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Greggs plc

grg.l · LSE Consumer Defensive
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Ticker grg.l
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Sector Consumer Defensive
Industry Grocery Stores
Employees 33146
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FY2016 Annual Report · Greggs plc
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Greggs plc Annual Report and Accounts 2016

 
 
 
 
 
 
We have been making

GREAT
QUALITY
bakery products 
OURSELVES 
for over 75 years

Every sandwich is 
FRESHLY 
PREPARED  
every day

because...

Every savoury is

freshly 
baked 

in our shops

We make sure our range
MEETS our 

customers’

Our
BALANCED
CHOICE
menu continues to grow
...and now accounts for £100m of SALES

needs
There is always something NEW to excite customers 

but

our CLASSIC FAVOURITES can’t be beaten

...our iconic sausage roll

continues to be our 
BEST SELLER

GREGGS
REWARDS 
customers for their
loyalty

Strategic Report

We offer  
GREAT VALUE 
all day, every day!

Our customers can

TRUST

what our food
is made of

We share our success with the communities around us…

400+

BREAKFAST 
CLUBS

Unsold food DONATED to 
GOOD CAUSES
has increased

sixteen-fold
We

SHARE

since 2013

10% of our profits
between our team members

20,000

WELL TRAINED colleagues 
provide GREAT SERVICE to their 
CUSTOMERS

We want our business to have a positive impact on people’s lives

We are

INVESTING

Constantly

to improve our shops 
and open new ones:
We’ve ambitions to grow to  
over 2,000 shops nationwide

£25m to modernise  
and centralise our  
systems and processes

£100m

to reshape 
our supply chain 
to support shop 
growth

Greggs plc Annual Report and Accounts 2016

1

We stand for great tasting, 
freshly prepared food that   
our customers can trust,   
at affordable prices   
and aim to become the 
customers’ favourite   
for food on the go. 

WITH AMBITIONS TO GROW TO OVER 2,000 SHOPS NATIONWIDE   
AND OWNERSHIP OF OUR SUPPLY CHAIN WE ARE IN A UNIQUE   
POSITION TO MAKE GOOD, FRESHLY PREPARED FOOD   
ACCESSIBLE TO EVERYONE, ENSURING THAT   
’EVERYDAY TASTES GOOD’ AT GREGGS.

2

Greggs plc Annual Report and Accounts 2016
Greggs plc Annual Report and Accounts 2016

Strategic Report

Strategic  
progress

Financial  
highlights

2016 has been another year of real progress for 
us as we continued on our journey to transform 
Greggs into a winning brand in the food-on-the-
go market. We’ve been busy developing our 
great range of freshly prepared food in line with 
changing food trends, improving our shops and 
investing in customer service so we’re now 
tastier than ever! 

We’ve made good progress with our £25 million 
programme of investment in new systems and 
announced plans to invest £100 million in our 
supply chain, which will allow us to compete 
more effectively in the food-on-the-go market 
and grow shop numbers. The result has been  
a third consecutive year of strong like-for-like 
sales growth and record profits. 

Total sales

UNDERLYING  
EXCLUDING  
EXCEPTIONAL ITEMS

TOTAL  
INCLUDING 
EXCEPTIONAL ITEMS

£894m 
+7.0%

£894m 
+7.0%

Company-managed 
shop like-for-like sales

4.2% 4.2%

Pre-tax profit

£80.3m 
+10.0%

£75.1m 
+2.9%

Diluted EPS

60.8p

56.7p

Ordinary dividend

31.0p 
+8.4%

31.0p 
+8.4%

Return on capital 
employed

28.1% 26.2%

Contents

STRATEGIC REPORT 

DIRECTORS’ REPORT

ACCOUNTS

Highlights 

Greggs at a glance: Our business model 

Chairman’s statement 

Chief Executive’s report 

Our strategy 

Strategy in action 

Financial review 

Key financial performance indicators 

Non-financial key performance indicators 

Principal risks and uncertainties 

3

4

8

10

18

20

30

34

36

39

Board of Directors and Secretary 

Governance report 

Directors’ report 

Audit Committee report 

Remuneration Committee report 

Statement of Directors’ responsibilities 

42

44

49

51

56

73

Independent auditor’s report 

Consolidated income statement 

Consolidated statement of comprehensive 
income 

Balance sheets 

Statements of changes in equity 

Statements of cashflows 

Notes to the consolidated accounts 

74

77

77

78

79

81

82

Ten-year history 

Financial calendar 

Secretary and advisers 

109

IBC

IBC

Greggs plc Annual Report and Accounts 2016

3

GREGGS AT A GLANCE: OUR BUSINESS MODEL

We’ve been on a journey to 
transform Greggs from a 
traditional bakery business into  
a winning brand in the dynamic 
food-on-the-go market…

Having made strong progress in recent years, we are now ready to set the bar higher, 
refreshing both our vision and strategic plan to reflect our longer-term ambitions and 
commitment to putting the customer at the heart of our strategy.

Our purpose
Our business began in the 1930s, serving fresh 
bakery products to working families in the North 
East at prices everyone could afford. Today we’re 
just as keen for Greggs to have a positive impact on 
people’s lives. With ambitions to grow to over 2,000 
shops nationwide and ownership of our supply 
chain, we are in a unique position to make good, 
freshly prepared food accessible to everyone.

Our vision
In recent years we have shown we can be a 
winning brand in the food-on-the-go market and 
our vision now is to become the customers’ 
favourite for food-on-the-go. To achieve this  
we need to get even better at seeing our business 
through the eyes of customers and have continued 
to invest in understanding their needs. We recently 
appointed a new Customer Director to lead our 
development of customer insight, making sure it 
drives decision making across the business.

Our operations
Ownership of our supply chain means that we  
can make good, freshly prepared food 
accessible to everyone at great value in  

an extremely competitive market place.  
By managing our own logistics operation we can 
remain focused on the customer, delivering what 
our shops and customers need on time and in full.

Our target market
Greggs is a brand with universal appeal and  
we have been working hard to ensure we 
understand our customers and evolve our  
offer in response to their changing needs. 
This customer understanding informs all our 
decision making as we set out to become the 
customers’ favourite for food-on-the-go. 

Our market locations
As ‘on-the-go’ eating habits change, we have 
built on our existing estate of shops to take 
Greggs where our customers want us to be. 
As a result we can now be found in retail parks, 
shopping centres, industrial estates and office 
parks. We are also located where our customers 
need us when travelling, with shops in travel 
hubs and roadside locations with parking. 
Through our franchise partnerships we are  
also in motorway service stations and 
petrol forecourts.

What we do

Where we operate

What we offer

Support

Delivery

Shopping

Travel

Quality

Convenience

Manufacturing

Shops

Work

Leisure

Value

Service

4

Greggs plc Annual Report and Accounts 2016

A typical day in the life of Greggs: 
How we make sure ’Everyday tastes good’ at Greggs

Strategic Report

Manufacturing  
and distribution centre

Distribution centre

Manufacturing centre

  4:00am
Teams in our combined 
manufacturing and distribution 
centres pull together shop orders 

Continued overleaf

  5:00am

From the bread used to make our tasty 
sandwiches to the nation’s favourite sausage 
roll, our dedicated manufacturing teams 
start work early in the morning and continue 
throughout the day, to ensure all of our 
products are of the highest quality

  5:30-6:00am 
Our Shop Managers arrive to 
prepare their shops for the busy 
day ahead, one of their first jobs 
involves unpacking products that 
are delivered fresh every day

Greggs plc Annual Report and Accounts 2016

5

GREGGS AT A GLANCE

  7:00am

Our shops open for business and  
the increasingly busy breakfast trade 
starts, with many customers choosing 
our outstanding £2 breakfast deal  
to start their day

  6:00am

From freshly preparing our tasty 
sandwiches to baking-off our iconic 
savouries our shop teams set to work to 
make sure we can offer our customers great 
availability as soon as the doors open

  7:30-9:00am
Our head office support teams 
arrive at Greggs House and 
Customer Care lines open

6

Greggs plc Annual Report and Accounts 2016

Strategic Report
Strategic Report

  11:00am

With the breakfast rush over, our 
shop teams make sure our shelves 
and counters are full with our 
customers’ lunchtime favourites

  6:00pm
Closing time for the 
majority of our shops 

Our dedicated 
delivery fleet  
work through  
the night 
To make sure all of our shops 
receive their orders on time, in 
full and that ’Everyday tastes 
good’ for our customers

  12:00-2:00pm
Lunch is served! Our shop teams 
deliver fast and friendly service 
with a smile

  3:00pm

With the lunchtime rush over our 
snacking options and £2 sweet 
treat and hot drink deal appeal to 
customers in need of an energy boost

  12:30am
Production finishes…
until 5am the next day

Greggs plc Annual Report and Accounts 2016

7

CHAIRMAN’S STATEMENT

Investing in  
our future

Greggs performed strongly in 2016, benefiting from the 
investments that we have made in recent years and the 
continued implementation of changes in line with our strategic 
plan. The food-on-the-go market continues to grow and is 
highly competitive and fast-moving. This requires us to 
constantly evolve and develop our offer to customers. 
Our clear plan and record of delivery is bringing sustainable 
long-term growth for the benefit of all stakeholders.

Overview
In 2016 Greggs demonstrated once again its ability to manage  
a major change agenda whilst delivering a strong trading and 
financial performance. The Greggs brand is increasingly relevant 
to consumers in the food-on-the-go market as a result of our 
investments in the shop estate and the quality of our food and 
drink offer. We have made notable progress in the overhaul of  
our processes and systems and this will continue in the year 
ahead, alongside significant investment to transform our internal 
supply chain to support further growth in shop numbers and 
deliver a more efficient business.

The Chief Executive’s report provides greater detail on 
performance in 2016 and progress against our strategic plan.

Our people and values
Consumers have many options in the food-on-the-go market,  
and we have to ensure that all aspects of our business support 
our purpose and strategy. This has required us to make some 
difficult decisions, particularly regarding the organisation of our 
manufacturing and logistics operations, which the Board has 
considered carefully and which are outlined in this report. In all  
its discussions the Board has been clear to ensure that any 
changes are implemented with due regard to our values: being 
open, honest and treating people with consideration and respect.

I would like to thank everyone  
who has worked for Greggs during  
the past year and contributed to 
such a strong performance on  
so many levels.

8

Greggs plc Annual Report and Accounts 2016

Strategic Report

Passion drives us forward and  
we are able to deliver success by

loving what we do

Find out what goes on behind the scenes in 24 hours on page 5-7

These values are also reflected in our approach to conducting 
business responsibly. We have made further improvements to  
our already strong reputation in areas such as environmental 
management, animal welfare and support for the communities 
where we trade. Acting responsibly and conducting business in  
a sustainable manner by looking after the interests of all 
stakeholders is ultimately in the best interests of shareholders.

I would like to thank everyone who has worked for Greggs during 
the past year and contributed to such a strong performance on  
so many levels. Their commitment to delivering outstanding 
service and value to our customers every day was clearly reflected 
in customer satisfaction and sales in 2016.

The Board
The composition of the Board was unchanged in 2016. Much of  
our time has been spent overseeing the major programmes of 
change that support the Company’s strategic plan, particularly the 
significant investment under way to grow our internal supply chain. 
We also continued to focus on the development of our people and 
our understanding of the needs of customers.

Directors continue to be encouraged to get out into the business, 
sample our products and talk with colleagues and customers. In 
doing so we ensure that Non-Executive Directors’ contributions  
to Board discussions are well informed, supporting open and 
constructive dialogue with the management team. 

The Board oversees the allocation of resources for the business 
and this includes the level of investment in its operations, taking 
account of shareholder returns as well as a fair reward to staff, 
responsible funding of pension obligations and equitable 
treatment of suppliers. The business is highly cash-generative  
and continues to operate without external financial debt,  
a position considered appropriate given the lease obligations 
inherent in our business model.

Dividend
Our progressive dividend policy targets an ordinary dividend that 
is two times covered by earnings, with any further surplus capital 
being returned to shareholders. Our Finance Director, Richard 
Hutton, outlines the expected application of the distribution 
policy in more detail in the financial review.

In line with its progressive dividend policy the Board intends to 
recommend at the Annual General Meeting a final dividend of 
21.5 pence per share (2015: 21.2 pence), giving a total ordinary 
dividend for the year of 31.0 pence (2015: 28.6 pence), an 
increase of 8.4 per cent.

Looking ahead
The Board recognises the need to engage with, and balance 
the interests of, many different stakeholders including customers, 
employees, pensioners, suppliers and shareholders. There is an 
overriding priority to maintain and enhance the competitiveness 
of the business in order to equip Greggs for long-term 
sustained success.

In the short term we face a period of greater economic 
uncertainty and increased pressure from cost inflation. We have 
highlighted the changes necessary to support the ongoing 
strategic realignment of the business, including the major 
investment programme under way to grow our supply chain.  
This will involve some difficult changes for some of our 
colleagues, as detailed in the Chief Executive’s report, but is 
essential to support the long-term competitiveness of 
the business.

Greggs is a strong business with a great team. I am confident that 
we can build on our recent success and make further progress in 
the year ahead.

Further details of the Board’s work can be found in the Governance 
and committee sections of the annual report.

Ian Durant 
Chairman
28 February 2017

Greggs plc Annual Report and Accounts 2016

9

CHIEF EXECUTIVE’S REPORT

Making 
progress with 
renewed focus

In 2016 we delivered another strong performance as we 
continued on our journey to transform Greggs from a 
traditional bakery business into a modern, attractive food-on-
the-go retailer. Our product offer is evolving to meet the 
changing needs of our customers and our shop estate and 
service levels have benefited from significant investment.  
We have made good progress in the modernisation of our 
systems and processes and have commenced the investment 
programme that will transform our supply chain capability and 
increase capacity to support our ambitions for shop growth.

Financial performance
Total sales grew to £894.2 million in 2016, up 7.0 per cent. Within  
this company-managed shop like-for-like sales grew by 4.2 per cent.

Underlying operating profit, excluding property profits and 
exceptional items, grew by 8.6 per cent to £78.1 million (2015: 
£71.9 million). Pre-tax profit (including exceptional items) grew  
by 2.9 per cent to £75.1 million.

Market background: Growing  
food-on-the-go market
The overall market for food-on-the-go continued to be favourable 
during 2016, with growing consumer disposable income supporting 
demand despite uncertainty in the economic outlook. Customer 
footfall remained challenging in a number of shopping locations, 
supporting our strategy of progressively reducing our dependence 
on general shopping activity through alternative shop location and 
enhancing our offer to meet customers’ needs at different times of 
the day. The market for food-on-the-go remains highly competitive 
but we saw like-for-like sales and transaction growth throughout 
2016, demonstrating the strength of the Greggs brand, its relevance 
and our quality, value and differentiated offer.

Strategic direction: Focus on food-on-the-go
Our strategic plan, first announced in 2013, set out to show that 
Greggs could be a winning brand in the highly competitive 
food-on-the-go market. Our business has been transformed in 
that time delivering an unbroken record of positive like-for-like 
sales and new levels of profit. It is now time to set a higher 
aspiration for the business, our purpose being to make good 
freshly prepared food accessible to everyone, with the aim  
of becoming the customers’ favourite for food-on-the-go.

10

Greggs plc Annual Report and Accounts 2016

Strategic Report

GREAT 
TASTING,
freshly prepared food

‘Everyday tastes good’ because…

We encourage healthier food-on-the-go choices. 
That’s why in 2014 we introduced a Balanced 
Choice range of products which now accounts  
for more than 10 per cent of sales.

It includes a wide selection of freshly prepared 
sandwiches, wraps, salads, yoghurts, delicious hot  
soups, porridge pots and freshly baked savouries. 

The introduction of our Balanced Choice range has led  
to the overall fat content of our sandwiches dropping  
by 12 per cent and salt by 16 per cent with no impact  
on flavour. 

It has also helped to change people’s perceptions of the 
brand. In the latest brand study from the Greggs Brand 
Tracker (April 2016), 38 per cent of customers indicated  
a belief that Greggs do sell healthy options – a rise of  
13 percentage points since 2010.

Customer health

Greggs plc Annual Report and Accounts 2016

11

For this next phase we have refreshed our plan to reinforce our 
commitment to putting the customer at the heart of our strategy 
– it has four key pillars: 

1.  Great tasting freshly prepared food
2.  Best customer experience
3.  Competitive supply chain
4.  First class support teams

These pillars are all supported by our long-standing approach to 
conducting our business in a responsible manner, and in doing so 
making a positive impact on people’s lives.

Delivering our strategy
1.  Great tasting freshly prepared food
Greggs is a strong and trusted brand and we draw on our 
heritage in fresh bakery to compete successfully in the food-on-
the-go market. The Greggs product offer is differentiated by the 
way we freshly prepare food each day in our shops and by 
offering outstanding value for money for good quality, great-
tasting food-on-the-go. 

Making good freshly prepared food accessible to all income levels 
is embedded in our core purpose as a brand, with outstanding 
value meal deals setting us apart from the competition. We 
maintained the price of our breakfast meal deal for the seventh year 
running and saw increased participation in our range of all-day meal 
deals offering any savoury or sweet product plus any hot drink.

We have continued to make improvements to our product ranges 
that have helped drive positive like-for-like sales growth for 13 
consecutive quarters. 

Breakfast
This continues to be the fastest growing part of our trading day, 
linked predominantly with customers travelling, thereby lessening 
our dependence on general shopping footfall. The value of our 
breakfast meal deal remains market-leading and we have 
successfully built on this to offer greater menu choice, 
encouraging increased spend and visit frequency.

CHIEF EXECUTIVE’S REPORT CONTINUED

BEST
customer  
experience

‘Everyday tastes good’ because…

We share our success with the people around us,
choosing to help charities that our customers and 
people care about. That’s why we continue to donate 
at least one per cent of our pre-tax profits to the 
Greggs Foundation and fundraise all year round  
for this great charity.

In 2016 fundraising in our shops and bakeries totalled 
£502,116, including £99,205 raised from the sale of  
our Jammy Heart Foundation Biscuit. 

The money raised by the carrier bag charge in our shops  
is also donated to the Greggs Foundation, who make 
sure that this new source of funds benefits grassroots 
environmental projects in the areas where the monies  
were collected. In 2016 we distributed over £715,000  
to 286 different organisations to improve their  
environment #greenerwithgreggs.

In 2017 the Greggs Foundation celebrates its  
30th birthday. Since it was founded, it has given  
over £23 million to support the local communities  
that we serve.

Community

12

Greggs plc Annual Report and Accounts 2016

Hot drinks
Our reputation for great tasting coffee continues  
to grow both alongside our breakfast offer and, 
increasingly, as an accompaniment to food at any  
time of the day. ‘Any hot drink’ features across our 
meal deal offers and is proving increasingly popular. 
Significant investment in additional coffee machines is 
driving speed of service and, as our reputation in this 
category builds, we are successfully extending choice 
in our coffee options.

Balanced Choice
Demand for healthier choices in food-on-the-go 
continues to grow and our Balanced Choice range, 
offering fewer than 400 calories and good nutritionals, 
has been growing to match. Sales last year exceeded 
£100 million showing how our reach as a brand can 
have real impact in encouraging people to make 
healthier food-on-the-go choices. In the summer we 
built on our early success in sandwiches and ‘no 
added sugar’ drinks by launching a range of freshly 
prepared salads followed by a new range of savoury 
bakes in the autumn. Alongside these developments 
we extended the availability of fresh fruit, freshly 
prepared yoghurts, fruit and nut snacks and our first 
gluten-free products.

 
 
Hot food
This is another area of growing customer demand where we are 
investing in our capability to offer choice and speed of service. 
Hot sandwiches have proved particularly popular and we have 
invested in additional ovens in response to demand. This opens 
up opportunities for menu development which last year included 
burritos. Hot soup has been another source of growth lending 
itself well to full-flavoured Balanced Choice development.

Good food
Customers increasingly care where their food comes from. Because 
we make the majority of the food we sell ourselves, we are well 
placed to reassure customers that we deliver food they can trust.  
As a large-scale food manufacturer buying base ingredients, we are 
one step closer to the source than many of our competitors who  
buy finished products. We are investing more in telling our story  
to customers, extending our association with Fairtrade, promoting 
our Good Egg award, committing to sustainable tuna fishing and 
gaining accreditation in animal welfare.

Alongside this we are setting out to lead the food-on-the-go 
sector in eliminating or reducing unnecessary ingredients 
including salt, fat and sugar. In addition, we want our customers 
to be able to make informed choices and are the only major 
food-on-the-go brand providing full traffic light nutritional 
information on all products via our website.

Looking ahead
We have a strong pipeline of new product developments planned 
for 2017, offering more choice in growth areas while making sure 
that we continue to deliver a great customer experience with our 
traditional best-selling favourites.

Strategic Report

COMPANY-MANAGED SHOP  
LIKE-FOR-LIKE SALES GROWTH

4.2%

2.  Best customer experience
Investing in service
Great products alone will not succeed in food-on-the-go without 
great customer service. Our busy customers demand convenience 
with fast and friendly service and we continue to invest to 
improve in these areas.

Extended opening hours, particularly early in the morning and  
on Sundays, are meeting increased demand as our popularity for 
food-on-the-go grows. Investment in coffee machines, hot food 
ovens and new systems to free up more staff time are all 
contributing to our speed of service. Working in a Greggs shop can 
be very demanding so we rely on great people to deliver friendly 
service under pressure. Making Greggs a great place to work is key 
to a great customer experience and we are investing in training and 
systems to help us release time for customer-facing activities.

Alongside our internal measures used to reward teams who 
deliver great standards we were pleased to be ranked best in 
sector and 6th overall in the Institute of Customer Service’s 
January 2017 Customer Satisfaction Index.

Greggs Rewards 
The latest release of our award-winning mobile customer loyalty 
scheme allowing fully flexible payment has created a step change in 
customer participation. Customer data capture is now at a level that 
allows us to analyse behaviour and develop targeted marketing 
campaigns. We have recently appointed our first Customer Director 
with experience in digital multi-channel marketing who will lead 
development of our capabilities in this area.

Greggs Delivered 
Food-on-the-go delivery is a growing market channel offering 
growth potential for Greggs by targeting the workplace sector.  
A pilot lunchtime delivery service targeted at offices has been 
launched in trial locations from which we intend to learn and 
grow. Whilst we do not see an opportunity in home delivery,  
we do believe that a smartphone-based order and collect service 
for customers offers future opportunity.

Greggs plc Annual Report and Accounts 2016

13

CHIEF EXECUTIVE’S REPORT CONTINUED

COST SAVINGS

PROCESSES AND SYSTEMS CHANGE

£7.1m

3 elements successfully 

delivered

Looking ahead 
Further investment this year in new systems and process 
improvement will deliver additional gains, making shop 
operations simpler and supporting improved service levels.
Rapid growth in Greggs Rewards recruitment will see this  
become an increasingly important source of customer insight  
and marketing opportunities.

Building experience with customer delivery will enable us to 
develop this channel with the initial aim of converting our existing 
lunchtime platter business to a digital platform.

Estate changes and refurbishments
We continue to see opportunities to increase our estate to 
substantially more than 2,000 shops and in 2016 we opened 145 
new shops (including 56 franchised units) and closed 79, growing 
the estate to 1,764 shops trading as at 31 December 2016. At the 
end of 2016 we had 157 franchised shops operating in travel and 
other convenience locations, with a particular focus on motorway 
services and petrol forecourts. We expanded our presence in 
Northern Ireland in the year, opening seven company-managed 
shops and two franchised units, bringing our total shop numbers 
there to 10 at the end of 2016.

We completed 208 shop refurbishments during the year and in 
total 92 per cent of our shop estate now operates in a food-on-
the-go format. The results of our refurbishment programme 
continue to be strong, both in terms of return on investment and 
the repositioning of the Greggs brand as a contemporary place  
to buy and eat food-on-the-go. In the year ahead we plan to 
refurbish another 200 shops, completing the conversion of our 
legacy bakery shops and starting to refresh older food-on-the-go 
shops to the latest look and facilities.

In 2017 we expect to open 140-150 shops, including further 
development of our franchise partnerships, and to close 40-50 
shops. We will continue to relocate shops to rebalance our estate, 
increasing our presence in travel, leisure and work-centred 
catchments. In 2013 only 20 per cent of our estate was located  
in these location types and by the end of 2016 this proportion 
had risen to 30 per cent.

3.  Competitive supply chain 
In March 2016 we announced a major £100 million programme  
of investment to support growth in shop numbers and reshape 
our supply chain in order to compete more effectively in the 
food-on-the-go market. The first phase of this programme 
involves the closure of three bakeries before going on to invest  
in our remaining supply sites to create centres of excellence in 
manufacturing and distribution.

In 2016 we successfully opened our new distribution centre in 
Enfield and closed both our Twickenham and Sleaford bakeries. 
Good progress was also made with the extension of our bakery  
in Glasgow, enabling us to plan for the closure of our Edinburgh 
bakery in the second quarter of 2017.

Alongside this work we have undertaken detailed planning for the 
subsequent investment phase across our remaining bakery sites. 
In January 2017 we communicated our proposals to staff at each 
of our sites, including the planned impact of consolidating our 
manufacturing operations. Overall our expansion plans will create 
thousands of new roles in retail and distribution operations, but 
will result in fewer roles in manufacturing. We have therefore 
entered into consultation with trade unions and employee 
representatives over the details of these proposals.

Our investment programme will create increased capacity  
and efficiency in shop distribution to support substantial shop 
growth alongside improved quality and efficiency in bakery 
manufacturing by centralising production. This is a complicated 
investment phase, transforming the use of space and equipment 
across our bakery network and is expected to take approximately  
two years to implement.

Strategic decisions of this magnitude impacting jobs are always 
difficult and I am grateful for the contribution and professionalism 
of our teams who have been making these changes whilst 
maintaining service standards to our shops.

Once implemented this new supply chain platform will substantially 
improve product quality, our competitiveness and, alongside system 
investment, will complete our transformation from traditional bakery 
to food-on-the-go. This is our largest ever investment in our supply 
chain, reaffirming our strategic commitment to the competitive 
advantage offered through vertical integration and delivering an 
attractive return on investment.

14

Greggs plc Annual Report and Accounts 2016

Strategic Report

4.  First class support teams
We have made further significant progress in the third year of  
our major process and systems investment programme. 

Last year we successfully deployed SAP Finance as the core 
platform for integrated system development, and went on to pilot 
central forecasting and replenishment in trial shops in the second 
half of the year. The roll out of central forecasting and replenishment 
will replace shop-based ordering in 2017 and will be our largest 
ever new system roll out.

Our business change programme team have now moved on to plan 
for the next stage of system development, centralising logistics and 
manufacturing to replace our current devolved local bakery 
solutions. We are aiming to launch pilots for both logistics and 
manufacturing by the end of 2017 with roll out to other sites in 
2018. In addition to this core activity our teams have successfully 
deployed supporting SAP modules in procurement, product 
lifecycle management and human resource management, which 
together are transforming our working practices and effectiveness.

Having a positive impact on people’s lives
Greggs has a long-standing tradition and reputation as a socially 
responsible business and as such we want our actions to have a 
positive impact on people’s lives. This ambition covers a broad 
range of stakeholders and is focused on five areas:
 – Customer health – We encourage healthier  

food-on-the-go choices.

 – Responsible sourcing – We care about where  

our ingredients come from.

 – Community – We share our success with the people  

around us.

 – Environment – We aim to use energy efficiently  

and minimise waste.

 – People – We are committed to creating a great place to work.

These ambitions are championed separately but embedded in 
the core strategic pillars of our business plan. In 2016 we made 
further improvements in all areas and were pleased to achieve  
an increase to a ‘four star’ rating in the Business In The 
Community CR index.

‘Everyday tastes good’ because…

We use energy efficiently and minimise waste. 
That’s why Greggs Environmental Management 
System has been certificated to the ISO 1400: 
2015 standard.

This certification means that we have the systems 
and processes in place to support our commitment 
to finding ways to reduce our impact on the environment, 
which is a key part of our social responsibility strategy.

Our external auditors commented that “Greggs should 
be really proud of what they have achieved. It’s quite 
unusual for companies in their position to go for 
certification across their entire Company just because 
they believe ‘it is the right thing to do’ – a huge 
achievement and one which should not be 
under-estimated.”

Environment

Greggs plc Annual Report and Accounts 2016

15

Customer health
Customers are increasingly aware of our Balanced Choice range 
and in 2016 we introduced traffic light labelling on our website 
and app. The Institute of Grocery Distribution has recognised our 
Balanced Choice range as having a positive impact on the health 
and wellness of customers and we will continue to extend the 
range of products that meet this need. We recently launched a 
‘healthier shop’ format at New Cross Hospital in Wolverhampton, 
designed to meet NHS England, PHE and DEFRA guidelines.

Responsible sourcing
All the tea, coffee, hot chocolate, sugar sachets, orange juice, apple 
juice and bananas we sell are certified Fairtrade. We source our 
prawns and tuna from sustainable sources and have recently moved 
up to ‘tier two’ in the Business Benchmark on Farm Animal Welfare. 
All of our manufacturing sites have achieved top marks on v7 of the 
British Retail Consortium’s global standard for food safety.

CHIEF EXECUTIVE’S REPORT CONTINUED

‘Everyday tastes good’ because…

We are committed to creating a great place to 
work. That’s why we are strong advocates of 
equality, diversity and inclusion.

We believe gender equality should be treated like any 
other business priority, with a clear plan and an objective 
in place. The completion of the National Equality 
Standard sits as an objective on the front page of our 
business plan and a three-year strategy to achieve this 
is in place. 

From a gender equality point of view the plan involves 
supercharging the brilliant talent Greggs already has in 
the business through the delivery of our ‘Female Career 
Development Programme’ and we are proud of the 
fact that:
 – Almost half of our management population is female. 
 – One of the four most senior retail managers is female.
 – Of the eight Board posts, three are held by women. 

