual bonus opportunity for each executive director was 125% of base salary.  
The 2022 annual bonus was based on the achievement of stretching Underlying EBIT 
targets for 75% with the remaining 25% based on corporate objectives.

Underlying EBIT (75% of the total bonus)

Threshold level of 
Underlying EBIT  
£m

Maximum level of 
Underlying EBIT  
£m

Actual level of  
Underlying EBIT  
£m

Bonus earned  
(percentage of maximum)  
%

135.0

155.0

155.0

99.8

The rules of the bonus scheme provide that the actual level of Underlying EBIT is subject to 
a capital employed moderator. In 2022, as actual capital employed was slightly higher than 
budget capital employed, this reduced the actual level of Underlying EBIT achieved from 
£155m to £154.7m. 

l

e
p
o
e
P

The corporate objectives for 2022 were based 15% on sustainability and 10% on people 
goals. The table below provides full disclosure of the objectives against each area and 
actual performance.

y
t
i
l
i

i

b
a
n
a
t
s
u
S

Objectives

People 

Planet 

Places 

Assessment

During the year a framework to measure the Group’s social impact was developed. 
Alongside this a new volunteering scheme was launched and charity partnerships 
put in place.

Emissions intensity by revenue reduced by 19% in 2022 and the Group exceeded its 
biodiversity targets.

 Sales of sustainable products increased to 37% and the new Breedon Balance range 
was launched.

Employee 
engagement 

A new ‘always listening’ approach to employee engagement was launched in 2022 
with an engagement score of 77%.

Developing talent 

A new performance and talent management framework was introduced in 2022. 
Sixty new apprentices joined during the year, and silver membership of The 5% Club 
was attained.

The difference was calculated by applying the Group’s estimated weighted average  
cost of capital (8%) to the difference between actual and budgeted capital employed.

The above objectives made up 25% of the total bonus for the CEO and CFO.  
The Committee determined that very strong progress had been made against each  
of the objectives and targets and this resulted in a pay out of 23%. 

Overall the bonus outcome for the year, taking into account financial performance and the 
delivery of corporate objectives, was 97.8% of maximum. The overall bonus for the period in 
service as a director was as follows:

Rob Wood – 122% of salary 
James Brotherton – 122% of salary 

The Remuneration Committee believes these outcomes fairly reflect the performance of 
the business over the 2022 financial year.

 
 
 
Breedon Group Annual report 2022

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129

 Directors’ Remuneration report

PSP

Awards due to vest in respect of performance to 31 December 2022

Awards were granted under the PSP in August 2020, with vesting subject to a performance 
condition based on Underlying Diluted EPS growth over a performance period running 
from 2020 to 2022, using 2019 EPS as the base figure (5.07p).

Threshold EPS growth 
(20% vesting)

Maximum EPS growth 
(100% vesting)

Actual EPS growth 

PSP vesting earned 
(percentage of maximum) 

1.2% p.a.

2.6% p.a.

11.3% p.a.

100.0%

As a result of the pandemic influencing the business in 2020, the Remuneration Committee 
delayed the grant of the 2020 PSP awards until August 2020. The extra few months 
enabled the Committee to consider better the impact of the pandemic on Breedon’s 
outlook at the time. The business has performed resiliently since then. As a result, actual 
EPS delivered in 2022 was significantly higher than the maximum target and therefore 
these awards will vest in full in August 2023.

The value of these awards as set out in the single figure take on board the average  
three-month share price to 31 December 2022 (56.9p).

Awards granted in 2022

The table below provides details of PSP awards made to executive directors on  
11 April 2022. 

Director

Type of award Basis of award

Rob Wood

James 
Brotherton

Conditional 
shares

Conditional 
shares

150% of 
salary

150% of 
salary

Number  
of shares 
under award 
‘000

Face value  
of award  
£’0001

% vesting at 
threshold

End of 
performance 
period

1,147

776

922

624

31 December 
2024

25%

31 December 
2024

25%

1  The number of awards was based on a share price of 80.4p being the middle market closing price on the dealing 

day prior to grant.

The vesting of the above awards is subject to the achievement of two performance 
conditions, measured independently.

The first performance condition for 50% of the award measures the Group’s compound 
annual growth rate in the Group’s adjusted EPS over the performance period. No portion 
of the EPS element may vest unless the Group’s fully Underlying Diluted EPS for 2024 is at 
least 6.65p, for which 25% of the EPS element may vest, rising on a straight-line basis to full 
vesting of the EPS element for EPS 7.40p or better.

The second performance condition for the other 50% of the award compares the Group’s 
TSR performance over the performance period relative to the constituents of the FTSE 250 
Index (excluding investment trusts) as at the start of the performance period. No portion 
of the TSR element may vest unless the Group’s TSR performance over the performance 
period at least equals the median TSR performance within the comparator group, for which 
25% of the TSR element may vest, rising on a straight-line basis to full vesting of the TSR 
element for an upper quartile ranking or better. 

Adjusted Underlying EPS  
(based on EPS for the year  
ending 31 December 2024)

Relative TSR  
(against the FTSE 250  
excluding investment trusts)

Percentage of award relating  
to that part of the performance 
condition that vests

Less than 6.65p

Equal to 6.65p

Between 6.65p and 7.40p

Below median

Median TSR

0%

25%

Between median and  
upper quartile

Between 25% and 100% on a 
straight-line basis

7.40p or more

Upper quartile TSR or better

100%

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 Directors’ Remuneration report

Directors’ shareholdings and share interests

PSP

Rob Wood

Total

James Brotherton

Total

1   Includes dividend equivalent on vested shares.

SAYE 

Rob Wood

James Brotherton

Movements in the year

Options held as 
at 31 December 
2021 
‘000

Year of award

Granted 
‘000

2019

2020

2021

2022

2021

2022

751

657

859

–

2,268

498

–

498

–

–

–

1,147

1,147

–

776

776

Vested1 
‘000

534

Lapsed1 
‘000

221

–

–

–

534

–

–

–

–

–

–

221

–

–

–

Options held as 
at 31 December 
2022 
‘000

Vesting date

–

April 2022

657 August 2023

859

1,147

2,664

498

776

1,274

April 2024

April 2025

April 2024

April 2025

Shares under 
option 
‘000

Option date

Maturity date

Term (months)

Options 
matured during 
the year

55

42

1 April 2019

1 May 2024

1 April 2021

1 May 2026

60

60

Nil

Nil

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 Directors’ Remuneration report

Beneficial interests

Beneficial interests of directors, their families and trusts in ordinary shares of the Company 
at 31 December 2022 were:

No. of shares 
owned 
outright 
(including 
connected 
persons) 
’000

Unvested 
shares 
subject to 
performance 
conditions 
’000

SAYE Options 
held 
’000

Shareholding 
as a % of 
salary as at 
31 December 
2022

Shareholding 
guidelines 
(200% of 
salary) met?

Total shareholder return performance graph and CEO total pay

The following graph illustrates the total return, in terms of share price growth and dividends 
on a notional investment of £100 in the Company over the last five years relative to the 
FTSE 250 Index (excluding investment trusts). This index was chosen by the Committee 
as a competitive indicator of general UK market performance for companies of a broadly 
similar size.

TSR Chart

Executive directors

Rob Wood

James Brotherton

Non-executive directors

Amit Bhatia

Carol Hui

Pauline Lafferty

Helen Miles

Clive Watson

1,354

75

500

–

–

–

125

2,664

1,274

–

–

–

–

–

55

42

–

–

–

–

–

134%

11%

–

–

–

–

–

Executive directors are expected to build and maintain a shareholding equivalent to  
200% of their base salary. There was no change in the interests set out above between  
31 December 2022 and 8 March 2023 except for Carol Hui who bought 20,000 shares  
on 3 February 2023.

No

No

–

–

–

–

–

150

120

90

60

Payments to past directors

As set out in last year’s report, Pat Ward was treated as a good leaver and retains an 
interest in outstanding PSP awards. His 2019 PSP awards vested in 2022 after Pat ceased 
to be director and an employee. As set out in last year’s report these awards met the EPS 
performance hurdle that was set and vested in full. Pat’s awards were pro rated for time 
served as an employee of Breedon Group.

Dec-16

Dec-17

Dec-18

Dec-19

Dec-20

Dec-21

Dec-22

Breedon Group
FTSE 250 (excluding investment trusts)

Source: Datastream (a Refinitiv product).

Breedon Group Annual report 2022

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 Directors’ Remuneration report

CEO total remuneration

Non-executive director’ fees

The total remuneration figures, including annual bonus and vested PSP awards (shown as a 
percentage of the maximum that could have been achieved) for the CEO for each of the last 
five financial years are shown in the table below.

The fees for the Chairman and non-executive directors have been increased by 4.5%.

The fee for the non-executive chairman for 2023 is £184,965 (2022: £177,000).

Year

2022

2021

2021

2020

2019

2018

CEO

Rob Wood

Rob Wood1

Pat Ward2

Pat Ward

Pat Ward

Pat Ward

CEO single 
figure of total 
remuneration 
£’000

Annual bonus 
payout against 
maximum 
opportunity 
% 

1,778

1,722

1,210

1,444

2,076

1,334

97.8

100.0

100.0

100.0

82.6

60.5

PSP vesting 
rates 
%

100.0

70.8

70.8

0

61.9

83.5

1  Total remuneration for Rob Wood including the period 1 January 2021 to 31 March 2021 when he served as GFD.
2  Pat Ward’s remuneration above is for the period ended 31 March 2021 when he retired from the Board.

Implementation of policy in 2023

Base salaries

The Committee considered carefully how to address base salaries for 2023 and considered 
a number of factors including executive directors’ experience, performance in the role  
and salary increases for the wider workforce. Consistent with latest investor guidance, 
effective from 1 April 2023, the CEO and CFO salaries will increase by 4.5% to £642,675  
and £434,720 respectively. This is lower than the increase that will apply to the general  
pay review across the Group of 6% in 2023 for other Breedon colleagues, which includes  
a minimum increase of £1,500 for lower paid colleagues.

The fees payable to the non-executive directors for 2023 are:

  Basic fee of £54,340 (2022: £52,000);

  An additional fee for holding the office of Senior Independent Director, or for chairing the 
Audit & Risk, Remuneration or Sustainability Committee of £10,000; and

  An additional fee of £5,000 to non-executive directors designated with responsibility for 
workforce engagement.

Annual bonus

For 2023, the executive directors will have the opportunity to earn a bonus of up to 125%  
of salary. The bonus will be subject to stretching performance conditions based on 
Underlying EBIT (75%) and corporate objectives (25%). The performance targets contain 
confidential information and so are not disclosed on a prospective basis. The Committee 
proposes to disclose the targets, and performance against them, in next year’s report.

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 Directors’ Remuneration report

PSP awards

Directors’ remuneration report voting

During the year the Remuneration Committee reviewed incentive opportunities and felt it 
appropriate to increase the PSP policy levels to 175% of base salary, from 150%. The increase 
reflects the scale of complexity of the Breedon business which now operates over 300 
sites, an increase from 29 in 2011, employs 3,700 colleagues and has delivered record results 
in 2022 including revenue of £1.4bn. While benchmarking has not been the primary driver 
behind this decision, the Committee takes comfort that the award level is not out of line 
with listed companies of Breedon’s market capitalisation and ensures that there is a greater 
focus on delivering long-term success. The Committee is, however, aware of the limited 
visibility in the current trading landscape, the current economic outlook and the prevailing 
share price. In light of this, we have delayed implementation of the increased policy levels 
until 2024 and therefore the grant level for 2023 will remain at 150% of salary.

The awards will vest subject to the satisfactory performance conditions assessed over 
2023, 2024 and 2025. These awards will be subject to performance conditions based  
on measures of EPS and TSR each with a 50% weighting. 

The EPS measure will be assessed on the basis of growth in EPS between the base year 
ended 31 December 2022 and the year ending 31 December 2025. 25% of this part of 
the award will vest for Underlying diluted EPS of 6.65p in financial year 2025 with full 
vesting requiring EPS of 7.40p or higher. The EPS targets have been set in the context of a 
challenging macroeconomic environment, a demanding internal plan and current market 
consensus. Full vesting will require significant outperformance of current expectations.

The TSR measure will compare Breedon’s relative TSR against the constituents of the FTSE 
250 excluding investment trusts over the three-year performance period commencing on  
1 January 2023. At a median ranking of 25% this part of the award will vest with full vesting 
for upper quartile ranking or better.

Breedon submitted the Directors’ Remuneration report for a shareholder vote at the AGM 
held on 28 April 2022. The vote was advisory and received the following support.

Directors’ Remuneration  
report (2022)

Total number  

of votes  % of votes cast

1,297,295,877

31,074,208

1,328,370,085

76,226

97.66

2.34

For

Against 

Total votes cast (for and against)

Votes withheld

Pauline Lafferty 
Chair, Remuneration Committee

8 March 2023

Breedon Group Annual report 2022

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134

Directors’ report

The directors present  
their report, together  
with the audited financial 
statements, for the year  
ended 31 December 2022.

Principal activities and 
business review

The principal activities of the Company 
are the quarrying of aggregates and 
manufacture and sale of construction 
materials and building products in GB 
and Ireland, including cement, asphalt 
and ready-mixed concrete, and specialist 
building products and delivery of surfacing 
solutions as a further route to market 
for our construction materials. Further 
details of the Group’s activities and 
future developments are included in the 
Statement from the Chairman, the CEO’s 
review on pages 22 to 29, the Operating 
reviews on pages 30 to 35 and the CFO’s 
review on pages 38 to 43.

Risk management

Stated capital

Substantial shareholdings

The Board is responsible for the Group’s 
system of risk management and continues 
to develop policies and procedures that 
reflect the nature and scale of the Group’s 
business. Further details of the key areas 
of risk to the business identified by the 
Group are included on pages 44 to 57 
and the report of the Board’s Audit & Risk 
Committee can be found on pages 106 to 
111. Details of the Group’s operational key 
performance indicators are shown on  
pages 36 and 37.

Results and dividends

For the year to 31 December 2022, the 
Group’s profit before tax was £135.8m 
(2021: £114.3m) and after tax was a profit of 
£112.6m (2021: £78.6m). The Company paid 
an interim dividend on 30 September 2022 
of 0.7p per share to holders of ordinary 
shares of no par value who were on the 
register on 26 August 2022. A final  
dividend of 1.4p per share will be proposed 
for shareholder approval at the AGM on  
26 April 2023. If approved the final dividend 
will be paid on 5 May 2023 to shareholders 
on the Register of Members on 11 April 2023.

Details of the Company’s shares in issue are 
set out in note 18 to the financial statements.

Directors

The following directors served during  
the year:

Amit Bhatia

Non-executive Chairman

Rob Wood

Chief Executive Officer

James Brotherton Chief Financial Officer

Carol Hui

Pauline Lafferty

Helen Miles

Clive Watson 

Independent  
Non-executive Director

Independent  
Non-executive Director

Independent  
Non-executive Director

Independent  
Non-executive Director

Biographical details of the directors serving 
at 31 December 2022 can be found on 
pages 96 and 97 and details of their service 
contracts and interests in the issued share 
capital of the Company are given in the 
Directors’ Remuneration report on pages 
116 to 133. 

The Company is aware that, as at 20 
February 2023, other than the directors, 
the interests of shareholders holding 3% 
or more of the issued share capital of the 
Company were as shown in the table below:

Number

167,629,044

164,959,102

91,735,361

84,731,901

77,457,189

75,415,127

Lansdowne 
Partners

Abicad Holding 
Limited* 

Octopus 
Investments

Blackrock 
Investment 
Management

MFS Investment 
Management

Columbia 
Threadneedle 
Investments

Man GLG

75,041,843

Baillie Gifford & Co

70,498,939

Aviva Investors

58,499,094

Soros Fund 
Management

56,539,857

%

9.9

9.7

5.4

5.0

4.6

4.5

4.4

4.2

3.5

3.3

*  Amit Bhatia has been appointed as Abicad Holding 
Limited’s Representative Director on the Board  
of the Company pursuant to a relationship deed  
dated 17 November 2015.

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Directors’ report

Colleagues

The Group recognises the importance of 
colleague involvement in the operation and 
development of its business units, which 
are given autonomy, within a Group policy 
and structure, to enable management to 
be fully accountable for their own actions 
and gain maximum benefit from local 
knowledge. Colleagues are informed by 
regular consultation, intranet, and internal 
newsletters of the progress of both their own 
business units and the Group as a whole. 

The Group is committed to providing 
equal opportunities for individuals in all 
aspects of employment. It considers the 
skills and aptitudes of disabled persons in 
recruitment, career development, training 
and promotion. If existing colleagues 
become disabled, every effort is made 
to retain them, and retraining is arranged 
wherever possible.

Political contributions

The Group did not make any contributions 
to political parties during either the current 
or the previous year.

Annual General Meeting 

The Annual General Meeting of the 
Company will be held at Pinnacle House, 
Breedon Quarry, Breedon on the Hill, 
DE73 8AP on 26 April 2023 at 2.00pm. 
The formal notice convening the AGM, 

together with explanatory notes on the 
resolutions contained therein, is included 
in the separate circular accompanying this 
document and which is available on the 
Company’s website at www.breedongroup.
com/agm.

Going Concern

The financial statements are prepared  
on a Going Concern basis which the 
directors consider to be appropriate for  
the following reasons.

The Group meets its day-to-day working 
capital and other funding requirements 
through its banking facilities, which include 
an overdraft facility. Longer-term debt 
financing is accessed through the Group’s 
USPP loan note programme. The facilities 
comprise a £350m multi-currency RCF, 
which runs to at least June 2025 and  
£250m of USPP loan notes with maturities 
between six and 14 years. Further details  
of these facilities are provided in note 15 to 
the financial statements.

The Group comfortably met all covenants 
and other terms of its borrowing 
agreements in the period, and maintained 
its track record of profitability and cash 
generation, with an overall profit before 
taxation of £135.8m and net cash from 
operating activities of £202.9m.

The Group has prepared cash flow forecasts 
for a period of more than 12 months 
from the date of signing these financial 

statements, which show a sustained trend 
of profitability and cash generation. 

and meet its liabilities as they fall due over the 
period to December 2025.

At 31 December 2022, the Group had cash 
of £101.7m and undrawn banking facilities 
of £350.0m, and at the date of this report 
retains similar levels of liquidity which it is 
expected will provide sufficient liquidity for 
the Group to discharge its liabilities as they 
fall due and retain covenant headroom, 
even under a ‘severe but plausible’ 
downside scenario of forecast cash flows.

Based on the above, the directors  
believe that it remains appropriate to 
prepare the financial statements on a  
Going Concern basis.

Viability Statement

The directors have assessed the viability of 
the Group over a period to December 2025. 
This is the same period over which financial 
projections were prepared for the Group’s 
strategic financial plan.

In making their assessment the directors 
have taken into account the Group’s current 
position and the potential impact of the 
principal risks and uncertainties set out on 
pages 44 to 57 on its business model, future 
performance, solvency or liquidity. They 
stress-tested their analysis by running a 
number of credible scenarios and considered 
the availability of mitigating actions. Based 
on this assessment, the directors confirm 
they have a reasonable expectation that the 
Group will be able to continue in operation 

In making this statement, the directors have 
assumed that financing remains available 
and that mitigating actions are effective.

Disclosure of information  
to auditor 

The directors who hold office at the date 
of this report confirm that, so far as they 
are each aware, there is no relevant audit 
information of which the Company’s auditor 
is unaware, and each director has taken all 
steps that he or she ought to have taken 
to make himself or herself aware of any 
relevant audit information and to establish 
that the Company’s auditor is aware of  
that information.

Auditor

KPMG LLP has expressed willingness to 
continue in office and, in accordance with 
Article 113 of the Companies (Jersey) Law 
1991, a resolution to reappoint KPMG LLP 
will be proposed at the forthcoming AGM.

