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Fuller, Smith & Turner

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FY2016 Annual Report · Fuller, Smith & Turner
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Fuller, Smith & Turner P.L.C. 
Annual Report 2016

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FROM A 
SINGLE 
BREWERY... 
TO 390 PUBS  
AND HOTELS

Operating from the historic Griffin Brewery site  
in Chiswick, Fuller’s is an independent family brewer and 
pub company whose brands include the world-famous 
ESB and iconic London Pride. Fuller’s has an estate  
of 390 pubs and hotels – split between Managed  
and Tenanted houses – located primarily in London  
and the South of England.

Overview

1  Financial Highlights
  2  Chairman’s Statement

Strategic Report
  4  At a Glance
  6  Strategy and Progress
  8  Chief Executive’s Review
  18  Financial Review
 22  Principal Risks and Uncertainties
 24  Corporate Social Responsibility

Governance
 32  Board of Directors
 34  Directors’ Report
 37  Directors’ Statements
 38  Corporate Governance Report
 45  Directors’ Remuneration Report

Independent Auditor’s Report

Financial Statements
 62 
 66  Group Income Statement
 67 

 Group and Company Statements  
of Comprehensive Income

 68  Group and Company Balance Sheets
 69 

 Group and Company Statements  
of Changes in Equity
 Group and Company  
Cash Flow Statements

  71 

  72  Notes to the Financial Statements

Additional Information
 118  Directors and Advisors
 119  Shareholder Information
 120  Glossary
 121  Five Years’ Progress

 
Financial Highlights

Another excellent year from our great team of people.

 –Adjusted profit before tax1 up 12%; up 39% over five years
 –Adjusted earnings per share2 up 13%; up 55% over five years
 –Revenue up 9%; up 45% over five years
 –EBITDA3 up 11%; up 39% over five years
 –Total annual dividend up 8%; up 52% over five years
 –Managed Pubs and Hotels like for like sales up 4.8% and profits4 up 12%
 –Tenanted Inns like for like profits4 up 2% and average EBITDA per pub up 2%
 –The Fuller’s Beer Company revenue up 5% and total beer and cider volumes down 1%

Revenue

£350.5m

Adjusted profit1

£40.9m

£350.5m

2016

£40.9m

£321.5m

£288.0m

2015

2014

£36.4m

£34.1m

2016

2015

2014

EBITDA3

£65.0m

2016

2015

2014

Adjusted earnings per share2

58.35p

£65.0m

£58.7m

£54.5m

2016

2015

2014

58.35p

51.51p

46.94p

3.0

2.7

2.5

Total annual dividend per share

17.90p

Pro forma net debt to EBITDA5

3.0 times

2016
2016

2015
2015

2014
2014

17.90p
17.90p

16.60p
16.60p

15.10p
15.10p

2016

2015

2014

1  Adjusted profit is the profit before tax excluding exceptional items. Statutory profit before tax was £39.2 million (2015: £36.1 million)
2  Calculated using adjusted profit after tax and the same weighted average number of shares as for the basic earnings per share and using a 40p  

ordinary share. Basic earnings per share were 59.25p (2015: 51.15p)

3   Pre-exceptional earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation
4  Operating profit before exceptional items
5  Pre-exceptional earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation, adjusted as appropriate for acquisitions and disposals in the period

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Fuller, Smith & Turner P.L.C.
Annual Report 2016

Overview  Strategic Report  Governance  Financial Statements  Additional InformationA CLEAR  
VISION  
AND A  
GREAT 
BUSINESS

It gives me great pleasure to announce 
another year of excellent results.  
This is testament to the strength of  
our management team, the commitment 
of our people, the fantastic business that 
we have built up over time and our ability 
to adapt and respond to changes in our 
customers’ expectations.

Chairman’s Statement

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Fuller, Smith & Turner P.L.C.
Annual Report 2016

It gives me great pleasure to announce another year of 
excellent results. This is testament to the strength of our 
management team, the commitment of our people, the 
fantastic business that we have built up over time and our 
ability to adapt and respond to changes in our customers’ 
expectations. Our total revenues have increased by 9%  
to £350.5 million (2015: £321.5 million) resulting in a  
rise in adjusted profit before tax of 12% to £40.9 million 
(2015: £36.4 million). 

I was delighted to read an article in The Daily Telegraph  
in March, which named Fuller’s as one of only 10 FTSE 
companies that had shown at least two decades of consistent 
share dividend growth. In fact our dividend has demonstrated 
continued progressive growth for over seven decades. We 
continue this trend with adjusted earnings per share rising  
by 13% to 58.35p (2015: 51.51p) and a rise in the full year 
dividend of 8%. It is our long-term vision and strategy that 
differentiates us from other FTSE companies, while it is our 
people that make the difference between Fuller’s and the 
competition in the pub sector.

Managed Pubs and Hotels have again been the star of the 
show with like for like sales growth of 4.8%, total sales growth 
of 12% and profit1 growth of 17%. This has been driven by a 
rise in like for like food sales of 6.9%, while like for like drinks 
sales have grown by 4.3%. The investments the team has 
made in the standard of our kitchens and the excellent  
Chefs’ Guild programme is driving this growth with our  
chefs producing some exquisite dishes.

We have continued to protect our long-term future by 
investing our money wisely, purchasing the freeholds of three 
more of our iconic sites and securing new long-term leases 
for a number of other key pubs in the London area. 

Our tenanted pubs have performed well, with like for like 
profits increasing by 2% and total profits1 holding level.  
The year has been one of great upheaval for tenanted 
businesses across the UK due to the Government’s Pub 
Company Inquiry, but we are well placed to compete  
in this ever changing marketplace. 

Meanwhile, at The Fuller’s Beer Company, total beer and 
cider volumes were down by 1% and the profit1 contribution 
remained level. 

As ever, the success of this year is due to an exceptional team 
of people. Throughout the Company, we have some of the 
best people in the industry. Not just within Fuller’s, but also  
in those businesses in which we have invested more recently 
such as The Stable, Cornish Orchards and Nectar Imports. 
All have a similar culture and a family ethos – as does Sierra 
Nevada, whose products we distribute throughout the UK.

This culture and the commitment made to developing our 
own people has led to a number of key internal promotions 
and it gives me great pleasure to see these people develop. 
Inspired by Simon, the team at Fuller’s is well-placed to 
continue to deliver good results through great pubs and 
wonderful beers and ciders.

Dividend
The Board is pleased to announce a final dividend of 11.00p 
(2015: 10.20p) per 40p ‘A’ and ‘C’ ordinary share and 1.10p 
(2015: 1.02p) per 4p ‘B’ ordinary share. This will be paid on 
25 July 2016 to shareholders on the share register as at 24 
June 2016. The total dividend of 17.90p per 40p ‘A’ and ‘C’ 
ordinary share and 1.79p per 4p ‘B’ ordinary share represents 
an 8% increase on last year and will be covered more than  
3.2 times by adjusted earnings per share.

Michael Turner
Chairman

9 June 2016

1  Operating profit before exceptional items

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Fuller, Smith & Turner P.L.C.
Annual Report 2016

Overview  Strategic Report  Governance  Financial Statements  Additional InformationAt a Glance

MANAGED PUBS AND HOTELS

EXPORTS

193PUBS AND  

HOTELS

At the year end, we owned and operated  
193 Managed Pubs and Hotels around the 
south of England. From The Windmill in 
Portishead, with its fantastic views over 
the Severn Estuary to The Sail Loft in 
Greenwich, overlooking the magnificent 
River Thames, you will always find delicious, 
fresh food, a great range of beers,  
wines and cider, and exceptional service.

Asia Pacific 19.3% 
North America 20.3% 
Latin America 6.8% 
Europe 49.6% 
Middle East & Africa 4.0%

MAKE THE 
MOST OF  
YOUR TIME

FRONTIER CRAFT LAGER IS BREWED  

FOR A FULL 42 DAYS TO GIVE IT  

A MORE MEMORABLE FLAVOUR

78% of our vegetables  
come fresh from the UK

FRONTIER

Frontier is now a regular  
on the street food and festival 
scene attending the equivalent 
of over 1,350 event days  
last year.

M O N T A N A  

R E D  

J O I N S  

C R A F T  

K E G  

L I N E - U P

197TENANTED INNS

The Tenanted Inns division has 197 pubs, where the  
individual pubs are run by self-employed entrepreneurs, who  
work in partnership with us, operating under the Fuller’s brand. 

FULLER’S NAMED EMPLOYER  
OF THE YEAR AT 

THE PUBLICAN  
AWARDS 2016

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Fuller, Smith & Turner P.L.C.
Annual Report 2016

FULLER’S 
NAMED BEST 
COMPANY AT 
PEACH HERO 
AND ICON 
AWARDS  
2015

TRAINING

THIS YEAR, OUR 
TEAM MEMBERS 
UNDERTOOK THE 
EQUIVALENT OF 
14,000 TRAINING 
DAYS ON A RANGE 
OF PROGRAMMES 
ACROSS THE 
BUSINESS

ENJOY THE 
FRESH AIR

WE NOW HAVE OUTSIDE 
BARS IN 14 OF OUR 
MANAGED PUBS

WE  PRESSED 

1,012 

TONNES  OF  APPLES  AT  CORNISH  ORCHARDS 

IN  DULOE

1.4M  

WE SOLD 1.4 
MILLION CUPS 
OF BREWER 
STREET COFFEE 
IN OUR PUBS 
THIS YEAR

THE KEY  
INGREDIENT  
IN OUR FOOD?
OUR CHEFS

We are one of the only companies where  
everyone from the Kitchen Porter to the Head Chef  
benefits from an ongoing training programme.  
All three levels of our Chefs’ Guild Scholarship  
focus on keeping classical kitchen skills alive and  
making sure that the craft and passion in our  
chefs rival those of our brewers.

FULLER’S 
IPA

We launched a new IPA as 
part of of our craft keg range, 
with a pump clip designed by 
artistic collective ilovedust.

Group operating
profit by division
£m

Managed and
Tenanted houses 

Total beer and cider
barrels by channel
% 

Fuller’s Managed Pubs and Hotels 30.9
Fuller’s Tenanted Inns 13.4
Fuller’s Beer Company 7.6

Managed pubs within M25 118
Tenanted pubs within M25 55
Tenanted pubs outside M25 142
Managed pubs outside M25 75

Fuller’s Tenanted Inns 11%
Fuller’s Managed Pubs and Hotels 23%
Free On Trade 38%  Off Trade 13%
Exports 13%  Other 2%

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Fuller, Smith & Turner P.L.C.
Annual Report 2016

Overview  Strategic Report  Governance  Financial Statements  Additional InformationStrategy and Progress

Distinctive Pub and Hotel Experience

Investing in
 – Our people
 – Our retail offer
 – Behind the scenes
 – Customer experience
 – Customer feedback

Market influence
Current consumer trends  
include a focus on the provenance 
of food, authenticity of brands, 
healthier options and good value

Progress in FY 2016
 – Excellent like for like (“LFL”) 

sales, up 4.8% in our Managed 
Estate driven by a superior 
food offering

 – Tenanted LFL profits up 2% – 

good growth despite fewer pubs
 – Chef’s Scholarship programme  

succeeding in achieving  
better chef retention and  
menu creativity

Priorities for FY 2017
 – Continue to invest through  
the business cycle helping to 
drive LFL sales growth and 
gross margins

 – Focus on developing our people 
to become managers and chefs 
of the future

 – Integrate new sites and support 
The Stable with systems and 
evolving its offer

 – Focus on offsetting the  
£2 million expected cost 
of the National Living Wage

Targeted Acquisitions and Developments

Targeted acquisitions  
and developments in
 – High footfall transport hubs
 – Iconic London pubs
 – Affluent market towns

Priorities for FY 2017
 – Expanding The Stable 
operations to at least  
18 sites in total
 – Record spend on 
refurbishments  
to sustain quality or  
reposition properties

 – Refurbish all five  
acquisitions made  
in FY2016

Progress in FY 2016
 – Acquired five additional pubs 

for a total of £12 million

 – New riverside pub 

development: The Sail Loft, 
Greenwich Reach opened 
January 2016

 – Acquired a majority investment 
in Nectar Imports, providing 
new routes to market

 – Six new Stable sites opened  
in the year, operating 13 at 
year end

 – Over £20 million invested 
to sustain the quality of our 
existing estate

Premium Brand Portfolio

Focusing on
 – Well-invested equipment  

Progress in FY 2016
 – Expanded our chilled and 

and processes
 – Skilled brewers
 – Constant innovation
 – Putting flavour first

filtered range available in keg 
format, including new beers, 
Montana Red and Fuller’s IPA
 – Westside Drinks, augmented 
by acquisition of Nectar, 
targeting new high end markets 
with craft product range
 – Successful installation of  

new advanced filter which has 
increased brewing efficiency 

Priorities for FY 2017
 – Drive sales of Cornish 
Orchards and Frontier 
through all channels
 – Continue to build on  
successful London  
Pride advertising

 – Focus on growing sales  

through Nectar  
distribution channel

Market influence
London and the South East 
continue to outperform the  
rest of the UK market, although 
the UK’s potential exit from the 
EU could halt this

Market influence
Consumers increasingly want 
more interesting choices and  
are prepared to pay a premium for 
authentic, quality craft products

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Fuller, Smith & Turner P.L.C.
Annual Report 2016

FROM LOCAL FARMS... 
TO CULINARY CHARMS

We like long term partnerships and we work 
with a small number of hand-picked farms to 
get the best crops for our business. We listen 
to their advice to make sure we get the best 
seasonal produce in our kitchens at the right 
time. Our strawberries all come from the 
same farm in Lymington, on the edge of the 
New Forest and we get all our asparagus from 
Sopley Farm near Christchurch in Dorset. 
You might think that partnership doesn’t 
taste of anything – but our strawberries 
and asparagus prove otherwise!

7
Fuller, Smith & Turner P.L.C.
Annual Report 2016

A ROBUST 
BUSINESS  
WITH 
STRONG 
RESULTS 

It has been another outstanding year  
for the Company and I am delighted to 
be reporting an excellent set of results, 
particularly in the largest part of our 
business – our Managed Pubs & Hotels.

Chief Executive’s Review

8
Fuller, Smith & Turner P.L.C.
Annual Report 2016

It has been another outstanding year for the Company  
and I am delighted to be reporting an excellent set of results, 
particularly in the largest part of our business – our Managed 
Pubs and Hotels. We are seeing the rewards of our continued 
investment programme and the emphasis we have placed  
on recruiting, developing, rewarding and promoting the best 
people. We do this to ensure that across the business we  
are giving industry-leading service.

Our long-term approach is underpinned by a consistent 
strategy, but we continue to seek new, exciting opportunities 
to build our business further – keeping the Brewery as our 
beating heart. We have purchased pubs in geographical areas 
where we have previously lacked a presence, introduced new 
premium brands that the consumers of today and tomorrow 
are seeking out and continued to develop our pub designs and 
the quality and creativity of our menus.

It has been a busy year for the property team, with the 
purchase of five new pubs for a total of £11.1 million. At the 
year end, our total pub estate comprised 191 Managed Pubs 
and Hotels and 200 Tenanted Inns.

The corporate investments we have made in recent  
years have also performed well. The Stable continues to 
flourish – with the addition of six new restaurants during  
the year. Cornish Orchards grew volumes and we increased 
distribution of Sierra Nevada, which has also opened new 
doors for the wider Fuller’s craft portfolio.

We found a new route to market in December 2015, when 
we acquired a 51% stake in Nectar Imports, a family run 
specialist wholesale business, for £2.7 million. This investment 
gives us an excellent new channel to independent craft beer 
outlets. Nectar has a similar ethos and culture to our own 
and, as with The Stable, it will continue to run as a standalone 
business under the excellent stewardship of founder and 
Managing Director, Fiona Jukes.

In 2012 our employees undertook training to the  
equivalent of 3,000 days. Just four years later that number 
has increased to 14,000 days. Across the Company, we  
now offer 14 development programmes and, in November, 
we decided that we would move early to apply the National 
Living Wage selectively, awarding it to colleagues who 
commit to one of these development programmes, 
regardless of age. We anticipate the direct and consequential 
financial impact of the National Living Wage on all staff 
wages in the current financial year will be around £2 million.

Our career path structure ensures that there is a plan which 
allows every Kitchen Porter to work towards becoming a 
Head Chef and every member of bar staff a route to become 
a General Manager or Operations Manager. In addition to 
this, we have a programme of training and development for 
our managers, to increase their skills and take them from 
junior management or team leader positions right through  
to Director. 

This commitment to our own people improves retention, 
which reduces induction costs, rewards hardworking and 
talented employees and ultimately provides exceptional 
service to Fuller’s customers. It has already delivered results 
with a high number of internal promotions during the period 
including two positions on the Fuller’s Inns’ Board. 

I am delighted that we picked up the award for Employer of 
the Year at the prestigious Publican Awards in March. The 
People Team at Fuller’s has worked tirelessly to improve the 
way we recruit, train, reward and recognise our people and 
this award is testament to that success. It was great to see  
our People Director, David Hoyle, and Group Development 
Manager, Dawn Browne, on stage to collect the award.

Tenanted like for like profits

Managed like for like sales

+2%

2016

2015

2014

+2%

+2%

+4.8%

2016

+4.8%

+5%

2015

+6.3%

2014

+8.3%

9
Fuller, Smith & Turner P.L.C.
Annual Report 2016

Overview  Strategic Report  Governance  Financial Statements  Additional InformationFROM A 
GREAT TEAM... 
TO REALISING  
YOUR DREAM

It’s our people that differentiate Fuller’s from the competition  
and we now have structured career paths from Kitchen Porter  
to Head Chef, frontline Team Members to General Manager  
and from Junior Management to Director. All our employees  
are encouraged to have a Personal Development Plan to map  
out their career ambitions. Realising a person’s potential and  
helping them achieve their dream is rewarding for everyone.

10
Fuller, Smith & Turner P.L.C.
Annual Report 2016

The ever-popular Shakespeare in  
the Garden series returned to our  
pubs last summer with a production of 
Romeo and Juliet. This most famous tale  
of passion was performed in 12 of our 
managed pubs to an enthralled audience  
of over 3,700 customers

Fuller’s Inns
It has been another good year across Fuller’s Inns with total 
revenue from our Managed Pubs and Hotels up by 12% to 
£238.4 million (2015: £213.8 million) while total revenue  
for our Tenanted Inns was maintained at £31.5 million  
(2015: £31.4 million).

Managed Pubs and Hotels
Our Managed Pubs and Hotels have had an excellent year, 
with like for like sales1 increasing by 4.8%, a rise in operating 
profit before exceptional items of 17% to £30.9 million 
(2015: £26.3 million) and an operating profit margin 
improvement of 0.7% to 13.0%. 

We purchased five new pubs during the year, including our 
only pub in the London Borough of Lewisham, The Lord 
Northbrook in Lee. We also purchased The Great Northern 
Railway Tavern in Hornsey, North London – another area 
where we are under-represented. We hope these footholds 
will pave the way to further appropriate acquisitions in these 
growing neighbourhoods. The other three pubs purchased 
were The Queen’s Head in Kingston, The King’s Head in 
Earl’s Court and The Sutton Arms in Barbican.

This year we invested £20 million on 18 significant projects 
and a number of smaller schemes, resulting in 121 weeks of 
closures – up from 108 in the prior year and a number we 
anticipate being higher still next year. As we refurbish our 
pubs, we apply a holistic approach, treating each scheme 
individually, creating a bespoke design and décor that is 
tailored to the local area and often taking the opportunity  
to reposition the pub within its local market. In addition,  
we always look to improve and enhance the kitchen and  
menu to further inspire our chefs.

Finally, one of the key ways that we protect our pub estate  
is by purchasing the freeholds of our sites and securing 
long-term leases so that we have a stable position from  
which to develop individual pubs. During the year, we have 
purchased the freeholds of three existing businesses –  
The Blackbird in Earl’s Court, The Barrowboy and Banker  
on London Bridge and The Stable in Poole. In addition, we 
have secured six new long-term leases on existing Fuller’s 
pubs in London.

The pub and eating out market is continually evolving and 
critical to our success is our ability to create an experience for 
the consumer that is not only better than the competition, 
but is unique and is something our guests cannot get  
at home.

Food remains one of the key drivers of this performance, 
with like for like food sales1 rising 6.9%. We have continued to 
invest in the Fuller’s Chefs’ Guild programme – which is 
attracting new recruits and taking our existing chefs to new 
heights of culinary skill and creativity. We have supported this 
activity by enhancing the contracts of our chefs, which has 
also helped to reduce staff turnover. We have identified  
a need to improve recognition for our kitchen teams and, 
since the year end, have held our first ever Chef of the Year 
competition, which was won by Gavin Sinden of The 
Stonemasons Arms in Hammersmith in the over-25s 
category and Luke Emmess of The Still & West in Southsea 
in the under-25s category. 

Consumers are increasingly seeking more balanced, lighter 
dishes and recent successes include our Cornish Orchards 
cured and smoked sea trout and our tea and hop-smoked 
haddock. We have also developed a range of bespoke 
ice-creams with Laverstoke Park Farm and this includes 
interesting flavours such as cardamom ice cream, specifically 
created to accompany one of our best-selling desserts, Paul’s 
Chocolate Brownie. We develop these dishes, which are 
available Only at Fuller’s, as they provide a point of difference 
and reinforce our premium position, setting us apart from  
the competition.

1  Like for like sales excludes The Stable

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Fuller, Smith & Turner P.L.C.
Annual Report 2016

Overview  Strategic Report  Governance  Financial Statements  Additional InformationChief Executive’s Review continued

There’s not much in life that’s better than 
a great pint or a refreshing glass of wine in 
a pub garden and as part of our ongoing 
investments we are designing some beautiful 
outdoor spaces for our customers.

Despite this success, we still have further to go and recent 
research showed that only one in four people associated 
Fuller’s with food – yet we have an 80% Net Promoter  
Score for our food overall. This demonstrates the potential 
opportunity we have to entice more customers to our pubs  
to try the dishes that are being invented, freshly prepared  
and served in our kitchens.

The rise in food sales is accompanied by growth in premium 
wine and coffee. This year we have seen rising wine sales 
across the board, but of particular note is Sancerre – where 
sales have risen by 40% in the year – and New Zealand 
Sauvignon Blanc, where sales are up in the Managed Estate 
by 49%. We serve a DOCG Prosecco, a cut above the DOC 
alternative that is available in the majority of pubs and casual 
dining restaurants, and sales of this are also up, by 36%. In 
addition, we sold 1.4 million cups of Brewer Street Coffee,  
a blend of coffee that is available Only at Fuller’s.

Our customers expect ever-more interesting designs and  
an environment that has been created with style, elegance 
and individuality. In January, we opened The Sail Loft in 
Greenwich Reach, a fantastic site with views up and down  
the river, right next to the Cutty Sark. This venue is the 
embodiment of all that is great about a Fuller’s pub, with 
its exciting range of beers and wines and an open kitchen 
producing stunning food, served by engaged team  
members, in an amazing venue.

Over recent years, we have reported regularly on the 
investments we have made in recruiting and developing team 
members and building the senior team of the future. It was 
rewarding last May to see Mark Fulton, who joined us as a 
frontline team member at The Counting House in 2004, 
promoted to Head of Operations – Hotels. 

While we have not added any bedrooms to the estate during 
the year, we have upgraded 99 of them. Accommodation 
continues to play a key role for us, although trading in our 
hotels has been more challenging with a drop in tourism 
following the Paris attacks, which has coincided with a large 
number of competitors coming into the market, particularly 
in locations close to our Central London hotels. 

We have also maintained our focus on search engine 
optimisation and the way we communicate with our 
customers through highly targeted emails that come directly 
from the pub – rather than from a head office address. 
Offers and content are personalised and our response rates 
are strong. This is a great way to promote events in our pubs, 
such as the excellent Shakespeare in the Garden series that 
saw Romeo and Juliet performed in 12 of our pub gardens 
during July, August and September to an enthralled audience 
of over 3,700 people.

Beer Company: total beer and cider barrels

Capital expenditure

344,000

£80.7m

344,000

2016

£80.7m

348,400

2015

£56.9m

334,100

2014

£38.1m

2016

2015

2014

12
Fuller, Smith & Turner P.L.C.
Annual Report 2016

FROM HOPS...
TO HAPPINESS

Hops are a key element in the production of beer, imparting 
bitterness and flavour to the brew. We use a number of hops in our 
beers from all over the world. However, over 80% of our hops are 
grown and picked in England, mainly in Kent and the Teme Valley, 
Worcestershire. We also buy hops from America, Germany, the Czech 
Republic, Slovenia and, most recently, Australia and New Zealand.

The flavours from hops are many and varied – American hops tend 
to give big, bold, citrus flavours, while Australian hops give a more 
tropical fruit note. But if it’s floral or spicy notes you’re after, then 
you’re better off sticking to hops from good old Blighty.

13
Fuller, Smith & Turner P.L.C.
Annual Report 2016

Chief Executive’s Review continued

 FROM APPLES...  
 TO ADVENTURES

It’s been a busy time down in Duloe for  
the team at Cornish Orchards. Having  
increased capacity, we made more cider than 
ever before. During the winter, the Cornish 
Orchards Wassail kit proved popular, with mulled 
cider appearing on the bar of numerous pubs  
and even on the counter of the Fuller’s Brewery 
Shop in Chiswick.

There’s exciting things in the pipeline too 
with the launch of Cornish Orchards Blush  
on draught – a delicious cider with a hint of 
raspberries. So now it’s cider time all year round.

14
Fuller, Smith & Turner P.L.C.
Annual Report 2016

It’s been a busy year for the Westside  
Drinks team with Frontier and Sierra  
Nevada gaining distribution and a high 
number of festival appearances. During  
the year, we attended the equivalent  
of 1,350 event days, reaching nearly one 
million potential customers at a range  
of events from Rooftop Film Club  
in Peckham to Hawker House in  
Canada Water.

In line with the growth of Apple Pay and similar systems, 
customers are always keen to find easier ways of paying and 
Flypay, a payment app which allows a customer to run, split 
and settle a bill with their friends, is now available in 18 of our 
London pubs. Most striking though, is how our customers 
have adopted contactless as their preferred means of 
payment. In November 2014, contactless transactions  
made up less than 25% of our card transactions and only 
represented 11% of value. Volumes have grown every month 
and today, contactless payments account for more than  
50% of all of our card transactions and 33% of value, helping 
improve speed of service at the bar.

The Stable has continued to expand and we opened six new 
sites during the year – Plymouth, Winchester, Southampton, 
Birmingham, Cheltenham and Cardiff. We also relocated the 
Bath restaurant to a higher profile site, which has increased 
customer numbers significantly. The new sites also have less 
exposure to the seasonality that impacts on The Stable’s 
heartland sites in the West Country. Since the year end, we 
have opened our first London restaurant, in Whitechapel, and 
this is a very exciting development for what is still a fledgling 
restaurant brand. Many of these new sites opened at the  
end of the third quarter, yet total revenue for the year has 
more than doubled, showing underlying growth in the more 
mature sites.

In line with our experience in the pub sector, The Stable 
customer also demands lots of choice, interesting flavours, 
premium brands and fresh, delicious food made with 
authentic ingredients. This is reflected in the fact that the 
Cider Tasting Board is the brand’s biggest selling drink and  
in the attraction of fresh, artisan pizzas made with local 
ingredients and carrying innovative names, complemented  
by a range of pies and salads. 

As long as we continue to delight our customers with our 
pubs, our food and our service, we will prosper as a business. 
We always strive to do better and although we already have a 
strong overall Net Promoter Score of 70%, up from 68% last 
year, we continue to seek ways to improve it further.

2  Operating profit before exceptional items

Tenanted Inns
Our tenanted business has delivered good results again  
this year, with profits2 rising by 2% on a like for like basis and 
average EBITDA per pub increasing by 2% to £83,000. Total 
operating profit before exceptional items is flat – mainly due 
to the move of some high volume sites to the Managed 
Estate in recent years.

We continued to invest in our Tenanted Estate, working with 
our tenants on schemes to reposition pubs, often to focus 
more heavily on food. These schemes are jointly funded by 
Fuller’s and the tenant and notable projects during the last 
year include The Bear & Swan at Chew Magna, where we 
created some letting bedrooms, and The Griffin in Brentford, 
where we utilised some redundant space to increase the 
trading area. We also sold four sites during the year that  
no longer fitted our long-term strategy. 

Our focus on ensuring our tenants have great access to first 
class training, cellar services support and motivated business 
development managers continues to drive success and this 
year both our key internal awards were won by Tenanted 
pubs. The coveted Griffin Trophy was awarded to The Rising 
Sun in Milland, Hampshire and the Master Cellarman of the 
Year went to The Star in Petworth, West Sussex.

The Fuller’s Beer Company
Revenue rose by 5% to £126.8 million (2015: £120.9 million) 
and while our beer and cider volumes for the year are down 
by 1%, operating profit before exceptional items remained 
level at £7.6 million. These figures reflect the shift in mix  
as we are selling more premium products in line with  
our strategy.

This year, the Beer Company team has focused on 
identifying new products and developing new routes to 
market to counteract our largest customer being taken over 
by another brewer. The development of Montana Red and 
Fuller’s IPA has enhanced our craft beer range and packaging 
beers such as Wild River, Frontier Craft Lager and Black Cab 
Stout into 330ml cans has given us access to new customers. 
Volumes rose at Cornish Orchards, making use of new 
capacity at Duloe, and we also increased distribution and 
volume of Sierra Nevada.

15
Fuller, Smith & Turner P.L.C.
Annual Report 2016

Overview  Strategic Report  Governance  Financial Statements  Additional InformationChief Executive’s Review continued

We continue to invest in our flagship brand, London Pride, 
which benefited from the Rugby World Cup last October. 
With the focus of attention falling on our London heartland, 
we ran a widespread outdoor campaign in the area on the 
theme Made of Rugby. This was brought to life through the 
London Pride Clubhouse – a fantastic sports venue in the 
City, heavily promoted through the Evening Standard. We 
have also further developed the brand’s Made of London 
campaign featuring shots of London Pride against iconic 
London locations and vistas.

Both Oliver’s Island, our golden ale, and Frontier Craft Lager 
grew sales and distribution during the year, with Oliver’s Island 
becoming our second biggest cask ale. Frontier meanwhile is 
now our second biggest brand, just three years after its launch. 
It has continued to grow in popularity with customers who seek 
out new flavours at street food festivals and other events and 
this resulted in the equivalent of 1,350 event days for Frontier 
during the last financial year, reaching an audience of 
920,000 potential customers. The activity was supported by 
an outdoor advertising campaign in the brand’s East London 
heartland including two street murals in Shoreditch.

Current trading and prospects
Our business is in excellent shape and it has been a solid start 
to the year. Like for like sales in our Managed Pubs and Hotels 
for the first 10 weeks of the new financial year are up by 2.7% 
against strong comparatives from last year. Over the same 
period, like for like profits in our Tenanted Inns are down by  
2% and beer and cider volumes have decreased by 5%.

The economy is difficult to read with the European 
referendum imminent, but while it is important to be aware of 
the external environment, we will continue with the exciting 
plans we have in place and our long-term perspective gives us 
the flexibility to react accordingly.

We will further invest in training our people and we will also  
be investing a record amount in refurbishing our existing 
estate, putting more focus on our delicious fresh food and 
continuing to attract new customers to our pubs. We have 
already completed seven major schemes in this current 
financial year including The Harpenden Arms in Harpenden, 
The Drayton Court in Ealing and The Ox Row in Salisbury, 
and four more are under way as of today with many others 
soon to follow. In addition, since the year end, we have 
purchased an additional 25% of The Stable, taking our  
stake to 76%.

As we look forward to the year ahead, we know that our 
long-term strategy, combined with the vision to address the 
needs of our customers and consumers of the future, will 
keep Fuller’s on the path of growth. By continuing to invest in 
our assets, our brands and, most importantly, our employees, 
we will continue to build a Fuller’s that delivers outstanding 
service to our customers, excellent careers for our people 
and good returns for our shareholders.

Simon Emeny
Chief Executive

9 June 2016

Breakfast is a key meal of the day – both in the Brewery and out  
in our pubs and hotels. The Parcel Yard at King’s Cross has some  
of the most interesting breakfast guests – normally large groups  
of stags on a Friday heading off for that last weekend of freedom. 
Once they served a Pope, three cardinals and 30 monks – but  
it’s a less religious affair in most of our pubs!

16
Fuller, Smith & Turner P.L.C.
Annual Report 2016

FROM  
ROAST  
AND BAKE... 
TO A CUP  
OF WIDE  
AWAKE

Brewer Street Coffee is our own unique, Fairtrade-certified 
blend. We put as much effort into sourcing our coffee beans  
as we do brewing our world-class beers, which is why we went  
to the ends of the earth to create Brewer Street Coffee. 

17
Fuller, Smith & Turner P.L.C.
Annual Report 2016

 INVESTING 
 FOR THE 
 FUTURE

Our operating profits before  
exceptional items grew by 12% and 
EBITDA increased by 11%. Year end  
net debt was £198.5 million and the  
pro forma net debt to EBITDA ratio  
was 3.0 times.

Our Operating Results
We have grown revenue by 9% on the prior year with the 
majority of the growth driven by strong like for like trading 
within the Managed and Tenanted estate. Our operating 
profits before exceptional items grew by 12% to £40.9 million 
(2015: £36.4 million), with the largest contribution to growth 
again coming from the Managed Pubs and Hotels division. 
EBITDA increased by 11% to £65.0 million (2015: £58.7 million).

Finance Costs
Despite our net debt level increasing significantly to  
£198.5 million (2015: £162.6 million), our net finance costs 
before exceptional items increased only marginally from £5.9 
million to £6.0 million. This is a result of the terms of our new 
bank loan facilities and the impact of continuing historical low 
interest rates allowing us to achieve low interest rates on our 
variable rate debt. Further details of the new arrangements 
are included across. The net interest expense on our defined 
benefit pension scheme is shown as an exceptional item as 
the charge is driven by market conditions at an arbitrary point 
in time and is not associated with our underlying trading. Our 
blended cost of borrowings has decreased to 2.8% due to low 
rates on the variable rate portion of our debt. We expect this 
blended rate of interest to increase marginally in the coming 
year as interest rates begin to rise.

Financial Review

18
Fuller, Smith & Turner P.L.C.
Annual Report 2016

Exceptional Items
Net exceptional costs before tax of £1.7 million comprised 
£2.9 million profit on property disposals and a £0.2 million 
onerous lease provision release, offset by £1.1 million of 
acquisition costs expensed, £0.8 million of impairment 
charges net of reversals, £2.2 million deemed remuneration 
on the future purchase of shares in The Stable, a net  
interest charge on our pension deficit of £0.8 million and  
a £0.1 million credit movement in the fair value of financial 
instruments. After exceptional items, profit before tax was 
therefore £39.2 million (2015: £36.1 million). 

Tax
A full analysis of the tax charge for the year is set out in  
note 7 to the financial statements. Tax has been provided  
for at an effective rate of 20.5% (2015: 21.7%) on adjusted 
profits. The overall effective tax rate of 15.8% benefits from 
the deferred tax credit of £1.9 million relating to the stepped 
reduction in the UK corporation tax rate from 20% down to 
19% from 1 April 2017 and to 18% on 1 April 2020.

Pensions
The deficit on the defined benefit pension scheme decreased 
by £0.9 million to £23.5 million (2015: £24.4 million). This 
was driven by the assumed discount rate increasing from 
3.25% to 3.55%, resulting in a decrease in the calculated 
present value of pension obligations from £127.9 million to 
£119.6 million. This was partly offset by a lower than expected 
return on scheme assets, resulting in a decrease in the fair 
value from £103.5 million to £96.1 million. Deficit recovery 
payments of £1.1 million were made during the year. 

Shareholders’ Return
Adjusted earnings per share were 13% higher than last year at 
58.35p (2015: 51.51p). The proposed final dividend of 11.00p 
per 40p ‘A’ ordinary share, together with the interim dividend 
of 6.90p per share already paid makes a total of 17.90p and 
compares with a total dividend of 16.60p last year. The total 
dividend per share has grown by 8% and will be covered  
3.26 times by adjusted earnings per share, compared with  
3.1 times in the previous year. Shareholders’ equity at the 
year end was £305.3 million.

During the period 274,000 ‘A’ ordinary 40p shares and 
1,000,000 ‘B’ ordinary 4p shares were purchased into 
treasury for a total of £4.4 million (2015: 291,500 ‘A’ 
ordinary 40p shares and 3,558,009 ‘B’ ordinary 4p shares 
for £6.2 million). In addition 146,028 ‘A’ ordinary 40p shares 
and 225,281 ‘B’ ordinary 4p shares were purchased for  
£1.8 million by or on behalf of the Trustees of the Share 
Incentive Plan and the Long Term Incentive Plan Trustees to 
cover future issuance (2015: 72,500 ‘A’ ordinary 40p shares 
and 248,089 ‘B’ ordinary 4p shares for £0.9 million). The 
average price paid was 1141.8p per ‘A’ ordinary 40p share. 
The middle-market quotation of the Company’s ordinary 
shares at the end of the financial year was 1,040p. The 
highest price during the year was 1,233.0p, while the  
lowest was 985.0p. The Company’s market capitalisation at 
26 March 2016 was £580.9 million (2015: £569.4 million).

Cash available for discretionary spend was £55.9 million  
(2015: £47.7 million). The increase was largely due to 
increased EBITDA and positive movements in working capital, 
mainly due to the timing of payments around the year end. 
Group net debt increased from £162.6 million at the start of 
the year to £198.5 million as a result of acquisitions and the 
continued investment in our existing estate including the 
purchase of three freeholds of existing sites. Our capital 
spending increased to £80.7 million (2015: £56.9 million) and 
included the acquisition of Nectar Imports (including £0.7 
million of acquired cash), five new pubs – The King’s Head, 
Earl’s Court, The Queen’s Head, Kingston, The Sutton Arms, 
Barbican, The Great Northern Railway Tavern, Hornsey and 
The Lord Northbrook, Lee (acquired as part of the corporate 
acquisition of G&M Leisure). We have invested significantly in 
the refurbishment of our existing estate – £20.2 million. 
Asset disposals raised a total of £5.1 million and we recorded 
an exceptional gain on disposal of £2.9 million. EBITDA 
increased by 11% to £65.0 million (2015: £58.7 million).  
The increased capital spend was financed through the 
incremental EBITDA and drawing on our bank facilities.  
This has resulted in the pro-forma net debt to EBITDA ratio 
increasing to 3.0 times (2015: 2.7 times). This level of debt 
allows us continued flexibility to invest in future opportunities 
as they arise. 

Cash flow
EBITDA

Interest

Tax

Other

Cash available for discretionary spend

Capital expenditure

Acquisitions

Acquisition costs paid and other exceptional items

Property disposals

Dividends and share transactions

Cash flow

Non cash movement*

Net debt movement

* 

  Includes acquired debt on acquisition of G&M Leisure Limited.

2016
£m

65.0

(5.3)

(8.5)

5.6

56.8

(66.0)

(14.7)

(1.1)

5.1

(15.0)

(34.9)

(1.0)

(35.9)

2015
£m

58.7

(5.2)

(8.3)

2.5

47.7

(29.0)

(27.3)

(1.7)

3.3

(14.9)

(21.9)

(0.9)

(22.8)

19
Fuller, Smith & Turner P.L.C.
Annual Report 2016

Overview  Strategic Report  Governance  Financial Statements  Additional InformationFinancial Review continued

Sources of finance

Bank debt

Other debt

Cash

Total net debt

Available committed facilities (expiring in more than one year)

% total borrowings fixed/hedged

Net Debt / EBITDA

Sources of Finance
During the year the Group successfully arranged an additional 
£30.0 million fixed term loan. The new loan has a four year 
term expiring in August 2020 to coincide with existing 
arrangements, with no amortisation requirements. In addition, 
we extended £130.0 million of our existing bank loan facilities 
and the £20.0 million one year fixed term loan. As a result 
£160.0 million of our bank loan facilities expire in 2020,  
£50.0 million in 2019 and £20.0 million in August 2016. 

£85.0 million of our borrowings at 26 March 2016 were hedged 
of which £65.0 million is swapped at a blended interest rate of 
1.8% (excluding bank margin) and £20.0 million is subject to a 
cap of 2.1%. In March 2016 we entered into a further interest 
rate swap arrangement for £20.0 million at 0.819% from April 
2016 to February 2021. The interest rate swap agreements in 
place will allow us to continue to borrow a portion of our bank 
debt at a fixed interest rate until 2022. The Group’s financing is 
a mix of bank debt, debentures, cumulative preference shares, 
overdraft, cash and short term deposits as disclosed in notes 
22, 24 and 26. Other financial assets and liabilities such as 
trade receivables and payables arise through the Group’s 
operating activities. The Group does not trade in financial 
instruments. The Group is able to operate with negative 
working capital – trade and other payables were £27.4 million 
greater than the aggregate of inventories and trade and other 
receivables at the year end (2015: £20.9 million greater).

Financial Risks and Treasury Policies
The Group Treasury Team consists of the Finance Director 
and the Group Financial Controller. The objectives of the 
Treasury Team are to manage the Group’s financial risk; to 
secure cost effective funding for the Group’s operations; and 
to minimise the adverse effects of fluctuations in the financial 
markets on the value of the Group’s financial assets and 
liabilities, on reported profitability and on the cash flows of 
the Group. The Group Treasury Team monitors the overall 
level of financial gearing weekly, with our short and medium 
term forecasts showing underlying levels of gearing which 
remain within our targets.

Going Concern Statement
The financial position of the Group including the various 
sources of finance available and its cash flows have been 
described herein. In addition, note 26 of the financial 
statements includes detailed disclosure on the Group’s 
objectives, policies and processes for managing its capital; its 
financial risk management objectives; details of its financial 
instruments and hedging activities; and its exposures to 
credit and liquidity risk. The Group is vertically integrated, is 
diversified across a wide range of sales channels and is 

20
Fuller, Smith & Turner P.L.C.
Annual Report 2016

2016
£m

177.0

27.7

(6.2)

198.5

32.0

55%

3.0x

2015
£m

140.0

27.7

(5.1)

162.6

39.0

75%

2.7x

strongly cash generative. We have performed well 
throughout the recent economic cycles. Our financial 
position is strong as we have always borrowed prudently.