In 2016 Roger Whiteside demonstrated Greggs 
commitment to the gender equality agenda by  
joining the Women’s Business Council.

People

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Strategic Report

We have made good progress in  
the modernisation of our systems 
and processes and have commenced 
the investment programme that will 
transform our supply chain capability 
and increase capacity to support  
our ambitions for shop growth.

Community
We continue to share our success with the local communities in 
which we operate. In 2016 this included doubling the amount of 
end-of-day food that we donated to good causes and continuing 
to support the work of the Greggs Foundation. Staff and 
customers raised £613,000 for the Foundation in 2016 and this, 
combined with donations from the Company and the proceeds of 
carrier bag charges, enabled the Greggs Foundation to distribute 
£2.8 million to support a wide range of initiatives that improve 
the quality of life in our local communities. These included the 
award-winning Greggs Breakfast Club programme which, with 
support from 72 partner organisations, now provides five million 
free wholesome breakfasts each year to children in more than  
400 primary schools.

Outlook for 2017
The year has started in line with our expectations, with company-
managed shop like-for-like sales in the eight weeks to 25 February 
2017 up by 2.0 per cent, and total sales up 5.8 per cent. As 
expected, the year to date position has been impacted by the 
timing of the New Year public holiday, which fell outside of the 
comparative period in 2016. Excluding the effect of this, 
company-managed shop like-for-like sales have grown by 2.9  
per cent in weeks two to eight of the current year.

The UK consumer outlook is more challenging than we have  
seen in recent years, with industry-wide pressures emerging in 
commodities as well as labour costs. As previously stated we 
expect this to have a modest impact on margins in the short term.

Environment
We hold the Carbon Trust Standard in recognition of our work on 
carbon efficiencies and our Environmental Management System 
was certificated to ISO 14001 standard in 2016. We continue to 
trial technologies that could help to reduce our carbon footprint 
even further in the years ahead.

2017 will be another busy year of change as we continue to 
progress our investment in better systems and the transformation 
and development of our supply chain. Over the medium term we 
are confident of making further progress as we implement our 
plan to grow Greggs as a contemporary food-on-the-go brand.

People
We pay all of our people more than the National Living Wage, 
including those under the age of 25. We share 10 per cent of our 
profits with employees and our people will be sharing a record 
£8.8 million as a result of our strong performance in 2016.

Roger Whiteside
Chief Executive
28 February 2017

Our Employee Opinion Survey engagement score has increased 
by five percentage points over the last two years; 80 per cent of 
our people say they feel committed to Greggs and to helping us 
achieve our goals. However, we are not complacent and in the 
year ahead will be working towards achieving the National 
Equality Standard as part of our commitment to make Greggs  
an even better place to work.

Further details of all of our actions in these areas are described 
elsewhere in this annual report.

Greggs plc Annual Report and Accounts 2016

17

OUR STRATEGY

Our vision is to be the customers’ favourite for food-on-the-go.  
Our refreshed strategic plan has four pillars and our commitment to having  
a positive impact on people’s lives has been embedded across them all.

GREAT TASTING,
freshly prepared food

BEST
customer  
experience

We work hard to make sure our range meets 
our customers’ needs and, while our classic 
favourites can’t be beaten, there is always 
something new to excite them. We offer great 
value at every time of the day and care about 
where our ingredients come from.

Turn to page 21 to find out more.

We provide customers with fast and friendly 
service, fixing issues without a fuss and enjoy 
making every day a great day for our customers 
by rewarding them for their loyalty. We are 
taking our modern shops to where our 
customers want them, becoming more and 
more convenient alongside their busy lives.

Turn to page 22 to find out more.

We want our business to have a positive

18

Greggs plc Annual Report and Accounts 2016

Strategic Report

We stand out from the crowd because we 
make great quality bakery products 
ourselves and love to create things that will 
excite customers. We are always looking for 
ways to be more efficient and to support 
shop growth.

Turn to page 25 to find out more.

We have well-trained people 
providing great service to their 
colleagues and ultimately our 
customers, and we are always 
looking to improve the way we 
do things by investing in first 
class systems.

Turn to page 26 to find out more.

impact

on people’s lives

Find out more on page 28

Greggs plc Annual Report and Accounts 2016

19

STRATEGY IN ACTION

‘Everyday tastes good’ because…

Responsible  
Sourcing

We encourage healthier food-on-the-go choices. 
That’s why…
 – Our Balanced Choice range was recognised by 
the Institute of Grocery Distribution (IGD) as 
having a positive impact on the health and 
wellness of customers.

 – We created our own range of no-added sugar, 

low-calorie soft drinks.

 – We have reduced the salt in our iconic favourites, 

without compromising the taste!

We care about where our ingredients come from. 
That’s why…
 – All the tea, coffee (excluding decaf), hot 

chocolate, sugar sachets, orange juice, apple 
juice and bananas we sell are certified Fairtrade. 

 – All our milk and cream is from UK cows.
 – We hold the Good Egg award from Compassion 
in World Farming because all the whole eggs we 
buy are free range.

 – All our tuna is sourced from suppliers utilising 

 – We opened our healthier shop format at New 

sustainable fishing methods.

Cross Hospital in Wolverhampton and achieved 
joint second place in a league table compiled by 
health campaigners, which ranks high street 
brands in order of how well they meet NHS 
England’s guidelines for food sold in hospitals.

 – We make our nutritional information easy to  
find and understand and were the first UK 
food-on-the-go brand to introduce traffic- 
light labelling on its website and app.

 – We only use palm-derived fats and oils that are 

certified as sustainable.

 – We were acknowledged for our leadership on 

farm animal welfare in BBFAW’s 2016 report and 
our rating has moved from Tier 5 to Tier 2 over 
the last three years.

positive impact on people’s lives

20

Greggs plc Annual Report and Accounts 2016

Strategic Report

GREAT TASTING,
freshly prepared food

Making sure  
’EVERYDAY TASTES GOOD’
for our customers

WHILE WE BELIEVE OUR ICONIC SAUSAGE ROLL WILL NEVER BE BEATEN,  
WE WORK HARD TO MAKE SURE OUR RANGE MEETS OUR CUSTOMERS’  
NEEDS BY CONTINUING TO DEVELOP GREAT TASTING, FRESHLY PREPARED  
FOOD THAT OUR CUSTOMERS CAN TRUST AT AFFORDABLE PRICES – 
 MAKING SURE THERE IS ALWAYS SOMETHING NEW TO EXCITE THEM 
 AND THAT ’EVERYDAY TASTES GOOD’. 

Progress made in 2016
We started the year by broadening our Fairtrade coffee 
offer and the introduction of the Flat White proved to be 
a real crowd-pleaser. We continued to improve our 
product range by adding more Balanced Choice options 
to our menu – freshly prepared salads and market 
leading, lower-calorie bakes went down well with 
customers, as did our gluten-free mini bites. 

Our hot food range came into its own during the colder 
months, with growth in our soup and heat-to-eat 
sandwich categories, but breakfast remains our fastest-
growing part of the day thanks to our great value 

breakfast deals. While outstanding value for money 
continues to be a unique selling point for the Greggs 
brand, we know that our customers increasingly care 
about where their food comes from and we remain 
committed to sourcing food responsibly – by the end  
of 2016, all our tuna came from sustainable sources.

Plans for 2017 
We will continue to develop products in line with 
changing food trends, making sure we strike the right 
balance between innovation and tradition, nutrition and 
indulgence, value and values and will invest in telling  
this story to our customers.

NEVER THOUGHT I’D SAY THIS BUT  
@GREGGSOFFICIAL HAS BECOME MY FAVOURITE 
PLACE FOR LUNCH! BALANCED CHOICE 
FLATBREADS AND SALADS ARE SO GOOD!

Emily (@emwhitehead)

Greggs plc Annual Report and Accounts 2016

21

STRATEGY IN ACTION

BEST
customer  
experience

Making every day 
a GREAT DAY
for our customers

WE’VE BEEN WORKING HARD TO TAKE GREGGS TO WHERE OUR CUSTOMERS  
ARE, MAKING SURE OUR SHOPS ARE OPEN WHEN THEY NEED THEM AND THAT  
WE OFFER MODERN, ATTRACTIVE SHOPPING ENVIRONMENTS. WE DELIVER FAST  
AND FRIENDLY SERVICE AND ENJOY MAKING EVERY DAY A GREAT DAY FOR  
OUR CUSTOMERS BY REWARDING THEM FOR THEIR LOYALTY.

Progress made in 2016
We invested in customer service by continuing to extend 
trading hours (over 80 per cent of our shops are now open 
by 7am Monday-Friday!) and providing shop teams with new 
equipment and systems, freeing up more time for them to 
focus on our customers. The re-launch of Greggs Rewards, 
our digital loyalty scheme, introduced more flexible payment 
options, removed the need to pre-pay and integrated our 
competitive coffee loyalty offer – making it even easier for 
customers to choose Greggs. We were delighted to move 
from 25th to 6th place on the Institute of Customer Service’s 
January 2017 Customer Satisfaction Index. The launch of our 
click and deliver trial (Greggs Delivered) can’t go without  
a mention; customer interest on social media showed  
us that we are heading in the right direction.

With ambitions to grow to over 2,000 shops nationwide we 
opened 145 new shops and closed 79, growing the estate to 
1,764 shops. At the end of 2016 we had 157 franchised 

shops operated by partners in travel hubs and other 
convenience locations and had successfully launched 
Greggs in Northern Ireland. We continued to invest in the 
transformation of our shop estate, converting 208 shops to 
our latest ‘bakery food-on-the-go’ format helping to attract 
new customers and increase sales.

Plans for 2017 
Speed of service is one of our key strengths and we plan to 
get even faster, particularly during peak hours, by continuing 
to invest in equipment and systems. Greggs Rewards will 
remain a priority as understanding our customers’ needs is 
key to us becoming the customers’ favourite for food-on-
the-go. We will look to roll out Greggs Delivered to further 
trial locations, with the aim of growing our lunchtime platter 
business. We will continue to increase shop numbers and 
improve shopping environments – in 2017 we expect to 
open between 120-130 new shops (including 40-50 with 
franchise partners) and refit 200 existing ones.

GREGGS REWARDS APP IS  
MY NEW FAVOURITE THING. 

Laura (@LauBuckle_)

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Greggs plc Annual Report and Accounts 2016

Strategic Report
Strategic Report

‘Everyday tastes good’ because…

We share our success with the people around us. That’s why…
 – We donate at least one per cent of our pre-tax profits to the 

Greggs Foundation.

 – We funded our first Breakfast Club in 1999 and have helped the 
Greggs Foundation to develop a sustainable partnership model 
for their Breakfast Club Programme.

 – We recently celebrated our 10th partnership anniversary with 

BBC Children in Need and have raised almost £8 million for the 
charity during that time.

 – Based on our 2016 Employee Opinion Survey, 90 per cent of 
Greggs employees are proud of the work that the Greggs 
Foundation does in our local communities.

positive impact on people’s lives

Community

Greggs plc Annual Report and Accounts 2016

23

STRATEGY IN ACTION

‘Everyday tastes good’ because…

We aim to use energy efficiently and minimise waste. That’s why…
 – 10 of our manufacturing sites have photo voltaic panels on their 
roofs, which in 2016 generated over 923,015 kWh of electricity. 
 – We install energy-efficient LED bulbs and drinks fridges with doors 

in all new and refitted shops.

 – 99.9 per cent of our manufacturing site waste is diverted from landfill.
 – Our shops redistribute as much unsold food as possible through 

our Food Donation Programme.

 – We use the money raised by the carrier bag charge to support the 
important environmental initiatives delivered by both national 
organisations such as Keep Britain Tidy and Surfers Against 
Sewage, as well as grassroots projects #greenerwithgreggs.

positive impact on people’s lives

Environment

24
24

Greggs plc Annual Report and Accounts 2016
Greggs plc Annual Report and Accounts 2016

Strategic Report

Providing the  
BEST VALUE
to our customers

BECAUSE WE OWN OUR SUPPLY CHAIN AND MAKE OUR OWN BAKERY  
PRODUCTS, WE PROVIDE THE BEST VALUE TO OUR CUSTOMERS AND CAN  
DELIVER UNIQUE PRODUCT INNOVATIONS, MEANING ’EVERYDAY TASTES GOOD’  
AT GREGGS. OWNERSHIP OF OUR DISTRIBUTION CENTRES AND DELIVERY FLEET 
MAKES US MORE COMPETITIVE AND ALLOWS US TO SUPPORT SHOP  
GROWTH WITH A FIRST CLASS SERVICE. 

Progress made in 2016
As part of our plan to grow Greggs and transform it from 
a decentralised traditional bakery business into a 
centrally-run modern retailer, capable of competing 
effectively in the dynamic food-on-the-go market, we 
announced a £100 million investment programme to 
reshape our supply chain in March 2016.

Plans have progressed well and in October we opened 
our largest ever new shop distribution centre in Enfield. 
With the capability to supply 450 shops this allowed us to 
close our bakery at Twickenham in the fourth quarter as 
planned. In Scotland we started work on the extension of 
our Glasgow bakery, which will enable us to close our 
Edinburgh bakery in the second quarter of 2017. These 

changes, involving impact on jobs, have been challenging 
for all concerned and the professional manner in which 
this complex and difficult process was carried out is a 
credit to all of our colleagues involved.

Plans for 2017 
The next phase of our supply chain investment 
programme will involve the creation of centres of 
excellence in manufacturing and distribution to support 
shop growth beyond 2,000 shops. Our new-look supply 
chain, alongside our new and improved systems will 
complete our transformation from traditional bakery to 
food-on-the-go, allowing us to deliver consistent product 
quality and unique product innovations, ensuring 
’Everyday tastes good’ for our customers.

THE GREGGS BREAKFAST DEAL IS  
AMAZINGLY GOOD VALUE

amy (@_amyscott1)

Greggs plc Annual Report and Accounts 2016

25

STRATEGY IN ACTION

A FULLY INTEGRATED 
approach
to customer service

AS WE CONTINUE TO MAKE SIGNIFICANT PROGRESS IN CENTRALISING  
OUR BACK OFFICE SYSTEMS, INTRODUCING THE NEW WAYS OF WORKING  
NEEDED TO COMPETE MORE EFFECTIVELY AS A CENTRALISED BRAND, WE WILL 
MAKE SURE WE HAVE WELL-TRAINED PEOPLE PROVIDING GREAT SERVICE TO  
THEIR COLLEAGUES, TO ENSURE WE PROVIDE THE BEST CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE 
POSSIBLE FOR OUR CUSTOMERS.

Progress made in 2016
Our investment in new systems and processes is 
improving our effectiveness and efficiency. In 2016  
we delivered a number of significant elements of  
our business change programme including the 
implementation of SAP Finance. This has provided the 
foundation on which we are building centralised systems 
across procurement, product lifecycle management and 
shop ordering. Towards the end of the year we trialled 
our new shop ordering system and launched a new 
recruitment website to improve the experience of job 
seekers and help us better match candidates to 
available vacancies. 

In 2016, we also moved into our new head office at 
Quorum Business Park in Newcastle, bringing together 
central functions and creating a better 
working environment.

Plans for 2017 
Our priority for 2017 is to successfully implement our new  
shop ordering system across the business (this will be  
our biggest ever new system roll out!). Alongside this we 
are designing the SAP solution for our supply chain, 
covering manufacturing, warehousing and distribution 
operations and plan to have this system live at two  
sites by the end of 2017.

@GREGGSOFFICIAL THE WAY GREGGS HANDLES 
THINGS IS GOING ABOVE AND BEYOND 
CUSTOMER CARE! SO SO GOOD

Alice Cleveland (@AliceClevelandd)

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Strategic Report

‘Everyday tastes good’ because…

We are committed to creating a great place to work. That’s why…
 – We invite team members to join the Greggs Share Incentive Plan 

and offer a Share Save Scheme.

 – We have created a Career Pathways Programme to develop  

our people.

 – We have developed an online tool to support the development  

and training of our brilliant people.

 – We are always looking for opportunities to promote equality (we 
run a Female Career Development Programme) and learn from 
others (our CEO is a member of the Women’s Business Council).

 – We offer a Greggs Apprenticeship Programme.
 – We believe in giving people a fresh start and have developed 
programmes to support ex-military, the formerly long-term 
unemployed and ex-offenders.

 – Our Employee Opinion Survey engagement score has increased by 

five per cent over the last two years.

positive impact on people’s lives

People

Greggs plc Annual Report and Accounts 2016

27

STRATEGY IN ACTION

We want our business  
to have a positive impact   
on people’s lives

Making sure  
’EVERYDAY TASTES GOOD’
for the people who shop 
with us, work for us, supply 
us or live near us.

WE’VE BEEN ON A JOURNEY TO INTEGRATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY (SR) INTO  
OUR BUSINESS STRATEGY. IN 2015 WE REFRESHED OUR SR FOCUS AREAS AND 
ANNOUNCED CLEAR COMMITMENTS AGAINST EACH ONE. 
THESE SR PRIORITIES ARE OUTLINED BELOW AND ILLUSTRATED BY THE CASE STUDIES 
CHOSEN TO HELP BRING TO LIFE BOTH THE CHIEF EXECUTIVE’S REPORT AND THE 
STRATEGY IN ACTION SECTIONS OF THIS REPORT.

Customer health

We encourage healthier 
food-on-the-go choices

Responsible sourcing

We care about where our 
ingredients come from

Community

Environment

People

We share our success with the 
people around us

We aim to use energy 
efficiently and minimise waste

We are committed to creating 
a great place to work

In addition, our SR targets have been repositioned as non-financial key performance indicators (KPIs),  
which now sit alongside our financial KPIs and can be found on pages 36 to 38. 

We believe these important changes remove the need for a separate SR report and pave the way for  
us to fully integrate SR into our business planning and reporting over the coming years.

We’re extremely proud of the progress that we’ve made with our FTSE4Good and Business in the Community 
accreditations, moving from two stars to four on BITC’s Corporate Responsibility Index over the last three years.

28

Greggs plc Annual Report and Accounts 2016

Strategic Report

HELP FROM @GREGGSCHARITY MADE  
OUR NEW HOME IN #NORTHUMBERLAND 
POSSIBLE. NOW WE CAN HELP TWICE  
AS MANY CHILDREN WHO HAVE #AUTISM! 
THANK YOU!

Toby Henderson Trust (@AutismTTHT)

Greggs plc Annual Report and Accounts 2016

29

FINANCIAL REVIEW

A strong performance 
and further strategic 
progress.

In 2016 we delivered another strong financial performance, 
increasing the rate of sales growth whilst controlling costs 
well. Continued good cash generation is supporting our 
programme of investment for further growth whilst allowing 
us to also increase dividends to shareholders.

Revenue
Operating profit (excluding exceptional 

items and property profits)

Property profits

Operating profit  

(excluding exceptional items)

Operating margin  

(excluding exceptional items)

Finance expense
Exceptional items

Profit before taxation

2016 
£m 

2015 
£m 

894.2 

835.7 

78.1 
2.2 

71.9 
1.2 

80.3 

73.1 

9.0%

8.7%

(0.0)
(5.2)

75.1 

(0.1)
0.0 

73.0 

Sales
Total Group sales for the 52 weeks ended 31 December 2016 
were £894.2 million (2015: £835.7 million), an increase of 7.0 per 
Cent. Sales in company-managed shops with more than one 
calendar year’s trading history (like-for-like) grew by 4.2 per cent 
to £777.2 million (2015: £745.6 million). We also saw like-for-like 
and total sales growth in our franchised shop estate.

We continue to see savings from  
our actions to make the business 
simpler and more efficient.

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Strategic Report

Profit
Operating profit before exceptional items was £80.3 million 
(2015: £73.1 million), a 9.9 per cent increase on an underlying 
basis. The result reflects good sales growth combined with 
actions to make the business simpler and more efficient, plus 
a higher than normal £2.2 million contribution from property 
disposals (2015: £1.2 million).

Pre-tax profit before exceptional items was £80.3 million (2015: 
£73.0 million). Including exceptional items pre-tax profit was 
£75.1 million (2015: £73.0 million).

Exceptional items
As noted in the Chief Executive’s report, in 2016 we commenced 
the first phase of our major investment programme to reshape 
our internal supply chain. This involved the closure of our 
Twickenham and Sleaford bakeries in 2016, with Edinburgh due 
to close in 2017. As a result in 2016 we incurred £6.4 million of 
redundancy and other employment-related costs, asset write-offs 
and impairment charges and other costs arising directly as a result 
of the closure of the three sites.

These were partly offset by credits arising from the settlement  
of property and redundancy transactions treated as exceptional  
in prior years. The components of the net £5.2 million charge 
were as follows:

In January 2017 we communicated proposals for the next phase 
of this programme, which will invest in greater distribution 
capacity across our remaining sites whilst consolidating our 
existing manufacturing operations. The total one-off cash 
exceptional costs of this major change programme are expected 
to be in the region of £25.0 million, as previously communicated. 
This includes £6.4 million charged in 2016 and we expect to 
charge a further £12.0 million in 2017 as a result of the proposals 
for the next phase of consolidation.

Any property gains resulting from the disposal of our sites in 
Twickenham and Edinburgh will also be treated as exceptional. 
Our Twickenham property has now been marketed and 
discussions with interested parties are ongoing.

Operating margin
Operating margin before exceptional items was 9.0 per cent 
(2015: 8.7 per cent). Including exceptional items operating 
margin was 8.4 per cent (2015: 8.7 per cent).

Within this, gross margin before exceptional items increased to 
63.7 per cent (2015: 63.5 per cent) reflecting benign input cost 
conditions for most of the year, although these became 
inflationary in the fourth quarter. Including exceptional items 
gross margin was 63.2 per cent (2015: 63.5 per cent).

Supply chain restructuring:
 – redundancy costs
 – asset-related costs
 – transfer of operations
Restructuring of support functions

Release of prior years’ exceptional items:
 – dilapidations
 – property provisions
 – restructuring of support functions

Total exceptional items

2016 
£m 

4.1 
1.9 
0.4 
0.4 

(0.5)
(0.9)
(0.2)

5.2 

We continue to see savings from our actions to make the business 
simpler and more efficient. In 2016 we delivered savings of  
£7.1 million, slightly ahead of the targets we had set. Benefits were 
achieved through better procurement and as a result of investments 
made to simplify our operations across retail and supply chain. In 
2017 we expect to make a similar level of progress as we see initial 
benefits from our supply chain restructuring and continue to invest 
in improved processes and systems.

As noted above, in 2016 we recognised gains on the disposal  
of freehold properties totalling £2.2 million (2015: £1.2 million)  
as a result of the sale of freehold shops on closure and the 
disposal of former office buildings. In 2017 we expect property 
disposal gains will be in the range of £0.5 to £1.0 million.

Greggs plc Annual Report and Accounts 2016

31

 
FINANCIAL REVIEW CONTINUED

Financing charges
There was a net financing expense of £nil million in the year 
(2015: £0.1 million) reflecting finance income of £0.2 million and  
a £0.2 million charge in respect of the funding position of the 
defined benefit pension scheme. In the year ahead we expect to 
incur a financing expense of around £0.6 million relating to the 
net liability of the pension scheme at the end of the year. As 
discussed below the scheme’s net liability increased substantially 
over the year as a result of market conditions.

Dividend
The Board recommends a final ordinary dividend of 21.5 pence 
per share (2015: 21.2 pence). Together with the interim dividend 
of 9.5 pence (2015: 7.4 pence) paid in October 2016, this makes 
a total ordinary dividend for the year of 31.0 pence (2015: 28.6 
pence). This is covered two times by diluted earnings per share 
before exceptional items in line with our progressive dividend 
policy. In July 2015 the Group paid a special dividend of 20.0 
pence per share. Our policy on special distributions is outlined 
below under Cash flow and capital structure.

Taxation
The Company has a simple corporate structure, carries out its 
business entirely in the UK and all taxes are paid there. We aim to act 
with integrity and transparency in respect of our taxation obligations.

Subject to the approval of shareholders at the Annual General 
Meeting, the final dividend will be paid on 26 May 2017 to 
shareholders on the register on 28 April 2017.

Excluding the effect of exceptional items the Group’s underlying 
effective tax rate was 22.5 per cent (2015: 21.1 per cent). The 
overall tax rate for the year including exceptional items was 22.8  
per cent (2015: 21.1 per cent). The effective rate primarily reflected 
reductions in the headline rate of corporation tax and the impact  
of the Group’s share price on allowances for share scheme costs.

We expect the effective rate for 2017 to be around 21.25 per 
cent, the reduction from 2016 reflecting the lowering of the 
headline rate to 19 per cent with effect from April 2017. We 
expect the effective rate to remain around two per cent above 
the headline corporation tax rate going forward due, principally, 
to disallowed expenditure such as depreciation on non-tax-
deductible qualifying properties and costs of acquisition of 
new shops.

Earnings per share
Diluted earnings per share before exceptional items were 60.8 
pence (2015: 55.8 pence), an increase of 9.0 per cent. Basic 
earnings per share before exceptional items were 62.0 pence 
(2015: 57.3 pence). Including exceptional items diluted earnings 
per share were 56.7 pence (2015: 55.8 pence) and basic earnings 
per share were 57.8 pence (2015: 57.3 pence).

Balance sheet
Capital expenditure
We invested a total of £80.4 million (2015: £71.7 million) on 
capital expenditure in the business during 2016. This included 
£42.6 million on 208 shop refurbishments and the opening of  
89 new company-managed shops. We continued to invest in  
shop equipment to support further growth in sales of coffee  
and hot sandwiches, totalling £5.1 million, and also invested  
£5.7 million in our programme of process and systems 
improvement. Investment in our supply chain of £21.1 million 
included completion of the refurbishment of our new distribution 
centre in Enfield and the commencement of works to extend the 
capacity of our Glasgow site. Depreciation and amortisation in 
the year was £45.6 million (2015: £40.1 million).

In 2017 we plan capital expenditure of around £85 million.  
This will support continued growth and diversification of our  
shop estate and the next phase of investment in our supply chain 
(see below). We plan to refurbish around 200 shops in 2017 and 
expect to invest in c.110 new company-managed shops, with 
further openings funded by franchise partners.

Our proposed £100 million investment programme in 
manufacturing and distribution operations comprises £75 million 
of capital expenditure and £25 million of one-off cash-related 
change costs over a five-year period. In 2016 we invested £3 
million of capital expenditure relating to this programme. In 2017 
we expect to invest around £20 million, followed by c.£27 million 
in 2018 as we execute the most capital-intensive phase of 
the programme. 

32

Greggs plc Annual Report and Accounts 2016

Strategic Report

Cash flow and capital structure
The net cash inflow from operating activities in the year was 
£117.6 million (2015: £103.7 million). At the end of the year the 
Group had net cash and cash equivalents of £46.0 million (2015: 
£42.9 million).

Having taken into account the views of shareholders the Board 
continues to believe that it is appropriate to maintain a year-end 
net cash position of around £40 million to allow for seasonality in 
our working capital cycle and to protect the interests of 
all creditors.

Looking forward we intend to maintain our progressive dividend 
policy, and, to the extent that we have material surplus capital 
within the Group, the Board would expect to return capital to 
shareholders. This was the case in 2015, when a distribution of 
£20 million was made through a special dividend. In 2017 we 
expect that cash flows will be sufficient to meet the Group’s 
investment plans and pay ordinary dividends in line with our 
policy, whilst maintaining a year-end net cash position in line 
with our stated target.

Richard Hutton
Finance Director
28 February 2017

Working capital
Group net current liabilities increased to £28.8 million at the  
end of 2016 (2015: £20.6 million). Inventory levels were stable 
and receivables rose by £3.1 million in the year, principally as  
a result of growth in the number of franchised shops. The  
£14.8 million increase in current liabilities largely reflected a 
higher level of trade payables as a result of growth in the 
business, plus capital creditors and restructuring provisions 
resulting from the changes made to our supply chain in the year.

Pension scheme liability
The net liability shown on the balance sheet for the Company’s 
closed defined benefit pension scheme has risen to £22.9 million 
(2015: £3.9 million). Despite appreciation of the scheme’s assets 
in 2016 the present value of the expected liabilities has risen 
considerably as a result of significant falls in corporate bond yields, 
which are used to determine the discount rate applied. The scheme 
is due to undergo a full actuarial revaluation in April 2017.

Return on capital
We manage return on capital against predetermined targets  
and monitor performance through our Investment Board, where 
all capital expenditure is subject to rigorous appraisal before  
and after it is made. For investments in new shops we target  
an average cash return on invested capital of 25 per cent, with  
a hurdle rate of 22.5 per cent, over an average investment cycle 
of seven years. Other investments are appraised using discounted 
cash flow analysis.

The results of our refurbishment expenditure in the year were 
good, with 2016 investments delivering results ahead of our 
target. The performance of new shops was excellent, with prior 
year openings maturing well and newer shops making a very 
strong start. In the year ahead we will increase the rate of 
openings further, as long as we continue to see strong 
investment returns.

We delivered an overall return on capital employed (ROCE)  
for 2016 of 28.1 per cent excluding exceptional items (2015:  
26.8 per cent). The stronger ROCE reflects the improved 
operating performance in the year as well as good capital 
investment returns.

Greggs plc Annual Report and Accounts 2016

33

KEY FINANCIAL PERFORMANCE INDICATORS

We use eight key financial performance 
indicators (KPIs) to monitor the performance 
of the Group against our strategy. 