By order of the Board

Amit Bhatia 
Non-executive 
Chairman 
8 March 2023

Rob Wood 
Chief Executive  
Officer 

 
 
 
 
 
 
Breedon Group Annual report 2022

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Statement of directors’ responsibilities

In respect of the Annual report 
and the financial statements

The directors are responsible for preparing 
the Annual report and the Group financial 
statements in accordance with applicable 
law and regulations. 

Under Jersey company law the directors 
must prepare financial statements that give 
a true and fair view of the state of affairs of 
the Group and of the profit or loss of the 
Group for that period. In preparing these 
financial statements, the directors are 
required to: 

Jersey company law requires the Directors 
to prepare Financial Statements for each 
financial year. Under that law they have 
elected to prepare the Group Financial 
Statements in accordance with UK-adopted 
international accounting standards and 
applicable law.

  select suitable accounting policies and 
then apply them consistently; 

  make judgements and estimates that  
are reasonable, relevant and reliable; 

  state whether applicable accounting 
standards have been followed, subject 
to any material departures disclosed and 
explained in the financial statements;

  assess the Group’s ability to continue as a 
going concern, disclosing, as applicable, 
matters related to Going Concern; and 

  use the Going Concern basis of 
accounting unless they either intend 
to liquidate the Group or to cease 
operations, or have no realistic alternative 
but to do so. 

The directors are responsible for the 
maintenance and integrity of the corporate 
and financial information included on 
the Company’s website. Legislation in 
Jersey governing the preparation and 
dissemination of financial statements may 
differ from legislation in other jurisdictions. 
The directors shall remain responsible for 
establishing and controlling the process for 
doing so, and for ensuring that the financial 
statements are complete and unaltered in 
any way.

The directors are responsible for keeping 
adequate accounting records that 
are sufficient to show and explain the 
Company’s transactions and disclose 
with reasonable accuracy at any time the 
financial position of the Company and 
enable them to ensure that the financial 
statements comply with Companies 
(Jersey) Law, 1991. They are responsible 
for such internal control as they determine 
is necessary to enable the preparation 
of financial statements that are free 
from material misstatement, whether 
due to fraud or error, and have general 
responsibility for taking such steps as are 
reasonably open to them to safeguard  
the assets of the Company and the Group 
and to prevent and detect fraud and  
other irregularities. 

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Financial statements

Independent Auditor’s report

Consolidated income statement

»138

»146

Consolidated statement of changes in equity

Consolidated statement of cash flows

Consolidated statement of comprehensive income »147

Notes to the financial statements

»149

»150

»151

Consolidated statement of financial position

»148

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Independent Auditor’s report

Independent auditor’s report to the members  
of Breedon Group plc

1. Our opinion is unmodified

We have audited the consolidated financial statements of Breedon Group plc  
(“the Company” and “the Group”) for the year ended 31 December 2022 which  
comprise the consolidated Income Statement, the consolidated Statement of 
Comprehensive Income, the consolidated Statement of Financial Position, the 
consolidated Statement of Changes in Equity, the consolidated Statement of  
Cashflows and the related notes, including the accounting policies in note 1. 

In our opinion, the consolidated financial statements: 

  give a true and fair view, in accordance with UK adopted international accounting 
standards, of the state of the Group’s affairs as at 31 December 2022 and of its profit  
for the year then ended; and

  have been properly prepared in accordance with the requirements of the Companies 
(Jersey) Law 1991. 

Basis for opinion 

We conducted our audit in accordance with International Standards on Auditing (UK) 
(“ISAs (UK)”) and applicable law. Our responsibilities are described below. We have 
fulfilled our ethical responsibilities under, and are independent of the Group in accordance 
with, UK ethical requirements including the FRC Ethical Standard as applied to other listed 
entities and other entities of public interest . We believe that the audit evidence we have 
obtained is a sufficient and appropriate basis for our opinion. 

Overview

Materiality:  
Group financial statements as a whole

Coverage

Key audit matters

Recurring risks

£6.5m (2021: £5.0m)

4.7% of Group profit before tax 
(2021: 4.4% Group profit before tax)

87% (2021: 94%) of Group profit before tax

vs 2021

Recoverability of goodwill 
allocated to Cement.

Provision for restoration and 
decommissioning obligations.

2.  Key audit matters: our assessment of risks 

of material misstatement

Key audit matters are those matters that, in our professional judgement, were of most 
significance in the audit of the consolidated financial statements and include the most 
significant assessed risks of material misstatement (whether or not due to fraud) identified 
by us, including those which had the greatest effect on: the overall audit strategy; the 
allocation of resources in the audit; and directing the efforts of the engagement team. 
These matters were addressed in the context of our audit of the consolidated financial 
statements as a whole, and in forming our opinion thereon, and we do not provide a 
separate opinion on these matters.

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Independent Auditor’s report

In arriving at our audit opinion above, the key audit matters, in decreasing order of audit significance, were as follows (unchanged from 2021):

Recoverability of goodwill 
allocated to Cement

(£163.3 million;  
2021: £160.0 million (note 9))

Refer to page 107 (Audit &  
Risk Committee report),  
page 153 (Accounting policies) 
and page 162 (Notes to the 
financial statements).

The risk

Forecast-based assessment

Our response

Our procedures included:

Goodwill is significant and at risk of impairment due to the impact of 
climate change on the Cement business.

The estimated recoverable amount is subjective due to the inherent 
uncertainty involved in forecasting and discounting future cashflows. 
In addition, the Group is not able to quantify the longer-term gross cost 
of the transition to Net Zero, as the technology to achieve this is not yet 
proven at scale. Demand for cement could be impacted by the price 
increases needed to recover these costs, substitute products becoming 
available or longer-term changes in consumer behaviour.

The future cash flows are also dependent on the continued availability  
of limestone resources over the remaining life of the asset base.

The effect of these matters is that, as part of our risk assessment for 
audit planning purposes, we determined that the value in use of goodwill 
had a high degree of estimation uncertainty, with a potential range 
of reasonable outcomes greater than our materiality for the financial 
statements as a whole, and possibly many times that amount.

In conducting our final audit work we concluded that reasonably  
possible changes in the assumptions would not be expected to result  
in a material change to the carrying value of goodwill.

  Our sector experience: We assessed whether the assumptions used, in particular those relating 
to the levels of capital expenditure required to meet the Group’s climate change commitments 
and the assessment of the continued availability of limestone resources, reflect our knowledge 
of the business and industry, including known or probable changes in the business environment 
and the impact of climate change. We used our climate change professionals to assist with the 
identification of the risks of substitute products becoming available;

  Historical comparisons: We considered the historical forecasting accuracy, by comparing 
previously forecast cash flows to actual results achieved;

  Benchmarking assumptions: We challenged, using observable market data including available 
sources for comparable companies, the key inputs used in the Group’s calculation of the discount 
rate and growth rate;

  Sensitivity analysis: We performed our own sensitivity analysis over the reasonably possible 
combination of changes in the forecasts on the assumptions noted above;

  Comparing valuations: We compared the sum of the discounted cash flows of all CGUs to the 
Group’s market capitalisation, thus assessing the reasonableness of these cash flows; and

  Assessing transparency: We assessed whether the Group’s disclosures regarding the sensitivity 
of the outcome of the impairment assessment to changes in key assumptions, specifically those 
relating to climate change, reflected the risks inherent in the recoverable amount of goodwill.

We performed the tests above rather than seeking to rely on any of the Group’s controls because  
the nature of the balance is such that we would expect to obtain audit evidence primarily through  
the detailed procedures described.

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Independent Auditor’s report

Restoration and 
decommissioning provisions

(£84.7 million;  
2021: £70.7 million)

Refer to page 108 Audit &  
Risk Committee report),  
page 154 (Accounting policies) 
and page 167 (Notes to the 
financial statements).

The risk

Subjective estimation:

Our response

Our procedures included:

The calculation of restoration and decommissioning provisions requires 
the Group to estimate the quantum and timing of future costs to restore 
and decommission sites. 

  Challenging assumptions and inputs: We challenged the consistency of the assumptions used 
by the Group in generating the estimated costs of restoration and decommissioning and agreed a 
sample of costs back to quotes received;

These calculations also require the Group to determine an appropriate 
rate to discount future costs to their net present value.

We assess that the risk associated with provisions has increased,  
as a result of the volatility in markets, meaning that inflation and  
discount rates are both more difficult to assess and will impact  
more on the calculation. 

There is limited restoration and decommissioning activity and historical 
precedent against which to benchmark estimates of future costs.

The effect of these matters is that, as part of our risk assessment,  
we determined that restoration and decommissioning provisions  
have a high degree of estimation uncertainty, with a potential range  
of outcomes greater than our materiality for the financial statements 
as a whole. The financial statements (note 26) disclose the sensitivities 
estimated by the Group.

  Assessing experience of external experts: We evaluated the competence and independence 
of external experts appointed by the Group to determine an estimate of restoration and 
decommissioning costs;

  Benchmarking assumptions: We challenged the inflation and discount rates by comparing them  
to externally derived data, including available sources for comparable companies;

  Historical comparisons: We considered historical forecasting accuracy, by comparing previously 
forecast costs to actual costs incurred; 

  Test of details: We evaluated a sample of underlying planning consents to assess the possible 
timing of the obligations with respect to restoration and decommissioning costs; and

  Assessing transparency: We assessed the adequacy of the Group’s disclosures about the degree 
of estimation involved in arriving at the provision. 

We performed the tests above rather than seeking to rely on any of the Group’s controls because the 
nature of the balance is such that we would expect to obtain audit evidence primarily through the 
detailed procedures described.

3.  Our application of materiality and an overview of the  

scope of our audit

Materiality for the Group financial statements as a whole was set at £6.5m (2021: £5.0m), 
determined with reference to a benchmark of total profits and losses that made up profit 
before tax (of which it represents 4.7% (2021: 4.4% of total profits and losses that made up 
profit before tax)).

In line with our audit methodology, our procedures on individual account balances and 
disclosures were performed to a lower threshold, performance materiality, so as to reduce 
to an acceptable level the risk that individually immaterial misstatements in individual 
account balances add up to a material amount across the financial statements as a whole. 

Performance materiality for the Group was set at 75% (2021: 75%) of materiality for the 
consolidated financial statements as a whole, which equates to £4.9m (2021: £3.8m).  
We applied this percentage in our determination of performance materiality because  
we did not identify any factors indicating an elevated level of risk.

We agreed to report to the Audit & Risk Committee any corrected or uncorrected 
identified misstatements exceeding £0.3m (2021: £0.3m), in addition to other identified 
misstatements that warranted reporting on qualitative grounds. 

Of the Group’s 27 (2021: 25) reporting components, we subjected 6 (2021: 7) to full scope 
audits for Group purposes. 

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Independent Auditor’s report

Group revenue

Group total assets

The components within the scope of our work accounted for the percentages  
illustrated opposite. 

For the remaining components we performed analysis at an aggregated Group level to 
re-examine our assessment that there were no significant risks of material misstatement 
within these components.

These remaining components represent 8% (2021: 1%) of total Group revenue, 13%  
(2021: 7%) of total profits and losses that made up Group profit before tax and 9%  
(2021: 7%) of total Group assets, none of which individually represented more than 10% 
(2021: 10%) of any of total Group revenue, total profits and losses that made up Group 
profit before tax or total Group assets. 

The Group team instructed component auditors as to the significant areas to be covered, 
including the relevant risks detailed above and the information to be reported back.  
The Group team approved the component materialities, which ranged from £2m to £5m 
(2021: £1.5 to £4m), having regard to the mix of size and risk profile of the Group across  
the components. The work on 3 of the 6 components (2021: 4 of the 7 components)  
was performed by Irish component auditors and the rest, including the audit of the  
parent company, was performed by the Group team.

The scope of the audit work performed was predominately substantive as we placed 
limited reliance upon the Group’s internal control over financial reporting. 

The Group team held video and telephone conference meetings with the component  
audit team in Ireland to assess the audit risk and strategy. The findings reported to the 
Group team were discussed in detail, and any further work required by the Group team 
was then performed by the component auditor. 

92%
(2021: 99%)

91%
(2021: 93%)

Group profit before tax

Full scope for group audit 
purposes 2022

Full scope for group audit 
purposes 2021
Residual components

87%
(2021: 93%)

Group profit before tax
£135.8m (2021: £114.3m)

Group materiality
£6.5m (2021: £5.0m)

£6.5m
Whole financial statements 
materiality (2021: £5.0m)

£4.9m
Whole financial statements 
performance materiality 
(2021: £3.8m)

£5.0m
Range of materiality at 6 (2021: 7)
Components (£2.0m to £5.0m)
(2021: £1.5m to £4.0m)

£0.3m
Misstatments reported to the Audit 
& Risk Committee (2021: £0.3m)

PBT

Group materiality

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Independent Auditor’s report

4. The impact of climate change in our audit

5. Going concern 

In planning our audit, we considered the potential impacts of climate change on the 
Group’s business and its financial statements. 

The Group has set out its targets to reduce gross carbon intensity in the Cement division 
by 30% by 2030, and committed to net zero by 2050 for Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions. 

However, whilst the Group has set targets to be carbon neutral by 2050, the gross cost of 
this transition, how the demand for cement might be impacted by the price increases 
needed to recover these costs, the possibility of substitute products becoming available 
and the longer term changes in customer behaviour are not yet known.

To the extent there are known implications, these have been reflected in the financial 
statements in accordance with IFRS requirements and have been considered in our audit 
as set out in our key audit matter. It is therefore possible that the future carrying amounts 
of assets will be impacted due to the outcome of these judgments and estimates as the 
Group responds to its climate change targets. 

Our key audit matter on the recoverability of goodwill allocated to the Cement cash 
generating unit explains how we have assessed the Group’s climate related assumptions 
and relevant disclosures in arriving at our audit conclusions. This included holding 
discussions with our own climate change professionals to challenge our risk assessment.

We have also read the Group’s disclosure of climate related information in the front half  
of the annual report and compared this to our knowledge gained from our financial 
statement audit work. The Group has given more disclosure in the financial statements  
of the potential impacts of climate change and the assumptions used in setting key 
estimates and judgments this year, and has also included disclosures as recommended  
by the Task Force on Climate-Related Financial Disclosure (“TCFD”) on page 50 to 87 of  
the Annual report.

The directors have prepared the consolidated financial statements on the going concern 
basis as they do not intend to liquidate the Group or to cease their operations, and they 
have concluded that the Group’s financial position means that this is realistic. They have 
also concluded that there are no material uncertainties that could have cast significant 
doubt over their ability to continue as a going concern for at least a year from the date of 
approval of the financial statements (“the going concern period”). 

In our evaluation of the conclusions, we considered the inherent risks to the Group’s 
business model and analysed how those risks might affect the Group’s financial resources 
or ability to continue operations over the going concern period. The risk that we 
considered most likely to affect the Group’s financial resources or ability to continue 
operations over this period was:

  The ability of the Group to comply with debt covenants

We considered whether these risks could plausibly affect the liquidity or covenant 
compliance in the going concern period by comparing severe but plausible downside 
scenarios that could arise from these risks individually and collectively against the level of 
available financial resources and covenants indicated by the Group’s financial forecasts.

We considered whether the going concern disclosure in note 1 to the consolidated financial 
statements gives a full and accurate description of the assessment of going concern.

Our conclusions based on this work:

  we consider that the directors’ use of the going concern basis of accounting in the 
preparation of the consolidated financial statements is appropriate;

  we have not identified, and concur with the directors’ assessment that there is not,  
a material uncertainty related to events or conditions that, individually or collectively, 
may cast significant doubt on the Group’s ability to continue as a going concern for the 
going concern period; and

  we found the going concern disclosure in note 1 to be acceptable.

However, as we cannot predict all future events or conditions and as subsequent events 
may result in outcomes that are inconsistent with judgements that were reasonable at the 
time they were made, the above conclusions are not a guarantee that the Group will 
continue in operation.

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Independent Auditor’s report

6. Fraud and breaches of laws and regulations – ability to detect

We performed procedures including:

Identifying and responding to risks of material misstatement due to fraud

To identify risks of material misstatement due to fraud (“fraud risks”) we assessed events 
or conditions that could indicate an incentive or pressure to commit fraud or provide an 
opportunity to commit fraud. Our risk assessment procedures included:

  Enquiring of directors and other management as to the Group’s high-level policies and 
procedures to prevent and detect fraud, including the internal audit function, and the 
Group’s channel for “whistleblowing”, as well as whether they have knowledge of any 
actual, suspected or alleged fraud; 

  Reading Board, Audit & Risk Committee and Remuneration Committee minutes;

  Considering remuneration incentive schemes and performance targets for 
management and the directors; and

  Using analytical procedures to identify any unusual or unexpected relationships.

We communicated identified fraud risks throughout the audit team and remained alert to 
any indications of fraud throughout the audit. This included communication from the 
Group to full scope component audit teams of relevant fraud risks identified at the Group 
level and request to full scope component audit teams to report to the Group audit team 
any instances of fraud that could give rise to a material misstatement at Group level.

As required by auditing standards, and taking into account possible pressures to meet 
profit targets and our overall knowledge of the control environment, we perform 
procedures to address the risk of management override of controls, in particular the risk 
that Group and component management may be in a position to make inappropriate 
accounting entries and the risk of bias in accounting estimates and judgements such as  
the estimation of restoration and decommission provisions. On this audit we do not believe 
there is a fraud risk related to revenue recognition because product revenue recognition is 
straightforward and contract revenue contains limited management judgement, therefore 
limiting the opportunity to commit a material fraud.

We did not identify any additional fraud risks.

  Identifying journal entries and other adjustments to test based on risk criteria and 
comparing the identified entries to supporting documentation. These included journals 
that move costs from above EBITDA to below EBITDA;

  Incorporating an element of unpredictability in our audit procedures; and

  Assessing whether the judgements made in making accounting estimates are indicative 
of a potential bias.

Identifying and responding to risks of material misstatement due to  
non-compliance with laws and regulations

We identified areas of laws and regulations that could reasonably be expected to have a 
material effect on the financial statements from our general commercial and sector 
experience, and through discussion with the directors and other management (as required 
by auditing standards) and discussed with the directors and other management the 
policies and procedures regarding compliance with laws and regulations.

We communicated identified laws and regulations throughout our team and remained 
alert to any indications of non-compliance throughout the audit. This included 
communication from the Group to full-scope component audit teams of relevant laws  
and regulations identified at the Group level, and a request for full scope component 
auditors to report to the Group team any instances of non-compliance with laws and 
regulations that could give rise to a material misstatement at the Group level.

The potential effect of these laws and regulations on the financial statements  
varies considerably.

Firstly, the Group is subject to laws and regulations that directly affect the consolidated 
financial statements including financial reporting legislation (including related companies 
legislation), distributable profits legislation and taxation legislation. 

We assessed the extent of compliance with these laws and regulations as part of  
our procedures on the related consolidated financial statement items.

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Independent Auditor’s report

Secondly , the Group is subject to many other laws and regulations where the 
consequences of non-compliance could have a material effect on amounts or disclosures 
in the consolidated financial statements, for instance through the imposition of fines or 
litigation. We identified the following areas as those most likely to have such an effect: 
health and safety, anti-bribery, employment law and certain aspects of company 
legislation recognising the nature of the Group’s activities and its legal form. Auditing 
standards limit the required audit procedures to identify non-compliance with these  
laws and regulations to enquiry of the directors and other management and inspection  
of regulatory and legal correspondence, if any. Therefore if a breach of operational 
regulations is not disclosed to us or evident from relevant correspondence, an audit will  
not detect that breach.