We had approximately £32 million of undrawn medium term 
bank facilities in place at the year end which is considered 
more than sufficient to meet cash flow requirements over  
the coming 12 months. On the basis of current financial 
projections and having considered the facilities available, the 
Directors are confident that the Group and Company have 
adequate resources to continue in operational existence for 
the foreseeable future. Accordingly, the Directors consider 
that it is appropriate to continue to adopt the going concern 
basis of accounting in preparing the financial statements.

Viability Statement
The Directors have assessed the viability of the Group over 
the three year period to March 2019, taking into account  
the Group’s current position and the potential impact of  
the principal risks documented on pages 22 and 23 in the 
Strategic Report. Based on this assessment the Directors 
have a reasonable expectation that the Group will be able to 
continue in operation and meet its liabilities as they fall due 
over the period to March 2019.

Three years has been considered an appropriate period  
for assessment as that is the time horizon for which the 
Board analyses and reviews detailed strategic plans and  
is considered to be a good balance between providing a 
medium term horizon whilst not becoming speculative.

The assessment has taken into account the available debt 
facilities, analysed the key risks to the business and 
considered the effectiveness of internal controls and  
review processes. The Directors have performed scenario 
modelling based on a possible but worst case economic 
outlook, with and without mitigating action.

Key factors considered include: the Group’s asset backed 
balance sheet and strong financial position; the strength of the 
Group’s credit and availability of finance; the ability to preserve 
significant cashflows by a reduction in discretionary investments; 
and the long term strategy and outlook of the Group.

James Douglas
Finance Director

9 June 2016

FROM  
CHOOSING  
WINES... 
TO GREAT  
TIMES

We source over 350 wines from 15 countries 
across five continents – and it’s not as much 
fun as it might sound. It’s a long, detailed 
process to make the grade to be listed by  
the Fuller’s wine team. We are looking for 
outstanding wines – and Neil Bruce, our  
Head of Wine has been honing his expert 
palate over the last 25 years. Whether you 
prefer an everyday Pinot Grigio or a special 
occasion Premier Cru Burgundy Village,  
we have the same exacting standards.

21
Fuller, Smith & Turner P.L.C.
Annual Report 2016

Principal Risks and Uncertainties

In the course of its normal business, the Group continually 
assesses and takes action to mitigate the various risks 
encountered that could impact the achievement of its 
objectives. As detailed in the Corporate Governance Report, 
there are systems and processes in place to enable the Board 
to monitor and control the Group’s management of risk. The 
Audit Committee regularly reviews the effectiveness of this 
process and seeks to ensure that management’s response is 
adapted appropriately to the changing environment.

The following sets out what the Board considers to be the 
principal risks which affect the Group at present, although it is 
not intended to be a comprehensive analysis of all the risks that 
the business may face. In addition, the key financial risks to the 
Group are detailed in note 26C to the financial statements.

Risk

Regulatory Risks

Mitigation and Monitoring

Fuller’s operates in a highly regulated sector where 
government legislation impacts much of the way we do 
business and therefore the business model. Any significant 
changes in policy could lead to a sudden change or the  
long term decline of the business. The two key areas of 
consideration are the regulation of the sale of alcohol  
and the Beer Tie.

Health and Safety

The health and safety of the Group’s employees and 
customers is a key concern to us. We are required to 
comply with health and safety legislation, including fire 
safety and food hygiene. Operating a large number of 
houses and sites increases the complexity of ensuring  
the highest health and safety standards are adhered  
to at all times.

Loss of Premium Position

The Group operates in a premium market for both Fuller’s 
Inns and The Fuller’s Beer Company. This positioning is 
key to the success of the business and the achievement of 
the Group’s strategic goals. The loss of the position would 
have a significant impact on the Group’s business model 
and financial performance.

22
Fuller, Smith & Turner P.L.C.
Annual Report 2016

We carefully monitor legislative developments and review sales trends and 
consumer habits to gauge the impact on our business.

We participate in industry initiatives aimed at the responsible promotion and 
retailing of alcohol. We have diversified our offering to include soft drinks, coffee, 
food and accommodation to reduce our reliance on alcohol-based revenue, which 
now represents 57% of managed house revenue.

We continue to monitor ongoing dialogue between the Government and industry 
bodies. Our Directors are members of key industry bodies and committees.

The industry maintains a voluntary code of practice with tenants, which is regularly 
reviewed and updated in consultation with numerous pub companies and industry 
groups. Fuller’s operates an internal code of practice that is more rigorous than  
the current industry code to ensure the transparency and openness of our Tied 
agreements. We also provide marketing, training and promotional support to help 
tenants run profitable and long term businesses.

Enforced changes to our tied arrangements by the Government would necessitate 
changes to our business model, with higher property rents and lower prices for the 
supply of drinks being charged.

A Health and Safety Committee oversees the operation of the Group’s health  
and safety policies and procedures, and regularly updates its policies and training 
programme to ensure all risks are identified and properly assessed and that relevant 
regulation is adhered to. We report and investigate all accidents and near misses. 

In our Managed Pubs and Hotels we have automatic fire suppression systems in 
most of our kitchens to reduce fire risk. 

All staff receive food hygiene training as standard and regular kitchen audits/checks 
ensure they comply with the standards expected from them. Quality assurance 
checks on our core suppliers ensure hygiene standards have been adhered to before 
produce even reaches our kitchens.

This strategy has been agreed by the Board and communicated to key senior staff 
in the Company. In addition the Executive Committee approves all significant new 
product development and acquisition decisions and therefore controls key changes 
to the Group. Developments in products offered by competitors are monitored 
closely to enable the Group to react quickly to changes in the market.

There is a customer complaints system to track and monitor the perception  
of our products and houses in the marketplace to ensure we are meeting  
our premium position.

Risk

Griffin Brewery Site

Mitigation and Monitoring

The Group’s headquarters and sole brewing facility are 
based at the Griffin Brewery site in Chiswick. A disaster  
at this site would seriously disrupt operations which would 
impact on the profitability of the Company.

We take various measures to mitigate the impact of such an event. We continually 
monitor fire safety and invest in capital projects to reduce the risk of failure.

We store recipes and yeast off-site and have informal arrangements in place to use 
alternative facilities.

Brands and Reputation

Fuller’s has a wide portfolio of brands and has established 
an excellent reputation in the market. Principally, there is a 
risk that the Group’s beer could become contaminated at 
source or outlet, which could damage the reputation of the 
brand and deter customers.

Information Technology

The Group reduces product contamination risks to an acceptable level by ensuring 
that the business is operated to the highest standards by maintaining long term 
relationships with suppliers and by significant investment in security, quality control 
and cleaning. The Group has in place product recall procedures together with 
insurance coverage in the event of contamination. In addition, the Group runs  
an active and continuous training programme covering all aspects of the pub 
operations and provides its pubs with on-site technical support.

The Group is increasingly reliant on its information systems 
to operate on a daily basis and trading would be affected by 
any significant or prolonged failure of these systems.

The data held by the Group is a key business asset and 
personal data protection is key. Any significant loss of data 
could lead to a considerable interruption for the business 
and fines.

To minimise this risk the IT function has a range of facilities and controls in place  
to ensure that in the event of an issue normal operation would be restored quickly. 
These include a formal Disaster Recovery Plan, online replication of systems  
and data to a third party recovery facility and external support for hardware  
and software.

The IT systems in place follow appropriate data protection guidelines to ensure  
the risk of both personal and Company data loss is at an acceptable level.

Loss of Key Management and Staff

The Group has a number of key staff who are critical to its 
success and therefore there is a risk that if a number of 
these individuals were to leave at the same time it may risk 
the delivery of the Group’s strategy.

The Group performs detailed succession planning to ensure that key roles are 
considered to ensure appropriate cover is available. In addition the remuneration 
policy is set up to ensure the key members of staff are appropriately remunerated to 
reduce the likelihood they are attracted to other competitor businesses.

Loss of Company Values or a Failure to Adhere to Them

Fuller’s is a company based on a strong set of values which 
are key to its success and future. Should these be 
undermined or not adhered to, the Company’s unique 
position and long term future would be jeopardised.

Consumer Demand Shifts

A significant part of the Group’s success is attributable  
to its ability to anticipate and react to consumer demand. 
The way in which the Group responds to market changes  
is critical to its ongoing strategy and has a direct impact  
on all operational activity.

The Company has a unique culture due to its share structure and history which 
ensures business decisions are taken for the long term benefit of the Company. 

This culture also promotes a long term and collaborative approach that does not  
lead to excessive risk taking and the reward system encourages appropriate behaviour.

The share structure of the Company and family shareholder representation on  
the Board and involvement in the Company’s management ensure the values are 
maintained and followed. Disruptive and short term third parties cannot easily gain 
significant holdings and influence.

Management monitor and research consumer trends and run trials of new 
technologies, brands and products. We gather consumer feedback through Net 
Promoter Score surveys and online and social media reviews. We analyse retail 
pricing and market share data to ensure we are competitive but still premium.

The United Kingdom’s Exit from the European Union

The business is exposed to the risk that the UK might exit  
the EU after the referendum on 23 June 2016. This is 
considered to be a significant risk to the viability of the 
business and the potential impact has therefore been 
modelled by the Directors.

Fuller’s has strong relationships with EU customers and suppliers which could  
be customised in the event of an exit from the EU. Fuller’s existing training and 
development programme would enable the Group to produce and attract quality 
employees from a reduced market workforce. The extensive scenario planning  
and analysis performed as part of our business viability exercise enables the impact 
of an exit from the EU to be mitigated.

23
Fuller, Smith & Turner P.L.C.
Annual Report 2016

Overview  Strategic Report  Governance  Financial Statements  Additional InformationCorporate Social Responsibility

Fuller’s is a business built on respect, with quality at its heart 
and a high standard of integrity throughout the various parts 
of the Company. 

In the coming year, we are aiming to double our donation  
to this fantastic charity – starting with a 100 mile bike ride, 
which took place in May this year.

Our culture has always been strong and our four key  
values are:

 – Always doing things the right way
 – Being part of the family
 – Celebrating individuality
 – Always looking beyond.

The first three of these values have particular relevance with 
regard to our Corporate Social Responsibility. We work hard 
to create long term mutually beneficial relationships with key 
suppliers, look at the traceability and standards in our food 
chain, ensure that we reward, recognise and encourage our 
team members, respect the individuality of our pubs and 
support the communities in which we operate.

Charity and Community Support
This year has seen renewed focus on the charities we support 
and how we do that to maximise the benefit to the charity. 
We have two main charities that are beneficiaries of our day 
to day activities – Shooting Star Chase and Seafarers.

Shooting Star Chase is an amazing charity that helps  
improve the lives of children with life-limiting illnesses  
both at home and in its two hospices. For every children’s 
meal sold in Fuller’s managed pubs, we now donate 50p 
– generating a total donation for the last financial year  
of just under £50,000.

As well as donating through the children’s meals, many of  
our pubs raise money for Shooting Star Chase in other ways 
too. This year, this has included raising money at the annual 
Red Lion Barnes Sausage Roll Off and further funds were 
generated by two operations managers who had a competition 
to sell the most breakfasts in their pubs, with the loser being 
ice bucketed in aid of Shooting Star Chase.

The relationship with the Seafarers charity benefited this  
year from a new, stylish pump clip and bespoke glassware  
for this valuable brand. Seafarers receives £5 per barrel, 
which resulted in a donation for the full financial year  
of just under £30,000.

Outside of these key charities, we continue to support  
a number of other local and national charities. Our 
relationship with Cancer Research UK continues – with  
this year’s Hammer Cancer Walk raising over £21,000 to 
add to more than £1 million that has already been donated to 
this worthwhile cause over the last 20 years. To build on this 
further, we have decided to combine this year’s walk with our 
annual Pride & Passion Open Day in September. Last year, 
the Open Day raised over £4,500 for the Mulberry Centre 
– a local cancer charity.

Our managed and tenanted pubs also raise over £70,000  
for local charities each year and on a corporate level, we 
donated just over £63,000 to a wide range of charities both 
in response to specific requests and by matching funds raised 
by team members across the Company.

Our support for the communities in which we operate goes 
beyond just donating money to charities. We also support 
numerous community events with donations of beer, soft 
drinks and raffle prizes. This happens throughout our business 
– at Cornish Orchards in Duloe, Cornwall, at Horndean in 
Hampshire where our southern distribution hub is based, at 
Chiswick around The Griffin Brewery and throughout our 
pub estate.

St Nicholas Church in Chiswick, our  
next door neighbour, is in need of some 
expensive restoration work. We decided  
to show our support by launching St Nick’s, 
a seasonal beer with a percentage of sales 
going to the St Nicholas’ fund. It sold quite 
well – not quite raising the roof, but raising 
over £13,000 for this worthwhile cause.  
It’s nice to be neighbourly.

24
Fuller, Smith & Turner P.L.C.
Annual Report 2016

 FROM FORWARD 
THINKING... 
 TO RESPONSIBLE  
 DRINKING

We do like to make sure that our drinks range 
offers something for everyone – and the 
Cornish Orchards’ soft drinks range is proving 
popular. There’s a wide range of flavours from 
fruity cranberry and raspberry to a refreshing 
elderflower and they are even on sale at the 
Eden Project in Cornwall. In addition, some 
of our pubs are making their own flavoured 
water – often with cucumber – available on 
the bar for customers to help themselves.  
It’s the little things that make the difference.

Overview  Strategic Report  Governance  Financial Statements  Additional Information 
Corporate Social Responsibility continued

We’ve just opened a pop up Frontier  
bar at Wembley – and it’s already proved 
very popular with the fans. As well as our 
delicious craft lager, thirsty spectators 
can also get their hands on London Pride, 
Cornish Orchards and Sierra Nevada –  
so the best line up is no longer on the pitch.

We continue to support the Surrey County Cricket League 
and the Head of the River IVs through sponsorship and by 
hosting their annual awards. We sponsored the Thames 
Towpath Ten, a ten mile race starting in Chiswick, for the 
eleventh consecutive year and we continued to supply the 
Hospital of St Cross almshouse, where we provide beer for 
sale to visitors, generating valuable funds for this charity.

In addition, we continue to build our Brewer Street Coffee 
business and improve our soft drinks offer both through  
our own Cornish Orchards’ range and through an 
interesting range of third party soft drinks. All our pubs 
provide complimentary tap water on request and many  
of our pubs now have water dispensers on the front of  
the bar so guests can help themselves.

Responsible Retailing and Supplier Engagement
Alcohol, and its role in society, continues to come under the 
spotlight and we meet this challenge by taking responsibility 
for the products we produce and the way we sell them.  
It is our firm belief that the pub is the home of responsible 
retailing and we actively avoid discounting alcoholic drinks.

We strive to be part of the debate going forward and are 
active members of the British Beer and Pub Association 
(BBPA) and the British Institute of Innkeeping (BII).  
Fuller’s is also a supporter of Drinkaware – the government 
sponsored trust that aims to promote responsible drinking 
and help reduce alcohol misuse and alcohol related harm.  
All our marketing activity includes a sensible drinking  
message and, at house level, we invest in relevant training 
for all team members. 

Team members are also very well versed with regard to 
allergen labelling and the impact of allergens, and we 
continue to work with a third party environmental health 
consultancy to deal with any food issues. We also undertake 
regular market research with our customers and this has 
highlighted a potential area of improvement for us with regard 
to increasing the number of vegetarian, lower fat and lower 
calorie dishes on our menus.

It’s been a busy year for The Stable with 
new sites opening up from Plymouth to 
Birmingham. Each site has a local focus 
though, through the produce used and the 
names of the pizzas. It’s important to keep  
a bit of the brand’s native Dorset in each 
one though – and so the Flagon Wagon 
does just that – distributing Dorset cider 
wherever it goes.

26
Fuller, Smith & Turner P.L.C.
Annual Report 2016

 FROM A BUSY YEAR...  
 TO A FULL-BLOWN CAREER

Sometimes it’s hard to find time for training, but 
last year, our team members undertook the 
equivalent of 14,000 training days. We have 14 
different development programmes and are very 
proud of the number of internal promotions we 
have made during the last year – around 70% of 
appointments were filled in this way.

27
Fuller, Smith & Turner P.L.C.
Annual Report 2016

FROM LOCAL NEEDS...  
 TO GOOD DEEDS

Supporting the local community  
and raising money for charities are 
important parts of life at Fuller’s.  
We sponsored the Thames Towpath  
Ten again this year – for the eleventh 
year running. We also took the 
opportunity to boost our fundraising 
for Shooting Star Chase at the annual 
Red Lion Sausage Roll Off, with all the 
chefs making additional pastry treats  
to sell for charity.

Board of
Directors

Male 9 (89%)
Female 1 (11%)

Senior
Managers

Male 39 (58%)
Female 28 (42%)

All employees

Male 2,886 (56%)
Female 2,279 (44%)

Long term relationships with our suppliers are a key part  
of our business culture and we work hard to forward buy  
items such as malt and hops to give our suppliers the 
confidence to invest. We have the same philosophy when  
it comes to our food suppliers – preferring to work with  
a small number of key suppliers in genuine partnership.

Our focus on fresh ingredients, combined with these  
strong supplier relationships, keeps our menu seasonal  
and relevant and where possible we use British suppliers – 
often supplementing menus with small, very local suppliers  
in certain pubs. 

We consider the human rights, health and safety and other 
ethical measures of our suppliers when making our buying 
decisions. All suppliers are required to provide us with a copy 
of their Corporate Social Responsibility policy and we look to 
work with suppliers that have similar values to our own. 

People
Each year we continue to invest further in our workforce  
and this year has seen a record number of training days.  
In addition, we took the decision to move early to the 
National Living Wage for all team members, regardless  
of age, who were participating in a training programme.

Home grown talent is very important to Fuller’s. One in 12 of 
our team members is undertaking one of our 13 development 
programmes. For a company of around 4,000 employees, 
this is a very wide range of tailored initiatives. We now have  
a complete development journey for every employee from 
shop floor to Senior Manager or Director and our Chef’s 
Guild Scholarship programme offers a three stage plan for 
our kitchen teams. 

Across all parts of the business, we are committed to offering 
all employees a personal development plan to help them  
build their career within Fuller’s and our pledge to promote 
internally is being upheld – benefiting not just the individual 
concerned, but also improving morale and ambition among 
other employees.

We continue to invest in apprenticeships and graduate 
programmes and the retention rates of those on these 
programmes is very high. Within The Fuller’s Beer Company 
we are working on our Project 2020 to ensure that we  
have the team in place that we need to continue to grow  
this part of the business, and we encourage and facilitate  
the movement of employees not just upwards in their  
career paths, but also between departments and divisions  
to expose them to new opportunities. 

As well as financial remuneration, we focus heavily on 
benefits that encourage employees to value the overall 
success of the Company such as the Save As You Earn 
scheme and our Share Incentive Plan. Employees also 
benefit from a staff discount and, in many cases, free private 
health care and a range of other benefits. Anecdotally, we 
believe our labour turnover remains lower than the industry 
average and we have reduced our Head Chef turnover  
by 25-30%. We are proud of the fact that so many team 
members have had such a long tenure with Fuller’s. 

29
Fuller, Smith & Turner P.L.C.
Annual Report 2016

Overview  Strategic Report  Governance  Financial Statements  Additional InformationCorporate Social Responsibility continued

Carbon reporting

Fuel type

Electricity and gas

Petrol and diesel

Total

CO2 emissions per £100,000 of turnover

52 weeks
ended
26 March 2016
CO2 tonnes

52 weeks
ended
28 March 2015
CO2 tonnes

27,300

1,296

28,596

8.2

29,504

1,189

30,693

9.6

Figures exclude the impact of the Company’s 51% stake in Nectar Imports Limited, which was acquired on 31 December 2015.

Environment
Like many businesses, we are committed to reducing our 
energy consumption and running our affairs in the most 
efficient way with respect to the environment. Weekly 
consumption reports, new technologies and an open mind  
to new ideas help us to achieve this. During the last financial 
year, gas usage in the Brewery has reduced by 10% and the 
installation of solar panels on the Brewery roof has also 
helped to reduce our electricity consumption from the grid.

We have now rolled out LED lighting in many of our pubs and 
this has resulted in a saving, as well as a labour benefit due to 
the reduced frequency that the bulbs need to be changed. 
We have conducted a record number of refurbishment 
schemes in our estate with each one offering an opportunity 
to review and improve the energy use levels through the 
introduction of waterless urinals, LED lighting and food waste 
recycling bins where space allows.

Reducing energy is an ongoing process and we continue to 
work with our ESOS (Energy Savings Opportunity Scheme) 
consultants to fulfil our ESOS commitment and identify 
further opportunities to make energy savings and reduce  
our carbon footprint.

Heritage
As the last of London’s traditional family brewers, we take 
great pride in and care of our heritage and those of the 
neighbourhoods we operate in.

This year has seen us make a sizeable commitment to the 
local church – which is in need of a substantial amount  
of money to make necessary repairs. St Nicholas’ Church  
in Chiswick was rebuilt by Henry Smith in the late 1800s  
and, over Christmas, we launched a St Nick’s Ale, sales  
of which generated over £13,000 for the restoration fund.  
In recognition of this work, Fuller’s received the coveted  
St Mellitus commemoration medal from The Rt Revd and  
Rt Hon Richard Chartres KCVO DD FSA, the Bishop  
of London.

As ever, we have ensured that all our refurbishments are 
sympathetic to the local area and we maintain the fabric  
and façades of the many buildings in our estate with historic 
significance. We are incredibly lucky to have some very 
famous old pubs in our estate and we take our responsibility 
to protect these for future generations very seriously.

The Strategic Report, encompassing pages 4 to 30, was approved by the Board and signed on its behalf on 9 June 2016:

Simon Emeny
Chief Executive

James Douglas
Finance Director

30
Fuller, Smith & Turner P.L.C.
Annual Report 2016

 FROM OUR 
CHISWICK 
HEART... 
 TO A FRESH 
NEW START

It was in the mid-1600s that beer was first brewed in  
Chiswick and it’s over 170 years since the formation of the 
Fuller, Smith & Turner partnership, so it’s a great contrast to 
have such a heritage – yet be in a position to always look to the 
future. Take The Sail Loft, for instance. This is the third time in 
the last two years that we’ve used the knowledge of centuries to 
create a brand new, beautiful riverside pub.

31
Fuller, Smith & Turner P.L.C.
Annual Report 2016

Board of Directors

9

5

11

8

1

6

10

7

2

3

4

1  Michael Turner 

2  Simon Emeny 

3  James Douglas 

4  Richard Fuller 

5 

Ian Bray 

6  Jonathon Swaine 

7  Séverine Garnham 

8  John Dunsmore 

9  Lynn Fordham 

10 Alastair Kerr 

11  Sir James Fuller Bt. 

32
Fuller, Smith & Turner P.L.C.
Annual Report 2016

1 Michael Turner 
Non-Executive Chairman
Chairman of the Nominations Committee
Aged 64. Joined in 1978. A Chartered Accountant with 
international experience. Initially ran the Wine Division as 
Wine Director. Appointed Marketing Director in 1988, 
Managing Director in 1992, Chief Executive in 2002 and 
Chairman in 2007. Chairman of the British Beer and Pub 
Association 2008-2010. Master of the Worshipful 
Company of Vintners 2011-2012.

2 Simon Emeny 
Chief Executive
Aged 50. Joined in 1996 from Bass plc where he held  
a variety of senior operational and strategic planning  
roles. Appointed to the Board as Retail Director in  
May 1998, Managing Director, Fuller’s Inns in July 2006, 
Group Managing Director in November 2010 and Chief 
Executive in July 2013. Non-Executive Senior Independent 
Director and chair of the Remuneration Committee of 
Dunelm Group plc. An Economics graduate and alumnus  
of Harvard Business School.

3 James Douglas 
Finance Director
Aged 50. Appointed in 2007 from LSE-listed telecoms 
operator Fibernet Group plc, where he was Finance Director. 
Spent eight years with Deutsche Bank as an investment 
banker. Qualified as a prize-winning Chartered Accountant 
with PricewaterhouseCoopers. Holds a first degree in 
Physics and a Master’s degree in Economics.

4 Richard Fuller 
Corporate Affairs Director
Aged 56. Joined the Company in 1984. Appointed a 
Divisional Director in 1992 and to the Board in December 
2009 with responsibility initially for Sales then additionally 
Personnel. Now responsible for Corporate Affairs and 
Government relations. A GMP Graduate of Harvard 
Business School.

5 Ian Bray 
Managing Director of The Fuller’s Beer Company
Aged 52. Appointed in 2011. Previously European Marketing 
Director of Bunge S.A., a Switzerland-based global foods 
and agricultural business. Has held FMCG marketing and 
senior management roles at both international and domestic 
level, working with companies such as Wrigley, Müller and 
SmithKline Beecham. A Business Studies graduate. Resigned 
on 31 May 2016.

6 Jonathon Swaine 
Managing Director of Fuller’s Inns
Aged 45. Appointed to the Board in 2012. Joined the 
Company in 2005 and appointed as Operations Director for 
Fuller’s Inns in 2007. Has previously held positions at Carlton 
Communications and Molson Coors. An Arts graduate with 
a Master’s degree in Marketing and alumnus of Columbia 
Business School.

7 Séverine Garnham 
Company Secretary
Aged 46. Appointed in 2014 after nearly ten years as Group 
Company Secretary of Eurotunnel. Previously worked as a 
Solicitor in private practice and then as Company Secretary 
to various UK and international companies.

8 John Dunsmore 
Senior Independent Non-Executive Director
Member of the Remuneration Committee 
Member of the Audit Committee 
Member of the Nominations Committee
Aged 57. Appointed in 2009. Senior Independent Non-
Executive Director. Non-Executive Deputy Chairman of 
Genius Foods Ltd., Founder and CEO of The Hothouse 
Investment Club and Non-Executive Chairman of Chapel 
Down Group plc. Director of The Edinburgh Beer Factory 
Limited. Former Chief Executive of C&C Group plc and 
former Chief Executive of Scottish & Newcastle plc prior  
to its takeover by Heineken and Carlsberg in 2008.

9 Lynn Fordham 
Independent Non-Executive Director
Chairman of the Audit Committee
Member of the Remuneration Committee 
Member of the Nominations Committee
Aged 53. Appointed in 2011. Chief Executive of SVG  
Capital plc. Previous appointments include CFO SVG 
Capital, Deputy CFO at BAA plc, Director of Audit and Risk 
at Boots Group plc and Finance Director of ED & F Man 
Sugar. In addition, she spent 10 years at Mobil Oil in a 
number of financial and operational roles, predominantly 
internationally. An accountancy graduate and Chartered 
Accountant.

10 Alastair Kerr 
Independent Non-Executive Director
Chairman of the Remuneration Committee 
Member of the Audit Committee
Aged 66. Appointed in 2011. Non-Executive Director and 
Chairman of the Remuneration Committee at Havelock 
Europa PLC, Non-Executive Director of Fenwick Ltd. and 
Steamer Trading Ltd., Chairman of J. Murphy and Sons Ltd, 
MPC Group Pty Ltd (Australia) and Drilton Ltd. He has 
previously held senior roles at Mothercare and Kwik-Fit, and 
was Managing Director of Europe, Middle East and Africa for 
The Body Shop and Managing Director Europe for Virgin. 
He was previously Chairman of Arran Aromatics Ltd, 
Non-Executive Director of White Stuff Ltd, and Senior 
Independent Director and Chairman of the Remuneration 
Committee of Alliance Trust PLC.

11 Sir James Fuller Bt. 
Non-Executive Director
Aged 45. Appointed in 2010. Served in The Life Guards 
1991-1998. Employed by the Company from 1998-2003, 
working in the Tied and Managed Pub estate and has since 
been running his own business.

33
Fuller, Smith & Turner P.L.C.
Annual Report 2016

Overview  Strategic Report  Governance  Financial StatementsDirectors’ Report

The Directors present their report to shareholders together 
with the audited financial statements for the 52 weeks ended 
26 March 2016. 

Strategic Report
The statements and reviews on pages 6 to 30 comprise  
the Strategic Report which includes information about  
the Group’s strategy and business model as well as providing 
an update on the business and financial performance during 
the year and indications of likely future developments, KPIs, 
principal risks and uncertainties and the Group’s financial 
management and treasury policies. 

Directors 
A list of all Directors who served during the financial year, 
together with biographical details, is given on page 33. 

Ian Bray resigned as a Director with effect from 31 May 2016.

Alastair Kerr, whose term of office expired on 1 August,  
was re-appointed by the Board of Directors at its meeting  
on 16 July 2015. James Fuller whose term of office expired 
on 31 May 2016 and Michael Turner whose term of office  
will expire on 30 June 2016 were reappointed by the Board 
of Directors at its meeting on 8 June 2016.  In accordance 
with the Articles of Association, their reappointment will  
be subject to the approval of shareholders at the Annual 
General Meeting.

Simon Emeny and James Douglas retire by rotation at the 
Annual General Meeting and offer themselves for re-
election. Both are Executive Directors and have a rolling 
service contract of 12 months’ duration. 

Details of all Directors’ interests as at the end of the financial 
year are set out in the Directors’ Remuneration Report on 
page 56. 

Dividends
The Company paid an interim dividend of 6.90p per ‘A’ and 
‘C’ ordinary share of 40p each and 0.690p per ‘B’ ordinary 
share of 4p each on 4 January 2016. The Directors now 
recommend a final dividend of 11.00p per ‘A’ and ‘C’ ordinary 
share of 40p each and 1.10p per ‘B’ ordinary share of 4p 
each. This makes a total dividend for the financial year of 
17.90p per ‘A’ and ‘C’ ordinary share of 40p each and 1.79p 
per ‘B’ ordinary shares of 4p each.

The total proposed final dividend on ordinary shares will be 
£6,078,000 which together with the 2016 interim dividend 
paid of £3,824,000 and the £120,000 of cumulative 
preference dividends paid will make total dividends of 
£10,022,000.

Auditors and disclosure of information to auditors
The Directors who held office as at the date of approval of 
this Directors’ Report confirm that, so far as they are each 
aware, there is no relevant audit information (as defined in 
Section 418(2) of the Companies Act 2006) of which the 
Company’s auditors are unaware and each Director has taken 
all the steps that they ought to have taken as a Director to 
make themselves aware of any relevant audit information to 

34
Fuller, Smith & Turner P.L.C.
Annual Report 2016

establish that the Company’s auditors are aware of that 
information. The auditors, Grant Thornton UK LLP, have 
indicated their willingness to continue in office, and a 
resolution that they be re-appointed will be proposed  
at the Annual General Meeting.

Indemnity Provisions
The Articles of Association provide the Directors with 
indemnities in relation to their duties as Directors, including 
qualifying third party indemnity provisions (within the 
meaning of the Companies Acts). All of the Executive 
Directors’ contracts contain a clause which states: “the 
Executive shall be indemnified out of the assets of the 
Company against any liability incurred by him as a Director or 
other officer of the Company in defending any proceedings 
(whether civil or criminal) in which judgement is given in his 
favour or in which he is acquitted or in connection with any 
application under the Companies Acts in which relief from 
liability is granted to him by the court from liability for 
negligence, default, breach of duty or breach of trust he  
may be guilty of in relation to the affairs of the Company.” 
The Company purchases Directors and Officers liability 
insurance which gives appropriate cover for any legal action 
brought against its Directors. This insurance also covers the 
Trustees of the Company’s defined benefit pension scheme. 
James Douglas is a Trustee of the Scheme.

Political Donations
The Group does not make political donations. 

Purchase of Own Shares 
At the Annual General Meeting held on 23 July 2015, the 
Company was given authority to purchase up to 4,853,271 
‘A’ ordinary shares to be held as treasury shares to be used  
in connection with, among other purposes, the Long Term 
Incentive Plan (“LTIP”) and/or other share option schemes. 
This authority will expire at the Annual General Meeting  
and shareholders will be asked to give a similar authority  
to purchase shares up to 15% of the ‘A’ ordinary capital  
at that date. 

The Company’s maximum issued ordinary share capital 
during the year was £22,793,726 comprising 33,537,179 
40p ‘A’ ordinary shares, 89,052,625 4p ‘B’ ordinary  
shares and 14,541,873 40p ‘C’ ordinary shares. 

During the year the Company purchased a total of 274,000 
40p ‘A’ ordinary shares at a total cost of £3,144,446.98 
(exclusive of stamp duty). These share purchases represented 
0.19% of the maximum issued ordinary shares and 0.82%  
of the Company’s issued ‘A’ ordinary share capital. 

164,587 40p ‘A’ ordinary shares held in treasury, with a  
value of £1,351,794.80, were transferred to the Trustee of 
the LTIP. 140,667 40p ‘A’ ordinary shares held in treasury 
were allocated to participants of the Savings Related Share 
Option Scheme, the Executive Share Option Scheme and 
the Senior Executive Share Option Scheme on exercise  
of options, generating net cash proceeds of £800,413.98.  
A total of 1,132,285 40p ‘A’ ordinary shares at 26 March 
2016 are held as treasury shares.

At the Annual General Meeting held on 23 July 2015,  
the Company was also given authority to purchase 
1,000,000 4p ‘B’ ordinary shares at a total cost of 
£1,148,800.00 (exclusive of stamp duty). These are held  
as treasury shares. They represent 0.72% of the maximum 
issued ordinary shares and 1.12% of the Company’s issued ‘B’ 
ordinary share capital. A total of 4,558,009 4p ‘B’ ordinary 
shares at 26 March 2016 are held as treasury shares.

The Company employee share ownership trusts purchased  
a total of 80,000 40p ‘A’ ordinary shares at a total cost  
of £872,662.60 (exclusive of stamp duty) for the Share 
Incentive Plan (“SIP”) and 185,887 4p ‘B’ ordinary shares  
at a total cost of £203,158.69 (exclusive of stamp duty)  
for the LTIP.

Employees
The Group gives a high priority to communication with all  
its employees and pensioners thus encouraging a common 
awareness of the financial and economic factors affecting  
the Group. Increasingly, the Company’s intranet and e-mail 
systems facilitate this, and we will continue to search for  
ways to exploit these media to best effect. Twice a year,  
all Brewery-based employees are invited to a results 
presentation led by the Chief Executive. Once a year the 
Company also runs “Connection Week” where one person 
from each pub is invited to a conference at which a number 
of messages are communicated. That employee returns to 
their pub and shares the information with their colleagues. 
Regular newsletters are also generated for both The Fuller’s 
Beer Company and Fuller’s Inns employees and ad hoc news 
is regularly communicated via both traditional notice boards 
and e-mail distributions. The communications policy, which  
is in operation throughout the business, is designed to ensure 
the successful cascading of information. A structure of 
consultation committees at both Divisional and Corporate 
level is in place to facilitate a dialogue between the Group and 
representatives of all employees including union members. 
Taken together, these communications have allowed the 
Group to engage successfully with all our employees, 
wherever they are employed.

The Group’s recruitment policy is designed to ensure that  
all applications for employment, including those made by 
disabled persons, are given full and fair consideration, in  
light of the applicants’ particular aptitudes and abilities.  
The Group also has an equal opportunities policy which is 
designed to ensure that all employees are treated equally  
in terms of training, career development and promotion. 
Where employees develop a disability during their 
employment by the Group, every effort is made to continue 
their employment and arrange for appropriate training, 
career development and promotion as far as is reasonably 
practicable. Development and training of our employees  
at all levels has always been a priority at Fuller’s.

The Company continues to offer qualifying staff a Savings 
Related Share Option Scheme, a Share Incentive Plan and  
a variety of performance related bonus arrangements, which 
serve to encourage staff interest in the Group’s performance. 
Staff throughout the Group are given an ‘Inndulgence’ card 
allowing them to benefit from a staff discount scheme in the 
Group’s managed pubs.

Share Capital 
Information on the Company’s capital structure and related 
restrictions is given in note 27 to the financial statements. 
Details of significant shareholdings are set out below.

Computershare Trustees Limited holds a total of 84,596 
40p ‘A’ ordinary shares on behalf of employees of the 
Company who are participants in its SIP. This represents 
0.25% of the issued ‘A’ ordinary share capital. In respect  
of the shares that have been allocated, Computershare 
Trustees Limited exercises voting rights in relation to those 
shares, having consulted with the participants about their 
voting intentions.

Substantial Shareholdings
The Company had been advised under the Disclosure and 
Transparency Rules that the following held an interest in 3% 
or more of the voting rights of its listed issued share capital:

Percentage ‘A’ ordinary shares of 40p each

BlackRock, Inc

Aberdeen Asset Management PLC  
and its subsidiaries

Ameriprise Financial, Inc

Kames Capital and associated entities

Dunarden Limited

As at 26 March 
2016 and at 
3 June 2016 

10.55

9.70

5.93

4.06

3.05

The Company is also aware of the following interests in  
3% or more of the voting rights in the two classes of its 
unlisted share capital:

Percentage ‘B’ ordinary shares of 4p each

Sir J H F, Messrs A F and E F Fuller

J F Russell-Smith Charitable Trust

Mr A G F Fuller

A B Earle Charitable Trust

Dunarden Limited

Mr R D Inverarity

Mr G F Inverarity

Mr M J Turner

Miss S M Turner

Mr R H F Fuller

As at 26 March 
2016 and at 
3 June 2016

17.13

8.07

6.03

4.87

3.79

3.71

3.67

3.50

3.49

3.40

35
Fuller, Smith & Turner P.L.C.
Annual Report 2016

Overview  Strategic Report  Governance  Financial StatementsAs at 26 March 
2016 and at 
3 June 2016 

30.85

The Group has entered into a number of agreements with  
the major brewers operating in the UK under which it  
both buys and sells beers and these agreements may be 
terminated by the other party should the Group undergo  
a change of control.

In the event of a change of control the Company is obliged 
to notify its main bank Lenders of such. The Lenders shall  
not be obliged to fund any new borrowing requests and the 
facilities will lapse after 30 days from the change of control  
if terms on which they can continue have not been agreed. 
All borrowings including accrued interest will become 
repayable within 10 days of such a lapse.

Information Required under the Listing Rules
There is no information to disclose in this Annual Report  
and Accounts pursuant to Listing Rule 9.8.4.

Corporate Governance
The Group’s report on Corporate Governance is set out on 
pages 38 to 44. The Corporate Governance Report forms 
part of this Directors’ Report and is incorporated into it  
by reference.

Corporate Social Responsibility
The Group’s report on Corporate Social Responsibility  
is set out on pages 24 to 30. It contains information on 
greenhouse gas emissions and gender diversity.

By order of the Board

Séverine Garnham
Company Secretary

9 June 2016

Fuller, Smith & Turner P.L.C. 
Griffin Brewery 
Chiswick Lane South 
London W4 2QB

Registered in England under number: 241882

Directors’ Report continued

Percentage ‘C’ ordinary shares of 40p each

Sir J H F, Messrs A F and E F Fuller

Mr T J M Turner

Mr H D Williams

Miss S M Turner

Mrs J Fuller

Fuller Family Members Trust

Mrs D M St. C Turner

6.16

6.01

5.17

4.27

3.99

3.07

Articles of Association
The Articles of Association state that the Board may  
appoint Directors and that at the subsequent Annual 
 General Meeting, shareholders may elect any such Director. 
Alternatively the Company may directly appoint a Director. 
The Articles also contain the power for the Company to 
remove any Director by special resolution and appoint 
someone in his place by ordinary resolution. There are various 
other circumstances under the Articles which would mean 
that the office of a Director would be vacated, including  
if he resigns, becomes of unsound mind or bankrupt.

At every Annual General Meeting one-third of the Directors 
who are subject to retirement by rotation or, if their number 
is not three or any multiple of three, then the number nearest 
to but not exceeding one-third shall retire from office but,  
if there is only one Director who is subject to retirement by 
rotation, he shall retire. In addition, if any Director has at the 
start of the Annual General Meeting been in office for more 
than three years since his last appointment or re-
appointment he shall retire at that Annual General Meeting.

The Articles do not contain any specific provisions about 
amendments to the Articles which are therefore governed by 
the relevant Companies Act requirements which state that 
the Articles may only be amended by special resolution.

Subject to the Company’s Memorandum and Articles of 
Association and UK legislation, the business of the Company 
is managed by the Board which may exercise all the powers  
of the Company. The Articles of the Company have a section 
entitled “Powers and Duties of the Board” which sets out 
powers such as the rights to establish local boards, to appoint 
agents, to delegate and to appoint persons with the 
designation “Director” without implying that the person  
is a Director of the Company. There are further sections of 
the Articles entitled “Allotment of Shares” setting out the 
Board’s power to issue shares and purchase the Company’s 
own shares, and entitled “Borrowing Powers” setting out the 
provisions concerning the Company’s power to borrow and 
give security. The Directors have been authorised to allot  
and issue ordinary shares. These powers are exercised under 
authority of resolutions of the Company passed at its Annual 
General Meeting.

36
Fuller, Smith & Turner P.L.C.
Annual Report 2016

Statement as to Preparation of  
Financial Statements
The Directors confirm, to the best of their knowledge:

 – that these financial statements, prepared in accordance 

with IFRSs as adopted by the European Union, give a true 
and fair view of the assets, liabilities, financial position and 
profit of the Group and Company taken as a whole; and
 – that the Annual Report and the Strategic Report includes 
a fair review of the development and performance of the 
business and the position of the Group and Company 
taken as a whole, together with a description of the 
principal risks and uncertainties that they face.

The Directors of Fuller, Smith & Turner P.L.C. are listed  
on page 33.

Directors’ Statement as to Disclosure  
of Information to Auditors
The Directors who were members of the Board at the time  
of approving the Directors’ Report are listed on page 33. 
Having made enquiries of fellow Directors and of the 
Company’s auditors, each of these Directors confirms that:

 – to the best of each Director’s knowledge and belief, there 
is no information relevant to the preparation of this report 
of which the Company’s auditors are unaware; and
 – each Director has taken all the steps a Director might 
reasonably be expected to have taken to be aware of 
any relevant audit information and to establish that the 
Company’s auditors are aware of that information.