The definition of these KPIs and our performance over the last five years is detailed below. All of the non-GAAP measures detailed 
(excluding like-for-like sales growth) can be calculated from the GAAP measures included in the annual accounts. Commentary on  
these KPIs is contained within the financial review: 

TOTAL SALES GROWTH: 

2015: 5.2% 

LIKE-FOR-LIKE SALES GROWTH: 

2015: 4.7% 

7.0%

4.2%

2016

2015

2014

2013

2012

7.0%

5.2%

4.7%

2016

2015

2014

4.2%

4.7%

4.5%

3.8%

-0.8%

2013

4.8%

-2.7%

2012

The percentage year-on-year change in total sales for the Group, 
adjusted for the impact of a 53-week year in 2014.

Compares year-on-year cash sales in our company-managed 
shops, excluding any shops which opened, relocated or closed  
in the current or prior year. Like-for-like sales growth includes 
selling price inflation and excludes VAT. The impact of shop 
refurbishment is included in like-for-like sales growth.

OPERATING PROFIT: 

2015: £73.1M 

OPERATING MARGIN: 

2015: 8.7% 

£80.3 million

9.0%

2016

2015

2014

2013

2012

£80.3

£75.2

£73.1
£73.1

2016

2015

2014

2013

2012

£41.5

£33.4

£58.1

£49.6

£51.3
£52.7

9.0%

8.4%

8.7%
8.7%

6.1%

5.4%

4.4%

7.2%

7.0%

7.2%

  Underlying 

  Including exceptional items

  Underlying 

  Including exceptional items

Reflects the performance of the Group before financing and 
taxation impacts and the underlying measure excludes any 
exceptional items arising in the year. 

Shows the operating profit of the Group as a percentage of 
turnover. The underlying measure excludes any exceptional items 
arising in the year.

34

Greggs plc Annual Report and Accounts 2016

 
 
 
 
Strategic Report

DILUTED EPS (PENCE): 

2015: 55.8P 

CAPITAL EXPENDITURE:  

2015: £71.7M 

61.2p

£80.4 million

2016

2015

2014

2013

2012

61.2p

57.1p

55.8p
55.8p

2016

2015

2014

2013

2012

30.6p

23.9p

43.4p

36.8p

38.3p

39.4p

£80.4

£71.7

£48.9

£47.6

£46.9

  Underlying 

  Including exceptional items

Calculated by dividing profit attributable to shareholders by the 
average number of dilutive outstanding shares. The underlying 
measure excludes any exceptional items arising in the year.

The total amount incurred in the year on investment in fixed assets. 

NET CASH INFLOW FROM  
OPERATING ACTIVITIES:

2015: £103.7M 

RETURN ON CAPITAL EMPLOYED (ROCE):  

2015: 26.8% 

£117.6 million

28.1%

2016

2015

2014

2013

2012

£117.6

£103.7

£97.1

2016

2015

2014

2013

2012

£69.3

56.6

28.1%

26.2%

26.8%
26.8%

22.4%

19.1%

16.4%

13.2%

21.3%

22.0%

Operating profit adjusted for the impact of non-cash items and 
working capital movements.

Calculated by dividing profit before tax by the average total 
assets less current liabilities for the year. The underlying measure 
excludes any exceptional items arising in the year.

  Underlying 

  Including exceptional items

Greggs plc Annual Report and Accounts 2016

35

 
 
 
 
NON-FINANCIAL KEY PERFORMANCE INDICATORS

We are on a journey to integrate 
social responsibility (SR) into our 
business strategy. 

Part of that journey involves repositioning our SR targets as non-financial KPIs. Our non-financial KPIs have five 
areas of focus, with a clear commitment against each one. These commitments are delivered through a series  
of projects with measurable targets. 

The Chief Executive is responsible for delivering the overall programme and Operating Board Directors have 
been assigned to be a champion for each of the areas – as illustrated opposite. This group meets quarterly  
to review progress at a steering group convened by the Company Secretary.

KPI

2016 Targets 

Customer health: 
We encourage  
healthier food-on- 
the-go choices 

Responsible sourcing:  
We care about  
where our ingredients  
come from

Community:  
We share our success  
with the people  
around us

Environment:  
We aim to use  
energy efficiently  
and minimise waste

Increase Balanced Choice sales by at least £5 million 

Develop a structured Clean Label Plan to minimise the use of unfamiliar ingredients in our products 

Introduce a healthy children’s meal menu

Only source tuna from ‘FAD free’, ‘FAD entanglement free’ or ‘pole and line’ methods of harvesting

Develop a Field to Fork Policy for our fresh produce 

Achieve BRC Global Standard v7 at all bakery sites (certified as Grade A)

Extend the Greggs Breakfast Club Programme to 400+ schools, working with our partners

Support the Greggs Foundation to donate more than £2 million through our fundraising activity

Support the delivery of engaging nutritional education in schools

Complete certification of our Environmental Management System to ISO 14001 

Minimise the impact of climate change through the development and delivery of an engagement 
plan for our staff and customers 

Increase the amount of unsold food that we donate to good causes by at least 50%  
(based on 2015 result)

Further develop waste management practices to ensure long-term focus on resource efficiency  
over and above recycling

People:  
We are committed  
to creating a great  
place to work

Maintain our 2015 employee engagement target (Employee Opinion Survey)

Ensure 30% of our volunteering days are matched to peoples skills and abilities 

Continue to engage colleagues with ‘Superstar Service’ business-wide

Undertake a National Equality Standards audit, enabling a three-year plan to be developed to  
receive accreditation in 2019 

Reduce reportable accidents per hours worked in retail by 5%

Reduce reportable accidents per hours worked in our supply chain by 10% 

Increase the impact of our Fresh Start Programme by offering 450 job opportunities 

Further drive our service culture through continued focus on our employee suggestion scheme,  
‘Your Ideas Matter’ to achieve a 100% response rate





































 





36

Greggs plc Annual Report and Accounts 2016

Strategic Report

Responsible

Accountable

Champions

Focus areas

Chief Executive

Company Secretary

Commercial  
Director

Commercial  
Director

Customer health

Responsible  
sourcing

Finance Director

Retail Director

People Director

Community

Environment

People

Our commitments

We encourage 
healthier  
food-on-the-go  
choices

We care about 
where our 
ingredients  
come from

We share our 
success  
with the people  
around us

We aim to  
use energy 
efficiently and  
minimise waste

We are committed 
to creating a great 
place to work

Status

2017 Targets

Increase Balanced Choice sales by at least £10 million

Implement our Clean Label Plan across our savoury and bread products

Engage with supply chain to meet our Modern Slavery Policy obligations 

Develop a five-year strategy for cage-free egg ingredients

Work with our partners to further extend our Breakfast Club scheme to 440 schools 

Support the Greggs Foundation to donate more than £2 million through our fundraising activity

Evaluate and improve our Environmental Grants Programme 

Continue to develop our Environmental Management System to maintain our ISO 14001 accreditation across all of our operations

Continue to review our operational activities to support a reduction of our carbon footprint intensity by a further 1%

Increase the amount of unsold food donations by a further 50% (based on 2016 results)

Drive activities to further improve employee engagement through flexible working 

Achieve third party accreditation for Balanced You, our health and wellbeing programme 

Further develop and deliver our online development tool across the business to enhance development opportunities for our people 

Successfully deliver our year one action plan to achieve National Equality Standard accreditation in 2019 

Continue to drive health and safety engagement to reduce reportable accidents per hours worked in retail by 5%

Continue to drive health and safety engagement to reduce reportable accidents per hours worked in our supply chain by 10%





































 





*Although we failed to achieve our target, we did reduce overall accidents in our supply chain by over 5%, following on from our 28% reduction in 2015.

Greggs plc Annual Report and Accounts 2016

37

Increase Balanced Choice sales by at least £5 million 

Develop a structured Clean Label Plan to minimise the use of unfamiliar ingredients in our products 

Introduce a healthy children’s meal menu

Only source tuna from ‘FAD free’, ‘FAD entanglement free’ or ‘pole and line’ methods of harvesting

Develop a Field to Fork Policy for our fresh produce 

Achieve BRC Global Standard v7 at all bakery sites (certified as Grade A)

Extend the Greggs Breakfast Club Programme to 400+ schools, working with our partners

Support the Greggs Foundation to donate more than £2 million through our fundraising activity

Support the delivery of engaging nutritional education in schools

Complete certification of our Environmental Management System to ISO 14001 

Minimise the impact of climate change through the development and delivery of an engagement 

plan for our staff and customers 

Increase the amount of unsold food that we donate to good causes by at least 50%  

(based on 2015 result)

over and above recycling

Further develop waste management practices to ensure long-term focus on resource efficiency  

Maintain our 2015 employee engagement target (Employee Opinion Survey)

Ensure 30% of our volunteering days are matched to peoples skills and abilities 

Continue to engage colleagues with ‘Superstar Service’ business-wide

Undertake a National Equality Standards audit, enabling a three-year plan to be developed to  

receive accreditation in 2019 

Reduce reportable accidents per hours worked in retail by 5%

Reduce reportable accidents per hours worked in our supply chain by 10% 

Increase the impact of our Fresh Start Programme by offering 450 job opportunities 

Further drive our service culture through continued focus on our employee suggestion scheme,  

‘Your Ideas Matter’ to achieve a 100% response rate

NON-FINANCIAL KEY PERFORMANCE INDICATORS CONTINUED

Carbon footprint
Our net carbon footprint for the 2016 financial year was 124,978 tonnes of carbon dioxide and equivalent gases (CO2e), with an 
intensity of 140.76 tonnes of CO2e per £million turnover. This represents a 5.7 per cent improvement on our 2015 result.

Global GHG emissions data
In line with Companies Act 2006 (Strategic Report and Directors’ Report) Regulations 2013, we are reporting on our greenhouse gas 
(GHG) emissions as part of our annual strategic report. Our GHG reporting year is the same as our financial year from 3 January 2016 
to 31 December 2016.

Scope 1

Combustion of fuel & operation of facilities

Fugitive emissions from refrigeration

Scope 2

Electricity purchased for own use (including PV-generated 

electricity)

GROSS emissions

Total Scope 1 and 2 CO2e emissions

NET emissions 

Total emissions excluding PV-generated electricity

NET intensity measure

Tonnes of CO2e per £ million of turnover adjusted to 

account for use of renewable energy

Current reporting year 2016  
(tonnes of CO2e)

Comparison year 2015  
(tonnes of CO2e)

33,010

10,195

82,153

125,358

124,978

140.76

31,509

4,360

89,375

125,244

124,776

149.3

We have reported on all of the emission sources which we deem ourselves to be responsible for, as required under the Companies Act 
2006 (Strategic Report and Directors’ Reports) Regulations 2013. These sources fall within our operation’s control and financial control 
boundaries. We do not have responsibility for any emission sources that are outside of our operational control. 

The methodology used to calculate our emissions is based on the UK Government’s Environmental Reporting Guidance (2013) and 
emission factors from UK Government’s GHG Conversion Factors for company reporting.

The 2016 emissions are verified by the Carbon Trust as part of the review of our carbon footprint.

Carbon Trust Standard
We measure our direct carbon footprint and in 2016 we were again accredited to hold the Carbon Trust Standard in recognition of our 
work on carbon efficiencies. In addition, we disclose our GHG emissions through the Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP).

Gender of workforce
We are proud of our reputation for bringing the best talent through the business regardless of gender and we are proud that  
70 per cent of our total workforce is female, almost half of our management population is female and, of the eight Board posts,  
three are held by women.

Board

Senior Managers

Other managers

All employees

Female

3

52

280

Male

5

84

278

Total

8

136

558

14,783

6,125

20,908

38

Greggs plc Annual Report and Accounts 2016

 
PRINCIPAL RISKS AND UNCERTAINTIES

Strategic Report

The Board has ultimate 
responsibility for ensuring that 
risks are managed appropriately.

Our risk management approach
Greggs’ approach to risk management has a number of 
components that combine to ensure that significant risks are 
identified, evaluated, recorded and managed, as set out below.

Board of Directors
The Board has ultimate accountability for ensuring that risks 
are managed appropriately, although it delegates the detailed 
implementation of risk processes and mitigating actions to 
management. Significant risks (i.e. those that could prevent the 
business from achieving its objectives were they to occur) are 
considered at each meeting, with the associated controls being 
monitored and reviewed. The Board also debates whether any new 
or emerging risks require assessment by management, delegating 
any such risks to the Risk Committee for their consideration.

Insurance cover provides a means of mitigation for a number of 
risks facing the business. On an annual basis, the Board reviews 
the cover in place, and considers whether it is appropriate, taking 
advice from our brokers where necessary.

Through regular reporting, the Board is kept apprised of any 
issues or business changes which may impact on the Company’s 
risk profile. The Audit Committee reviews risk management 
procedures at least annually, and reports its findings through to 
the Board.

Operating Board
The Operating Board supports the Chief Executive in 
implementing the Board’s decisions, and comprises Directors 
representing each of the organisation’s main functions: Finance, 
Retail, Commercial, Supply Chain, People, Business Development 
and Property, IT and Business Change, and Corporate Affairs. 
Responsibility for the day-to-day management of risks sits with 
this group. All key strategic risks identified by the business are 
allocated to an Operating Board member as risk owner.

Risk Committee
The Risk Committee is a management committee that meets  
on a quarterly basis to discuss risks in greater detail than can be 
done during Operating Board meetings. It comprises the Chief 
Executive, the Operating Board and a number of heads of 
business functions. Its responsibilities include analysing, 
assessing, measuring and understanding the Company’s risk 
exposure, as well as supporting the implementation of the 
business’ risk management strategy. Significant areas of concern 
identified by this body will be reported through to the main 
Board, generally via the Audit Committee. Although the 
Committee’s remit extends to all risks faced by the Company, 
it will focus on key strategic risks and their associated controls.

The Risk Committee also considers new and emerging risks as  
a standing agenda item, including those identified by the Board 
of Directors. 

Whistle-blowing
All staff have an opportunity to raise matters of concern with 
senior management through our whistle-blowing policy as 
detailed on page 48, which is advertised across the business.  
The policy has been reviewed by the Audit Committee during  
the year.

Business Assurance
The Business Assurance function provides independent internal 
audit coverage for the entire business operation, and also 
supports risk management activity and information security 
governance across the organisation. 

Audit findings are reported to management, and to the Audit 
Committee, whose meetings are all attended by the Head of 
Business Assurance. The Business Assurance team has authority 
to access all areas of the business, all senior managers and the 
Chair of the Audit Committee as required.

Greggs plc Annual Report and Accounts 2016

39

PRINCIPAL RISKS AND UNCERTAINTIES CONTINUED

Principal risks and uncertainties
The Board has carried out a robust assessment of the principal 
risks facing the Company, including those that would threaten its 
business model, future performance, solvency and liquidity. These 
risks are described below, together with a brief description of 
mitigating activity.

Greggs is exposed to a wider range of risks than those listed. 
However, these are the risks which are considered to be the most 
important to the business’ future development, performance or 
position. The risks identified are those to which the Board 
considers there is a disproportionate exposure, relative to the 
food-on-the-go sector. The impact of these risks occurring has 
been considered in developing the scenarios tested as part of  
the financial viability statement on page 41.

Additional risks and uncertainties, not presently known to 
management or deemed to be less material currently, may also have 
an adverse effect on the business. Greggs’ exposure to risks evolves 
as we take mitigating actions or as new risks emerge.

Our exposure to cyber risk is not included within this analysis,  
since we do not consider our risk levels to be any greater than  
other comparable businesses in our sector. The Board continues to 
oversee and receive reports on the management of cyber risk in line 
with our normal business practice, our approach still being driven by 
a cross-functional working group, which sets the priorities and 
monitors progress. 

Similarly, we face a risk relating to uncertainty in the economy giving 
rise to an inflationary impact on our customers’ disposable incomes. 
However, we do not believe that this will have a disproportionate 
impact on us compared with our competitors.

The following risks are in no particular order.

Area of principal risk or uncertainty

Mitigating actions and controls

The project delivery is overseen by the Operating 
Board, under the guidance of a project sponsor, 
providing robust governance. Regular updates are 
provided to the Board, to monitor progress against 
clearly defined timelines and financial forecasts.

Risk rating

  Increasing

Business change – Greggs is implementing a strategic 
plan to transform the business from a decentralised 
traditional bakery to a centralised modern food-on-the- 
go brand. This is a major programme of business 
change involving restructuring, new systems, significant 
capital investment and a major overhaul of every aspect 
of the business, particularly supply chain.

Progress may not be in line with plans, disruption could 
occur and financial returns may fall short of expectation.

Product quality and safety – Greggs is unusual in the 
food-on-the-go sector in that it is vertically integrated, 
owning its own manufacturing and supply chain 
operations. In addition, we freshly prepare food on our 
retail premises. 

This exposes us to greater risk in ensuring good food 
safety than many of our competitors.

Procedures are in place throughout our operations to 
ensure that food safety is maintained. These procedures 
are supported by robust audit processes, both internally 
and by regulatory bodies.

  No change

Food scare – Greggs may suffer from a loss of customer 
confidence due to a major food scare beyond its 
control. Dependent upon the nature of this, it may have 
a disproportionate impact on Greggs.

The majority of products for sale in our shops have been 
manufactured by our staff in our bakeries. Checks are 
carried out to confirm the integrity of our products and 
ingredients as part of routine processes.

Loss of production – Some of our products are 
produced in one location and distributed nationwide. 
Any disruption to supply would have a significant impact 
on our customers.

Contingency plans are in place for our supply sites and 
these are regularly tested. Our property insurers carry 
out annual site inspections, which help to protect our 
facilities from loss. We have alternative supply sources 
for key products and these are periodically tested.

Market pressures – Changing shopping habits driven 
by new customer channels, such as the internet, may 
have a greater impact on Greggs due to our historical 
bias towards shops located on high streets.

Consumer trends – Increasing customer concern with 
health and nutrition may affect demand for some of our 
traditional bakery product ranges. 

40

Greggs plc Annual Report and Accounts 2016

Greggs operates a leasehold shop estate with typically 
five-year break provisions, allowing us to change 
locations in line with customer traffic trends. In addition, 
new shops are predominantly opened in locations away 
from the high street to offer our services to customers 
away from home for reasons other than shopping. The 
nature of our franchise partners also provide mitigation.

We have a proactive programme to improve the 
nutritional qualities of our traditional products where 
possible without impacting taste. In addition we are 
extending range choice to include healthier options 
branded ‘Balanced Choice’ which is growing rapidly.

  No change

  No change

  No change

  No change

Strategic Report

Viability statement
The Directors have assessed the Company’s prospects and 
viability taking into account its current position, plans and 
principal risks. The Company remains cash-generative and has  
no debt other than normal trading liabilities to creditors and the 
obligations arising under commercial leases. In assessing the 
Company’s viability the Board has considered potential scenarios 
that have been envisaged to reflect the occurrence of the 
principal risks that the business faces.

In carrying out its assessment the Board has reviewed the 
three-year operational and financial plan to 2019. The Board 
believes that this viability assessment period is appropriate given 
its experience of the Company’s cycle of strategic plan renewal 
and the fast-moving nature of the food-on-the-go market.

The principal risks to which the Company is exposed ultimately 
affect the ability of its shops to trade successfully, either through 
an interruption to supply or because of a loss of confidence in the 
Greggs brand. A significant loss of sales would be particularly 
damaging given the Company’s vertical integration in that the 
cost of the internal supply chain cannot be reduced quickly.

In order to stress-test the Company’s financial resilience, scenarios 
were created to simulate the impact arising from the occurrence 
of the following principal risks:

1.  A brand-damaging food scare resulting in a significant 

one-year sales reduction followed by gradual recovery of 
confidence. In making assumptions, the Directors considered 
real examples of companies in the food sector that had 
experienced such issues.

2.  The impact of a 10 per cent annual sales decline as a result  

of changing shopping habits or consumer trends.

3.  Temporary loss of production capacity for the Company’s  

iconic savoury products and the consequences for liquidity  
as capacity is restored.

In each case the Directors reviewed the mitigating actions  
that would be necessary to protect the Company’s liquidity.  
These scenarios represent more extreme circumstances than  
the Company has ever experienced. 

Based on the results of this analysis, the Directors have  
a reasonable expectation that the Company will be able  
to continue in operation and meet its liabilities as they fall  
due over the three-year period of their detailed assessment.

Greggs plc Annual Report and Accounts 2016

41

 
 
 
 
 
BOARD OF DIRECTORS AND SECRETARY

Ian Durant 
Chairman

Roger Whiteside 
Chief Executive

Richard Hutton FCA 
Finance Director

Raymond Reynolds 
Retail Director

Biography

Ian has a background in 
international finance and 
commercial management, 
with experience in the retail, 
property, hotels and transport 
sectors. His career includes 
leadership roles with the retail 
division of Hanson and 
Jardine Matheson, HongKong 
Land, Dairy Farm 
International, Thistle Hotels 
and SeaContainers and as 
Finance Director of Liberty 
International. 

Appointed since

5 October 2011

Roger began his career at 
Marks and Spencer where he 
spent 20 years, ultimately 
becoming head of its food 
business. He was then one of 
the founding team of Ocado, 
serving as Joint MD from 2000 
to 2004. From 2004 to 2007 
Roger led a successful 
turnaround as Chief Executive 
of the Thresher Group 
off-licence chain before joining 
Punch Taverns, ultimately 
becoming Chief Executive. 
Roger was appointed as Chief 
Executive of Greggs on 
4 February 2013.

17 March 2008 (Non-
Executive Director until 
3 February 2013)

Richard qualified as a 
Chartered Accountant with 
KPMG and gained career 
experience with Procter and 
Gamble before joining 
Greggs in 1998. Richard has 
previously been a Non-
Executive Director of 
Northern Recruitment Group, 
and last year chaired Business 
in the Community’s North 
East Advisory Board.

Raymond joined Greggs in 
retail management in 1986. 
As General Manager during 
the 1990s, he built a 
significant new business for 
the Company in the 
Edinburgh region, and was 
appointed Managing Director 
for Scotland in 2002.

13 March 2006

18 December 2006

Independent

Yes

Not applicable

Not applicable

Not applicable

External  
appointments

Chairman of Capital and 
Counties PLC.

Member of the Women’s 
Business Council.

Trustee of Greggs Foundation. 
Trustee Director of Business in 
the Community. Trustee of the 
Alnwick Garden Trust.

Director of the Sunderland 
Business Improvement District. 
North East Chamber of 
Commerce Board member.

Committee  
membership

Chair of Nominations 
Committee

Not applicable

Not applicable

Not applicable

Menu favourite

Tuna Crunch Baguette
 “Because it’s big on flavour and 
made using tuna which has 
been sourced responsibly.”

Sausage Roll
 “Our classic favourites  
really can’t be beaten!”

Jammie Heart Biscuit
 “5p from the sale of every 
Jammy Heart biscuit goes  
to the Greggs Foundation  
)!”
(of which I am a trustee 

Scotch Pie
 “As a Scotsman, I look forward 
to shop visits in Scotland for 
this reason alone!“

42

Greggs plc Annual Report and Accounts 2016

Directors’ Report

Allison Kirkby 
Non-Executive 
Director

Helena Ganczakowski 
Non-Executive 
Director

Peter McPhillips 
Non-Executive 
Director

Sandra Turner 
Non-Executive 
Director

Jonathan Jowett 
Company Secretary 
and General Counsel

Allison is President and CEO 
of Tele 2, a major European 
telecoms company. Prior to 
Tele 2, where she joined as 
CFO, Allison spent two 
decades in the FMCG sector 
at Procter and Gamble in a 
variety of senior financial and 
operational roles before 
moving to the TMT sector 
first at Virgin Media and then 
as Group CFO at Shine, a 
division of 21st Century Fox. 
Allison is a Fellow of the 
Chartered Institute of 
Management Accountants.

Helena worked for Unilever 
for 23 years and held senior 
positions in brand 
management and marketing 
including UK Marketing 
Director and ultimately Head 
of Global Agencies. Helena 
has a PhD in Engineering 
from the University of 
Cambridge.

Peter spent most of his 
executive career in food 
manufacturing having held a 
number of executive positions 
including Divisional Managing 
Director of Hillsdown 
Holdings, Director of 
Terranova (the chilled foods 
business demerged from 
Hillsdown Holdings) and 
ultimately as UK Managing 
Director of Uniq plc. More 
recently, Peter was European 
Chairman of Hain Celestial 
Group. 

Sandra has been involved in 
the retail sector throughout 
her career and was employed 
by Tesco PLC, latterly as 
Commercial Director for 
Tesco Ireland, from 1987 to 
2009. Prior to this she worked 
in sales and marketing roles 
for Unilever and Wilkinson 
Sword.

Jonathan is a lawyer by 
profession and has held the 
position of Company 
Secretary for a number of 
FTSE 250 and FTSE Smallcap 
companies. His previous 
employers include Avon 
Cosmetics Limited, SSL 
International plc, Wagon plc 
and Bakkavor Group.

30 January 2013

2 January 2014

10 March 2014

1 May 2014

12 May 2010

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Not applicable

Director of Secure Value 
Consulting Limited. Board 
member of Reach for Change.

Non-Executive Director of 
Croda International Plc and 
also owner-manager of a 
consulting business working 
with companies ranging from 
start-up businesses to FTSE 
100 constituents, helping 
them to develop and 
implement strategies.

Non-Executive Director of 
Browns Food Group. 
Non-Executive Director of 
Jackson’s Bakery Limited.

Non-Executive Director of 
Carpetright plc, McBride plc 
and Huhtämaki OYJ. 

Member of the British Retail 
Consortium Policy Board; 
Trustee Director of the  
Percy Hedley Foundation.
Non-Executive Director of 
Newcastle Hospitals NHS 
Foundation Trust.

Chair of Audit Committee; 
Remuneration and 
Nominations Committee 
member

Audit, Remuneration and 
Nominations Committee 
member

Audit, Remuneration  
and Nominations  
Committee member

Chair of Remuneration 
Committee; Audit  
and Nominations  
Committee member

Secretary to the Board and  
all its Committees

Bacon Roll
 “Nothing beats a simple  
bacon roll for breakfast.”

Balanced Choice Bake
 “It offers all the taste and 
comfort of a traditional pasty 
but with fewer calories!”

Ham and Cheese Baguette
 “Honey roast ham and  
cheddar cheese – the  
perfect combination.”

Sugar Strand Doughnut
 “It winked at me and I just  
had to eat it!”

Mexican Chicken Oval Bite
 “Our famous oval bites are the 
perfect lunch solution.”

Greggs plc Annual Report and Accounts 2016

43

GOVERNANCE REPORT – CHAIRMAN’S INTRODUCTION

We strive to engage  
openly and honestly at  
all times, particularly when 
proposing changes to the 
business structure. 

This year, we have adopted a different approach to social 
responsibility reporting. We have not included a separate section  
in our annual report, but instead have incorporated a series of case 
studies into our business review, reflecting the fact that social 
responsibility activity is fully integrated into our business. To the 
extent that we are required to report certain results, for example our 
carbon use, this is found within our non-financial KPIs on page 38. 

I look forward to welcoming shareholders to the Annual General 
Meeting, which will be held in Newcastle on 19 May 2017, and to 
receiving and answering your questions.

Ian Durant 
Chairman

In 2016 colleague engagement  
was maintained at 80%.

Dear Shareholder,
Our governance report for 2016 is set out on pages 45 to 48.

There have been some interesting developments in UK Corporate 
Governance recently, not least of which is the Government’s 
Green Paper, which focuses on executive pay and the desire to 
ensure greater stakeholder engagement, most notably with 
colleagues in the business. As you will read in our remuneration 
report on pages 56 to 72, we have consulted a number of our 
institutional shareholders and will be seeking approval of our 
remuneration policy at the Annual General Meeting. We believe 
that our policy strikes an appropriate balance between fair 
remuneration for everyone and rewarding excellent performance. 
In support of this, annual remuneration increases are generally 
applied at the same rate to everyone in the Company, including 
Directors, and a portion of our profits are shared with our 
colleagues each year.

Colleague engagement is a topic that the Board considered 
during its annual evaluation in December 2016. Greggs is a 
company that strives to engage with its colleagues openly and 
honestly at all times, particularly when changes to the business 
structure are being proposed, as you will have read about 
elsewhere in this year’s annual report. Members of the Operating 
Board regularly meet on a more formal basis with nominated 
colleague representatives, and informally with listening groups 
held in our bakeries and shops. We also conduct an annual 
Employee Opinion Survey, and the Board was pleased to note 
that colleague engagement was maintained at 80 per cent  
when measured in November 2016 which is around five per  
cent better than other companies in the retail sector. 

The Board has agreed that, as part of its objectives in 2017,  
the Non-Executive Directors will gain a deeper understanding  
of the issues that come out of the employee engagement survey, 
and that we will participate in some of the formal and informal 
meetings that take place, as we seek to better understand and 
build on the culture and values that make this Company a great 
place for people to work.

44

Greggs plc Annual Report and Accounts 2016

 
 
 
 
 
GOVERNANCE REPORT

The Company is subject to the UK Corporate Governance Code issued by the Financial Reporting Council. The edition of the Code 
issued in September 2014 applied throughout the 2016 financial year. This governance report, together with information contained 
elsewhere within the Directors’ report, describes how the relevant principles and provisions of the Governance Code were applied in 
2016 and will be relevant to the Company for the 2017 financial year.

The Company has been a constituent of the FTSE 250 index throughout 2016, and maintains a Premium listing on the London Stock Exchange.

The Board confirms that it was compliant with the Governance Code throughout the year, and all of the policies and terms of reference 
referred to in this report are available on the corporate website at http://corporate.greggs.co.uk. 

The Board
Effectiveness
The Chairman chairs the Nominations Committee whose primary function is to consider the blend of skills and experience that the 
Directors bring to the Board. This includes independent and objective experience of food retailing and manufacturing, finance, 
marketing, property and corporate finance to complement the existing skills and experience of the Executive Directors.