Context of the ability of the audit to detect fraud or breaches of law or regulation

Owing to the inherent limitations of an audit, there is an unavoidable risk that we may not 
have detected some material misstatements in the consolidated financial statements, even 
though we have properly planned and performed our audit in accordance with auditing 
standards. For example, the further removed non-compliance with laws and regulations  
is from the events and transactions reflected in the Group financial statements, the less 
likely the inherently limited procedures required by auditing standards would identify it. 

In addition, as with any audit, there remained a higher risk of non-detection of fraud, as 
these may involve collusion, forgery, intentional omissions, misrepresentations, or the 
override of internal controls. Our audit procedures are designed to detect material 
misstatements. We are not responsible for preventing non-compliance or fraud and  
cannot be expected to detect non-compliance with all laws and regulations.

7.  We have nothing to report on the other information in  

the Annual Report 

The directors are responsible for the other information presented in the Annual Report 
together with the consolidated financial statements. Our opinion on the financial 
statements does not cover the other information and, accordingly, we do not express  
an audit opinion or, any form of assurance conclusion thereon. 

Our responsibility is to read the other information and, in doing so, consider whether, 
based on our financial statements audit work, the information therein is materially 
misstated or inconsistent with the financial statements or our audit knowledge. Based 
solely on that work we have not identified material misstatements in the other information. 

8.  We have nothing to report on the other matters on which  

we are required to report by exception 

Under the Companies (Jersey) Law 1991, we are required to report to you if, in our opinion: 

  proper accounting records have not been kept by the Company, or 

  proper returns adequate for our audit have not been received from branches not  
visited by us; or 

  the financial statements are not in agreement with the accounting records and  
returns; or

  we have not received all the information and explanations we require for our audit. 

We have nothing to report in these respects. 

Breedon Group Annual report 2022

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145

Independent Auditor’s report

9. Respective responsibilities

Directors’ responsibilities 

As explained more fully in their statement set out on page 136, the directors are responsible 
for: the preparation of the consolidated financial statements including being satisfied that 
they give a true and fair view; such internal control as they determine is necessary to  
enable the preparation of consolidated financial statements that are free from material 
misstatement, whether due to fraud or error; assessing the Group’s ability to continue as a 
going concern, disclosing, as applicable, matters related to going concern; and using the 
going concern basis of accounting unless they either intend to liquidate the Group or to 
cease operations, or have no realistic alternative but to do so.

Auditor’s responsibilities 

Our objectives are to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the consolidated 
financial statements as a whole are free from material misstatement, whether due to fraud 
or error, and to issue our opinion in an auditor’s report. Reasonable assurance is a high  
level of assurance, but does not guarantee that an audit conducted in accordance with 
ISAs (UK) will always detect a material misstatement when it exists. Misstatements can 
arise from fraud or error and are considered material if, individually or in aggregate, they 
could reasonably be expected to influence the economic decisions of users taken on the 
basis of the consolidated financial statements. 

A fuller description of our responsibilities is provided on the FRC’s website at  
www.frc.org.uk/auditorsresponsibilities. 

10. The purpose of our audit work and to whom we owe  
our responsibilities 

This report is made solely to the Company’s members, as a body, in accordance with 
Article 113A of the Companies (Jersey) Law 1991. Our audit work has been undertaken  
so that we might state to the Company’s members those matters we are required to state 
to them in an auditor’s report and for no other purpose. To the fullest extent permitted by 
law, we do not accept or assume responsibility to anyone other than the Company and the 
Company’s members, as a body, for our audit work, for this report, or for the opinions we 
have formed.

Craig Parkin
for and on behalf of KPMG LLP, 
Chartered Accountants 

One Snowhill 
Snowhill Queensway 
Birmingham 
B4 6GH

8 March 2023

Breedon Group Annual report 2022

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146

Consolidated income statement

For the year ended 31 December 2022

Revenue

Cost of sales

Gross profit

Distribution expenses

Administrative expenses

Group operating profit

Share of profit of associate and joint ventures

Profit from operations

Financial income

Financial expense

Profit before taxation

Tax at effective rate

Changes in deferred tax rate

Taxation

Profit for the year

Attributable to:

Breedon Group shareholders

Non–controlling interests

Profit for the year

Note

1,2

10

2

6

6

7

7

Underlying 
£m

1,396.3

(910.1)

486.2

(231.0)

(103.7)

151.5

3.5

155.0

0.2

(12.4)

142.8

(22.9)

(1.1)

(24.0)

2022

Non- 
underlying* 
(note 3) 
£m

Total 
£m

Underlying 
£m

2021

Non- 
underlying* 
(note 3) 
£m

–

–

–

–

(7.0)

(7.0)

–

(7.0)

–

–

(7.0)

0.8

–

0.8

1,396.3

(910.1)

486.2

(231.0)

(110.7)

144.5

3.5

148.0

0.2

(12.4)

135.8

(22.1)

(1.1)

(23.2)

1,232.5

(804.1)

428.4

(210.6)

(87.1)

130.7

2.9

133.6

–

(13.1)

120.5

(19.4)

(17.3)

(36.7)

–

–

–

–

(6.2)

(6.2)

–

(6.2)

–

–

(6.2)

1.0

–

1.0

Total 
£m

1,232.5

(804.1)

428.4

(210.6)

(93.3)

124.5

2.9

127.4

–

(13.1)

114.3

(18.4)

(17.3)

(35.7)

118.8

(6.2)

112.6

83.8

(5.2)

78.6

118.7

0.1

118.8

(6.2)

–

(6.2)

112.5

0.1

112.6

83.7

0.1

83.8

(5.2)

–

(5.2)

78.5

0.1

78.6

*  Non–underlying items represent acquisition–related expenses, redundancy and reorganisation costs, property losses, amortisation of acquisition intangibles and related tax items.

Earnings per share

Basic

Diluted

Underlying earnings per share are shown in note 23.

Dividends in respect of the year

Dividend per share

23

23

17

6.65p

6.63p

2.10p

4.65p

4.62p

1.60p

Breedon Group Annual report 2022

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147

Consolidated statement of comprehensive income

For the year ended 31 December 2022

Profit for the year

Other comprehensive income/(expense)

Items which may be reclassified subsequently to profit and loss:

Foreign exchange differences on translation of foreign operations, net of hedging

Effective portion of changes in fair value of cash flow hedges 

Taxation on items taken directly to other comprehensive income

Other comprehensive income/(expense) for the year

Total comprehensive income for the year

Total comprehensive income for the year is attributable to:

Breedon Group shareholders

Non-controlling interests

Note

7

2022 
£m

112.6

10.2

(1.3)

0.2

9.1

121.7

121.6

0.1

121.7

2021 
£m

78.6

(14.7)

1.2

(0.2)

(13.7)

64.9

64.8

0.1

64.9

Breedon Group Annual report 2022

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148

Equity attributable to Breedon Group shareholders

749.9

Stated capital

Hedging reserve

Translation reserve

Retained earnings

Total equity attributable to  
Breedon Group shareholders

Non-controlling interests

Total equity

Note

17

17

17

At 31 December 2022

2022  
£m

2021  
£m

555.0

0.1

0.4

488.0

1,043.5

0.3

1,043.8

553.0

1.2

(9.8)

405.2

949.6

0.2

949.8

These financial statements were approved by the Board of Directors on 8 March 2023 and 
were signed on its behalf by:

Rob Wood 
Chief Executive Officer 

James Brotherton
Chief Financial Officer

Consolidated statement of financial position

Non-current assets

Property, plant and equipment

Right-of-use assets

Intangible assets

Investment in associate and joint ventures

Trade and other receivables

Total non-current assets

Current assets

Inventories

Trade and other receivables

Cash and cash equivalents

Total current assets

Total assets

Current liabilities

Interest-bearing loans and borrowings

Trade and other payables

Current tax payable

Provisions

Total current liabilities

Non-current liabilities

Interest-bearing loans and borrowings

Provisions

Deferred tax liabilities

Total non-current liabilities

Total liabilities

Net assets

Note

8

20

9

10

13

12

13

14

14

15

16

14

16

11

2022  
£m

2021  
£m

787.9

47.1

518.2

13.7

3.8

1,370.7

94.8

218.6

101.7

415.1

49.6

501.5

12.2

4.5

1,317.7

62.0

205.9

83.9

351.8

1,785.8

1,669.5

(7.9)

(263.8)

(3.8)

(9.2)

(284.7)

(291.5)

(76.8)

(89.0)

(457.3)

(742.0)

(7.2)

(257.7)

(4.7)

(9.5)

(279.1)

(289.2)

(63.9)

(87.5)

(440.6)

(719.7)

1,043.8

949.8

 
 
Breedon Group Annual report 2022

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149

Consolidated statement of changes in equity

For the year ended 31 December 2022

Balance at 1 January 2021

Shares issued

Dividends paid

Total comprehensive income for the year

Share-based payments (inclusive of deferred tax recognised in equity)

Balance at 31 December 2021

Shares issued

Dividends paid

Total comprehensive income for the year

Share-based payments (inclusive of deferred tax recognised in equity)

Balance at 31 December 2022

Note

17

17

18

17

17

18

Stated  
capital  
£m

551.6

1.4

–

–

–

553.0

2.0

–

–

–

555.0

Hedging 
reserve  
£m

Translation 
reserve  
£m

Retained 
earnings  
£m

Attributable 
to Breedon 
Group 
shareholders  
£m

Non-
controlling 
interests  
£m

0.2

–

–

1.0

–

1.2

–

–

(1.1)

–

0.1

4.9

–

–

(14.7)

–

331.6

888.3

–

(8.4)

78.5

3.5

1.4

(8.4)

64.8

3.5

(9.8)

405.2

949.6

–

–

10.2

–

0.4

–

(30.5)

112.5

0.8

2.0

(30.5)

121.6

0.8

488.0

1,043.5

0.1

–

–

0.1

–

0.2

–

–

0.1

–

0.3

Total  
equity  
£m

888.4

1.4

(8.4)

64.9

3.5

949.8

2.0

(30.5)

121.7

0.8

1,043.8

Breedon Group Annual report 2022

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150

Consolidated statement of cashflows

For the year ended 31 December 2022

Note

17

14

2022  
£m

(30.5)

2.0

–

–

(0.7)

(8.8)

(38.0)

17.1

83.9

0.7

101.7

2021  
£m

(8.4)

1.4

513.9

(563.1)

–

(9.7)

(65.9)

52.7

31.7

(0.5)

83.9

Cash flows from operating activities

Profit for the year

Adjustments for:

Depreciation and mineral depletion

Amortisation

Financial income

Financial expense

Share of profit of associate and joint ventures

Loss on sale of property, plant and equipment 

Gain on stepped acquisition

Share-based payments

Taxation

Operating cash flows before changes in  
working capital and provisions

Increase in trade and other receivables

Increase in inventories 

(Decrease)/increase in trade and other payables

Increase in provisions 

Cash generated from operating activities

Interest paid

Interest element of lease payments

Interest received

Income taxes paid

Net cash from operating activities

Cash flows used in investing activities

Acquisition of businesses 

Dividends from associate and joint ventures

Purchase of property, plant and equipment

Proceeds from sale of property, plant and equipment

Net cash used in investing activities

Note

2022  
£m

2021  
£m

112.6

78.6

Dividends paid

Cash flows used in financing activities

4

4

6

6

10

4

25

7

25

10

8

83.5

4.8

(0.2)

12.4

(3.5)

2.4

(0.3)

1.2

23.2

Proceeds from the issue of shares (net of costs)

83.3

Proceeds from new interest-bearing loans (net of costs)

3.6

–

13.1

Repayment of interest-bearing loans

Revolving Credit Facility extension costs

Repayment of lease obligations

(2.9)

Net cash used in financing activities

–

–

2.9

35.7

Net increase in cash and cash equivalents

Cash and cash equivalents at 1 January

Foreign exchange differences

Cash and cash equivalents at 31 December

236.1

214.3

(0.2)

(31.7)

(9.1)

7.7

202.8

(6.7)

(2.5)

0.2

(25.8)

168.0

(12.6)

1.7

(106.8)

4.8

(112.9)

(17.6)

(3.5)

17.2

6.7

217.1

(6.8)

(2.6)

–

(13.6)

194.1

(6.1)

1.9

(76.9)

5.6

(75.5)

Breedon Group Annual report 2022

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151

Notes to the financial statements

1

Accounting policies

The principal activities of the Group are  
the quarrying of aggregates together  
with manufacture and sale of construction 
materials and building products, including 
cement, asphalt and ready-mixed concrete, 
together with related activities in GB  
and Ireland. 

Breedon Group plc is a company domiciled 
in Jersey. The address of the Company’s 
registered office is 28 Esplanade, St Helier, 
Jersey, JE2 3QA. 

Basis of preparation

These financial statements consolidate the 
results of the Company and subsidiary 
undertakings, and equity accounts for  
the Group’s interests in its associate and 
joint ventures (collectively ‘the Group’). 

Applicable laws and  
accounting standards

These financial statements have been 
prepared in accordance with UK-adopted 
international accounting standards. The 
consolidated financial statements have 
been prepared under the historical cost 
convention except for the revaluation to 
fair value of certain financial instruments. 
Parent company information has not been 
provided in accordance with Article 105 (11)  
of the Companies (Jersey) Law 1991.

The accounting policies set out below have, 
unless otherwise stated, been applied 
consistently throughout the year.

Going Concern

These financial statements are prepared  
on a going concern basis which the 
directors consider to be appropriate  
for the following reasons:

The Group meets day-to-day working 
capital and other funding requirements 
through banking facilities, which include  
an overdraft facility. Longer term debt 
financing is accessed through the Group’s 
USPP loan note programme. The facilities 
comprise a £350m multi-currency RCF, 
which runs to at least June 2025 and 
£250m of USPP loan notes with maturities 
between 2028 and 2036. Further details  
of these facilities are provided in note 14  
to the financial statements.

The Group comfortably met all covenants 
in 2022 and other terms of its borrowing 
agreements in the period, and maintained  
a track record of profitability and cash 
generation, with an overall profit before 
taxation of £135.8m and net cash from 
operating activities of £168.0m.

The Group has prepared cash flow 
forecasts for a period of 12 months from  
the date of signing these financial 
statements, which show a sustained trend 
of profitability and cash generation and 
retained covenant headroom, even under 
 a ‘severe but plausible’ downside scenario 
of forecast cash flows. 

The base case assumes a trading 
performance delivered in line with market 
consensus over the forecast period,  
whilst the downside scenario models  
a 30% reduction in revenues, which the 
Group believes is an extremely severe 
sensitivity relative to likely outcomes  
and historic experience.

As at 31 December 2022, the Group had 
cash of £101.7m and undrawn banking 
facilities of £350.0m. At the date of this 
report, the Group retains a similar level of 
liquidity, which is expected to provide 
sufficient available funds for the Group  
to discharge its liabilities as they fall due.

Consequently, the Directors are confident 
that the Group will have sufficient funds to 
continue to meet its liabilities as they fall 
due for at least 12 months from the date of 
approval of these financial statements and 
therefore have prepared the financial 
statements on a going concern basis. 

Presentation

These financial statements are presented in 
sterling. All financial information presented 
has been rounded to the nearest £0.1m.

Basis of consolidation

Subsidiary undertakings are entities 
controlled by the Group. Control exists 
when the Group is exposed to or has rights 
to variable returns from its investment with 
the investee and has the ability to affect 
those returns through its power over the 
investee. In assessing control, potential 
voting rights that are currently exercisable 
or convertible are taken into account. 

The Group considers an entity to be a 
subsidiary undertaking when the Group 
has control over the entity. Ordinarily  
this is when the Group holds more than 
50% of the shares and voting rights. 
Financial statements of subsidiary 
undertakings are included in the Group’s 
financial statements from the date that 
control commences until the date that 
control ceases. 

Associates are those entities in which the 
Group holds more than 20% of the shares 
and voting rights and has significant 
influence, but not control, over the financial 
and operating policies. Joint ventures  
are those entities over whose activities  
the Group has joint control, requiring 
unanimous consent of the owners for 
strategic financial and operating decisions. 

The Group’s financial statements  
includes the Group’s share of the total 
comprehensive income of its associate  
and joint ventures on an equity accounted 
basis, from the date that significant 
influence or joint control commences  
until the date that significant influence or 
joint control ceases. 

When the Group’s share of losses exceeds 
its interest in an associate or joint venture, 
the Group’s carrying amount is reduced  
to nil and recognition of further losses is 
discontinued, except to the extent that the 
Group has incurred legal or constructive 
obligations or made payments on behalf  
of an associate or joint venture. 

Breedon Group Annual report 2022

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152

Notes to the financial statements

1

Accounting policies 
continued

Accounting estimates and judgements

The preparation of the financial statements 
requires the use of certain critical 
accounting estimates, and for 
management to exercise judgement  
in the process of applying the Group’s 
accounting policies. 

The areas involving a higher degree of 
judgement or complexity, or areas where 
assumptions and estimates are significant 
to the consolidated financial statements, 
are disclosed in note 26.

New IFRS Standards and Interpretations 
adopted in the year

The Group adopted amendments to  
IFRS 3, IAS 16, IAS 37 and the Annual 
Improvements to IFRS 2018-2020 from 
 1 January 2022. The adoption of these 
standards has not had a material impact  
on the financial statements.

New IFRS Standards and Interpretations 
not adopted

At the date on which these financial 
statements were authorised, there  
were no Standards, Interpretations  
and Amendments which had been  
issued but were not effective for the year 
ended 31 December 2022 that are 
expected to materially impact the  
Group’s financial statements. 

Foreign exchange

Financial instruments

Bank and other borrowings

Foreign exchange transactions

Transactions in foreign currencies are 
recorded at the spot rate at the transaction 
date. Monetary assets and liabilities 
denominated in foreign currencies are 
retranslated at the balance sheet date,  
with all currency translation differences 
recognised within the consolidated income 
statement, except for those monetary 
items that provide an effective hedge for a 
net investment in a foreign operation.

Financial instruments are recognised  
when the Group becomes a party to the 
contractual provisions of the instrument. 
The principal financial assets and liabilities 
of the Group are as follows:

Trade receivables and trade payables

Trade receivables and trade payables are 
initially recognised at fair value and are 
then stated at amortised cost.

Contract assets and liabilities

Foreign exchange translation

The consolidated financial statements  
are presented in sterling, which is the 
presentational currency of the Group.  
The individual financial statements of the 
Group’s subsidiaries and joint ventures with 
a functional currency other than sterling 
are translated into sterling according to  
IAS 21 – The Effects of Changes in Foreign 
Exchange Rates.

Results and cash flows are translated 
monthly using average monthly exchange 
rates and then accumulated, assets and 
liabilities are translated using the closing 
rates at the reporting date and equity at 
historic exchange rates. 

The resulting translation differences are 
recognised in the consolidated statement 
of comprehensive income until the 
subsidiary is disposed of. Goodwill and fair 
value adjustments arising on acquisition of 
a foreign operation are regarded as assets 
and liabilities of the foreign operation and 
are translated accordingly.

The contract assets, presented within trade 
and other receivables, primarily relate to 
the Group’s rights to consideration for work 
completed but not billed at the reporting 
date on surfacing contracts. The contract 
assets are transferred to receivables when 
the rights become unconditional. The 
contract liabilities, presented within trade 
and other payables, primarily relate to the 
advance consideration received from 
customers on these contracts. 

Cash and cash equivalents

Cash and cash equivalents comprise  
cash at bank and in hand, including bank 
deposits with original maturities of three 
months or less. For the purposes of the 
consolidated statement of cash flows, bank 
overdrafts are included in cash and cash 
equivalents as they are an integral part of 
the Group’s cash management.

Interest-bearing bank loans, overdrafts  
and other loans including USPP loan notes 
are recognised initially at fair value less 
attributable transaction costs. All 
borrowings are subsequently stated  
at amortised cost with the difference 
between initial net proceeds and 
redemption value recognised in the 
consolidated income statement over  
the period to redemption on an effective 
interest basis.