On behalf of the Board

Michael Turner
Chairman

9 June 2016

James Douglas
Finance Director

9 June 2016

Directors’ Statements

Statement of Directors’ Responsibilities in Respect 
of the Financial Statements
The Directors are responsible for preparing the Strategic 
Report, the Annual Report, the Remuneration Report and 
the Group and Company financial statements in accordance 
with applicable United Kingdom law and those International 
Financial Reporting Standards (“IFRSs”) as adopted by the 
European Union.

Company law requires the Directors to prepare financial 
statements for each financial year. Under that law the 
Directors have elected to prepare the financial statements  
in accordance with IFRSs as adopted by the European Union. 
Under company law the Directors must not approve the 
financial statements unless they are satisfied that they give  
a true and fair view of the state of affairs and profit or loss  
of the Group and Company for the financial period. In 
preparing the Group and Company financial statements,  
the Directors are required to:

 – select suitable accounting policies in accordance with  
IAS 8 Accounting Policies, Changes in Accounting 
Estimates and Errors and then apply them consistently;
 – present information, including accounting policies, in a 
manner that provides relevant, reliable, comparable and 
understandable information;

 – provide additional disclosures when compliance with the 
specific requirements in IFRSs is insufficient to enable 
users to understand the impact of particular transactions, 
other events and conditions on the Group and Company’s 
financial position and financial performance;

 – state that the Group and Company have complied with 
IFRSs, subject to any material departures disclosed and 
explained in the financial statements; and

 – make judgements and estimates that are reasonable  

and prudent.

The Directors are responsible for keeping adequate 
accounting records that are sufficient to show and explain the 
Group’s transactions and disclose with reasonable accuracy 
at any time the financial position of the Group and Company 
and enable them to ensure that the financial statements and 
the Remuneration Report comply with the Companies Act 
2006 and applicable regulations, including the requirements 
of the Listing Rules and the Disclosure and Transparency 
Rules (“DTR”) and in the case of the Group financial 
statements, with Article 4 of the IAS Regulation. They are 
also responsible for safeguarding the assets of the Group and 
hence for taking reasonable steps for the prevention and 
detection of fraud and other irregularities.

The Directors are responsible for preparing the Annual 
Report in accordance with applicable law and regulations.  
The Directors consider the Annual Report and the financial 
statements, taken as a whole, provides the information 
necessary to assess the Company’s performance, business 
model and strategy and is fair, balanced and understandable.
The Directors are responsible for the maintenance and 
integrity of the corporate and financial information included 
on the Company’s website. Legislation in the United 
Kingdom governing the preparation and dissemination  
of financial statements may differ from legislation in  
other jurisdictions.

37
Fuller, Smith & Turner P.L.C.
Annual Report 2016

Overview  Strategic Report  Governance  Financial StatementsIn terms of Board balance, I chair the Nominations 
Committee and am personally involved in all Board level 
recruitment so I am able to ensure that we continue to have  
a good balance of skills, experience, independence and 
knowledge on our Board and our Board Committees. I am 
satisfied that our Board is comprised of the right individuals 
who have the skills required to run this type of business and 
to respond to the challenges presented by the continually 
changing environment in which we operate. The Board 
recognises the importance of all types of diversity for Board 
effectiveness. We continue to believe that appointments 
should be made on the basis of merit against the selection 
criteria for any particular role. 

We believe that you can only have an effective Board when  
all members understand what is required of them and when 
they all have time to conduct their duties. All of our  
Directors have detailed appointment letters or contracts 
which set out their duties. We confirm that appointment 
letters for Non-Executive Directors set out the expected 
time commitment required. We also have a policy that the 
Directors can only take on additional roles with Board 
approval. In line with the Code, the terms of appointment  
for all our Non-Executives specifically state that the role  
of the Non-Executive Directors is to challenge and help 
develop strategy.

Finally I would like shareholders to understand that  
I am in charge of our annual Board evaluation process. 
I am aware that larger PLCs are required to seek external 
assistance with this process but do not believe that such  
a process would be likely to add extra value as long as our  
own process is robust. I believe that we have that robustness 
and that the process encourages a healthy debate on things 
that could be improved.

Michael Turner
Chairman

9 June 2016

Corporate Governance Report

I am pleased to confirm that I see it as the Chairman’s 
responsibility to lead the Board and make sure it is working 
effectively. This year we are able to report full compliance 
with the UK Corporate Governance Code (the “Code”). 
There are several key issues that I wanted to comment on. 
One of these is the issue of succession planning. This is a 
complex topic for a business that has very low turnover 
amongst its senior management and is still very much a family 
controlled concern whilst also being a listed public company. 
However, succession plans continue to be discussed both at 
Executive Committee and Board level. Throughout the rest 
of the business, succession plans are in place at departmental 
level and are reviewed regularly by the relevant Directors in 
conjunction with their Executive colleagues and their 
personnel advisors. Furthermore, all department plans are 
compiled into a Company succession plan which provides 
effective review of cross-departmental promotion and 
opportunities. 

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Fuller, Smith & Turner P.L.C.
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Introduction and compliance
The Board of Directors is committed to the highest 
standards of corporate governance and believes that  
such standards are critical to overall business integrity and 
performance. This report explains how the Company applies 
the principles of the Code which shareholders can find on 
the Financial Reporting Council’s website at www.frc.org.uk.

The Company has complied with the requirements of the 
Code, as applicable to a smaller quoted company, throughout 
the financial year.

The information that is required by Code provision C.1.2  
on the business model and the strategy for delivering the 
Company’s objectives can be found in the Strategic Report 
on page 4 to 31. The information relating to the share capital 
of the Company that is required by DTR 7.2.6R can be found 
within the Directors’ Report, on pages 35 and 36.

The Board
The Board’s Role
The Board of Directors is collectively responsible to the 
shareholders for the performance and long term success  
of the Group. Its role includes the establishment, review  
and monitoring of strategic objectives, approval of major 
acquisitions, disposals and capital expenditure, ownership  
of the corporate values, overseeing the Group’s systems of 
internal controls, governance and risk management and 
ensuring that the appropriate resources are in place to deliver 
these and fulfil the Company’s obligations to its stakeholders.

How the Board Works
The Board governs through its executive management, and 
formally via its other clearly mandated Committees. Each 
standing Board Committee has specific written terms of 
reference which are reviewed by the Board annually and 
there is a formal list of Matters Reserved for the Board 
(which is also reviewed annually). This distinguishes between 
matters reserved for the Board and Executive Committee 
decisions. The terms of reference of the Audit, 
Remuneration and Nominations Committees are available  
on the Company’s website. All Committee Chairmen report 
orally on the proceedings of their Committees at the next 
meeting of the Board, and the minutes of the meetings of all 
Board Committees (with some exceptions on remuneration 
matters) are provided to Board members. The Chairman 
ensures that the Executive Directors provide accurate and 
timely information for Board meetings which is then open  
to debate and challenge by all. Meetings enjoy open dialogue 
and constructive challenge on all issues is encouraged. With a 
good information flow between and prior to Board meetings, 
decisions are made in a timely manner after appropriate 
questions are dealt with. The Board has adopted a procedure, 
in accordance with the Company’s Articles, to consider and, 
if it sees fit, to authorise situations where a Director has an 
interest that conflicts, or may possibly conflict, with the 
interests of the Company.

Board Meetings
The Board meets formally at least six times a year with papers 
circulated a week in advance and the agenda and papers for 
these meetings are subject to the scrutiny of the Chairman 
and the Company Secretary. However the Board regularly 
considers matters on an ad hoc basis between scheduled 
meetings. The Executive Committee meets formally at least 
eleven times a year and also meets informally most weeks. 
There is thus a regular flow of information at Board and 
Executive Committee level.

At Board meetings, the agendas cover projects, analysis of 
the market in which the Group operates and performance. 
Each of the Executive Directors and the Company Secretary 
also update the Board at each meeting on matters for which 
they are responsible. The Board is responsible for approving 
the annual budget and the annual and half-year results.  
The Board also meets away from the Griffin Brewery every 
year for an in-depth review of corporate strategy, and other 
agenda items might include an update on the economy and  
a review of the Group’s competitors. The Non-Executive 
Directors from time to time meet with members of the 
senior management team at the Brewery and also spend days 
out in the trade with individual members of that team. This 
helps to keep the Non-Executive Directors up to date with 
the operations of the Group and also provides the Executive 
Directors with valuable feedback about the Company’s 
people and its operations.

The Executive Committee is chaired by Simon Emeny  
and its meetings focus on the detail of the Group’s 
performance. The Finance Director leads a review of the 
Group’s management accounts and presents updates on 
treasury and credit control. Each Executive Director and  
the Company Secretary update their colleagues on the key 
issues facing their part of the business. There is a good level 
of consultation and debate at these meetings. The list of 
Matters Reserved for the Board sets out which matters  
need Board approval and which decisions can be made at 
Executive Committee level. Most significant business 
decisions are made by the Board, but matters such as health 
and safety policy and approving major contracts are taken  
at Executive Committee level. At the beginning of most 
Executive Committee meetings a Senior Manager is invited 
to join the meeting and talk to the Committee about the 
issues in their department. Three times a year, all of the 
divisional directors and financial controllers join together with 
the Executive Committee to conduct a detailed review of the 
half-year and full-year accounts, and to construct the annual 
budget, before these are debated at Board level. 

As well as the dialogue within the boardroom, the Non-
Executive Directors meet privately, under the leadership  
of the Senior Independent Director, without the Executive 
Directors present. They also meet with the Chairman and 
the Chief Executive on a regular basis. These meetings  
allow for the review of issues faced by the business, the 
continuation of dialogue on strategic issues, the discussion of 
Board appointments when appropriate, succession planning, 
and the provision of support to the Chairman and the Chief 
Executive in their roles.

39
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Overview  Strategic Report  Governance  Financial StatementsCorporate Governance Report continued

Attendance 2015/2016

Number of formal meetings

Director

Michael Turner

Simon Emeny

James Douglas

Richard Fuller

Ian Bray

Jonathon Swaine

Sir James Fuller

John Dunsmore

Lynn Fordham

Alastair Kerr

Board

Executive

Audit

Remuneration

11

11

11

11

11

11

6

6

6

6

6

6

6

5

6

6

6

4

 *

* 

* 

4

4

4

6

* 

* 

6

6

6

*  These Directors are not members of the Committees but are invited to be in attendance at meetings.

Attendance at Board and Committee Meetings
The table above gives details of attendance at Board and 
Committee meetings during the year.

The Board believes that all of its members have sufficient 
time to discharge their duties effectively. All Directors are 
required to seek permission before accepting any external 
appointments, therefore Board members are kept fully  
aware of their colleagues’ other commitments.

Composition and Balance of the Board
There were no changes to the composition of the Board  
in the period. Michael Turner is responsible for leading the 
Board and ensuring its effectiveness and openness, and  
that communications with shareholders are valuable. The 
Chairman does not have any commitments which constrain 
his ability to fulfil his role. Simon Emeny is responsible for  
all operational aspects of the Group.

Currently the Company has four Non-Executive Directors, 
one of whom (Sir James Fuller) is a family member. This 
representation is very important in a company with a high 
proportion of family shareholders. The other three Non-
Executive Directors, all of whom are deemed independent 
under the Code, are experienced business leaders and all of 
the Non-Executives bring a wide range of skills and 
experiences to the Board. The Directors consider that the 
Board is well-balanced as it has the right number of members 
for the size of the Group and the Directors agree that no one 
individual dominates discussions and that each makes a full 
and positive contribution. The Directors’ biographies are on 
page 33. John Dunsmore is the Senior Independent Director 
and an industry expert who brings knowledge, support and 
advice to the Chairman and all the other Board members; he 
is in regular dialogue with all Board members outside of Board 
meetings and co-ordinates the views of the Non-Executive 
Directors as and when required. All of the Independent 

Non-Executive Directors are determined by the Board to be 
independent in character and judgement and there are no 
relationships or circumstances which could affect or appear 
to affect their judgement; all are appointed for specified 
terms. The details of the Non-Executive Directors’ 
respective arrangements are as set out in the Directors’ 
Remuneration Report on pages 45 to 61 and are available  
for inspection at the Company’s registered office.

Advice for the Board
There is in place a procedure under which Directors can 
obtain independent professional advice. The Directors  
also have access to the advice and services of the Company 
Secretary who is responsible to the Board for ensuring that 
Board procedures are complied with. The Directors are 
satisfied that any concerns they raise at Board meetings  
are recorded in the minutes. The Company maintains 
appropriate insurance cover in respect of legal action  
against its Directors and Officers.

Professional Development
All Directors attend training courses, industry forums and 
specialist briefings relevant to their role throughout the year. 
Occasionally, specialists such as the Company’s actuary or 
corporate lawyer join a Board meeting to brief the Board  
on a particular topic. Both the Board and the Executive 
Committee visit Group pubs and hotels as part of the Board 
meeting programme. On these and on other occasions, 
Board meetings may be held in the Group’s pubs, with the 
aim of keeping the Directors familiar with the Group’s estate. 
Executive Directors are permitted to hold one other paid 
directorship, with the Board’s consent, as the Board believes 
that experience of how other boards work enhances the 
Directors’ contribution to Fuller’s. Simon Emeny currently 
holds such a directorship at Dunelm Group plc.

40
Fuller, Smith & Turner P.L.C.
Annual Report 2016

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Board Evaluation
The Chairman conducts an annual evaluation of the Board, 
where all Board members are asked to rate the Board’s work 
across a number of different topics, with constructive 
criticism encouraged, via the medium of a questionnaire.  
The questionnaire includes questions on the balance of skills, 
experience, independence and knowledge, diversity 
(including gender diversity), how the Board works as a unit 
and other factors relevant to its effectiveness. Where 
necessary the Chairman seeks clarification on the responses 
given; he then consolidates the responses and reports back 
to the Board, highlighting significant improvements and 
deteriorations in any particular area by comparing results  
with previous years’ outputs and agreeing actions to tackle 
any areas requiring improvement. Unattributed comments 
of significance are shared with all. This year the results were 
marginally higher than last year’s scores. The results did 
provide some insight into areas that could still be improved 
further and these were debated at a Board meeting and were 
the Chairman’s focus in terms of follow up. The Audit and 
Remuneration Committees conduct similar assessments and 
their work is also commented upon in the evaluation 
conducted by the Chairman. The Senior Non-Executive 
Director annually appraises the Chairman’s performance, 
having first consulted with the other Non-Executive 
Directors and also the Executive team. The appraisal of the 
other Executive Directors and the Company Secretary is 
conducted annually by the Chairman or Chief Executive and, 
as part of the appraisal process, individual training and 
development needs are discussed. The annual appraisal of  
the Non-Executive Directors is conducted by the Chairman, 
following consultation with the Executive team.

Board Re-election
The Articles of Association of the Company ensure that all 
Directors are subject to election by shareholders at the first 
Annual General Meeting after their appointment and to 
re-election at three yearly intervals.

Board Committees
The Nominations Committee
The Nominations Committee Chairman is Michael Turner 
and the other members are John Dunsmore and Lynn 
Fordham. It is responsible for nominating candidates for 
appointment as Directors, for approval by the Board 
although the full Board will also typically informally discuss 
Board appointments. The Committee did not meet during 
the year as no appointments were made. The Board has 
recently reviewed the Company’s equal opportunities policy 
which requires that all who work for the Company have 
appropriate regard for diversity in their decision making.  
The Board also discussed Lord Davies’ recommendations, 
but does not believe that setting percentage targets for  
the number of women on the Board is appropriate, given  
the key principle of appointing on merit. As and when Board 
vacancies arise and should the support of an executive search 
firm be required, the Board and the Nominations Committee 
will ensure that it only uses firms that have signed up to their 
industry’s Voluntary Code of Conduct (prepared in response 

to Lord Davies’ report). Further information on gender 
diversity across the business can be found in the Corporate 
and Social Responsibility Report on page 29.

The Remuneration Committee
Information about the Remuneration Committee and 
Remuneration Policy is given in the Directors’  
Remuneration Report.

The Audit Committee
The Audit Committee of the Board, chaired by Lynn 
Fordham, comprises the three Independent Non-Executive 
Directors and meets at least four times a year. The members 
of the Audit Committee consider that they have the requisite 
skills and experience to fulfil the responsibilities of the 
Committee. In addition, the Chairman, the Chief Executive, 
the Finance Director and members of the finance team join 
the meetings on a regular basis as do the external Audit 
Partner and Audit Manager.

The Chairman of the Audit Committee encourages 
comprehensive debate and scrutiny of management’s and 
auditors’ reports by the Committee members. She also 
meets with the manager responsible for internal audits, the 
external Audit Partner and the Finance Director outside of 
Audit Committee meetings to give them the opportunity to 
raise any concerns they may have about their work or their 
roles and to provide advice and support as required. 

The Audit Committee’s responsibilities are outlined in the 
Committee’s terms of reference and cover all those matters 
required by the Code. The Committee has a meeting planner 
which sets out the key items to be covered at its regular 
meetings which include reviewing the financial statements 
and announcements, monitoring changes in accounting 
practices and policies and reviewing decisions with a 
significant element of judgement. In addition, the Audit 
Committee is responsible for ensuring that the Company’s 
risk monitoring programme, internal audit processes and 
regulatory compliance are appropriate. At all meetings an 
update on risk management is presented. The Chairman of 
the Committee encourages debate and discussion of topical 
issues outside of the routine agenda items and ensures that 
such discussions are held at least twice a year. The Audit 
Committee has responsibility for the oversight of the 
external audit function. At the request of the Board, the 
Audit Committee provides confirmation to the Board as to 
how it has discharged its responsibilities so that the Board can 
be satisfied that information presented in the Annual Report 
is fair, balanced and understandable. 

During its review of the Group’s financial statements for the 
year to 26 March 2016, the Audit Committee considered 
the following significant issues, including those 
communicated by the auditors during their reporting:

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Overview  Strategic Report  Governance  Financial StatementsCorporate Governance Report continued

Significant Issue

How the issue was addressed

Impairment testing

Pension accounting

Exceptional items

The Committee considered the proposed impairment of property assets for both the  
Half Year Report and the Annual Report. The Committee was satisfied with the approach 
presented by management and the judgements made for those properties at risk  
of impairment.

The Committee considered the accounting for the Group’s defined benefit plan including  
the impact on the Group’s accounting policies following the implementation of IAS 19 
(revised) Employee Benefits in the year.

The Committee was satisfied with the proposed accounting treatment and revised 
disclosures in the financial statements.

The Committee considered the nature of items classified as “Exceptional” in the financial 
statements. The Committee was satisfied that the items management proposed to show  
as exceptional are not linked to the underlying trading of the Group. Exceptional items 
continue to include:

 – Profit or loss on property disposals
 – Business acquisition costs expensed
 – Changes to onerous leases provisions
 – Net charge on property impairment
 – Net movement on revaluation of financial instruments that do not meet the 

requirements for hedge accounting

 – Net interest expense on the Group’s defined benefit pension plan.

It was also agreed to show The Stable deemed remuneration as exceptional as this is not 
associated with the Group’s underlying trading.

Acquisitions

The Committee considered separately the proposed accounting for the acquisitions  
of a majority interest in Nectar Imports Limited and G&M Leisure Limited.

In both cases, the Committee received papers detailing the proposed accounting  
and judgements made. The Committee was satisfied with the approaches taken.

The Committee considered the accounting for The Stable Pizza & Cider Limited put and 
call option liability, both regarding the updated provision for the Half Year Report and the 
Annual Report and the treatment of the corresponding expense in the Income Statement. 
The Committee was satisfied with the proposed accounting treatment.

The Board was made fully aware of any significant financial 
reporting issues and judgements made in connection with the 
preparation of the financial statements. 

ended 26 March 2016 was the third of a five year maximum 
term that the current Audit Partner has been in the role for 
the Company.

Other items discussed in the year included the accounting 
for taxation, discussion of the Company’s risk management 
process, consideration of selected individual risks from the 
risk register, discussion of the internal audit work completed 
during the year and progress on actions arising from both risk 
management and internal audits.

The Audit Committee has a primary responsibility for making 
recommendations to the Board on the re-appointment and 
removal of external auditors. The Company put the role of 
the auditors to tender during 2013 and following tenders 
from three firms for audit services, the decision to appoint 
Grant Thornton UK LLP was made. The Company’s year 

There is in place a whistle blowing policy, which is overseen  
by the Audit Committee, and which allows staff to raise any 
concerns in confidence, directly with the Chairman of the 
Audit Committee. Posters reminding staff about the 
existence of the policy and how it may be used are reissued 
annually in order to maintain a good awareness of the whistle 
blowing arrangements throughout the Company. 

The Committee also reviewed its own effectiveness during 
the year.

The Directors’ statement on the Company’s system of 
internal controls is set out on page 43.

42
Fuller, Smith & Turner P.L.C.
Annual Report 2016

Accountability
Auditors
The Committee is happy for the Board to recommend to 
shareholders the re-election of Grant Thornton UK LLP who 
were appointed in September 2013 following a formal tender 
process. Their effectiveness will be formally reviewed by the 
Committee at the September 2016 meeting, although there 
are no issues of concern with their performance to date.

The Board has reviewed the effectiveness of the Group’s 
system of internal control which has also been discussed  
in detail by the Audit Committee, including taking account  
of material developments since the year end. The review 
covers all material controls including financial and operational 
controls, compliance and risk management systems.  
Where weaknesses are identified, actions to address  
them are agreed. 

The Group’s auditors may from time to time provide 
non-audit services to the Company. The fees paid to  
Grant Thornton UK LLP for audit services were £103,000, 
for audit related services were £16,000 and for non-audit 
related services were £4,000. The Committee imposes an 
upper limit of £50,000 per annum on the amount that the 
finance team can spend with the auditors for non-audit items 
without specific approval from the Committee. It is Group 
policy to seek quotations from multiple providers for 
significant non-audit services and only to appoint the 
provider (which could then be the Auditors) that offers  
the best combination of price and expertise. The non-audit 
services were provided in the year by a team independent  
of those providing audit services.

Internal Control and Risk Management
The Board has overall responsibility for the Group’s system  
of internal control and management of risks and reviewing its 
effectiveness. The system is designed to provide reasonable 
but not absolute assurance of:

 – The mitigation of risks which might cause the failure  

of business objectives

 – No material misstatements or losses
 – The safeguarding of assets against unauthorised use  

or disposition

 – The maintenance of proper accounting records and the 

reliability of financial information used within the business 
or for publication

 – Compliance with applicable laws and regulations.

The business maintains business continuity plans, and 
exercises these plans on an annual basis.

Management within the Finance Department are responsible 
for the appropriate maintenance of financial records and 
processes that ensure that all financial information is relevant, 
reliable, in accordance with the applicable laws and 
regulations, and distributed both internally and externally  
in a timely manner. A review of the financial statements  
is completed by management to ensure that the financial 
position and results of the Group are appropriately reflected. 
All financial information published by the Group is subject to 
the review of the Audit Committee.

The Board has procedures in place necessary to follow  
the Turnbull Guidance (“Internal Control: Guidance for 
Directors on the Combined Code”) for the full financial  
year. The Group Risk Manager co-ordinates this process by 
leading regular risk assessment workshops in which new risks 
are identified and added to the risk register, and existing risks 
re-evaluated by the risk owners. Regular meetings, chaired 
by the Executive Directors, are held in addition to the 
workshops in order to assess the effectiveness of the controls 
that are in place, identify new risks and review existing risk 
mitigation plans. 

Key elements of the system of internal control designed to 
address significant risks and uncertainties, as documented  
on pages 22 and 23, include:

 – Clearly defined levels of responsibility and delegation 
throughout the Group, together with well-structured 
reporting lines up to the Board

 – The preparation of comprehensive annual budgets for 
each division, including commentary on key business 
opportunities and risks, approved by the Executive 
Directors and further reviewed by the Board on a 
consolidated basis

 – An Executive Committee review of actual monthly results 
against budget, together with commentary on significant 
variances and updates of both profit and cash flow 
expectations for the year

 – A detailed investment approval process requiring Board 

authorisation for all major projects

 – Detailed post-implementation appraisals of major capital 

expenditure projects

 – Regular reporting of legal and accounting developments 

to the Board

 – Regular review of the Group’s risk register and discussion 
of significant risks by the Board and Audit Committee, 
which among other things takes account of the 
significance of environmental, social and governance 
matters to the business

 – Monitoring of accident statistics and the results of health 

and safety audits

 – Maintenance of an ISO 900 certified quality  

control system.

43
Fuller, Smith & Turner P.L.C.
Annual Report 2016

Overview  Strategic Report  Governance  Financial StatementsThe Board supports the use of the Annual General Meeting 
to communicate, in particular, with private investors, and the 
Chairman and Chief Executive make a detailed presentation 
to shareholders updating them on the Company’s 
performance and progress. The Public Relations team also 
attends the Annual General Meeting and provides further 
information to shareholders about the Company through 
photo boards featuring pub and product information. The 
Board is also keen to encourage institutional investors to 
attend the meeting, in line with the duties set out in the 
Stewardship Code for institutional shareholders published  
in July 2010. Should they have concerns over any issues 
being voted upon at the Annual General Meeting, they  
can then meet all the Directors and discuss them in person, 
particularly if they have declined an invitation for an individual 
meeting. The Chairman arranges for the Chairman of each  
of the Company’s Board Committees to answer relevant 
questions at the meeting and encourages all Directors  
to be present.

By order of the Board

Séverine Garnham
Company Secretary

9 June 2016

Fuller, Smith & Turner P.L.C  
Griffin Brewery 
Chiswick Lane South 
London W4 2QB

Corporate Governance Report continued

The Group does not have a formal internal audit function 
and, after a review by the Audit Committee and the Board, 
the Board has confirmed that it believes that the existing 
arrangements for internal audit are appropriate. Management 
may from time to time augment the internal resource for 
these audits with specialist external resources. The Group 
carries out internal audits on financial areas according to a 
programme agreed between the Audit Committee and the 
Finance Director and with input from the other Executive 
Directors and the external auditors as appropriate. The audits 
are co-ordinated by an experienced senior member of the 
finance team and are undertaken by other members of the 
finance team; in each case the person undertaking the audit 
is independent of the area which is the subject of the audit. 
The internal audit reports, the management responses and 
the recommended actions are presented in summary form  
to the Audit Committee on a regular basis. There are also  
in place procedures to ensure recommended actions are 
implemented. During the year, audits were performed on 
banking procedures in managed houses, cash reconciliations 
and free trade equipment as well as a number of reviews  
on other internal processes. 

In addition, the Group employs a team of retail business 
auditors who monitor the controls in place in the Managed 
Pub estate, in particular those over stock and cash. This team 
reports directly to the Fuller’s Inns Financial Controller but 
their Manager attends Audit Committee meetings twice a 
year to discuss the progress his team is making and the issues 
they are dealing with.

Relations with Shareholders
The Company has an ongoing programme of individual 
meetings with institutional shareholders, allowing it to  
update shareholders on the performance of the business  
and the strategy for the future, and to give shareholders  
an opportunity to discuss corporate governance matters.  
The Company’s brokers contact key shareholders  
to establish if they would like to see the Chief Executive  
and Finance Director in the days following their  
presentation to the City on the preliminary and half year 
results. The Chairman, Richard Fuller and Sir James Fuller 
are the key contacts with the Company’s family shareholders 
and Sir James Fuller has a specific role to keep in touch  
with those shareholders. The Senior Independent Director 
and the other Non-Executive Directors are all willing  
to attend meetings with shareholders or to be contacted  
by shareholders should they have any concerns which  
have not been resolved through the normal channels.  
The Non-Executive Directors have had no such requests 
during the last financial year. All Board members receive 
feedback from the City presentations and meetings  
with shareholders, thus keeping them in touch with 
shareholder opinion.

44
Fuller, Smith & Turner P.L.C.
Annual Report 2016

Directors’ Remuneration Report

Statement of the Remuneration  
Committee Chairman
Dear Shareholder 

On behalf of the Board, I am pleased to present  
the Remuneration Report for the 52 weeks ended  
26 March 2016. 

The report follows last year’s presentation in two separate 
sections. The first covers the Company’s Remuneration 
Policy for all of its Main Board Directors (set out on pages 32 
and 33) as approved by shareholders at the 2014  
Annual General Meeting for a period of three years.  
It is designed to explain to shareholders how that policy 
supports the Company’s strategy. There are no changes 
being proposed to the policy and there have been no 
payments made outside of the approved policy in the 
reporting period. 

The second part of the report shows you the detail of how 
the policy was applied in the last financial year. That part  
of the report will be subject to your approval in the same  
way as it was last year.

Whilst there has not been any change to remuneration during 
the financial year and therefore we have not engaged with 
shareholders, I would be happy to receive any comments you 
may have on this report. I hope that you find the report clear 
and comprehensive and that it helps demonstrate how the 
remuneration of your Directors is very much linked to the 
performance of your Company, and that you are able to 
support the resolutions on remuneration being presented to 
you at this year’s Annual General Meeting. 

Alastair Kerr
Chairman of the Remuneration Committee

9 June 2016

Report on Directors’ Remuneration Policy 
This policy, approved by shareholders at the Annual General 
Meeting held on 24 July 2014, was prepared in compliance 
with Part 4 of Schedule 8 to the Large and Medium-sized 
Companies and Groups (Accounts and Reports) 
(Amendment) Regulations 2013. The Company intends to 
make all future payments to its Directors consistent with this 
policy for the three years following the date of approval of 
the policy unless amended by the shareholders at an 
intervening general meeting.

The Remuneration Policy is designed to support the 
Company’s business strategy of creating shareholder value 
and increasing earnings per share (“EPS”) in the longer term 
for its shareholders. In order to do so it must attract, retain 
and motivate high calibre Executive Directors. The policy  
is therefore to provide competitive packages for the 
Executives, through reflecting the Group’s performance 
against financial objectives and rewarding above-average 
performance. Accordingly, the key elements are:

 – A significant proportion of performance related pay that 
rewards Executives in line with Company performance 
and strongly aligns their interests with those of 
shareholders

 – Personal bonus targets for operational Directors that 
focus on delivery of the strategic drivers for growth in  
the Company’s business strategy

 – Base pay that rewards above-average performance and 

remains competitive

 – A competitive range of benefits 
 – Participation in a range of share schemes including a long 

term incentive plan.

When setting the Remuneration Policy the Committee 
considered the Group’s performance on environmental, 
social and governance matters. The Committee does not 
believe that the existing incentive structure raises any 
environmental, governance or social risks by inadvertently 
motivating irresponsible behaviour.

The Committee believes that the Remuneration Policy is 
consistent with its risk management policy in that existing 
remuneration structures do not encourage management to 
take inappropriate risks to achieve targets. It is felt that there 
is a very low risk of short term decisions being taken to drive 
annual bonus pay-outs and the focus is very much based on a 
long term remuneration model, delivering value through the 
Company’s various share plans.

Here are the various elements of the Directors’ 
remuneration and the different performance conditions  
that apply to them.

45
Fuller, Smith & Turner P.L.C.
Annual Report 2016

Overview  Strategic Report  Governance  Financial Statements  Additional InformationDirectors’ Remuneration Report continued

Executive Directors (“Executives”)

Element

Base Salary

Benefits

Purpose – how the element supports  
the short and long term strategic  
objectives of the Company

To recruit, retain and reward high 
calibre Executives to deliver the 
Company’s strategy. The salary will 
reflect each role, the importance of 
that role to the business and the 
experience the individual brings to it.

To recruit and retain Executives by 
providing competitive benefits which 
also protect Executives and provide 
preventative care for them. 

Operation

Opportunity

Performance measures and reason for selection

The Committee sets the base salary and this is reviewed taking into account 
inflation, individual and corporate performance.

From time to time, advisors are commissioned to obtain benchmarking data for 
companies in the sector and/or of a similar size, to check market positioning.

The Company offers Executives a range of benefits which include:
 – Car allowance
 – Paid holidays
 – Life assurance
 – Private medical insurance
 – Product allowance 
 – A private account which allows the purchase of goods at cost price plus VAT 
 – Subscriptions to professional bodies or other relevant organisations
 – Regular medical check-ups
 – Permanent health insurance.

Annual Bonus

To incentivise Executives to deliver 
performance in line with the Group 
strategy and to align their interests with 
those of shareholders.

Bonus targets are set annually in relation to the profit achieved by The Fuller’s 
Beer Company, Fuller’s Inns and the Group. The performance measures are 
weighted dependent on the responsibilities of each Executive and are designed  
to be stretching. 

The target for the bonus includes the cost of the bonus itself. 

Share Options

Executive  
Share Option 
Scheme 
(“ESOS”)

To align the interests of Executives with 
those of shareholders. 

A tax-advantaged executive share option scheme under which options may 
be granted to Executives periodically up to a maximum total value set by 
HM Revenue & Customs. Once options have vested they must be exercised 
before the tenth anniversary  
of grant.

A non-tax-advantaged executive share option scheme under which options were 
granted to Executives but which has now expired.

The maximum benefit granted to Executives under 

SESOS options vest at 40% (minimum) when growth  

No change.

the SESOS was 20% of salary per annum.

All employees of Fuller, Smith & Turner P.L.C. with at least one year’s service in 
July in any year are eligible under this tax-advantaged scheme to receive options to 
subscribe for 40p ‘A’ ordinary shares at a discount of 20% on the prevailing market 
price at the time of the grant having entered into a three or five year savings 
contract for the exercise price.

All employees of Fuller, Smith & Turner P.L.C. in November each year are  
eligible under this tax-advantaged scheme to receive free 40p ‘A’ ordinary shares 
in December of that year. Shares are held by the SIP Trustees for a minimum  
of three years and a maximum of five years before being available to be passed 
to participants.

Under the SAYE Scheme rules eligible employees 

None. There is no requirement for performance targets  

A resolution for the 

may agree to save up to £500 per month over a 

in SAYE schemes.

period of three or five years and then purchase shares 

within six months of the end of the term.

adoption of a new SAYE 

Scheme was approved at 

the Annual General 

Meeting on 23 July 

2015.

Shares are awarded based on length of service  

None. There is no requirement for performance 

No change.

and base salary. The maximum value of the shares 

targets in SIPs.

allowable under the Scheme is £3,000 in any  

one year.

Senior Executive  
Share Scheme 
(“SESOS”)

Savings Related 
Share Option 
Scheme (“SAYE 
Scheme”)

Share Incentive 
Plan (“SIP”)

46
Fuller, Smith & Turner P.L.C.
Annual Report 2016

Annual salary reviews take effect from 1 June 

in any year. The Committee expects to target  

salaries around the median to upper quartile  

of similar-sized businesses.

Not applicable.

The benefits offered are those typically offered at this 

Not applicable.

level. Car allowances are reviewed every January. 

Product allowances are reviewed from time to time 

but not typically increased every year. The cost of 

providing the insurance products varies from year  

to year. 

Change in year and provisions for 

malus and clawback (if any)

Executive salaries were 

increased by between 0% 

and 10% in June 2015.

The benefit is unchanged 

but the cost of insurance 

products varies from 

year to year.

The maximum pay-out under the bonus scheme is 75% 

The actual performance measures are linked to the EPS 

of salary. No pay-out would be made if the minimum 

and profit targets contained in the Group budget for 

New bonus targets were 

agreed in May 2016 for 

threshold on the bonus target schedules is not 

Fuller’s Inns and The Fuller’s Beer Company. Current and 

the financial year 

achieved. If profits have declined to a specified degree 

previous targets are considered commercially confidential 

2016/2017 subject to 

in the year bonuses are due to be paid, the Committee 

and will not be published. These targets have been 

will assess the performance of the Group relative to a 

selected as the Committee believes they reward 

selected peer group. Payments will only be authorised if 

Executives in line with Company performance and 

the revised bonus rules 

approved the previous 

year including malus and 

the Group has performed better than the average of 

strongly align their interests with those of shareholders.

clawback provisions.

the peer group and where the Group’s performance 

represents outperformance.

Executives may be issued and hold share options 

ESOS options vest when growth in EPS adjusted  

No change.

up to the current maximum value set by HMRC 

principally to exclude exceptional items (“Adjusted EPS”) 

of £30,000 at any one time.

exceeds growth in the retail price index by at least 9% 

over the three year performance period. The Committee 

is authorised to make appropriate amendments to 

Adjusted EPS.

in Adjusted EPS exceeds growth in RPI by at least 9%  

over the three year performance period. Maximum  

vesting (100% of grant) occurs when growth in Adjusted 

EPS exceeds inflation by 21% over the three year period.

The performance targets and restrictions are considered  

to be a realistic test of management performance and 

were chosen because they are consistent with corporate 

profit growth objectives and ensure that options only 

become exercisable against the background of a sustained 

real increase in the financial performance of the Group.

Executive Directors (“Executives”)

Purpose – how the element supports  

the short and long term strategic  

Element

objectives of the Company

Operation

Base Salary

To recruit, retain and reward high 

calibre Executives to deliver the 

Company’s strategy. The salary will 

reflect each role, the importance of 

that role to the business and the 

experience the individual brings to it.

The Committee sets the base salary and this is reviewed taking into account 

inflation, individual and corporate performance.

From time to time, advisors are commissioned to obtain benchmarking data for 

companies in the sector and/or of a similar size, to check market positioning.

Benefits

To recruit and retain Executives by 

The Company offers Executives a range of benefits which include:

providing competitive benefits which 

also protect Executives and provide 

preventative care for them. 

 – Car allowance

 – Paid holidays

 – Life assurance

 – Private medical insurance

 – Product allowance 

 – Regular medical check-ups

 – Permanent health insurance.

 – A private account which allows the purchase of goods at cost price plus VAT 

 – Subscriptions to professional bodies or other relevant organisations

Annual Bonus

To incentivise Executives to deliver 

Bonus targets are set annually in relation to the profit achieved by The Fuller’s 

performance in line with the Group 

Beer Company, Fuller’s Inns and the Group. The performance measures are 

strategy and to align their interests with 

weighted dependent on the responsibilities of each Executive and are designed  

those of shareholders.

to be stretching. 

The target for the bonus includes the cost of the bonus itself. 

Opportunity

Performance measures and reason for selection

Annual salary reviews take effect from 1 June 
in any year. The Committee expects to target  
salaries around the median to upper quartile  
of similar-sized businesses.

The benefits offered are those typically offered at this 
level. Car allowances are reviewed every January. 
Product allowances are reviewed from time to time 
but not typically increased every year. The cost of 
providing the insurance products varies from year  
to year. 

Not applicable.

Not applicable.

Change in year and provisions for 
malus and clawback (if any)

Executive salaries were 
increased by between 0% 
and 10% in June 2015.

The benefit is unchanged 
but the cost of insurance 
products varies from 
year to year.

The maximum pay-out under the bonus scheme is 75% 
of salary. No pay-out would be made if the minimum 
threshold on the bonus target schedules is not 
achieved. If profits have declined to a specified degree 
in the year bonuses are due to be paid, the Committee 
will assess the performance of the Group relative to a 
selected peer group. Payments will only be authorised if 
the Group has performed better than the average of 
the peer group and where the Group’s performance 
represents outperformance.

The actual performance measures are linked to the EPS 
and profit targets contained in the Group budget for 
Fuller’s Inns and The Fuller’s Beer Company. Current and 
previous targets are considered commercially confidential 
and will not be published. These targets have been 
selected as the Committee believes they reward 
Executives in line with Company performance and 
strongly align their interests with those of shareholders.

New bonus targets were 
agreed in May 2016 for 
the financial year 
2016/2017 subject to 
the revised bonus rules 
approved the previous 
year including malus and 
clawback provisions.

Share Options

Scheme 

(“ESOS”)

Senior Executive  

Share Scheme 

(“SESOS”)

Savings Related 

Share Option 

Scheme (“SAYE 

Scheme”)

Share Incentive 

Plan (“SIP”)

Executive  

To align the interests of Executives with 

A tax-advantaged executive share option scheme under which options may 

Share Option 

those of shareholders. 

be granted to Executives periodically up to a maximum total value set by 

HM Revenue & Customs. Once options have vested they must be exercised 

Executives may be issued and hold share options 
up to the current maximum value set by HMRC 
of £30,000 at any one time.

before the tenth anniversary  

of grant.

A non-tax-advantaged executive share option scheme under which options were 

granted to Executives but which has now expired.

The maximum benefit granted to Executives under 
the SESOS was 20% of salary per annum.

Under the SAYE Scheme rules eligible employees 
may agree to save up to £500 per month over a 
period of three or five years and then purchase shares 
within six months of the end of the term.

ESOS options vest when growth in EPS adjusted  
principally to exclude exceptional items (“Adjusted EPS”) 
exceeds growth in the retail price index by at least 9% 
over the three year performance period. The Committee 
is authorised to make appropriate amendments to 
Adjusted EPS.

SESOS options vest at 40% (minimum) when growth  
in Adjusted EPS exceeds growth in RPI by at least 9%  
over the three year performance period. Maximum  
vesting (100% of grant) occurs when growth in Adjusted 
EPS exceeds inflation by 21% over the three year period.
The performance targets and restrictions are considered  
to be a realistic test of management performance and 
were chosen because they are consistent with corporate 
profit growth objectives and ensure that options only 
become exercisable against the background of a sustained 
real increase in the financial performance of the Group.

None. There is no requirement for performance targets  
in SAYE schemes.

Shares are awarded based on length of service  
and base salary. The maximum value of the shares 
allowable under the Scheme is £3,000 in any  
one year.

None. There is no requirement for performance 
targets in SIPs.

All employees of Fuller, Smith & Turner P.L.C. with at least one year’s service in 

July in any year are eligible under this tax-advantaged scheme to receive options to 

subscribe for 40p ‘A’ ordinary shares at a discount of 20% on the prevailing market 

price at the time of the grant having entered into a three or five year savings 

contract for the exercise price.

All employees of Fuller, Smith & Turner P.L.C. in November each year are  

eligible under this tax-advantaged scheme to receive free 40p ‘A’ ordinary shares 

in December of that year. Shares are held by the SIP Trustees for a minimum  

of three years and a maximum of five years before being available to be passed 

to participants.

No change.

No change.

A resolution for the 
adoption of a new SAYE 
Scheme was approved at 
the Annual General 
Meeting on 23 July 
2015.

No change.

47
Fuller, Smith & Turner P.L.C.
Annual Report 2016

Overview  Strategic Report  Governance  Financial Statements  Additional InformationDirectors’ Remuneration Report continued

Executive Directors (“Executives”) continued

Element

Long-Term 
Incentive Plan 
(LTIP)

Purpose – how the element supports  
the short and long-term strategic  
objectives of the Company

To reward the efforts of Executives 
in line with the Company’s objective 
of creating shareholder value and 
increasing EPS in the longer term.