The Board meets regularly to discharge its duties. At these meetings, it reviews strategy, financial performance against key indicators, 
resources, risk management and other matters reserved for the Board. Whilst executive responsibility for running the Company’s 
business rests ultimately with the Chief Executive, the Non-Executive Directors ensure that the strategies proposed by the Chief 
Executive and the Executive Directors are fully discussed and critically examined prior to adoption.

During the year, the Chairman and the Non-Executive Directors undertook a number of visits and meetings as part of the day-to-day 
running of the business, in order to ensure that they were sufficiently well-versed in operations to facilitate strong support and 
challenge. Each year the Board visits a production site, and in 2016 was able to view the new Distribution Centre at Enfield. 
Individually, Non-Executive Directors held a number of one-to-one meetings with members of the Operating Board, attended supplier 
review meetings, supported management in the recruitment of a new Customer Director, as well as regularly speaking with shop teams 
across the country.

The Board schedules six meetings per year and also meets on an ad hoc basis as required. Attendance at scheduled meetings held 
during the year is recorded in the table below, where the number of meetings actually attended are shown with the number of 
meetings that the individual could have attended.

Number of meetings held

Ian Durant
Roger Whiteside
Richard Hutton
Raymond Reynolds
Helena Ganczakowski
Allison Kirkby
Peter McPhillips
Sandra Turner

Main Board

Audit Committee

Remuneration 
Committee

Nominations 
Committee

6

6/6
6/6
6/6
6/6
6/6
6/6
6/6
6/6

4

–
–
–
–
4/4
4/4
4/4
4/4

5

–
–
–
–
5/5
5/5
5/5
5/5

2

2/2
–
–
–
2/2
2/2
2/2
2/2

All Directors are invited to attend the Audit Committee and the Chief Executive attends the Remuneration and Nomination 
Committees. The business conducted at Committee meetings is reported by the respective Chair at subsequent Board meetings. 
In addition, the Non-Executive Directors meet formally twice each year and from time to time, as required.

Board modus operandi
The Board has a policy on the separation of the roles of the Chairman and the Chief Executive. The Chairman sets the agenda for Board 
meetings in accordance with a specific Schedule of Matters Reserved policy (which is reviewed and approved annually) and ensures that 
the Board is supplied, in a timely manner, with information in a form and of a quality appropriate to enable it to discharge its duties. 

The Board considers that it effectively leads and controls the Company. All Directors take decisions objectively and in the interests of 
the Company. The Non-Executive Directors scrutinise the performance of management in meeting agreed goals and objectives and 
monitor the reporting of performance. All Directors receive induction training on joining the Board and regularly update and refresh 
their knowledge through reading, attendance on relevant courses and/or activities outside the Company. 

At each Board meeting, the Board receives and discusses reports from each of the Executive Directors and the Company Secretary. 
Additionally, and as part of the process of maintaining an awareness of the Company’s activities and assessing the ability of the 
management team, members of the senior management team are invited to attend Board meetings to present papers to the Board. 
This process also affords senior managers the opportunity to bring matters to the attention of the Board. 

Greggs plc Annual Report and Accounts 2016

45

Directors’ ReportGOVERNANCE REPORT CONTINUED

During the year, the Board received regular updates including:
 – Key priority progress and strategic developments, which in 2016 included full updates on the proposed £100 million investment in our 
supply chain and progress with the implementation of ERP systems, notably the trial of forecasting and replenishment into 100 stores.

 – Customer insight, competitor activity marketing and category plans.
 – Wage negotiations and people issues.
 – Food safety and health and safety.

The Board sets itself a rolling agenda which facilitates agenda planning for scheduled meetings across the year. In this way the Board 
monitors its activities and ensures that it is operating effectively. 

Diversity
The Board believes it is in the best interests of the Company to bring more women through to the top levels of the organisation and,  
as a result of this belief, a programme which was launched in 2012 to encourage women to strive for the most senior positions in the 
business. Our gender reporting is now contained on page 38 of the strategic report.

Succession, development and evaluation
The Board is satisfied that a process is in place for orderly succession to the Board and to positions of senior management, so as to 
maintain an appropriate balance of skills and experience within the Company and on the Board. The Chief Executive meets with the 
Chairman and the Non-Executive Directors on a regular basis in order that succession and development plans can be drawn up for 
Executive Directors and members of the Operating Board. All Directors are able to receive training and to take independent 
professional advice at the expense of the Company. They also have direct access to the Company Secretary, who is responsible for 
advising the Board on all governance matters.

Evaluation
The performance of the Board, its Committees and of all Directors is evaluated annually by a formal and rigorous process. 

In 2015, the Board conducted its first externally-facilitated Board evaluation, which produced encouraging outcomes recognising a 
collegiate approach with no significant concerns. Building on this, in 2016 the Board conducted its own evaluation which consisted of  
a question-based review which resulted in a series of themes that were debated at a Board meeting. The emerging themes included 
levels of cyber security, diversity and succession planning at operational level, and consideration of how the Non-Executive Directors 
could create opportunities to listen to colleagues at every level of the business. Consequently, it was agreed that the People Director 
would be asked to provide a deeper review of the results of the 2016 Employee Opinion Survey, so that Non-Executives could then 
engage directly with shop and bakery teams through existing regular engagement opportunities attended by management.

As a key part of the evaluation process, the Chairman also meets with the Non-Executive Directors at least annually without the 
Executive Directors present, and also has one-to-one sessions with every member of the Board. The Senior Independent Director  
meets the Non-Executive Directors annually without the Chairman present to appraise the Chairman’s performance.

Election and re-election of Directors
The Board has resolved that, in line with Governance Code provision B.7.1, all Directors will be subject to annual re-election by 
shareholders. Following recommendation by the Nominations Committee, all of the Non-Executive Directors who will offer themselves for 
re-election at the Annual General Meeting are considered by the Board to be independent in character and judgement and to be free from 
any business or other relationship or circumstance which is likely to affect or to interfere with the exercise of their independent judgement.

Board committees 
The Board delegates some of its activities to the following committees, each of which has written terms of reference, which are 
available on the Company’s website. The Company Secretary acts as secretary to and is generally in attendance at each of these 
committees, and each of the committees is provided with sufficient resources to undertake its duties.

The Audit Committee currently consists of four independent Non-Executive Directors: Allison Kirkby (Chair), Helena Ganczakowski, Peter 
McPhillips and Sandra Turner. The Committee met four times in the year, and a fuller report on its activities is set out on pages 51 to 55.

The Remuneration Committee currently consists of four independent Non-Executive Directors: Sandra Turner (Chair), Helena 
Ganczakowski, Allison Kirkby and Peter McPhillips. The Committee’s main duties (which it discharged during the year) are set out within the 
Directors’ remuneration report which is set out on pages 56 to 72 of this annual report. This includes for information purposes the Board’s 
proposed new policy on remuneration, which shareholders will be asked to approve at the AGM to be held on 19 May 2017. The Chairman’s 
fees are reviewed annually and set by the Executive Directors, following the general policy of everyone in the Company receiving the same 
basic level of pay award. 

The Nominations Committee currently comprises Ian Durant (Chairman) and all of the Non-Executive Directors. The Committee’s 
main functions (which it discharged during the year) are: to review the balance and constitution of the Board; to advise the Board as to 
whether Directors should be nominated for re-election by the members; and to approve and manage the process for setting the 
specification for all Board appointments, identifying candidates who meet that specification and making recommendations to the 
Board on the basis of merit and compliance with objective criteria in respect of all new Board appointments.

46

Greggs plc Annual Report and Accounts 2016

In recruiting additional Directors the Nominations Committee defines the role and uses external consultants to assist in identifying 
suitable candidates from which the Committee selects a shortlist and conducts interviews. The final candidate is then subject to formal 
recommendation by the Committee and approval by the Board.

The Nominations Committee did not seek external consultancy support during 2016.

Following appointment, new Directors are subject to an in-depth tailored induction process. In the case of Non-Executive Directors, 
this includes meeting with members of the Operating Board, visiting bakeries, shops and offices, and being provided with an 
extensive Board Handbook which contains key information and policies that are relevant to the position. For new Executive Directors 
and Non-Executive Directors for whom the appointment is their first to a UK-listed company, the induction includes details of the legal 
duties and obligations of being a Director of the Company. New Non-Executive Directors are also encouraged to provide formal 
feedback of their first months on the Greggs Board during a Board meeting.

Risk management
Details of the Company’s principal risks and the management of them are set out within the strategic report, and given in pages 39 and 40.

The Board confirms that it has reviewed the effectiveness of the system of internal control (covering all material controls, including 
financial, operational, compliance and risk management systems) during the year under review and up to the date of approval of the 
annual report and accounts.

Relations with shareholders
The Board ensures that there is effective communication with individual and institutional shareholders through the announcement of 
regular trading updates, as well as general presentations after announcement of the interim and preliminary results and the posting of 
results on the Company’s website. The Board receives reports on any comments received from shareholders and market analysts 
following these presentations.

The Chief Executive and the Finance Director carry out extensive engagement with institutional shareholders and market analysts, 
either meeting them as part of Company presentations and briefings, individual meetings or on telephone calls. 

The Chairman did not undertake any ‘Greggs-specific’ meetings with institutional shareholders during 2016, although he regularly 
attends meetings and events which provide him with the opportunity to engage generally with the investment community. 

During the last quarter of 2016, the Remuneration Committee chair engaged with institutional shareholders representing over  
50 per cent of the issued share capital, as part of the consultation on the proposed Remuneration Policy which will be put to 
shareholders at the AGM in May 2017. 

The Company Secretary and the Company’s Brokers draw the attention of the Board to all relevant shareholder communications. The 
Board also reviews briefings and comments by analysts and shareholders in order to maintain an understanding of market perceptions 
of the Company. The Board reviews at each meeting an analysis of the share register, noting all significant changes.

The Annual General Meeting (AGM) is well attended, and a short presentation of business performance is given to attendees by the 
Chief Executive (although no non-public sensitive information is shared). The Chairman and the Chairs of the Board Committees are 
available to answer any issues raised and any newly-appointed Directors being available to meet shareholders. During informal 
sessions both before and after the meeting, the Chairman and all Directors are available to meet with any of the 60 or so individual 
private shareholders who are in attendance. This is in addition to the opportunity given to shareholders to ask questions of the Board 
during the formal meeting. In 2016, information stalls were set up at the entrance to the meeting informing shareholders of the 
Company’s progress on key social responsibility topics, including farm animal welfare. At each AGM, the balance of proxy votes cast 
for and against each resolution and the number of abstentions is displayed. All substantial issues, including the receipt of the annual 
report and accounts, are proposed at the AGM as separate resolutions. All resolutions were strongly supported by shareholders and 
were determined by poll, in accordance with best practice.

The Senior Independent Director is available to shareholders if they have concerns which they have not been able to resolve through the 
normal channels of the Chairman, Chief Executive or Finance Director, or for circumstances where such contact would not be appropriate.

The Company provides on its website www.greggs.co.uk a significant amount of information both about its customer offerings in the 
bakery food-on-the-go market, as well as detailed information on the governance arrangements.

Substantial shareholdings
At 28 February 2017 the only notified holdings of substantial voting rights in respect of the issued share capital of the Company (which 
may have altered since the date of such notification, without any requirement for the Company to have been informed) were:

MFS Investment Management
Standard Life

Number of  
shares held

5,314,697
5,153,213

Percentage  
of issued  

share capital

5.25%
5.09%

Greggs plc Annual Report and Accounts 2016

47

Directors’ ReportGOVERNANCE REPORT CONTINUED

Accountability, audit and going concern
The Board acknowledges its responsibility to present a fair, balanced and understandable assessment of the Company’s position and 
prospects. In order to assist the Board to comply with the requirements within the Governance Code, the Audit Committee was 
requested to undertake an assessment of the annual report and to make a recommendation to the Board. This request has been 
enshrined within the Audit Committee’s terms of reference, which are available at http://corporate.greggs.co.uk.

The actions undertaken by the Audit Committee in confirming its advice to the Board included the consideration of a detailed review 
that has been undertaken by the Head of Business Assurance and reviewing the annual report as a whole to conform that it presents a 
fair, balanced and understandable assessment. In considering the advice of the Audit Committee and having reviewed the annual 
report including the contents of the strategic report on pages 3 to 41, together with the statutory accounts themselves, the Board duly 
considers the annual report and accounts, taken as a whole, is fair, balanced and understandable, and provides the necessary 
information for shareholders to assess the Company’s performance, business model and strategy.

A statement of Directors’ responsibilities in respect of the preparation of accounts is given on page 73. A statement of auditor’s 
responsibilities is given in the report of the auditor on page 76.

After making enquiries, the Directors have a reasonable expectation that the Group has adequate resources to continue in operational 
existence for the foreseeable future. For this reason, they continue to adopt the going concern basis in preparing the accounts (see basis of 
preparation on page 82). The Board’s ‘viability statement’ made in accordance with Code provision C.2.2; can be found on page 41. 

Policies
Freedom of association
At Greggs, we recognise the right of all employees to freedom of association and collective bargaining. Whilst we do not have a 
formal ‘Freedom of Association’ policy, the Company encourages all its employees in bakeries, shops and offices to become, and 
remain, members of a union.

Bribery and corruption
Greggs has an ‘Anti-Bribery and Corruption’ policy which applies to all employees and prohibits the offering, giving, seeking or acceptance 
of any bribe in any form to any person or company by anyone acting on its behalf, in order to gain an advantage in an unethical way.

Business conduct
We have a specific policy that sets out the standards of ethical behaviour that are expected of all employees.

Whistle-blowing
Our ‘whistle-blowing’ policy creates an environment where employees are able to raise concerns without fears of disciplinary action 
being taken against them as a result of any disclosure. Any matters raised are treated in confidence and an independent review will be 
undertaken where this is appropriate. The Chair of the Audit Committee is the designated first point of contact for any concerns which 
cannot be addressed through normal management processes.

Political donations
Greggs has a clear policy forbidding political donations or contributions. This includes financial and in-kind contributions made by  
the Company.

Disclosure of information to the auditor
Each of the Directors who held office at the date of approval of this Directors’ report confirms that, so far as they are individually 
aware, there is no relevant audit information of which the Company’s auditor is unaware; and that they have taken all the steps that 
they ought to have taken as a Director to make themselves aware of any relevant audit information and to establish that the 
Company’s auditor is aware of that information.

48

Greggs plc Annual Report and Accounts 2016

DIRECTORS’ REPORT

Directors and their interests
The names of the Directors in office during the year, together with their relevant interests in the share capital of the Company at 
2 January 2016 and 31 December 2016 are set out in Note 25 to the accounts. Details of the Directors’ share options are set out in the 
Directors’ remuneration report on pages 56 to 72.

In accordance with provision B.7.1 of the Governance Code, all Directors will retire from the Board at the AGM and offer themselves 
for re-election by shareholders.

The Nominations Committee has considered the appropriateness and suitability of each Director standing for election and has 
recommended to the Board that each individual should be put forward for re-election.

Directors’ indemnities and conflicts
As at the date of this report, indemnities are in force under which the Company has agreed to indemnify the Directors, to the extent 
permitted by law, in respect of losses arising out of or in connection with the execution of their duties, powers or responsibilities as Directors 
of the Company. The indemnities do not apply in situations where the relevant Director has been guilty of fraud or wilful misconduct.

Under the authority granted to them in the Company’s articles of association, the Board has considered carefully any situation declared 
by any Director pursuant to which they have or might have a conflict of interest and, where it considers it appropriate to do so, has 
authorised the continuation of that situation. In exercising its authority, the Directors have had regard to their statutory and other 
duties to the Company.

Additional information
 – The information set out within the governance report on pages 45 to 48 forms part of the Directors’ report.
 – Greenhouse gas emissions: All disclosures concerning the Group’s greenhouse gas emissions (as required to be disclosed under  
the Companies Act 2006 (Strategic Report and Directors’ Report) Regulations 2013 are contained in the non-financial KPIs on 
page 38.

Authority to purchase shares
At the AGM on 10 May 2016, the shareholders passed a resolution authorising the purchase by the Company of its own shares to a 
maximum of 10,350,000 ordinary shares of 2 pence each.

That authority had not been used as at 31 December 2016.

The authority remains in force until the conclusion of the AGM in 2017 or 9 August 2017, whichever is the earlier. It is the Board’s 
intention to seek approval at the 2017 AGM for the renewal of this authority.

Takeover directive information
Following the implementation of the European Directive on Takeover Bids by certain provisions of the Companies Act 2006 (CA 2006), 
the Company is required to disclose certain additional information in the Directors’ Report. This information is set out below:
 – The Company has one class of share in issue being ordinary shares of 2 pence each. As at 28 February 2017, there were 

101,155,901 such ordinary shares in issue. There are no shares in the Company that grant the holder special rights with regard to 
the control of the Company.

 – At general meetings of the Company, on a show of hands every shareholder present in person or by proxy has one vote only and, 
in the case of a poll, every shareholder present in person or by proxy has one vote for every share in the capital of the Company 
held by him or her.

 – The Company’s articles of association set out the circumstances in which shares may become disenfranchised. No shareholder is 
entitled, unless the Directors otherwise determine, in respect of any share held by him or her to be present or vote at a general 
meeting either personally or by proxy (or to exercise any other right in relation to meetings of the Company) in respect of that share 
in certain circumstances if any call or other sum is payable and remains unpaid, if the shareholder is in default in complying with a 
duly served notice under section 793(1) CA 2006 or if any shareholder has failed to reply to a duly served notice requiring him or 
her to provide a written statement stating he is the beneficial owner of the shares.

 – A notice convening a general meeting can contain a statement that a shareholder is not entitled to attend and vote at a general 
meeting unless his or her name is entered on the register of members of the Company at a specific time (not more than 48 hours 
before the meeting) and if a shareholder’s name is not so entered he or she is not entitled to attend and vote.

 – Under the Company’s articles of association the Directors may, in their absolute discretion, refuse to register the transfer of a share 
in certified form in certain circumstances where the Company has a lien on the share (provided that the Directors do not exercise 
their discretion so as to prevent dealings in partly paid shares from taking place on an open and proper basis), where a shareholder 
has failed to reply to a duly served notice under section 793(1) CA 2006 or if a transfer of a share is in favour of more than four 
persons jointly. In addition, the Directors may decline to recognise any instrument of transfer unless it is in respect of only one class 
of share and is deposited at the address at which the register of members of the Company is held (or at such other place as the 
Directors may determine) accompanied by the relevant share certificate(s) and such other evidence as the Directors may reasonable 
require to show the right of the transferor to make the transfer. In respect of shares held in uncertificated form the Directors may 

Greggs plc Annual Report and Accounts 2016

49

Directors’ ReportDIRECTORS’ REPORT CONTINUED

only refuse to register transfers in accordance with the Uncertificated Securities Regulations 2001 (as amended from time to time).

 – Under the Company’s code on dealings in securities in the Company, persons discharging managerial responsibilities and some 

other senior executives may in certain circumstances be restricted as to when they can transfer shares in the Company.

 – There are no agreements between shareholders known to the Company which may result in restrictions on the transfer of shares or 

on voting rights.

 – Details of significant holders of the Company shares are set out on page 47.
 – Where, under an employee share plan operated by the Company, participants are the beneficial owners of shares but not the 

registered owner, the voting rights are normally exercised by the registered owner at the direction of the participant.

 – The Company’s articles of association may only be amended by special resolution at a general meeting of the shareholders.
 – The Company’s articles of association set out how Directors are appointed and replaced. Directors can be appointed by the Board 
or by the shareholders in a general meeting. At each Annual General Meeting, any Director appointed by the Board since the last 
Annual General Meeting must retire from office but is eligible for election by the shareholders. Furthermore, the Board has resolved 
that, in line with Governance Code provision B.7.1, all the Directors will be subject to annual re-election by shareholders. Under  
the CA 2006 and the Company’s articles of association, a Director can be removed from office by the shareholders in a 
general meeting.

 – The Company’s articles of association set out the powers of the Directors. The business of the Company is to be managed by the 

Directors who may exercise all the powers of the Company and do on behalf of the Company all such acts as may be exercised and 
done by the Company and are not by any relevant statutes or the Company’s articles of association required to be exercised or 
done by the Company in a general meeting, subject to the provisions of any relevant statutes and the Company’s articles of 
association and to such regulations as may be prescribed by the Company by special resolution.

 – Under the CA 2006 and the Company’s articles of association, the Directors’ powers include the power to allot and buyback shares 

in the Company. At each Annual General Meeting, resolutions are proposed granting and setting limits on these powers.
 – The Company is not party to any significant agreements which take effect, alter or terminate upon a change in control of the 

Company, following a takeover bid.

 – There are no agreements between the Company and its Directors or employees providing for compensation for loss of office or 
employment (whether through resignation, purported redundancy or otherwise) that occurs because of a takeover bid. Details of 
the Directors’ service agreements and terms of appointment are set out in the Directors’ remuneration report on pages 56 to 72. 
However, provisions in the employee share plans operated by the Company may allow options to be exercised on a takeover.

Employees
Applications for employment of disabled persons are always fully considered, bearing in mind the aptitudes of the applicant 
concerned. In the event of members of staff being disabled every effort is made to ensure that their employment within the Company 
continues and that appropriate training is arranged. It is the policy of the Company that the training, career development and 
promotion of disabled people should, as far as possible, be identical to that of other employees.

The Directors recognise the importance of good communications and good relations with employees. A weekly bulletin is sent to all 
shop staff and quarterly bulletin to all bakery employees.

Significant relationships
The Group does not have any contractual or other relationships with any single party which are essential to the business of the Group 
and, therefore, no such relationships have been disclosed.

The strategic report (pages 3 to 41) and Directors’ report (pages 42 to 73) are signed on behalf of the Board.

Jonathan D Jowett
Company Secretary
Greggs plc (CRN 502851)

Greggs House
Quorum Business Park
Benton Lane
Newcastle upon Tyne
NE12 8BU

28 February 2017

50

Greggs plc Annual Report and Accounts 2016

AUDIT COMMITTEE REPORT 

Introduction
I am pleased to introduce the report of the Audit Committee  
for 2016.

The Committee plays an important part in the governance of the 
Company with its principal activities focused on the integrity of 
financial reporting, quality and effectiveness of internal and external 
audit, risk management and the system of internal control.

I have set out below the main matters considered by the 
Committee during the year and the conclusions drawn. We meet 
formally at key times within our reporting calendar and the 
agendas for our meetings are designed to cover all significant 
areas of risk over the course of the year and to provide oversight 
and challenge to the key financial judgements, controls and 
processes that operate within the Company.

The Committee continues to keep its activities under review in  
the light of regulatory developments and the emergence of best 
practice. In particular, it will oversee the implementation of the 
European Audit reforms which have come into effect this year,  
to ensure the Company’s compliance. The Committee has also 
considered the FRC’s Corporate Reporting Thematic Reviews  
on Tax Disclosures and Alternative Performance Measures which 
were issued in 2016. 

Overall I am satisfied that the activities of the Committee enable  
it to gain a good understanding of the key matters impacting the 
Company during the year along with oversight of the governance 
and operation of its key controls and ultimately to draw the 
conclusions set out in the report below.

Allison Kirkby
Chair of the Audit Committee
28 February 2017

The activities of the Committee enable 
it to gain a good understanding of the 
key matters impacting the Company 
during the year.

Greggs plc Annual Report and Accounts 2016

51

Directors’ ReportAUDIT COMMITTEE REPORT CONTINUED

Composition
The Audit Committee is comprised of the following:
Allison Kirkby (Chair)
Helena Ganczakowski 
Peter McPhillips 
Sandra Turner 

It is the practice of the Company for all independent Non-Executive Directors to serve as members of the Audit Committee. There 
have been no changes in the composition of the Committee during 2016.

Training is provided for any new members of the Audit Committee by way of a thorough induction process which includes access to 
the external auditor, the Head of Business Assurance and relevant members of management.

The Directors’ biographies on pages 42 and 43 detail the Committee members’ previous experience. The Board considers that Allison 
Kirkby has recent and relevant financial experience and is confident that the collective experience of the members enables them to act 
effectively as an Audit Committee.

Role and responsibilities
The Terms of Reference of the Committee can be accessed at: http://corporate.greggs.co.uk/investor-centre/corporate-governance/
company-documents.

The key responsibilities of the Audit Committee are:
 – ensuring that the accounting and financial policies of the Company are proper and effective;
 – assisting the Board in fulfilling its oversight responsibilities by monitoring the integrity of the accounts and information published by 

the Company and reviewing significant financial judgements contained in them;

 – advising the Board on whether it believes the annual report and accounts, taken as a whole, is fair, balanced and understandable 
and provides the information necessary for shareholders to assess the Company’s position and performance, business model and 
strategy;

 – reviewing the internal financial controls and the Group’s approach to risk management;
 – oversight of whistle-blowing arrangements;
 – monitoring compliance with the Listing Rules and the recommendations of the Governance Code;
 – oversight of the Company’s external and internal auditors and reviewing the effectiveness and objectivity of the audit process; and
 – reporting to the Board on how it has discharged its responsibilities.

Meetings during the year
The Audit Committee met four times during the year. Details of Committee members’ attendance is given on page 45.

The Committee normally invites the Company Chairman, the Executive Directors, the Head of Business Assurance and the external auditor 
to attend its meetings. Time is set aside bi-annually for discussion with the external auditor and with the Head of Business Assurance, in 
each case in the absence of all Executive Directors. The Committee also has access to the Company’s management team and to its auditor 
and can seek further professional advice, at the Company’s cost, if required. The Chair has regular contact with the Finance Director, and 
internal and external auditors, in addition to scheduled Committee meetings to ensure that emerging issues are addressed. She also has 
access to and, in 2016 made contact with, an audit partner independent of the partner responsible for the audit. 

Financial reporting
In 2016 the Audit Committee reviewed the 2015 annual report, interim results, preliminary results announcement and reports from the 
external auditor on the outcome of their reviews and audits.

During the year, and up to the date of this report, the Committee considered key accounting issues and judgements and related 
disclosures in the Group’s accounts. The significant areas of judgement considered by the Committee in relation to the accounts 
statements for the 52 weeks ended 31 December 2016 are as follows: 

52

Greggs plc Annual Report and Accounts 2016

Area of focus

Action taken

Understanding and treatment of exceptional items
The accounts include exceptional items in the current year. 

The costs incurred in 2016 relate to the closure of three bakery sites 
and include redundancy and other employment-related costs, costs 
related to redundant assets and other contractual obligations that  
arise as a result of the closure of the sites. 

Dilapidations
Dilapidation provisions have been made based on the future expected 
repair costs required to restore the Group’s leased buildings to their 
fair condition at the end of their respective lease terms, where it is 
considered a reliable estimate can be made.

The balance held in respect of dilapidation provisions at the end of  
the year was £3,243,000 (2015: £3,343,000). 

Accounting for onerous leases
Onerous lease provisions have been made for shops which have been 
vacated, have been identified for closure or re-site or are not generating 
sufficient profits to cover the lease costs in full. The key area of 
judgement in making this provision is the determination of the length  
of time it will take to find a suitable exit opportunity for each lease.

The onerous lease provision held on the balance sheet at  
31 December 2016 is £1,819,000 (2015: £2,289,000).

Asset impairment
The accounts include asset impairment provisions made by assessing 
expected future cash flows. The results of the impairment reviews were 
presented by management to the Committee based on the following 
methodologies.

For shop assets historic cash flows including attributable overheads 
are used as a base, with a 0% growth rate and a discount rate of 
10% applied over an appropriate period based on the remaining 
lease term. 

For supply chain assets the recoverable amount of the sites and any 
obsolete equipment is compared to its carrying amount. 

The carrying value of fixed assets at the end of the year is reduced 
by impairment provisions totalling £3,942,000 (2015: £3,445,000).

Accounting for defined benefit pension scheme
The determination of the defined benefit obligation depends on the 
selection of certain assumptions including the discount rate, inflation 
rates and mortality rates.

The net liability held in relation to the defined benefit pension scheme  
at the end of 2016 was £22,851,000 (2015: £3,910,000).

Fair, balanced and understandable
The Committee is responsible for advising the Board on whether  
it believes the annual report and accounts, taken as a whole, is fair, 
balanced and understandable.

The Committee considered the accounting requirements of IAS1 relating to the separate 
disclosure of material items of income or expense together with the FRC’s guidance on 
the subject, with reference to the costs arising from the decision, announced in March 
2016, to invest in and reshape the Company’s supply chain in order to support  
future growth.

The Committee ensured that consistent principles were established (and agreed with the 
external auditor) early in the process and that reporting is suitably clear. The Committee 
gave careful consideration to the judgements made in the separate disclosure of 
non-underlying items, both in respect of events occurring in 2016 and also changes in 
circumstance in respect of provisions relating to events from prior years, ensuring that 
the annual report as a whole presents a balanced view, including the presentation of  
the GAAP and non-GAAP measures. It concluded that separate disclosure should be 
made of items of expenditure incurred in 2016 related to the supply chain  
investment programme.

The Committee reviewed management’s assessment of the need for dilapidation 
provisions, together with the movement in the provision during the year, and concluded 
that the principles applied were appropriate.

The Committee reviewed management’s assessment in respect of these leases together 
with the movement in the provision during the year and concluded that the assumptions 
made were appropriate. 

The Audit Committee considered the sensitivities of the assumptions used and assessed 
whether any reversal of impairment was indicated by improved trading in the impaired 
shops. It concluded that the impairment provisions were appropriate and that they 
reflected suitably the future plans of the business.

Pension scheme liabilities are assessed on behalf of the Company by independent 
actuaries. The Committee assessed the underlying assumptions and concluded that they 
were appropriate and also discussed the appropriateness of the assumptions with the 
external auditor.