Derivative financial instruments

The majority of the Group’s strategic 
hedging programme is delivered using 
executory contracts to forward purchase 
commodities for our own use. The cost is 
recognised in the consolidated income 
statement at the agreed forward rates  
on receipt of the underlying items. 

The Group uses financial instruments to 
manage financial risks associated with  
the Group’s underlying business activities 
and the financing of those activities. The 
Group does not undertake any trading in 
financial instruments.

Derivatives are initially recognised at fair 
value and subsequently remeasured in 
future periods at fair value. The gain  
or loss on remeasurement is recognised 
immediately in profit or loss, unless  
a derivative financial instrument is 
designated as a hedge of the variability in 
cash flows of a recognised asset or liability. 

Breedon Group Annual report 2022

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153

Notes to the financial statements

1

Accounting policies 
continued

In this instance the effective part of  
any gain or loss is recognised in the 
consolidated statement of comprehensive 
income and in the hedging reserve.  
Any ineffective portion of the hedge  
is recognised immediately in the 
consolidated income statement.

Amounts recorded in the hedging reserve 
are subsequently reclassified to the 
consolidated income statement when  
the expense for the hedged transaction  
is actually recognised.

To qualify for hedge accounting,  
the hedging relationship must meet  
several conditions with respect to 
documentation, probability of occurrence, 
hedge effectiveness and reliability  
of measurement. 

At the inception of the transaction,  
the Group documents the relationship 
between hedging instruments and hedged 
items, as well as its risk management 
objective and strategy for undertaking  
the hedge transaction. This process 
includes linking all derivatives designated 
as hedges to specific assets and liabilities 
or to specific firm commitments or  
forecast transactions. 

The Group documents an assessment, at 
hedge inception and on an annual basis,  
as to whether the derivatives that are  
used in hedging transactions have been, 
and are likely to continue to be, effective  
in offsetting changes in fair value or cash 
flows of hedged items.

Mineral reserves and resources

Mineral reserves and resources are stated 
at cost, including both the purchase price 
and costs incurred to gain access to the 
reserves. Where access is gained to new 
mineral reserves and resources, this cost 
includes a provision to restore the land 
disturbed. The value of mineral reserves 
and resources recognised as a result of 
business combinations is based on the fair 
value at the point of acquisition. These 
assets are depreciated using a physical 
unit-of-production method, over the 
commercial life of the quarry.

Property, plant and equipment

Items of property, plant and equipment  
are stated at cost less accumulated 
depreciation and any recognised 
impairment loss. 

Depreciation is charged to the 
consolidated income statement on a 
straight-line basis over the estimated useful 
lives of assets, in order to write off the cost 
or deemed cost of assets. 

The estimated useful lives are as follows:

  Freehold buildings

50 years

  Fixtures and fittings

up to 10 years

  Office equipment

up to 5 years

  Fixed plant

  Loose plant  
and machinery

up to 35 years

up to 10 years

  Motor vehicles

up to 10 years

No depreciation is provided on  
freehold land.

Business combinations, intangible 
assets and goodwill

The Group measures goodwill as the fair 
value of the purchase consideration 
transferred including the recognised 
amount of any non-controlling interest  
in the acquiree, less the fair value of the 
identifiable assets acquired and liabilities 
assumed, all measured as of the acquisition 
date. Fair value adjustments are always 
considered to be provisional at the first 
reporting date after the acquisition.

Goodwill arising on the acquisition of 
subsidiary undertakings is recognised  
as an asset in the consolidated statement 
of financial position and is subject to an 
annual impairment review. 

Other intangible assets that are  
acquired by the Group as part of a  
business combination are stated at  
cost less accumulated amortisation  
and impairment losses. 

Cost reflects management’s judgement of 
the fair value of the individual intangible 
asset calculated by reference to the net 
present value of future economic benefits 
accruing to the Group from the utilisation 
of the asset, discounted at an appropriate 
rate. Other intangibles arising on the 
acquisition of associated undertakings  
are included within the carrying value of  
the investment.

Amortisation is based on the estimated 
useful economic lives of the assets 
concerned, which is considered by the 
directors to be a period of up to 20 years. 

The Group measures non-controlling 
interests at a proportionate share of the 
recognised amount of the identifiable net 
assets at the acquisition date.

Where the Group has entered into put 
options relating to a minority shareholding 
as part of a transaction, the Group applies 
the ‘anticipated acquisition’ method to 
account for the put liability and does not 
recognise a separate non-controlling 
interest within reserves. Subsequently 
changes in the value of the put liability  
are recognised within equity.

Impairment of non-financial assets

The carrying amounts of the Group’s 
non-financial assets, other than goodwill, 
inventories and deferred tax assets  
(see separate accounting policies),  
are reviewed at each reporting date to 
determine whether there is any indication 
of impairment; including an assessment of 
any indication of impairment arising as a 
result of climate change.

Impairment reviews are undertaken at the 
level of each significant cash-generating 
unit, which is no larger than an operating 
segment as defined by IFRS 8 – Operating 
Segments. If any such indication exists  
then the asset’s recoverable amount  
is estimated. 

The recoverable amount of an asset or 
cash-generating unit is the greater of  
the value in use and the fair value less  
costs to sell. 

Breedon Group Annual report 2022

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154

Notes to the financial statements

1

Accounting policies 
continued

In assessing value in use, the estimated 
future cash flows are discounted to their 
present value using a pre-tax discount rate 
that reflects current market assessments  
of the time value of money and the risks 
specific to the asset. 

An impairment loss in respect of goodwill is 
not reversed. In respect of other assets, 
impairment losses recognised in prior 
periods are assessed at each reporting 
date for any indications that the loss has 
decreased or no longer exists. 

An impairment loss is reversed if there has 
been a change in the estimates used to 
determine the recoverable amount. An 
impairment loss is reversed only to the 
extent that the asset’s carrying amount 
does not exceed the carrying amount  
that would have been determined, net  
of depreciation or amortisation, if no 
impairment loss had been recognised.

Impairment of financial assets

The Group recognises loss allowances  
for expected credit losses (ECLs) on 
financial and contract assets measured  
at amortised cost.

The Group measures loss allowances at an 
amount equal to lifetime ECL, except for 
bank balances for which credit risk (i.e. the 
risk of default occurring over the expected 
life of the financial instrument) has not 
increased significantly since initial 
recognition, which are measured as 
12-month ECL.

Measurement of ECLs

Emissions rights

ECLs are a probability-weighted estimate 
of credit losses. Credit losses are measured 
as the present value of all cash shortfalls 
(i.e. the difference between the cash flows 
due to the entity in accordance with the 
contract and the cash flows that the  
Group expects to receive). ECLs are 
discounted at the effective interest rate  
of the financial asset.

Inventories

Inventories are stated at the lower of cost 
and net realisable value. Cost is based on 
the first-in first-out principle and includes 
expenditure incurred in acquiring the 
inventories and bringing them to their 
existing location and condition. 

In the case of manufactured inventories 
and work in progress, cost includes  
an appropriate share of overheads, 
including mineral depletion where relevant. 
The level of overhead included in the  
cost of inventory is based on normal 
operating capacity.

Net realisable value is determined with 
reference to sales prices less cost to sell 
and, in the case of obsolete stock on an 
excess stock model of sales relative to 
inventories held.

Emissions rights where an annual 
allowance is received for nil cost, typically 
EU or UK ETS credits, are accounted  
for such that an emissions liability is 
recognised only in circumstances where 
emissions have exceeded the allowance for 
a scheme from the perspective of the 
Group as a whole and will require the 
purchase of additional allowances to  
settle an emissions liability. 

The initial cost of creating provisions on the 
commencement of operations is included 
in property, plant and equipment and 
depreciated over the life of the site. 

Changes in the measurement of a 
previously capitalised provision that result 
from changes in the estimated timing or 
amount of cash outflows are added to, or 
deducted from, the cost of the related 
asset. All other changes are recognised in 
the consolidated income statement.

Assets and liabilities arising in respect of 
emission allowances are accordingly 
presented on a net basis in the 
consolidated financial statements. 

All provisions are discounted to their 
present value at a rate that reflects current 
market assessments of the time value of 
money and the risks specific to the liability. 

Retirement benefits

Revenue

Group revenue arises from the sale of 
goods and surfacing. IFRS 15 requires 
revenue to be recognised in line with a 
principles-based five-step model.  
This requires the Group to identify its 
performance obligations, determine the 
transaction price applicable to each of 
these performance obligations and then  
to select an appropriate method for the 
timing of revenue recognition, reflecting 
the substance of the performance 
obligation, being either recognition  
at a point in time or over time.

The Group do not operate any  
defined benefit plans. Obligations for 
contributions to defined contribution 
pension plans are recognised as an 
expense in the consolidated income 
statement as incurred.

Provisions

A provision is recognised in the 
consolidated statement of financial 
position when the Group has a present 
legal or constructive obligation, and  
it is probable that an outflow of  
economic benefits will be required  
to settle the obligation. 

The Group provides for the costs of 
restoring sites and of decommissioning 
associated property, plant and equipment. 

Breedon Group Annual report 2022

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155

Notes to the financial statements

1

Accounting policies 
continued

Revenue from sale of goods

The majority of the Group’s revenue is 
derived from the sale of physical goods to 
customers. Depending on whether the 
goods are delivered to or collected by the 
customer, the contract contains either one 
performance obligation which is satisfied 
at the point of collection, or two 
performance obligations which are 
satisfied simultaneously at the point  
of delivery.

The transaction price for this revenue is  
the amount which can be invoiced to  
the customer once the performance 
obligations are fulfilled, reduced to reflect 
provisions recognised for returns, trade 
discounts and rebates. Where the Group 
offers discounts or volume rebates, the 
variable element of revenue is based on the 
most likely amount of consideration that 
the Group believes will be received. This 
value excludes items collected on behalf  
of third parties, such as sales taxes.

For all sales of goods, revenue is 
recognised at a point in time, being the 
point that the goods are transferred to  
the customer. 

Revenue from surfacing

Warranties and customer claims

The majority of surfacing revenue 
comprises short-term performance 
obligations to supply and lay materials. 
Other surfacing revenue can contain more 
than one performance obligation 
dependent on the nature of the contract.

The transaction price is calculated as 
consideration specified by the contract, 
adjusted to reflect provisions recognised 
for returns, likely remedial work arising in 
the normal course of business, trade 
discounts and rebates. 

Where the agreement with a customer 
provides for elements of variable 
consideration, these values are included in 
the calculation of the transaction price only 
to the extent that it is ‘highly probable’ that 
a significant reversal in the amount of 
cumulative revenue recognised will not 
occur when the uncertainty associated 
with the variable consideration is resolved.

Where the transaction price is allocated 
between multiple performance obligations, 
this typically reflects the allocation of value 
to each performance obligation agreed 
with the end customer, unless this does  
not reflect the economic substance.

Surfacing performance obligations  
are satisfied over time so revenue is 
typically recognised on an output basis, 
being volume of product laid for most 
surfacing revenue. 

The Group provides assurance type 
warranties over the specification of 
products, but does not provide extended 
warranties or maintenance services in 
contracts with customers. Claims with 
customers may arise in the usual course  
of business. Both customer claims and 
warranties are accounted for under IAS 37 
– Provisions, Contingent Liabilities and 
Contingent Assets.

Financial income and expense

Financial income and expense comprises 
interest payable, finance charges, lease 
interest, interest receivable on funds 
invested, and gains and losses on related 
hedging instruments that are recognised  
in the consolidated income statement.

Interest income and interest payable is 
recognised in profit or loss as it accrues, 
using the effective interest method.

Income tax

Income tax on the profit or loss for the  
year comprises current and deferred 
 tax. Income tax is recognised in the 
consolidated income statement except  
to the extent that income tax relates to 
items recognised directly in equity.

Current tax is the expected tax payable  
on the taxable profit for the year. Taxable 
profit differs from net profit as reported  
in the consolidated income statement 
because taxable profit excludes items of 
income or expense that are not taxable  
or deductible. 

The Group’s liability for current tax is 
calculated using tax rates enacted or 
substantively enacted at the reporting date 
and includes any adjustment to tax payable 
in respect of previous years.

Deferred tax

Deferred tax is provided in full using the 
Statement of Financial Position liability 
method and represents the tax expected 
to be payable or recoverable on the 
temporary differences between the 
carrying amounts of assets and liabilities 
for financial reporting purposes and the 
amounts used for taxation purposes.

The following temporary differences are 
not provided for:

  goodwill not deductible for  
tax purposes;

  the initial recognition of assets or 
liabilities that affect neither accounting 
nor taxable profit other than in a 
business combination; and 

  differences relating to investments  
in subsidiaries to the extent that they  
will probably not reverse in the 
foreseeable future. 

The amount of deferred tax provided is 
based on the expected manner of 
realisation or settlement of the carrying 
amount of assets and liabilities using tax 
rates enacted or substantively enacted  
at the reporting date.

Breedon Group Annual report 2022

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156

Notes to the financial statements

1

Accounting policies 
continued

A deferred tax asset is recognised only to 
the extent that it is probable that future 
taxable profits will be available against 
which the asset can be utilised. The 
carrying amount of deferred tax assets  
is reviewed at each reporting date and 
reduced to the extent that it is no longer 
probable that sufficient taxable profit will 
be available to allow all or part of the asset 
to be recovered. 

Deferred tax assets and liabilities are offset 
when they relate to income taxes levied by 
the same taxation authority and the Group 
intends to settle its current tax assets and 
liabilities on a net basis.

Leases

Right-of-use assets and liabilities are 
recognised for any arrangements  
meeting the definition of a lease set  
out in IFRS 16 – Leases.

Right-of-use assets are measured at cost, 
comprising the initial amount of the  
lease liability adjusted for any lease 
prepayments, plus any initial direct costs 
incurred, less any lease incentives received. 
Right-of-use assets are then depreciated 
using the straight-line method from the 
start of the lease to the earlier of the end of 
the useful life of the right-of-use asset or 
the end of the lease term.

Lease liabilities are presented within 
interest-bearing loans and borrowings. 
They are measured at the present value  
of future lease payments, discounted at  
a rate which reflects both the Group’s 
incremental borrowing rate, adjusted for 
the time value of money, and the nature of 
the leased asset. 

The Group has elected to take advantage 
of the practical expedients, permitted by 
IFRS 16, not to recognise lease assets and 
liabilities in respect of short-term and 
low-value leases. Charges recognised in 
the consolidated income statement in 
respect of these leases are not significant 
to the Group.

Share-based transactions

Equity-settled share-based payments  
to directors, key employees and others 
providing similar services are measured at 
the fair value of the equity instruments at 
the grant date. The fair value is expensed, 
with a corresponding increase in equity, on 
a straight-line basis over the period that the 
employees become unconditionally 
entitled to the awards. 

At each reporting date, the Group revises 
the amount recognised as an expense  
to reflect the number of awards for which 
the related service and non-market 
performance conditions are expected to  
be met, such that the amount ultimately 
recognised as an expense is based on the 
number of awards that meet the related 
service and non-market performance 
conditions at the vesting date. 

For share-based payment awards with 
market-based performance conditions, the 
grant date fair value of the share-based 
payment is measured to reflect such 
conditions and there is no true-up for 
differences between expected and  
actual outcomes.

Where a share-based payment is 
net-settled by withholding a specified 
portion of the shares to meet statutory 
obligations, the arrangement is accounted 
for as an equity-settled share-based 
payment in its entirety.

Dividends

Dividends are recognised as a liability  
in the financial statements in the period in 
which they are declared by the Company 
and, in respect of final dividends, approved 
by shareholders.

Alternative performance measures 

The following non-GAAP performance 
measures have been used in the  
financial statements: 

i.

ii.

iii.

iv.

v.

vi.

Underlying Earnings Before Interest and 
Tax (EBIT) 

Underlying EBIT margin

Underlying EBITDA

Like-for-like Underlying EBIT

Like-for-like revenue

Underlying Basic Earnings per Share (EPS)

vii.

Free Cash Flow

viii. Free Cash Flow conversion

ix.

x.

xi.

Return on invested capital

Covenant Leverage

Net Debt

xii. Net Debt (excluding IFRS 16)

Management uses these terms as they 
believe these measures allow a better 
understanding of the Group’s underlying 
business performance. These alternative 
performance measures are well 
understood by investors and analysts,  
are consistent with the Group’s historic 
communication with investors and reflects 
the way in which the business is managed. 

A reconciliation between these alternative 
performance measures to the most directly 
related statutory measures is included 
within note 27. 

Breedon Group Annual report 2022

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157

Notes to the financial statements

2

Segmental analysis

The Group’s activities comprise the following reportable segments:

 Great Britain: our construction materials and surfacing businesses in Great Britain. 

 Ireland: our construction materials and surfacing businesses on the Island of Ireland.

 Cement: our cementitious operations in Great Britain and Ireland.

A description of the activities of each segment is included on pages 30 to 35. 

2022

2021

Income statement

Great Britain

Ireland

Cement

Central administration

Eliminations

Group

Reconciliation to statutory profit

Group Underlying EBITDA as above

Depreciation and mineral depletion

Great Britain

Ireland

Cement

Central administration

Underlying Group operating profit

Share of profit of associate and  
joint ventures

Underlying profit from operations (EBIT)

Non-underlying items (note 3)

Profit from operations

Revenue 
£m

Underlying
EBITDA*
£m

972.4

226.2

300.7

–

(103.0)

1,396.3

136.1

34.4

79.6

(15.1)

–

235.0

235.0

(83.5)

86.4

28.3

52.1

(15.3)

151.5

3.5

155.0

(7.0)

148.0

Revenue 
£m

845.2

225.4

245.6

–

(83.7)

1,232.5

Underlying
EBITDA*
£m

124.2

35.4

67.7

(13.3)

–

214.0

Sale of goods

Great Britain

Ireland

Cement

Eliminations

214.0

Surfacing 

(83.3)

Great Britain

Ireland

74.3

28.2

41.6

(13.4)

130.7

2.9

133.6

(6.2)

127.4

*  Underlying EBITDA is earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and mineral depletion, amortisation,  

non-underlying items (note 3) and before our share of profit of associate and joint ventures.

Disaggregation of revenue from contracts with the customers

Analysis of revenue by geographic location of end-market

The primary geographic market for all Group revenues for the purpose of IFRS 15 is the  
UK and RoI. In line with the requirements of IFRS 8, this is analysed by individual countries 
as follows:

United Kingdom

Republic of Ireland

Other

2022 
£m

1,217.3

176.5

2.5

1,396.3

Analysis of revenue by major products and service lines by segment

2021 
£m

1,088.2

141.1

3.2

1,232.5

2021 
£m

740.2

66.4

245.6

(83.7)

968.5

105.0

159.0

264.0

1,232.5

2022 
£m

829.0

82.0

300.7

(103.0)

1,108.7

143.4

144.2

287.6

1,396.3

Timing of revenue recognition

Sale of goods revenue relates to products for which revenue is recognised at a point  
in time as the product is transferred to the customer. Surfacing revenues are accounted  
for as products and services for which revenue is recognised over time.