Operation

Opportunity

Performance measures and reason for selection

Change in year and provisions for 

malus and clawback (if any)

The rules of the LTIP allow for discretionary annual awards of ‘A’ (listed), and ‘B’ 
and ‘C’ (unlisted) ordinary shares. Grants are calculated by reference to the middle 
market quotation at close the day before. In all cases shares will vest, subject to 
performance criteria being attained, within 72 days of the publication of results for 
the last financial year in the performance period. 

The Remuneration Committee determines whether the Adjusted EPS 
performance condition has been met using the EPS information which is published 
in the Group’s Annual Reports and Accounts. BDO LLP confirms the level of 
vesting of awards based on EPS calculations provided by the Group.

The maximum value of shares for which an award may 

To assess the awards, the average growth in Adjusted 

No change.

be made to an Executive in any financial year is 110% 

EPS is compared with the growth in inflation over the 

of salary and will vary depending on seniority. Actual 

performance period. The performance period covers three 

vesting will depend on how well the Company 

financial years starting from the start of the financial year in 

performs against the LTIP’s performance conditions.

which the award is made. No vesting occurs if the Adjusted 

Pension

To provide Directors with long-term 
pension provisions on a competitive basis. 

The Company operates a variety of pension benefits. Executives are either 
deferred members of the defined benefit Company pension plan – now closed to 
future accruals – or the Company’s defined contribution stakeholder pension plan, 
or receive a salary supplement or a mixture of these. Further details are available 
on page 55 of this report.

Malus and 
Clawback

The malus and clawback provisions 
act as a disincentive to overstate the 
metrics that determine the rewards the 
Executive Directors receive.

Non-Executive Directors

Basic and 
Additional Fees

To attract and retain high-calibre 
Non-Executive Directors by offering 
market competitive fee levels that 
recognise the time that the  
Non-Executive Directors commit  
to their various roles.

These were introduced in 2014 to the bonus scheme and to LTIP awards made from 
last year. They will enable the Committee not to pay bonuses or allow LTIP awards to 
vest where misconduct occurs during the relevant financial year or before a bonus is 
paid or an LTIP award vests. They will also enable the Committee to recover bonuses 
or awards where it is discovered that the Company materially misstated its results for 
the last whole financial year or a material error was made in assessing the relevant 
performance conditions.

The fees paid to the Chairman are determined by the Remuneration Committee.
The fees paid to the other Non-Executive Directors are determined by the 
Chairman and the Executive Committee. Fees may be paid for specific duties 
such as the fee paid to Sir James Fuller for his work in liaising with family 
shareholders. Non-Executive Directors do not participate in bonus schemes, 
share options or long term incentive plans. None of the Non-Executive Directors 
are members of any Group pension scheme, with the exception of Michael Turner, 
who is a pensioner of the Directors section of the defined benefit Company 
pension plan. 

Benefits

To encourage Non-Executive Directors 
to keep up to date with the Company’s 
product range and to reimburse 
expenses.

Non-Executive Directors receive a modest product allowance and are entitled to 
buy additional products at cost plus VAT. They are reimbursed for travel and other 
business related expenses. The Chairman Michael Turner also benefits from life 
insurance cover and private medical insurance.

48
Fuller, Smith & Turner P.L.C.
Annual Report 2016

EPS growth fails to exceed the RPI by at least 9%. 40% of 

the award vests if the target is hit and there is a sliding scale 

above that point. For 100% of an award of shares to vest, 

growth in Adjusted EPS needs to exceed the growth in RPI 

by 24% or more over the period. The Committee feels that 

since underlying long-term freehold property growth is not 

being included in the calculation, 9% over inflation is a testing 

target, and one that merits a 40% vesting level. The 

Committee further believes that the 40% vesting threshold 

at 9% in excess of inflation is triggering vesting at a value that 

is still below that being employed by many other companies 

and that it is the value of the vest that should be considered 

and not the percentage. Please see the graph on page 53 for 

further details.

Defined benefit Company pension plan Main section: 

Not applicable.

Until closure, accrued at 1.7% of basic salary less lower 

earnings limit (up to a pensions cap) per year of 

service. Additional salary supplement of 17.5% paid 

over the earnings cap. This applied only to Simon 

Emeny. Defined benefit Company pension plan 

Directors’ section: Richard Fuller withdrew from this 

scheme on 31 March 2014 and now receives a salary 

supplement of 17.5% of his salary for use in his 

retirement planning. Pension contributions: For the 

other Executives the Company will contribute a total of 

17.5% of the Executive’s salary to the defined 

contribution Company pension plan and/or their 

nominated pension scheme or pay a salary supplement 

for them to use as part of their retirement planning 

subject to the Executive making a net contribution of 

8% themselves. 

bonuses that may be paid from 2015 onwards and 

option grants made from 2014 onwards.

The malus and clawback principles apply to the 

Not applicable.

No change.

The Company’s defined 

benefit pension plan closed 

to future accruals from 

January 2015. Simon 

Emeny was the only 

Executive still in this scheme 

and was offered a salary 

supplement of 17.5% of 

salary in line with other 

Executives not in that 

scheme.

All Non-Executive Directors receive a basic fee. The 

There are no specific measures set but appraisals are 

No change.

Senior Independent Director receives a fee for that 

carried out as explained in the Corporate Governance 

role and there are additional fees for chairing and 

Report on pages 38 to 44.

being a member of the Audit and Remuneration 

Committees and other specific roles. Non-Executive 

Directors’ fees are not usually reviewed every year but 

at periods of two to three years when market data on 

the level of fees is consulted.

Product allowances are reviewed from time to time 

Not applicable.

None.

but not typically increased every year.

Executive Directors (“Executives”) continued

Purpose – how the element supports  

the short and long-term strategic  

Element

objectives of the Company

Operation

Opportunity

Performance measures and reason for selection

Long-Term 

To reward the efforts of Executives 

Incentive Plan 

in line with the Company’s objective 

(LTIP)

of creating shareholder value and 

increasing EPS in the longer term.

The rules of the LTIP allow for discretionary annual awards of ‘A’ (listed), and ‘B’ 

and ‘C’ (unlisted) ordinary shares. Grants are calculated by reference to the middle 

market quotation at close the day before. In all cases shares will vest, subject to 

performance criteria being attained, within 72 days of the publication of results for 

The maximum value of shares for which an award may 
be made to an Executive in any financial year is 110% 
of salary and will vary depending on seniority. Actual 
vesting will depend on how well the Company 
performs against the LTIP’s performance conditions.

the last financial year in the performance period. 

The Remuneration Committee determines whether the Adjusted EPS 

performance condition has been met using the EPS information which is published 

in the Group’s Annual Reports and Accounts. BDO LLP confirms the level of 

vesting of awards based on EPS calculations provided by the Group.

Defined benefit Company pension plan Main section: 
Until closure, accrued at 1.7% of basic salary less lower 
earnings limit (up to a pensions cap) per year of 
service. Additional salary supplement of 17.5% paid 
over the earnings cap. This applied only to Simon 
Emeny. Defined benefit Company pension plan 
Directors’ section: Richard Fuller withdrew from this 
scheme on 31 March 2014 and now receives a salary 
supplement of 17.5% of his salary for use in his 
retirement planning. Pension contributions: For the 
other Executives the Company will contribute a total of 
17.5% of the Executive’s salary to the defined 
contribution Company pension plan and/or their 
nominated pension scheme or pay a salary supplement 
for them to use as part of their retirement planning 
subject to the Executive making a net contribution of 
8% themselves. 

The malus and clawback principles apply to the 
bonuses that may be paid from 2015 onwards and 
option grants made from 2014 onwards.

All Non-Executive Directors receive a basic fee. The 
Senior Independent Director receives a fee for that 
role and there are additional fees for chairing and 
being a member of the Audit and Remuneration 
Committees and other specific roles. Non-Executive 
Directors’ fees are not usually reviewed every year but 
at periods of two to three years when market data on 
the level of fees is consulted.

Pension

To provide Directors with long-term 

The Company operates a variety of pension benefits. Executives are either 

pension provisions on a competitive basis. 

deferred members of the defined benefit Company pension plan – now closed to 

future accruals – or the Company’s defined contribution stakeholder pension plan, 

or receive a salary supplement or a mixture of these. Further details are available 

on page 55 of this report.

Malus and 

Clawback

The malus and clawback provisions 

These were introduced in 2014 to the bonus scheme and to LTIP awards made from 

act as a disincentive to overstate the 

last year. They will enable the Committee not to pay bonuses or allow LTIP awards to 

metrics that determine the rewards the 

vest where misconduct occurs during the relevant financial year or before a bonus is 

Executive Directors receive.

paid or an LTIP award vests. They will also enable the Committee to recover bonuses 

or awards where it is discovered that the Company materially misstated its results for 

the last whole financial year or a material error was made in assessing the relevant 

performance conditions.

Non-Executive Directors

Basic and 

To attract and retain high-calibre 

The fees paid to the Chairman are determined by the Remuneration Committee.

Additional Fees

Non-Executive Directors by offering 

The fees paid to the other Non-Executive Directors are determined by the 

market competitive fee levels that 

Chairman and the Executive Committee. Fees may be paid for specific duties 

recognise the time that the  

such as the fee paid to Sir James Fuller for his work in liaising with family 

Non-Executive Directors commit  

shareholders. Non-Executive Directors do not participate in bonus schemes, 

to their various roles.

share options or long term incentive plans. None of the Non-Executive Directors 

are members of any Group pension scheme, with the exception of Michael Turner, 

who is a pensioner of the Directors section of the defined benefit Company 

pension plan. 

Benefits

To encourage Non-Executive Directors 

Non-Executive Directors receive a modest product allowance and are entitled to 

to keep up to date with the Company’s 

buy additional products at cost plus VAT. They are reimbursed for travel and other 

product range and to reimburse 

business related expenses. The Chairman Michael Turner also benefits from life 

expenses.

insurance cover and private medical insurance.

To assess the awards, the average growth in Adjusted 
EPS is compared with the growth in inflation over the 
performance period. The performance period covers three 
financial years starting from the start of the financial year in 
which the award is made. No vesting occurs if the Adjusted 
EPS growth fails to exceed the RPI by at least 9%. 40% of 
the award vests if the target is hit and there is a sliding scale 
above that point. For 100% of an award of shares to vest, 
growth in Adjusted EPS needs to exceed the growth in RPI 
by 24% or more over the period. The Committee feels that 
since underlying long-term freehold property growth is not 
being included in the calculation, 9% over inflation is a testing 
target, and one that merits a 40% vesting level. The 
Committee further believes that the 40% vesting threshold 
at 9% in excess of inflation is triggering vesting at a value that 
is still below that being employed by many other companies 
and that it is the value of the vest that should be considered 
and not the percentage. Please see the graph on page 53 for 
further details.

Not applicable.

Change in year and provisions for 
malus and clawback (if any)

No change.

The Company’s defined 
benefit pension plan closed 
to future accruals from 
January 2015. Simon 
Emeny was the only 
Executive still in this scheme 
and was offered a salary 
supplement of 17.5% of 
salary in line with other 
Executives not in that 
scheme.

Not applicable.

No change.

There are no specific measures set but appraisals are 
carried out as explained in the Corporate Governance 
Report on pages 38 to 44.

No change.

Product allowances are reviewed from time to time 
but not typically increased every year.

Not applicable.

None.

49
Fuller, Smith & Turner P.L.C.
Annual Report 2016

Overview  Strategic Report  Governance  Financial Statements  Additional InformationDirectors’ Remuneration Report continued

Consideration of Employment Conditions Elsewhere in the Company
The Committee is advised of the proposed annual pay review for staff in advance of them considering the proposed pay reviews for Directors,  
so that this can be taken into account when determining Directors’ remuneration for the relevant financial year. Salary increases will ordinarily 
be (in percentage terms) in line with those of the wider workforce, and significant variances would only be expected where there had been a 
significant change in an individual’s responsibilities or a market review had been conducted which suggested that an individual’s salary was no longer 
competitive, or where the Committee wanted to take account of an individual’s performance or experience. The Committee would also be advised  
if there were any other key changes to the terms and conditions on which staff are employed. 

Consideration of Employee Views
The Committee does not formally consult directly with employees on executive pay or in drawing up the Remuneration Policy but does receive 
periodic updates from the People Director. Share ownership amongst the Company’s employees is encouraged through the SAYE Scheme  
and SIP. These tax-advantaged schemes allow employees to participate as shareholders and align their interests with those of the shareholders.

Consideration of Shareholder Views
Shareholder views are sought when there is any significant change to Directors’ remuneration. Should shareholders have any concerns about the 
Remuneration Policy, the Committee Chairman would endeavour to meet with them, as appropriate, to understand and respond to any issues they 
may have.

Discretion Employed by the Committee 
The Committee will operate the annual bonus, the LTIP, the ESOS and SESOS in accordance with their applicable rules and in accordance with  
the Listing and Disclosure Rules where relevant. The Committee retains discretion, consistent with market practice, in a number of regards to the 
operation and administration of these schemes. These include, but are not limited to, routine matters such as who participates in them, the timing  
of awards and vests, the size of awards/pay-outs, the determination of vesting, and the setting and application of targets. Other non-routine matters 
where the Committee may need to use its discretion include, but are not limited to, making adjustments to targets and/or pay-outs when there  
has been a change in accounting policy, making adjustments required when dealing with a change of control or restructuring of the Group, 
determination of the treatment of leavers and adjustments required in certain circumstances such as rights issues and corporate restructuring 
events. Any use of the above discretions would, where relevant, be explained in the Annual Remuneration Report and may, as appropriate, be the 
subject of consultation with the Company’s major shareholders.

Illustration of the Application of the Remuneration Policy
A significant proportion of remuneration is linked to performance, particularly at maximum performance levels. The following charts demonstrate 
the key elements of the remuneration package for the Executives under the Remuneration Policy for the year ended 26 March 2016:

Chief Executive Officer
1,400

1,284

38%

24%

1,067

37%

17%

489

100%

46%

38%

Minimum

In line with 
expectation

Maximum

1,200

1,000

800

600

400

200

0

£000

Finance Director
1,400

1,200

1,000

800

600

400

200

0

£000

789

38%

16%

363

944

39%

23%

100%

46%

38%

Minimum

In line with 
expectation

Maximum

Corporate Affairs Director
1,400

Managing Director – Fuller’s Inns
1,400

1,200

1,000

800

600

400

200

0

£000

484

35%

17%

48%

234

100%

574

36%

23%

41%

Minimum

In line with 
expectation

Maximum

50
Fuller, Smith & Turner P.L.C.
Annual Report 2016

1,200

1,000

800

600

400

200

0

£000

537

26%
19%

55%

297

100%

637

27%

26%

47%

Minimum

In line with 
expectation

Maximum

Fixed1
Bonus2
LTIP/Options3

1  “Fixed” includes salary, benefits 

and pension.

2  “Bonus” includes Executive 

Bonus scheme.

3  “LTIP/Options” includes LTIP, 
ESOS and SESOS schemes.

In illustrating the potential reward the following assumptions have been made:

Minimum performance – fixed remuneration only with no pay-out under the bonus scheme or LTIP/share options.

In line with expectation – this is based on what Executives could receive if bonuses pay out at 60% of the maximum bonus allowance (i.e. 45%  
of salary) for achieving target performance, LTIP pay-out at 80% of maximum vesting, pay-out under the ESOS at 100% and pay-out under the 
SESOS at 90%. 

Maximum – 100% of the bonus (i.e. 75% of salary) and 100% of LTIP awards and Executive and Senior are realised.

Recruitment and Promotion
The Company wishes to attract talented individuals to Executive positions either from the industry/market or from internal succession. It would not 
expect any new Director to receive salary or any other part of their remuneration package that is more than 50% higher than current maximum 
payments which could be received by the previous role holder. The various components of the package for a new Executive are those already on 
offer to existing Executives as set out in the table above and they are salary, benefits, bonuses, share schemes and pension. The approach to each 
component is as set out in the tables on pages 46 to 49, subject to existing rule constraints. Contracts would be offered on the basis that on early 
termination a payment equal to the salary due for the unexpired period of their notice would be made, payable in monthly instalments. For the 
period of their notice the Executive would be expected to seek alternative income, and if they are successful, that income would be notifiable to  
the Company and would be set off against the remaining instalments. The Company is only likely to offer a cash amount on recruitment, payment  
of which may be staggered, to reflect the value of benefits a new recruit may have received from a former employer. Relocation expenses and 
accommodation might be provided if necessary.

In respect of Non-Executive Directors, the Company would not expect any new Director to receive fees that are more than 50% higher than the 
fees which could be received by the previous role holder.

On the appointment of a new Chairman or Non-Executive Director, the fees will be set taking into account the experience and calibre of the 
individual and the fees paid to existing Non-Executive Directors.

Service Contracts/Payments on Loss of Office 
Executive Directors have rolling service contracts terminable on no more than one year’s notice served by the Company or Director. 

Jonathon Swaine is entitled on early termination of his contract to a payment equal to the salary due for the unexpired period  
of his notice. This is payable in monthly instalments and for the period of their notice he is expected to seek alternative income, and if successful, 
that income must be notified to the Company and will be set off against the remaining instalments. 

The contracts of the other Executives (which were all in place before 27 June 2012 and are different from those that would be offered to any new 
Executives and are therefore not in line with the approach to recruitment remuneration as set out above) state that they are entitled to a payment 
equal to salary and the value of all benefits for the unexpired period of their notice, without any reduction for mitigation. Benefits in kind would be 
valued with reference to their P11D value or cost to the Company. 

The Committee has considered whether it should attempt to negotiate a change to the contracts of these Executives but does not believe that 
this is currently appropriate.

The rules of the bonus scheme and LTIP and other share option schemes set out what happens to awards if a participant ceases to be employed 
before the end of a bonus year or performance period. Generally, any outstanding share awards will lapse on such cessation, except in certain 
circumstances when a Director might be deemed a “good leaver” which could include on redundancy or retirement (these are examples and are not 
intended to be a definitive list). In determining whether an Executive Director should be treated as a good leaver and the extent to which bonuses, 
awards and share options vest or become exercisable, and/or a pro-rated bonus is due, the Committee will take into account the circumstances  
of an individual’s departure and his or her performance.

51
Fuller, Smith & Turner P.L.C.
Annual Report 2016

Overview  Strategic Report  Governance  Financial Statements  Additional InformationDirectors’ Remuneration Report continued

Service Contracts and Fee Letters
The obligations contained in the Executives’ service contracts are described in the section entitled “Service Contracts/Payments on Loss of Office”.

Executive Directors

Simon Emeny

James Douglas

Richard Fuller

Jonathon Swaine

Date of contract

13 January 1999

31 July 2007 

8 December 2009 

20 March 2012 

Notice period

12 months

12 months

12 months

12 months

Non-Executive Directors

Date of letter of appointment or re-appointment

Term expires

Michael Turner

John Dunsmore

Sir James Fuller

Lynn Fordham

Alastair Kerr

1 July 2013

15 November 2011

1 June 2010

15 November 2011

1 August 2015

June 2019*

January 2018

May 2019*

January 2018

August 2018

*  Subject to approval of the reappointment by the Board of Directors during the period at the Annual General Meeting.

Annual Remuneration Implementation Report
The information on pages 53 to 60 has been audited.

The Remuneration Committee 
The Remuneration Committee consists entirely of Independent Non-Executive Directors and the members are currently Alastair Kerr (Chairman), 
John Dunsmore and Lynn Fordham. The Chairman of the Company, Michael Turner, and the Chief Executive, Simon Emeny, are invited to attend 
the Committee meetings and to advise, where appropriate, on the remuneration and performance of the Executive Directors and related matters. 
The Committee is advised internally by the Company Secretary, Séverine Garnham, who also acts as Secretary to the Committee.

The Committee’s terms of reference state that the Committee is responsible for determining the total remuneration package (including pensions, 
service agreements and termination payments) of the Executive Directors. The Committee also reviews the remuneration of the Company’s 
Divisional Directors in consultation with the Chief Executive. Members of the Committee have no personal financial interest in the Company, other 
than as shareholders and Directors. 

The Committee’s Advisors
Xafinity Consulting Limited provides the Committee and the Company with advice on matters relating to pensions. BDO LLP provides the 
Committee and the Company with advice in connection with the Company’s LTIP and share option schemes and other remuneration matters.  
Both of these consultants have been providing advice to the Company for some years and were not specifically appointed by the Committee. 
Xafinity Consulting Limited is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority and its actuaries are also separately required to abide by 
Actuarial Profession Standards which include the requirement for them to provide objective and independent advice. BDO abides by the 
Remuneration Consultants Code of Conduct, which requires it to provide objective and independent advice. Other advisors did not charge fees for 
services provided in respect of Directors’ remuneration during the year.

52
Fuller, Smith & Turner P.L.C.
Annual Report 2016

Statement of Implementation of Remuneration Policy in the Current Financial Year
The Executive Directors’ salaries with effect from 1 June 2016 are:

Simon Emeny – £420,000
James Douglas – £292,000
Richard Fuller – £181,500
Jonathon Swaine – £240,000

The Non-Executive Directors’ fees were reviewed in January 2015 and changes were effective from 1 January 2015.

The annual bonus for the financial year 2016/2017 will operate on the same basis as the previous financial year and will be consistent with the  
policy detailed in the Directors’ Remuneration Policy above. As explained on page 47 the Company does not publish bonus targets since these  
are considered commercially sensitive. However, details of other performance measures which will operate are given on page 47 and details of the 
relative weightings of each are given on page 55. 

The awards under the LTIP are expected to be made at 110% of salary for the Chief Executive and Finance Director and 82.5% for the other 
Executives. The LTIP awards for the financial year 2016/2017 are subject to the following performance condition:

Percentage 
of shares 
comprised in 
an award to
 be released

100%

80%

60%

40%

20%

0%

%
0
9
<

.

%
0
9

.

%
0
0
1

.

%
0
.
1
1

%
0
2
1

.

%
0
3
1

.

%
0
4
1

.

%
0
5
1

.

%
0
6
1

.

%
0
7
1

.

%
0
8
1

.

%
0
9
1

.

%
0
0
2

.

%
0
.
1
2

%
0
2
2

.

%
0
3
2

.

%
0
4
2

.

Extent to which the percentage growth in Adjusted EPS
exceeds the increase in RPI over the performance period

53
Fuller, Smith & Turner P.L.C.
Annual Report 2016

Overview  Strategic Report  Governance  Financial Statements  Additional InformationDirectors’ Remuneration Report continued

Single Total Figure of Remuneration Table
The following table shows a breakdown of the remuneration of individual Directors who served in all or part of the year:

Salary/Fees

Taxable
 benefits1

Annual
 bonus2

LTIP/
Options3

Pensions

Total

2016
£000

250

406

285

177

211

217

60

46

61

58

2015
£000

250

383

279

173

210

196

58

45

59

56

2016
£000

2015
£000

2016
£000

2015
£000

24

24

22

22

22

22

1

1

1

1

25

25

22

22

22

22

–

1

–

1

–

263

188

116

3

134

–

–

–

–

–

223

163

81

97

121

–

–

–

–

2016
£000

–

653

504

325

–

330

–

–

–

–

2015
£000

2016
£000

2015
£000

–

512

407

201

209

238

–

–

–

–

–

71

50

30

38

39

–

–

–

–

–

101

49

30

37

34

–

–

–

–

2016
£000

274

1,417

1,049

674

268

738

61

47

62

59

2015
£000

275

1,244

920

507

575

611

58

46

59

57

Michael Turner

Simon Emeny

James Douglas

Richard Fuller

Ian Bray4

Jonathon Swaine

John Dunsmore

Sir James Fuller

Lynn Fordham

Alastair Kerr

1  Taxable benefits include car allowances, product allowances and health cover.
2  Bonus refers to the annual bonus scheme based on performance in the period under review and the value of free shares awarded under the SIP (£3,000).
3  LTIP/Options includes the value transferred to Directors from the LTIP, ESOS, SESOS and SAYE Schemes. Benefit is calculated as the share price at the 
year end less the exercise price multiplied by the number of vested options. Options are considered to have vested if substantially all of the performance 
criteria have been met in the financial year, in which case the number of vested options is estimated based on performance against performance measures. 
The table below sets out how the award is linked to performance of the Group.
Ian Bray resigned with effect from 31 May 2016. As such no annual bonus or LTIP/options are due for the year. Instead a payment of £160,000 was due.

4 

The following table shows how variable pay elements are linked to the performance of the Group in 2016:

LTIP

Performance 
measure

EPS vs RPI

Target set

Minimum

Maximum

Value of award

EPS exceeds  
RPI by +9%

EPS exceeds 
RPI by +24%

Senior Executive 
Share Options

EPS vs RPI

EPS exceeds  
RPI by +9%

EPS exceeds 
RPI by +21%

1   Maximum grant equates to 20% of salary.

Percentage vest of 
original grant: 
Minimum – 40% 
Maximum – 100%

Percentage vest of 
original grant1: 
Minimum – 40% 
Maximum – 100%

Actual 
performance

33.3%

33.3%

Value of award

100% of 
maximum 
award

100% of 
maximum 
award

Percentage Change in Remuneration of Chief Executive 
The table below shows the percentage change in the remuneration of the Chief Executive compared to that of the average of all of the Group’s 
employees taken as a whole between the financial years ended 28 March 2015 and 26 March 2016:

Change in annual salary

Change in taxable benefits

Change in annual bonus1

Chief Executive 

Employees

6%

1%

7% 

2.5%

nil%

3.5% 

1  The “Change in annual bonus” reflects the increase or decrease in the percentage of annual salary paid out as bonus and excludes the value of free shares 
awarded under the SIP. The employee comparator group excludes pub staff, The Stable employees and Nectar Imports employees who receive bonus 
incentives through other bonus incentive schemes.

54
Fuller, Smith & Turner P.L.C.
Annual Report 2016

Salary 
The Committee sets the base salary for each Executive Director by reference to individual and corporate performance, competitive market practice 
and independent salary survey information. Last year, base pay was increased by approximately 4% for all Directors. The median of increases paid to 
head office staff was 2%. 

External Directorship Fees
The Board may give approval for Executives to have one Non-Executive role and to retain any related fees paid. Simon Emeny is the Senior 
Independent Non-Executive Director of Dunelm Group plc. He retains fees of £50,000 per annum in respect of this position.

Bonus
Actual performance against targets is shown above. Performance measures for the annual bonus were weighted for each Director as follows:

Simon Emeny

James Douglas

Richard Fuller

Ian Bray

Jonathon Swaine

Group
 profit

100%

80%

100%

40%

40%

The Fuller’s Beer
 Company
 profit

Cornish 
Orchards profit 

Fuller’s Inns
 profit

The
Stable profit

–

–

–

40%

–

–

–

–

20%

–

–

–

–

–

–

20%

–

–

40%

20%

For the year under review, James Douglas earned a bonus of 65% of salary, Simon Emeny and Richard Fuller each earned a bonus of 64% of salary 
and Jonathon Swaine earned a bonus of 60% of salary. Ian Bray resigned from the Company with effect from 31 May 2016 and was not entitled to 
any bonus.

Total Pension Entitlements
Michael Turner is a pensioner of the defined benefit Company pension plan, under the Directors’ section. 

Richard Fuller is in receipt of a 17.5% salary supplement in lieu of employer’s pension contribution. With effect from 1 April 2015, he opted to draw 
his pension benefits early under the defined benefit Company pension plan. 

Simon Emeny became a deferred member of the defined benefit Company pension plan, under the Main section when the plan closed to future 
accruals on 1 January 2015. Prior to closure, he received a salary supplement of 17.5% of the excess of his base salary over the earnings cap for use as 
part of his retirement planning. 

Simon Emeny, as from January 2015, and James Douglas are paid a contribution of 17.5% of their salaries by the Company which they are required 
to use as part of their overall retirement planning. They are also required to contribute 8% of their net salary to their pension or another investment 
vehicle.

The Company makes a contribution of 17.5% of salary to Jonathon Swaine’s nominated pension scheme. He is also required to make a contribution 
of 8%. The Company made a contribution of 17.5% of salary to Ian Bray’s nominated pension scheme. He was also required to make a contribution 
of 8%. 

55
Fuller, Smith & Turner P.L.C.
Annual Report 2016

Overview  Strategic Report  Governance  Financial Statements  Additional InformationDirectors’ Remuneration Report continued

Scheme Interests Awarded During the Financial Year1,2
In respect of the 52 week period ended 26 March 2016 the following LTIPs, share options and SIP awards were granted:

Director

Scheme

Number of 
‘A’ shares

Number of
 ‘B’ shares

Exercise price 
per ‘A’ share

Exercise price
 per ‘B’ share

Face value at
 grant/award

Date of 
grant/award

Performance
 period ends

Simon Emeny

LTIP

33,100 

 82,752

SAYE

SIP

3,034

260

–

£10.90

£8.70

£11.535

£1.09

£450,990

29/06/15

29/06/18

£26,396

01/09/15

01/09/20

–

£2,999

02/12/15

n/a

Total

36,394

82,752

£480,385

James Douglas

LTIP

23,089 

 57,724 

 £10.90 

£1.09

 £314,589

29/06/15

29/06/18

SAYE

SIP

1,034

260

–

–

Total

24,383

57,724

Richard Fuller

LTIP

 10,747

 26,869

Total

Ian Bray3

SAYE

SIP

LTIP

SAYE

SIP

689

260

–

–

11,696

26,869

 12,776

 31,940

1,034

260

–

–

Total

14,070

31,940

£8.70

£6.20

 £10.90

£8.70

£11.535

 £10.90

£8.70

£11.535

–

–

£8,996

01/09/15

01/09/18

£3,000

02/12/15

n/a

£326,585

£1.09

 £146,430

29/06/15

29/06/18

–

–

£5,994

£2,999

£155,423

01/09/15

01/09/20

02/12/15

n/a

£1.09

£174,073

29/06/15

29/06/18

–

–

£8,996

£2,999

£186,068

01/09/15

01/09/18

02/12/15

n/a

Jonathon Swaine LTIP

 13,321

 33,302

 £10.90

£1.09

 £181,498

29/06/15

29/06/18

SAYE

SIP

3,848

260

£8.70

£33,478

01/09/15

01/09/20

–

 £11.535

–

£2,999

02/12/15

n/a

Total

17,429

33,302

£217,975

% of award/
grant vesting 
at minimum 
threshold

50%

100%

n/a

50%

100%

n/a

50%

100%

n/a

50%

100%

n/a

50%

100%

n/a

1  Face values have been calculated using the actual grant prices also shown in the table except for SAYE. For the SAYE Scheme this is based on an average 

price for the three days before grant (shown above) although options are granted at a 20% discount.

2  Executives may be awarded up to 20% of their salary through the tax-advantaged ESOS and – until its expiry – the non-tax-advantaged SESOS. Under the 

former scheme only options worth £30,000 may be held at any time.

3  On his resignation with effect from 31 May 2016, all of Ian Bray’s options and LTIP awards lapsed.

Share Scheme Interests Outstanding at the Year End
Shares
The Company has Share Ownership Guidelines for Directors which state that Executives should hold shares worth at least 100% of their salary. 
Accordingly, until their guideline is met, Executives are required to retain:

a)  All shares they hold in the SIP
b)  All shares they acquire as a result of exercising SAYE options
c)  All shares that they acquire as a result of exercising options under the tax-advantaged ESOS net of the cost of those options
d)  At least 75% of any shares that they acquire as a result of exercising options under the non-tax-advantaged SESOS net of the cost of those 

options and the costs of settling related tax and National Insurance (“NI”) thereon 

e)  At least 75% of any post-tax and NI vested shares under the LTIP. 

All of the Executive Directors’ shareholdings already meet the guideline with the exception of Ian Bray who had joined the Company in 2011.

56
Fuller, Smith & Turner P.L.C.
Annual Report 2016

Directors’ Shareholdings

Directors Share Interests

Michael Turner

‘A’ ordinary 40p shares

‘B’ ordinary 4p shares

‘C’ ordinary 40p shares

2nd Preference £1 shares

Simon Emeny

‘A’ ordinary 40p shares

‘B’ ordinary 4p shares

James Douglas

‘A’ ordinary 40p shares

‘B’ ordinary 4p shares

Richard Fuller

‘A’ ordinary 40p shares

‘B’ ordinary 4p shares

‘C’ ordinary 40p shares

2nd Preference £1 shares

Ian Bray

‘A’ ordinary 40p shares

‘B’ ordinary 4p shares

Jonathon Swaine

‘A’ ordinary 40p shares

‘B’ ordinary 4p shares

John Dunsmore

‘A’ ordinary 40p shares

Sir James Fuller

‘A’ ordinary 40p shares

‘B’ ordinary 4p shares

‘C’ ordinary 40p shares

Lynn Fordham

‘A’ ordinary 40p shares

Alastair Kerr

‘A’ ordinary 40p shares

There were no changes in the beneficial interests of any Director to 3 June 2016.

Beneficial
interest 
at 26 March
 2016

Non–beneficial 
interest
 at 26 March 
2016

Beneficial
interest
 at 28 March 
2015

Non–beneficial 
interest
 at 28 March 
2015

271,378

2,988,394

624,260

71

93,974

829,572

45,095

250,752

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

271,378

2,988,394

624,260

71

98,730

738,883

48,449

178,583

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

1,193

500,000

8,106

500,000

3,194,358

10,935,015

3,253,744

10,935,015

25,000

303

8,057

41,463

21,227

98,432

23,305

88,942

9,143,952

2,702,003

13,098

3,941

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

25,000

303

2,266

–

18,827

62,688

23,305

88,942

9,143,952

2,702,003

13,098

3,941

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

57
Fuller, Smith & Turner P.L.C.
Annual Report 2016

Overview  Strategic Report  Governance  Financial Statements  Additional InformationDirectors’ Remuneration Report continued

Director’s Share Options

Director

Scheme

As at 
28 March
 2015

Exercised

Lapsed

Granted

Simon Emeny

SESOS

5,190

–

SAYE

SESOS

SESOS

SESOS

ESOS

SESOS

SAYE

SAYE

2,530

(2,530)

515

6,397

9,446

3,296

4.945

497

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

Total

32,816

(2,530)

James Douglas

SESOS

SESOS

SESOS

SESOS

SESOS

SESOS

SESOS

ESOS

SAYE

SAYE

Total

Richard Fuller

SESOS

ESOS

SAYE

SESOS

SAYE

SESOS

SESOS

SAYE

ESOS

SAYE

SAYE

SESOS

ESOS

SESOS

SAYE

SAYE

SAYE

Total

Ian Bray*

Total

2,391

8,625

4,504

628

5,094

7,517

2,659

3,296

1,204

–

35,918

2,592

869

665

3,228

563

4,765

3,747

828

2,588

401

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

(665)

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

20,246

(665)

1,503

4,255

4,549

497

722

–

11,526

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

As at 
26 March
 2016

Exercise 
price

Date of 
grant

Exercisable 
from

Expiry
 date

Price at
 exercise 
date

5,190

£5.78 12/07/10 12/07/13 12/07/20

–

515

6,397

9,446

3,296

4,945

£4.64 01/09/10 01/09/15 01/03/16

£10.63

£6.30 30/11/10 30/11/13 30/11/20

£7.09 20/07/11 20/07/14 19/07/21

£7.05 12/07/12 12/07/15 11/07/22

£9.10 01/07/13 01/07/16 01/07/23

£9.10 01/07/13 01/07/16 01/07/23

497

£7.24 01/09/13 01/09/18 01/03/19

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

3,034

3,034

£8.70 01/09/15 01/09/20 01/03/21

3,034

33,320

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

1,034

2,391

£4.05 15/07/08

15/07/11

15/07/18

8,625

£4.80 16/07/09 16/07/12 16/07/19

4,504

£5.78 12/07/10 12/07/13 12/07/20

628

£6.30 30/11/10 30/11/13 30/11/20

5,094

£7.09 20/07/11 20/07/14 19/07/21

7,517

£7.05 12/07/12 12/07/15 11/07/22

2,659

3,296

1,204

1,034

£9.10 01/07/13 01/07/16 01/07/23

£9.10 01/07/13 01/07/16 30/06/23

£7.47 01/09/14 01/09/17 01/03/18

£8.70 01/09/15 01/09/18 01/03/19

1,034

36,952

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

689

689

–

–

–

–

–

2,592

£5.78 12/07/10 12/07/13 12/07/20

869

£5.78 12/07/10 12/07/13 12/07/20

–

£4.64 01/09/10 01/09/15 01/03/16

£10.63

3,228

£7.09 20/07/11 20/07/14 19/07/21

563

£5.47 01/09/11 01/09/16 01/03/20

4,765

3,747

£7.05 12/07/12 12/07/15 11/07/22

£9.10 01/07/13 01/07/16 01/07/23

828

£7.24 01/09/13 01/09/18 01/03/19

2,588

£9.65 30/06/14 30/06/17 30/06/24

401

689

20,270

1,503

4,255

4,549

497

722

£7.47 01/09/14 01/09/19 01/03/20

£8.70 01/09/15 01/09/20 01/03/21

£7.05 12/07/12 12/07/15 11/07/22

£7.05 12/07/12 12/07/15 12/07/22

£9.10 01/07/13 01/07/16 01/07/23

£7.24 01/09/13 01/09/16 01/03/17

£7.47 01/09/14 01/09/17 01/03/18

1,034

1,034

£8.70 01/09/15 01/09/18 01/03/19

1,034

12,560

*  On his resignation with effect from 31 May 2016, all of Ian Bray’s outstanding options and share schemes lapsed.

58
Fuller, Smith & Turner P.L.C.
Annual Report 2016

Exercised

Lapsed

Granted

As at 
26 March
 2016

Exercise 
price

Date of 
grant

Exercisable 
from

Expiry
 date

Price at
 exercise 
date

Director

Scheme

Jonathon Swaine SESOS

ESOS

SESOS

SAYE

Total

TOTAL

As at 
28 March
 2015

709

4,255

3,901

8,865

109,371

(3,195)

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

709

£7.05 12/07/12 12/07/15 11/07/22

4,255

3,901

£7.05 12/07/12 12/07/15 12/07/22

£9.10 01/07/13 01/07/16 01/07/23

3,848

3,848

£8.70 01/09/15 01/09/20 01/03/21

3,848

12,713

9,639

115,815

Note: The Executive Share Option Scheme (ESOS), Savings-related share option scheme (SAYE) and Share Incentive Plan (SIP) are all tax-
advantaged share option schemes. The Senior Executive Share Option Scheme (SESOS) is not a tax-advantaged share option scheme. 

  Vested but unexercised options

Directors’ Long Term Incentive Plan Allocations

Director

Simon Emeny

‘A’ ordinary 40p shares

‘B’ ordinary 4p shares

James Douglas

‘A’ ordinary 40p shares

‘B’ ordinary 4p shares

Richard Fuller

‘A’ ordinary 40p shares

‘B’ ordinary 4p shares

Ian Bray2

‘A’ ordinary 40p shares

‘B’ ordinary 4p shares

Jonathon Swaine

‘A’ ordinary 40p shares

‘B’ ordinary 4p shares

Total held 
at 28 March 
2015

Awarded 
during 
the year

Vested during 
the year

Lapsed 
during
 the year

Total held 
at 26 March 
2016

Monetary value 
of vest
 £0001

105,862

264,657

33,100

82,752

(36,275)

(90,689)

(1,512)

(3,779)

101,175

252,941

79,427

198,571

37,438

93,599

45,355

113,388

23,089

57,724

(28,867)

(1,203)

(72,169)

(3,008)

72,446

181,118

10,747

26,869

12,776

31,940

(13,725)

(34,314)

(572)

(1,430)

33,888

84,724

(16,584)

(41,463)

(692)

(1,728)

40,855

102,137

40,274

13,321

(14,297)

100,688

33,302

(35,744)

(596)

(1,490)

38,702

96,756

420

105

335

84

159

40

192

48

166

41

1  The market price of ‘A’ ordinary shares on 31 July 2015 for the LTIP awards that vested and were released to participants was £11.59; the price of ‘B’ ordinary 

shares is assumed to be £1.16.

2  On his resignation with effect from 31 May 2016, all of Ian Bray’s outstanding LTIP awards lapsed.

The performance conditions for the LTIP are set out in the tables on pages 53 and 54 of this report.

59
Fuller, Smith & Turner P.L.C.
Annual Report 2016

Overview  Strategic Report  Governance  Financial Statements  Additional InformationDirectors’ Remuneration Report continued

Payments to Past Directors
Anthony Fuller, former Chairman and now President, receives an annual royalty of £15,000 which is paid in recognition of the fact that Mr Fuller 
has given the Company ongoing exclusive permission to use his name and signature on any Company product. 

Nigel Atkinson, former Non-Executive Director, receives annual fees of £7,500 which are paid because Mr Atkinson continues to act for the 
Company as our ambassador in the Hampshire area, attending various events as the Company’s representative. 

Payments for Loss of Office
There were no payments to Directors or former Directors for loss of office during the financial year. Ian Bray resigned as a Director with effect  
from 31 May 2016 and will receive payment equivalent to one year’s salary payable in monthly instalments in accordance with the remuneration 
policy. He is not entitled to receive any bonus payment or LTIP/options for the year ended 26 March 2016 and instead is due to receive a payment 
of £160,000.

Performance Graph and Table
The graph below shows a comparison of the Total Shareholder Return (“TSR”) for the Company’s listed ‘A’ ordinary shares for the last five financial 
years against the TSR for the companies in the FTSE Travel & Leisure Index. The Company is a constituent of this Index and therefore it is an 
appropriate choice for this report.

1,200

1,000

800

600

400

200

0

Mar 11

Jul 11

Nov 11 Mar 12

Jul 12

Nov 12 Mar 13

Jul 13

Nov 13 Mar 14

Jul 14

Nov 14 Mar 15

Jul 15

Nov 15

Mar 16

Fuller, Smith & Turner P.L.C.