The Committee received a report from the Head of Business Assurance who is not involved 
in the preparation of the annual report and accounts and who conducted an independent 
review of it. The following factors were considered during the course of this review:

 – ensuring that all the statements are consistent with one another;

 – verifying that figures in the narrative sections are consistent with the relevant  

financial detail;

 – identifying any duplication of information;

 – ensuring that the disclosure of non-underlying items is balanced;

 – confirming that ‘bad news’ is included, as well as ‘good news’; and

 – highlighting any inappropriate use of technical language or jargon.

The Audit Committee considered the feedback from this report alongside its own review 
of the annual report and accounts when making its recommendation to the Board 
regarding fair, balanced and understandable.

Greggs plc Annual Report and Accounts 2016

53

Directors’ ReportAUDIT COMMITTEE REPORT CONTINUED

Area of focus

Action taken

Going concern
The accounts continue to be prepared on a going concern basis.

Viability
Revisions to the UK Corporate Governance Code in 2015 introduced a 
new requirement for the Board to consider the period over which they 
are able to conclude that the Company will remain viable, having taken 
into account severe but plausible risks and risk combinations. On 
account of this being a relatively new requirement, the Committee 
considered this to be a significant reporting matter.

Information provided by the Finance Director regarding future financial plans, risks and 
liquidity is presented to the Committee to enable it to determine whether the going 
concern basis of accounting remained appropriate.

The Committee reviewed and challenged the assumptions used and concluded that the 
Board is able to make the going concern statement on page 48 of the Directors’ report.

The Committee reviewed the process undertaken by management to support and allow 
the Directors to make the Group’s viability statement. The Committee considered and 
provided input into the determination of which of the Group’s principal risks and 
combinations thereof might have an impact on the Group’s liquidity and solvency.  
The Committee reviewed the results of management’s scenario modelling and the stress 
testing of these models. The Committee reviewed and challenged the assumptions used 
and concluded that the Board is able to make the viability statement on page 41 of the 
strategic report.

The Committee also considered other key accounting issues and related disclosures in the Group’s accounts as follows: 
 – whether any changes in accounting policy were required following changes in the business or in legislation;
 – whether the Company’s tax policy remains appropriate;
 – the impact of changes in accounting standards and their relevance, if any, to the Company; and
 – reports from the Company Secretary and Finance Director which assess the Company’s compliance with the Listing Rules.

External audit
Assessing external audit effectiveness
The Audit Committee discussed and agreed the scope of the audit with the external auditor and agreed its fees in respect of the audit. 

The Committee reviewed the effectiveness of the external audit in line with the Financial Reporting Council’s ‘Practice aid for audit 
committees’ which was issued in 2015. It considered the results of external quality inspections by the Audit Quality Inspection Team  
on other KPMG clients. It sought feedback from senior management, by way of a detailed questionnaire, in respect of the 
effectiveness of the audit process with particular reference to audit planning and design and audit execution.

The Committee also considered the effectiveness of the audit through the reporting from and communications with the auditor and an 
assessment of the auditor’s approach to key areas of judgement and any errors identified during the course of the audit.

The Committee concluded that the audit was effective and that the relationship with and effectiveness of the external auditor be kept 
under review. 

Appointing the auditor and safeguards on non-audit services 
KPMG has been the Company’s auditor for more than 20 years and the transitional rules in the EU Directive require an initial change of 
audit firms no later than 2020. Having reappointed KPMG in 2014 following a competitive tender, the Committee expects to change 
audit firms in accordance with the requirements of the EU directive. The Committee will continue to consider annually whether to 
conduct an audit tender for audit quality or independence reasons.

The Audit Committee confirms that the Company complies with the Statutory Audit Services for Large Companies Market 
Investigation (Mandatory use of Competitive Tender Process and Audit Committee Responsibilities) Order 2014.

It is the responsibility of the Committee to monitor the independence and objectivity of the external auditor (including the impact of 
any non-audit work undertaken by it) and its suitability for re-appointment. 

During the year the Company has reviewed the provision of non-audit services. The Company has a formal policy to ensure that the 
provision of non-audit services by the external auditor for non-audit work does not compromise the auditor’s independence or 
objectivity. It monitors the level and type of non-audit fees on an annual basis and ensures that the overall level of non-audit fees 
remains in line with current ethical guidance governing the accounting profession.

The Audit Committee favours a presumption that non-audit work will be awarded to a firm other than the audit firm unless there is a 
good reason to use the auditor. An annual base plan for non-audit fees paid to the external auditor is agreed in advance by the Audit 
Committee. Expenditure in accordance with this plan can then be committed without further referral to the Audit Committee. 
Expenditure that is not included in the agreed plan is subject to strict authority limits and is reviewed by the Committee.

All use of the external auditor for non-audit work must be reported to and approved by the Committee. In circumstances where 
non-audit fees are significant relative to the audit fee an explanation would be provided in the subsequent Audit Committee Report. 
In addition, the Audit Committee ensures that the external auditor has its own policies and is subject to professional standards 
designed to safeguard its independence as auditor.

54

Greggs plc Annual Report and Accounts 2016

The Audit Committee has reviewed whether, and is satisfied that, the Company’s auditor, KPMG LLP, continues to be objective and 
independent of the Company. KPMG LLP did perform non-audit services during 2016 for the Group but the Audit Committee is 
satisfied that its objectivity was not impaired by such work.

In 2016, the charge to the income statement in respect of non-audit fees paid to KPMG LLP and related KPMG operations amounted  
to £28,000 (which is 19 per cent of the audit fee for the year) and related to audit of turnover statements required by shop landlords  
and pension scheme audits. 

In June 2016 the FRC issued a revised Ethical Standard which incorporated its response to the implementation of the EC Audit Directive  
and Regulation in the UK. As expected the Standard mandates that KPMG will not be able to undertake any ‘blacklisted’ non-audit work  
if they remain as auditor beyond the end of the 2016 financial year. As a result the Company has appointed alternative providers for all 
aspects of the ‘blacklisted’ non-audit work previously carried out by KPMG, which in recent years has consisted wholly of taxation services. 

Reappointment of auditor 
In accordance with Section 489 of the Companies Act 2006, a resolution for the reappointment of KPMG LLP will be proposed at the 
forthcoming AGM.

Risk management and internal control
Internal control
The Committee reviewed the Company’s internal control environment to satisfy itself that procedures are in place to ensure that assets 
are well protected, authority levels for expenditure are clear, segregation of duties exists and performance is regularly monitored. 
Processes are in place to ensure that key controls are being operated and compliance with these processes is the subject of inspection 
by the internal audit team and subsequent review by the Audit Committee. 

Whistle-blowing
The Company’s whistle-blowing policy is made available to all employees through the intranet, as well as via posters displayed across 
the business. This gives information regarding how to raise a concern in strict confidence. Two reports were made during the year, one 
relating to management issues and one to a potential small-scale fraud. The events were reported either directly to the Chair of the 
Audit Committee by telephone or email, or came in via another external route. In each case the issues were investigated, a judgement 
was made and action taken by senior management, supported by Business Assurance and with an appropriate level of discretion. The 
outcome of all matters was reported to the Board during the year.

The Company’s whistle-blowing policy has been reviewed during the year, to ensure that it remains appropriate and in line with best practice. 

Risk management process
The Audit Committee undertakes a review of the risk management process in the Group at least annually, as set out in its terms of 
reference. The process is detailed on page 39, and has been reviewed by the Committee to confirm its appropriateness in light of the 
risks identified. The key areas that the Committee has specifically considered are as follows:

Area of focus

Action taken

Review of principal risks and uncertainties The Committee considered the proposed disclosure of principal risks and uncertainties within the annual 

report which had resulted from the Risk Committee’s review of the risks facing the Company. This included 
consideration of uncertainties in the economic outlook.

SAP implementation

Cyber risk assessment

The Committee has continued to receive regular updates on the implementation plans for SAP, including 
timeframes, resource requirements and governance arrangements. A specific focus was placed on the cutover 
of the financial data from the legacy systems into SAP.

The Audit Committee has continued to take a close interest in the Company’s approach to cyber risk.  
An update on activity is provided to each meeting. The Committee received a training session from  
the external auditor during the year. A subsequent meeting included a significant focus on cyber and 
information security risks, including a cyber threat analysis.

Internal audit
The work of the internal audit function is set out in more detail within the principal risks and uncertainties section on pages 39 and 40  
of this annual report. The team is led by the Head of Business Assurance, supported by the Risk Manager, the Information Security  
& Compliance Manager and 16 auditors, the majority of whom work across the retail estate to provide assurance over the Company’s 
retail operations. The Audit Committee approves the annual plan for the team and monitors progress against that plan. The 
effectiveness of the internal audit team and its level of resource are reviewed by the Committee at least annually.

Committee effectiveness
Each year the Committee reviews critically its own performance and considers where improvements can be made. 

Allison Kirkby
Chair of the Audit Committee
28 February 2017

Greggs plc Annual Report and Accounts 2016

55

Directors’ ReportREMUNERATION COMMITTEE REPORT

Dear Shareholders
I am pleased to present our remuneration report for 2016. 

We have endeavoured to be as transparent as possible with this 
year’s remuneration report, aiming for a report that is easy to 
read, follow and understand. 

The report is made up of three key sections:
 – This annual Chair’s letter.
 – Our remuneration policy report, which sets out a summary of 
the Directors’ remuneration policy for all Directors of Greggs. 
This is a new policy for the three years from 2017  
and will be put to a binding vote of shareholders at the AGM 
to be held on 19 May 2017.

 – Our annual remuneration report, split into two sections that 

set out:
 – how our remuneration policy will be implemented in 2017; 

and

 – how our remuneration policy was implemented in 2016. 
This is an audited section of the report outlining the 
remuneration of the Company’s Executive and Non-
Executive Directors during the 52 weeks ended 
31 December 2016.

The annual remuneration report is subject to an advisory 
shareholder vote at the 2017 AGM.

Remuneration policy 
In reviewing the remuneration policy for the forthcoming 
three-year period the Committee was very aware that executive 
remuneration continues to be a key focus for shareholders, as well 
as being a topic that is regularly discussed in the public domain. 
The Committee has monitored the effectiveness of the current 
remuneration policy since it was first approved by shareholders  
at the 2014 AGM. During 2016 the Committee undertook an 
extensive review of the current policy taking into close account 
the business strategy, current emerging market practice and the 
best practice expectations of institutional investors. In assessing 
the effectiveness of overall levels of remuneration, the Committee 
took into account a number of reference points, both internal  
and external. Independent advice has also been sought, where 
appropriate, from New Bridge Street, the Committee’s advisers. 

Remuneration structure and philosophy
The existing remuneration framework consists of the following 
elements: 
 – fixed pay – base salary, pension and benefits; and 
 – variable pay – annual bonus (paid in both cash and deferred 

shares) and performance share plan (PSP).

The Committee believes that the current structure works well  
and remains fit-for-purpose. It is simple and consistent, with pay 
outcomes dependent upon performance linked to our business 
strategy. It ensures a significant proportion of pay is delivered in 
shares to provide alignment with investors and incorporates a 
number of best practice features, including a two-year post-
vesting holding period for PSP awards. 

Policy report review 
Our remuneration policy report sets out a new policy for  
the three years from 2017 and will be put to a binding vote  
of shareholders at the AGM to be held on 19 May 2017  
and, if agreed, will take formal effect from that date. 

Since announcing our five-year strategic plan in 2013, 
transforming the business from a traditional bakery into a modern 
food-on-the-go retailer, we have delivered excellent operational 
and financial performance. In the three years since 2013 our 
company-managed like-for-like sales have grown by 13.4 per cent 
and pre-tax profit (excluding exceptional items) has increased by 
95 per cent, reflecting sales growth combined with significant 
savings arising from structural changes and investment in better 
processes and systems. This is reflected in strong EPS growth 
(averaging 26 per cent p.a. since 2013). 

We continue to aim to strengthen the alignment between Executive 
Directors and shareholders and keep the team focused on long-
term, sustainable value creation for our shareholders. We also 
believe that the growth of the business and the performance of our 
senior team have made them potentially attractive targets for our 
competitors to recruit and we need to ensure that Greggs is able to 
recruit the senior talent needed as the business continues to grow. 
Therefore, to mitigate this risk, we intend to make a number of 
changes to the policy. These changes are appropriate to ensure the 
team running our business is appropriately incentivised going 
forward, whilst at the same time ensuring the policy is sufficiently 
flexible to remain applicable over the next three-year policy period. 

56

Greggs plc Annual Report and Accounts 2016

Greggs carried out full consultation with certain institutional 
shareholders in regards to these amendments, with feedback 
received stating that in general they were supportive of the 
proposed changes to the current policy that are outlined below.

In summary, the two main revisions to the policy are as follows:

PSP awards 
The current policy provides for PSP awards of 90 per cent of 
salary for the Chief Executive and 70 per cent of salary for the 
other Executive Directors, with awards of up to 120 per cent of 
salary in exceptional circumstances. It is proposed that the new 
policy will provide awards of 115 per cent of salary for the Chief 
Executive and 95 per cent of salary for the other Executive 
Directors. Awards in exceptional circumstances will be limited  
to 150 per cent of salary. A resolution to amend the PSP rules  
to increase the normal and exceptional limits to these levels will  
be presented at the AGM.

The Committee is mindful of increasing remuneration in the 
current political and economic environment. However, it believes 
that the revised award levels are required to ensure that the 
policy is fit-for-purpose for the next policy cycle, and ensure that 
Executive Directors are appropriately incentivised to deliver and 
drive the business forward, and rewarded for success. The 
proposed award levels remain below mid-market levels and total 
remuneration is positioned appropriately.

Share retention guideline 
The current share retention guideline is for the Chief Executive  
to hold 150 per cent of salary and other Executive Directors 100 
per cent of salary in Greggs shares. As part of the review, and 
mindful of best practice and shareholder expectations, the 
Committee proposes to increase the minimum share retention 
guideline to 200 per cent of salary for all Executive Directors.

Performance in 2016 and incentive payments 
The Company performed well against its financial targets as 
described in the financial review on pages 30 to 33. Against the 
targets set at the beginning of the year for the annual bonus, the 
profit element resulted in 38.3 per cent of the maximum being 
achieved with 18.4 per cent of the maximum sales performance 
being achieved. There was a stronger performance in the strategic 
objectives that were set with the customer transaction growth and 
cost saving objectives, both achieving 100 per cent bonus pay out. 
We made excellent progress with our additional strategic targets 
around our technology and change programme and, accordingly, 
there is also 100 per cent bonus payment against these strategic 
elements. Overall annual bonuses representing 108.4 per cent (out 
of a maximum possible of 125 per cent) and 78.0 per cent (out of a 
maximum possible of 90 per cent) of salary will be payable to the 
Chief Executive and other Executive Directors respectively. The 
Committee is satisfied that this level of bonus reflects the strong 
financial performance during the year and the delivery of the key 
strategic objectives. Any element of the bonus earned above 
50 per cent of the maximum will be paid in shares to the Chief 
Executive and Executive Directors and will be subject to a two-year 
holding period. 

Under the Performance Share Plan, awards made in March 2014 
are due to vest in March 2017. These awards are based on EPS 
growth over the three years to 31 December 2016 and average 
annual ROCE over the three-year performance period 2014 to 
2016. The EPS performance condition measured to the 2016 
financial year end has been achieved in full and likewise for 

ROCE. For the purpose of calculating remuneration payable  
we have assumed a full vesting of the award, which is reflective  
of the current level of performance. 

Over this three-year period our EPS has grown by 34.2 per  
cent and our ROCE has been measured at 25.8 per cent. The 
Committee is very comfortable that this performance justifies  
a full vesting level for this award.

Approach for 2017 
The salary increase for both the Chairman and Executive Directors 
was in line with that of the base increase for the workforce 
generally and was 2.5 per cent. Increases to salaries and fees  
took effect from 1 January 2017.

As part of the remuneration policy review, the performance 
measures and target-setting process for the annual bonus were 
also reviewed. The Committee believes that the nature of the 
current measures (profit, sales and strategic objectives) remains 
appropriate and no changes are proposed. Targets for these 
measures for the 2017 annual bonus have been set in line with 
the financial plan for the business for the year and the rolling 
five-year strategic plan. We have reviewed the level of our targets 
in 2017 and have made them significantly more stretching.  
As a result, for 2017 the profit and sales threshold performance 
will pay out at 10 per cent (reduced from 25 per cent in 2016)  
and our on target performance will pay out at 30 per cent 
(reduced from 60 per cent in 2016) of maximum. Due to the 
commercial sensitivity of these targets they are not disclosed 
within this report, but will be disclosed retrospectively in next 
year’s report.

Under the PSP the Committee has considered the performance 
conditions and has determined that the EPS and ROCE 
performance conditions should continue to apply with an equal 
weighting given to each. The Committee has taken into 
consideration the increased award levels in setting targets for  
the year ahead and this has been reflected in the targets that 
have been set for each metric, which reflect the strategic plan  
and business outlook over the performance period. 
Consequently, the EPS and ROCE ranges have been increased  
to ensure that they remain appropriately stretching in light of  
our business strategy without encouraging undue risk taking.

Concluding remarks 
I hope that you will find this report transparent, clear and 
informative. The Committee has sought this year to undertake  
an extensive review of the current policy and make simple 
amendments to the remuneration policy to ensure that executive 
remuneration is aligned to the delivery of Greggs business 
strategy. This will ensure that the alignment between our 
Executive Directors and shareholders is strengthened whilst 
taking close account of the business strategy, current and 
emerging market practice and the best practice expectations  
of institutional shareholders. 

I look forward to receiving your continued support at this  
year’s AGM.

Yours faithfully 

Sandra Turner
Chair of the Remuneration Committee
28 February 2017

Greggs plc Annual Report and Accounts 2016

57

Directors’ ReportREMUNERATION COMMITTEE REPORT CONTINUED

Remuneration policy report 
This section of our report sets out the summary of the remuneration policy for all Executive and Non-Executive Directors at Greggs. It explains 
the purpose and strategy of each element of the package and demonstrates how the policy will incentivise Executive Directors to achieve 
sustainable long-term growth and value that will best serve the interests of the Company, its shareholders, its employees and its customers. 

Our Directors’ remuneration policy was approved by shareholders at our AGM on 1 May 2014 and became effective for three years from that 
date. The policy outlined below is a new policy for the three years from 2017 and will be put to a binding vote of shareholders at the AGM to be 
held on 19 May 2017. A resolution to amend the PSP rules to increase the normal and exceptional limits will also be presented at the AGM. 

Maximum opportunity

Key reference points for salary 
increases are market and 
economic conditions and, in line 
with our values, the approach to 
employee pay throughout the 
organisation.

No maximum limit is prescribed 
particularly as the cost of providing 
insured benefits fluctuates over 
time. However, the Committee 
monitors on an annual basis the 
overall cost of the benefit provision.

Up to 22.5% of base salary 
contribution for the Chief 
Executive and up to 15% of  
base salary for other  
Executive Directors.

Capped at 125% of base salary  
for the Chief Executive and 90%  
of base salary for other  
Executive Directors.

On target performance  
delivers no more than 60%  
of the maximum.

No more than 25% of the bonus 
opportunity is payable under 
each element for threshold 
performance.

The policy for the remuneration of the Executive and Non-Executive Directors is set out in the tables below:

Executive Directors 

Element 

Purpose and strategy 

Operation

Base salary

To attract and retain high calibre 
individuals in order to promote the 
long-term success of the business.

Reviewed and set annually in January.

Benchmarked periodically by the Committee against the 
remuneration levels for executives in similar roles in companies 
of a comparable size. Individual performance and contribution  
is recognised in setting salary levels. 

Salaries are paid monthly in cash.

No change to policy from 2014 vote.

Benefits

To support a competitive 
remuneration package in the 
marketplace.

Benefits include provision of a company car (or cash in lieu), 
private medical health care, life assurance and permanent 
health insurance.

No change to policy from 2014 vote.

Pension 

To support a competitive 
remuneration package in the 
marketplace.

Annual bonus 
(including profit 
share)

No change to policy from 2014 vote.

To incentivise achievement of annual 
targets and objectives consistent 
with the short to medium-term 
strategic needs of the business, so 
as to encourage sustainable growth 
in the Company’s operating profits. 

No change to policy from 2014 vote.

58

Greggs plc Annual Report and Accounts 2016

Executive Directors can elect to either:

 – participate in the Company defined contribution pension 
scheme (up to a cap). Above the cap Executive Directors 
receive a salary supplement; or 

 – take cash in lieu of this contribution paid as a supplement to 

their salary on a monthly basis. 

The Executive Directors are able to make this choice on an annual 
basis. The remuneration adjustment is disclosed later in this report.

The bonus will be based on a mix of business KPIs, with operating 
profit being the largest component of the mix of metrics and this 
will not be less than 50% of the overall mix.

Targets for each metric are set in advance and in line with 
business planning objectives set by the Committee. 

Each Executive Director is entitled to participate in the Company’s 
profit sharing scheme available to all employees. The value of this 
is then deducted from their annual bonus and is subject to the 
individual cap. 

The Committee will use appropriate underpins for any non-profit 
based element of the annual bonus such that payment under these 
elements may be scaled back (potentially to zero), at the discretion  
of the Committee, in the event that the operating profit performance 
for the year is judged to be running significantly below that required 
for the achievement of the long-term strategy.

Any bonus paid in excess of 50% of the maximum will be 
payable in shares, which (after any sales to pay tax and other 
statutory deductions) must be held in the Employee Benefit Trust 
for two years after receipt.

The dividends payable on deferred bonus shares are paid to  
the individual as they fall due.

Recovery and withholding provisions allow the Company to 
recoup annual bonus payments within three years in the event  
of misstatement of performance, error or misconduct, where this 
has led to an overpayment in the view of the Committee. There 
is a flexible mechanism which allows the Company to withhold 
outstanding deferred or future remuneration, or recover the 
overpayment directly from the individual concerned.

 
Element 

Purpose and strategy 

Operation

Performance 
Share Plan (PSP)

To incentivise long-term value 
creation, retention of our talent and 
ensure alignment of Executive 
Directors’ and shareholders’ 
interests.

Awards are granted under the PSP annually at the discretion of 
the Committee.

Performance conditions will be based on an equal split of two 
different financial measures, EPS and ROCE (for discrete parts of 
an award). Targets will be set for each metric which reflect the 
strategic plan and business outlook over the respective 
performance period. The mix may alter for future awards and/or 
different metrics, such as TSR, may be used. Performance will be 
measured over a three-year period with an additional mandatory 
holding period of two years for the vested shares (net of tax and 
other deductions).

Recovery and withholding provisions allow the Company to 
recoup vested Performance Share awards within three years in 
the event of misstatement of performance, error or misconduct, 
where this has led to an overpayment in the view of the 
Committee. There is a flexible mechanism which allows the 
Company to withhold outstanding deferred or future 
remuneration, or recover the overpayment directly from the 
individual concerned.

Maximum opportunity

115% of base salary for Chief 
Executive and 95% of base salary  
for other Executive Directors. 

150% of base salary in 
exceptional circumstances.

Threshold vesting at 25% of 
the maximum.

Proposed change for 2017 policy vote
The current policy provides for PSP awards of 90% of salary for the Chief Executive and 70% of salary for the other Executive Directors, 
with awards of up to 120% of salary in exceptional circumstances. It is proposed that the revised policy will allow for awards of up to 115% 
of salary for the Chief Executive and 95% of salary for the other Executive Directors. Awards in exceptional circumstances will be limited to 
150% of salary.

The Committee believes that the revised award levels are required to ensure that the policy is fit-for-purpose for the next policy cycle and 
ensure that Executives Directors are appropriately incentivised to deliver and drive the business forward and rewarded for success. 

Savings Related 
Share Option 
Scheme
(SAYE and SIP)

To encourage employees at all levels 
within the Company to understand 
better and so participate in the 
growth in value of the Company.

No performance conditions have been attached to options 
granted pursuant to the Company’s SAYE and SIP Schemes, 
which are available for all employees. 

The rules of these schemes require that all options granted must 
be on the same terms.

Executives Directors may enter 
into a contract to save up to an 
agreed saving limit in line with all 
colleagues in the business and 
HMRC guidelines.

No change to policy from 2014 vote.

Share retention 
guidelines 

To further align the interests  
of Executive Directors to those  
of shareholders.

Executive Directors are required to build up a shareholding of 
200% of base salary within five years of appointment. 

n/a

This is achieved through vested awards granted via the PSP and 
deferred bonus shares. 

Proposed change for 2017 policy vote
The current share retention guideline is for the Chief Executive to hold 150% of salary and other 
Executive Directors 100% of salary in Greggs shares. The Committee proposes to increase the minimum 
share retention guideline of 200% of salary for all Executive Directors.

Non-Executive Directors 

Element 

Purpose and strategy 

Operation

Maximum opportunity

Non-Executive 
Chairman and 
Directors’ fees

To attract and retain high quality and 
experienced Non-Executive 
Chairman and Directors.

The Chairman is paid an all-encompassing fee.

There is no prescribed maximum.

Non-Executive Directors are paid a basic fee and the Chairs  
of the Main Board Committees and the Senior Independent 
Director (SID) are paid an additional fee to reflect their additional 
responsibilities. Where the SID role is combined with that of 
chairing a Committee then only one fee is paid.

These fees are reviewed and set annually in December and 
implemented from 1 January. 

Non-Executive Directors are not eligible for pension scheme 
membership, bonus or incentive arrangements. They are entitled 
to reimbursement of reasonable business expenses and tax 
thereon. They may also receive limited travel or accommodation 
– related benefits in connection with their role as a Director.

No change to policy from 2014 vote.

Greggs plc Annual Report and Accounts 2016

59

Directors’ ReportREMUNERATION COMMITTEE REPORT CONTINUED

Difference in remuneration policy across the Group 
The remuneration policy for the Executive Directors is designed having regard to the policy for employees across the Group as a whole.

There are differences in salary levels and in the levels of potential reward depending upon seniority and responsibility, although a  
key reference point for executive salary increases is the average increase across the general workforce. A higher proportion of the 
Executive Directors’ remuneration package is delivered through performance-related pay and in share-based form, which provide  
a good link to long-term Company performance.

All colleagues, with one-year’s service or more, may participate in the SAYE scheme and in the Share Incentive Plan (SIP) that are run 
annually. Under the SAYE scheme, at the end of a three-year saving period, colleagues can buy Greggs shares at a discounted rate.

With the SIP, all colleagues may purchase Company shares from pre-tax salary subject to HMRC limits. After six months’ service all 
colleagues are eligible to participate in the profit-sharing scheme in which all colleagues share 10 per cent of our profits. 

Policy discretion
The Committee will operate incentive plans in accordance with their respective rules, the Listing Rules and the HMRC limits where 
relevant. The Committee, consistent with market practice, retains discretion over a number of areas relating to the operation and 
administration of certain plan rules. These include (but are not limited to) the following: 
 – who participates; 
 – the timing of the grant of award and/or payment;
 – the size of an award (up to plan/policy limits) and/or a payment;
 – discretion relating to the measurement of performance in the event of a change of control or reconstruction;
 – determination of a good leaver (in addition to any specified categories) for incentive plan purposes and the treatment of leavers;
 – adjustments required in certain circumstances (e.g. rights issues, corporate restructuring and special dividends); and
 – the ability to adjust existing performance conditions for exceptional events so that they can still fulfil their original purpose.

Legacy arrangements
For the avoidance of doubt, in approving this policy report, authority is given to the Company to honour any commitments entered 
into with current or former Directors (such as the payment of a pension or the unwinding of legacy share schemes) that have been 
disclosed to shareholders in previous remuneration reports. Details of any of these payments to former Directors will be set out in  
the annual report on remuneration as they arise.

Policy on recruitment remuneration
The Committee will aim to set a new Executive Director’s remuneration package in line with the Company’s approved policy at the 
time of appointment. The Committee will take into account, in arriving at a total package and in considering the quantum for each 
element of the package, the skills and experience of the candidate, the market rate for a candidate of that experience as well as the 
importance of securing the best available candidate. 

Annual bonus and PSP awards will not exceed the policy maxima (not including any arrangements to replace forfeited deferred pay). 
Participation in the annual bonus plan and PSP will normally be pro-rated for the year of joining. The Committee may make one-off 
additional cash and/or share-based awards as it deems appropriate, and if the circumstances so demand to take account of deferred 
pay forfeited by an Executive Director on leaving a previous employer. Awards to replace deferred pay forfeited would, where 
possible, reflect the nature of awards forfeited in terms of delivery mechanism (cash or shares), time horizons, attributed expected 
value and performance conditions. Other payments may be made in relation to relocation expenses and other incidental expenses as 
appropriate. Any buyout awards would be made under existing arrangements where possible or as permitted under the Listing Rules.

In the case of an internal appointment, any variable pay element awarded in respect of the prior role would be allowed to pay out 
according to its terms and any other ongoing remuneration obligations existing prior to appointment would continue.

For the appointment of a new Chairman or Non-Executive Director, the fee arrangement would be set in accordance with the 
approved remuneration policy at that time. 

60

Greggs plc Annual Report and Accounts 2016

 
Service contracts and policy on cessation
Executive Directors’ service contracts contain the following remuneration-related aspects:

Provision 

Detailed terms 

Remuneration

 – Salary, pension and benefits;
 – company car or cash allowance;
 – private medical health care for the Director;
 – permanent health insurance;
 – participation in annual bonus and profit share (subject to scheme rules);
 – participation in long-term incentive schemes or similar arrangements (subject to scheme rules); and
 – life assurance.

Notice period

 – Chief Executive’s contract is terminable on 12 months’ notice served by either the Company or the 

Director;

 – other Executive Directors’ service contracts are terminable on 12 months’ notice served by the 

Company or by six months’ notice served by the Director; and

 – any future Executive Directors’ service contracts will be terminable on 12 months’ notice served by 

either party.