Breedon Group Annual report 2022

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158

Analysis of depreciation and mineral depletion, amortisation and  
capital expenditure

Notes to the financial statements

2

Segmental analysis continued

Statement of financial position

2022

2021

Great Britain

Ireland

Cement

Central administration

Total operations

Current tax

Deferred tax

Net Debt

Total Group

Net assets

Total assets 
£m

Total liabilities 
£m

2022

Total assets 
£m

Total liabilities 
£m

900.9

260.6

519.7

2.9

(228.0)

(40.5)

(62.0)

(19.3)

841.8

254.4

487.2

2.2

1,684.1

(349.8)

1,585.6

–

–

101.7

1,785.8

(3.8)

(89.0)

(299.4)

(742.0)

1,043.8

–

–

83.9

1,669.5

(203.0)

(45.8)

(65.0)

(17.3)

(331.1)

(4.7)

(87.5)

(296.4)

(719.7)

949.8

Great Britain

Ireland

Cement

Central administration

2021

Great Britain

Ireland

Cement

Central administration

Depreciation 
and mineral 
depletion 
£m

Amortisation 
of intangible 
assets 
£m

Additions 
to property, 
plant and 
equipment 
£m

49.7

6.1

27.5

0.2

83.5

49.9

7.2

26.1

0.1

83.3

2.7

2.1

–

–

4.8

1.6

2.0

–

–

3.6

71.1

10.5

24.9

0.3

106.8

44.9

14.4

17.1

0.5

76.9

GB total assets include £12.4m (2021: £11.3m) and Cement total assets include  
£1.3m (2021: £0.9m) in respect of investments in associate and joint ventures. 

Geographic location of property, plant and equipment and right-of-use assets

Additions to owned property, plant and equipment exclude additions in respect of 
business combinations.

United Kingdom

Republic of Ireland

2022 
£m

705.7

129.3

835.0

2021 
£m

681.9

117.6

799.5

Breedon Group Annual report 2022

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159

Notes to the financial statements

3

Non-underlying items

5

Employees and directors

Non-underlying items are those which are either unlikely to recur in future periods or which 
distort the underlying trading performance of the business, including non-cash items. The 
directors monitor the performance of the Group using alternative performance measures 
which are on an underlying basis. In the opinion of the directors, this presentation aids 
understanding of the underlying business performance and any references to underlying 
earnings measures throughout this report are made on this basis. Underlying measures are 
presented on a consistent basis over time to assist in the comparison of performance.

Included in administrative expenses:

Redundancy and reorganisation costs

Acquisition costs (note 25)

Property (gains) and losses

Amortisation of acquired intangible assets

Total non-underlying items (before tax)

Non-underlying taxation

Total non-underlying items (after tax)

2022  
£m

–

0.7

1.5

4.8

7.0

(0.8)

6.2

Remuneration received by the directors (the Group’s key management personnel)  
is summarised below. Disclosure by individual director, including information on all 
outstanding share options, is provided in the Directors’ Remuneration report from  
page 126.

Directors’ remuneration

Salaries and short-term employee benefits

Directors’ fees

Share awards received in current period

Total disclosed in Directors’ Remuneration report

2022 
£m

2.4

0.4

0.4

3.2

2021 
£m

2.4

0.4

1.3

4.1

While the share awards received were based on performance measured to 31 December 
2022, they will not vest until August 2023. Accordingly, the value of these awards is 
estimated using the three-month average share price to 31 December 2022 (56.9p).

2021  
£m

1.2

0.7

0.7

3.6

6.2

(1.0)

5.2

During 2022, £0.4m of share awards, received in respect of 2021 performance, vested. 
During 2021, share awards in respect of 2020 performance did not vest. 

Acquisition costs are presented net of a £0.3m gain on stepped acquisition. See note 25.

No pension contributions were paid by the Group directly to any pension schemes  
on behalf of the directors in either the current or prior years.

4

Expenses and auditor’s remuneration

Staff numbers and costs

Group operating profit has been arrived at after charging/(crediting)

Depreciation and mineral depletion:

Owned assets

Leased assets

Amortisation of intangible assets

Property losses (note 3)

Loss/(gain) on sale of plant and equipment

Auditor’s remuneration

Audit of the Company’s subsidiary undertakings

Non-audit services

2022 
£m

2021 
£m

74.8

8.7

4.8

1.5

0.9

0.9

0.1

1.0

73.0

10.3

3.6

0.7

(0.7)

0.9

–

0.9

The average number of persons employed by the Group during the year was as follows:

Great Britain

Ireland

Cement

Central administration

Number of employees

2022

2,637

334

517

161

2021

2,466

372

487

132

3,649

3,457

Breedon Group Annual report 2022

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160

Notes to the financial statements

5

Employees and directors 
continued

7

Taxation

The aggregate payroll costs of these persons were as follows:

Recognised in the consolidated income statement 

Wages and salaries

Social security costs

Pension costs

Share-based payments (note 18)

2022 
£m

162.3

19.2

8.3

2.4

192.2

Pension costs relate to various defined contribution pension schemes operated within  
the Group. These are accounted for on a contribution payable basis. 

Contributions outstanding at 31 December 2022 amounted to £1.1m (2021: £1.0m)  
and are included in other payables.

2021 
£m

142.6

Current tax

15.6

Current year

6.6

2.9

167.7

Prior year

Total current tax

Deferred tax

Current year

Change in deferred tax rate

Prior year

Total deferred tax

6

Financial income and expense

Total tax charge in the consolidated income statement

Recognised in equity

Interest received on cash deposits

Total financial income

Interest charged on bank loans, private placement notes and overdrafts

Amortisation of loan arrangement fees

Lease liabilities

Unwinding of discount on provisions

Total financial expense

2022 
£m

0.2

0.2

(6.7)

(1.1)

(2.5)

(2.1)

(12.4)

2021 
£m

–

–

(6.8)

(2.3)

(2.6)

(1.4)

(13.1)

Amortisation of loan arrangement fees during 2021 included a charge of £1.2m to expense 
fees previously capitalised in respect of the Group’s old facilities which were refinanced 
that year. 

Deferred tax 

Cash flow hedges

Share-based payments

Total tax charge/(credit) in equity

2022 
£m

23.6

1.0

24.6

(1.8)

1.1

(0.7)

(1.4)

23.2

2022 
£m

(0.2)

0.4

0.2

2021 
£m

19.1

(0.1)

19.0

(1.1)

17.3

0.5

16.7

35.7

2021 
£m

0.2

(0.6)

(0.4)

Breedon Group Annual report 2022

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161

Notes to the financial statements

7

Taxation continued

Reconciliation of effective tax rate

Profit before taxation

Tax at the Company’s domestic rate of 19%

Difference between Company and subsidiary statutory tax rates

Expenses not deductible for tax purposes

Enhanced capital allowances

Share-based payments

Unrecognised deferred tax assets (note 11)

Income from associate and joint ventures already taxed

Change in deferred tax rate

Adjustment in respect of prior years

Total tax charge

2022 
£m

135.8

25.8

(2.6)

0.6

(1.4)

0.8

(0.7)

(0.7)

1.1

0.3

23.2

2021 
£m

114.3

21.7

(2.0)

0.7

(1.5)

–

(0.4)

(0.5)

17.3

0.4

35.7

The Company is tax resident in the UK, with a 19% tax rate. The Group’s subsidiary 
operations pay tax at a rate of 19% (2021: 19%) in the UK and 12.5% (2021: 12.5%) in RoI.

Excluding the impact of non-underlying items and the change in deferred tax rate, the 
Group’s Underlying effective tax rate is 16.0% (2021: 16.1%). Including these items, the 
Group’s reported tax rate for the year is 17.1% (2021: 31.2%).

On 24 May 2021, legislation was passed which substantively enacted an increase in  
UK corporation tax rate from 19% to 25% from April 2023. This will result in higher tax 
charges in future years and a deferred tax charge of £17.3m was recognised in the prior 
year to remeasure the Group’s UK deferred tax liabilities held at 31 December 2021 to  
this higher rate.

The Group may be impacted in the future by BEPS Pillar 2, the OECD initiative  
for a global minimum 15% rate, as a result of our trading operations in RoI where the 
statutory rate of corporation tax is 12.5%. The Group’s corporation tax charge in RoI  
was £6.0m in 2022, and so while exposure is not expected to be material we continue  
to closely monitor developments.

8

Property, plant and equipment

Cost

Balance at 1 January 2022

Translation adjustment

Business combinations (note 25)

Additions

Disposals and impairment

Change to capitalised provisions

Reclassification

Mineral 
reserves and 
resources 
£m

Land and 
buildings 
£m

Plant, 
equipment  
and vehicles 
£m

Total 
£m

340.0

130.6

616.9

1,087.5

1.3

–

1.8

(1.0)

–

(1.8)

2.3

0.3

0.5

(0.3)

(0.9)

2.3

4.3

3.3

104.5

(18.4)

3.2

(0.5)

7.9

3.6

106.8

(19.7)

2.3

–

Balance at 31 December 2022

340.3

134.8

713.3

1,188.4

Depreciation and mineral depletion 

Balance at 1 January 2022

Translation adjustment

Charge for the year

Disposals and impairment

Balance at 31 December 2022

Net book value

71.3

0.2

15.0

(0.1)

86.4

27.4

0.3

5.2

(0.1)

32.8

238.9

0.7

54.6

(12.9)

281.3

337.6

1.2

74.8

(13.1)

400.5

Balance at 31 December 2022

253.9

102.0

432.0

787.9

Breedon Group Annual report 2022

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162

Notes to the financial statements

8

Property, plant and equipment continued

9

Intangible assets

Mineral 
reserves and 
resources 
£m

Land and 
buildings 
£m

Plant, 
equipment  
and vehicles 
£m

Total 
£m

Cost

Cost

Balance at 1 January 2021 

334.0

Transferred from leased assets (note 20)

Translation adjustment

Business combinations 

Additions

Disposals and impairment

Change to capitalised provisions 

Reclassification

–

(1.7)

–

7.9

(1.0)

–

0.8

129.3

(0.2)

(2.9)

–

3.5

(0.7)

0.7

0.9

569.0

1,032.3

3.7

(4.1)

0.4

65.5

(15.5)

(0.4)

(1.7)

3.5

(8.7)

0.4

76.9

(17.2)

0.3

–

Balance at 31 December 2021

340.0

130.6

616.9

1,087.5

Depreciation and mineral depletion 

Balance at 1 January 2021

Transferred from leased assets (note 20)

Translation adjustment

Charge for the year

Disposals and impairment

Balance at 31 December 2021 

Net book value

55.2

–

(0.2)

16.9

(0.6)

71.3

22.4

(0.1)

(0.3)

5.8

(0.4)

27.4

198.6

1.9

(0.5)

50.3

(11.4)

238.9

276.2

1.8

(1.0)

73.0

(12.4)

337.6

At 1 January 2022

Translation adjustment

Business combinations (note 25)

At 31 December 2022

Amortisation 

At 1 January 2022

Translation adjustment

Charge for the year

At 31 December 2022

Net book value

At 31 December 2022

Cost

At 1 January 2021 

Translation adjustment

Business combinations 

Balance at 31 December 2021

268.7

103.2

378.0

749.9

Disposal

Assets under construction

Presented within plant, equipment and vehicles are assets in the course of construction 
totalling £34.2m (2021: £40.7m) which are not being depreciated.

Depreciation and mineral depletion

Depreciation and mineral depletion, on both owned and leased assets, is recognised in the 
following line items in the consolidated income statement:

Cost of sales

Administration expenses

2022 
£m

81.4

2.1

83.5

2021 
£m

80.9

2.4

83.3

At 31 December 2021

Amortisation 

At 1 January 2021

Translation adjustment

Disposal

Charge for the year

At 31 December 2021 

Net book value

At 31 December 2021

Goodwill  
£m

Customer 
related  
£m

Other  
£m

Total  
£m

454.8

6.1

8.7

469.6

–

–

–

–

44.3

1.4

4.7

50.4

10.7

0.5

3.5

14.7

16.6

–

1.1

17.7

3.5

–

1.3

4.8

515.7

7.5

14.5

537.7

14.2

0.5

4.8

19.5

469.6

35.7

12.9

518.2

461.1

(8.2)

1.9

–

454.8

–

–

–

–

–

46.4

(1.4)

–

(0.7)

44.3

9.1

(0.3)

(0.7)

2.6

10.7

16.7

(0.1)

–

–

524.2

(9.7)

1.9

(0.7)

16.6

515.7

2.5

–

–

1.0

3.5

11.6

(0.3)

(0.7)

3.6

14.2

454.8

33.6

13.1

501.5

Breedon Group Annual report 2022

Strategic report Governance Financial statements Additional information

163

Notes to the financial statements

9

Intangible assets continued

Other intangible assets primarily comprise brand and permit assets arising from 
acquisitions. The amortisation charge on these assets is recognised in non-underlying 
administrative expenses in the consolidated income statement. 

Discount rate

Forecast pre-tax cash flows for each segment have been discounted at pre-tax rates of 
between 11.9% and 12.6% (2021: between 10.1% and 10.6%). These rates were determined by 
an external expert based on market participants’ cost of capital and adjusted to reflect 
factors specific to each segment, which for 2022 included the impact of rising risk-free 
rates as a result of central bank monetary policy decisions.

Carrying value of goodwill by operating segment

Sensitivity

Great Britain

Ireland

Cement

2022 
£m

196.7

109.6

163.3

469.6

2021 
£m

188.0

106.8

160.0

454.8

Impairment tests for cash-generating units containing goodwill

Goodwill arising on business combinations is not amortised but is reviewed for impairment 
on an annual basis, or more frequently if there are indications that the goodwill may  
be impaired. Goodwill is allocated to groups of CGUs according to the level at which 
management monitor that goodwill, being the Group’s operating segments.

The key assumptions used in performing the impairment review are those used in 
calculating the value-in-use of each CGU, as set out below:

Cash flow projections

Cash flow projections for each operating segment are derived from the annual budget 
approved by the Board for 2023 and the three-year plan for 2024 and 2025. The key 
assumptions on which budgets and forecasts are based include sales growth, product mix 
and operating costs. These cash flows are then extrapolated forward for a further period 
up to 50 years reflecting the long-term nature of the underlying assets. Budgeted cash 
flows are based on past experience and forecast future trading conditions. 

Long-term growth rates

Cash flow projections assume a growth rate of 3.4% (2021: 2.0%) from the fourth year of 
the value-in-use model. The increase in rate during the year reflects the impact of longer 
term inflation projections on future earnings derived from published market data. Using 
rates in line with previous years would not have resulted in an impairment.

The Group has assessed the impact of possible changes in the key assumptions to the 
impairment review. Having performed a sensitivity analysis over the key assumptions,  
the directors have concluded that there are no reasonably possible changes to 
assumptions which would result in an impairment charge being recognised.

Impact of climate change on impairment testing

Impacts related to climate change and the transition to a lower carbon economy  
may include:

  Physical impacts resulting from increased severity and frequency of extreme weather 
events, together with impacts arising from longer-term shifts in climate patterns.

  Transitional impacts, including changing demand for the Group’s products due to shifts 
in policy, regulation (including carbon pricing mechanisms), legal, technological, market, 
customer or societal responses to climate change.

The Group’s risk analysis indicates that the physical impacts of climate change are  
unlikely to have a significant impact on our impairment testing, with our operations 
typically located in the UK and RoI in regions that face relatively low direct challenges  
from climate change. 

The impact of the transition to a lower carbon economy could be more significant. 
Breedon is committed to net zero by 2050 as well as to the manufacture of cement at our 
two well-invested cement plants; however to achieve net zero will require a significant 
reduction in our carbon emissions.

As set out in more detail in our Sustainability report on pages 114 to 115, we have committed 
to a 30% reduction from a 2005 baseline in gross carbon intensity per tonne of 
cementitious product by 2030, and we are taking near-term actions based on existing 
technologies to move towards this objective. In addition, the Group is working with 
governments, industry, academia and the GCCA to explore potential routes to further 
decarbonisation, including carbon capture. However these are not yet proven at scale.

Breedon Group Annual report 2022

Strategic report Governance Financial statements Additional information

164

Notes to the financial statements

9

Intangible assets continued

10

Investment in associate and joint ventures

While the cash flows associated with our near-term plans are incorporated into our 
impairment testing, it is not possible to quantify the gross cost of the transition to  
net zero accurately over the longer term, nor how demand for cement might be  
impacted by the price increases needed to recover these costs or longer-term changes  
in consumer behaviour.

In preparing our impairment testing, we have assumed that volumes remain broadly in line 
with current levels and that increased costs, including carbon costs and increased capital 
investment, will be recovered through pricing, consistent with our historic experience and 
that no scaleable substitute for concrete emerges in the near term. As the cost of transition 
to net zero and the consequent impact on end-market demand becomes clearer, these 
judgements will need to be refined and it is possible that this may result in future 
impairment charges.

The directors continue to view future impairment charges as unlikely at the date of  
this report.

The entities contributing to the Group’s financial results are listed on pages 180 to 181.

The Group equity accounts for investments in its associate and joint ventures.

Carrying value

At 1 January 2021

Share of profit of associate and joint ventures

Dividends received

At 31 December 2021

Share of profit of associate and joint ventures

Disposal as part of stepped acquisition (note 25)

Dividends received

At 31 December 2022

Associate 
£m

Joint ventures 
£m

Total 
£m

3.5

2.1

(0.6)

5.0

1.3

–

(0.6)

5.7

7.7

0.8

(1.3)

7.2

2.2

(0.3)

(1.1)

8.0

11.2

2.9

(1.9)

12.2

3.5

(0.3)

(1.7)

13.7

Summary financial information of associate and joint ventures 

Non-current assets

Current assets

Current liabilities

Non-current liabilities

Net assets

Revenue

Profit for the year

2022

2021

Associate 
£m

Joint ventures 
£m

Associate 
£m

Joint ventures 
£m

14.9

34.9

(26.7)

(6.6)

16.5

225.4

3.7

12.3

21.7

(19.7)

(7.8)

6.5

118.6

5.3

12.5

42.1

12.3

24.6

(34.6)

(20.0)

(5.7)

14.3

207.8

5.4

(11.7)

5.2

96.8

1.7

The table above shows the results and balances of the associate and joint ventures. 
Included within the consolidated results of the Group is the share of profit of the associate 
and joint ventures, as disclosed in the consolidated income statement. 

Breedon Group Annual report 2022

Strategic report Governance Financial statements Additional information

165

Notes to the financial statements

11

Deferred tax

12

Inventories

2022

Property, plant and 
equipment

Intangible assets

Derivatives

Historic losses

Share-based payments

Working capital and 
provisions

2021

Property, plant and 
equipment

Intangible assets

Derivatives

Historic losses

Share-based payments

Working capital and 
provisions

1 January 
2022 
£m

Acquisitions 
(note 25) 
£m

Recognised 
in income 
£m

Recognised 
in equity 
£m

Translation 
adjustments 
£m

31 December 
2022 
£m

(93.6)

(9.9)

(0.2)

0.3

2.0

13.9

(87.5)

(0.8)

(1.3)

–

–

–

–

(2.1)

(0.8)

0.8

–

0.6

–

–

0.2

–

(0.9)

(0.4)

1.7

1.4

–

(0.5)

(0.1)

(95.7)

(10.5)

–

–

–

–

–

0.9

0.7

15.6

(0.2)

(0.6)

(89.0)

1 January 
2021 
£m

Acquisitions 
£m

Recognised 
in income 
£m

Recognised 
in equity 
£m

Translation 
adjustments 
£m

31 December 
2021 
£m

(73.0)

(9.1)

–

–

–

10.4

(71.7)

(0.1)

–

–

–

–

–

(20.9)

(1.0)

–

0.3

1.4

3.5

(0.1)

(16.7)

–

–

(0.2)

–

0.6

–

0.4

0.4

0.2

–

–

–

–

0.6

(93.6)

(9.9)

(0.2)

0.3

2.0

13.9

(87.5)

There are no identified unrecognised deferred tax assets or liabilities.

Raw materials and consumables

Work in progress

Finished goods and goods for resale

2022 
£m

56.6

6.3

31.9

94.8

2021 
£m

34.4

3.0

24.6

62.0

Inventories (being directly attributable costs of production) of £853.7m (2021: £742.5m) 
have been expensed in the year.