FTSE All Share Travel & Leisure (rebased)

Source: Thomson Data stream

The table below shows the total remuneration figure for the Chief Executive over the last five financial years and the annual bonus and LTIP pay-out 
for each year as a percentage of the maximum available:

Single figure total remuneration

Annual bonus1

LTIP

2012

944

56%

92%

2013

911

41%

56%

20142

977

77%

64%

2015

1,244

76%

96%

2016

1,418

85%

100%

1  Annual bonus as a percentage of the maximum available.
2  Simon Emeny was appointed as Group Chief Executive in July 2013. The single total figure comprises the remuneration received by Simon Emeny in the 

financial year, hence includes remuneration for the three months prior to this promotion.

60
Fuller, Smith & Turner P.L.C.
Annual Report 2016

Relative Importance of Spend on Pay 
The table below shows the total remuneration for the Group’s employees compared to other key financial indicators:

140

120

100

80

60

40

20

0

£m

Remuneration

Taxes
payable to
HMRC1

Capital
Expenditure &
Business
Combinations2

Dividends3

Share
buybacks

2016               2015

1   Taxes payable to HMRC is based upon tax incurred in the year and includes corporation tax, VAT, PAYE, NI, duty, stamp duty, non-domestic rates, property 
licences, environmental levies and machine game duty. It has increased due to increased VAT and duty payments resulting from the continued growth of the 
Group. This measure has been selected as it reflects a significant outflow for the Group.

2  Capital expenditure (including business combinations) represents cash paid, is consistent with the numbers disclosed in the financial statements and has 

increased due to the purchase of five pubs and three freeholds of existing businesses in the year. This measure has been selected as it reflects a significant 
outflow for the Group.

3  Dividends represents the interim dividend for 2016 paid in the year and the final dividend for 2016 that has been proposed but not paid in the year.

Statement of Voting at the Last Annual General Meeting
At the Annual General Meeting held on 23 July 2015, votes cast by proxy in respect of the approval of the Directors’ Remuneration Report were  
as follows: 

Resolution text 

Number of 
votes cast for

Percentage 
of votes 
cast for

Number of 
votes cast 
against

Percentage 
of votes cast
against 

Total
votes cast

Number of 
votes withheld 

Approval of Remuneration Report 

101,930,831

99.53%

480,413

0.47% 102,411,244

2,016,472

The Directors’ Remuneration Report, encompassing pages 45 to 61, was approved by the Board and signed on its behalf.

Alastair Kerr
Chairman of the Remuneration Committee

9 June 2016

61
Fuller, Smith & Turner P.L.C.
Annual Report 2016

Overview  Strategic Report  Governance  Financial Statements  Additional InformationIndependent Auditor’s Report
to the members of Fuller, Smith & Turner P.L.C.

Our opinion on the financial statements is unmodified
In our opinion:

– the financial statements give a true and fair view of the state of the Group’s and of the Parent Company’s affairs as at 26 March 2016 and of 

the Group’s profit for the 52 week period then ended;

– the Group financial statements have been properly prepared in accordance with International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRSs) as 

adopted by the European Union;

– the Parent Company financial statements have been properly prepared in accordance with IFRSs as adopted by the European Union and as 

applied in accordance with the provisions of the Companies Act 2006; and

– the financial statements have been prepared in accordance with the requirements of the Companies Act 2006 and, as regards the Group 

financial statements, Article 4 of the IAS Regulation.

Who we are reporting to
This report is made solely to the Company’s members, as a body, in accordance with Chapter 3 of Part 16 of the Companies Act 2006. 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.

What we have audited
Fuller Smith & Turner P.L.C.’s financial statements for the 52 week period ended 26 March 2016 comprise the Group Income Statement, the 
Group and Company Statements of Comprehensive Income, the Group and Company Balance Sheets, the Group and Company Statements 
of Changes in Equity, the Group and Company Cash Flow Statements and the related notes.

The financial reporting framework that has been applied in their preparation is applicable law and IFRSs as adopted by the European Union and, 
as regards the Parent Company financial statements, as applied in accordance with the provisions of the Companies Act 2006.

Overview of our audit approach
– Overall Group materiality: £2 million, which represents approximately 5% of the Group's profit before taxation and exceptional items; 
– We performed full scope audit procedures over 96% of the Group’s profit before taxation which arose in the Parent Company, and targeted 

procedures for subsidiary operations; and

– Key audit risks identified were assessment of impairment of property, plant and equipment and goodwill, risk of fraud in revenue recognition 

and accounting for acquisitions.

Our assessment of risk
In arriving at our opinions set out in this report, we highlight the following risks that, in our judgement, had the greatest effect on our audit.

Audit risk:

How we responded to the risk: 

Assessment of impairment of property, plant and equipment and goodwill

As more fully explained in note 11, the Directors are required to make 
an impairment assessment for property, plant and equipment when 
there is an indication that an asset may be impaired and for goodwill 
annually. The process for measuring and recognising impairment under 
International Accounting Standard (IAS) 36 ‘Impairment of Assets’ is 
complex and highly judgemental, particularly as each individual trading 
outlet is treated as a separate cash-generating unit for impairment 
purposes. We therefore identified the assessment of impairment 
of property, plant and equipment and goodwill as a significant risk 
requiring special audit consideration.

Our audit work included, but was not restricted to: 

– an assessment of current trading and the market for pub transactions;
– challenge of the impairment models prepared by management that 

assess each trading property and each component of goodwill; 

– a review of the key inputs within the calculations, as well as performing 
a completeness review of all operating units to ensure all appropriate 
sites had been appropriately identified;

– challenging management’s impairment model, using industry data 
to consider the reasonableness of management’s assumptions, 
in particular growth and discount rates;

– testing the accuracy of management’s forecasting through 
a comparison of budget to actual data and historical trends. 

The Group’s accounting policy on impairment is shown in note 1 and 
related disclosures are included in respect of property, plant and 
equipment in note 11 and goodwill in note 10. The Audit Committee 
also identified impairment testing of property assets as a significant 
issue in its report on page 42, where the Committee also describes 
how it addressed this issue.

62
Fuller, Smith & Turner P.L.C.
Annual Report 2016

Audit risk:

Risk of fraud in revenue recognition

Under International Standards on Auditing (ISAs) (UK and Ireland), 
there is a presumed risk of fraud in revenue recognition. As the Group 
records a substantial proportion of sales in cash and through point of 
sale transactions, we identified the risk of fraud in revenue recognition 
as a significant risk requiring special audit consideration.

Accounting for acquisitions

As a significant business combination in the prior period, there is a 
requirement to recognise the acquisition of The Stable Pizza & Cider 
Ltd in line with IFRS 3 (Revised) ‘Business Combinations’. The risk 
is that an inappropriate valuation and accounting treatment may be 
applied due to the nature of the acquisition and specifically the terms 
of the put and call options. In addition to the acquisition of The Stable 
Pizza & Cider Ltd in the prior period, the Group made other acquisitions 
in the current period which are subject to management estimate of 
the valuation of assets acquired and consideration payable including 
additional put and call options.

We therefore considered accounting for acquisitions as a significant 
risk requiring special audit consideration.

How we responded to the risk: 

Our audit work included, but was not restricted to:

– an evaluation of the revenue recognition policies for each of the 
Group’s two principal revenue streams against the requirements 
of the Group’s stated accounting policies and IAS 18 ‘Revenue’; 

– for beer and liquor sales made by the Brewery we performed testing 
of certain key controls such as proof of delivery over invoicing and 
despatch, testing the recovery of trade receivables to after date 
cash and checking the application of cut-off at the year end;
– for managed inns revenue we tested the key controls over the 

completeness and capture of sales from individual inns and tested 
the receipt of cash collected at inns into Group bank accounts.

For all income streams, we assessed management review processes  
for the assessment and reporting of revenue.

The Group’s accounting policy on revenue, including its recognition, 
is shown in note 1 and related disclosures are included in note 3.

Our audit work included, but was not restricted to:

– an evaluation of the acquisition accounting papers provided 

by management against the requirements of IFRS 3 (Revised) 
‘Business Combinations’ and a review of the Share Purchase 
Agreements and other relevant signed documentation relating 
to the acquisitions; 

– in addition, we assessed the recognition and valuation of the 

contingent consideration including the put and call options against 
the requirements of IFRS 3 (Revised) ‘Business Combinations’ and 
IAS 32 ‘Financial Instruments Presentation’.

The Group’s disclosures of Business Combinations is included in 
note 17. The Audit Committee also identified acquisitions, including 
the acquisition of a majority interest in Nectar Imports Ltd and 
G&M Leisure Ltd and the basis for The Stable Pizza & Cider Ltd put 
and call liability, as a significant issue in its report on page 42, where 
the Committee also describes how it addressed this issue.

Our application of materiality and an overview of the scope of our audit
Materiality
We define materiality as the magnitude of misstatement in the financial statements that makes it probable that the economic decisions of 
a reasonably knowledgeable person would be changed or influenced. We use materiality in determining the nature, timing and extent of our 
audit work and in evaluating the results of that work.

We determined materiality for the audit of the Group financial statements as a whole to be £2 million, which is approximately 5% of the Group’s 
profit before taxation and exceptional items. This benchmark is considered the most appropriate because it is one of the key performance 
indicators for the Board and its shareholders as well as being a crucial component of the earnings per share calculation and in calculating 
Directors’ bonuses. 

Materiality for the current year is higher than the level we determined for the 52 week period ended 28 March 2015 reflecting the Group’s 
increased activity and profit before taxation and exceptional items. 

We used a different level of materiality, performance materiality, to drive the extent of our testing and this was set at 70% of financial statement 
materiality for the audit of the Group financial statements. We also determined a lower level of specific materiality for certain areas such as 
Directors’ remuneration and related party transactions.

We determined the threshold at which we communicate misstatements in respect of the Group financial statements to the Audit Committee to 
be £100,000. In addition we communicated misstatements below that threshold that, in our view, warranted reporting on qualitative grounds.

63
Fuller, Smith & Turner P.L.C.
Annual Report 2016

Overview  Strategic Report  Governance  Financial Statements  Additional InformationIndependent Auditor’s Report continued
to the Members of Fuller, Smith & Turner P.L.C.

Overview of the scope of our audit
A description of the scope of an audit of financial statements is provided on the Financial Reporting Council’s website at  
www.frc.org.uk/auditscopeukprivate.

We conducted our audit in accordance with ISAs (UK and Ireland). Our responsibilities under those standards are further described in the 
‘Responsibilities for the financial statements and the audit’ section of our report. We believe that the audit evidence we have obtained is 
sufficient and appropriate to provide a basis for our opinion.

We are independent of the Group in accordance with the Auditing Practices Board’s Ethical Standards for Auditors, and we have fulfilled our 
other ethical responsibilities in accordance with those Ethical Standards. 

Our audit approach was based on a thorough understanding of the Group’s business and is risk based, and in particular included: 

– evaluation by the Group audit team of identified components to assess the significance of that component and to determine the planned 

audit response based on a measure of materiality. Although the Group financial statements are a consolidation of the Parent Company and 
its trading subsidiaries, over 96% of the Group’s profit before taxation arose in the Parent Company on which we performed a full scope audit;

– recognition that the Group is organised into three principal operating divisions: Managed Pubs and Hotels, Tenanted Inns and The Fuller’s 
Beer Company. Managed Pubs and Hotels represent one revenue stream and Tenanted Inns and The Fuller’s Beer Company are reported 
as another stream. We tested controls over the financial reporting systems identified as part of our risk assessment, reviewed the accounts 
production process and addressed critical accounting matters. We sought, wherever possible, to rely on the effectiveness of the Group’s 
internal controls in order to reduce substantive testing;

– undertaking controls and substantive testing on significant transactions, balances and disclosures, the extent of which was based on various 

factors such as our overall assessment of the control environment, the design effectiveness of controls over individual systems and the 
management of specific risks.

Other reporting required by regulations
Our opinion on other matters prescribed by the Companies Act 2006 is unmodified
In our opinion:

– the part of the Directors’ Remuneration Report to be audited has been properly prepared in accordance with the Companies Act 2006; and
– the information given in the Strategic Report and Directors’ Report for the financial period for which the financial statements are prepared 

is consistent with the financial statements. 

Matters on which we are required to report by exception
Under the Companies Act 2006 we are required to report to you if, in our opinion:
– adequate accounting records have not been kept by the Parent Company, or returns adequate for our audit have not been received from 

branches not visited by us; or

– the Parent Company financial statements and the part of the Directors’ Remuneration Report to be audited are not in agreement with the 

accounting records and returns; or

– certain disclosures of Directors’ remuneration specified by law are not made; or
– we have not received all the information and explanations we require for our audit.

Under the Listing Rules, we are required to review:
– the Directors’ statements, set out on page 20, in relation to going concern and longer-term viability; and
– the part of the Corporate Governance Statement relating to the Company’s compliance with the provisions of the UK Corporate 

Governance Code specified for our review.

64
Fuller, Smith & Turner P.L.C.
Annual Report 2016

Under the ISAs (UK and Ireland), we are required to report to you if, in our opinion, information in the Annual Report is:
– materially inconsistent with the information in the audited financial statements; or
– apparently materially incorrect based on, or materially inconsistent with, our knowledge of the Group acquired in the course of performing 

our audit; or

– otherwise misleading.

In particular, we are required to report to you if:
– we have identified any inconsistencies between our knowledge acquired during the audit and the Directors’ statement that they consider 

the Annual Report is fair, balanced and understandable; or

– the Annual Report does not appropriately disclose those matters that were communicated to the Audit Committee which we consider 

should have been disclosed.

We have nothing to report in respect of any of the above matters.

We also confirm that we do not have anything material to add or to draw attention to in relation to:

– the Directors’ confirmation in the Annual Report that they have carried out a robust assessment of the principal risks facing the Group 

including those that would threaten its business model, future performance, solvency or liquidity;

– the disclosures in the Annual Report that describe those risks and explain how they are being managed or mitigated;
– the Directors’ statement in the financial statements about whether they have considered it appropriate to adopt the going concern basis 

of accounting in preparing them, and their identification of any material uncertainties to the Group’s ability to continue to do so over a period 
of at least twelve months from the date of approval of the financial statements; and

– the Directors’ explanation in the Annual Report as to how they have assessed the prospects of the Group, over what period they have done 

so and why they consider that period to be appropriate, and their statement as to whether they have a reasonable expectation that the 
Group will be able to continue in operation and meet its liabilities as they fall due over the period of their assessment, including any related 
disclosures drawing attention to any necessary qualifications or assumptions. 

Responsibilities for the financial statements and the audit
What the Directors are responsible for:
As explained more fully in the Statement of Directors’ Responsibilities set out on page 37, the Directors are responsible for the preparation 
of the financial statements and for being satisfied that they give a true and fair view.

What we are responsible for:
Our responsibility is to audit and express an opinion on the financial statements in accordance with applicable law and ISAs (UK and Ireland). 
Those standards require us to comply with the Auditing Practices Board’s Ethical Standards for Auditors.

Charles Hutton-Potts
Senior Statutory Auditor
for and on behalf of Grant Thornton UK LLP
Statutory Auditor, Chartered Accountants
London

9 June 2016

65
Fuller, Smith & Turner P.L.C.
Annual Report 2016

Overview  Strategic Report  Governance  Financial Statements  Additional InformationGroup Income Statement
for the 52 weeks ended 26 March 2016

Revenue

Operating costs 

Operating profit

Profit on disposal of properties

Pension fund curtailment gain

Finance costs

Profit before tax

Taxation

Profit for the year 

Attributable to:

Equity shareholders of the Parent Company

Non-controlling interests

Earnings per share per 40p ‘A’ and ‘C’ ordinary share

Basic

Diluted

Adjusted

Diluted adjusted

Earnings per share per 4p ‘B’ ordinary share

Basic

Diluted

Adjusted

Diluted adjusted

Note

3 

4,5

5 

5 

5,6

5,7

8 

8 

8 

8 

8 

8 

8 

8 

52 weeks ended 26 March 2016

52 weeks ended 28 March 2015

Before
exceptional
items
£m

Exceptional
items
£m

Before
exceptional
items
£m

Exceptional
items
£m

Total
£m

 350.5 

(303.6) 

 46.9 

–

–

(6.0) 

 40.9 

(8.4) 

 32.5 

 32.3 

 0.2 

Pence

 58.35 

 57.56 

 5.84

 5.76 

–

 350.5 

 321.5 

(3.9) 

(3.9) 

 2.9 

 – 

(0.7) 

(1.7) 

 2.2 

0.5 

0.5 

–

(307.5) 

(279.2) 

 43.0 

 42.3 

 2.9 

–

(6.7) 

 39.2 

(6.2) 

 33.0 

 32.8 

 0.2 

 – 

 – 

(5.9) 

 36.4 

(7.9) 

28.5

28.6

(0.1) 

Pence

Pence

 59.25 

 58.45 

 5.93 

 5.85 

51.51

50.78

5.15

5.08

Total
£m

 321.5 

(280.7) 

 40.8 

 0.8 

 1.2 

(6.7) 

 36.1 

(7.8) 

 – 

(1.5) 

(1.5) 

 0.8 

 1.2 

(0.8) 

(0.3) 

0.1

(0.2) 

 28.3 

(0.2) 

 28.4

 – 

(0.1) 

Pence

51.15

50.42

5.12

5.04

The results and earnings per share measures above are all in respect of continuing operations of the Group.

66
Fuller, Smith & Turner P.L.C.
Annual Report 2016

Group and Company Statements of Comprehensive Income
for the 52 weeks ended 26 March 2016

Group

Profit for the year

Items that may be reclassified to profit or loss

Net losses on valuation of financial assets and liabilities

Tax related to items that may be reclassified to profit or loss

Items that will not be reclassified to profit or loss

Net actuarial gains/(losses) on pension schemes

Tax related to items that will not be reclassified to profit or loss

Other comprehensive loss for the year, net of tax

Total comprehensive income for the year, net of tax

Total comprehensive income attributable to:

Equity shareholders of the Parent Company

Non-controlling interest

Company

Profit for the year

Items that may be reclassified to profit or loss

Net losses on valuation of financial assets and liabilities

Tax related to items that may be reclassified to profit or loss

Items that will not be reclassified to profit or loss

Net actuarial gains/(losses) on pension schemes

Tax related to items that will not be reclassified to profit or loss

Other comprehensive loss for the year, net of tax

Total comprehensive income for the year, net of tax

Note

26 

23 

26 

23 

52 weeks
ended
26 March
2016
£m

 33.0

52 weeks
ended
28 March
2015
£m

28.3

(0.3)

0.1

 0.7 

(0.8)

 (0.3) 

 32.7

 32.5 

 0.2 

(3.0) 

0.6

(8.3) 

1.7

(9.0) 

19.3

19.4

(0.1) 

 31.3

27.0

(0.3) 

0.1 

 0.7 

(0.8) 

 (0.3) 

 31.0

(3.0) 

0.6

(8.3) 

1.7

(9.0) 

18.0

67
Fuller, Smith & Turner P.L.C.
Annual Report 2016

Overview  Strategic Report  Governance  Financial Statements  Additional InformationGroup and Company Balance Sheets
26 March 2016

Non-current assets

Intangible assets

Property, plant and equipment

Investment properties

Other financial assets

Other non-current assets

Investments in subsidiaries

Deferred tax assets

Total non-current assets

Current assets

Inventories

Trade and other receivables

Cash and short term deposits

Total current assets

Assets classified as held for sale

Current liabilities

Trade and other payables

Current tax payable

Provisions

Borrowings

Total current liabilities

Non-current liabilities

Borrowings

Other financial liabilities

Retirement benefit obligations

Deferred tax liabilities

Provisions

Other non-current payables

Total non-current liabilities

Net assets

Capital and reserves

Share capital

Share premium account

Capital redemption reserve

Own shares

Hedging reserve

Retained earnings

Equity attributable to equity holders of the parent

Non-controlling interest

Total equity

Approved by the Board and signed on 9 June 2016.

M J Turner, FCA
Chairman

68
Fuller, Smith & Turner P.L.C.
Annual Report 2016

Note

10 

11 

12 

13 

14 

15 

25 

18 

19 

22 

20 

21 

25 

22 

22 

13 

23 

25 

25 

21 

27 

27 

27 

27 

27 

Group
2016
£m

39.8

533.8 

4.6 

0.1 

0.3 

–

8.3

Group
2015
£m

Company
2016
£m

Company
2015
£m

38.7 

471.9

4.6

0.3 

0.3 

 – 

8.4

7.7 

521.2 

4.6 

0.1 

0.3 

99.6 

7.8 

8.5 

466.7

4.6 

0.3

0.3 

94.8

8.2

586.9 

524.2

641.3 

583.4

12.4 

21.0 

6.2 

39.6 

0.5

60.8 

4.4 

0.4 

20.0 

85.6

184.7

10.7

23.5 

19.0 

2.2 

0.4 

240.5 

300.9

22.8 

4.8 

3.1 

(15.8)

(2.6)

293.0

305.3

(4.4)

300.9 

10.6 

17.7 

5.1 

33.4 

 – 

49.2 

3.9

0.4 

20.0 

73.5

147.7 

6.1

24.4 

21.3

2.5 

0.4 

202.4

281.7

22.8 

4.8 

3.1 

(13.5)

(2.4)

270.0

284.8

(3.1)

281.7

10.9

32.2 

5.1 

48.2 

0.5

158.1 

4.3 

0.4 

20.0 

182.8 

184.5 

3.2 

23.5 

18.6 

2.2 

 – 

232.0

275.2 

22.8 

4.8 

3.1 

(15.8)

(2.6)

262.9 

275.2 

–

10.6 

26.4

4.8

41.8

 – 

145.9

3.9

0.4 

20.0 

170.2

147.5

3.1

24.4 

21.3

2.5 

 – 

198.8

256.2

22.8 

4.8 

3.1 

(13.5)

(2.4)

241.4

256.2

 – 

275.2 

256.2

Group and Company Statements of Changes in Equity
for the 52 weeks ended 26 March 2016

Group

At 29 March 2014

Profit for the year

Other comprehensive loss  
for the year

Total comprehensive (loss)/
income for the year

Shares purchased to be held in 
ESOT or as treasury

Shares released from ESOT 
and treasury

Dividends (note 9)

Share-based payment charges

Tax credited directly to equity 
(note 7)

Adjustments arising from 
change in non-controlling 
interest (note 16)

Total transactions with owners

At 28 March 2015

Profit for the year

Other comprehensive loss  
for the year

Total comprehensive (loss)/
income for the year

Shares purchased to be held in 
ESOT or as treasury

Shares released from ESOT 
and treasury

Dividends (note 9)

Share-based payment charges

Tax credited directly to equity 
(note 7)

Adjustments arising from 
change in non-controlling 
interest (note 16)

Total transactions with owners

Share
capital
(note 27)
£m

22.8 

 – 

 – 

 – 

 – 

 – 

 – 

 – 

 – 

 – 

 – 

22.8 

–

 – 

 – 

 – 

 – 

 – 

 – 

 – 

 – 

 – 

At 26 March 2016

22.8 

Share
premium
account
£m

Capital
redemption
reserve
£m

4.8 

 – 

 – 

 – 

 – 

 – 

 – 

 – 

 – 

 – 

 – 

4.8 

 – 

 – 

 – 

 – 

 – 

 – 

 – 

 – 

 – 

 – 

4.8 

3.1 

 – 

 – 

 – 

 – 

 – 

 – 

 – 

 – 

 – 

 – 

3.1 

 – 

 – 

 – 

 – 

 – 

 – 

 – 

 – 

 – 

 – 

3.1 

Own
shares
(note 27)
£m

(9.7)

 – 

 – 

 – 

(7.1) 

 3.3 

 – 

 – 

 – 

 – 

(3.8) 

(13.5)

 – 

 – 

 – 

(6.2) 

 3.9 

 – 

 – 

 – 

 – 

(2.3) 

(15.8)

Hedging
reserve
£m

 – 

 – 

Retained
earnings
£m

256.2 

28.4 

Non-
controlling
interest
(note 16)
£m

 – 

(0.1) 

Total
£m

277.2 

28.4 

Total
equity
£m

277.2 

28.3 

(2.4) 

(6.6) 

(9.0)

 – 

(9.0)

(2.4)

21.8

19.4

(0.1)

19.3

 – 

 – 

 – 

 – 

 – 

 – 

 – 

 – 

(7.1)

(2.3)

(8.7) 

2.6 

1.0 

(8.7)

2.6 

 0.4 

0.4

 – 

 – 

(8.0) 

(11.8) 

(2.4)

270.0

284.8

 – 

32.8

32.8 

 – 

 – 

 – 

 – 

 – 

(7.1)

1.0 

(8.7)

2.6 

0.4

(3.0) 

(3.0) 

(3.1)

 0.2 

(3.0)

(14.8) 

281.7

 33.0 

 (0.2)

 (0.1) 

(0.3) 

 – 

 (0.3) 

 (0.2) 

 32.7 

 32.5 

 0.2 

 32.7 

 – 

 – 

 – 

 – 

 – 

 – 

 – 

–

(6.2)

 (3.1)

(9.5) 

2.6

0.8 

(9.5)

2.6 

0.3

0.3 

 – 

 – 

 – 

 – 

 – 

(6.2) 

 0.8 

(9.5) 

 2.6 

 0.3 

 – 

 – 

(9.7) 

(12.0) 

(1.5)

 (1.5) 

 (1.5) 

(13.5) 

(2.6)

293.0 

305.3 

(4.4)

 300.9 

69
Fuller, Smith & Turner P.L.C.
Annual Report 2016

Overview  Strategic Report  Governance  Financial Statements  Additional Information 
 
 
Group and Company Statements of Changes in Equity continued
for the 52 weeks ended 26 March 2016

Company

At 29 March 2014

Profit for the year

Other comprehensive loss for the year

Total comprehensive (loss)/income for the year

Shares purchased to be held in ESOT  
or as treasury

Shares released from ESOT and treasury

Dividends (note 9)

Share-based payment charges

Tax credited directly to equity 

Total transactions with owners

At 28 March 2015

Profit for the year

Other comprehensive loss for the year

Total comprehensive (loss)/income for the year

Shares purchased to be held in ESOT 
or as treasury

Shares released from ESOT and treasury

Dividends (note 9)

Share-based payment charges

Tax credited directly to equity 

Total transactions with owners

At 26 March 2016

Share
capital
(note 27)
£m

Share
premium
account
£m

Capital
redemption
reserve
£m

22.8 

4.8 

 – 

 – 

 – 

 – 

 – 

 – 

 – 

 – 

 – 

 – 

 – 

 – 

 – 

 – 

 – 

 – 

 – 

 – 

22.8 

4.8 

 – 

 – 

 – 

 – 

 – 

 – 

 – 

 – 

 – 

 – 

 – 

 – 

 – 

 – 

 – 

 – 

 – 

 – 

3.1 

 – 

 – 

 – 

 – 

 – 

 – 

 – 

 – 

 – 

3.1 

 – 

 – 

 – 

 – 

 – 

 – 

 – 

 – 

 – 

22.8 

4.8 

3.1 

Own
shares
(note 27)
£m

(9.7)

 – 

 – 

 – 

(7.1) 

 3.3 

 – 

 – 

 – 

(3.8) 

(13.5)

 – 

 – 

 – 

(6.2) 

 3.9 

 – 

 – 

 – 

(2.3) 

(15.8)

Hedging
reserve
£m

Retained
earnings
£m

Total
£m

–

 – 

(2.4) 

(2.4) 

 – 

 – 

 – 

 – 

 – 

 – 

(2.4)

 – 

 (0.2) 

 (0.2) 

 – 

 – 

 – 

 – 

 – 

 – 

229.0 

250.0 

27.0

(6.6)

20.4

–

(2.3)

(8.7)

2.6 

0.4

(8.0) 

241.4

31.3 

(0.1) 

 31.2 

 – 

 (3.1) 

(9.5) 

 2.6 

 0.3 

27.0

(9.0)

18.0

(7.1)

1.0

(8.7)

2.6

0.4

(11.8)

256.2

31.3 

(0.3)

 31.0 

(6.2)

0.8 

(9.5)

2.6 

0.3 

 (9.7) 

 (12.0) 

(2.6)

 262.9 

 275.2 

70
Fuller, Smith & Turner P.L.C.
Annual Report 2016

 
 
Group and Company Cash Flow Statements
for the 52 weeks ended 26 March 2016

Profit before tax

Net finance costs before exceptional items

Exceptional items

Depreciation and amortisation

Difference between pension charge and cash paid

Share-based payment charges

Change in trade and other receivables

Change in inventories

Change in trade and other payables

Cash impact of operating exceptional items

Cash generated from operations

Tax paid

Cash generated from operating activities

Cash flow from investing activities

Business combinations

Purchase of property, plant and equipment

Cash/(overdraft) acquired on acquisition

Sale of property, plant and equipment

Net cash outflow from investing activities

Cash flow from financing activities

Purchase of own shares

Receipts on release of own shares to option schemes

Interest paid

Preference dividends paid

Equity dividends paid

Drawdown of bank loans

Repayment of other loans

Loans to subsidiary companies

Cost of refinancing

Cost of new derivative instruments

Net cash inflow/(outflow) from financing activities

Net movement in cash and cash equivalents

Cash and cash equivalents at the start of the year

Cash and cash equivalents at the end of the year

Group
52 weeks
ended
26 March
2016
£m

Group
52 weeks
ended
28 March
2015
£m

Company
52 weeks
ended
26 March
2016
£m

Company
52 weeks
ended
28 March
2015
£m

Note

39.2 

6.0 

1.7

18.1

65.0 

(1.0)

2.6

(0.3)

(0.3)

3.7

(1.1)

68.6 

(8.5) 

60.1 

(14.7)

(66.0)

0.9

5.1

(74.7)

(6.2) 

0.8

(5.3)

(0.1) 

(9.5) 

36.4

(0.2)

–

(0.2)

–

15.7 

 1.1 

 5.1 

 6.2 

5 

4 

5 

17 

27 

9 

9 

22 

22 

36.1 

5.9 

0.3 

16.4

58.7

(0.7)

2.6

(0.6)

–

1.7

(1.7)

60.0

(8.3) 

51.7

(25.2)

(31.1)

(0.1)

3.3

(53.1)

(7.1) 

 1.0 

(5.2)

(0.1) 

(8.7) 

24.5

(0.5)

–

(1.1)

(0.4)

2.4

1.0

 4.1 

5.1

37.5

8.5

(0.6)

16.9

 62.3 

(1.0)

2.6 

(0.6)

(0.3)

4.8

(0.9)

66.9

(8.5)

58.4 

34.2

8.8

0.3

15.8

 59.1 

(0.7)

2.6

(0.4)

–

0.9

(1.7)

59.8

(8.3)

51.5

(13.8) 

(59.2)

 – 

5.1

(21.6)

(28.2) 

 – 

3.3

(67.9) 

(46.5) 

(6.2)

0.8 

(5.3)

(0.1)

(9.5)

36.4 

– 

(6.1)

(0.2)

– 

9.8

0.3

4.8 

5.1 

(7.1)

1.0 

(5.2)

(0.1)

(8.7)

24.5

–

(7.2)

(1.1)

(0.4)

(4.3)

0.7

4.1 

4.8

71
Fuller, Smith & Turner P.L.C.
Annual Report 2016

Overview  Strategic Report  Governance  Financial Statements  Additional InformationNotes to the Financial Statements

1. Authorisation of Financial Statements and Accounting Policies
Authorisation of Financial Statements and Statement of Compliance with IFRSs
The financial statements of Fuller, Smith & Turner P.L.C. and its subsidiaries (the “Group”) for the 52 weeks ended 26 March 2016 were 
authorised for issue by the Board of Directors on 9 June 2016 and the Balance Sheet was signed on the Board’s behalf by M J Turner. Fuller, 
Smith & Turner P.L.C. is a public limited company incorporated and domiciled in England and Wales. The Company’s ordinary ‘A’ shares are 
traded on the London Stock Exchange.

The Group’s and Company’s financial statements have been prepared in accordance with International Financial Reporting Standards (“IFRSs”) 
as adopted for use in the European Union and applied to the financial statements of the Group and the Company for the 52 weeks ended 
26 March 2016, in accordance with the provisions of the Companies Act 2006.

The principal accounting policies adopted by the Group and by the Company are set out in the accounting policies below. 

Profit Attributable to Members of the Parent Company
As permitted by Section 408 of the Companies Act 2006 a separate Income Statement for the Parent Company has not been prepared. 
The profit attributable to ordinary shareholders and included in the financial statements of the Parent Company was £31.3 million (2015: 
£27.0 million). There was no dividend from subsidiary companies during the current year (2015: £nil).

Significant Accounting Policies
Basis of Preparation
The accounting policies which follow set out those policies which apply in preparing the financial statements for the 52 weeks ended 26 March 2016.

The Group and Company financial statements are presented in Sterling and all values are shown in millions of pounds (£m) rounded to the 
nearest hundred thousand, except when otherwise indicated.

The Directors have considered a number of cash flow scenarios and have determined that the Group has adequate resources, an appropriate 
financial structure and suitable management arrangements in place to continue in operational existence for the foreseeable future.

Revision to Transfer Prices and Central Cost Allocation
The Group’s policy is to set transfer prices between segments at an arm’s length basis, similar to transactions with third parties. In line with best 
practice, the transfer price is regularly reviewed and revised as required. The latest revision to the transfer price was applied on 29 March 2015. 
In addition, the allocation basis of costs related to shared services was revised. To aid comparability with the current results, we have included 
additional disclosures to present the comparative segmental information based on the revised basis. The revised information is included in note 2 
to these statements.

Adoption of New Standards and Interpretations:
The following new and amended IFRS and IFRIC interpretations are effective for the Group’s period commencing 29 March 2015:

– Annual improvements to IFRS 2010-2012 cycle 
– Annual improvements to IFRS 2011-2013 cycle 
– Defined Benefit Plans: Employee Contributions (Amendments to IAS 19) 

1 January 2015
1 February 2015
1 February 2015

The Directors do not believe the adoption of these new standards and interpretations has had any significant impact on the amounts reported 
in the financial statements.

Basis of Consolidation
The Group financial statements consolidate the financial statements of Fuller, Smith & Turner P.L.C. and the entities it controls (its subsidiaries) 
drawn up for the 52 weeks ended 26 March 2016 (2015: 52 weeks ended 28 March 2015).

Subsidiaries are consolidated from the date of their acquisition, being the date on which the Group obtains control, and continue to be 
consolidated until the date that such control ceases. Control comprises the power to direct the relevant activities of the subsidiary which 
significantly affect the return of the subsidiary, so as to obtain benefit from its activities and is achieved through direct or indirect ownership 
of voting rights; currently exercisable or convertible potential voting rights; or by way of contractual agreement. The financial statements of 
subsidiaries are prepared for the same reporting year as the Parent Company, using consistent accounting policies. All inter-company balances 
and transactions, including unrealised profits arising from them, are eliminated.

72
Fuller, Smith & Turner P.L.C.
Annual Report 2016

1. Authorisation of Financial Statements and Accounting Policies continued
Intangible Assets
Intangible assets are carried at cost less accumulated amortisation and impairment losses. Intangible assets acquired separately from a business 
are carried initially at cost. An intangible asset acquired as part of a business combination is recognised outside goodwill if the asset is separable 
or arises from contractual or other legal rights and its fair value can be measured reliably. Payments made to acquire operating leases from third 
parties are classified as intangible assets and amortised over the expected life of the lease and recognised in the Income Statement. 

Goodwill
Business combinations are accounted for under IFRS 3 using the purchase method. Any excess of the consideration of the business 
combination over the Group’s interest in the net fair value of the identifiable assets, liabilities and contingent liabilities is recognised in the 
Balance Sheet as goodwill and is not amortised. To the extent that the net fair value of the acquired entity’s identifiable assets, liabilities and 
contingent liabilities is greater than the cost of the investment, a gain is recognised immediately in the Income Statement.

After initial recognition, goodwill is stated at cost less any accumulated impairment losses, with the carrying value being reviewed for impairment, 
at least annually and whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying value may be impaired. Any impairment of goodwill 
made cannot be reversed if circumstances subsequently change.

Any contingent considerations recognised on business combinations are measured at fair value using Level 3 valuation techniques.

For the purpose of impairment testing, goodwill is allocated to the related cash-generating units (or group of cash-generating units) monitored 
by management. Where the recoverable amount of the cash-generating unit is less than its carrying amount, including goodwill, an impairment 
loss is recognised in the Income Statement.

The carrying amount of goodwill allocated to a cash-generating unit is taken into account when determining the gain or loss on disposal of the 
unit, or of an operation within it.

Property, Plant and Equipment
Property, plant and equipment is stated at cost or deemed cost less accumulated depreciation and any impairment in value. Depreciation is calculated 
on a straight-line basis down to the estimated residual value over the expected useful life of the asset as follows:

Freehold buildings – Hotel accommodation and offices 

Up to 50 years

Freehold buildings – Licensed retail property, unlicensed property and brewery 

50 to 100 years

Leasehold improvements 

Roofs 

The term of the lease

From 10 to 50 years

Plant, machinery and vehicles, containers, fixtures and fittings 

From three years up to 25 years

As required under IAS 16 Property Plant and Equipment, expected useful lives and residual values are reviewed every year. Land is not depreciated.

Government Grants
Government grants are not recognised until there is reasonable assurance that the Group will comply with the conditions attaching to them and 
that the grants will be received.

Government grants are recognised in profit or loss on a systematic basis over the periods in which the Group recognises as expenses the related 
costs for which the grants are intended to compensate. Specifically, government grants whose primary condition is that the Group should 
purchase, construct or otherwise acquire non-current assets are recognised as deferred revenue in the Balance Sheet and transferred to the 
Income Statement on a systematic basis over the useful economic life of the related assets. 

Investment Property
The Group owns properties that are not used for the production of goods or services but are held for capital appreciation or rental purposes. 
These properties are classified as investment properties and their carrying values are based on cost. Depreciation is calculated on a straight-line 
basis down to the estimated residual value over the expected useful life of the asset, which for investment properties is 50 to 100 years.

73
Fuller, Smith & Turner P.L.C.
Annual Report 2016

Overview  Strategic Report  Governance  Financial Statements  Additional Information1. Authorisation of Financial Statements and Accounting Policies continued
Impairment
Carrying values are reviewed for impairment if events indicate that the carrying value of the asset may not be recoverable. If such an indicator 
exists and where the carrying values exceed the estimated recoverable amount, the assets or cash-generating units are written down to their 
recoverable amounts. An asset’s recoverable amount is the greater of the fair value less costs to sell, and the value in use. In assessing value in 
use, the estimated future cash flows are discounted to present value using a pre-tax discount rate that reflects the current market assessments 
of the time value of money and risks specific to the asset. For an asset that does not generate largely independent cash inflows, the recoverable 
amount is determined for the smallest cash-generating unit to which the asset belongs. Impairment losses, and any reversal of such losses, are 
recognised in the Income Statement.

Leases
Group as a lessee
Leases where the lessor retains substantially all the risks and benefits of ownership of the asset are classified as operating leases and rentals 
payable are charged in the Income Statement on a straight-line basis over the lease term. 

Group as a lessor
Assets leased under operating leases are included in property, plant and equipment and depreciated over their estimated useful lives.  
Rental income, including the effect of lease incentives, is recognised on a straight-line basis over the lease term.

Assets Held for Sale
Assets are classified as held for sale when the carrying amount will be recovered principally through a sale transaction rather than continuing 
use. To be classified as such management need to have initiated a sales plan as at the Balance Sheet date and must expect the sale to qualify for 
recognition as a completed sale within one year. Assets held for sale are valued at the lower of the carrying amount and fair value less costs 
to sell. No depreciation is charged whilst assets are classified as held for sale.

Inventories
Inventories are stated at the lower of cost and net realisable value. Cost is calculated using the First In First Out method. The cost of own beer 
consists of materials with the addition of relevant overhead expenses. Net realisable value is the estimated selling price in the ordinary course 
of business less estimated costs of completion and the costs to be incurred in marketing, selling and distribution.

Financial Instruments
Financial assets
Trade and other receivables
Trade receivables and loans to customers do not carry any interest and are recognised at their original invoiced amounts, less an allowance  
for any amounts that are not considered to be collectible. Increases to the allowance account are recognised in the Income Statement within 
operating costs. At the point a trade receivable is written off the ledger as uncollectible, the cost is charged against the allowance account  
and any subsequent recoveries of amounts previously written off are credited to the Income Statement.

Cash and short term deposits
Cash and short term deposits comprise cash at bank and in hand and short term deposits with an original maturity of three months or less.

Derecognition
A financial asset (or, where applicable, a part of a financial asset or part of a group of similar financial assets) is derecognised where the rights 
to receive cash flows from the asset have expired.

Financial liabilities
Trade and other payables
Trade and other payables do not bear interest and are carried at original cost.

Bank loans, overdrafts and debentures
Interest bearing bank loans, overdrafts and debentures are initially recorded at the fair value of proceeds received, net of direct issue costs, and 
thereafter at amortised cost. Finance charges, including premiums payable on settlement or redemption and direct issue costs, are accounted 
for on an effective interest rate basis in the Income Statement. Finance charges are added to the carrying amount of the instrument to the 
extent that they are not settled in the period in which they arise.

Derecognition
A financial liability is derecognised when the obligation under the liability is discharged or cancelled or expires. Where an existing financial liability 
is replaced by another from the same lender on substantially different terms, or the terms of an existing liability are substantially modified, such 
an exchange or modification is treated as a derecognition of the original liability and the recognition of a new liability, such that the difference in 
the respective carrying amounts together with any costs or fees incurred are recognised in profit or loss.

74
Fuller, Smith & Turner P.L.C.
Annual Report 2016

Notes to the Financial Statements continued1. Authorisation of Financial Statements and Accounting Policies continued
Derivative financial instruments and hedging
In order to hedge its exposure to certain foreign exchange transaction risks, the Group enters into forward foreign exchange contracts. In order 
to hedge its exposure to interest rate risks, the Group enters into interest rate derivative contracts. The Group uses these contracts in order to 
hedge known borrowings. The Group does not use any derivative financial instruments for speculative purposes. 

Derivative financial instruments are initially recognised at fair value on the date on which a derivative contract is entered into and are 
subsequently remeasured at fair value. Derivatives are carried as assets when the fair value is positive and as liabilities when the fair value is 
negative. The fair value of forward currency contracts is calculated by reference to current forward exchange rates for contracts with similar 
maturity profiles. The fair value of interest rate swap and cap contracts are determined by reference to market values for similar instruments. 
This represents a Level 2 fair value under the hierarchy in IFRS 13.