Termination payment 

 – Payment in lieu of notice equal to any unexpired notice of termination given by either party; and 
 – payment in lieu shall not include:

 – any bonus payment;
 – any payment in respect of benefits which the Director would have been entitled to receive; and
 – any payment in respect of any holiday entitlement that would have accrued during the period for 

which the payment in lieu is made.

Details of the circumstances in which the Committee has the ability to exercise discretion with regards to 
termination payments are set out below.

The Company’s policy is that current Executive Directors’ service contracts do not have a specific duration but may be terminated with 
12 months’ notice from the Company and six months’ notice from the Executive Director. Any future Executive Directors’ service 
contracts will be terminable on 12 months’ notice served by either party. Under their service contracts the Executive Directors are 
entitled to salary, pension contributions and benefits for their notice period save where a payment in lieu is to be made. The Company 
would seek to ensure that any payment is mitigated by use of phased payments and offset against earnings elsewhere in the event 
that an Executive Director finds alternative employment during his notice period. There are no contractual provisions in force other 
than those set out above that impact any termination payment. 

Areas where the Committee can exercise discretion with regards to termination payments:
 – annual bonus may be payable pro-rated for that part of the year worked;
 – deferred bonus shares must normally be retained in trust until the end of their two-year holding period and will be subject to 

recovery and withholding in the event of misstatement of performance, error or misconduct, where this has led to an overpayment 
in the view of the Committee for a period of three years from the payment date;

 – any unvested awards held under the PSP will lapse at cessation, unless the individual is leaving in good leaver circumstances 

(defined under the plan as death, injury, ill-health, disability, redundancy, retirement, his office or employment being with either a 
company which ceases to be a Group member or relating to a business or part of a business which is transferred to a person who is 
not a Group member, a change of control or any other reason the Committee so decides). In these circumstances, unvested awards 
will normally vest at the normal vesting date (other than on death or where the Committee decides they should vest at cessation) 
subject to performance conditions being met and scaling back in respect of actual service as a proportion of the total vesting 
period (unless the Committee decides that scaling back is inappropriate). Vested awards will normally be subject to the mandatory 
two-year holding period although the Committee will have discretion to waive this in exceptional circumstances; and

 – the Committee may agree to payment of disbursements such as legal costs and outplacement services if appropriate and 

depending on the circumstances of cessation.

The table below sets out the details of the Executive Directors’ service contracts:

Director

Roger Whiteside
Raymond Reynolds
Richard Hutton

Date of contract

4 February 2013
18 December 2006
7 April 2006

The service contracts are available for inspection during normal business hours at the Company’s registered office, and are available 
for inspection at the AGM.

Greggs plc Annual Report and Accounts 2016

61

Directors’ ReportREMUNERATION COMMITTEE REPORT CONTINUED

Expected value of the proposed annual remuneration package for Executive Directors 
The following charts indicate the level of remuneration payable to Executive Directors in respect of 2017 based on policy at 
‘minimum’ remuneration, remuneration in line with ‘on target’ Company performance and the maximum remuneration available 
for stretch performance.

Chief Executive – Roger Whiteside 
‘000

£1,948,841

Minimum

On target

Stretch

2,000

1,500

1,000

500

0

£1,281,138

24%

24%

52%

£666,850

100%

32%

34%

34%

Fixed remuneration:

salary
pension
benefits

Bonus

Performance Share Plan

£534,163
£120,187
£12,500

£534,163
£120,187
£12,500

£534,163
£120,187
£12,500

–

–

£307,144

£667,704

£307,144

£614,287

Total

£666,850

£1,281,138

£1,948,841

Minimum

On target

Stretch

On target PSP is calculated as 50 per cent of 115 per cent of salary  
and stretch as 100 per cent of 115 per cent of salary. 

PSP

Bonus

Fixed remuneration

Finance Director – Richard Hutton 
‘000

2,000

1,500

1,000

500

0

£359,814

100%

£631,088

23%
20%
57%

£924,333

31%

30%

39%

Minimum

On target

Stretch

PSP

Bonus

Fixed remuneration

Retail Director – Raymond Reynolds 
‘000

2,000

1,500

1,000

500

0

£325,400

100%

£567,458

23%
20%

57%

£829,120

31%

30%

39%

Minimum
Minimum

On target
On target

Stretch
Stretch

Fixed remuneration:

salary
pension
benefits

Bonus

Performance Share Plan

Minimum

On target

Stretch

£305,145
£39,669
£15,000

£305,145
£39,669
£15,000

£305,145
£39,669
£15,000

–

–

£126,330

£274,631

£144,944

£289,888

Total

£359,814

£631,088

£924,333

On target PSP is calculated as 50 per cent of 95 per cent of salary and 
stretch as 100 per cent of 95 per cent of salary. 

Fixed remuneration:

salary
pension
benefits

Bonus

Performance Share Plan

Minimum

On target

Stretch

£272,281
£38,119
£15,000

£272,281
£38,119
£15,000

£272,281
£38,119
£15,000

–

–

£112,725

£245,053

£129,333

£258,667

Total

£325,400

£567,458

£829,120

On target PSP is calculated as 50 per cent of 95 per cent of salary and 
stretch as 100 per cent of 95 per cent of salary. 

PSP

Bonus

Fixed remuneration

Assumptions used in the charts:
Minimum remuneration assumes no award is earned under the annual bonus plan and no vesting is achieved under the PSP.
On target remuneration assumes the target level is reached for each of the elements under the annual bonus plan and 50 per cent vesting is achieved under the PSP.
Maximum remuneration assumes full vesting under the annual bonus plan and PSP.
Base salary levels as at 1 January 2017.
The value of taxable benefits is based on the cost of supplying those benefits (as disclosed) for the 52 weeks ended 31 December 2016.
PSP element is calculated as award percentage of base salary multiplied by the relevant vesting percentage. Share price movement and dividend accrual have been excluded.

62

Greggs plc Annual Report and Accounts 2016

Annual remuneration report
Our remuneration policy is simple and consistent, with pay outcomes dependent upon performance linked to our business strategy.  
It ensures a significant proportion of pay is delivered in shares to provide alignment with investors and incorporates a number of best 
practice features.

Outlined below are the current Remuneration Committee members and the date they joined the Committee:

Member 

Sandra Turner (Chair since appointment to the Board)
Allison Kirkby
Helena Ganczakowski
Peter McPhillips

Date of appointment

1 May 2014
30 January 2013
2 January 2014
10 March 2014

All members are considered to be independent for the purpose of the UK Corporate Governance code and the Company Secretary 
acts as Secretary to the Committee. 

Responsibility is delegated to the Remuneration Committee to ensure that an effective remuneration policy is in place for the Chief 
Executive, the Chairman and other Executive and Non-Executive Directors. It is the Committee’s role to design a policy to ensure that 
executive remuneration is aligned to the delivery of Greggs business strategy and the alignment between our Executive Directors and 
shareholders is strengthened whilst taking close account of the business strategy, current and emerging market practice and the best 
practice expectations of institutional shareholders.

The Committee maintains an active dialogue with institutional investors and shareholder representatives and although the Committee 
does not currently consult with employees on Directors pay policy this is kept under review. 

Summary of Committee activity during 2016
During 2016 the Committee has:
 – Conducted an extensive review of the current remuneration policy. 
 – Considered both internal and external references points in the completion of this review.
 – Undertaken a formal shareholder investor consultation. 
 – Discussed and reviewed Directors’ salaries.
 – Discussed and reviewed bonus percentage, bonus metrics and bonus deferral.
 – Discussed and reviewed the level of PSP awards for Directors and recommended an increase which ensures PSP awards remain 

below mid-market levels. 

 – Discussed and reviewed the targets for bonus and PSP for the year ahead.
 – Approved grants under the share options scheme (to senior managers below Operating Board level) and the Company  

SAYE scheme.

 – Reviewed and proposed new share retention guidelines for Directors.

Structure and content of the remuneration report 
The remuneration report has been prepared in accordance with the provisions of the Companies Act 2006 (the Act) and the Large and 
Medium-sized Companies and Groups (Accounts and Reports) (Amendment) Regulations 2013 (the Regulations). It also meets the 
requirements of the UK Listing Authority’s Listing Rules.

The Regulations also require our auditor to report to shareholders on the audited information within this remuneration report and to 
state whether, in their opinion, the relevant sections have been prepared in accordance with the Act and the Regulations. The auditor’s 
opinion is set out on pages 74 to 76 and we have indicated appropriately the audited sections of this remuneration report.

Remuneration advice
The Chief Executive along with Jonathan Jowett (Company Secretary and General Counsel) and Roisin Currie (People Director) are 
normally invited to attend the Committee meetings in order to provide advice and support to the Committee. During the year NBS, 
part of Aon plc, supported the Committee. 

NBS is a signatory to the Remuneration Consultants’ Code of Conduct and adheres to the Voluntary Code of Conduct in relation to 
executive remuneration consulting in the UK. The Committee has reviewed the operating processes in place at NBS and is satisfied 
that the advice it receives is objective and independent.

Fees paid to NBS during the year were £47,000.

Greggs plc Annual Report and Accounts 2016

63

Directors’ ReportREMUNERATION COMMITTEE REPORT CONTINUED

Shareholder dialogue
The voting outcome from the 2016 AGM reflected both strong individual and institutional shareholder support. We have undertaken 
a formal consultation with our largest shareholders this year as part of our extensive review of our remuneration policy, the majority of 
whom were supportive and we would welcome feedback from shareholders on any issue related to executive remuneration. 

As a result, shareholders will be asked to approve our new policy report at the AGM in 2017. We will continue to engage with 
shareholders to understand any concerns they may have about our policy and its implementation during the life of the new policy.  

The following table sets out the votes from shareholders that the Directors’ remuneration report received at the 2016 AGM:

For
Against

Total votes cast (excluding votes withheld)

Votes withheld

Total votes cast (including votes withheld)

Approve the remuneration report

% of votes cast

99.73%
0.27%

100%

Total number of 
votes

65,363,035
180,238

65,543,273

170,158

65,713,431

Votes withheld are not included in the final proxy figures as they are not recognised as a vote in law.

How our remuneration policy will be implemented in 2017 – Executive Directors 
The section below summarises the implementation of our remuneration policy for 2017.

Base salary 2017
The annual base salaries for the Executive Directors were reviewed with effect from 1 January 2017; increases and current salaries are 
outlined below: 

Director

Roger Whiteside (Chief Executive)
Richard Hutton
Raymond Reynolds

Increases are in line with the base increase for the workforce as a whole. 

Pension contribution 2017
The pension contribution rates (all of which are cash in lieu) are:

Roger Whiteside
Raymond Reynolds
Richard Hutton

Annual bonus 2017
The annual bonus opportunity for 2017 is outlined below: 

Salary as at 
1 January 2016

Salary as at 
1 January 2017

£521,135
£297,702
£265,641

£534,163
£305,145
£272,282

% increase

2.5%
2.5%
2.5%

22.5% 
14% 
13% 

Chief Executive

Executive Directors

 – Maximum opportunity of 125% of base salary.
 – On target performance will deliver a bonus of 46% of maximum.
 – Bonus in excess of 50% of maximum will be payable in shares deferred for two years. 

 – Maximum opportunity of 90% of base salary.
 – On target performance will deliver a bonus of 46% of maximum.
 – Bonus in excess of 50% of maximum will be payable in shares deferred for two years.

64

Greggs plc Annual Report and Accounts 2016

The bonus metrics are:

Profit

50% of total

Sales

20% of total

This will be based on meeting and 
exceeding budget for the year

Based on company-managed shop like-for-
like sales excluding any additional shops 
opened during the bonus year

Strategic objectives

30% of total

Detailed below

The strategic objectives for each bonus cycle will be based on measures which will provide a strong link to future value creation.  
For the 2017 bonus the three strategic objectives, each relating to 10 per cent of the bonus opportunity, will be:
i.  Cost savings.
ii.  Specific project delivery within our change programme regarding processes and systems with three elements measured 

independently; one element being worth five per cent and two elements being worth 2.5 per cent each.

iii. Specific project delivery within our programme for supply chain restructuring with three elements measured independently; one 

element being worth five per cent and two elements being worth 2.5 per cent each.

The annual bonus is based on performance against a range of financial and strategic performance measures. This range of metrics 
measures achievement of the Company’s key operational objectives. The Committee reviews the key performance indicators (KPIs) 
each year and varies them as appropriate to reflect the priorities for the business in the year ahead. Where appropriate a sliding scale 
of targets is set for each KPI to encourage continuous improvement, or sustained high levels of performance. 

There will be an underpin to the sales and strategic objectives elements of the bonus whereby any payment under these elements may 
be scaled back (potentially to zero) at the discretion of the Committee, in the event that the profit performance for the year is judged 
to be running significantly below that required for the achievement of the long-term strategy.

Bonus targets for the forthcoming year are considered to be commercially sensitive and so have not been disclosed. Retrospective 
disclosure of the targets and performance against them will be made in next year’s annual report on remuneration. 

PSP award 2017
PSP awards will be granted as follows:

Chief Executive

Executive Directors 

115% of base salary 

95% of base salary 

Performance conditions will be based on an equal split of two different financial measures, EPS and ROCE (for discrete parts of an 
award)*. The Committee took into consideration the increased award levels for 2017 and this has been reflected in the targets that 
have been set for each metric which also reflect the strategic plan and business outlook over the performance period. Consequently, 
the EPS and ROCE ranges have been increased to ensure that they remain appropriately stretching in light of our business strategy 
without encouraging undue risk taking.

For the 2017 awards the target ranges will be as follows:
 – The EPS performance condition will require average annual growth of EPS of five per cent to 11 per cent over three financial years 

measured from the 2016 financial year end.

 – The ROCE condition will require average annual ROCE over the three-year performance period (2017, 2018 and 2019) to be in the 

range 23 per cent to 27 per cent.

In both cases 25 per cent of an award will vest on achieving threshold performance and thereafter straight-line sliding scales will apply 
until stretch performance is achieved.

In order to improve alignment of interest between Executive Directors and shareholders further, a holding period will be attached to 
vested PSP awards granted in the policy period, requiring the vested shares to be held (net of tax and other deductions) for a further 
two years.

*  EPS and ROCE are measured excluding exceptional items.

Greggs plc Annual Report and Accounts 2016

65

Directors’ Report 
REMUNERATION COMMITTEE REPORT CONTINUED

How our remuneration policy will be implemented in 2017 – Non-Executive Directors 
In order to ensure that no Director is involved in deciding his/her own remuneration, the fees payable to Non-Executive Directors are 
set, after consultation with the Chairman, by a committee of the Board consisting only of the Executive Directors. The fees payable to 
the Chairman are set by the Remuneration Committee.

These fees are reviewed and set annually in December and implemented from 1 January. The fees for Non-Executive Directors 
increased by 2.5 per cent on 1 January 2017 in line with the base award for our whole workforce in 2017. 

The Non-Executive Directors are paid an annual base fee which is currently £43,424 and additional responsibility fees of £6,456 for  
the role of Senior Independent Director (SID) or for chairing a Board Committee. Where the SID role is combined with the role of 
chairing a Committee then only one fee of £6,456 will be paid.

Details of the fees being paid to Non-Executive Directors in 2017 are set out below: 

Ian Durant
Allison Kirkby
Helena Ganczakowski
Peter McPhillips
Sandra Turner

£163,244  Chairman

£49,880 Chair of the Audit Committee
£43,424 Non-Executive Director
£43,424 Non-Executive Director
£49,880 SID & Chair of the Remuneration Committee

Non-Executive Directors are appointed subject to the Company’s articles of association, retiring and seeking election at the first AGM 
after appointment. Thereafter, every Director will be subject to annual re-election by shareholders. The Nominations Committee 
advises the Board as to whether Directors should be nominated for re-election. Non-Executive Directors are not entitled to 
compensation for early termination of their appointments prior to the date on which they would next be due to offer themselves for 
election or re-election, or if not re-appointed at such time.

The following table shows the effective date of appointment for each Non-Executive Director:

Ian Durant
Allison Kirkby
Helena Ganczakowski
Peter McPhillips
Sandra Turner

Original date of appointment

5 October 2011
30 January 2013
2 January 2014
10 March 2014
1 May 2014

Non-Executive Directors are appointed on an understanding that the appointment will last for six years, but without any commitment 
by either party.

How our remuneration policy was implemented in 2016 (audited)
Single remuneration figure 2016 
The following table presents the remuneration payable for 2016 (showing the equivalent figures for 2015) for the Executive Directors: 

Roger Whiteside
2016
2015

Richard Hutton
2016
2015

Raymond Reynolds
2016
2015

Pension 
contribution 
(including salary  
in lieu) 
£

Salary 
£

Taxable benefits 
£

Annual incentives 
(including profit 
share) 
£

Long-term 
incentives1 
£

Total  
remuneration 
£

521,135 
507,188 

117,255 
114,118 

12,408 
12,397 

564,780 
594,043 

856,291 
1,234,447 

2,071,869 
2,462,193 

297,702 
289,736 

265,641 
258,530 

30,582 
37,233 

32,680 
31,804 

15,298 
13,659 

232,297 
244,334 

380,452 
 448,753 

956,331 
1,033,715 

14,833 
13,949 

207,280 
218,019 

339,484 
 400,422 

859,918
922,724 

1  The 2016 long-term incentive vesting values are based on the forecast value of the awards due to vest on 17 March 2017 (50 per cent of the award is based on EPS 

performance measured over the three financial years to 31 December 2016 and 50 per cent of the award is based on average annual ROCE measured over the three years 
to 31 December 2016). The EPS performance measured to 31 December 2016 exceeded the maximum performance conditions and 100 per cent of this part of the award is 
due to vest and forms part of the 2016 long-term incentive value. Average annual ROCE for the three years to 2016 exceeded the maximum performance requirement and 
100 per cent of this part of the award is due to vest and forms part of the 2016 long-term incentive award. The share price for the purposes of valuing the award is the 
three-month average share price to 31 December 2016 (£9.4942). This value will be trued up in the 2017 report to reflect the actual level of vesting and share price at the 
vesting date. The 2015 long-term incentive value has been restated and reflects the actual value of the awards that vested in March 2016. Share price appreciation over the 
performance period to 31 December 2016 contributed materially to the total remuneration figure for 2015 and 2016. Details can be found in the tables on page 68.

66

Greggs plc Annual Report and Accounts 2016

Fees 
The fees for Non-Executive Directors increased by 2.75 per cent on 1 January 2016 in line with the base award for our whole workforce 
in 2016. No detailed disclosure has been provided for Non-Executive Directors other than that relating to their fee, as this is the only 
form of remuneration they receive. 

Ian Durant
Allison Kirkby
Helena Ganczakowski
Peter McPhillips 
Sandra Turner

2016

2015

£159,263
£48,663
£42,365
£42,365
£48,663

£155,000
£47,361
£41,231
£41,231
£47,361

Annual bonus 2016
The table below outlines the bonus payments to Executive Directors in respect of 2016. 

Measure

Strategic objective

Weighting

Entry

Target

Stretch

Actual

% of 
maximum

All Executive Directors
Profit (£)

To deliver profit target

50% £71.9m 

£75.4m 

£81.9m £78.1m 

38.3% 

Company-managed 
like-for-like sales

To deliver target 
increase

20%

1.5% 

3.0% 

4.5%

4.2% 

18.4% 

Profit before tax 
(excluding exceptional 
items and property 
profits)

Customer transaction 
growth* 

Cost savings 

Process and system 
change delivery** 

Sales (%)

Strategic (%)

Strategic (£)

Strategic
(4 elements)

Total weighting based on balanced scorecard

Bonus achieved for 2016
Roger Whiteside
Richard Hutton
Raymond Reynolds

10%

  Achieved

10.0%

10% £2.65m £6.65m 

– 

£7.15m

10.0%

10%

100%

Achieved

10.0%

86.7%

As % of 
maximum 
86.7% 
 86.7% 
86.7% 

*  As outlined in our 2015 Directors remuneration report, customer transaction growth was one strategic element of our 2016 business plan and therefore 10 per cent of the 
total potential bonus opportunity was attributed to this. We set this metric with a sliding scale from a trigger point up to the maximum 10 per cent. This element of our 
bonus plan has delivered the full 10 per cent as a result of the maximum being exceeded by 0.85 per cent.

** Project milestones 

Purchase to Pay 

Delivered and operational by end of HY2016

Criteria 

Payment of 10% total 

Product Lifecycle Management 

Delivered and operational by end of HY2016

Finance 

30 Shop pilot 

Delivered and operational by end of HY2016

Pilot in place by end of FY2016

2.5%

2.5%

2.5%

2.5%

Any element of the bonus earned above 50 per cent of the maximum will be paid in shares for the Chief Executive and Executive 
Directors, which (after any sales to pay tax and other statutory deductions) must be held in the Employee Benefit Trust for two years 
after receipt.

The number of shares will be calculated by dividing 36.7 per cent of the net bonus by the closing market share value on the date of payment. 

Details of the shares awarded in 2016 for the 2015 bonus year are outlined below:

Director

Roger Whiteside
Richard Hutton
Raymond Reynolds

Number of shares awarded

13,202
5,424
4,840

Greggs plc Annual Report and Accounts 2016

67

Directors’ Report 
 
REMUNERATION COMMITTEE REPORT CONTINUED

Performance share plans 
The PSP award granted in 2013 measured EPS performance by reference to the three financial years to 2 January 2016 and TSR 
performance by reference to the three years from date of grant. The performance targets that were set, together with the performance 
delivered, are set out in the table below. This table provides an update on the vesting level estimated for this award in last year’s 
annual report on remuneration.

Metric

Condition

Threshold target

Stretch target

Actual

% vesting 

Earnings per share 
(50%)

Normalised EPS* growth of RPI + 3% p.a. 
to RPI + 8% p.a. over three financial years.

Total shareholder 
return (50%)

TSR against a peer group of 16 companies’ TSR 
measured over three years with a one-month average 
at the start and end of the performance period.

RPI +3% 
(12.5% 
vesting)

50th 
percentile 
(12.5% 
vesting)

RPI +8% 
(100% 
vesting)

75th 
percentile 
(100% 
vesting) 

RPI +14%

50% 

94th 
percentile

50% 

Total vesting

100%**

*  Normalised EPS is the Company’s reported earnings per share excluding exceptional items.
**  Estimated last year at 100 per cent.

This PSP award vested on 27 March 2016.

The table below details the impact of share price appreciation on the value of this PSP award.

Executive

Roger Whiteside

Richard Hutton

Raymond Reynolds

1   Based on a share price at grant of £4.735.
2   Based on a share price at vesting of £10.90.

Number of shares 
at grant

Value at  
grant1

Vesting  

outcome

Number  
of shares  
to vest

Estimated  

value2

Value attributable 
to share price 
growth

113,252

£536,248

41,170

36,736

£194,939

£173,945

100%

100%

100%

113,252

£1,234,447

£698,199

41,170

36,736

£448,753

£253,814

£400,422

£226,477

The PSP award granted in 2014 measured EPS performance by reference to the three financial years to 31 December 2016 and 
average annual ROCE over the three-year performance period 2014 to 2016. The performance targets that were set, together with the 
performance delivered, are set out in the table below. 

Metric

Condition

Threshold target

Stretch target

Actual

% vesting 

Earnings per share 
(50%)

Normalised EPS* growth of RPI +1% p.a. 
to RPI +4% p.a. over three financial years.

ROCE (50%)

Average annual ROCE over the three-year 
performance period.

RPI +1% 
(12.5% 
vesting)

15.5% 
(12.5% 
vesting)

RPI +4% 
(100% 
vesting)

17.0% 
(100% 
vesting) 

RPI +32.0%

50% 

25.8%

50% 

Total vesting

100%

*  Normalised EPS is the Company’s reported earning per share excluding exceptional items.

These options will vest on 17 March 2017.

The table below details the impact of share price appreciation on the value of this PSP award.

Executive

Roger Whiteside

Richard Hutton

Raymond Reynolds

Number of  

shares at grant

Value at  
grant1

Vesting  

outcome

Number of  

shares to vest

Estimated  

value2

Value attributable 
to share price 
growth

90,191

40,072

35,757

£445,769

£198,056

£176,729

100%

100%

100%

90,191

40,072

35,757

£865,913

£410,144

£380,283

£182,227

£339,334

£162,605

1  Based on a share price at grant of £4.9425.
2   Based on three-month average share price to 31 December 2016 of £9.4942.
Note: All shares subject to a two-year post-vesting holding period.

68

Greggs plc Annual Report and Accounts 2016

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Performance share plan awards granted during 2016 are as follows: 

Executive

Type of award

Roger Whiteside

Richard Hutton

Raymond Reynolds

nil cost 
option

Basis of 
award granted

90% of salary

70% of salary

70% of salary

Share price 
at date of grant 
(21 March 2016)

Number of shares 
over which award 
was granted

£11.02

£11.02

£11.02

42,560

18,910

16,873

% of face value 
that would vest 
at threshold 
performance

25%

Face value 
of award 

£469,011

£208,388

£185,940

Vesting determined by 
performance over

Three financial 
years to 
29 December 
2018 

The target ranges for this award are as follows:

− 
− 

EPS average annual growth of RPI + two per cent to eight per cent over three years from the 2015 financial year end.
Average annual ROCE over the three-year performance period (2016, 2017 and 2018) to be in the range 22 per cent to 
27 per cent.

In both cases, 25 per cent of the award will vest on achieving threshold performance and thereafter straight-line sliding scales will 
apply until stretch performance is achieved. A holding period is attached to vested PSP awards requiring the vested shares to be held 
(net of tax) for a further two years.

Outstanding share awards
The following table sets out details of the PSP, executive and savings related share options (all of which were granted at a £nil cost to 
the Executive Director concerned) held by, or granted to, each Executive Director during the year:

Roger Whiteside

Richard Hutton

Granted
number

Exercised
number

Lapsed
number

At 3 January 
2016
number

113,252
90,191
44,103
–
449
215
–

–
–
–
42,560
–
–
148

113,2522
– 
– 
– 
– 
– 
– 

248,210

42,708 113,252 

41,170
40,072
19,595
–
400
449
215
–

–
–
–
18,910
–
–
–
148

41,1703
– 
– 
– 
4004
– 
– 
– 

101,901

19,058

41,570 

Raymond Reynolds 62,640
12,125
36,736
35,757
17,485
–
400
449
–

–
–
–
–
–
16,873
–
–
148

165,592

17,021

– 
– 
– 
– 
– 
– 
4005
– 
– 

400 

Exercise 
price

Date of 
grant

Market price 
of each 
share at 
date of 
grant

Date from 
which 
exercisable

Expiry date

Scheme

£nil Mar 13
£4.735 Mar 16 Mar 23
£nil Mar 14 £4.9425 Mar 17 Mar 24
£nil Mar 15 £10.350 Mar 18 Mar 25
£nil Mar 16 £11.020 Mar 19 Mar 26
Jun 17 Nov 17
Jun 18 Nov 18
Jun 19 Nov 19

Apr 14
Apr 15
Apr 16

£4.65
£8.18
£8.70

£nil Mar 13
£4.735 Mar 16 Mar 23
£nil Mar 14 £4.9425 Mar 17 Mar 24
£nil Mar 15 £10.350 Mar 18 Mar 25
£nil Mar 16 £11.020 Mar 19 Mar 26
Jun 16 Nov 16
Jun 17 Nov 17
Jun 18 Nov 18
Jun 19 Nov 19

Apr 13
Apr 14
Apr 15
Apr 16

£4.14
£4.65
£8.18
£8.70

Apr 19
Apr 12
Apr 09
£3.56
£5.260
Apr 22
Apr 15
£nil
Apr 12
£nil Mar 13
£4.735 Mar 16 Mar 23
£nil Mar 14 £4.9425 Mar 17 Mar 24
£nil Mar 15 £10.350 Mar 18 Mar 25
£nil Mar 16 £11.020 Mar 19 Mar 26
Jun16 Nov 16
Jun 17 Nov 17
Jun 19 Nov 19

Apr 13
Apr 14
Apr 16

£4.14
£4.65
£8.70

PSP
PSP
PSP
PSP
SAYE
SAYE
SAYE

PSP
PSP
PSP
PSP
SAYE
SAYE
SAYE
SAYE

Exec
PSP
PSP
PSP
PSP
PSP
SAYE
SAYE
SAYE

At 
31 December 
2016
number

– 
90,191
44,103
42,560
449
215
148

177,666

–
40,072
19,595
18,910
–
449
215
148

79,389

62,6401
12,125 
36,736 
35,757 
17,485 
16,873 
– 
449 
148 

182,213 

–
–
–
–
–
–
–

–

–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–

–

–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–

–

1  Performance conditions have been achieved and the options remain exercisable.
2  The market value on the date of exercise was £10.870 and the resultant gain on exercise was £1,231,049.
3  The market value on the date of exercise was £10.500 and the resultant gain on exercise was £432,277.
4  The market value on the date of exercise was £11.290 and the resultant gain on exercise was £2,860.
5  The market value on the date of exercise was £9.145 and the resultant gain on exercise was £2,002.

Greggs plc Annual Report and Accounts 2016

69

Directors’ ReportREMUNERATION COMMITTEE REPORT CONTINUED

Outstanding share awards continued
Options granted under the all-employee SAYE scheme are not subject to performance conditions.

The mid-market price of ordinary shares in the Company as at 31 December 2016 was £9.70. The highest and lowest mid-market 
prices of ordinary shares during the financial year were £12.76 and £8.84 respectively.