13

Trade and other receivables

Trade receivables

Amounts due from associate and joint ventures (note 22)

Derivative assets

Contract assets

Other receivables and prepayments

Analysed as

Current

Non-current

2022 
£m

175.3

5.8

0.1

14.5

26.7

222.4

2022 
£m

218.6

3.8

222.4

2021 
£m

160.0

10.4

1.5

17.8

20.7

210.4

2021 
£m

205.9

4.5

210.4

The nature of contract assets has not changed materially during the reporting period. 

Breedon Group Annual report 2022

Strategic report Governance Financial statements Additional information

166

Notes to the financial statements

14

Interest-bearing loans and borrowings

Reconciliation of cash flow movement to movement in Net Debt

Net Debt

Cash and cash equivalents

Current borrowings

Non-current borrowings

Net Debt (including IFRS 16)

IFRS 16 lease liabilities

Net Debt (excluding IFRS 16)

Analysis of borrowings between current and non-current

Lease liabilities 

Current borrowings

Bank and USPP debt

Lease liabilities 

Non-current borrowings

For the year ended 31 December

Net increase in cash and cash equivalents

Foreign exchange differences – cash and cash equivalents

Net movement in cash and cash equivalents

Net cash flow movements in debt financing

Non-cash movements

Net of lease (additions) and disposals

Amortisation of prepaid bank arrangement fee

Debt acquired via acquisitions (note 25)

Foreign exchange differences – interest bearing loans and borrowings

Decrease in Net Debt (including IFRS 16) in the year

Net Debt (including IFRS 16) as at 1 January

Net Debt (including IFRS 16) as at 31 December

15

Trade and other payables

2022 
£m

101.7

(7.9)

(291.5)

(197.7)

49.3

(148.4)

2022 
£m

7.9

7.9

250.1

41.4

291.5

2021 
£m

83.9

(7.2)

(289.2)

(212.5)

51.0

(161.5)

2021 
£m

7.2

7.2

245.4

43.8

289.2

The Group’s borrowing facilities comprise a £350m multi-currency RCF and a  
£250m USPP. 

Trade payables

Amounts owed to associate and joint ventures (note 22)

The RCF is available to the Group until June 2025 with an option to extend for up to a 
further one year period. Interest on the RCF is calculated as a margin referenced to the 
Group’s Covenant Leverage plus SONIA or EURIBOR according to the currency of 
borrowing. Interest margin on the RCF was charged in the period at rates of between  
1.7% and 1.8%.

Contract liabilities

Deferred consideration (note 25)

Other payables and accrued expenses

Other taxation and social security 

2022 
£m

17.1

0.7

17.8

9.5

(4.7)

(1.1)

(2.5)

(4.2)

14.8

(212.5)

(197.7)

2022 
£m

161.4

0.1

4.0

0.9

79.4

18.0

263.8

2021 
£m

52.7

(0.5)

52.2

58.9

(6.3)

(2.3)

–

3.3

105.8

(318.3)

(212.5)

2021 
£m

142.4

–

11.1

1.1

78.6

24.5

257.7

The USPP was issued in 2021 with an average fixed coupon of approximately 2% and 
comprises £170m sterling and £80m drawn in euro, with a maturity profile between  
2028 and 2036.

During the year, the Group exercised an option to extend the RCF for a one year period. 
Arrangement fees of £0.7m were capitalised in the year and will be amortised over the 
period of the additional borrowing.

Borrowing facilities are subject to leverage and interest cover covenants which are tested 
half-yearly. The Group remained fully compliant with all covenants during the year. 

The nature of contract liabilities has not changed significantly during the reporting period. 
Brought forward contract liabilities of £11.1m have all been recognised in revenue during  
the year.

Breedon Group Annual report 2022

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167

Notes to the financial statements

16

Provisions

17

Capital, reserves and dividends

At 1 January 2021

Translation adjustment

Utilised during the year

Charged to income statement

Unused amounts reversed

Change to capitalised provisions (note 8)

Unwinding of discount

At 31 December 2021

Translation adjustment

Utilised during the year

Charged to income statement

Unused amounts reversed

Amounts arising from business combinations (note 25)

Change to capitalised provisions (note 8)

Unwinding of discount

At 31 December 2022

Restoration 
£m

62.7

(0.4)

(1.1)

7.9

–

0.3

1.3

70.7

0.2

(2.3)

11.5

–

0.2

2.3

2.1

84.7

Analysed as

Current

Non-current

Other 
£m

2.6

–

–

0.9

(0.9)

–

0.1

2.7

–

–

–

(1.4)

–

–

–

1.3

2022 
£m

9.2

76.8

86.0

Total 
£m

65.3

(0.4)

(1.1)

8.8

(0.9)

0.3

1.4

73.4

0.2

(2.3)

11.5

(1.4)

0.2

2.3

2.1

86.0

2021 
£m

9.5

63.9

73.4

Stated capital

All shares issued by Breedon are ordinary shares which have no par value and are fully 
paid. The Company has no limit to the number of shares which may be issued. 

The holders of ordinary shares are entitled to receive dividends as declared and are 
entitled to one vote per share at meetings of the Company.

Issued ordinary shares at beginning of year

Issued in connection with:

Exercise of savings-related share options

Vesting of Performance Share Plan awards

Movements during 2022:

Number of ordinary shares (m)

2022

1,689.7

2021

1,687.6

3.1

1.6

2.1

–

1,694.4

1,689.7

The Company issued 3.1m shares for cash raising £2.0m in connection with the exercise of 
certain savings-related share options and issued 1.6m shares for nil consideration in 
connection with the vesting of awards under the Performance Share Plans (note 18).

Movements during 2021:

The Company issued 2.1m shares for cash raising £1.4m in connection with the exercise of 
certain savings-related share options (note 18).

Other reserves

Hedging reserve

Restoration provisions principally comprise provisions for the cost of restoring and 
decommissioning sites where an obligation arises to comply with contractual, 
environmental, planning and other legislation. The obligation is calculated on a site-by-site 
basis and is subject to regular reviews. Each obligation is discounted to reflect the period 
over which it will be settled which, on average, is 10 years.

The discount rates used have been derived from long term central bank rates and have 
been adjusted, where appropriate, for cash flow risk. 

The hedging reserve comprises the effective portion of the cumulative net change in the 
fair value of cash flow hedged instruments related to hedged transactions which have not 
yet occurred. 

Translation reserve

The translation reserve comprises all foreign exchange differences arising from the 
translation of the financial statements of foreign operations as well as from the translation 
of the liabilities that hedge the Group’s net investment in foreign operations. 

Breedon Group Annual report 2022

Strategic report Governance Financial statements Additional information

168

Notes to the financial statements

17

Capital, reserves and dividends continued

Dividends

Amounts recognised as dividends paid to equity shareholders in the year comprised 
£30.5m; £18.6m in respect of the final dividend of the financial year ended 31 December 
2021 of 1.1p per share and £11.9m in respect of an interim dividend of 0.7p per share for the 
financial year ended 31 December 2022.

The directors have proposed a final dividend in respect of the financial year ended  
31 December 2022 of 1.4p per share which will absorb an estimated £23.7m of 
shareholders’ funds. This has not been provided for in these accounts because the 
dividend was proposed after the year end. If the final dividend is approved by shareholders 
at the Annual General Meeting of the Company to be held on 26 April 2023 at 2.00pm,  
it will be paid on 5 May 2023 to shareholders who are on the register at the close of 
business on 11 April 2023.

Subject to trading conditions and continued sustained cash generation, the Group intends 
to adopt a progressive dividend policy that targets a payout ratio of 40% of underlying 
earnings per share over time. However future dividend payments by the Group are not 
guaranteed and will be determined by the directors in light of the facts and circumstances 
at the time.

18

Share-based payments

Share-based payments to employees include PSP awards made to senior executives  
and voluntary participation in savings-related share option schemes (‘Sharesave’) for the 
wider workforce. 

Under the PSP, awards may be granted to key senior employees as either a conditional 
award or as a nil paid (or nominal) cost award. Awards will normally vest three years after 
grant subject to satisfaction of the relevant performance conditions; for certain employees 
these may be subject to an additional two-year holding period. 

The Group operates Sharesave schemes open to all employees both in the UK and RoI. 
These schemes have a term of either three or five years.

More details of these options and awards, as well as the interests of the directors in both 
the PSP and the Breedon Sharesave scheme, can be found in the Directors’ Remuneration 
report from page 126. 

Movements in outstanding options and awards

Share options (millions)

PSP – non-market based 
performance conditions

PSP – market based 
performance conditions

Sharesave

Outstanding at 
1 Jan 2022

Granted

Vested

Lapsed

Outstanding at 
31 Dec 2022

8.9

1.6

19.3

29.8

2.4

2.4

7.4

12.2

(3.0)

(1.6)

6.7

–

(3.1)

(6.1)

(0.3)

(4.6)

(6.5)

3.7

19.0

29.4

All PSP share awards have an exercise price of nil. The exercise price for outstanding 
Sharesave options at 31 December 2022 is between 55p and 78p.

Options granted during the year

The fair value of options and awards granted during the year, and the key inputs used to 
derive the fair value, were as follows:

Fair value at grant date

76–80p

42–44p

PSP – non-market 
based performance 
conditions 

PSP – market based 
performance 
conditions

Sharesave

15–18p

Valuation model

Exercise price 

Share price at grant date

Holding period

Expected volatility

Risk-free rate

Vesting period

Expected dividend yield

Black – Scholes

Stochastic

Black – Scholes

–

80p

–

80p

0–2 years

0–2 years

27–29%

1.66%

3 years

n/a

27–29%

1.66%

3 years

n/a

66–72p

78p

–

24–28%

1.54–1.56%

3 - 5 years

2.0%

Where share awards contain mechanisms to compensate for the dilutive impact of 
dividends paid during the vesting period,  no dividend yield has been incorporated into  
the calculation of the fair value of those awards. 

Breedon Group Annual report 2022

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169

Notes to the financial statements

19

Financial instruments

The Group has the following financial assets and liabilities:

Financial assets

Trade and other receivables

Cash and cash equivalents

Total financial assets 

Financial liabilities 

Borrowings

Lease liabilities

Trade and other payables

Total financial liabilities

2022

Non-
financial 
instruments 
£m

Financial 
instruments 
£m

Book value 
£m

222.4

101.7

324.1

(250.1)

(49.3)

(263.8)

(563.2)

16.3

–

16.3

206.1

101.7

307.8

3.1

–

(253.2)

(49.3)

(22.0)

(241.8)

(18.9)

(544.3)

The Group has exposure to the following risks from its use of financial instruments:

  Credit risk

  Foreign exchange risk

  Liquidity risk

  Interest rate risk

Credit risk

Credit risk is the risk of financial loss to the Group if a customer or counterparty to a 
financial instrument fails to meet their contractual obligations. Credit risk arises principally 
from the Group’s cash and cash equivalents held with financial counterparties and the 
Group’s receivables due from customers.

Management has a credit policy in place and exposure to credit risk is monitored on an 
ongoing basis. The Group has credit insurance covering the majority of private sector 
customers. At the reporting date, there were no significant concentrations of customer 
credit risk.

Credit risk associated with cash balances is managed and limited by transacting with 
financial institutions with high-quality credit ratings.

Exposure to credit risk

The carrying amount of financial assets at the reporting date represents the maximum 
credit exposure. The maximum exposure to credit risk at the reporting date was:

Trade and other receivables

Cash and cash equivalents

Carrying amount

2022 
£m

206.1

101.7

307.8

The maximum exposure to credit risk for trade and other receivables by reportable 
segment was:

Great Britain

Ireland

Cement

Central administration

Carrying amount

2022 
£m

138.9

35.5

31.0

0.7

206.1

 2021 
£m

210.4

83.9

294.3

2021 
 £m

137.0

42.3

29.8

1.3

210.4

Breedon Group Annual report 2022

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170

Foreign exchange risk

Transactional

The Group has limited transactional currency exposures arising on sales and purchases 
made in currencies other than the functional currency of the entity making the sale or 
purchase. Significant exposures which are deemed at least highly probable are matched 
where possible.

Translation

The Group has significant net assets denominated in euro. The translation of these 
balances into sterling for reporting purposes exposes the Group to foreign exchange 
movements in the consolidated statement of financial position and consolidated income 
statement, along with a corresponding impact on certain key performance indicators.  
The Group’s strategy is to mitigate this risk through utilising euro borrowings as a hedge 
against movements in the sterling value of euro investments. The level of this hedge is 
currently managed with the objective of mitigating the impact of foreign exchange 
movements on Covenant Leverage.

Notes to the financial statements

19

Financial instruments continued

Management considers that the credit quality of the various receivables is good in respect 
of the amounts outstanding. The Group has no individually significant customers and the 
majority of the Group’s customers are end-user customers. Credit insurance is in place to 
cover the majority of the Group’s private sector UK and Ireland trade receivables, subject 
to an aggregate first loss. The Group has fully provided for all its doubtful debt exposure. 
The remaining credit risk is therefore considered to be low. 

The ageing of trade and other receivables at the reporting date was:

Not past due

Past due 
0-30 days

Past due  
31-60 days

Past due 
more than  
60 days

2022

Impairment 
£m

Net 
£m

(2.1)

185.2

(1.1)

(0.7)

(4.1)

(8.0)

12.9

4.0

4.0

206.1

Gross 
£m

187.3

14.0

4.7

8.1

214.1

2021

Impairment 
£m

Net 
£m

(2.5)

193.0

(1.4)

(0.7)

(3.9)

(8.5)

10.4

2.2

4.8

210.4

Gross 
£m

195.5

11.8

2.9

8.7

218.9

Provisions for impairment of trade and other receivables are calculated on a lifetime 
expected loss model in line with IFRS 9. The key inputs in determining the level of provision 
are the historical level of bad debts experienced by the Group and ageing of outstanding 
amounts. Movements during the year were as follows:

At 1 January 

Charged to the consolidated income statement during the year

Utilised during the year

Unused amounts released

At 31 December

2022 
£m

8.5

2.2

(1.3)

(1.4)

8.0

2021 
£m

7.5

2.0

(0.6)

(0.4)

8.5

Breedon Group Annual report 2022

Strategic report Governance Financial statements Additional information

171

Notes to the financial statements

19

Financial instruments continued

Currency analysis and exchange rate sensitivity

Significant exchange rates

The following significant exchange rates applied during the year:

2022

2021

Average rate Year-end rate

Average rate Year-end rate

1.17

1.13

1.17

1.19

Foreign currency financial assets and liabilities, translated into sterling at the closing rate, 
are as follows:

Sterling/Euro

Liquidity risk

Financial assets

Trade and other 
receivables

Cash and cash 
equivalents

Total financial assets 

Financial liabilities 

Borrowings

Lease liabilities

Trade and other 
payables

Total financial 
liabilities

Potential impact on 
profit before taxation 
– gain/(loss)

10% increase in 
functional currency

10% decrease in 
functional currency

Potential impact on 
other comprehensive 
income – gain/(loss)

10% increase in 
functional currency

10% decrease in 
functional currency

2022

2021

Sterling 
£m

Euro 
£m

Total 
£m

Sterling 
£m

Euro 
£m

Total 
£m

179.2

26.9

206.1

184.7

25.7

210.4

Liquidity risk is the risk that the Group does not have sufficient financial resources to meet 
obligations as they fall due. The Group manages liquidity risk by monitoring forecasts and 
cash flows and negotiating appropriate bank facilities. The Group uses term and revolving 
bank facilities and sufficient headroom is maintained above peak requirements to meet 
unforeseen events. 

80.9

260.1

20.8

47.7

101.7

307.8

69.9

254.6

14.0

39.7

83.9

294.3

The following are the contractual maturities of financial liabilities, including estimated 
interest payments based on current utilisation:

(170.0)

(49.2)

(83.2)

(253.2)

(0.1)

(49.3)

(170.0)

(50.8)

(78.9)

(248.9)

31 December 2022

(0.2)

(51.0)

Non–derivative  
financial liabilities

Carrying 
amount 
£m

Contractual 
cash flows 
£m

Within  
one year 
£m

Between one 
and five years 
£m

More than  
five years 
£m

(206.4)

(35.4)

(241.8)

(223.6)

(38.8)

(262.4)

Multi–currency revolving 
credit facility

–

5.3

(425.6)

(118.7)

(544.3)

(444.4)

(117.9)

(562.3)

USPP loan notes 

– Sterling

– Euro

Lease liabilities

Trade and other payables

170.0

83.2

49.3

241.8

544.3

211.5

90.8

73.3

241.8

622.7

–

–

–

–

1.0

1.0

(1.2)

(1.2)

5.5

5.5

(6.7)

(6.7)

–

–

–

–

2.1

2.1

(2.6)

(2.6)

7.1

7.1

(8.7)

(8.7)

2.1

4.0

1.0

9.1

241.8

258.0

3.2

15.8

4.0

24.2

–

47.2

–

191.7

85.8

40.0

–

317.5

Breedon Group Annual report 2022

Strategic report Governance Financial statements Additional information

172

Notes to the financial statements

19

Financial instruments continued

Carrying 
amount 
£m

Contractual 
cash flows 
£m

Within  
one year 
£m

Between one 
and five years 
£m

More than  
five years 
£m

Fair values versus carrying amounts

The directors consider that the carrying amounts recorded in the financial information in 
respect of financial assets and liabilities, which are carried at amortised cost, approximates 
to their fair values. 

Derivative financial assets and liabilities are carried at fair value. The different levels have 
been defined as follows:

–

4.0

170.0

78.9

51.0

262.4

562.3

219.4

88.0

80.2

262.4

654.0

2.2

4.0

0.9

10.5

262.4

280.0

1.8

15.8

3.8

26.7

–

48.1

  Level 1 – unadjusted quoted prices in active markets for identical assets or liabilities;

  Level 2 – inputs other than quoted prices included within Level 1 that are observable for 
the asset or liability, either as a direct price or indirectly derived from prices; and

  Level 3 – inputs for the asset or liability that are not based on observable market data.

The fair value of the derivative financial assets and liabilities are based on bank valuations.

–

199.6

83.3

43.0

–

325.9

Capital management

31 December 2021

Non–derivative financial 
liabilities

Multi–currency revolving 
credit facility

USPP loan notes 

– Sterling

– Euro

Lease liabilities

Other financial liabilities

Interest rate risk

The Board’s capital management policy is to maintain a strong balance sheet, providing 
flexibility to pursue growth opportunities. The Board seeks to maintain a balance  
between the higher returns that might be possible with higher levels of borrowing and  
the advantages and security afforded by a sound capital position. 

In maintaining the Group’s capital structure in line with these principles, the Board may 
choose to adjust amounts paid as dividends to shareholders, issue new equity or dispose 
of assets as required.

The financial covenants associated with the Group’s borrowings are a maximum leverage 
ratio and a minimum interest cover. The Group complied with these financial covenants 
throughout the financial year.

The Group borrows at floating and fixed interest rates. At the reporting date the interest 
rate profile of the Group’s interest-bearing financial instruments was:

Fixed rate instruments

Financial liabilities

Variable rate instruments

Financial assets

2022 
£m

2021 
£m

(299.4)

(296.4)

101.7

(197.7)

83.9

(212.5)

Fair value sensitivity analysis for fixed rate instruments

The Group does not account for any fixed rate financial assets and liabilities at fair value 
through profit or loss. Therefore a change in interest rates at the reporting date would not 
affect profit or loss.

Cash flow sensitivity analysis for variable rate instruments

As at 31 December 2022, all our drawn borrowings are fixed rate instruments. An increase 
of 100 basis points in interest rates in respect of variable rate instruments at the reporting 
date values would increase profit for the year by £0.4m (2021: increase of £0.8m).  
A decrease of 100 basis points would decrease profit for the year by £0.2m 
(2021: no impact). These analyses assume that all other variables remain constant.