For those derivatives designated as hedges and for which hedge accounting is desired, the hedging relationship is documented at its inception.  
This documentation identifies the hedging instrument, the hedged item or transaction, the nature of the risk being hedged and how effectiveness 
will be measured throughout its duration. Such hedges are expected at inception to be highly effective. For the purpose of hedge accounting, 
hedges are classified as cash flow hedges when hedging an exposure to variability in cash flows that is either attributable to a particular risk 
associated with a recognised asset or liability or a highly probable forecast transaction.

Interest rate swaps are classified as cash flow hedges. If they are effective hedges, then any changes in fair value are deferred in equity until 
the hedged transaction occurs, when any changes in fair value will be recycled through the Income Statement together with any changes 
in the fair value of the hedged item. If the hedges are not effective hedges, then any changes in fair value are recognised in the Income 
Statement immediately.

If a forecast transaction is no longer expected to occur, amounts previously recognised in equity are transferred to profit or loss. If the hedging 
instrument expires or is sold, terminated or exercised without replacement or rollover, or if its designation as a hedge is revoked, amounts 
previously recognised in equity remain in equity until the forecast transaction occurs and are transferred to the Income Statement.

Any gains or losses arising from changes in the fair value of derivatives that do not qualify for hedge accounting are taken to the Income Statement.

The put and call options for the remaining shares in The Stable Pizza & Cider Limited and Nectar Imports Limited are recognised as derivative financial 
instruments measured using Level 3 fair value valuation techniques.

Classification of Shares as Debt or Equity
When shares are issued, any component that creates a financial liability of the Company or Group is presented as a liability in the Balance Sheet; 
measured initially at fair value net of transaction costs and thereafter at amortised cost until extinguished on conversion or redemption. The 
corresponding dividends relating to the liability component are charged as interest expense in the Income Statement. The initial fair value of the 
liability component is determined using a market rate for an equivalent liability without a conversion feature.

The remainder of the proceeds on issue is allocated to the equity component and included in shareholders’ equity, net of transaction costs. 
The carrying amount of the equity component is not remeasured in subsequent years.

The Group’s ordinary shares are classified as equity instruments. For the purposes of the disclosures given in note 26, the Group considers its 
capital to comprise its ordinary share capital, share premium, capital redemption reserve, hedging reserve and accumulated retained earnings 
plus its preference shares which are classified as a financial liability in the Balance Sheet. There have been no changes to what the Group 
considers to be capital since the prior year.

Preference Shares
The Group’s preference shares are reported under non-current liabilities. The corresponding dividends on preference shares are charged as interest 
in the Income Statement. Preference shares carry interest at fixed rates.

Revenue
Revenue is recognised to the extent that it is probable that the economic benefits will flow to the Group and revenue can be reliably measured. 
It is measured at the fair value of consideration received or receivable, net of discounts and VAT.

Sales of goods are recognised when the goods are delivered and title has passed. Rental income is recognised on a straight-line basis over the 
term of the lease. Revenue for bedroom accommodation is recognised at the point the services are rendered. Amusement machine revenue 
is recognised in the accounting period to which the income relates.

Operating Profit
Operating profit is revenue less operating costs. Revenue is as detailed above and as shown in note 3. Operating costs are all costs excluding 
finance costs, costs associated with the disposal of properties and the tax charge.

75
Fuller, Smith & Turner P.L.C.
Annual Report 2016

Overview  Strategic Report  Governance  Financial Statements  Additional InformationOverview  Strategic Report  Governance  Financial Statements  Additional Information1. Authorisation of Financial Statements and Accounting Policies continued
Finance Revenue
Finance revenue is recognised as interest accrues using the effective interest method.

Borrowing Costs
Borrowing costs are generally recognised as an expense when incurred. Interest expenses directly attributable to the acquisition or construction 
of an asset that takes a substantial period of time to get ready for use are capitalised as part of the cost of the assets being created. This is applied 
to development projects where the development is expected to last in excess of six months at the commencement of the project.

Taxation
The current tax payable is based on taxable profit for the year using UK tax rates enacted or substantively enacted at the Balance Sheet date and 
any adjustment to tax payable in respect of previous years. Taxable profit differs from net profit as reported in the Income Statement because it 
excludes items of income or expense that are taxable or deductible in other years or are never taxable or deductible.

Tax is charged or credited directly to equity if it relates to items that are credited or charged to equity. Otherwise tax is recognised in the 
Statement of Comprehensive Income or the Income Statement, as applicable.

Deferred tax is provided on all temporary differences at the Balance Sheet date between the tax bases of assets and liabilities and their carrying 
amounts for financial reporting purposes. Deferred tax liabilities are recognised for all taxable temporary differences except where the liability 
arises from the initial recognition of goodwill or an asset or liability in a transaction that is not a business combination and, at the time of the 
transaction, affects neither the accounting profit nor taxable profit or loss.

Deferred tax is not recognised in respect of taxable temporary differences associated with investments in subsidiaries, where the timing 
of the reversal of the temporary differences can be controlled and it is probable that the temporary differences will not reverse in the 
foreseeable future.

Deferred tax assets are recognised for all deductible temporary differences, carry-forward of unused tax assets and unused tax losses, to the 
extent that it is probable that taxable profit will be available against which they can be utilised except where the deferred tax asset arises from the 
initial recognition of goodwill or an asset or liability in a transaction that is not a business combination and, at the time of the transaction, affects 
neither the accounting profit nor taxable profit or loss. The carrying amount of deferred tax assets is reviewed at each Balance Sheet date.

Deferred tax assets and liabilities are measured on an undiscounted basis at the tax rates that are expected to apply in the periods when the asset 
is realised or the liability is settled, based on tax rates and laws enacted or substantively enacted at the Balance Sheet date.

Foreign Currencies
Transactions denominated in foreign currencies are recorded at the rates of exchange ruling at the dates of the transactions.

Monetary assets and liabilities are translated at the year end exchange rates and the resulting exchange differences are taken to the Income 
Statement, except where hedge accounting is applied.

Pensions and Other Post-Employment Benefits
Defined contribution schemes
Payments to defined contribution retirement benefit schemes are charged to the Income Statement as they fall due.

Defined benefit schemes
The Group operated a defined benefit pension plan for eligible employees where contributions were made into a separate fund administered 
by trustees. The Scheme closed to future accrual in January 2015.

The cost of providing benefits under the defined benefit plan is determined using the projected unit credit method calculated by qualified 
actuaries. This attributes entitlement to benefits to the current period (to determine current service cost) and to the current and prior periods 
(to determine the present value of defined benefit obligation) and is based on actuarial advice. Past service costs are recognised in the Income 
Statement on a straight-line basis over the vesting period or immediately if the benefits have vested.

When a settlement (eliminating all obligations for benefits already accrued) or a curtailment (reducing future obligations as a result of a material 
reduction in the scheme membership or a reduction in future entitlement) occurs, the obligation and related plan assets are remeasured using 
current actuarial assumptions and the resultant gain or loss is recognised in the Income Statement during the period in which the settlement or 
curtailment occurs.

The Group determines the net interest charge on the net defined benefit liability/(asset) for the period by applying the discount rate used 
to measure the defined benefit obligation at the beginning of the period to the net pension liability/(asset) at the beginning of the period. 
The net interest charge is recognised immediately as an exceptional finance cost/(income) in the Income Statement. Actuarial gains and losses 
are recognised in full in the Statement of Comprehensive Income in the period in which they occur.

76
Fuller, Smith & Turner P.L.C.
Annual Report 2016

Notes to the Financial Statements continued1. Authorisation of Financial Statements and Accounting Policies continued 
The defined benefit pension asset or liability in the Balance Sheet comprises the total of the present value of the defined benefit obligation 
(using a discount rate based on high quality corporate bonds), less any past service cost not yet recognised and less the fair value of plan assets 
out of which the obligations are to be settled directly. Fair value is based on market price information and in the case of quoted securities is the 
published bid price. The value of a net pension benefit asset is restricted to the sum of any unrecognised past service costs and the present value 
of any amount the Group expects to recover by way of refunds from the plan or reductions in the future contributions.

Exceptional Items
The Group presents as exceptional items on the face of the Income Statement those material items of income and expense which, because 
of the nature or expected infrequency of the events giving rise to them, merit separate presentation to allow shareholders to understand 
better the elements of financial performance in the year, so as to facilitate comparison with prior periods and to better assess trends in 
financial performance.

Share-Based Payments
The Group has an employee Share Incentive Plan, that awards shares to employees based on the reported profits of the Group for the year, and 
a Long Term Incentive Plan that awards shares to Directors and Senior Executives subject to specific performance criteria. The Group also 
issues equity-settled share-based payments to certain employees under approved and unapproved share option schemes and a Savings Related 
Share Option Scheme.

The cost of equity-settled transactions with employees is measured by reference to the fair value of the equity instruments granted at the date 
at which they are granted and is recognised as an expense over the vesting period, which ends on the date on which the relevant employees 
become fully entitled to the award. Fair value is determined using an appropriate pricing model. In valuing equity-settled transactions, no 
account is taken of any vesting conditions. The Group has no equity-settled transactions that are linked to the price of the shares of the 
Company (market conditions).

No expense is recognised for awards that do not ultimately vest. At each Balance Sheet date before vesting, the cumulative expense is calculated, 
representing the extent to which the vesting period has expired and management’s best estimate of the achievement or otherwise of non-market 
conditions and of the number of equity instruments that will ultimately vest. The movement in cumulative expense since the previous Balance 
Sheet date is recognised in the Income Statement, with a corresponding entry in equity.

Where the terms of an equity-settled award are modified or a new award is designated as replacing a cancelled or settled award, the cost based on 
the original award terms continues to be recognised over the original vesting period. In addition, an expense is recognised over the remainder of the 
new vesting period for the incremental fair value of any modification, based on the difference between the fair value of the original award and the fair 
value of the modified award, both as measured on the date of the modification. No reduction is recognised if this difference is negative.

Where an equity-settled award is cancelled (including when a non-vesting condition within the control of the entity or employee is not met), 
it is treated as if it had vested on the date of cancellation, and any cost not yet recognised in the Income Statement for the award is expensed 
immediately. Any compensation paid up to the fair value of the award at the cancellation or settlement date is deducted from equity, with any 
excess over fair value being treated as an expense in the Income Statement.

Own Shares
Shares to be awarded under employee incentive plans and those that have been awarded but have yet to vest unconditionally are held at cost by 
an employee share ownership trust and shown as a deduction from equity in the Balance Sheet.

In addition to the purchase of shares by the various employee share ownership trusts for specific awards, the Group also from time to time 
acquires own shares to be held as treasury shares. These shares are occasionally but not exclusively used to satisfy awards under various share 
option schemes. Treasury shares are held at cost and shown as a deduction from total equity in the Balance Sheet.

Consideration received for the sale of such shares is also recognised in equity, with any difference between the proceeds from sale and the 
original cost being taken to reserves. No gain or loss is recognised in the performance statements on the purchase, sale, issue or cancellation 
of treasury shares.

Dividends
Dividends recommended by the Board but unpaid at the year end are not recognised in the financial statements until they are paid (in the case 
of the interim dividend) or approved by shareholders at the Annual General Meeting (in the case of the final dividend).

Financial Guarantee Contracts
Where the Company enters into contracts to guarantee the indebtedness of other companies within the Group, the Company considers these 
to be insurance arrangements, and accounts for them as such. In this respect the Company treats the guarantee contracts as a contingent 
liability until such time as it becomes probable that the Company will be required to make a payment under the guarantee.

77
Fuller, Smith & Turner P.L.C.
Annual Report 2016

Overview  Strategic Report  Governance  Financial Statements  Additional InformationOverview  Strategic Report  Governance  Financial Statements  Additional Information1. Authorisation of Financial Statements and Accounting Policies continued 
The Company’s Investments in Subsidiaries
The Company recognises its investments in subsidiaries at cost. Income is recognised from these investments only in relation to distributions 
received from post-acquisition profits. Distributions received in excess of post-acquisition profits are deducted from the cost of the investment.

New Standards and Interpretations Issued But Not Yet Applied
The IASB and IFRIC have issued the following standards and interpretations with an effective date for periods starting on or after the date on 
which these financial statements start. The Directors do not anticipate that the adoption of any of these standards and interpretations, wherever 
relevant to the Group, will have a significant impact on the Group’s results or assets and liabilities in the period of initial application and are not 
expected to require significant additional disclosure, except as noted below.

– IFRS 9 Financial Instruments 

– IFRS 14 Regulatory Deferral Accounts

– IFRS 15 Revenue from Contracts with Customers

– IFRS 16 Leases

– Amendments to IFRS 11: Accounting for Acquisitions of Interests in Joint Operations (IASB effective date 1 January 2016) (Endorsed)

– Clarification of Acceptable Methods of Depreciation and Amortisation – Amendments to IAS 16 and IAS 38 (IASB effective date  

1 January 2016) (Endorsed)

– Annual improvements to IFRS 2012-2014 cycle (effective 1 January 2016) (Endorsed)

– Amendments to IAS 16 and IAS 41: Bearer Plants (effective 1 January 2016) (Endorsed)

– Amendments to IAS 27: Equity Method in Separate Financial Statements (effective 1 January 2016) (Endorsed)

– Amendments to IFRS 10, IFRS 12 and IAS 28: Investment Entities: Applying the Consolidation Exception (effective 1 January 2016)

– Disclosure Initiative: Amendments to IAS 1 Presentation of Financial Statements (effective 1 January 2016) (Endorsed)

– Disclosure Initiative: Amendments to IAS 7 Statement of Cash Flows (effective 1 January 2017)

– Sale or Contribution of Assets between an Investor and its Associate or Joint Venture – Amendments to IFRS 10 and IAS 28  

(effective 1 January 2016)

– Amendments to IAS 12: Recognition of Deferred Tax Assets for Unrealised Losses (effective 1 January 2017)

The Directors expect that the adoption of the Standards and Interpretations listed below will have a material impact on the financial statements 
of the Group in future periods: 

–  IFRS 9 will impact both the measurement and disclosure of financial instruments 

–  IFRS 16 will have a material impact on the reported assets, liabilities and Income Statement of the Group. However, there will be no impact 

on the underlying cash flow of the business 

Beyond the information above, it is not practicable to provide a reasonable estimate of the effect of these standards until a detailed review has 
been completed.

Significant Accounting Estimates and Judgements
The judgements, estimates and assumptions which are considered to be significant are as follows:

The Group determines whether goodwill is impaired on an annual basis and this requires an estimation of the value in use of the cash-generating 
units to which the goodwill is allocated. This involves estimation of future cash flows and choosing a suitable discount rate. Full details are 
supplied in note 10, together with an analysis of the key assumptions.

The Group reviews for impairment all property, plant and equipment at cash-generating unit level where there is any indication of impairment. 
This requires an estimation of the value in use and involves estimation of future cash flows and choosing a suitable discount rate. See note 11, 
which describes the assumptions used together with an analysis of the key assumptions.

Measurement of defined benefit pension obligations requires estimation of future changes in salaries and inflation, as well as mortality rates, 
the expected return on assets and the selection of a suitable discount rate. These have been determined on advice from the Group’s qualified 
actuary. The estimates used and the key assumptions are provided in note 23.

Judgement is required when determining the provision for taxes as the tax treatment of some transactions cannot be finally determined until a 
formal resolution has been reached with the tax authorities. Tax benefits are not recognised unless it is probable that the benefit will be obtained. 
Tax provisions are made if it is possible that a liability will arise. The Group reviews each significant tax liability or benefit to assess the appropriate 
accounting treatment. See notes 7 and 25.

78
Fuller, Smith & Turner P.L.C.
Annual Report 2016

Notes to the Financial Statements continued1. Authorisation of Financial Statements and Accounting Policies continued 
The assessment of fair values for the assets and liabilities recognised in the financial statements on the acquisition of a business and additional 
consideration, and the date that control is obtained, require significant judgement and estimate. Management assess fair values, particularly 
for property, plant and equipment, with reference to current market prices. See note 17 for business combinations made in the year.

2. Segmental Analysis
Operating Segments
For management purposes, the Group’s operating segments are:

– Managed Pubs and Hotels, which comprises managed pubs, managed hotels, and The Stable Pizza & Cider;
– Tenanted Inns, which comprises pubs operated by third parties under tenancy or lease agreements; and
– The Fuller’s Beer Company, which comprises the brewing and distribution of beer, cider, wines, spirits and soft drinks, and Nectar Imports.

The Group’s business is vertically integrated. The most important measure used to evaluate the performance of the business is adjusted profit, 
which is the profit before tax, adjusted for exceptional items. The operating segments are organised and managed separately according to the 
nature of the products and services provided, with each segment representing a strategic operating unit. More details of these segments are 
given in the Strategic Review on pages 8 to 31 of this report. Segment performance is evaluated based on operating profit before exceptional 
items and is measured consistently with the operating profit before exceptional items in the consolidated financial statements.

Transfer prices between operating segments are set on an arm’s length basis in a manner similar to transactions with third parties. Segment 
revenue, segment expense and segment result include transfers between operating segments. Those transfers are eliminated on consolidation. 
Group financing, including finance costs and revenue, and taxation are managed on a Group basis.

As segment assets and liabilities are not regularly provided to the Chief Operating Decision Maker, the Group has elected, as provided under 
IFRS 8 Operating Segments (amended), not to disclose a measure of segment assets and liabilities.

Managed
Pubs and
Hotels
£m

Tenanted
Inns
£m

The Fuller’s
Beer
Company
£m

Unallocated1
£m

Total
£m

 238.4 

– 

 238.4 

 30.9 

 31.5 

–

 31.5 

 13.4 

 126.8 

(46.2) 

 80.6 

 7.6 

 – 

 – 

 – 

(5.0) 

52 weeks ended 26 March 2016

Revenue

Segment revenue

Inter-segment sales

Revenue from third parties

Segment result

Operating exceptional items

Operating profit 

Profit on disposal of properties

Pension fund curtailment gain

Net finance costs

Profit before tax

Other segment information

Capital expenditure: Property, plant and equipment

Business combinations (note 17)

Depreciation and amortisation

Impairment of property

Reversal of impairment on property

60.9

7.3

13.0

1.2

(0.5)

2.2

4.7

1.6

0.2

(0.1)

2.9

2.7

3.5

–

–

– 

 – 

 – 

 – 

 – 

1  Unallocated expenses represent primarily the salaries and costs of central management.

Changes to Transfer Pricing
As set out in note 1, in the current period the Group changed the transfer price and central cost allocation basis applied between the segments. 
To aid year on year comparability, the table below sets out the revised segmental information for the 52 weeks ended 28 March 2015 on the 
new  basis:

79
Fuller, Smith & Turner P.L.C.
Annual Report 2016

 396.7 

(46.2) 

 350.5 

 46.9 

(3.9) 

 43.0 

 2.9 

 – 

(6.7) 

 39.2 

 66.0 

14.7 

 18.1 

1.4 

(0.6) 

Overview  Strategic Report  Governance  Financial Statements  Additional InformationOverview  Strategic Report  Governance  Financial Statements  Additional Information2. Segmental Analysis continued

52 weeks ended 28 March 2015 (revised)

Revenue

Segment revenue

Inter-segment sales

Revenue from third parties

Segment result

Operating exceptional items

Operating profit 

Profit on disposal of properties

Pension fund curtailment gain

Net finance costs

Profit before tax

Managed
Pubs and
Hotels
£m

Tenanted
Inns
£m

The Fuller’s
Beer
Company
£m

Unallocated1
£m

Total
£m

 213.8 

–

 213.8 

 26.3 

 31.4 

–

 31.4 

 13.4 

 120.9 

(44.6) 

 76.3 

 7.6 

–

–

 – 

(5.0) 

 366.1 

(44.6) 

 321.5 

 42.3 

(1.5) 

 40.8 

 0.8 

 1.2 

(6.7) 

 36.1 

 31.1 

 25.2 

 16.4 

 0.7 

(0.7) 

Other segment information

Capital expenditure: Property, plant and equipment

Business combinations (note 17)

Depreciation and amortisation

Impairment of property

Reversal of impairment on property

 24.6 

 22.7 

 11.5 

 0.4 

(0.6) 

 2.1 

 2.5 

 1.6 

 0.3 

(0.1) 

 4.4 

 – 

 3.3 

 – 

 – 

 – 

 – 

 – 

 – 

 – 

52 weeks ended 28 March 2015 (as previously stated)

Managed
Pubs and
Hotels
£m

Tenanted
Inns
£m

The Fuller’s
Beer
Company
£m

Unallocated1
£m

Total
£m

Revenue

Segment revenue

Inter-segment sales

Revenue from third parties

Segment result

Operating exceptional items

Operating profit 

Profit on disposal of properties

Pension fund curtailment gain

Net finance costs

Profit before tax

 213.8 

–

 213.8 

25.0 

 31.4 

–

 31.4 

 12.6 

 122.9 

(46.6) 

 76.3 

 8.7 

 – 

 – 

 – 

(4.0) 

Other segment information

Capital expenditure: Property, plant and equipment

Business combinations (note 17)

Depreciation and amortisation

Impairment of property

Reversal of impairment on property

24.6

22.7

 11.5 

 0.4 

(0.6) 

2.1

2.5

 1.6 

 0.3 

(0.1) 

4.4

–

 3.3 

 – 

 – 

 – 

 – 

 – 

 – 

 – 

1  Unallocated expenses represent primarily the salaries and costs of central management.

80
Fuller, Smith & Turner P.L.C.
Annual Report 2016

 368.1 

(46.6) 

 321.5 

 42.3 

(1.5) 

 40.8 

 0.8 

 1.2 

(6.7) 

 36.1 

31.1

25.2

 16.4 

 0.7 

(0.7) 

Notes to the Financial Statements continued2. Segmental Analysis continued
Geographical Information
The majority of the Group’s business is within the UK and the Group identifies two distinct geographical markets:

52 weeks ended 26 March 2016

Revenue

Sales to external customers

52 weeks ended 28 March 2015

Revenue

Sales to external customers

UK
£m

Rest of
the World
£m

Total
£m

 342.5

 8.0

 350.5 

UK
£m

Rest of
the World
£m

Total
£m

313.4 

 8.1 

321.5 

Sales to external customers disclosed in geographical information are based on the geographical location of the customer. All of the Group’s 
assets, liabilities and capital expenditure relate to the UK only.

3. Revenue

Revenue disclosed in the Income Statement is analysed as follows:

Sale of goods and services

Rental income

4. Operating Costs

Production costs and cost of goods used in retailing 

Change in stocks of finished goods and beer in progress

Staff costs

Repairs and maintenance

Depreciation of property, plant and equipment

Amortisation of intangibles

Operating lease rentals – minimum lease payments1

– contingent rents2

Exceptional items (note 5) 

Other

Included within minimum lease payments are sublease payments of £0.5 million (2015: £0.6 million).

1 
2  Contingent rents are dependent on turnover levels.

Details of income and direct expenses relating to rental income from investment properties are shown in note 12.

52 weeks
ended
26 March
2016
£m

341.0 

9.5 

350.5 

52 weeks
ended
26 March
2016
£m

 117.6 

 1.8 

 91.5

11.5

17.3

 0.8 

7.8

3.5

 3.9 

 51.8 

 307.5 

52 weeks
ended
28 March
2015
£m

311.9 

9.6 

321.5 

52 weeks
ended
28 March
2015
£m

105.7

–

83.0

9.8

 15.5 

0.9 

7.8

2.7

1.5 

53.8

280.7 

81
Fuller, Smith & Turner P.L.C.
Annual Report 2016

Overview  Strategic Report  Governance  Financial Statements  Additional InformationOverview  Strategic Report  Governance  Financial Statements  Additional Information4. Operating Costs continued
a) Auditors’ Remuneration

Fees payable to Company’s auditors:

– Statutory audit fees of Group financial statements

52 weeks
ended
26 March
2016
£m

52 weeks
ended
28 March
2015
£m

0.1 

0.1 

0.1 

0.1 

Included in audit fees, is £36,000 payable to the Group auditors for audits of subsidiary undertakings. Other audit related services, comprising 
a half year review and iXBRL tagging, of £19,000 were incurred in the year.

b) Staff Costs1

Wages and salaries2

Deemed remuneration on the future purchase of shares in The Stable

Social security costs

Pension benefits

1 

2 

Includes Directors.
Includes share-based payment expense.

c) Average Number of Employees1

The average monthly number of persons employed by the Group (including part-time staff) was as follows:

Fuller’s Inns

The Fuller’s Beer Company

Central Services

1 

Includes Directors.

d) Directors’ Emoluments
Full details are provided in the Directors’ Remuneration Report and tables on pages 45 to 61.

£m

84.2

2.2

5.9

 1.4 

93.7 

£m

75.6

–

5.4

2.0

83.0

Number

Number

4,114

352

13

4,479

3,717

328

13 

4,058 

82
Fuller, Smith & Turner P.L.C.
Annual Report 2016

Notes to the Financial Statements continued5. Exceptional Items

Amounts included in operating profit:

Acquisition costs

Impairment of properties

Reversal of impairment on property

Onerous lease provision release/(charge) (note 25)

Deemed remuneration on the future purchase of shares in The Stable

Total exceptional items included in operating profit

Profit on disposal of properties

Pension fund curtailment gain

Exceptional finance costs:

Finance charge on net pension liabilities

Movement in fair value of financial instruments

Total exceptional finance costs

Total exceptional items before tax

Exceptional tax:

Change in corporation tax rate (note 7)

Profit on disposal of properties

Pension fund curtailment gain

Other items

Total exceptional tax

Total exceptional items

52 weeks
ended
26 March
2016
£m

52 weeks
ended
28 March
2015
£m

(1.1) 

(1.4) 

 0.6 

 0.2 

(2.2) 

(3.9) 

 2.9 

 – 

(0.8) 

0.1

(0.7) 

(1.7) 

1.9

(0.5)

 – 

0.8

2.2

0.5 

(1.2) 

(0.7) 

0.7 

(0.3) 

–

(1.5) 

0.8 

1.2 

(0.8) 

–

(0.8) 

(0.3) 

–

(0.2)

(0.2)

0.5

0.1

(0.2) 

Acquisition costs of £1.1 million during the 52 weeks ended 26 March 2016 (2015: £1.2 million) related to transaction costs on pub and business 
acquisitions which qualify as business combinations (see note 17).

The property impairment charge of £1.4 million during the 52 weeks ended 26 March 2016 (2015: £0.7 million) relates to the write down of 
licensed properties to their recoverable value. The reversal of impairment credit of £0.6 million during the 52 weeks ended 26 March 2016 
(2015: £0.7 million) relates to the write back of previously impaired licensed properties to their recoverable value.

The onerous lease provision release of £0.2 million during the 52 weeks ended 26 March 2016 (2015: charge of £0.3 million) relates to the 
change in circumstances of one previously onerous leasehold property.

Deemed remuneration on the future purchase of shares in The Stable of £2.2 million for the 52 weeks ended 26 March 2016 relates to the 
remuneration element of the increase in estimated value of the option on the remaining 49% of The Stable group of companies. See note 13.

The profit on disposal of properties of £2.9 million during the 52 weeks ended 26 March 2016 (2015: £0.8 million) relates to the disposal of five 
licensed properties (2015: four licensed and unlicensed properties). 

The pension fund curtailment gain of £1.2 million for the 52 weeks ended 28 March 2015 related to the closure in January 2015 of the defined 
benefit pension scheme to future accrual.

The cash impact of operating exceptional items before tax for the 52 weeks ended 26 March 2016 was a £1.1 million cash outflow 
(2015: £1.7 million cash outflow).

83
Fuller, Smith & Turner P.L.C.
Annual Report 2016

Overview  Strategic Report  Governance  Financial Statements  Additional InformationOverview  Strategic Report  Governance  Financial Statements  Additional Information52 weeks
ended
26 March
2016
£m

52 weeks
ended
28 March
2015
£m

 5.7 

 0.1 

 5.8 

 0.2 

 6.0 

 0.8 

(0.1)

 6.7 

5.6 

0.1 

5.7 

0.2 

5.9 

0.8 

–

6.7 

52 weeks
ended
26 March
2016
£m

52 weeks
ended
28 March
2015
£m

 9.3 

 9.3 

(1.2)

(1.9)

(3.1) 

 6.2 

8.6

8.6

(0.8)

–

(0.8)

7.8 

52 weeks
ended
26 March
2016
£m

52 weeks
ended
28 March
2015
£m

0.6

–

0.1

0.7

–

(0.6)

(1.7)

(2.3)

6. Finance Costs

Interest expense arising on:

Financial liabilities at amortised cost – loans and debentures

Financial liabilities at amortised cost – preference shares

Total interest expense for financial liabilities

Unwinding of discounts on provisions

Total finance costs before exceptional items

Finance charge on net pension liabilities (note 5)

Movement in fair value of financial instruments (note 5)

Total finance costs

7. Taxation
a) Tax on Profit on Ordinary Activities

Group

Tax charged in the Income Statement

Current income tax:

Corporation tax

Total current income tax

Deferred tax:

Origination and reversal of temporary differences

Change in corporation tax rate (note 5)

Total deferred tax

Total tax charged in the Income Statement

Tax relating to items charged/credited to the Statement of Comprehensive Income

Deferred tax:

Change in corporation tax rate

Net gains on valuation of financial assets and liabilities

Net actuarial gains/losses on pension scheme

Tax charge/(credit) included in the Statement of Comprehensive Income

84
Fuller, Smith & Turner P.L.C.
Annual Report 2016

Notes to the Financial Statements continued7. Taxation continued

Tax relating to items charged/credited directly to equity

Deferred tax:

Reduction in deferred tax liability due to indexation

Share-based payments

Current tax:

Share-based payments

Tax credit included in the Statement of Changes in Equity

Deferred tax in the Income Statement

Decelerated tax depreciation

Rolled over capital gains

Retirement benefit obligations

Tax losses carried forward

Employee share schemes

Others

52 weeks
ended
26 March
2016
£m

52 weeks
ended
28 March
2015
£m

–

0.1

(0.4)

(0.3)

(0.3)

0.1

(0.2)

(0.4)

52 weeks
ended
26 March
2016
£m

52 weeks
ended
28 March
2015
£m

(2.3)

(0.1)

(0.1)

(0.1)

–

(0.5) 

(3.1) 

(0.8)

–

0.1

–

(0.1)

–

 (0.8) 

During the period the Finance Act 2015 received Royal Assent. The main impact was the reduction of the UK corporation tax from 20% to 19% 
from 1 April 2017 and the reduction from 19% to 18% from 1 April 2020. To the extent that this rate change will affect the amount of future cash 
tax payments to be made by the Group, this will reduce the size of both the Group’s Balance Sheet deferred tax liability and deferred tax asset. 
The impact in the 52 weeks to 26 March 2016 was an exceptional credit to the Income Statement of £1.9 million, and a charge to the Statement 
of Comprehensive Income of £0.6 million. A further reduction in rate from 1 April 2020 to 17% has been announced but has not yet been 
substantively enacted.

b) Reconciliation of the Total Tax Charge
The tax expense in the Income Statement for the year is lower than the standard rate of corporation tax in UK of 20% (2015: 21%). The differences 
are reconciled below:

Profit from continuing operations before taxation

Accounting profit multiplied by the UK standard rate of corporation tax of 20% (2015: 21%)

Items not deductible for tax purposes

Current and deferred tax overprovided in previous years

Change in corporation tax rate

Other

Total tax charged in the Income Statement

52 weeks
ended
26 March
2016
£m

 39.2 

7.8 

0.5

 – 

(1.9)

 (0.2) 

 6.2 

52 weeks
ended
28 March
2015
£m

36.1 

 7.6 

0.1

– 

–

0.1 

7.8 

85
Fuller, Smith & Turner P.L.C.
Annual Report 2016

Overview  Strategic Report  Governance  Financial Statements  Additional InformationOverview  Strategic Report  Governance  Financial Statements  Additional Information8. Earnings Per Share

Profit attributable to equity shareholders

Exceptional items net of tax

Adjusted earnings attributable to equity shareholders

Weighted average share capital

Dilutive outstanding options and share awards

Diluted weighted average share capital

40p ‘A’ and ‘C’ ordinary share

Basic earnings per share

Diluted earnings per share

Adjusted earnings per share

Diluted adjusted earnings per share

4p ‘B’ ordinary share

Basic earnings per share

Diluted earnings per share

Adjusted earnings per share

Diluted adjusted earnings per share

52 weeks
ended
26 March
2016
£m

 32.8 

 (0.5) 

 32.3 

52 weeks
ended
28 March
2015
£m

28.4 

0.2 

28.6 

Number

 Number

 55,356,000  55,521,000

 764,000 

804,000 

 56,120,000  56,325,000

Pence 

59.25

58.45

58.35

57.56

Pence 

 5.93 

 5.85 

 5.84 

 5.76 

 Pence

51.15

50.42

51.51

50.78

 Pence

5.12 

5.04 

5.15 

5.08 

For the purposes of calculating the number of shares to be used above, ‘B’ shares have been treated as one tenth of an ‘A’ or ‘C’ share.  
The earnings per share calculation is based on earnings from continuing operations and on the weighted average ordinary share capital  
which excludes shares held by trusts relating to employee share options and shares held in treasury of 1,628,444 (2015: 1,463,761).

Diluted earnings per share amounts are calculated using the same earnings figure as for basic earnings per share, divided 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 dilutive potential ordinary shares into ordinary shares. Adjusted earnings per share are calculated on profit before tax 
excluding exceptional items and on the same weighted average ordinary share capital as for the basic and diluted earnings per share. An adjusted 
earnings per share measure has been included as the Directors consider that this measure better reflects the underlying earnings of the Group.

9. Dividends

Declared and paid during the year

Equity dividends on ordinary shares:

Final dividend for 2015: 10.20p (2014: 9.30p)

Interim dividend for 2016: 6.90p (2015: 6.40p)

Equity dividends paid 

Dividends on cumulative preference shares (note 6)

Proposed for approval at the Annual General Meeting:

Final dividend for 2016: 11.00p (2015: 10.20p)

52 weeks
ended
26 March
2016
£m

52 weeks
ended
28 March
2015
£m

 5.6 

 3.9 

 9.5 

 0.1

5.2 

3.5 

8.7 

0.1 

 6.1

5.6

The pence figures above are for the 40p ‘A’ ordinary shares and 40p ‘C’ ordinary shares. The 4p ‘B’ ordinary shares carry dividend rights  
of one tenth of those applicable to the 40p ‘A’ ordinary shares. Own shares held in the employee share trusts do not qualify for dividends  
as the Trustees have waived their rights. Dividends are also not paid on own shares held as treasury shares.

86
Fuller, Smith & Turner P.L.C.
Annual Report 2016

Notes to the Financial Statements continued10. Intangible Assets

Cost

At 29 March 2014

Acquisitions (note 17)

At 28 March 2015

Acquisitions (note 17)

At 26 March 2016

Amortisation and impairment

At 29 March 2014

Provided during the year

At 28 March 2015

Provided during the year

At 26 March 2016

Net book value at 26 March 2016

Net book value at 28 March 2015

Net book value at 29 March 2014

Group and
Company
Lease
assignment
premiums
£m

Group
Goodwill
£m

Distribution
rights
£m

27.1 

3.7 

 30.8 

 1.9 

 32.7 

0.6

– 

0.6 

 – 

 0.6 

 32.1 

 30.2 

26.5 

 8.1 

 1.5 

 9.6 

 – 

 9.6 

 1.4 

 0.6 

 2.0 

 0.6 

 2.6 

 7.0 

 7.6 

 6.7 

 1.2 

 – 

 1.2 

 – 

 1.2 

 – 

 0.3 

 0.3 

 0.2 

 0.5 

 0.7 

 0.9 

 1.2 

Group
Total
£m

 36.4 

 5.2 

 41.6 

 1.9 

 43.5 

 2.0 

 0.9 

 2.9 

 0.8 

 3.7 

 39.8 

 38.7 

 34.4 

Company
Total
£m

 9.3 

 1.5 

 10.8 

 – 

 10.8 

 1.4 

 0.9 

 2.3 

 0.8 

 3.1 

 7.7 

 8.5 

 7.9 

Lease Assignment Premiums
Amounts paid to acquire leasehold property (“lease assignment premiums”) are amortised on a straight-line basis over the remaining useful life 
of the lease. The amortisation is charged in the Income Statement in the line item “Operating costs” (note 4).

There are six pubs on which we carry lease assignment premiums at 26 March 2016 (2015: five).

Distribution Rights
Distribution rights represent amounts paid to acquire the exclusive import and distribution rights to Sierra Nevada products within the UK. 
The amortisation is charged in the Income Statement in the line item “Operating costs” (note 4).

Goodwill

Goodwill is allocated to cash-generating units as follows:

Managed
£m 

Tenanted
£m 

Beer Company
£m

Gales estate

Jacomb Guinness estate

Cornish Orchards

The Stable Pizza & Cider Limited

Nectar Imports Limited

9.1

1.2

–

3.7

–

13.6

–

–

–

–

14.0

13.6

–

–

2.6

–

1.9

4.5

2016
£m

 22.7 

 1.2 

 2.6 

 3.7 

 1.9 

2015
£m

22.7 

 1.2 

2.6 

3.7 

 – 

 32.1

30.2 

87
Fuller, Smith & Turner P.L.C.
Annual Report 2016

Overview  Strategic Report  Governance  Financial Statements  Additional InformationOverview  Strategic Report  Governance  Financial Statements  Additional Information10. Intangible Assets continued
Key assumptions used in value in use calculations:

Long term growth rate – Managed

Long term growth rate – Tenanted

Long term growth rate – Cornish Orchards, Stable Pizza & Cider, Nectar Imports

Pre-tax discount rate – Freehold

Pre-tax discount rate – Leasehold

Pre-tax discount rate – Cornish Orchards

Pre-tax discount rate – Stable Pizza & Cider, Nectar Imports

2016

0.5%

1.0%

2.0%

5.9%

8.3%

7.9%

8.3%

2015

1.0%

1.0%

2.0%

6.0%

8.1%

10.3%

17.4%

Goodwill acquired through business combinations has been allocated for impairment testing on an estate and divisional cash-generating unit 
level. This represents the lowest level within the Group at which goodwill is monitored for internal management purposes. Recoverable amount 
is based on a calculation of value in use based upon the budget for the forthcoming financial year approved by senior management. For the Gales 
and Jacomb Guinness estates, cash flows beyond the budget period are extrapolated in perpetuity on the assumption that the growth rate does 
not exceed the average long term growth rate for the relevant markets. For Cornish Orchards and The Stable Pizza & Cider the cash flows 
beyond the budget period are based on a five year plan that was approved by senior management and reflect the long term growth of the 
business following the significant investment and expansion strategy currently in place for the business. The pre-tax discount rate applied 
to cash flow projections is based on the Directors’ assessment of the Group’s weighted average cost of capital and current market conditions.

The calculation of value in use is most sensitive to the assumptions in respect of achievement of budgeted cash flows, growth rate and discount 
rate. The calculation of value in use is also dependent upon the following assumptions: sales volume; gross margin in managed premises; barrelage 
and rent projections in tenanted premises; wage cost in managed premises; and capital expansion in Cornish Orchards and The Stable Pizza & 
Cider. Gross margins are based on historical performance levels. All of the key assumptions above have their assigned values based on 
management knowledge and historical information.

Sensitivity to Changes in Assumptions
Management have considered reasonable changes in key assumptions used in their calculations of value in use. They have concluded that such 
changes will not result in an impairment to any of the cash-generating units at 26 March 2016.

88
Fuller, Smith & Turner P.L.C.
Annual Report 2016

Notes to the Financial Statements continued11. Property, Plant and Equipment

Group 

Cost

At 29 March 2014

Additions

Acquisitions (note 17)

Disposals

At 28 March 2015

Additions

Acquisitions (note 17)

Disposals

Transfer to assets held for sale

At 26 March 2016

Depreciation and impairment

At 29 March 2014

Provided during the year

Disposals

At 28 March 2015

Provided during the year

Acquisitions (note 17)

Impairment loss net of reversals

Disposals

At 26 March 2016

Net book value at 26 March 2016

Net book value at 28 March 2015

Net book value at 29 March 2014

Land &
buildings
£m

Plant,
machinery
& vehicles
£m

Containers,
fixtures &
fittings
£m

Total
£m

 409.1 

 35.8 

 120.5 

 565.4 

11.2

19.7

(1.2) 

438.8

48.3

13.3

(3.0)

(0.5)

 2.7 

 – 

(0.7) 

 37.8 

2.4

0.7

(2.1)

–

18.6

 1.8 

(12.2) 

 128.7 

18.5

0.2

(6.9)

–

32.5

21.5

(14.1) 

605.3

69.2

14.2

(12.0)

 (0.5) 

 496.9 

 38.8 

 140.5 

 676.2 

26.4

 2.8 

(0.3) 

 28.9 

3.3

0.1

0.8

(1.2)

 31.9

 465.0 

409.9

 382.7 

22.6

 2.0 

(0.6) 

81.6

 10.7 

(11.8) 

130.6

 15.5 

(12.7) 

 24.0 

 80.5 

 133.4 

2.1

0.4

–

(2.2)

 24.3 

 14.5 

 13.8 

 13.2 

11.9

0.1

–

(6.3)

 86.2 

 54.3 

 48.2 

 38.9 

17.3 

0.6

0.8

(9.7) 

142.4

 533.8 

471.9

 434.8 

89
Fuller, Smith & Turner P.L.C.
Annual Report 2016

Overview  Strategic Report  Governance  Financial Statements  Additional InformationOverview  Strategic Report  Governance  Financial Statements  Additional Information11. Property, Plant and Equipment continued

Company 

Cost

At 29 March 2014

Additions

Acquisitions (note 17)

Disposals

At 28 March 2015

Additions

Acquisitions (note 17)

Disposals

Transfer to assets held for sale

At 26 March 2016

Depreciation and impairment

At 29 March 2014

Provided during the year

Disposals

At 28 March 2015

Provided during the year

Impairment loss net of reversal

Disposals

At 26 March 2016

Net book value at 26 March 2016

Net book value at 28 March 2015

Net book value at 29 March 2014

Land &
buildings
£m

Plant,
machinery
& vehicles
£m

Containers,
fixtures &
fittings
£m

408.6

10.8

19.7

(1.2)

437.9

46.0

9.0

(3.0)

(0.5)

34.2

2.1

–

(0.6)

35.7

2.4

–

(2.1)

–

119.0

16.7

0.4

(12.2)

123.9

16.8

–

(6.7)

–

Total
£m

561.8

29.6

20.1

 (14.0) 

597.5

65.2 

 9.0 

(11.8) 

(0.5)

 489.4 

 36.0 

 134.0 

 659.4 

 26.2 

2.6

(0.3)

28.5

2.9

0.8

(1.2)

 31.0 

 458.4 

409.4

 382.4 

 22.5 

1.8

(0.6)

23.7

1.9

–

(2.1)

 23.5 

 12.5 

12.0

 11.7 

 80.0 

10.5

(11.9)

78.6

11.4

–

(6.3)

 83.7 

 50.3 

45.3

 39.0 

 128.7 

14.9

(12.8)

130.8

 16.2 

0.8

 (9.6) 

 138.2 

 521.2 

466.7

 433.1 

Group and Company
Interest Capitalised
The amount of interest capitalised to date is £203,000 (2015: £194,000). The amount of interest capitalised in the year was £9,000  
(2015: £30,000) at a rate of 2%.