Legacy defined benefit pension scheme (audited)
The following table sets out the change in each Director’s accrued pension in the Company’s defined benefit scheme during the year 
and his accrued benefits in the scheme at the yearend: 

Executive Director

Date of birth

Richard Hutton

Raymond Reynolds

3/6/68

4/11/59

Date service 
commenced

1/1/98

1/12/86

Accrued annual 
pension entitlement 
as at 2 January 2016
£

Accrued annual 
pension entitlement 
as at 31 December 
2016
£

Increase in accrued 
pension entitlement 
for the year
£

Increase in accrued 
pension entitlement 
for the year net of 
inflation of 1.2%
£

Transfer value of 
increase in accrued 
pension entitlement 
for the year
£

18,522

69,535

18,522

69,535

– 

– 

– 

– 

– 

– 

Note 1:  The pension entitlement shown is that which would be paid annually on retirement based on service to the end of the year, but excluding any statutory increases which 

would be due after the year end.

Note 2:  The inflation rate of 1.2 per cent shown in the table above is that published by the Secretary of State for Social Security in accordance with Schedule 3 of the Pensions 

Schemes Act 1993.

Richard Hutton

Raymond Reynolds

Cash equivalent 
transfer value 
as at 
2 January 2016
£

278,220 

1,340,108 

Cash equivalent 
transfer value 
as at 
31 December 2016
£

386,456 

1,669,402 

Increase in the 
cash equivalent 
transfer value 
since 2 January 2016
£

– 

– 

Note:  Cash equivalent transfer values have been calculated in accordance with Actuaries Guidance Note GN11 and the increase is stated net of contributions made by the Director. 
The transfer values disclosed above do not represent a sum paid or payable to the individual Director. Instead they represent a potential liability of the pension scheme.

The main features of the defined benefit scheme are:
 – pension at normal retirement age of 1/60th of member’s final pensionable salary for each complete year and a proportionate 

amount for each additional complete month of service from the date of joining the scheme until 5 April 2008 when the scheme was 
closed to future accrual; 

 – choice of giving up part of the pension in exchange for a tax-free cash sum subject to a limit of 25 per cent of the total value of the 

member’s benefits under the scheme;
 – pension payable in the event of ill health;
 – spouse’s pension on death; and
 – normal retirement at age 65.

Chief Executive pay compared to performance 
The graph below shows a comparison of the total shareholder return for the Company’s shares for each of the last eight financial years 
against the total shareholder return for the companies comprised in the FTSE Mid 250 Index (excluding Investment Trusts) and the 
FTSE 350 (excluding Investment Trusts).

These indices were chosen for this comparison because they include companies of broadly similar size to the Company. 

600

500

400

300

200

100

0

D

e

D

e

D

e

D

e

D

e

D

e

D

e

D

e

D

e

c
-
0

8

c
-
0

9

c
-
1

0

c
-
1

1

c
-
1

2

c
-
1

3

c
-
1

4

c
-
1

5

c
-
1

6

FTSE 350 
(excluding investment trusts)

FTSE 250 
(excluding investment trusts)

Greggs

70

Greggs plc Annual Report and Accounts 2016

Remuneration outcomes for Chief Executive over the last eight years 
The table below shows the total remuneration figure for the Chief Executive over the same eight-year period as the previous graph. The 
total remuneration figure includes the annual bonus, pension and PSP/option awards which vested based on performance in those years. 

2009

2010

2011

2012

2013

2014

2015

2016

Total remuneration 

£646,313

£767,397

£707,245

£635,030 £1,011,381 £1,238,248 £2,462,193 £2,071,869

Bonus (% of max potential)

PSP/options (% max potential)

30%

n/a

56.6%

38.6%

n/a

0%

18%

78.3%

20%*

n/a 

100%

n/a

93.7%

100%

86.7%

100%

*  This figure includes only the performance-related bonus that was achieved in 2013 and not the bonus share award given to the Chief Executive. 

Directors’ shareholdings and share interests (audited)
Details of the shareholdings of each Executive Director as at 31 December 2016 and their interests in shares of the Company are 
detailed below with the percentage holding calculated using the share price at that date:

Director

Roger Whiteside*
Richard Hutton
Raymond Reynolds
Ian Durant
Allison Kirkby
Helena Ganczakowski
Peter McPhillips
Sandra Turner

Beneficially 
owned at 
31 December 
2016

Beneficially 
owned at 
2 January 2016

135,563
78,094
64,484
11,700
1,600
1,000
1,000
1,000 

75,998
77,923
59,244
11,700
1,600
1,000
500
1,000 

Outstanding 
PSP awards

176,854
78,577
118,976
–
–
–
–
–

Outstanding 
deferred 
bonus awards

Outstanding 
option awards

Shareholding as a 
% of salary at 
31 December 
2016

–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–

–
–
62,640
–
–
–
–
–

252%
254%
235%
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a

*  As disclosed in a previous Directors’ Remuneration Report, 60,000 of these shares were granted to Roger Whiteside as a transitional bonus in compensation for his loss of bonus 
from his previous employer. The award of half of the shares was deferred for two years and the other half for three years but were not subject to performance conditions other 
than continuity of employment and not having resigned or been given notice of termination when the respective award was due to vest. The first 30,000 shares vested 
unconditionally during 2015 and the remaining 30,000 vested unconditionally in 2016. This award was subject to tax and NI in respect of the award of the shares. 

Exit payments or payments to past Directors (audited)
There were no payments to past Directors in the 52 weeks ended 31 December 2016. No payments for compensation or loss of office 
were paid to, or receivable by, any Director. 

External directorships
Executive Directors may take up one Non-Executive directorship outside of the Company subject to the Board’s approval and 
provided that such an appointment is not likely to lead to a conflict of interest. It is recognised that this can support a Director’s 
development and enhance experience as well as benefit the Company. Executive Directors will be entitled to retain the fees of  
such an appointment. There are none currently in place.

Relative importance of spend on pay 
The Committee is aware of the importance of pay across the business and the table below shows the expenditure and percentage 
change in the overall spend on all colleague costs compared to other key financial indicators.

All colleague costs

Dividends

Retained profit (excluding exceptional items)

Corporation Tax

2016 
£m

336.9

30.9

62.3

17.1

2015 
£m

314.0

43.7

57.6

15.4

% increase/
(decrease) 

7.3% 

(29.3%)

8.2% 

11.0% 

Greggs plc Annual Report and Accounts 2016

71

Directors’ ReportREMUNERATION COMMITTEE REPORT CONTINUED

Percentage change in remuneration of Director undertaking the role of Chief Executive
The table below sets out the percentage change in remuneration for the Chief Executive compared to the wider workforce. For this 
purpose the wider workforce is defined as all full-time head office management colleagues as they too are entitled to receive benefits 
and annual bonus awards.

Chief Executive (£)

– salary
– benefits
– performance pay

Average per colleague (£)

– salary
– benefits2
– performance pay

% change from 
2015 to 2016

2.75%
0.1%
(22%)

3.8%
17.0%
0.66%

2  The average employee benefits figure is based on tax year 2014/15 for 2015 and tax year 2015/16 for 2016.

At the AGM of the Company to be held on 19 May 2017, ordinary resolutions will be proposed approving the annual report on 
remuneration, the new policy report for the next three years and the amendment to the PSP rules.

This report was approved by the Board on 28 February 2017.

Signed on behalf of the Board

Sandra Turner
Chair of the Remuneration Committee
28 February 2017

72

Greggs plc Annual Report and Accounts 2016

STATEMENT OF DIRECTORS’ RESPONSIBILITIES IN RESPECT  
OF THE ANNUAL REPORT AND THE ACCOUNTS 

The Directors are responsible for preparing the annual report and the Group and Parent Company accounts in accordance with 
applicable law and regulations. 

Company law requires the Directors to prepare Group and Parent Company accounts for each financial year. Under that law they are 
required to prepare the Group accounts in accordance with IFRSs as adopted by the EU and applicable law and have elected to 
prepare the Parent Company accounts on the same basis. 

Under company law the Directors must not approve the accounts unless they are satisfied that they give a true and fair view of the 
state of affairs of the Group and Parent Company and of their profit or loss for that period. In preparing each of the Group and Parent 
Company accounts, the Directors are required to: 
 – select suitable accounting policies and then apply them consistently; 
 – make judgements and estimates that are reasonable and prudent; 
 – state whether they have been prepared in accordance with IFRSs as adopted by the EU; and 
 – prepare the accounts on the going concern basis unless it is inappropriate to presume that the Group and the Parent Company will 

continue in business. 

The Directors are responsible for keeping adequate accounting records that are sufficient to show and explain the Parent Company’s 
transactions and disclose with reasonable accuracy at any time the financial position of the Parent Company and enable them to ensure 
that its accounts comply with the Companies Act 2006. They have general responsibility for taking such steps as are reasonably open to 
them to safeguard the assets of the Group and to prevent and detect fraud and other irregularities. 

Under applicable law and regulations, the Directors are also responsible for preparing a strategic report, Directors’ report, Directors’ 
remuneration report and corporate governance statement that complies with that law and those regulations. 

The Directors are responsible for the maintenance and integrity of the corporate and financial information included on the Company’s 
website. Legislation in the UK governing the preparation and dissemination of accounts may differ from legislation in other 
jurisdictions. 

Responsibility statement of the Directors in respect of the annual financial report
We confirm that to the best of our knowledge:
 – the accounts, prepared in accordance with the applicable set of accounting standards, give a true and fair view of the assets, 

liabilities, financial position and profit or loss of the Company and the undertakings included in the consolidation taken as a whole; 
and

 – the Strategic Report and Directors’ Report includes a fair review of the development and performance of the business and the 
position of the issuer and the undertakings included in the consolidation taken as a whole, together with a description of the 
principal risks and uncertainties that they face.

We consider the annual report and accounts, taken as a whole, is fair, balanced and understandable and provides the information 
necessary for shareholders to assess the Group’s position and performance, business model and strategy.

Roger Whiteside   
Chief Executive 
28 February 2017

Richard Hutton
Finance Director

Greggs plc Annual Report and Accounts 2016

73

Directors’ Report 
 
INDEPENDENT AUDITOR’S REPORT TO  
THE MEMBERS OF GREGGS PLC ONLY

Opinions and conclusions arising from our audit
1.  Our opinion on the accounts is unmodified
We have audited the accounts of Greggs plc for the 52 weeks ended 31 December 2016 set out on pages 77 to 109.  
In our opinion:
 – the accounts give a true and fair view of the state of the Group’s and of the Parent Company’s affairs as at 31 December 2016 and 

of the Group’s profit for the period then ended;

 – the Group accounts have been properly prepared in accordance with International Financial Reporting Standards as adopted by the 

European Union (IFRSs as adopted by the EU);

 – the Parent Company accounts have been properly prepared in accordance with IFRSs as adopted by the EU and as applied in 

accordance with the provisions of the Companies Act 2006; and

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

accounts, Article 4 of the IAS Regulation.

Overview
Materiality:  
Group accounts as a whole

Coverage

Risks of material misstatement

Recurring risks

Event driven

£3.9m (2015:£3.6m)
5% (2015: 5%) of Group profit before tax excluding exceptional items

100% (2015:100%) of Group profit before tax excluding exceptional items

Retail property provisions

Supply site investment proposals

vs 2015

New risk

2.  Our assessment of risks of material misstatement
In arriving at our audit opinion above on the accounts, the risks of material misstatement that had the greatest effect on our 
audit, in decreasing order of audit significance, were as follows:

The risk

Our response

Our audit procedures included:
 – Testing application: We inspected the total costs  

of the programme and evaluated whether any costs 
provided for related to future services. We critically 
assessed whether the restructuring provisions met the 
accounting standard criteria for recognition at the period 
end, including considering the timings of 
communications and presence of contractual 
obligations. 

 – Assessing transparency: We assessed the adequacy  

of the Group’s disclosures in the notes to the accounts 
about the degree of estimation involved in arriving at 
the provisions. 

 – Comparing valuations: We critically assessed 

assumptions around useful economic lives of assets with 
reference to the Group’s detailed plans. We considered 
whether the carrying value of the assets was appropriate 
with reference to market indicators such as external third 
party valuations or purchase offers received. 

 – Assessing application: We considered the classification 
of these costs as exceptional charges for the year and 
tested that costs presented as exceptional were incurred 
as a result of the programme with reference to internal 
plans and communications.

Supply site 
investment proposals 
(Exceptional items 
excluding credits  
in relation to items 
from prior years £6.8 
million; 2015: £nil)

Refer to page 53 
(Audit Committee 
Report), page 83 to 
86 (accounting 
policy) and pages 90, 
95 and 106 (financial 
disclosures).

Accounting treatment
In March 2016 the Group announced a large scale 
investment programme in manufacturing and 
distribution operations. The programme involves the 
closure of certain supply sites and the consolidation 
of certain forms of manufacturing across the Group. 
Since the period end, the Group has communicated 
proposals for the next phase of this programme 
which involves further consolidating manufacturing 
operations. The phase of the programme 
announced within the period results in the need for 
provisions in respect of restructuring costs. 

There is a risk that certain costs may be provided for 
which are future operating costs and therefore do 
not meet the accounting standard criteria for 
recognition. There is a further risk that provisions 
may be recognised for which the criteria were not 
met as at the balance sheet date due to the 
programme spanning a number of years. 

Subjective valuation
The programme gives rise to the need to reassess 
the useful economic lives of property, plant and 
equipment and estimate the recoverable amount of 
assets, both of which are inherently judgemental.

Presentation appropriateness
Determining whether charges should be presented 
as exceptional items, which affects how financial 
performance is reported, requires judgement and 
demonstration of their relation to the programme. 

74

Greggs plc Annual Report and Accounts 2016

The risk

Our response

Retail property 
provisions  
(£5.1 million;  
2015: £5.6 million)

Refer to page 53 
(Audit Committee 
Report), page 83 to 
86 (accounting 
policy) and page 106 
(financial disclosures)

Omitted exposure
The Group leases the majority of its shops and has 
circa 1,500 shop leases at the end of the period. 
Where shops are closed prior to the end of the lease 
term or are not trading sufficiently well to recover 
the committed lease costs an element of the lease 
may be onerous. 

Given the large number of shops the Group leases, 
and the individual shop-level considerations 
required to identify a provision, there is a risk that 
not all onerous leases are identified.

Subjective estimate
Determining the level of onerous lease provisions 
involves estimation of the length of time and cost at 
which lease arrangements can be exited or sublet 
and forecasting future cash flows, which are 
inherently uncertain.

For the majority of shop leases the Group has 
obligations to restore shops to a certain condition at 
the end of a lease and provisions may be required 
for the costs of doing so. Determining dilapidation 
provisions involves estimation of the costs 
anticipated to make good any alterations to 
properties and consideration of obligations present 
in lease agreements. Both of these factors can vary 
significantly between shops.

Our audit procedures included:
 – Comparisons: We identified shops closed during the 
year and poorly performing shops. We compared the 
list of shops identified to the population of onerous 
lease provisions and challenged explanations for any 
that were not provided.

 – Our sector experience: For onerous lease provisions  
in respect of closed shops we critically assessed the 
Directors’ estimate of total costs to exit the lease by 
challenging key assumptions including the time it would 
take to exit, the level of incentives to sublease or penalties 
to be paid to landlords and other costs to exit or sublet a 
shop. We also considered the location of each closed 
shop and the impact this may have on the time and costs 
expected to exit these leases as well as the possible 
income from subletting these shops if possible. In respect 
of dilapidation provisions we considered specific issues on 
certain Group properties, such as the shops which 
previously had in-store bakeries, and critically assessed the 
impact of these on the likely level of dilapidation costs.

 – Benchmarking assumptions: We compared 

assumptions surrounding the timing of exiting leases 
and the costs of doing so to expectations of in-house 
property surveyors and third party agents. We also 
compared these assumptions with post period end 
third party evidence such as offers made and sublease 
or surrender agreements.

 – Historical comparisons: For onerous leases we 

considered the historical experience of the Group at 
exiting similar properties 
and the costs involved in doing so. We considered the 
historical experience of the Group in respect of likely 
level of dilapidation costs. 

 – Assessing transparency: We also considered the 

adequacy of the Group’s disclosures about the degree 
of estimation involved in arriving at the provisions. 

3.  Our application of materiality and an overview of the scope of our audit 
The materiality for the accounts as a whole was set at £3.9m (2015: £3.6 million), determined with reference to a benchmark of Group 
profit before tax normalised to exclude exceptional items of which it represents five per cent (2015: determined with reference to a 
benchmark of Group profit before tax, of which it represents five per cent). The Group team performed procedures on the items 
excluded from normalised Group profit before tax.

We report to the Audit Committee any corrected or uncorrected misstatements identified exceeding £195,000 (2015: £181,000), in 
addition to other identified misstatements that warranted reporting on qualitative grounds. 

The Group audit team performed the audit of the Group as if it was a single aggregated set of financial information which covered 
100% (2015: 100%) of total Group revenue, Group profit before tax and total Group assets. The audit was performed using the 
materiality levels set out above.

Profit before tax  
excluding exceptional items 
£80m (2015: £73m)

   Profit before tax 
excluding  
exceptional items 

   Group materiality

Materiality
£3.9m (2015: £3.6m)

£3.9m
Whole financial statements materiality
(2015: £3.6m)

The Group audit team performed the audit of the Group as if it was 
a single aggregated set of financial information. 

£195k
Misstatements reported to the Audit Committee
(2015: £181k)

Greggs plc Annual Report and Accounts 2016

75

AccountsINDEPENDENT AUDITOR’S REPORT TO  
THE MEMBERS OF GREGGS PLC ONLY CONTINUED

4.  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 the Directors’ Report for the financial year is consistent with the accounts.

Based solely on the work required to be undertaken in the course of the audit of the accounts and from reading the Strategic Report 
and the Directors’ Report:
 – we have not identified material misstatements in those reports; and 
 – in our opinion, those reports have been prepared in accordance with the Companies Act 2006. 

5.  We have nothing to report on the disclosures of principal risks
Based on the knowledge we acquired during our audit, we have nothing material to add or draw attention to in relation to:
 – the Directors’ viability statement on page 41, concerning the principal risks, their management, and, based on that, the Directors’ 

assessment and expectations of the Group’s continuing in operation over the three years to 2019; or

 – the disclosures on page 82 concerning the use of the going concern basis of accounting.

6.  We have nothing to report in respect of the matters on which we are required to report by exception
 – Under ISAs (UK and Ireland) we are required to report to you if, based on the knowledge we acquired during our audit, we have 

identified other information in the annual report that contains a material inconsistency with either that knowledge or the accounts, a 
material misstatement of fact, or that is otherwise misleading.

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

they consider that the annual report and accounts taken as a whole is fair, balanced and understandable and provides the 
information necessary for shareholders to assess the Group’s position and performance, business model and strategy; or

 – the Audit Committee report does not appropriately address matters communicated by us to the Audit Committee. 

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 accounts 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 pages 41 and 82, in relation to going concern and longer-term viability; and 
 – the part of the Corporate Governance Statement on page 45 relating to the Company’s compliance with the eleven provisions of 

the 2014 UK Corporate Governance Code specified for our review.

We have nothing to report in respect of the above responsibilities. 

Scope and responsibilities
As explained more fully in the Directors’ Responsibilities Statement set out on page 73, the Directors are responsible for the 
preparation of the accounts and for being satisfied that they give a true and fair view. A description of the scope of an audit of 
accounts is provided on the Financial Reporting Council’s website at www.frc.org.uk/auditscopeukprivate. This report is made solely to 
the Company’s members as a body and is subject to important explanations and disclaimers regarding our responsibilities, published 
on our website at www.kpmg.com/uk/auditscopeukco2014a, which are incorporated into this report as if set out in full and should be 
read to provide an understanding of the purpose of this report, the work we have undertaken and the basis of our opinions.

Mick Thompson
(Senior Statutory Auditor)
for and on behalf of KPMG LLP, Statutory Auditor, Chartered Accountants 
Quayside House 
110 Quayside 
Newcastle Upon Tyne 
NE1 3DX 
28 February 2017

76

Greggs plc Annual Report and Accounts 2016

CONSOLIDATED INCOME STATEMENT
for the 52 weeks ended 31 December 2016 (2015: 52 weeks ended 2 January 2016)

2016
Excluding 
exceptional 
items
£’000

2016
Exceptional 
items
(see Note 4)
£’000

Note

2016
Total
£’000

2015
Total
£’000

Revenue
Cost of sales

Gross profit
Distribution and selling costs
Administrative expenses

Operating profit 
Finance expense

Profit before tax
Income tax

Profit for the financial year attributable to equity holders of the Parent

Basic earnings per share 
Diluted earnings per share

1 894,195
(324,289)

569,906
(441,246)
(48,315)

80,345
(26)

80,319
(18,064)

6

3-6

8

9

9

835,749
(305,116)

– 894,195
(4,367) (328,656)
(4,367) 565,539  530,633
(412,426)
(45,094)

(594) (441,840)
(48,531)
(216)

(5,177)
–

(5,177)
915

75,168
(26)

75,142
(17,149)

73,113
(85)

73,028
(15,428)

57,600

57.3p
55.8p

62,255

(4,262)

57,993

62.0p
60.8p

(4.2p)
(4.1p)

57.8p
56.7p

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENT OF COMPREHENSIVE INCOME
for the 52 weeks ended 31 December 2016 (2015: 52 weeks ended 2 January 2016)

Profit for the financial year
Other comprehensive income
Items that will not be recycled to profit and loss:
Re-measurements on defined benefit pension plan
Tax on re-measurements on defined benefit pension plan

Other comprehensive income for the financial year, net of income tax

Total comprehensive income for the financial year

Note

2016
£’000

2015
£’000

57,993

57,600

20

8

(18,791)
3,194

(15,597)

4,915
(885)

4,030

42,396

61,630

Greggs plc Annual Report and Accounts 2016

77

AccountsBALANCE SHEETS
at 31 December 2016 (2015: 2 January 2016)

ASSETS
Non-current assets
Intangible assets
Property, plant and equipment
Investments
Deferred tax asset

Current assets
Inventories
Trade and other receivables
Cash and cash equivalents

Total assets

LIABILITIES
Current liabilities
Trade and other payables
Current tax liability
Provisions

Non-current liabilities
Other payables
Defined benefit pension liability
Long-term provisions

Total liabilities

Net assets

EQUITY
Capital and reserves
Issued capital
Share premium account
Capital redemption reserve
Retained earnings

Total equity attributable to equity holders of the Parent

Group

Parent Company

Note

2016
£’000

2015
As restated 
(see page 82)
£’000

2015
As restated 
(see page 82)
£’000

2016
£’000

14,254
10
11 307,363
–
12
1,750

13

323,367

15,934
30,713
45,960

92,607

415,974

10,248
14,254
284,163 307,956
4,987
2,199
298,241 329,396

–
3,830

15,444
27,647
42,915

15,934
30,713
45,960

86,006

92,607
384,247 422,003

10,248
284,756
4,987
4,305

304,296

15,444
27,647
42,915

86,006

390,302

(104,924)
(10,426)
(6,088)

(92,780)
(9,580)
(4,265)

(112,731)
(10,426)
(6,088)

(100,587)
(9,580)
(4,265)

(121,438)

(106,625)

(129,245)

(114,432)

(5,599)
(22,851)
(1,426)

(6,071)
(3,910)
(2,972)

(5,599)
(22,851)
(1,426)

(6,071)
(3,910)
(2,972)

(29,876)

(12,953)

(29,876)

(12,953)

(151,314)

264,660

(119,578)

(159,121)
264,669 262,882

(127,385)

262,917

2,023
13,533
416
248,688

264,660

2,023
13,533
416

2,023
13,533
416
248,697 246,910
264,669 262,882

2,023
13,533
416
246,945

262,917

14

15

16

17

18

21

19

20

21

22

22

The accounts on pages 77 to 109 were approved by the Board of Directors on 28 February 2017 and were signed on its behalf by:

Roger Whiteside
Richard Hutton

Company Registered Number 502851

78

Greggs plc Annual Report and Accounts 2016

STATEMENTS OF CHANGES IN EQUITY
for the 52 weeks ended 31 December 2016 (2015: 52 weeks ended 2 January 2016)

Group
52 weeks ended 2 January 2016

Balance at 4 January 2015
Total comprehensive income for the year
Profit for the financial year
Other comprehensive income

Total comprehensive income for the year
Transactions with owners, recorded directly in equity
Sale of own shares
Purchase of own shares
Share-based payment transactions
Dividends to equity holders
Tax items taken directly to reserves

Total transactions with owners

Balance at 2 January 2016

52 weeks ended 31 December 2016

Balance at 3 January 2016
Total comprehensive income for the year
Profit for the financial year
Other comprehensive income

Total comprehensive income for the year
Transactions with owners, recorded directly in equity
Sale of own shares
Purchase of own shares
Share-based payment transactions
Dividends to equity holders
Tax items taken directly to reserves

Total transactions with owners

Balance at 31 December 2016

Attributable to equity holders of the Company

Capital 
redemption 
reserve
£’000

Retained 
earnings
As restated 
(see page 82)
£’000

Total
As restated 
(see page 82)
£’000

Share 
premium
£’000

Issued capital
£’000

Note

2,023

13,533

416

230,731

246,703

–
–

–

–
–
–
–
–

–

–
–

–

–
–
–
–
–

–

–
–

–

–
–
–
–
–

–

57,600
4,030

57,600
4,030

61,630

61,630

3,876
(11,125)
2,057
(43,714)
5,242

3,876
(11,125)
2,057
(43,714)
5,242

(43,664)

(43,664)

2,023

13,533

416

248,697

264,669

20

22

8

Attributable to equity holders of the Company

Issued 
capital
£’000

Share 
premium
£’000

Capital 
redemption 
reserve
£’000

Retained 
earnings
£’000

Total
£’000

Note

2,023

13,533

416 248,697 264,669

–
–

–

–
–
–
–
–

–

–
–

–

–
–
–
–
–

–

–
–

–

–
–
–
–
–

–

57,993
(15,597)

57,993
(15,597)

42,396

42,396

4,063
(12,398)
1,994
(30,936)
(5,128)

4,063
(12,398)
1,994
(30,936)
(5,128)

(42,405)

(42,405)

2,023

13,533

416 248,688 264,660

20

22

8

Greggs plc Annual Report and Accounts 2016

79

AccountsSTATEMENTS OF CHANGES IN EQUITY
for the 52 weeks ended 31 December 2016 (2015: 52 weeks ended 2 January 2016)

Parent Company
52 weeks ended 2 January 2016

Balance at 4 January 2015
Total comprehensive income for the year
Profit for the financial year
Other comprehensive income

Total comprehensive income for the year
Transactions with owners, recorded directly in equity
Sale of own shares
Purchase of own shares
Share-based payment transactions
Dividends to equity holders
Tax items taken directly to reserves

Total transactions with owners

Balance at 2 January 2016

52 weeks ended 31 December 2016

Balance at 3 January 2016
Total comprehensive income for the year
Profit for the financial year
Other comprehensive income

Total comprehensive income for the year
Transactions with owners, recorded directly in equity
Sale of own shares
Purchase of own shares
Share-based payment transactions
Dividends to equity holders
Tax items taken directly to reserves

Total transactions with owners

Balance at 31 December 2016

Attributable to equity holders of the Company

Issued
capital
£’000

Share
premium
£’000

Note

Capital
redemption 
reserve
£’000

Retained 
earnings
As restated 
(see page 82)
£’000

Total
As restated 
(see page 82)
£’000

2,023

13,533

416

229,031

245,003

7

20

22

8

–
–

–

–
–
–
–
–

–

–
–

–

–
–
–
–
–

–

–
–

–

–
–
–
–
–

–

57,548
4,030

57,548
4,030

61,578

61,578

3,876
(11,125)
2,057
(43,714)
5,242

3,876
(11,125)
2,057
(43,714)
5,242

(43,664)

(43,664)

2,023

13,533

416

246,945

262,917

Attributable to equity holders of the Company

Note

Issued
capital
£’000

Share
premium
£’000

Capital
redemption 
reserve
£’000

Retained 
earnings
£’000

Total
£’000

2,023

13,533

416 246,945 262,917

7

20

22

8

–
–

–

–
–
–
–
–

–

–
–

–

–
–
–
–
–

–

–
–

–

–
–
–
–
–

–

57,967
(15,597)

57,967
(15,597)

42,370

42,370

4,063
(12,398)
1,994
(30,936)
(5,128)

4,063
(12,398)
1,994
(30,936)
(5,128)

(42,405)

(42,405)

2,023

13,533

416 246,910 262,882

80

Greggs plc Annual Report and Accounts 2016

STATEMENTS OF CASHFLOWS
for the 52 weeks ended 31 December 2016 (2015: 52 weeks ended 2 January 2016)

Operating activities
Cash generated from operations (see below)
Income tax paid

Net cash inflow from operating activities

Investing activities
Acquisition of property, plant and equipment
Acquisition of intangible assets
Proceeds from sale of property, plant and equipment
Interest received
Redemption of other investments

Net cash outflow from investing activities

Financing activities
Sale of own shares
Purchase of own shares
Dividends paid

Net cash outflow from financing activities

Net increase/(decrease) 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

Cash flow statement – cash generated from operations

Profit for the financial year
Amortisation
Depreciation 
Impairment
Loss on sale of property, plant and equipment
Release of government grants
Share-based payment expenses
Finance expense
Income tax expense
Increase in inventories
Increase in receivables
Increase in payables
Increase in provisions

Cash from operating activities

Group

Parent Company

Note

2016
£’000

2015
£’000

2016
£’000

2015
£’000

133,773
(16,157)

117,616

119,637 133,773
(15,916)
(16,157)
103,721 117,616

119,637
(15,916)

103,721

(74,016)
(6,106)
4,698
124
–

(65,785)
(5,981)
8,086
222
10,000

(74,016)
(6,106)
4,698
124
–

(65,785)
(5,981)
8,086
222
10,000

(75,300)

(53,458)

(75,300)

(53,458)

4,063
(12,398)
(30,936)

3,876
(11,125)
(43,714)

4,063
(12,398)
(30,936)

3,876
(11,125)
(43,714)

(39,271)

(50,963)

(39,271)

(50,963)

3,045
42,915

45,960

(700)
43,615

42,915

3,045
42,915

45,960

(700)
43,615

42,915

2016
 £’000

57,993
2,100
43,453
488
2,476
(472)
1,994
26
17,149
(490)
(3,066)
11,845
277

133,773

2015
 As restated
£’000

2016
£’000

2015 
As restated
£’000

57,600
454
39,687
66
2,952
(484)
2,057
85
15,428
(154)
(1,555)
2,875
626

57,967
2,100
43,453
488
2,476
(472)
1,994
26
17,175
(490)
(3,066)
11,845
277
119,637 133,773

57,548
454
39,687
66
2,952
(484)
2,057
85
15,480
(154)
(1,555)
2,875
626

119,637

6

22

16

16

10

11

11

20

6

8

Greggs plc Annual Report and Accounts 2016

81

AccountsNOTES TO THE CONSOLIDATED ACCOUNTS

Significant accounting policies
Greggs plc (‘the Company’) is a company incorporated and domiciled in the UK. The Group accounts consolidate those of the 
Company and its subsidiaries (together referred to as ‘the Group’). The results of the associate are not consolidated on the grounds of 
materiality. The Parent Company accounts present information about the Company as a separate entity and not about its Group.