Breedon Group Annual report 2022

Strategic report Governance Financial statements Additional information

173

Notes to the financial statements

20

Leases

Right-of-use assets

Cost
Balance at 1 January 2022
Acquired on business combinations (note 25)
Additions
Disposals and impairments

Balance at 31 December 2022

Depreciation
Balance at 1 January 2022
Charge for the year
Disposals and impairments

Balance at 31 December 2022

Net book value
At 31 December 2022

Cost
Balance at 1 January 2021
Translation adjustment
Additions
Disposals and impairments
Transferred to owned assets (note 8)

Balance at 31 December 2021

Depreciation
Balance at 1 January 2021
Translation adjustment
Charge for the year
Disposals and impairments
Transferred to owned assets (note 8)

Balance at 31 December 2021

Net book value
At 31 December 2021

Lease liabilities are secured on the assets to which they relate and are payable as follows:

Less than one year

Between one and five years

More than five years

2022 
Minimum 
lease 
payments 
£m

2021 
Minimum 
lease 
payments 
£m

9.1

24.2

40.0

73.3

10.5

26.3

43.4

80.2

The value of lease payments made during the year was £11.3m (2021: £12.3m).

Movements between owned and leased assets

Items transferred to owned assets represent leases where the liability has been fully repaid 
in the normal course of business and legal ownership of the asset has transferred to the 
Group. Where an underlying physical asset is purchased by the Group and this causes an 
existing lease to end, this is presented as an addition to owned assets within note 8 and as a 
disposal of a leased asset within this note.

Mineral 
reserves and 
resources 
£m

Plant, 
equipment and 
vehicles 
£m

42.0
0.9
3.8
(0.8)

45.9

9.0
3.0
(0.4)

11.6

34.1
1.6
0.5
(2.5)

33.7

17.5
5.7
(2.3)

20.9

Total 
£m

76.1
2.5
4.3
(3.3)

79.6

26.5
8.7
(2.7)

32.5

34.3

12.8

47.1

21

Capital commitments

At 31 December 2022 the Group had commitments to purchase property, plant and 
equipment for £29.5m (2021: £26.4m). These commitments are expected to be settled 
during the course of 2023.

36.8
–
5.7
(0.5)
–

42.0

5.7
–
3.4
(0.1)
–

9.0

38.3
(0.1)
0.6
(1.2)
(3.5)

34.1

13.3
(0.1)
6.9
(0.8)
(1.8)

17.5

75.1
(0.1)
6.3
(1.7)
(3.5)

76.1

19.0
(0.1)
10.3
(0.9)
(1.8)

26.5

33.0

16.6

49.6

Breedon Group Annual report 2022

Strategic report Governance Financial statements Additional information

174

Notes to the financial statements

22

Related parties

23

Earnings per share

During the year the Group supplied services and materials to, and purchased services and 
materials from, its associate and joint ventures on an arm’s length basis. The Group had the 
following transactions with these related parties during the year:

Basic earnings per share amounts are calculated by dividing profit for the year attributable 
to equity holders of the parent company (Breedon Group shareholders) by the weighted 
average number of ordinary shares outstanding during the year.

2022

BEAR Scotland

Other

2021

BEAR Scotland

Other

Sales 
£m

Purchases 
£m

Receivables 
£m

Payables 
£m

40.5

10.8

51.3

48.1

10.1

58.2

–

2.1

2.1

–

1.8

1.8

0.8

5.0

5.8

2.2

8.2

10.4

–

0.1

0.1

–

–

–

Parent and ultimate controlling party

The Company’s shares are traded on the AIM of the London Stock Exchange. The 
Company’s shareholder base is monitored on a regular basis. There is no controlling  
party and the Company does not have a parent. 

Transactions with directors and directors’ shareholdings

Details of transactions with directors, directors’ shareholdings and outstanding share 
options and awards are given in the Directors’ Remuneration report on pages 116 to 133.

Diluted earnings per share amounts are calculated by dividing profit for the year 
attributable to Breedon Group shareholders by the weighted average number of ordinary 
shares outstanding during the year plus the weighted average number of ordinary shares 
that would be issued on the conversion of all the potential dilutive ordinary shares into 
ordinary shares. 

Calculations of these measures and reconciliations to related alternative performance 
measures are as follows:

Basic EPS to adjusted Underlying Basic EPS 

Basic EPS

Adjustments to 
earnings

Earnings impact of 
change in deferred tax 
rate (note 7)

Non-underlying items 
(note 3)

Adjusted Underlying 
Basic EPS

2022

2021

Earnings 
£m

Shares 
millions

112.5

1,692.767

EPS 
pence

6.65

Earnings 
£m

Shares 
millions

78.5

1,688.243

EPS 
pence

4.65

1.1

6.2

–

–

0.06

0.37

17.3

5.2

–

–

1.02

0.31

119.8

1,692.767

7.08

101.0

1,688.243

5.98

Basic EPS to Underlying Basic EPS

2022

2021

Earnings 
£m

Shares 
millions

112.5

1,692.767

EPS 
pence

6.65

Earnings 
£m

Shares 
millions

78.5

1,688.243

EPS 
pence

4.65

Basic EPS

Adjustments to 
earnings

Non-underlying items 
(note 3)

Underlying Basic EPS

118.7

1,692.767

6.2

–

0.37

7.02

5.2

–

83.7

1,688.243

0.31

4.96

Breedon Group Annual report 2022

Strategic report Governance Financial statements Additional information

175

Notes to the financial statements

23

Earnings per share continued

25

Acquisitions

Diluted EPS to Underlying Diluted EPS

Current year acquisitions

2022

Earnings 
£m

Shares 
millions

Diluted EPS

112.5 1,696.994

2021

EPS 
pence

6.63

Earnings 
£m

Shares 
millions

78.5

1,698.462

EPS 
pence

4.62

The Group completed three acquisitions in the year, acquiring 80% of the ordinary share 
capital of Thomas Bow Limited (1 July 2022), and 100% of the ordinary share capitals of  
R T Mycock & Sons Limited (1 July 2022) and Severn Sands Limited (1 August 2022).  
The fair values of the assets and liabilities acquired are set out as follows:

Adjustments to 
earnings

Non-underlying items 
(note 3)

Underlying Diluted 
EPS

6.2

–

0.37

5.2

–

0.31

118.7 1,696.994

7.00

83.7

1,698.462

4.93

Dilutive items in both the current and prior year related to share-based payments. Details 
of the Group’s share schemes, which may become dilutive in the future, are set out in note 
18.

24

Contingent liabilities

The Group has guaranteed its share of the banking facilities of BEAR Scotland.  
The maximum liability at 31 December 2022 amounted to £2.9m (2021: £2.9m).

The Group has guaranteed the performance of BEAR Scotland’s contracts in respect of 
the maintenance of certain trunk roads in the North West and South East of Scotland and 
in respect of the M80 operating and maintenance contract.

Intangible assets

Property, plant and equipment 

Right-of-use assets

Inventories

Trade and other receivables

Cash and cash equivalents

Trade and other payables

Provisions

Lease liabilities

Current tax payable

Deferred tax liabilities

Total

Consideration – cash

Consideration – deemed proceeds from stepped 
acquisition of Breedon Bow Highways Limited

Deferred consideration

Goodwill arising

Book value  
£m

Fair value 
adjustments 
£m

Provisional 
fair value on 
acquisition 
£m

–

3.6

1.6

0.3

11.1

6.3

(12.7)

–

(1.6)

(0.3)

(0.8)

7.5

5.8

–

0.9

–

–

–

–

(0.2)

(0.9)

–

(1.3)

4.3

5.8

3.6

2.5

0.3

11.1

6.3

(12.7)

(0.2)

(2.5)

(0.3)

(2.1)

11.8

18.9

0.7

0.9

8.7

Breedon Group Annual report 2022

Strategic report Governance Financial statements Additional information

176

Notes to the financial statements

25

Acquisitions continued

Consideration

Prior to the acquisition of Thomas Bow Limited, the Group and Thomas Bow Limited  
were parties in a joint venture, Breedon Bow Highways Limited, which from the date of 
acquisition became a wholly owned subsidiary. The effective acquisition of Thomas  
Bow Limited’s interest in Breedon Bow Highways has been accounted for as a stepped 
acquisition in line with IFRS 3, with a disposal for assumed proceeds equal to the fair value 
of £0.7m. A £0.3m gain on stepped acquisition has been recognised within non-underlying 
items (note 3).

The deferred consideration of £0.9m relates to a put liability over the remaining 20%  
of the ordinary shares of Thomas Bow Limited which are held by the management of 
Thomas Bow Limited. This put liability has been accounted for using the assumed 
acquisition method as set out in note 1. 

Fair value adjustments

The fair value adjustments primarily comprised:

  Intangible assets, including the value of acquired customer lists and permits; 

 Lease liabilities and associated right-of-use assets for leased properties;

  Dilapidation provisions to comply with contractual agreements for leased  
properties; and

  Deferred tax balances.

The goodwill arising represents expected synergies, the potential for future growth,  
access to new markets and the skills of the existing workforce. Goodwill is not deductible 
for tax purposes.

Impact of current year acquisition

Income statement

During the year, the combined acquisitions contributed revenues of £35.6m, Underlying 
EBIT of £1.0m and profit before tax of £1.0m to the Group. If these acquisitions had 
occurred on 1 January 2022, the results of the Group for the year ended 31 December 2022 
would have shown revenue of £1,423.3m, Underlying EBIT of £155.6m and Profit before tax 
of £136.4m. 

Cash flow

The cash flow impact of acquisitions in the year can be summarised as follows:

Consideration – Cash

Cash and cash equivalents acquired 

Net cash consideration shown in the consolidated statement of cash flows

Acquisition costs

£m

18.9

(6.3)

12.6

The Group incurred acquisition related costs of £1.0m (2021: £0.7m) which included 
external professional fees in relation to these acquisitions. These are presented net of the 
£0.3m gain on stepped acquisition, as non-underlying administrative costs (note 3). 

Prior year acquisition

On 1 June 2021, the Group acquired the entire share capital of Micromix (Northern) Limited 
(trading as Express Minimix) for consideration of £2.6m. No adjustments have been made 
in respect of the acquisition within the measurement period and the provisional values 
reported in the prior year are now considered final.

26

Accounting estimates and judgements

Preparation of financial information requires management to make judgements,  
estimates and assumptions that affect the application of accounting policies and the 
reported amounts of assets, liabilities, income and expenses. Actual results may differ  
from these estimates.

Estimates and their associated underlying assumptions are reviewed on an ongoing basis. 
Revisions to accounting estimates are recognised in the period in which the estimate is 
revised and in any future periods affected.

In particular, information about significant areas of estimation uncertainty and critical 
judgements in applying accounting policies that have the most significant effect on the 
amounts recognised in the financial information are described below.

Breedon Group Annual report 2022

Strategic report Governance Financial statements Additional information

177

Notes to the financial statements

26

Accounting estimates and judgements continued

Accounting judgements

Impact of climate change on impairment review 

Accounting estimates

Restoration provisions

Restoration provisions principally comprise provisions for the cost of restoring and 
decommissioning sites where an obligation arises to comply with contractual, 
environmental, planning and other legislation. This is an inherently subjective calculation 
and there is significant estimation required to determine the exact cost of the restoration 
work. Estimated future cash flows have been determined on a site by site basis based  
on the present day cost of restoration. An increase in these gross cash flow assumptions  
of 10% would result in an increase of the restoration liability of £7.8m. The estimated cost  
of restoration is subject to external expert evaluation in order to mitigate the risk of 
material error.

These cash flows are inflated to the point that the cash flow is expected to occur and 
discounted (at a rate which reflects both the time value of money and the risk specific  
to the restoration liability) in order to derive the net present value of the obligation as  
at the balance sheet date. The discount and inflation rates used in this calculation are 
between 3.00-3.65% and 3.43 - 5.02% respectively. A 100 bps increase in discount rate  
or decrease in the inflation rate would result in a decrease in the value of restoration 
provisions by £7.3m or £7.4m respectively. A 100 bps decrease in discount rate or increase 
in the inflation rate would result in an increase in the value of restoration provisions  
by £8.5m.

Restoration dates have been determined as the earlier of the date at which reserves are 
expected to be exhausted or planning permission on reserves is expected to expire. 
Reasonably possible changes in restoration dates would not have a material impact  
on the financial statements, and management do not consider restoration dates to be 
significant estimates.

The Group is committed to achieving net zero by 2050, as well as to the manufacture of 
cement at its two well-invested cement plants; however to achieve net zero will require a 
significant reduction in carbon emissions.

The cash flows used in our impairment review are underpinned by a judgement that future 
cement volumes remain broadly in line with current levels and that increased costs to 
achieve net zero will be recovered through market acceptance of increased pricing.

See note 9 for additional detail and further information on how the impact of climate 
change has been considered through the impairment testing.

27

Reconciliation to non-GAAP measures

Non-GAAP performance measures are used throughout this Annual Report and these 
financial statements. This note provides a reconciliation between these alternative 
performance measures to the most directly related statutory measures.

Reconciliation of earnings based alternative performance measures

Great  
Britain 
£m

972.4

Ireland 
£m

226.2

Cement 
£m

300.7

Central 
administration 
and 
eliminations 
£m

Share of 
profit of 
associate 
and joint 
ventures 
£m

Total 
£m

(103.0)

–

1,396.3

2022

Revenue

Profit from operations

Non-underlying items 
(note 3)

Underlying  
EBIT margin

Underlying EBIT

Share of profit  
of associate and  
joint ventures

Depreciation and 
mineral depletion

Underlying EBITDA 

148.0

7.0

155.0

11.1%

8.9%

12.5%

17.3%

86.4

28.3

52.1

(15.3)

3.5

155.0

–

–

–

–

(3.5)

(3.5)

49.7

136.1

6.1

34.4

27.5

79.6

0.2

(15.1)

–

–

83.5

235.0

Underlying EBIT

86.4

28.3

52.1

(15.3)

3.5

Breedon Group Annual report 2022

Strategic report Governance Financial statements Additional information

178

Notes to the financial statements

27

Reconciliation to non-GAAP measures continued

Great  
Britain 
£m

845.2

Ireland 
£m

225.4

Cement 
£m

245.6

Central 
administration 
and 
eliminations 
£m

Share of 
profit of 
associate and 
joint ventures 
£m

Total 
£m

(83.7)

–

1,232.5

Covenant Leverage

Covenant Leverage is defined as the ratio of Underlying EBITDA to Net Debt, with both 
Underlying EBITDA and Net Debt adjusted to reflect the material items which are adjusted 
by the Group and its lenders in determining leverage for the purpose of assessing covenant 
compliance and, in the case of our bank facilities, the margin payable on overdrawn 
borrowings. In both the current and prior year, the only material adjusting item was the 
impact of IFRS 16.

127.4

6.2

133.6

10.8%

Underlying EBITDA

Impact of IFRS 16 

Underlying EBITDA for covenants

Net Debt excluding the impact of IFRS 16 (note 14)

2022 
£m

235.0

(11.3)

223.7

148.4

0.7x

2021 
£m

214.0

(10.7)

203.3

161.5

0.8x

Underlying EBIT

74.3

28.2

41.6

(13.4)

2.9

8.8%

12.5%

16.9%

74.3

28.2

41.6

(13.4)

2.9

133.6

Covenant Leverage 

Impact of IFRS 16 

–

–

49.9

124.2

7.2

35.4

–

26.1

67.7

–

0.1

(13.3)

(2.9)

(2.9)

–

–

83.3

214.0

The impact of IFRS 16 on the consolidated income statement for the year is to increase 
Underlying EBITDA by £11.3m (2021: £10.7m), increase Underlying EBIT by £2.7m  
(2021: £1.8m), increase financial expense by £2.5m (2021: £2.2m) and increase profit  
before taxation by £0.2m (2021: decrease £0.4m).

Like-for-like alternative performance measures

There are a number of references throughout this report to like-for-like revenue, earnings 
and volumes. Like-for-like numbers exclude the impact of acquisitions and disposals,  
and have been used alongside non-like-for-like measures to help the Group better 
communicate performance in the year when compared to previous reporting periods. 

2021

Revenue

Profit from operations

Non-underlying items 
(note 3)

Underlying  
EBIT margin

Underlying EBIT

Share of profit  
of associate and  
joint ventures

Depreciation and 
mineral depletion

Underlying EBITDA 

Breedon Group Annual report 2022

Strategic report Governance Financial statements Additional information

179

Notes to the financial statements

27

Reconciliation to non-GAAP measures continued

Return on invested capital

Free Cash Flow conversion

Free Cash Flow has been reconciled to net cash from operating activities, which is the most 
relevant GAAP measure.

Underlying EBIT

Underlying effective tax rate (note 7)

Taxation at the Group’s underlying effective rate

Underlying earnings before interest

Net cash from operating activities

Net cash used in investing activities

Acquisition of businesses

Cash impact of non-underlying items

Free Cash Flow

Underlying EBITDA

Free Cash Flow conversion

2022 
£m

168.0

(112.9)

12.6

1.0

68.7

235.0

29%

2021 
£m

194.1

(75.5)

6.1

2.6

127.3

214.0

59%

Net assets

Net Debt (note 14)

Invested capital at 31 December

Average invested capital*

Return on invested capital**

2022 
£m

155.0

16.0%

(24.8)

130.2

1,043.8

197.7

1,241.5

1,201.9

10.8%

2021 
£m

133.6

16.1%

(21.5)

112.1

949.8

212.5

1,162.3

1,184.5

9.5%

*  Average invested capital is calculated by taking the average of the opening invested capital at 1 January and the 

closing invested capital at 31 December. Opening invested capital at 1 January 2021 was £1,206.7m.

**  Return on invested capital is calculated as Underlying earnings before interest, divided by average invested capital 

for the year.

Breedon Group Annual report 2022

Strategic report Governance Financial statements Additional information

180

Subsidiaries

As at 31 December 2022, the companies listed below and on the following pages are indirectly held by Breedon Group plc except Breedon Holdings (Jersey) Limited which is  
100% directly owned.