Assets Under Construction
Included in the cost of property, plant and equipment at 28 March 2015 are amounts of £0.4 million relating to one property development 
in the course of construction.

Impairment
The Group considers each trading outlet to be a cash-generating unit (“CGU”) and each CGU is reviewed annually for indicators of impairment. 
In assessing whether an asset has been impaired, the carrying amount of the CGU is compared to its recoverable amount. The recoverable 
amount is the higher of its fair value less costs to sell and its value in use. In the absence of any information about the fair value of a CGU,  
the recoverable amount is deemed to be its value in use.

During the 52 weeks ended 26 March 2016, the Group recognised an impairment loss of £1.4 million (2015: £0.7 million) in respect of the write 
down of licensed properties purchased in recent years where their asset values exceeded either fair value less costs to sell or their value in use. 
The impairment losses were driven principally by changes in the local competitive environment in which the pubs are situated. Following an 
improvement in trading performance and an increase in the amounts of estimated future cash flows of certain previously impaired sites, reversals 
of £0.6 million were recognised during the 52 weeks ended 26 March 2016 (2015: £0.7 million). 

The key assumptions used in the value in use calculations are those detailed in note 10.

90
Fuller, Smith & Turner P.L.C.
Annual Report 2016

Notes to the Financial Statements continued11. Property, Plant and Equipment continued 
Sensitivity to Changes in Assumptions
The value in use calculations are sensitive to the assumptions used. The Directors consider a movement of 1% in the discount rate and 0.5%  
in the growth rate to be reasonable with reference to current market yield curves and the current economic conditions. The impact is set out  
as follows:

Impact on impairment of asset at risk – increase/(decrease)

Increase discount rate by 1%

Decrease discount rate by 1%

Increase growth rate by 0.5%

Decrease growth rate by 0.5%

12. Investment Properties

Cost

At 29 March 2014, 28 March 2015 and 26 March 2016

Depreciation and impairment

At 29 March 2014

Provided during the year

At 28 March 2015 and 26 March 2016

Net book value at 26 March 2016

Net book value at 28 March 2015

Net book value at 29 March 2014

Fair value at 26 March 2016

Fair value at 28 March 2015

Fair value at 29 March 2014

2016
£m

1.9

(1.3)

(0.7)

0.6

2015
£m

1.4

(0.6)

(1.5)

0.6

Group and
Company
Freehold
and leasehold
properties
£m

 5.5 

0.8 

0.1

 0.9

 4.6 

 4.6 

 4.7 

11.2

 10.9 

 10.7 

The fair value of investment properties has been estimated by the Directors, based on the rental income earned on the properties during the 
year and average yields earned on comparable properties from publicly available information, which is a Level 3 fair value valuation technique. 
An independent valuation of the properties has not been performed.

Impairment
The Group considers each trading outlet to be a CGU and each CGU is reviewed annually for indicators of impairment. In assessing whether 
an asset has been impaired, the carrying amount of the CGU is compared to its recoverable amount. The recoverable amount is the higher 
of its fair value less costs to sell and its value in use. 

During the 52 weeks ended 26 March 2016 the Group did not impair any investment properties (2015: £nil).

91
Fuller, Smith & Turner P.L.C.
Annual Report 2016

Overview  Strategic Report  Governance  Financial Statements  Additional InformationOverview  Strategic Report  Governance  Financial Statements  Additional Information12. Investment Properties continued
Investment Property Income
The properties are let on both landlord and tenant repairing leases. Amounts recognised in the profit for the financial year relating to rental 
income from investment properties are as follows:

Group and Company

Rental income 

Direct operating expenses

All direct operating expenses relate to properties that generate rental income.

13. Other Financial Assets and Liabilities

Group and Company

Interest rate swaps

Total financial assets within non-current assets 

Subsidiary share purchase options

Interest rate swaps

Foreign currency contracts

Total financial liabilities within non-current liabilities

2016
£m

0.6

(0.2)

2015
£m

0.5

(0.2)

Group
2016
£m

 0.1 

 0.1 

(7.5) 

(3.2) 

 – 

(10.7) 

Group
2015
£m

0.3 

0.3 

(3.0) 

(2.9) 

(0.2)

(6.1) 

Company
2016
£m

Company
2015
£m

 0.1 

 0.1 

 – 

(3.2) 

(3.2) 

0.3 

0.3 

–

(2.9) 

(0.2)

(3.1) 

Details of the interest rate swaps and caps are provided in note 26 C(i).

Subsidiary share purchase options relate to the option to purchase the remaining shares in The Stable Pizza & Cider Limited and Nectar 
Imports Limited. The current estimate of the amount payable in respect of the remaining 49% of shares in The Stable Pizza & Cider Limited is 
£8.0 million (2015: £3.0 million) of which £5.2 million ( 2015: £3.0 million) is included above, with the balance to be accrued over the remaining 
period to 28 March 2018. The current estimate of the amount payable in respect of the remaining 49% of shares in Nectar Imports Limited is 
£2.3 million (2015: nil) which is included above. 

2016
£m

 0.3

Cost
£m

 Provision
£m

 95.0 

 4.8 

 99.8 

(0.2) 

–

(0.2) 

2015
£m

0.3 

Net book
value
£m

 94.8 

 4.8 

 99.6 

14. Other Non-Current Assets

Group and Company

Loans to customers due after one year

15. Investments in Subsidiaries

Company

At 29 March 2014 and 28 March 2015

Additions

At 26 March 2016

92
Fuller, Smith & Turner P.L.C.
Annual Report 2016

Notes to the Financial Statements continued15. Investments in Subsidiaries continued

Principal subsidiary undertakings

Holding

Proportion held

Nature of business

Griffin Catering Services Limited

£1 ordinary shares

100% (indirect)

Managed houses service company

The Stable Pizza & Cider Limited

£0.01 ordinary shares

£3.50 ‘B’ ordinary shares

51%

100%

Holding company

The Stable Bar & Restaurants Limited

£1 ordinary shares

51% (indirect)

Restaurant ownership and management

Cornish Orchards Limited

Nectar Imports Limited

G&M Leisure Limited

George Gale & Co. Limited

Jacomb Guinness Limited

45 Woodfield Limited

Grand Canal Trading Limited

£1 ordinary shares

£1 ordinary shares

£1 ordinary shares

£1 ordinary shares

25p ‘A’ ordinary shares

£10 preference shares

£1 ordinary shares

£1 ordinary shares

£1 ordinary shares

100%

51%

100%

100%

100%

100%

100%

100% (indirect)

100% (indirect)

Production of cider and soft drinks

Wholesale drinks distribution

Public houses and bars

Non-trading subsidiary

Non-trading subsidiary

Non-trading subsidiary

Non-trading subsidiary

The above companies are registered and operate in England and Wales.

16. Non-Controlling Interest
Set out below are the movements in the minority interest for The Stable Pizza & Cider Limited group and Nectar Imports Limited in the year.

At 28 March 2015

Share of profit

Adjustments arising from change in non-controlling interest

At 26 March 2016

£m

(3.1) 

0.2

 (1.5) 

(4.4) 

The adjustments relate to the initial recognition of Nectar Imports Limited and the accompanying put and call option, which vests fully 
in three years.

17. Business Combinations
During the 52 weeks ended 26 March 2016 the Company has individually acquired four new pubs and five new restaurants for a combined 
consideration of £9.9 million, all of which have been treated as business combinations as they were operating as a business at the point the 
Company acquired them. 

On 31 December 2015 the Company purchased a 51% holding in Nectar Imports Limited which is a wholesale drinks distributor. The business 
was purchased as it complements the Group’s current business whilst diversifying the business and increasing our routes to market. 

On 15 March 2016 the Company purchased 100% of G&M Leisure Limited, which operates The Lord Northbrook pub in Lee, South East London. 

In the prior year the Company purchased a 51% holding in The Stable Pizza & Cider Limited which is a casual dinning restaurant specialising 
in pizzas and cider. 

93
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Annual Report 2016

Overview  Strategic Report  Governance  Financial Statements  Additional InformationOverview  Strategic Report  Governance  Financial Statements  Additional Information17. Business Combinations continued

Number of pubs/restaurants purchased

Provisional fair value

Property, plant and equipment

Intangible assets

Current assets

Cash/(net debt)

Deferred revenue, trade and other payables

Goodwill

Non-controlling interest

Consideration

Satisfied by:

Cash

Total

2016

2015

Nectar
Imports
Limited

G&M Leisure
Limited

Pubs and
Restaurants

Stable Pizza
& Cider
Limited

£m

0.6

–

4.6

0.7

(4.3)

1.9

(0.8)

 2.7 

2.7

2.7 

1

£m

3.1

–

–

(0.7)

(0.3)

–

–

 2.1 

2.1

2.1 

9

£m

9.9

–

–

–

–

–

–

9.9 

9.9

 9.9 

£m

 1.4 

 – 

 0.3 

(0.6) 

(1.2) 

 3.7 

–

 3.6 

 3.6 

 3.6 

Pubs

7

£m

20.1

 1.5 

 – 

 – 

 – 

 – 

–

 21.6 

 21.6 

 21.6 

Goodwill recognised on the acquisition of Nectar Imports Limited reflects the future growth of the company. Additional contingent consideration 
of £2.3 million has been recognised as a Balance Sheet liability and reflects management’s best estimate of the likely amount to be paid out for 
the remaining 49% of the business (note 13). Under the terms of the agreement the total consideration will not exceed £10 million.

Costs associated with the acquisitions of £1.1 million have been charged to operating exceptional items in the Consolidated Income Statement 
for the 52 weeks ended 26 March 2016 . These comprised primarily stamp duty, legal and other property fees (note 5).

No changes have been made to the provisional fair value of The Stable Pizza & Cider assets acquired in the previous year.

The acquisitions have contributed the following operating profit to the Group in the 52 weeks ended 26 March 2016 from the date  
of acquisition:

Operating profit/(loss)

0.1

–

0.4

(0.4) 

2016

2015

Nectar Imports
 Limited 
£m

G&M Leisure
Limited
£m

Pubs and
Restaurants
£m

Stable Pizza
& Cider
Limited
£m

Pubs
£m

 0.8 

It is not practical to identify the related cash flows, revenue and profit on an annualised basis as the months for which the businesses have been 
owned are not representative of the annualised figures. The pre-acquisition trading results are not indicative of the trading expected going 
forwards following the significant redevelopment of the pubs and capital investment in Nectar Imports Limited by the Group, therefore pro forma 
trading results have not been included. G&M Leisure Limited’s trade and assets were hived into Fuller, Smith & Turner P.L.C. on acquisition and 
as such will have no trading going forwards.

94
Fuller, Smith & Turner P.L.C.
Annual Report 2016

Notes to the Financial Statements continued18. Inventories

Group and Company

Raw materials, beer and cider in progress

Beer, wines and spirits

Stock at retail outlets

Group
2016
£m

 1.6 

 7.3 

 3.5 

 12.4 

The difference between purchase price or production cost and their replacement cost is not material.

19. Trade and Other Receivables

Group and Company

Trade receivables

Amounts due from subsidiary undertakings

Other receivables

Prepayments and accrued income

Group
2016
£m

 14.9 

 – 

 2.0 

 4.1

 21.0 

Group
2015
£m

1.7

5.7

3.2

 10.6 

Group
2015
£m

 12.6 

 – 

 1.6 

 3.5 

 17.7 

Company
2016
£m

Company 
2015
£m

1.6

5.8

3.5

10.9

1.7

5.7

3.2

10.6

Company
2016
£m

Company
2015
£m

12.2

14.2

1.8

4.0

 32.2 

 12.5 

9.0

 1.6 

 3.3 

 26.4 

Company amounts owed by subsidiary undertakings of £14.2 million (2015: £9.0 million) have no fixed repayment date. Interest is payable on 
the balance at the higher of the Bank of England base rate plus 4% or 8%. 

The trade receivables balance above is shown net of the provision for bad debts. As a general rule the Group provides fully against all trade 
receivables which are over six months overdue. In addition to this there are individual specific provisions against balances which are considered  
by management to be at risk of default. 

The movements on this bad debt provision during the year are summarised below:

Group and Company

Trade receivables provision at 28 March 2015

Increase in provision recognised in profit and loss

Amounts written off during the year

Trade receivables provision at 26 March 2016

2016
£m

 1.4 

 0.3 

(0.1) 

 1.6 

2015
£m

1.5 

0.1

(0.2)

 1.4 

95
Fuller, Smith & Turner P.L.C.
Annual Report 2016

Overview  Strategic Report  Governance  Financial Statements  Additional InformationOverview  Strategic Report  Governance  Financial Statements  Additional Information19. Trade and Other Receivables continued
The provision for trade receivables is recorded in the accounts separately from the gross receivable. The contractual ageing of the trade 
receivables balance is as follows:

Current

Overdue up to 30 days

Overdue between 30 and 60 days

Overdue more than 60 days

Trade receivables before provision

Less provision

Trade receivables net of provision 

Group
2016
£m

15.5

0.8

0.1

0.1

 16.5 

(1.6) 

 14.9 

Group
2015
£m

 13.4 

 0.2 

 0.1 

 0.3 

 14.0 

(1.4) 

12.6

Company
2016
£m

Company
2015
£m

13.5

0.3

–

–

13.8 

(1.6)

 12.2

 13.3 

 0.2 

 0.1 

 0.3 

 13.9 

(1.4) 

 12.5 

Included in the Group’s trade receivables balance are trade receivables with a carrying value of £0.1 million (2015: £0.3 million) which are 
overdue at the Balance Sheet date for which the Group has not provided as the Group considers these amounts to be recoverable.

In addition, there are loans to customers included in other receivables of £0.3 million (2015: £0.3 million) due within one year and £0.5 million 
(2015: £0.4 million) due in more than one year, against which there is a provision of £0.3 million (2015: £0.3 million).

20. Assets Classified as Held For Sale

Property, plant and equipment

The movements in assets classified as held for sale during the year are summarised below:

Assets held for sale at the start of the year

Assets disposed during the year

Transfer from property, plant and equipment

Assets held for sale at the end of the year

Group
2016
£m

0.5 

0.5 

Group
2016
£m

–

–

0.5 

0.5 

Group
2015
£m

 1.2 

 1.2 

Company
2016
£m

 0.5 

 0.5 

Company
2015
£m

 1.2 

 1.2 

Group
2015
£m

Company
2016
£m

Company
2015
£m

 1.2 

(1.2) 

 – 

 – 

–

–

0.5 

0.5 

 1.2 

(1.2) 

 – 

 – 

At 26 March 2016, one property was transferred to assets held for sale, as it was in the advanced stages of the sales process and has 
since completed. The property shown above resulted in a profit on sale.

96
Fuller, Smith & Turner P.L.C.
Annual Report 2016

Notes to the Financial Statements continued21. Trade and Other Payables

Due within one year:

Trade payables

Amounts due to subsidiary undertakings

Other tax and social security

Other payables

Accruals

Group
2016
£m

21.4

–

9.3

11.4

18.7

60.8

Group
2015
£m

 19.4 

 – 

 9.1 

 9.2 

 11.5 

49.2 

Company
2016
£m

Company
2015
£m

17.8

102.2

9.1

11.3

17.7

158.1

18.9

 97.6 

 9.1 

 9.1 

 11.2 

145.9

Company amounts due to subsidiary undertakings of £102.2 million (2015: £97.6 million) have no fixed repayment date. Interest is payable on 
the balance at 3% above the Bank of England base rate. All other significant trade and other receivables and trade and other payables balances 
are due within one year and are at nil rate of interest.

Due in more than one year:

Deferred revenue

Group
2016
£m

 0.4 

Group
2015
£m

 0.4 

Company
2016
£m

–

Company
2015
£m

–

Deferred revenue relates to government grants received for the purchase and construction of plant, property and equipment by Cornish 
Orchards Limited. There are no unfulfilled conditions and contingencies attached to these amounts.

22. Cash, Borrowings and Net Debt
Cash and Short Term Deposits

Cash at bank and in hand

Group
2016
£m

6.2 

Group
2015
£m

 5.1 

Company
2016
£m

5.1

Company
2015
£m

4.8

For the purposes of the consolidated cash flow statement, cash and cash equivalents comprise cash at bank and in hand, as above. Cash at bank 
earns interest at floating rates.

Borrowings 

Bank loans

Other loans

Debenture stock

Preference shares

Total borrowings

Analysed as:

Borrowings within current liabilities

Borrowings within non-current liabilities

Group
2016
£m

177.0 

0.2

25.9 

1.6

 204.7 

20.0 

 184.7 

204.7 

Group
2015
£m

Company
2016
£m

Company
2015
£m

 140.0 

177.0 

 140.0 

 0.2 

 25.9 

 1.6 

 167.7 

 20.0 

 147.7 

167.7

 – 

25.9 

1.6

 204.5 

20.0 

184.5 

 204.5

–

 25.9 

 1.6 

 167.5 

 20.0 

 147.5 

167.5

All borrowings at both year ends are denominated in Sterling and where appropriate are stated net of issue costs. Further information on borrowings 
is given in note 26.

97
Fuller, Smith & Turner P.L.C.
Annual Report 2016

Overview  Strategic Report  Governance  Financial Statements  Additional InformationOverview  Strategic Report  Governance  Financial Statements  Additional Information22. Cash, Borrowings and Net Debt continued
Bank Loans
Group and Company
In August 2015 the Company extended £130.0 million of its existing main bank facilities by one year, so they now expire in August 2020.  
The remaining £50.0 million expire in August 2019.

On 27 January 2016 the Company entered into a new £30.0 million bank facility with a four year fixed term expiring in August 2020.  
At 26 March 2016 the facility was fully drawn. At 26 March 2016, £52.0 million (2015: £59.0 million) of the total of £210.0 million  
(2015: £180.0 million) committed bank loan facility was available and undrawn.

In addition the Company renewed a short term £20.0 million bank facility with a one year fixed term expiring in August 2016. At 26 March 
2016 this facility was fully drawn.

The bank loans at 26 March 2016 are unsecured, and are repayable as shown in the table below. Interest is payable at LIBOR plus a margin, 
which varies dependent on the ratio of net debt to EBITDA. The variable rate interest payments under the loans have been partially swapped  
for fixed interest payments and a proportion of the remaining variable interest payments have also been capped. Details of the swap and cap 
arrangements are given in note 26.

The bank loans are repayable as follows:

On demand or within one year

Current liabilities

In the third to fifth year inclusive

Less: bank loan arrangement fees

Non-current liabilities

Debenture Stock
Group and Company
The debenture stocks are secured on specified fixed and floating assets of the Company and are redeemable on maturity.

Debenture stock repayable after five years:

The debenture stocks are secured on specified fixed and floating assets of the Company and are redeemable on maturity.

10.70% 1st Mortgage Debenture Stock 2023

6.875% Debenture Stock 2028 (first floating charge)

Less: discount on issue

Non-current liabilities

2016
£m

20.0

20.0

158.0

(1.0)

157.0

2016
£m

6.0

20.0

(0.1)

25.9

2015
£m

 20.0 

 20.0 

 121.0 

(1.0) 

 120.0 

2015
£m

6.0

 20.0 

(0.1) 

 25.9 

Preference Shares
The Company’s preference shares are classified as debt. The shares are not redeemable and are included in borrowings within non-current 
liabilities. See note 24 for further details of the preference shares. 

98
Fuller, Smith & Turner P.L.C.
Annual Report 2016

Notes to the Financial Statements continued22. Cash, Borrowings and Net Debt continued
Analysis of Net Debt

Group

Cash and cash equivalents

Cash and short term deposits

Debt

Bank loans 

Other loans

Debenture stock

Preference shares

Net debt

At 28 March
2015
£m

Cash flows
£m

Non-cash1
£m

At 26 March
2016
£m

5.1 

5.1 

1.1 

1.1 

–

– 

6.2 

6.2 

(140.0)

(0.2)

(25.9)

(1.6)

(167.7)

(162.6)

(36.2)

0.2

–

– 

(36.0)

(34.9)

(0.8)

(0.2)

–

–

(1.0) 

(1.0) 

(177.0) 

(0.2)

(25.9)

(1.6) 

(204.7)

(198.5)

1  Non-cash movements relate to the amortisation of arrangement fees and the acquisition of Nectar Imports Limited and G&M Leisure Limited during the year.

Group

Cash and cash equivalents

Cash and short term deposits

Debt

Bank loans

Other loans

Debenture stock

Preference shares

Net debt

At 29 March
2014
£m

Cash flows
£m

Non-cash1
£m

At 28 March
2015
£m

4.1 

4.1 

1.0 

1.0 

(116.2)

(0.2)

(25.9)

(1.6)

(143.9)

(139.8)

(23.4)

0.5 

– 

– 

(22.9)

(21.9)

– 

– 

(0.4)

(0.5)

– 

– 

(0.9)

(0.9)

5.1

5.1

(140.0)

(0.2)

(25.9)

(1.6)

(167.7)

(162.6)

1  Non-cash movements relate to the amortisation of arrangement fees and the acquisition of The Stable Pizza & Cider Limited.

The Company net debt is as above excluding “Other loans” of £0.2 million (2015: £0.2 million) and cash of £1.1 million (2015: £0.3 million) 
which are held by subsidiary companies. Company net debt as at 26 March 2016 was £199.4 million (2015: £162.7 million).

99
Fuller, Smith & Turner P.L.C.
Annual Report 2016

Overview  Strategic Report  Governance  Financial Statements  Additional InformationOverview  Strategic Report  Governance  Financial Statements  Additional Information23. Pensions
a) Retirement Benefit Plans – Group and Company
The Group operates one closed funded defined benefit pension scheme, the Fuller Smith & Turner Pension Plan (the ”Scheme”). The plan is 
defined benefit in nature, with assets held in separate professionally managed, Trustee-administered funds. The Scheme is an HM Revenue & 
Customs registered pension plan and subject to standard United Kingdom pension and tax law. On 1 January 2015 the plan was closed to future 
accrual resulting in a curtailment gain of £1.2 million in the 52 weeks ended 28 March 2015.

The Group also operates three defined contribution stakeholder pension plans for its employees. The Fuller’s Stakeholder Pension Plan was set 
up for new employees of the Parent Company after the closure of the Fuller, Smith & Turner Pension Plan to new entrants on 1 August 2005. 
The Griffin Stakeholder Pension Plan operates for those employees of a Group subsidiary. The Gales 2001 scheme was set up following the 
closure of the Gales defined benefit scheme in 2001. The Group offers workplace pensions to all employees who are not members of the three 
defined contribution stakeholder pension plans. The Group offers these pensions through the National Employment Savings Trust (“NEST”).

The Group also pays benefits to a number of former employees which are unfunded. The Directors consider these benefits to be defined benefit 
in nature and the full defined benefit liability is recognised on the Balance Sheet.

Group and Company

Total amounts charged in respect of pensions in the period

Charged to Income Statement:

Defined benefit scheme – operating profit

Defined benefit scheme – exceptional items

Defined benefit scheme – net finance charge

Defined contribution schemes – total operating charge

Charge/(credit) to equity:

Defined benefit schemes – net actuarial losses

Total pension charge

52 weeks
ended
26 March
2016
£m

52 weeks
ended
28 March
2015
£m

 0.2 

–

 0.8 

1.2

2.2 

(0.7) 

1.5 

1.2 

(1.2)

0.8 

0.8

1.6

8.3

9.9

b) Defined Contribution Stakeholder Pension Plans – Group and Company
The total cost charged to income in respect of the defined contribution stakeholder schemes is shown above.

c) Defined Benefit Plans – Group and Company
The Scheme provides pensions and lump sums to members on retirement and to their dependants upon death. Trustees are appointed  
by both the Company and the Scheme’s membership and act in the interest of the Scheme and all relevant stakeholders, including the  
members and the Company. The Trustees are also responsible for the investment of the Scheme’s assets. The Company pays the costs  
as determined by regular actuarial valuations. The Trustees are required to use prudent assumptions to value the liabilities and costs of  
the Scheme whereas the accounting assumptions must be best estimates.

Responsibility for making good any deficit on the Scheme lies with the Company and this introduces a number of risks for the Company.  
The major risks are: 

– Interest and investment risk – The value of the Scheme’s assets are subject to volatility in equity prices. The Scheme has diversified its 

investments to reduce the impact of volatility and variable interest return rates.

– Inflation risk – The defined benefit obligation is linked to inflation so higher rates would result in a higher defined benefit obligation. 
– Longevity risk – An increase over the assumptions applied will increase the defined benefit obligation.

The Company and Trustees are aware of these risks and manage them through appropriate investment and funding strategies. The Trustees manage 
governance and operational risks through a number of internal controls policies. 

The Scheme is subject to regular actuarial valuations, which are usually carried out every three years. The next actuarial valuation is due to be carried 
out as at 30 July 2016. These actuarial valuations are carried out in accordance with the requirements of the Pensions Act 2004 and so include 
deliberate margins for prudence. 

100
Fuller, Smith & Turner P.L.C.
Annual Report 2016

Notes to the Financial Statements continued23. Pensions continued
A formal actuarial valuation was carried out as at 30 July 2013. The results of that valuation have been projected to 26 March 2016 by a qualified 
independent actuary. The figures in the following disclosures were measured using the projected unit method.

The Scheme has not invested in any of the Group’s own financial instruments or in properties or other assets in use by the Group.

Key assumptions
The key assumptions used in the 2016 valuation of the Scheme are set out below:

Mortality assumptions

Current pensioners (at 65) – males

Current pensioners (at 65) – females

Future pensioners (at 65) – males

Future pensioners (at 65) – females

2016
Years

22.2

24.4

23.6

25.9

2015
Years

22.2

24.4

23.5

25.9

The Scheme is now closed to future accrual. The average age of members who were active at closure is 54 for males and 49 for females.  
The average age of all non-pensioners is 55.

Key financial assumptions used in the valuation of the Scheme

Rate of increase in salaries

Rate of increase in pensions in payment

Discount rate

Inflation assumption – RPI

Inflation assumption – CPI

The present value of the Scheme liabilities is sensitive to the assumptions used, as follows:

Impact on Scheme liabilities – increase/(decrease) 1

Increase rate of salaries by 0.5%

Increase rate of pensions in payment by 0.5%

Increase discount rate by 1.0%

Increase inflation assumption by 0.5%

Increase life expectancies by 1 year

2016

n/a

3.05%

3.55%

3.05%

2.05%

2016
£m

 n/a2 

 5.5

(18.0) 

 3.33 

 4.9 

2015

2.50%

3.00%

3.25%

3.00%

2.00%

2015
£m

n/a2

6.4

(20.0)

3.83

5.3

1  The above sensitivity analyses are based on a change in an assumption whilst holding all of the other assumptions constant. In practice this is unlikely to occur 
and changes in some of the assumptions may be correlated. When calculating the sensitivity to change, the same actuarial method has been applied as when 
calculating the pension liability within the Balance Sheet.

2  Due to the Scheme closing to future accrual on 1 January 2015, there are no longer any active members in the Scheme. As the members who were active at 
closure did not maintain a salary link on their past service benefits, the future salary increase assumptions no longer has an impact on the Scheme’s liabilities.

3  For members who were active at closure, their pensions now increase in deferment in line with CPI inflation. 

101
Fuller, Smith & Turner P.L.C.
Annual Report 2016

Overview  Strategic Report  Governance  Financial Statements  Additional InformationOverview  Strategic Report  Governance  Financial Statements  Additional Information23. Pensions continued

Assets in the Scheme

Corporate bonds

UK equities

Overseas equities

Absolute return fund

Property

Cash

Annuities

Total market value of assets

Fair value of Scheme assets

Present value of Scheme liabilities

Deficit in the Scheme

2016
£m

 19.3 

 40.7 

 20.4 

 12.0 

 1.0 

 1.4 

 1.2 

96.0

2016
£m

96.0

(119.5)

(23.5)

2015
£m

20.7 

37.0 

13.2 

29.5 

0.9 

0.9 

1.3 

103.5

2015
£m

103.5

(127.9)

(24.4)

Included within the total present value of Group and Company Scheme liabilities of £119.5 million (2015: £127.9 million) are liabilities 
of £2.8 million (2015: £3.1 million) which are entirely unfunded.

Defined benefit obligation

Fair value of Scheme assets

Net defined benefit (deficit)

Balance at beginning of the year

Included in profit and loss

Current service cost

Curtailment gain

Net interest cost

Included in Other Comprehensive Income

Actuarial gains/(losses) relating to:

Actual return less expected return on Scheme assets

Experience gains/(losses) arising on Scheme liabilities

Other

Employer contributions

Employer special contributions

Employee contributions

Benefits paid

2016
£m

2015
£m

(127.9)

(110.8)

 – 

 – 

(4.2)

(4.2)

 – 

7.5

7.5

0.2 

 – 

 – 

4.9

5.1

(1.1)

1.2

(4.9)

(4.8)

 – 

(16.3)

(16.3)

 – 

 – 

(0.3)

4.3

4.0

2016
£m

103.5

 (0.2) 

 – 

3.4

3.2

(6.8) 

 – 

(6.8)

 – 

1.0

 – 

(4.9)

(3.9)

2015
£m

93.6

 – 

 – 

4.1

4.1

8.0

 – 

8.0

1.0

0.8

0.3

(4.3)

(2.2)

2016
£m

(24.4)

(0.2)

(0.8)

(1.0)

(6.8)

7.5

0.7

0.2

1.0

 – 

 – 

1.2

2015
£m

(17.2)

(1.1)

1.2

(0.8)

(0.7)

8.0

(16.3)

(8.3)

1.0

0.8

 – 

 – 

1.8

Balance at end of the year

(119.5)

(127.9)

96.0

103.5

(23.5)

(24.4)

The weighted average duration of the Scheme’s liabilities at the end of the period is 20 years (2015: 20 years).

The total contributions to the Scheme in the next financial year are expected to be £1.1 million for the Group and the Company. These payments 
are to be made as part of a deficit recovery plan in place until March 2021 as agreed between the Trustees and the Group.

102
Fuller, Smith & Turner P.L.C.
Annual Report 2016

Notes to the Financial Statements continued24. Preference Share Capital

Group and Company

Authorised, issued and fully paid share capital

Number authorised and in issue:

First 6%
cumulative
preference
share of 
£1 each

Number
000’s

Second 8%
cumulative
preference
share of 
£1 each

Number
000’s

Total

Number
000’s

At 29 March 2014, 28 March 2015 and 26 March 2016

 400 

 1,200 

 1,600 

Monetary amount:

At 29 March 2014, 28 March 2015 and 26 March 2016

£m 

 0.4 

 £m 

 1.2 

 £m 

 1.6 

The first 6% cumulative preference shares of £1 each are entitled to first payment of a fixed cumulative dividend and on winding up to a return  
of paid capital plus arrears of dividends. The second 8% cumulative preference shares of £1 each are entitled to second payment of a fixed 
cumulative dividend and on winding up a return of capital paid up (plus a premium calculated by reference to an average quoted price on the 
London Stock Exchange for the previous six months) plus arrears of dividends.

Preference shareholders may only vote in limited circumstances: principally on winding up, alteration of class rights or on unpaid preference 
dividends. Preference shares cannot be redeemed by the holders, other than on winding up.

25. Provisions
a) Onerous Lease and Contingent Consideration

Group and Company

Balance at beginning of the year

Arising during the year

Released during the year

Utilised

Unwinding of discount

Balance at end of the year

Analysed as:

Due within one year

Due in more than one year

Onerous lease

Contingent consideration

Total

2016
£m

 1.1 

–

(0.1)

(0.3)

0.1

 0.8 

£m

0.1

0.7

0.8

2015
£m

 1.7 

 0.3 

 – 

(1.0) 

 0.1 

 1.1 

£m

 0.2 

 0.9 

1.1 

2016
£m

 1.8 

–

(0.1)

–

0.1

 1.8 

£m

0.3

1.5

1.8

2015
£m

 1.7 

 – 

 – 

 – 

 0.1 

 1.8 

£m

 0.2 

 1.6 

 1.8 

2016
£m

 2.9 

 – 

(0.2) 

 (0.3) 

0.2 

 2.6 

£m

0.4

2.2

2.6

2015
£m

 3.4 

 0.3 

 – 

(1.0) 

0.2

2.9

£m

 0.4 

 2.5 

2.9

The onerous lease provision is recognised in respect of leasehold properties where the lease contracts are deemed to be onerous. Provision  
is made for the discounted value of the lower of the unavoidable lease costs and the losses expected to be incurred by the Group.

The contingent consideration is recognised in respect of the fair value of additional amounts which are only payable on completion of certain 
performance targets for business combinations.

103
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Annual Report 2016

Overview  Strategic Report  Governance  Financial Statements  Additional InformationOverview  Strategic Report  Governance  Financial Statements  Additional Information25. Provisions continued
b) Deferred Tax Provision
The deferred tax included in the Balance Sheet is as follows:

Group

Deferred tax

Retirement benefit obligations

Tax losses carried forward

Employee share schemes

Financial liabilities and assets

Accelerated tax depreciation

Rolled over capital gains

Others

Asset 
2016
£m

Liability
2016
£m

4.2

0.6

0.9

0.5

–

–

2.1

8.3

–

–

–

–

(10.3)

(8.7)

–

(19.0)

Net
2016
£m

4.2 

0.6 

0.9 

0.5 

(10.3) 

(8.7) 

2.1 

(10.7)

Asset 
2015
£m

Liability
2015
£m

4.9

0.4

1.0

0.6

–

–

1.5

8.4

–

–

–

–

(12.4)

(8.9)

–

(21.3)

The deferred tax included in the Company Balance Sheet is the same as the Group with the following exceptions:

Company

Deferred tax 

Tax losses carried forward

Accelerated tax depreciation

Others

Total deferred tax asset/(liability)

Asset 
2016
£m

Liability
2016
£m

0.5

–

1.7

7.8

–

(9.9)

–

(18.6)

Net
2016
£m

0.5

(9.9)

1.7

(10.8)

Asset 
2015
£m

Liability
2015
£m

0.2

–

1.5

8.2

–

(12.4)

–

(21.3)

Net
2015
£m

4.9

0.4

1.0

0.6

(12.4)

(8.9)

1.5

(12.9)

Net
2015
£m

0.2

(12.4)

1.5

(13.1)

26. Financial Instruments
Details of the Group’s Treasury function are included in the Financial Review’s discussion of financial risks and treasury policies on page 20.

The accounting treatment of the Group’s financial instruments is detailed in note 1. 

a) Capital Management – Group and Company
As described in note 1, the Group considers its capital to comprise the following:

Capital 

Ordinary share capital

Share premium

Capital redemption reserve

Hedging reserve

Retained earnings

Preference shares

Group
2016
£m

22.8

4.8

3.1

(2.6)

293.0

1.6

322.7

Group
2015
£m

22.8

4.8

3.1

(2.4)

270.0

1.6

299.9

Company
2016
£m

Company
2015
£m

22.8

4.8

3.1

(2.6)

262.9

1.6

292.6

22.8

4.8

3.1

(2.4)

241.4

1.6

271.3

In managing its capital the primary objective is to ensure that the Group is able to continue to operate as a going concern and to maximise return 
to shareholders through a combination of capital growth, distributions and the payment of preference dividends to its preference shareholders. 
The Group seeks to maintain a ratio of debt and equity that balances risks and returns at an acceptable level and maintains sufficient funds to 
meet working capital targets, investment requirements and comply with lending covenants. The Group bought back £6.2 million of shares in 
the 52 weeks ended 26 March 2016 (2015: £7.1 million), of which £1.6 million related to purchases made by or on behalf of employee share 
ownership trusts (2015: £0.9 million). As a minimum, the Board reviews the Group’s dividend policy twice yearly and reviews the treasury 
position at every Board meeting.

104
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Annual Report 2016

Notes to the Financial Statements continued26. Financial Instruments continued
b) Categories of Financial Assets and Liabilities
The Group’s financial assets and liabilities as recognised at the Balance Sheet date may also be categorised as follows:

Non-current assets

Derivative financial assets hedge accounted

Loans and other receivables in scope of IAS 39

Total non-current assets

Current assets

Loans and other receivables:

Trade and other receivables in scope of IAS 39

Cash and short term deposits

Total current assets

Total financial assets

Current liabilities

Trade and other payables in scope of IAS 39

Loans

Total carried at amortised cost

Total current liabilities

Non-current liabilities

Derivative financial liabilities hedge accounted

Put and call options

Carried at amortised cost:

Other payables in scope of IAS 39

Loans and debenture stock

Preference shares

Total carried at amortised cost

Total non-current liabilities

Total financial liabilities

Group
2016
£m

 0.1 

 0.3 

 0.4

 14.9 

 6.2 

 21.1 

 21.5 

40.5 

20.0

60.5 

 60.5 

3.2 

 7.5 

2.2 

 183.1

 1.6 

186.9 

197.6 

258.1 

Group
2015
£m

Company
2016
£m

Company
2015
£m

0.3 

0.3 

0.6 

 12.8 

5.1 

17.9 

18.5 

 31.3 

20.0

51.3 

51.3 

3.1

3.0

 0.9 

 146.1 

1.6 

 148.6 

154.7

206.0

 0.1 

 0.3

 0.4 

26.4

5.1

31.5

 31.9 

138.1

20.0

158.1

158.1

 3.2 

 – 

2.2 

 182.9 

 1.6 

186.7 

189.9 

 348.0

 0.3 

 0.3 

 0.6 

21.5

4.8

26.3

26.9

 128.0 

20.0

 148.0 

 148.0 

3.1

–

 0.9 

 145.9 

 1.6 

 148.4 

 151.5 

 299.5 

There is no set off of financial assets and liabilities as shown above.

c) Financial Risks – Group And Company
The main risks associated with the Group’s financial assets and liabilities are set out below, as are the Group’s policies for their management. 
Derivative instruments are used to change the economic characteristics of financial instruments in accordance with Group policy.

(i) Interest Rate Risk
The Group manages its cost of borrowings using a mixture of fixed rates, variable rates and interest rate caps. The current Group policy is that a 
minimum of 50% of total outstanding borrowings should be at a fixed or capped rate of interest. This is achieved by both taking out interest rate 
swaps and caps with third parties and by loan instruments that require the Group to pay a fixed rate. Fixed rates do not expose the Group to cash 
flow interest rate risk, but do not enjoy a reduction in borrowing costs in markets where rates are falling. Interest rate caps limit the maximum 
rate payable but require payment of a lump sum premium. The fair value risk inherent in fixed rate borrowings means that the Group is exposed to 
unplanned costs if debt is paid off earlier than anticipated. Floating rate borrowings, although not exposed to changes in fair value, expose the 
Group to cash flow risk following rises in interest rates and cost.

The debentures totalling £25.9 million (2015: £25.9 million) are at fixed rates. The bank loans totalling £177.0 million (2015: £140.0 million), net 
of arrangement fees, are at floating rates. At the year end, after taking account of interest rate swaps and caps, 48% (2015: 75%) of the Group’s 
bank loans and 55% (2015: 79%) of gross borrowings were at fixed or capped rates.

105
Fuller, Smith & Turner P.L.C.
Annual Report 2016

Overview  Strategic Report  Governance  Financial Statements  Additional InformationOverview  Strategic Report  Governance  Financial Statements  Additional Information26. Financial Instruments continued
Interest rate swaps 
The Group has entered into interest rate swap agreements, where the Group pays a fixed rate and receives 1 month or 3 month LIBOR, in order 
to hedge the risk of variation in interest cash flows on its borrowings. At the Balance Sheet date £65.0 million of the Group’s and Company’s 
borrowings (2015: £65.0 million) were hedged by interest rate swaps at a blended fixed rate of 1.94% (2015: 1.75%). Of the swaps active 
at 26 March 2016 £25.0 million expire in 2017, £20.0 million expire in 2020 and £20 million expire in 2022. Additionally, the Group has 
entered into interest rate swap arrangements with forward start dates. In February 2016 the Group entered into an interest rate swap 
agreement to hedge the risk of interest rate variation on a further £20.0 million of the Group’s borrowings at a rate of 0.82%, 
commencing in April 2016 and expiring in 2020.

Interest rate cap
The Group has entered into interest rate cap agreements in order to hedge the risk of variation in interest cash flows on its borrowings. At the 
Balance Sheet date £20.0 million (2015: £20.0 million) of the Group’s and Company’s borrowings were hedged by an interest rate cap at a fixed 
rate of 2.1% (2015: 4.0%), which commenced in 2015 and expires in 2020.

The interest rate swaps and cap are expected to impact the Income Statement in line with the liquidity risk table shown in section (iv) below. The 
interest rate swap cash flow hedges and the interest rate cap cash flow hedge in effect at 26 March 2016 were assessed as being highly effective 
at 26 March 2016 and a net unrealised loss of £0.3 million (2014: £3.0 million gain) has been recorded in Other Comprehensive Income. The 
interest rate cap cash flow hedge in effect at 28 March 2015 was not designated as a cash flow hedge for hedge accounting purposes and no net 
unrealised gain/loss was recorded in the Income Statement for the 52 weeks ended 28 March 2015.