Company name

ALBA Traffic Management Limited

Alfred McAlpine Slate Penrhyn Limited 

Alpha Resource Management Ltd

Barney Precast Limited

Berwyn Granite Quarries Limited 

Blinkbonny Quarry (Borders) Limited

Boyne Bay Lime Company Ltd, The

Breedon Aggregates SW Limited

Breedon Bow Highways Limited

Breedon Brick Limited

Breedon Cement Ireland Limited

Breedon Cement Limited

Breedon Employee Services Ireland Limited

Breedon Facilities Management Limited

Breedon Group Limited

Breedon Group Services Limited

Breedon Holdings (Jersey) Limited

Breedon Holdings Limited

Breedon Investments USA Inc

Breedon Northern Limited

Breedon Properties Limited

Breedon Scotland Limited

Breedon Southern Limited

Breedon Surfacing Solutions Limited

Breedon Trading Limited

Breedon Whitemountain Ltd

City Asphalt Limited

City Mini Mix (Notts) Limited

Clearwell Quarries Limited

Proportion 
of ordinary 
shares held 
directly by  
the parent

Proportion 
of ordinary 
shares held  
by the Group

Registered 
address

3

1

2

1

1

3

3

3

1

5

5

1

4

3

1

1

6

1

9

3

1

3

1

1

1

3

8

1

1

75

100

100

100

100

100

100

100

100

100

100

100

100

100

100

100

100

100

100

100

100

100

100

100

100

100

100

100

100

Company name

Cocklebank Conservations Limited

Cwmorthin Slate Quarry 1994 Company Limited

Deckal Limited 

75

100

100

99.4

EJCC Limited

100

100

100

100

100

100

100

100

100

100

100

100

100

100

100

100

100

100

100

100

100

100

80

100

Enneurope Limited

Flemings’ Coal Mines Limited 

Flemings’ Fireclays Limited

Flemings’ Fireclays Manufacturing Limited 

Glencarne Bricks Limited

Glenfarne Clayware Limited 

Greenshine 

Hart Aggregates Limited

Hope Construction Products Limited

Hope Dormant 1 Limited

Hope Ready Mixed Concrete Limited

Humberside Aggregates Limited

Huntsman’s Quarries Limited

Kilcarn Limited 

Kingscourt Bricks Limited 

Kingscourt Clay Products Limited 

Lagan Airports Limited

Lagan Asphalt (UK) Ltd

Lagan Asphalt Group Limited 

Lagan Asphalt Limited

Lagan Bitumen Limited 

Lagan Cement Limited

Lagan Cement Products Limited 

Lagan Group (Holdings) Limited 

99.4

Lagan Group Limited

Proportion 
of ordinary 
shares held 
directly by  
the parent

Proportion 
of ordinary 
shares held  
by the Group

Registered 
address

1

1

7

1

1

4

4

4

4

4

7

1

1

1

1

1

1

2

2

2

2

2

2

4

1

2

2

7

7

100

100

100

100

100

100

100

100

100

100

100

100

100

100

100

100

100

100

100

100

100

100

100

100

100

100

100

100

100

100

100

100

100

100

100

100

100

100

100

100

100

100

100

100

100

100

100

100

100

100

100

100

100

100

100

100

100

100

Breedon Group Annual report 2022

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181

Subsidiaries

Company name

Lagan Hibernian Limited

Lagan Materials Limited 

Lagan Whitemountain Limited 

Marwyn Materials (UK) Limited

Micromix (Northern) Ltd

Midwest Aggregates Limited

Mulholland Bros (Brick and Sand) Limited 

Natural Building Materials Limited

Nith Aggregates Limited

Nottingham Ready Mix Limited

Pinnacle Construction Materials Limited

Pro Mini Mix Concrete, Mortars and Screeds Limited

Roadmix Limited 

Roadway Civil Engineering & Surfacing Ltd

RT Mycock & Sons Limited

Severn Sands (Holdings) Limited

Severn Sands Limited

Sherburn Cement Limited

Sherburn Minerals Limited

Sherburn Sand Company Limited

Sherburn Stone Company Limited

Staffs Concrete Limited

The Cwt-Y-Bugail Slate Quarries Limited 

The Waveney Asphalt Company Limited

Thomas Bow Limited

UK Stone Direct Limited 

Welsh Slate Limited

Whitemountain Quarries Ltd

Proportion 
of ordinary 
shares held 
directly by  
the parent

Proportion 
of ordinary 
shares held  
by the Group

Registered 
address

4

4

2

1

1

5

2

1

1

1

1

1

2

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

8

1

1

2

100

100

100

100

100

100

99.9

99.4

100

100

100

100

100

100

100

100

100

100

100

100

100

100

100

100

80

100

100

100

100

100

100

100

100

100

99.9

99.4

100

100

100

100

100

100

100

100

100

100

100

100

100

100

100

100

80

100

100

100

Joint Ventures and associates

Company name

BEAR Scotland Limited

Breedon Bowen Limited

Breedon Colas Limited

Capital Concrete Limited

H.V. Bowen & Sons (Quarry) Ltd

H.V. Bowen & Sons (Transport) Limited

Kingscourt Country Manor Brick Company Limited 

Northern Quarry Products Limited

PSV (UK) Ltd

Welsh Slate Europe B.V.

Registered office addresses

Proportion 
of ordinary 
shares held 
directly by  
the parent

Registered 
address

14

1

1

10

1

1

11

12

1

13

37.5

50

50

43

100

100

50

50

100

50

Proportion 
of ordinary 
shares held  
by the Group

37.5

50

50

43

50

50

50

50

50

50

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

11

12

13

14

Pinnacle House, Breedon Quarry, Breedon On The Hill, Derby, England, DE73 8AP

5 Blackwater Road, Newtownabbey, Northern Ireland, BT36 4TZ

Ethiebeaton Quarry, Kingennie, Monifieth, Angus, DD5 3RB

Rosemount Business Park, Ballycoolin Road, Dublin 11, Dublin

Killaskillen, Kinnegad, Westmeath, Ireland

28 Esplanade, St Helier, Jersey, JE2 3QA

Bank Chambers, 15-19 Athol Street, Douglas, IM1 1LB

Ashbow Court 4-12 Middleton Street, Lenton, Nottingham, England, NG7 2AL

1209 Orange Street, City of Wilmington, New Castle County, Delaware 19801,  
United States

Robert Brett House, Ashford Road, Canterbury, Kent, England, CT4 7PP

Unit 26 Airways Industrial Estate, Dublin 17, Santry, Dublin, D17 TH93

Rigifa, Cove, Aberdeen, United Kingdom, AB12 3LR

Battenweg 10, 6051AD Maasbracht, NL

Bear House, Inveralmond Road, Inveralmond Industrial Estate, Perth, PH1 3TW

Breedon Group Annual report 2022

Strategic report Governance Financial statements Additional information

182

Shareholder information

Registrar

All administrative enquiries relating to 
shareholdings, such as lost certificates, 
changes of address, change of ownership 
or dividend payments and requests to 
receive corporate documents by email 
should, in the first instance, be directed  
to the Company’s Registrar, Link Group, 
and clearly state the shareholder’s 
registered address and, if available, 
your investor code, which can be found  
on your share certificate:

By post: Link Group, Central Square,  
29 Wellington Street, Leeds, LS1 4DL.

By telephone: 0371 664 0300. Calls are 
charged at the standard geographic rate 
and will vary by provider. If you are outside 
the UK call +44 371 664 0300. Calls outside 
the UK will be charged at the applicable 
international rate. The helpline is open 
between 9.00am and 5.30pm, Monday to 
Friday excluding public holidays in England 
and Wales.

By email: shareholderenquiries@ 
linkgroup.co.uk 

Online: www.linkgroup.eu

Registering on the Registrar’s share portal, 
Signal Shares, enables you to view your 
shareholding, including an indicative share 
price and valuation, check your holding 
balance and transactions, change your 
address or bank details and view dividend 
payments. To register for Signal Shares  
just visit www.breedonshares.com.  
All you need is your investor code, which 
can be found on your share certificate. 

If shareholders have not provided an 
up-to-date email address and have not 
elected to receive documents in hard copy, 
a letter will be posted to their address that 
is recorded on the Register of Members 
notifying them that the documents are 
available on the website. Shareholders  
can continue to receive hard copies of 
shareholder documents by contacting  
the Registrar.

Group website and electronic 
communications

The 2022 Annual Report and other 
information about the Company are 
available on its website. The Company 
operates a service whereby you can 
register to receive notice by email of all 
announcements released by the Company.

The Company’s share price (15-minute 
delay) is displayed on the Company’s 
website.

Shareholder documents are now, following 
changes in company law and shareholder 
approval, primarily made available via the 
Company’s website, unless a shareholder 
has requested to continue to receive hard 
copies of such documents. If a shareholder 
has registered their up-to-date email 
address, an email will be sent to that 
address when such documents are 
available on the website. 

If you have not already registered your 
current email address, you can do so at 
www.breedonshares.com. 

Investors who hold their shares  
via an intermediary should contact  
the intermediary regarding the receipt  
of shareholder documents from  
the Company.

The Group has a wide range of information 
that is available on our website including:

  financial information – annual reports 
and half year results, financial news 
 and events;

  share price information;

  shareholder services information; 

  dividend information; and

  press releases – both current  
and historical.

Multiple accounts

Shareholders who receive more than one 
copy of communications from the 
Company may have more than one 
account in their name on the Company’s 
Register of Members. Any shareholder 
wishing to amalgamate such holdings 
should write to the Registrar giving details 
of the accounts concerned and instructions 
on how they should be amalgamated.

Dividend information

The Company pays its dividend to 
shareholders by electronic transfer.  
You will need to have a dividend mandate 
registered against your Breedon 
shareholder account by the record date 
which enables payment of the dividend 
straight to your bank account. By paying 
dividends by direct credit it helps to reduce 
the Company’s impact on the environment 
and provides greater benefits in terms of 
efficiency, cost, and safeguards the 
security of the payment.

Please register your bank details at  
www.breedonshares.com or contact our 
Registrar, Link Group, on 0371 664 0300  
or +44 371 664 0300 if outside the UK. 

Investors who hold their shares via an 
intermediary should contact the 
intermediary regarding the receipt of 
dividend payments from the Company.

Breedon Group Annual report 2022

Strategic report Governance Financial statements Additional information

183

Shareholder information

Dividend reinvestment plan  
(UK and Channel islands only)

Link Group provide a Dividend 
Reinvestment Plan (DRIP) which provides 
shareholders in the UK and Channel Islands 
with the opportunity to reinvest their 
dividend payments to purchase additional 
ordinary shares in the Company. If you 
choose to join the DRIP, Link Group will use 
the cash dividend payment to which you 
are entitled to acquire further ordinary 
shares in the Company on your behalf as 
soon as practicable after the dividend 
payment date. Terms and conditions  
and a brochure may be found online at 
www.breedonshares.com, where you can 
also join the DRIP or contact Link Group on 
0371 664 0381 (see below for call charges) 
or email shares@linkgroup.co.uk to request 
a DRIP application form.

In order to be effective for a particular 
dividend, any application must reach Link 
by no later than the DRIP election date 
specified in the financial calendar,  
set out at www.breedongroup.com/
dividends. Applications to join the DRIP 
received after that date will take effect 
from the next dividend payment date.

Please note that due to the minimum 
charge, the service may not be cost 
effective for all participants, and the  
value of shares, and any income from  
them, can fall as well as rise. This is not a 
recommendation to purchase shares  
and if you are in any doubt as to what 
action you should take you should  
consult an appropriately qualified 
professional advisor.

Unsolicited mail, investment advice  
and fraud

The Company is obliged by law to make its 
share register publicly available and, as a 
consequence, some shareholders may 
receive unsolicited mail. In addition, many 
companies have become aware that their 
shareholders have received unsolicited 
phone calls or correspondence, typically 
from overseas ‘brokers’, concerning 
investment matters.

These callers can be very persistent and 
extremely persuasive and their activities 
have resulted in considerable losses for 
some investors. It is not just the novice 
investor that has been deceived in this way; 
many victims have been successfully 
investing for several years. Shareholders 
are advised to be very wary of any 
unsolicited advice, offers to buy shares at a 
discount or offers of free company reports.

Please keep in mind that firms authorised 
by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) 
are unlikely to contact you out of the blue 
with an offer to buy or sell shares.

If you receive any unsolicited mail or 
investment advice:

  Make sure you get the correct name of 
the person and organisation.

  Check the Financial Services Register at 
www.fca.org.uk.

  Use the details on the Financial Services 
Register to contact the firm.

  Call the FCA Consumer Helpline on 
0800 111 6768 if there are no contact 
details on the Register or you are told 
they are out of date.

  Beware of fraudsters claiming to be from 
an authorised firm, copying its website 
or giving you false contact details.

  Use the firm’s contact details listed  
on the Register if you want to call  
them back.

  Search the list of unauthorised firms and 
individuals to avoid doing business with 
at www.fca.org.uk/scams.

  Report a share scam by telling  
the FCA using the share fraud reporting 
form in the Consumers section of the 
FCA website.

  If the unsolicited phone calls persist, 
hang up.

  If you wish to limit the number of 
unsolicited calls you receive, contact the 
Telephone Preference Service (TPS) at 
www.tpsonline.org.uk and follow the 
link, or from your mobile phone register 
your mobile number, free of charge, by 
texting ‘TPS’ together with your email 
address to 85095.

  If you wish to limit the amount of 
unsolicited mail you receive, contact  
the Mailing Preference Service on  
020 7291 3310 or visit the website at 
www.mpsonline.org.uk.

If you deal with an unauthorised firm, you 
will not be eligible to receive payment 
under the Financial Services Compensation 
Scheme. If you have already paid money  
to share fraudsters you should contact 
Action Fraud on 0300 123 2040 or report 
online at www.actionfraud.police.uk/
reporting-fraud-and-cyber-crime.

Breedon Group Annual report 2022

Strategic report Governance Financial statements Additional information

184

Shareholder information

Share dealing services

Analysis of shareholdings at 31 December 2022

You can buy shares through any authorised stockbroker or bank that offers a share dealing 
service in the UK, or in your country of residence if outside the UK.

Number of Shares Held

Number of 
accounts

Percentage of 
total accounts

Number of shares  
‘000

Percentage of 
total shares

Link Group also provides a share dealing service to private shareholders in the UK or 
Channel Islands. 

For further information on the share dealing service provided by Link Group, or to buy and 
sell shares via Link Group visit www.linksharedeal.com or call 0371 664 0445. Calls are 
charged at the standard geographic rate and will vary by provider. Lines are open between 
8.00am and 4.30pm, Monday to Friday excluding public holidays in England and Wales.

This is not a recommendation to buy and sell shares and this service may not be suitable for 
all shareholders. The price of shares can go down as well as up and you are not guaranteed 
to get back the amount you originally invested. Terms and conditions apply. Link Group is a 
trading name of Link Market Services Trustees Limited which is authorised and regulated 
by the Financial Conduct Authority. This service is only available to private shareholders 
resident in the United Kingdom, the Channel Islands or the Isle of Man.

Link Group is a trading name of Link Market Services Limited and Link Market Services 
Trustees Limited. Share registration and associated services are provided by Link Market 
Services Limited (registered in England and Wales, No. 2605568). Regulated services  
are provided by Link Market Services Trustees Limited (registered in England and Wales 
No. 2729260), which is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. 

The registered office of each of these companies is Link Group, Central Square,  
29 Wellington Street, Leeds, LS1 4DL.

Electronic voting

Shareholders can submit proxies for the 2023 AGM electronically by logging on to  
www.breedonshares.com. Electronic proxy appointments must be received by the 
Company’s Registrar no later than 2.00pm on 24 April 2023 (or not less than 48 hours 
before the time fixed for any adjourned meeting).

Up to 500

Up to 5,000

Up to 10,000

Up to 50,000

Up to 100,000

Up to 500,000

Up to 1,000,000

Up to 10,000,000

Up to 50,000,000

Up to 99,999,999,999

882

442

140

272

51

105

51

97

31

6

42.5

21.3

6.7

13.1

2.5

5.1

2.5

4.7

1.4

0.2

274,463

773,328

1,029,636

6,143,102

3,567,949

26,625,307

37,019,834

391,576,687

679,145,629

548,243,645

0.0

0.0

0.1

0.4

0.2

1.6

2.2

23.1

40.1

32.3

2,077

100.0 1,694,399,580

100.0

Shareholder communication

Email: shareholderenquiries@linkgroup.co.uk

Telephone: 0371 664 0300. Calls are charged at the standard geographic rate and will vary 
by provider. If you are outside the UK call +44 371 664 0300. Calls outside the UK will be 
charged at the applicable international rate. The helpline is open between 9.00am and 
5.30pm, Monday to Friday excluding public holidays in England and Wales.

Breedon Group Annual report 2022

Strategic report Governance Financial statements Additional information

185

Advisers and Company information

Company information 

Registrars

Registered in Jersey 
Company number 98465

Registered office

28 Esplanade 
St Helier 
Jersey 
JE2 3QA

Company secretary

JTC (Jersey) Limited  
28 Esplanade 
St Helier 
Jersey 
JE2 3QA

Legal adviser

Carey Olsen 
47 Esplanade 
St Helier 
Jersey 
JE1 0BD

Link Market Services (Jersey) Limited 
12 Castle Street 
St Helier 
Jersey 
JE2 3QA

Independent auditor

KPMG LLP 
One Snowhill 
Snowhill Queensway 
Birmingham 
B4 6GH

Nominated adviser and joint broker

Numis Securities Limited 
45 Gresham Street 
London 
EC4M 7LT

Joint broker

HSBC Bank plc 
8 Canada Square 
London 
E14 5HQ 

Solicitors to the Company (UK)

Travers Smith LLP 
10 Snow Hill 
London 
EC1A 2AL

Contact

If you require information regarding 
Breedon Group, please contact:

Breedon Group 
Pinnacle House 
Breedon on the Hill 
Derby  
DE73 8AP

Tel: 01332 694010

Email: info@breedongroup.com

Website: www.breedongroup.com

Breedon Group Annual report 2022

Strategic report Governance Financial statements Additional information

186

Glossary

The following definitions apply throughout this Annual Report, unless the context  
requires otherwise.

AGM

AIM

ARM

BAP

Annual General Meeting of the Company

Alternative Investment Market of the London Stock Exchange

Alternative raw material

Biodiversity Action Plan

BEAR Scotland

BEAR Scotland Limited

bps

Breedon

CCUS

CEM I

CEM II

basis points

Breedon Group plc

Carbon capture and use or storage

Portland cement; comprising Portland cement and up to 5% of minor  
additional constituents

Portland composite cement; comprising Portland cement and up to 35% of 
certain other single constituents

Cemex

Cemex UK Operations Limited

CEO

CEO

CFO

CGU

CO2e
CPA

DNED

Division

DRIP

EBIT

EPD

EPS

ESG

ETS

EU

Chief Executive Officer

Chief Executive Officer

Chief Financial Officer

Cash-Generating Unit

Carbon dioxide equivalent

Construction Products Association

Designated Non-executive Director

One of the Group’s three operating segments: GB, Ireland and Cement

Dividend Reinvestment Plan

Earnings before interest and tax

Environmental Product Declaration

Earnings per share

Environment, Social and Governance

Emissions Trading Scheme

European Union

EURIBOR

Euro Inter-bank Offered Rate

FCA

FRC

GAAP

GB

Financial Conduct Authority

Financial Reporting Council

Generally Accepted Accounting Principles

Great Britain

GCCA

GHG

GNI

GNP

Group

GW/GWh

IAS

IFRS

Global Cement and Concrete Association

Greenhouse gas (emissions)

Gross National Income

Good Neighbourhood Plan

Breedon and its subsidiary companies

Gigawatt/Gigawatt hour

International Accounting Standards

International Financial Reporting Standard

Invested Capital

Net assets plus Net Debt

Ireland

The Island of Ireland

ISO

IT

KPI

Lagan

Leverage

LGV

Like-for-like

LTI

LTIFR

LTISR

M&A

MPA

International Organization for Standardisation

Information Technology

Key Performance Indicator

Lagan Group (Holdings) Limited

Net Debt expressed as a multiple of Underlying EBITDA

Light goods vehicle

Like-for-like reflects reported values adjusted for the impact of  
acquisitions and disposals

Lost time injury

Lost time injury frequency rate

Lost time injury severity rate

Mergers & acquisitions

Mineral Products Association

MW/MWh

Megawatt/Megawatt hour

NI

ppt

PSP

QCA

RAP

RCF

RoI

ROIC

SBTi

SECR

SDG

Northern Ireland

percentage points

Performance Share Plan

Quoted Companies Alliance

Recycled asphalt planings

Revolving Credit Facility

Republic of Ireland

Post-tax Return on Invested Capital

Science Based Targets initiative

Streamlined Energy and Carbon Reporting

Sustainability Development Goal

Breedon Group Annual report 2022

Strategic report Governance Financial statements Additional information

187

Glossary

SONIA

Sterling

TCFD

TIFR

TSR

UK

Underlying

Sterling Overnight Index Average

Pounds sterling

Task Force on Climate-Related Financial Disclosures

Total Injury Frequency Rate

Total shareholder return

United Kingdom (GB and NI)

Stated before acquisition-related expenses, redundancy and reorganisation 
costs, property items, amortisation of acquisition intangibles and related  
tax items

Underlying  
EBITDA

Earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation, non-underlying 
items and before our share of profit from associate and joint ventures

USPP

VFL

US Private Placement

Visible Felt Leadership

Breedon Group Annual report 2022

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188

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Breedon Group Annual report 2022

190

Breedon Group

Pinnacle House 
Breedon Quarry 
Main Street 
Breedon on the Hill 
Derby, DE73 8AP

+44 (0) 1332 694000 
breedongroup.com