Sensitivity – Group and Company
The Group borrows in Sterling at market rates. The 3 month Sterling LIBOR rate during the 52 weeks ended 26 March 2016 ranged between 
0.57% and 0.59%. The Directors consider 1.0% to be a reasonable possible increase in rates and 0.5% to be a reasonable possible decrease 
in rates, with reference to market yield curves and the current economic conditions.

The annualised effect of these changes to interest rates on the floating rate debt at the Balance Sheet date, all other variables being constant, 
are as follows:

Impact on post-tax profit and net equity – increase/(decrease)

Decrease interest rate by 0.5%

Increase interest rate by 1.0%

*  The Company has substantial interest bearing payables due to subsidiary companies (note 21).

Group
2016
£m

0.4

(0.9)

Group
2015
£m

0.3

(0.6)

Company*
2016
£m

Company*
2015
£m

0.9

(1.7)

0.7

(1.4)

(ii) Foreign Currency Risk
The Group buys and sells goods and services denominated in non-Sterling currencies principally US dollar, Euro and Australian dollar.  
As a result, movements in exchange rates can affect the value of the Group’s revenues and purchases.

The Group policy on covering foreign currency exposure is included in the Financial Review’s discussion of financial risks and treasury policies on 
page 20. As a minimum it buys or sells forward the net known value of all committed purchase or sales orders. In addition, the Group will usually 
buy or sell a proportion of the estimated sale or buy orders for the remaining part of the year to minimise its transactional currency exposures in 
non-Sterling currencies. Forward currency contracts must be in the same currency as the hedged items. The Group does not trade in forward 
currency hedges.

At 26 March 2016 the Group and Company had no open forward contracts. At 28 March 2015 the Group and Company had open forward 
contracts to buy €4.9 million with a Sterling equivalent of £3.8 million and a net gain of £0.2 million when comparing the contractual rates with 
the year end exchange rates. At 28 March 2015 the Group and Company had open forward contracts to buy $1.0 million with a Sterling 
equivalent of £0.7 million and a net gain of £nil when comparing the contractual rates with year end exchange rates.

At 26 March 2016 the only significant foreign currency assets or liabilities were the following:

Cash deposits

Trade receivables

Trade payables

2016
£m

 1.1 

 0.2 

2015
£m

1.1

0.2

2016
£m

– 

0.4 

2015
£m

–

0.4

2016
£m

 (0.7)

 (0.2) 

2015
£m

(0.7)

(0.2)

Group and Company

Euro assets/(liabilities)

US dollar assets/(liabilities)

106
Fuller, Smith & Turner P.L.C.
Annual Report 2016

Notes to the Financial Statements continued26. Financial Instruments continued
(iii) Credit Risk
The risk of financial loss due to a counter party’s failure to honour its obligations arises principally in relation to transactions where the Group 
provides goods and services on deferred payment terms, deposits surplus cash and enters into derivative contracts. 

Group policies are aimed at minimising losses and deferred terms are only granted to customers who demonstrate an appropriate payment 
history and satisfy credit worthiness procedures. Individual customers are subject to credit limits to control debt exposure. Credit insurance 
is taken out where appropriate for wholesale customers and goods may also be sold on a cash with order basis. 

Cash deposits with financial institutions for short periods and derivative transactions are only permitted with financial institutions approved by 
the Board. There are no significant concentrations of credit risk within the Group. The maximum credit risk exposure relating to financial assets 
is represented by their carrying value as at the Balance Sheet date.

Trade and other receivables
The Group records impairment losses on its trade receivables separately from gross receivables. Further detail is included in note 19.

(iv) Liquidity Risk
The Group minimises liquidity risk by managing cash generation, applying debtor collection targets, monitoring daily cash receipts and payments 
and setting rolling cash forecasts. Investments have cash payback periods applied as part of a tightly controlled investment appraisal process. 
The Group’s rating with credit agencies is excellent.

The Group has a mixture of long and short term borrowings and overdraft facilities. 13% (2015: 16%) of the Group’s borrowings are repayable 
after more than five years, 77% (2015: 84%) within the third to fifth years and 10% (2015: nil) within one year. The tables below summarise the 
maturity profile of the Group’s financial liabilities at 26 March 2016 based on undiscounted contractual cash flows, including interest payable. 
Floating rate interest is estimated using the prevailing interest rate at the Balance Sheet date.

Group at 26 March 2016

Interest bearing loans and borrowings1

Preference shares2

Trade and other payables

On
demand
£m

 – 

–

11.6

Less than
3 months
£m

1.3

–

29.0

3 to 12
months
£m

 24.1

0.1

0.1

1 to 5
years
£m

166.1 

0.5

1.8

More than
5 years
£m

42.7

3.4

0.4

Total
£m

 234.2 

 4.0 

 42.9

1  Bank loans are included after taking account of the following cash flows in relation to the interest rate swap and cap held in respect of these borrowings:

Interest rate swaps and cap

–

0.1

0.6

2.4

1.7

4.8

2  The preference shares have no contractual repayment date. For the purposes of the table above interest payments have been shown for 20 years from the 

Balance Sheet date but no further.

Group at 28 March 2015

Interest bearing loans and borrowings1

Preference shares2

Trade and other payables

–

–

10.9

1.2

–

18.4

3.6

0.1

0.1

133.2

0.5

0.5

42.7

3.4

0.7

180.7

4.0

30.6

1  Bank loans are included after taking account of the following cash flows in relation to the interest rate swap and cap held in respect of these borrowings:

Interest rate swaps and cap

 – 

 0.2 

 0.6 

2.4

1.7

4.9

2  The preference shares have no contractual repayment date. For the purposes of the table above interest payments have been shown for 20 years from the 

Balance Sheet date but no further.

The Company figures are as for the Group, except as follows:

Company at 26 March 2016

Amounts due to subsidiary undertakings3

Trade and other payables

Company at 28 March 2015

Amounts due to subsidiary undertakings3

Trade and other payables

On
demand
£m

102.2

7.1

Less than
3 months
£m

 – 

29.0

97.6

10.2

 – 

18.4

3 to 12
months
£m

 – 

0.1

 – 

0.1

1 to 5
years
£m

 – 

1.8

 – 

0.5

More than
5 years
£m

 – 

0.4

 – 

0.7

Total
£m

102.2

38.4

97.6

29.9

3  Amounts due to subsidiary undertakings have no fixed repayment date. Interest is payable on the balance at 3% above the Bank of England base rate.

107
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Overview  Strategic Report  Governance  Financial Statements  Additional InformationOverview  Strategic Report  Governance  Financial Statements  Additional Information26. Financial Instruments continued
Security – Group and Company
The 10.7% debentures 2023 are secured on property, plant and equipment with a net book value of £12.7 million (2015: £12.5 million).  
The 6.875% debentures 2028 are secured by a floating charge over the assets of the Company.

Covenants – Group and Company
The Group and Company are subject to a number of covenants in relation to their borrowing facilities which, if contravened, would result in its 
loans becoming immediately repayable. These covenants inter alia specify maximum net debt to earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and 
amortisation, and minimum earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation to interest.

d) Fair Value
Fair Values of Financial Assets and Liabilities
Set out below is a comparison by category of carrying amounts and fair values of all the financial instruments that are carried in the 
financial statements.

Book value
2016
£m

Book value
2015
£m

Fair value
2016
£m

Fair value
2015
£m

Fair
value
Level

Group

Financial assets

Cash

Trade and other receivables due within one year in scope of IAS 39

Loans and other receivables due in more than one year in scope 
of IAS 39

Interest rate swaps

Interest rate cap

Financial liabilities

Trade and other payables in scope of IAS 39

Fixed rate borrowings

Floating rate borrowings

Preference shares

Interest rate swaps

Put and call option

Forward currency contract

The Company figures are as for the Group above, except as follows:

Company

Financial liabilities

 6.2 

 14.9 

 0.3 

 – 

 0.1 

5.2 

12.7 

0.3 

–

0.3

 6.2 

 14.9 

 0.3 

 – 

 0.1 

 5.2 

 12.7 

 0.3 

–

0.3

(42.7) 

(26.1)

(32.4) 

(26.1) 

(42.7) 

(32.5)

(32.4) 

(31.0) 

(177.0) 

(140.0) 

(177.0)

(140.0) 

(1.6) 

(3.2) 

(7.5)

–

(1.6) 

(2.9)

(3.0)

(0.2)

(1.8)

(3.2) 

 (7.5) 

 – 

(1.8) 

(2.9)

(3.0)

(0.2)

Book value
2016
£m

Book value
2015
£m

Fair value
2016
£m

Fair value
2015
£m

Trade and other payables in scope of IAS 39

Fixed rate borrowings

(140.3)

(25.9)

(129.4) 

(25.9) 

(140.3)

(32.3)

(129.4) 

 (30.8) 

Level 1 fair values are valuation techniques where inputs are quoted prices in active markets for identical assets or liabilities that the entity can 
access at measure data.

Level 2 fair values are valuation techniques where all inputs which have a significant effect on the recorded fair value are observable, either 
directly or indirectly, but are not derived directly from quoted prices in active markets. The Group bases its valuations on information provided 
by financial institutions, who use a variety of estimation techniques based on market conditions, such as interest rate expectations, existing  
at each Balance Sheet date.

Level 3 fair values are valuation techniques for which all inputs which have a significant effect on the recorded fair value are not observable. 
Derivative fair values are obtained from quoted market prices in active markets. The fair values of borrowings have been calculated by 
discounting the expected future cash flows at prevailing interest rates. The fair values of preference shares have been calculated using the 
market interest rates. The fair values of cash, trade and other receivables, loans and other receivables and trade and other payables are 
equivalent to their carrying value. The fair value of the put and call option has been calculated by discounting the expected future cash payments 
for the shares in The Stable Pizza & Cider Limited and Nectar Imports Limited set under the terms of the respective shareholders’ agreements.

108
Fuller, Smith & Turner P.L.C.
Annual Report 2016

1

3

3

2

2

3

3

3

3

2

3

2

Fair
value
Level

3

3

Notes to the Financial Statements continued27. Share Capital and Reserves
a) Share Capital

Authorised, issued and fully paid

Number in issue

At 29 March 2014

Share conversions

At 28 March 2015

Share conversions

At 26 March 2016

A’ ordinary
shares of
40p each

Number
000s

33,488

‘C’ ordinary
shares of
40p each

 Number
000s

14,593

‘B’ ordinary
shares of
4p each

 Number
000s

89,052

Total

 Number
000s

137,133

31

(31)

 – 

 – 

33,519

14,562 

89,052 

137,133 

 18 

(18) 

 – 

 – 

33,537 

14,544 

89,052 

137,133 

Proportion of total equity shares at 26 March 2016

24.5%

10.6%

64.9%

100%

Monetary amount

At 29 March 2014

Share conversions

At 28 March 2015

Share conversions

At 26 March 2016

 £m 

13.4

–

13.4 

 – 

13.4 

 £m 

5.8

 – 

5.8 

 – 

5.8 

 £m 

3.6

 – 

3.6 

–

3.6 

 £m 

22.8

 – 

 22.8

 – 

22.8 

Share capital represents the nominal value proceeds received on the issue of the Company’s equity share capital, comprising 40p and  
4p ordinary shares. The Company’s preference shares are classified as non-current liabilities in accordance with IFRS (see note 24).

The ordinary shareholders are entitled to be paid a dividend out of any surplus profits and to participate in surplus assets on winding up in 
proportion to the nominal value of each class of share (‘B’ shares have one tenth of the nominal value of ‘A’ and ‘C’ shares).

All equity shares in the Company carry one vote per share, save that shares held in treasury have their voting rights suspended. The ‘A’ and ‘C’ 
shares have a 40p nominal value and the ‘B’ shares have a 4p nominal value so that a ‘B’ share dividend will be paid at 10% of the rate applying  
to ‘A’ and ‘C’ shares. The ‘A’ shares are listed on the London Stock Exchange. The ‘C’ shares carry a right for the holder to convert them to ‘A’ 
shares by written notice in the 30 day period following the half year and preliminary announcements. The ‘B’ shares are not listed and have no 
conversion rights. In most circumstances the value of a ‘B’ share is deemed to be 10% of the value of the listed ‘A’ shares. The Trustee holding 
shares for participants of the Long Term Incentive Plan (“LTIP”) currently waives dividends for shares held during the initial three year period. 
Dividends are not paid on shares held in treasury.

The Articles include provisions relating to the Company’s ‘B’ and ‘C’ shares which provide that shareholders who wish to transfer their shares 
may only do so if the transfer is to another ‘B’ or ‘C’ shareholder, or if the transfer is to certain of that shareholder’s family members or their 
executors or administrators or, where shares are held by Trustees, to new Trustees, or to the Trustees of any employee share scheme, or if the 
Company is unable to identify another shareholder of that class willing to purchase the shares within the specified period, to any person.

109
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Overview  Strategic Report  Governance  Financial Statements  Additional InformationOverview  Strategic Report  Governance  Financial Statements  Additional Information27. Share Capital and Reserves continued
b) Own Shares
Own shares relate to shares held by independently managed employee share ownership trusts (“ESOTs”) together with the Company’s holding 
of treasury shares. Shares are purchased by the ESOTs in order to satisfy potential awards under the LTIP and Share Incentive Scheme (“SIP”). 
Treasury shares are used, inter alia, to satisfy options under the Company’s share options schemes. The LTIP ESOT has waived its rights 
to dividends on the shares it holds. Treasury shares have voting and dividend rights suspended. All own shares held, as below, are excluded 
from earnings and net assets per share calculations.

At 28 March 2015

 1,163 

Shares purchased

Shares transferred

Shares released

 274 

(165) 

(141) 

At 26 March 2016

 1,131 

 4,558 

Treasury shares

‘A’ ordinary
40p shares
000s

‘B’ ordinary
4p shares
000s

‘A’ ordinary
40p shares
000s

LTIP ESOT

‘B’ ordinary
4p shares
000s

‘C’ ordinary
40p Shares
000s

SIP ESOT

‘A’ ordinary
40p shares
000s

Total

‘A’ ordinary
40p shares
000s

‘B’ ordinary
4p shares
000s

‘C’ ordinary
40p shares
000s

 1,171 

 292 

(110) 

(190) 

–

 3,558 

–

–

3,558

 1,000 

£m

 9.1 

 2.8 

(0.9) 

(1.5) 

 9.5 

 3.2 

(1.4) 

(1.2) 

 10.1 

£m

–

3.4

–

–

3.4

 1.2 

 4.6 

 – 

 – 

 110 

(110) 

 – 

 165 

(165) 

 – 

£m

 – 

–

 0.9 

(0.9) 

 – 

 1.4 

(1.4) 

 – 

 691 

 248 

 – 

(266) 

 673 

 225 

 – 

(411) 

 487 

£m

 0.5 

 0.2 

 – 

(0.2) 

 0.5 

 0.2 

 – 

(0.4) 

 0.3 

 10 

–

 – 

 – 

 10 

 – 

 10 

£m

 0.1 

 – 

 – 

 – 

 0.1 

 – 

 – 

 – 

 0.1 

 – 

 73 

 – 

 1,171 

 365 

 – 

 691 

3,806

 – 

(72) 

(372) 

(266) 

 1 

 146 

 – 

(63) 

 84 

£m

 – 

 0.7 

 – 

 1,164 

 420 

 – 

(369) 

4,231

 1,225 

 – 

(411) 

 1,215 

 5,045 

 £m

 9.1 

 3.5 

 – 

 £m

 0.5 

3.6

 – 

(0.7) 

(3.1) 

(0.2) 

 – 

 1.6 

 – 

(0.9) 

 0.7 

 9.5 

 4.8 

 – 

(3.5) 

 10.8 

3.9

 1.4 

 – 

(0.4) 

 4.9 

 10 

 – 

 – 

 – 

 10 

 – 

 – 

 – 

 10 

 £m

 0.1 

 – 

 – 

 – 

 0.1 

 – 

 – 

 – 

 0.1 

Number

At 29 March 2014

Shares purchased

Shares transferred

Shares released

Monetary amount

At 29 March 2014

Shares purchased

Shares transferred

Shares released

At 28 March 2015

Shares purchased

Shares transferred

Shares released

At 26 March 2016

Market value at 
26 March 2016

 11.5 

 4.6 

 – 

 0.5 

 0.1 

 0.9 

 12.4 

 5.1 

 0.1 

c) Other Capital Reserves
Share Premium Account
The balance in the share premium account represents the proceeds received above the nominal value on the issue of the Company’s equity 
share capital.

Capital Redemption Reserve
The capital redemption reserve balance arises from the buy-back of the Company’s own equity share capital.

Hedging Reserve
The hedging reserve contains the effective portion of the cash flow hedge relationships incurred at the Balance Sheet date, net of tax.

110
Fuller, Smith & Turner P.L.C.
Annual Report 2016

Notes to the Financial Statements continued28. Share Options and Share Schemes
The key points of each of the Group’s share schemes for grants up to 26 March 2016 are summarised below. All schemes are equity-settled.  
All disclosure relates to both Group and Company. For the purposes of option and LTIP schemes, “Adjusted EPS” will normally be consistent 
with the post-tax earnings per share excluding exceptional items as presented in the financial statements. However, the Remuneration 
Committee is authorised to make appropriate adjustments to Adjusted EPS as applied to these schemes.

Savings Related Share Option Scheme (“SAYE”)
This scheme grants options over shares at a discount of 20% on the average market price over the three days immediately prior to the date  
of offer. Employees must save a regular amount each month. Savings are made over three or five years, at the participant’s choice. The right to 
buy shares at the discounted price lasts for six months after the end of the savings contract. There are no performance conditions, other than 
continued employment.

Senior Executive Share Option Scheme
This is an unapproved Executive Share Option Scheme. If growth in Adjusted EPS exceeds growth in the Retail Price Index (“RPI”) by 9% over 
the performance period of the option, then 40% of the award will vest. Vesting levels are then on a sliding scale, with 100% vesting occurring if 
growth in Adjusted EPS exceeds growth in RPI by more than 21%. The performance period for grants under this scheme is three years. Options 
must be exercised within seven years of the end of the performance period.

Executive Share Option Scheme
This is an approved Executive Share Option Scheme. The options vest if growth in Adjusted EPS exceeds the growth in RPI by 9% or more, over 
the three year performance period of the option. The options must then be exercised within seven years after the end of the performance period.

LTIP
This plan awards free shares. Vesting is conditional on growth in Adjusted EPS exceeding growth in RPI by 9% or more over the three year initial 
performance period of the award. Vesting levels are on a sliding scale from 40% up to 100%, if growth in Adjusted EPS exceeds growth in RPI 
by 24% or more. An independent firm of advisors verifies the vesting level each year. The initial vesting period is three years. After this time the 
shares may be passed to the plan participants, as long as vesting conditions are met. 

SIP
This plan awards free shares. The number of shares awarded, up to a maximum value of £3,000 per person per year, is based on length of service 
and salary. The life of each plan is five years, after which shares are released to participants. There are no performance conditions as in almost all 
circumstances participants can retain the shares awarded (although there may be tax consequences if within five years of the award). 

Share-Based Payment Expense Recognised in the Year
The expense recognised for share-based payments in respect of employee services received during the 52 weeks ended 26 March 2016 is 
£2.6 million (2015: £2.6 million). The whole of that expense arises from equity-settled share-based payment transactions.

Market Value
The market value of the shares at 26 March 2016 was £10.40 (2015: £10.20).

111
Fuller, Smith & Turner P.L.C.
Annual Report 2016

Overview  Strategic Report  Governance  Financial Statements  Additional InformationOverview  Strategic Report  Governance  Financial Statements  Additional InformationNotes to the Financial Statements continued

28. Share Options and Share Schemes continued
Movements in the Year
The following tables illustrate the number and weighted average exercise prices (“WAEP”) of, and movements in, each category of share 
instrument during the year. 

A) SAYE

Outstanding at the beginning of the year

Granted

Lapsed

Exercised

Outstanding at the end of the year

Exercisable at the end of the year

Weighted average share price for options exercised in the year

Weighted average contractual life remaining for share options  
outstanding at the year end

Weighted average share price for options granted in the year

Weighted average fair value of options granted during the year

Range of exercise prices for options outstanding at the year end

– from

– to

2016
Number
000s

 348 

 270 

(30) 

(110) 

 478 

 – 

£10.80

2016
WAEP

£6.43

£8.70

£7.43

£4.89

£6.43

n/a

2015
Number
000s

394 

 110 

(29) 

(127) 

348 

– 

£9.52

2015
WAEP

£5.63

£7.47

£6.03

£4.89

£6.43

n/a

2.37 years

4.02 years

£11.23

£2.13

£5.47

£8.70

£9.32

£2.01

£4.64

£7.47

Outstanding share options granted to employees under the Saving Related Share Option Scheme are as follows:

Number of ‘A’
ordinary
shares
under option
2016
000s

Number of ‘A’
ordinary
shares
under option
2015
000s

 Exercise price
40p shares
£

4.64

5.63

5.47

7.24

5.63

7.47

7.24

8.70

7.47

8.70

–

–

 24 

 51 

 19 

 73 

 26 

 169 

 23 

 93 

 478 

 52 

 58 

 25 

 59 

 20 

 80 

 28 

 – 

 26 

 – 

 348 

Exercisable at

September 2015

September 2015

September 2016

September 2016

September 2017

September 2017

September 2018

September 2018

September 2019

September 2020

112
Fuller, Smith & Turner P.L.C.
Annual Report 2016

28. Share Options and Share Schemes continued
B) Share Option Schemes
Senior Executive Share Option Scheme

Outstanding at the beginning of the year

Lapsed

Exercised

Outstanding at the end of the year

Exercisable at the end of the year

Weighted average share price for options exercised in the year

2016
Number
000s

 83 

 – 

 – 

 83 

 63 

n/a

Weighted average contractual life remaining for share options outstanding  
at the year end

5.61 years

Range of exercise prices for options outstanding at the year end

– from

– to

Executive Share Option Scheme

Outstanding at the beginning of the year

Granted

Lapsed

Exercised

Outstanding at the end of the year

Exercisable at the end of the year

Weighted average share price for options exercised in the year

Weighted average contractual life remaining for share options outstanding  
at the year end

Weighted average share price for options granted in the year

Weighted average fair value of options granted during the year

Range of exercise prices for options outstanding at the year end

– from

– to

£4.05

£9.10

2016
Number
000s

 169 

 34 

(5) 

(31) 

 167 

 55 

£11.22

7.14 years

£10.90

£1.11

£4.05

£10.90

2015
WAEP

£6.56

£6.46

£4.92

£9.14

£5.97

2015
WAEP

£7.39

£9.10

£9.10

£9.88

£6.73

£6.23

2016
WAEP

£9.14

n/a

n/a

£7.03

£6.38

2016
WAEP

£6.73

£10.90

£9.65

£6.58

£8.81

£6.62

2015
Number
000s

 115 

(6) 

(26) 

83 

39 

£9.80

6.61 years

£4.05

£9.10

2015
Number
000s

 162 

54 

(12) 

(35) 

169

45 

£9.52

7.45 years

£9.65

£1.15

£4.05

£9.10

113
Fuller, Smith & Turner P.L.C.
Annual Report 2016

Overview  Strategic Report  Governance  Financial Statements  Additional InformationOverview  Strategic Report  Governance  Financial Statements  Additional InformationNotes to the Financial Statements continued

28. Share Options and Share Schemes continued
Outstanding options which are capable of being exercised between three and ten years from date of issue and their exercise prices are shown in the 
table below:

Exercisable in/between

2009 and 2016

2010 and 2017 

2011 and 2018

2012 and 2019

2013 and 2020

2013 and 2020

2014 and 2021

2015 and 2022

2016 and 2023

2017 and 2024

2018 and 2025

Total

C) LTIP

Shares

Outstanding at the beginning of the year

Granted 

Lapsed

Vested 

Outstanding at the end of the year

Senior Executive Share Option Scheme

Executive Share Option Scheme

 Number of
‘A’ ordinary
shares
under option
2016
000s

 Number of
‘A’ ordinary
shares
under option
2015
000s

 Exercise price
40p shares
£

 Number of
‘A’ ordinary
shares
under option
2016
000s

 Number of
‘A’ ordinary
shares
under option
2015
000s

 Exercise price
40p shares
£

4.98

 –

4.05

4.80

5.78

6.30

7.09

7.05

9.10

 –

 –

–

 – 

2 

9 

12 

1 

15 

24 

20 

 – 

 – 

83

4.98

 7.51 

 4.05 

 4.80 

 5.78 

 – 

 7.09 

 7.05 

 9.10 

 9.65 

 10.90 

 – 

 – 

 2 

 9 

 12 

 1 

 15 

 24 

 20 

 – 

 – 

83

2016
‘A’ shares
Number
000s

 435 

 136 

(19) 

(165) 

 387 

2016
‘B’ shares
Number
000s

 1,088 

 339 

(48) 

(411) 

 968 

–

7 

4 

3 

6 

 – 

13 

21 

32 

47 

34 

3

 7 

 4 

 3 

 12 

 – 

 15 

 38 

 33 

 54 

 – 

 167 

 169 

2015
‘A’ shares
Number
000s

478 

147 

(80) 

(110) 

435 

2015
‘B’ shares
Number
000s

 1,195 

 367 

(199) 

(275) 

 1,088 

Weighted average share price for shares vested in the year

£9.49

£0.95

£9.53

£0.95

For shares outstanding at the year end, the weighted average 
contractual life remaining is

Weighted average share price for shares granted in the year

Weighted average fair value of shares granted during the year

1.31 years

1.31 years

1.22 years

1.22 years

£10.90

£10.17

£1.09

£1.02

£9.25

£8.74

£0.92

£0.87

All LTIPs have a vesting price of £nil. LTIP shares do not receive dividends until vested.

114
Fuller, Smith & Turner P.L.C.
Annual Report 2016

28. Share Options and Share Schemes continued
D) SIP

Outstanding at the beginning of the year

Granted

Lapsed

Released

Outstanding at the end of the year

Weighted average share price for shares released in the year

For shares outstanding at the year end, the weighted average contractual life remaining is

Weighted average share price for shares granted during the year

Weighted average fair value of shares granted during the year

2016
Number
000s

2015
Number
000s

 297 

 64 

(1) 

(87) 

 273 

322 

74 

(2) 

(97)

297 

£11.00

£9.36

2.86 years

2.86 years

£11.54

£11.30

£9.50

£9.59

Outstanding SIP shares represent shares allocated and held by the SIP Trustees on behalf of employees, which remain in the trust for between 
three and five years. All SIPs have a vesting price of £nil. SIP shares receive dividends once allocated.

E) Fair Value of Grants
(i) Equity-Settled Options and LTIPs
The fair value of equity-settled share options granted is estimated as at the date of grant, taking into account the terms and conditions upon 
which the awards were granted. The following table lists the inputs to the model used for the 52 weeks ended 26 March 2016 and 52 weeks 
ended 28 March 2015, except for exercise price and the weighted average share price for grants in the year, which are disclosed in sections  
a) to e) above.

Fair value inputs

Dividend yield (%)

Expected share price volatility (%)

Risk-free interest rate (%)

Expected life of option/award (years)

Model used

LTIP scheme

Save As You Earn scheme

Executive and Senior Executive 
option schemes

2016

1.6%

n/a

1.0%

3 years

Black
Scholes

2015

1.7%

n/a

2016

1.6%

15 to 17.4%

2015

1.7%

19%

1.4% 1.01 to 1.51%

1.4 to 2.0%

3 years

3 to 5 years

3 to 5 years

Black 
Scholes

Black
Scholes

Black 
Scholes

2016

1.6%

16%

1.3%

3 years

Black
Scholes

2015

1.7%

19%

1.7%

3 years

Black 
Scholes

(ii) SIP free shares awarded
The fair value of free shares awarded under the SIP is the share price at the date of allocation. The total value of SIPs awarded is a fixed rate 
based on the Group’s performance in the preceding financial year. The number of shares awarded is therefore dependent on the share price 
at the date of the award. 

115
Fuller, Smith & Turner P.L.C.
Annual Report 2016

Overview  Strategic Report  Governance  Financial Statements  Additional InformationOverview  Strategic Report  Governance  Financial Statements  Additional Information29. Guarantees and Commitments
a) Operating Lease Commitments
Operating Leases Where the Group is the Lessee
Future minimum rentals payable under non-cancellable operating leases are due as follows:

Within one year

Between one year and five years

After five years

Group
2016
£m

9.4

30.1

57.8

97.3

Group
2015
£m

11.2

26.9

59.6

97.7

Company
2016
£m

Company
2015
£m

7.4

26.1

51.7

85.2

10.9

25.7

54.0

90.6

Commercial operating leases are typically for 20 to 25 years, although certain leases have lease periods extending up to 40 years.

Operating Leases Where the Group is the Lessor
The Group earns rental income from two sources. Licensed property included within property, plant and equipment is rented under agreements 
where lessees must also purchase goods from the Group. Additionally there are a smaller number of agreements in respect of investment 
properties where there is no requirement for the lessee to purchase goods.

Investment properties are let to third parties on leases that have remaining terms of between one and ten years.

At 26 March 2016 future minimum rentals receivable by the Group are as follows:

Group

Within one year

Between one year and five years

After five years

Company

Within one year

Between one year and five years

After five years

Investment properties

Other property, 
plant & equipment

2016
£m

0.4

0.7

0.2

1.3

Investment properties

2016
£m

0.4

0.7

0.2

1.3

2015
£m

0.3

0.7

0.3

1.3

2015
£m

0.3

0.7

0.3

1.3

2016
£m

7.6

16.3

11.1

35.0

Other property, 
plant & equipment

2016
£m

7.8

17.1

12.9

37.8

2015
£m

7.5

15.1

10.9

33.5

2015
£m

7.6

15.4

11.4

34.4

The Group’s and Company’s commercial leases on property are principally for licensed outlets. The terms of the leases are normally for either 
three, five or ten years with the maximum being 30 years. The agreements allow for annual inflationary increases and full rental reviews occur  
on renewal of the lease, or every five years for a ten year lease.

At 26 March 2016 future minimum rentals receivable under non-cancellable sub-leases included in the figures above were £8.3 million  
(2015: £7.1 million).

b) Other Commitments

Group and Company

Capital commitments – authorised, contracted but not provided for

2016
£m

1.7

2015
£m

2.3

The Company has accepted various duty deferment bonds in connection with HMRC. The total outstanding commitment at 26 March 2016 was 
£720,000 (2015: £720,000) for the Group and Company.

116
Fuller, Smith & Turner P.L.C.
Annual Report 2016

Notes to the Financial Statements continued30. Related Party Transactions
Group and Company
During the current and prior years the Company provided various administrative services to the Fuller, Smith & Turner Pension Plan free of 
charge. In addition, the Company settled costs totalling £284,000 (2015: £200,000) relating to the provision of actuarial, consulting and 
administrative services by third parties to the Fuller, Smith & Turner Pension Plan.

52 weeks
ended
26 March
2016
£m

52 weeks
ended
28 March
2015
£m

5.2

0.4

2.7

8.3

4.9

0.4

2.4

7.7

Amounts
owed by
related
parties
£m

14.2

Amounts
owed by
related
parties
£m

9.0

Compensation of key management personnel (including Directors)

Short term employee benefits

Post-employment benefits

Share-based payments

Company Only
During the year the Company entered into the following related party transactions:

52 weeks ended 26 March 2016

Subsidiaries

52 weeks ended 28 March 2015

Subsidiaries

Sales to
related
parties
£m

0.4

Sales to
related
parties
£m

Purchases
from
related
parties
£m

53.0

Purchases
from
related
parties
£m

 – 

44.8

Interest
due from
related
parties
£m

0.8

Interest
due from
related
parties
£m

0.3

Interest due
to related
parties
£m

Amounts
owed to
related
parties
£m

3.4

(102.2)

Interest due
to related
parties
£m

Amounts
owed to
related
parties
£m

3.2

(97.5) 

Interest is payable on the majority of the amounts due to subsidiaries at 3% above the Bank of England base rate. All amounts outstanding are 
unsecured and repayable on demand.

In addition, the Company received rental income from subsidiaries of £0.1 million during the year (2015: £nil).

Parent Company Guarantee
Subsidiaries of parent companies established within the European Economic Area are exempt from an audit if a guarantee is provided by the 
parent for the subsidiary liabilities and the shareholders are in unanimous agreement. The Group will be exempting the following companies from 
an audit in 2016 for the period ending 26 March 2016 under section 479A of the Companies Act 2006, all of which are fully consolidated in 
these financial statements:

Griffin Catering Services Limited 
Jacomb Guinness Limited 
George Gale & Company Limited 
45 Woodfield Limited 
Cornish Orchards Limited 
G&M Leisure Limited 

01577632
02934979
00026330 
04279254
04871687
07668132

The Group will be exempting the following companies from the preparation and delivering of accounts to Companies House under section 394A 
of the Companies Act 2006, all of which are fully consolidated in these financial statements:

Griffin Inns Limited 
Ringwoods Limited 
F.S.T Trustee Limited 
Fuller, Smith & Turner Estate Limited 

00495934
00178536
03163480
01831674 

31. Post Balance Sheet Event
On 27 May 2016 the Group purchased an additional 25% of the shares in The Stable Pizza & Cider Limited for £2.7 million, bringing the Group’s 
interest in The Stable Pizza & Cider Limited to 76%.

117
Fuller, Smith & Turner P.L.C.
Annual Report 2016

Overview  Strategic Report  Governance  Financial Statements  Additional InformationOverview  Strategic Report  Governance  Financial Statements  Additional InformationDirectors and Advisors
as at 9 June 2016

Directors
Michael Turner, FCA, Chairman*
Simon Emeny, Chief Executive
James Douglas, ACA
Richard Fuller
Jonathon Swaine
John Dunsmore*
Sir James Fuller*
Lynn Fordham, CA*
Alastair Kerr*
* Non-Executive.

President
Anthony Fuller, CBE
Chairman from 1982-2007, Anthony Fuller retired from the Board  
in 2010 after a long career with Fuller’s and continues as President.

Secretary and Registered Office
Séverine Garnham
Griffin Brewery
Chiswick Lane South
London W4 2QB
Tel: 020 8996 2105
Registered Number 241882

Auditors
Grant Thornton UK LLP
Grant Thornton House
Melton Street
London NW1 2EP

Stockbrokers
Numis Securities Limited
10 Paternoster Square
London EC4M 7LT

Registrars
Computershare Investor Services PLC
The Pavilions, Bridgwater Road
Bristol BS99 6ZZ
Tel: 0870 889 4096
Please note you can now advise
Computershare of changes to your address
or set up a dividend mandate online at
www.computershare.com/investor/uk

118
Fuller, Smith & Turner P.L.C.
Annual Report 2016

O
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Shareholder Information

2016 Diary
Friday, 24 June
Record Date

Friday, 1 July
Preference dividends paid

Thursday, 21 July
Annual General Meeting
Hock Cellar, Griffin Brewery

Monday, 25 July
Final dividend paid

Friday, 18 November
Half year results announcement

2017 Diary
January
Preference dividends paid
Interim dividend paid

June
Preliminary results announcement

Shareholder Privileges
Individual shareholders with at least 500 ‘A’ or ‘C’ ordinary shares or 5,000 ‘B’ ordinary shares are eligible to receive a shareholder indulgence 
card entitling them to a 15% discount on food and drinks in Fuller’s Managed Pubs and Hotels and when visiting the Brewery Store in Chiswick  
as well as a 10% discount on the best available rate in Fuller’s hotels. Information is available from the Company Secretariat on 020 8996 2105 
or company.secretariat@fullers.co.uk.

Redesignation of ‘C’ Shares
‘C’ ordinary shares can be redesignated as ‘A’ ordinary shares within 30 days of the preliminary and half year announcements by sending 
 in your certificates and a written instruction to redesignate prior or during the period to the Company’s Registrars:
Computershare Investor Services PLC
The Pavilions, Bridgwater Road
Bristol BS99 6ZZ

ShareGift
The Orr Mackintosh Foundation operates a charity share donation scheme for shareholders with small parcels of shares whose value makes  
it uneconomic to sell them. If you have a small number of shares and would like to donate them to charity, details of the scheme can be found  
on the ShareGift website www.sharegift.org, or by contacting the Company Secretariat on 020 8996 2105.

119
Fuller, Smith & Turner P.L.C.
Annual Report 2016

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Glossary

– Adjusted earnings per share (“EPS”) – this is earnings per share, adjusted for exceptional items. The Directors believe that this measure 

provides useful information for shareholders as to the internal measures of the performance of the Group. 

– Adjusted profits – this is profit before tax, adjusted for exceptional items.

– Beer and cider volumes – this is the volume of beer and cider sold, in number of barrels; a brewing term representing 288 pints.

– EBITDA – this is the earnings before interest, tax, depreciation, loss on disposal of plant and equipment and amortisation, adjusted for 

exceptional items.

– Foreign Beer – this is sales made by the Company of beer produced by other brewers, the majority of which is lager.

– LTIP – Long Term Incentive Plan.

– Managed Pubs and Hotels invested like for like sales growth – this is the sales growth calculated to exclude those pubs which have not been 
trading throughout the two years for the corresponding period in both years. The principal exclusions from this measure are: pubs purchased 
or sold in the last 12 months; sites which are closed; and pubs which are transferred to tenancy.

– Market capitalisation – only the Company’s 40p ‘A’ ordinary shares are listed. The Company calculates its market capitalisation as the sum 
total of all classes of ordinary shares; i.e. listed 40p ‘A’ ordinary shares, unlisted 4p ‘B’ ordinary shares and unlisted 40p ‘C’ ordinary shares 
plus all potentially awardable share options and LTIP awards less any shares held in treasury. For the purposes of the calculation of market 
capitalisation a 4p ‘B’ ordinary share is treated as having 10% of the market value of a quoted 40p ‘A’ ordinary share and a 40p ‘C’ ordinary 
share is treated as having an equivalent value to a 40p ‘A’ ordinary share. 

– Net debt – this comprises cash, bank loans, other loans, debenture stock and preference shares.

– Own beer and cider – this is sales of own brand beer and cider brewed by the Company in Chiswick and Cornwall.

– SIP – Share Incentive Plan.

– Tenanted like for like profit growth – this is the profits growth of Tenanted Inns calculated to exclude from both years those pubs which have 
not been trading throughout the two years. The principal exclusions from this measure are: pubs purchased or sold; pubs which have closed; 
and pubs transferred to or from our Managed business. Bad debt expense is included but head office costs are excluded.

– Total annual dividend – the total annual dividend for a financial year comprises interim dividends paid during the financial year and the final 

dividend proposed for approval by shareholders at the Annual General Meeting after the completion of the financial year.

– Drinks, food and accommodation like for like sales growth – this is measured on the same basis as “Managed Pubs and Hotels invested like for 

like sales growth”.

120
Fuller, Smith & Turner P.L.C.
Annual Report 2016

Five Years’ Progress

Income Statement

Revenue

Operating profit before exceptional items

Net finance costs*

Adjusted profit*

Exceptional items*

Profit before tax*

Taxation*

Profit after tax*

Non-controlling interest

Profit attributable to equity shareholders of the Parent Company*

EBITDA 

*  Comparatives have been restated for changes to IAS 19.

Assets employed

Non-current assets

Inventories

Trade and other receivables

Assets classified as held for sale

Cash and short term deposits

Current borrowings

Other current liabilities

Non-current borrowings

Other non-current liabilities

Net assets

Per 40p ‘A’ ordinary share

Adjusted earnings

Basic earnings

Dividends (interim and proposed final)

Net assets

Net debt (£ million)

Net debt/EBITDA1

Gross capital expenditure (£ million)

Average number of employees

2016
£m

350.5 

46.9 

(6.0)

40.9 

(1.7)

39.2 

(6.2)

33.0

(0.2)

32.8 

65.0 

2015
£m

321.5 

42.3 

(5.9)

36.4 

(0.3)

36.1 

(7.8)

28.3

0.1

28.4 

58.7 

2014
£m

288.0 

39.9 

(5.8)

34.1 

(0.6)

33.5 

(4.4)

29.1

–

29.1 

54.5 

Restated*
2013
£m

271.5 

37.0 

(5.9)

31.1 

2.6 

33.7 

(5.6)

28.1

–

28.1 

51.2 

Restated*
2012
£m

253.0 

34.9 

(4.9)

30.0 

(1.9)

28.1 

(4.9)

23.2

–

23.2 

47.8 

586.9

524.2 

481.3 

455.6 

444.1 

12.4 

21.0 

 0.5 

6.2 

627.0 

(20.0)

(65.6)

541.4 

(184.7)

(55.8)

300.9 

2016

58.35p

59.25p

17.90p

£5.45 

(198.5)

3.0 

80.7

4,479 

10.6 

17.7 

 – 

5.1 

557.6 

(20.0)

(53.5)

484.1 

(147.7)

(54.7)

281.7 

2015

51.51p

51.15p

16.60p

£5.09 

(162.6)

2.7 

56.3

10.6 

18.3 

1.2 

4.1 

515.5 

 – 

(51.2)

464.3 

(143.9)

(43.2)

277.2 

2014

46.94p

52.14p

15.10p

£4.98 

(139.8)

2.5 

38.1 

10.1 

18.3 

0.6 

4.3 

488.9 

 – 

(45.7)

443.2 

(139.9)

(43.9)

259.4 

2013

42.18p

50.43p

13.70p

£4.65 

(135.6)

2.6 

31.1 

10.5 

18.3 

5.3 

3.9 

482.1 

 – 

(51.6)

430.5 

(142.1)

(53.1)

235.3 

2012

39.47p

41.24p

12.65p

£4.22 

(138.2)

2.7 

76.3 

4,058 

3,610 

3,477 

3,392 

1  Net debt/EBITDA is adjusted as appropriate for the pubs acquired and disposed of in the period.

Design, consultancy and production by Luminous 
www.luminous.co.uk

121
Fuller, Smith & Turner P.L.C.
Annual Report 2016

Overview  Strategic Report  Governance  Financial Statements  Additional InformationFuller, Smith & Turner P.L.C. 
Registered Office 
Griffin Brewery 
Chiswick Lane South 
London W4 2QB

Registered number 241882

Telephone: +44 (0)20 8996 2000 
Email: fullers@fullers.co.uk

www.fullers.co.uk

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