The accounts were authorised for issue by the Directors on 28 February 2017.

(a)  Statement of compliance
Both the Parent Company accounts and the Group accounts have been prepared and approved by the Directors in accordance with 
International Financial Reporting Standards as adopted by the EU (‘adopted IFRSs’), IFRIC interpretations and the Companies Act 2006 
applicable to companies reporting under IFRS. On publishing the Parent Company accounts here together with the Group accounts, 
the Company is taking advantage of the exemption in s408 of the Companies Act 2006 not to present its individual income statement 
and related notes that form a part of these approved accounts.

(b)  Basis of preparation
The accounts are presented in pounds sterling, rounded to the nearest thousand, and are prepared on the historical cost basis except 
the defined benefit pension asset/liability, which is recognised as plan assets less the present value of the defined benefit obligation.

The Group’s business activities, together with the factors likely to affect its future development, performance and position are set out 
in the Directors’ report and strategic report on pages 3 to 73. The financial position of the Group, its cash flows and liquidity position 
are described in the financial review on pages 30 to 33. In addition, Note 2 to the accounts includes: 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 risk and liquidity risk.

The Group chose not to restate business combinations prior to the IFRS transition date (1 January 2004), as no significant acquisitions 
had taken place during the previous ten years. The Group’s policy up to and including 1997 was to eliminate goodwill arising upon 
acquisitions against reserves. Under IFRS 1 and IFRS 3, such goodwill remains eliminated against reserves.

The accounting policies set out below have been applied consistently throughout the Group and to all years presented in these 
consolidated accounts and are unchanged from previous years with the exception of the adoption of the following relevant standards, 
amendments and interpretations:
 – Amendments to IAS 16 and IAS 38 – Clarification of Acceptable Methods of Depreciation and Amortisation
 – Annual Improvements to IFRSs – 2012-2014 Cycle
 – Disclosure Initiative – Amendments to IAS 1 

The adoption of the above has not had a significant impact on the Group’s profit for the year or equity. The other standards and 
interpretations that are applicable for the first time in the Group’s accounts for the year have no effect on these accounts.

Restatement of comparatives
During 2015 a provision was recognised for the future employer’s national insurance costs on share-settled option schemes where 
there is no requirement for the employee to reimburse these costs. This accounting is in accordance with IFRS 2. The charge was 
included within the share-based payments charge within the income statement with the credit being taken directly to reserves in line 
with the rest of the charge. It has been determined that the element of the charge relating to future national insurance costs should 
have been accounted for as a provision rather than directly to reserves. The impact of this for the 52 weeks ended 2 January 2016 is 
that the closing retained earnings reserve has been reduced by £1,605,000, current liability provisions have increased by £590,000 and 
long-term provisions have increased by £1,015,000. There is no impact on profit or cash flows. 

Going concern
Directors have reviewed the Company’s operational and investment plans for the next 12 months along with the principal risks and 
uncertainties that could affect these plans or threaten its liquidity. The key factors likely to affect future performance and the 
Company’s exposure to risks are set out on pages 39 and 40 of the strategic report. In addition the financial review on pages 30 to 33 
sets out the Company’s net cash position and continued strong cash generation.

After making enquiries, the Directors have a reasonable expectation that the Company and the Group have adequate resources to 
continue in operational existence for the next 12 months. Accordingly, they continue to adopt the going concern basis in preparing 
the annual report and accounts.

82

Greggs plc Annual Report and Accounts 2016

Key estimates and judgements 
The preparation of financial information in conformity with adopted IFRSs requires management to make judgements, estimates and 
assumptions that affect the application of policies and reported amounts of assets and liabilities, income and expenses. The estimates 
and underlying assumptions are reviewed on an ongoing basis. Revisions to accounting estimates are recognised in the year in which 
the estimate is revised if the revision affects only that year, or in the year of revision and future years if the revision affects both current 
and future years.

Provisions
Provisions have been estimated for onerous leases and dilapidations. These provisions represent the best estimate of the liability  
at the balance sheet date. The key estimates and underlying assumptions made in determining provisions include:
 – Likelihood of achieving an exit prior to the end of the lease through sublet or surrender and the cost of doing so; and
 – Estimates of the future expected repair costs required to restore the Group’s leased buildings to their fair condition at the  

end of their respective lease terms.

Expectations will be revised each period until the actual liability arises, with any difference accounted for in the period in which the 
revision is made. 

Impairment of property, plant and equipment
Property, plant and equipment is reviewed for impairment if events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying value may 
not be recoverable. For example, bakery equipment may be impaired if it is no longer in use and/or shop fittings may be impaired if 
sales in that shop fall. When a review for impairment is conducted the recoverable amount is estimated based on either value in use 
calculations or fair value less costs of disposal. Value in use calculations are based on management’s estimates of future cash flows 
generated by the assets and an appropriate discount rate. Consideration is also given to whether the impairment assessments made in 
prior years remain appropriate based on the latest expectations in respect of recoverable amount. Where it is concluded that the 
impairment has reduced a reversal of the impairment is recorded. 

The key judgements in assessing the recoverable amount for supply chain assets are determining remaining useful economic lives or 
how assets would be priced by market participants. The sensitivities for growth rate, discount rate and lease term used in testing shop 
assets for impairment have been considered and are deemed not significant. For instance, a two per cent change in the growth rate 
would result in a £7,000 change in the impairment charge.

Post-retirement benefits
The determination of the defined benefit obligation of the Group’s defined benefit pension scheme depends on the selection of 
certain assumptions including the discount rate, inflation rate and mortality rates. Differences arising from actual experience or future 
changes in assumptions will be reflected in future years. The key assumptions made for 2016 are given in Note 20.

(c)  Basis of consolidation
The consolidated accounts include the results of Greggs plc and its subsidiary undertakings for the 52 weeks ended 31 December 
2016. The comparative period is the 52 weeks ended 2 January 2016.

(i)  Subsidiaries
Subsidiaries are entities controlled by the Company. The Company controls an entity when it is exposed to, or has rights to, 
variable returns from its involvement with the entity and has the ability to affect those returns through its power over the entity. The 
accounts of subsidiaries are included in the consolidated accounts from the date on which control commences until the date on 
which control ceases. 

(ii)  Associates
Associates are those entities in which the Group has significant influence, but not control, over the financial and operating policies. 
Significant influence is presumed to exist when the Group holds between 20 and 50 per cent of the voting power of another entity. 
At the year end the Group has one associate which has not been consolidated on the grounds of materiality (see Note 12).

(iii) Transactions eliminated on consolidation
Intragroup balances, and any unrealised gains and losses or income and expenses arising from intragroup transactions, are 
eliminated in preparing the consolidated accounts.

(d)  Exceptional items
Exceptional items are defined as items of income and expenditure which are material and unusual in nature and which are considered 
to be of such significance that they require separate disclosure on the face of the income statement. Any future movements on items 
previously classified as exceptional will also be classified as exceptional.

Greggs plc Annual Report and Accounts 2016

83

Accounts 
 
 
 
 
 
NOTES TO THE CONSOLIDATED ACCOUNTS CONTINUED

Significant accounting policies continued
(e)  Foreign currency
Transactions in foreign currencies are translated at the foreign exchange rate ruling at the date of the transaction. Monetary assets and 
liabilities denominated in foreign currencies at the balance sheet date are translated at the foreign exchange rate ruling at that date. 
Non-monetary assets and liabilities that are measured in terms of historical cost in a foreign currency are translated using the exchange 
rate at the date of the transaction. Foreign exchange differences arising on translation are recognised in the income statement.

(f)  Intangible assets
The Group’s only intangible assets relate to software and the costs of its implementation which is measured at cost less accumulated 
amortisation and accumulated impairment losses. Subsequent expenditure is capitalised only when it increases the future economic 
benefits embodied in the specific asset to which it relates. All other expenditure is recognised in the income statement as incurred.

Amortisation is recognised in the income statement on a straight-line basis over the estimated useful lives of intangible assets from the 
date that they are available for use. The estimated useful lives for the current and comparative periods are five years. 

Assets in the course of development are re-categorised and amortisation commences when the assets are available for use.

(g)  Property, plant and equipment
(i)  Owned assets

Items of property, plant and equipment are stated at cost or deemed cost less accumulated depreciation (see below) and 
impairment losses (see accounting policy (k)). The cost of self-constructed assets includes the cost of materials, direct labour and 
an appropriate proportion of production overheads.

(ii)  Subsequent costs

The cost of replacing a component of an item of property, plant and equipment is recognised in the carrying amount of the item if 
it is probable that the future economic benefits embodied within the component will flow to the Group, and its costs can be 
measured reliably. The carrying value of the replaced component is derecognised. The costs of the day-to-day servicing of 
property, plant and equipment are recognised in the income statement as incurred.

(iii) Depreciation
  Depreciation is provided so as to write off the cost (less residual value) of each item of property, plant and equipment during its 

expected useful life using the straight-line method over the following periods:

Freehold and long leasehold buildings

40 years

Short leasehold properties

10 years or length of lease if shorter

Plant, machinery, equipment, vehicles, fixtures and fittings

3 to 10 years

Freehold land is not depreciated.

  Depreciation methods, useful lives and residual values (if not insignificant) are reassessed annually.

(iv) Assets in the course of construction

These assets are re-categorised and depreciation commences when the assets are available for use.

(h)  Investments
Non-current investments comprise investments in subsidiaries and associates which are carried at cost less impairment.

Current investments comprise fixed-term fixed-rate bank deposits where the term is greater than three months.

(i)  Inventories
Inventories are stated at the lower of cost and net realisable value. Net realisable value is the estimated selling price in the ordinary 
course of business, less the estimated costs of completion and selling expenses. The cost of inventories includes expenditure incurred 
in acquiring the inventories and direct production labour costs.

84

Greggs plc Annual Report and Accounts 2016

 
 
 
 
(j)  Cash and cash equivalents
Cash and cash equivalents comprises cash balances and call deposits with an original maturity of three months or less. Bank overdrafts 
that are repayable on demand and form an integral part of the Group’s cash management are included as a component of cash and 
cash equivalents for the purpose of the statement of cash flows.

(k)  Impairment
The carrying amounts of the Group and Company’s assets, other than inventories and deferred tax assets, are reviewed at each 
balance sheet date to determine whether there is any indication of impairment. If any such indication exists, the asset’s recoverable 
amount is estimated. Impairment reviews are carried out on an individual shop basis unless there are a number of shops in the same 
location, in which case the impairment review is based on the location.

An impairment loss is recognised whenever the carrying amount of an asset exceeds its recoverable amount. Impairment losses are 
recognised in the income statement. Impairment losses recognised in prior years are assessed at each reporting date and reversed if 
there has been a change in the estimates used to determine the recoverable amount. An impairment loss is reversed only to the 
extent that the asset’s carrying amount does not exceed the carrying amount that would have been determined, net of depreciation, if 
no impairment loss had been recognised.

(l)  Non-current assets held for sale
Non-current assets that are expected to be recovered primarily through sale rather than through continuing use are classified as held 
for sale. Immediately before classification as held for sale, the assets are re-measured in accordance with the Group and Company’s 
accounting policies. Thereafter generally the assets are measured at the lower of their carrying amount and fair value less cost to sell. 
Once classified as held for sale assets are no longer depreciated or amortised.

(m) Share capital and reserves
(i)  Re-purchase of share capital
  When share capital recognised as equity is re-purchased, the amount of the consideration paid, including directly attributable 
costs, is recognised as a deduction from equity. Re-purchased shares that are held in the employee share ownership plan are 
classified as treasury shares and are presented as a deduction from total equity.

(ii)  Dividends
  Dividends are recognised as a liability when the Company has an obligation to pay and the dividend is no longer at the 

Company’s discretion.

(iii) Distributable reserves

All retained earnings are distributable and are the only such reserves.

(n)  Employee share ownership plan
The Group and Parent Company accounts include the assets and related liabilities of the Greggs Employee Benefit Trust (EBT).  
In both the Group and Parent Company accounts the shares held by the EBT are stated at cost and deducted from total equity.

(o)  Employee benefits
(i)  Short-term employee benefits

Short-term employee benefits are expensed as the related service is provided. A liability is recognised for the amount expected to 
be paid if the Group has a present legal or constructive obligation to pay this amount as a result of past service provided by the 
employee and the obligation can be measured reliably.

(ii)  Defined contribution plans
  Obligations for contributions to defined contribution pension plans are recognised as an expense in the income statement when 

they are due.

(iii) Defined benefit plans

The Company’s net obligation in respect of defined benefit pension plans is calculated by estimating the amount of future benefit 
that employees have earned in return for their service in the current and prior periods; that benefit is discounted to determine its 
present value, and the fair value of any plan assets (at bid price) is deducted. The Company determines the net interest on the net 
defined benefit asset/liability for the period by applying the discount rate used to measure the defined benefit obligation at the 
beginning of the annual period to the net defined benefit asset/liability.

The discount rate is the yield at the reporting date on bonds that have a credit rating of at least AA, that have maturity dates 
approximating to the terms of the Company’s obligations and that are denominated in the currency in which the benefits are 
expected to be paid.

Greggs plc Annual Report and Accounts 2016

85

Accounts 
 
 
 
NOTES TO THE CONSOLIDATED ACCOUNTS CONTINUED

Significant accounting policies continued
(o)  Employee benefits continued
(iii) Defined benefit plans continued

Re-measurements arising from defined benefit plans comprise actuarial gains and losses and the return on plan assets (excluding 
interest). The Company recognises them immediately in other comprehensive income and all other expenses related to defined 
benefit plans in employee benefit expenses in the income statement.

  When the benefits of a plan are changed, or when a plan is curtailed, the portion of the changed benefit related to past service by 

employees, or the gain or loss on curtailment, is recognised immediately in profit or loss when the plan amendment or curtailment occurs.

The calculation of the defined benefit obligation is performed by a qualified actuary using the projected unit credit method. When 
the calculation results in a benefit to the Company, the recognised asset is limited to the present value of benefits available in the 
form of any future refunds from the plan or reductions in future contributions and takes into account the adverse effect of any 
minimum funding requirements.

(iv) Share-based payment transactions

The share option programme allows Group employees to acquire shares of the Company. The fair value of share options granted is 
recognised as an employee expense with a corresponding increase in equity. The fair value is measured at grant date, using an 
appropriate model, taking into account the terms and conditions upon which the share options were granted, and is spread over 
the period during which the employees become unconditionally entitled to the options. The amount recognised as an expense is 
adjusted to reflect the actual number of share options that vest except where forfeiture is only due to share prices not achieving 
the threshold for vesting.

(v)  Termination benefits

Termination benefits are expensed at the earlier of the date at which the Group can no longer withdraw the offer of these benefits 
and the date at which the Group recognises costs for a restructuring. If benefits are not expected to be settled wholly within 12 
months of the reporting date they are discounted.

(p)  Provisions
A provision is recognised if, as a result of a past event, the Group has a present legal or constructive obligation that can be estimated 
reliably and it is probable that an outflow of economic benefits will be required to settle the obligation. Provisions are determined by 
discounting the expected future cash flows at a pre-tax rate that reflects current market assessments of the time value of money and 
the risks specific to the liability.

(i)  Restructuring

A provision for restructuring is recognised when the Group has approved a detailed and formal restructuring plan, and the 
restructuring either has commenced or has been announced publicly. Future operating costs are not provided for.

(ii)  Onerous leases

Provisions for onerous leases are recognised when the Group believes that the unavoidable costs of meeting the lease obligations 
exceed the economic benefits expected to be received under the lease. Before a provision is established the Group recognises 
any impairment loss on the associated assets.

(iii) Dilapidations

Provisions for dilapidations are recognised on a lease-by-lease basis and are based on the Group’s best estimate of the likely 
committed cash outflow.

(q)  Revenue
(i)  Retail sales

Revenue from the sale of goods is recognised as income on receipt of cash or card payment. Revenue is measured net of 
discounts, promotions and value added taxation.

(ii)  Franchise sales

Franchise sales are recognised when goods are dispatched to franchisees. Additional franchise royalty fee income, generally 
calculated as a percentage of gross sales income, is recognised on an accruals basis in accordance with the relevant agreement. 
Pre-opening capital fit-out costs are recharged to the franchisee and represent a key performance obligation of the overall 
franchise sales agreement. These recharges are recognised as income on completion of the related fit-out. 

86

Greggs plc Annual Report and Accounts 2016

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
(iii) Wholesale sales
  Wholesale sales are recognised when goods are dispatched to customers.

(iv) Loyalty programme/gift cards

Amounts received for gift cards or as part of the loyalty programme are deferred. They are recognised as revenue when the Group has 
fulfilled its obligation to supply products under the terms of the programme or when it is no longer probable that these amounts will be 
redeemed. No adjustment is made to revenue to reflect the fair value of the free items provided under the loyalty scheme as these 
would be immaterial to the accounts. The costs of these free items are expensed as the products are provided to the customer.

(r)  Government grants
Government grants are recognised in the balance sheet initially as deferred income when there is a reasonable assurance that they will 
be received and that the Group will comply with the conditions attaching to them. Grants that compensate the Group for expenses 
incurred are recognised in the income statement on a systematic basis in the same periods in which the expenses are incurred. Grants 
that compensate the Group for the cost of an asset are recognised in the income statement over the useful life of the asset.

(s)  Operating lease payments
Payments under operating leases are recognised in the income statement on a straight-line basis over the term of the lease. Lease 
incentives received are recognised in the income statement as an integral part of the total lease expense over the term of the lease.

(t)  Finance income and expense
Interest income or expense is recognised using the effective interest method.

(u)  Income tax
Income tax comprises current and deferred tax. Income tax is recognised in the income statement except to the extent that it relates 
to items recognised directly in equity, in which case it is recognised in equity.

Current tax is the expected tax payable on the taxable profit for the year, using 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 profit as reported in the income 
statement because some items of income or expense are taxable or deductible in different years or may never be taxable or deductible.

Deferred tax is the tax expected to be payable or recoverable in the future arising from temporary differences between the carrying 
amounts of assets and liabilities for financial reporting purposes and the amounts used in the calculation of taxable profit. It is 
accounted for using the balance sheet liability method. The amount of deferred tax recognised is based on the expected manner of 
realisation or settlement of the carrying amounts of assets and liabilities, using tax rates that are expected to apply when the 
temporary differences reverse, based on rates enacted or substantively enacted at the balance sheet date.

Deferred tax is not recognised for the following temporary differences: the initial recognition of assets or liabilities in a transaction that 
is not a business combination and that affects neither accounting nor taxable profit, and differences relating to investments in 
subsidiaries to the extent that it is probable that they will not reverse in the foreseeable future.

A deferred tax asset is recognised only to the extent that it is probable that future taxable profits will be available against which the 
asset can be utilised. Deferred tax assets are reviewed at each reporting date and are reduced to the extent that it is no longer 
probable that the related deferred tax benefit will be realised.

(v)  Research and development
The Company continuously strives to improve its products and processes through technical and other innovation. Such expenditure is 
typically expensed to the income statement as the related intellectual property is not capable of being formalised and does not always 
have distinguishable research and development phases.

(w)  IFRSs available for early adoption not yet applied
The following standards and amendments to standards which will be relevant to the Group were available for early adoption but have 
not been applied in these accounts:
 – IFRS 9 Financial Instruments (effective date 1 January 2018) 
 – IFRS 15 Revenue from Contract with Customers (effective date 1 January 2018) 

None of these standards and amendments is expected to have a significant impact on the accounts when they are adopted.

Although not yet endorsed by the EU, the Group is assessing the impact of IFRS 16 Leases (effective date 1 January 2019). The Group 
has not yet quantified the impact of the adoption of this standard, but anticipates that, in view of the significant number of property 
leases held by the Group, this will have a material effect on the accounts. 

Greggs plc Annual Report and Accounts 2016

87

Accounts 
NOTES TO THE CONSOLIDATED ACCOUNTS CONTINUED

1. Segmental analysis
The Board is considered to be the ‘chief operating decision maker’ of the Group in the context of the IFRS 8 definition. In addition to 
its retail activities, the Group generates revenues from franchise and wholesale. However, these elements of the business are not 
sufficiently significant to be ‘Reportable Segments’ in the context of IFRS 8. 

Products and services – the Group sells a consistent range of fresh bakery goods, sandwiches and drinks in its shops. The Group also 
provides frozen bakery products to its wholesale customers.

Major customers – the majority of sales are made to the general public on a cash basis.  A small proportion of sales are made on credit 
to certain organisations, including wholesale customers, but these are immaterial in a Group context.

Geographical areas – all results arise in the UK.

The Board has carefully considered the requirements of IFRS 8 and concluded that, as there is only one reportable segment whose 
revenue, profits, assets and liabilities are measured and reported on a consistent basis with the Group accounts, no additional 
numerical disclosures are necessary.

2. Financial risk management
Credit risk
Credit risk is the risk of financial loss to the Group if a customer or counterparty to a financial instrument fails to meet its contractual 
obligations.

Retail sales represent a large proportion of the Group’s sales and present no credit risk as they are made for cash or card payments. 
The Group does offer credit terms on sales to its wholesale and franchise customers. In such cases the Group operates effective credit 
control procedures in order to minimise exposure to overdue debts.

Counterparty risk is also considered low. All of the Group’s surplus cash is held with highly-rated banks, in line with Group policy.

Liquidity risk
Liquidity risk is the risk that the Group will not be able to meet its financial obligations as they fall due.

The Group operates with net current liabilities and is therefore reliant on the continued strong performance of the retail portfolio to 
meet its short-term liabilities. This is a well-established and proven business model. Any increase in short-term liquidity risk can be 
mitigated by reducing capital expenditure. The model has been tested in various scenarios for the Group’s viability statement which  
is included in the strategic report on page 41. The Group had significant cash resources at the year end. 

Market risk
Market risk is the risk that changes in market prices, such as foreign exchange rates, interest rates and equity prices will affect the 
Group’s income or the value of its holdings of financial instruments.

Market risk is not significant and therefore sensitivity analysis would not be meaningful.

Currency risk
The Group has no regular transactions in foreign currency although there are occasional purchases, mainly of capital items, 
denominated in foreign currency. Whilst certain costs such as electricity and wheat can be influenced by movements in the US dollar, 
actual contracts are priced in sterling. In respect of those key costs which are volatile, such as electricity and flour, the price may be 
fixed for a period of time in line with Group policy. All such contracts are for the Group’s own expected usage.

88

Greggs plc Annual Report and Accounts 2016

Interest rate risk
The Group has low exposure to interest rate risk. Interest only arises on its bank deposits and overdrafts and the defined benefit 
pension scheme liability. Net financial expense in the year was £26,000 (2015: £85,000).

Equity price risk
The Group has no equity investments other than its subsidiaries and associate. As disclosed in Note 20 the Group’s defined benefit 
pension scheme has investments in equity-related funds.

Capital management 
The Board defines capital as the equity of the Group.  The Group has remained net cash positive with funding requirements met by 
cash generated from retail operations. The Board considers that it is not currently appropriate to take on structural debt given the 
inherent leverage of the leasehold shop estate and working capital requirements. The Board’s policy on dividend levels is to pursue  
a progressive dividend policy that pays due regard to the growth of earnings per share over the medium term, the cash-generative 
nature of the business and the continuing determination to deliver value to shareholders. The Board would expect to return any 
material level of surplus capital to shareholders, likely by way of a special dividend.

The Board reserves the option to purchase its own shares in the market dependent on market prices and surplus cash levels.  
The trustees of the Greggs Employee Benefit Trust also purchase shares for future satisfaction of employee share options.

Financial instruments
Group and Parent Company
All of the Group’s surplus cash is invested as cash placed on deposit or fixed-term deposits.

The Group’s treasury policy has as its principal objective the achievement of the maximum rate of return on cash balances whilst 
maintaining an acceptable level of risk. Other than mentioned below there are no financial instruments, derivatives or commodity 
contracts used.

Financial assets and liabilities
The Group’s main financial assets comprise cash and cash equivalents and fixed-term deposits. Other financial assets include trade 
receivables arising from the Group’s activities.

Other than trade and other payables, the Group had no financial liabilities within the scope of IAS 39 as at 31 December 2016 
(2015: £nil).

Fair values
The fair value of the Group’s financial assets and liabilities is not materially different from their carrying values. Financial assets and 
liabilities comprise principally of trade receivables and trade payables and the only interest-bearing balances are the bank deposits 
and borrowings which attract interest at variable rates.

Interest rate, credit and foreign currency risk
The Group has not entered into any hedging transactions during the year and considers interest rate, credit and foreign currency risks 
not to be significant.

Greggs plc Annual Report and Accounts 2016

89

AccountsNOTES TO THE CONSOLIDATED ACCOUNTS CONTINUED

3. Profit before tax
Profit before tax is stated after charging/(crediting):

Amortisation of intangible assets
Depreciation on owned property, plant and equipment
Impairment of owned property, plant and equipment
Loss on disposal of fixed assets 
Release of government grants
Payments under operating leases – property rents
Research and development expenditure
Auditor’s remuneration: 
Audit of these accounts
Audit of pension schemes’ accounts
Other services – tax compliance
Other services – tax advisory
All other services

2016 
£’000 

2,100 
43,453 
488 
2,476 
(472)
48,335 
325

150 
10 
– 
3 
15 

2015 
£’000 

454 
39,687 
66 
2,952 
(484)
46,173 
320 

140 
7 
21 
12 
12 

Amounts paid to the Company’s auditor in respect of services to the Company, other than the audit of the Company’s accounts, have 
not been disclosed as the information is required instead to be presented on a consolidated basis.

4. Exceptional items

Cost of sales

Supply chain restructuring  – redundancy costs
– asset-related costs
– other contractual obligations
– dilapidations

Prior year items

Distribution and selling

Supply chain restructuring  – redundancy costs

Prior year items

– transfer of operations
– property related

Administrative expenses

Restructuring of support functions
Prior year items

– restructuring of support functions

Total exceptional items

2016 
£’000 

2015 
£’000 

3,028 
1,852 
44 
(557)

4,367

1,108 
356 
(870)

594 

391 
(175)

216 

5,177 

– 
– 
–
– 

– 
–
– 

– 

– 
–

– 

– 

Supply chain restructuring
This charge arises from the decision, announced in March 2016, to invest in and reshape the Company’s supply chain in order to 
support future growth. The costs relate to the closure of three bakery sites and include redundancy and other employment-related 
costs, asset write-offs, impairment and transfer, and other contractual obligations that arise as a result of the closure of the sites.

Restructuring of support functions
This charge relates to redundancy costs arising from the restructuring of bakery administration and payroll functions.

Prior year items
These relate to the movement on costs treated as exceptional in prior years and arise from the settlement of various property  
and redundancy transactions.

90

Greggs plc Annual Report and Accounts 2016

5. Personnel expenses
The average number of persons employed by the Group (including Directors) during the year was as follows:

Management
Administration
Production
Shop

The aggregate costs of these persons were as follows:

Wages and salaries
Compulsory social security contributions
Pension costs – defined contribution plans
Equity-settled transactions (including employer’s NI costs)

2016 
Number 

720 
464 
3,028 
16,369 

20,581 

2015 
Number 

713 
454 
3,029 
15,651 

19,847 

Note

2016 
£’000 

2015 
£’000 

301,105  280,559 
19,485 
10,302 
3,662 

22,022 
11,886 
1,873 

336,886  314,008 

20

20

In addition to wages and salaries, the total amount accrued under the Group’s employee profit sharing scheme is contained within the 
main cost categories as follows:

Cost of sales
Distribution and selling costs
Administrative expenses

2016 
£’000 

2,289 
5,458 
1,056 

8,803 

2015 
£’000 

2,107 
5,025 
974 

8,106 

For the purposes of IAS 24 ‘Related Party Disclosures’, key management personnel comprises the Directors and their remuneration 
was as follows:

Salaries and fees
Taxable benefits
Annual bonus (including profit share)
Post-retirement benefits
Share-based payments

2016 
£’000 

1,426 
43 
1,004 
181 
739 

3,393 

2015 
£’000 

1,388 
40 
1,056 
183 
1,394 

4,061 

The aggregate amount of gains made on exercise of share options by the Directors was £1,982,000 (2015: £1,195,000). The number of 
Directors in the defined contribution pension scheme and in the defined benefit pension scheme was two (2015: two).

6. Finance expense

Interest income on cash balances
Foreign exchange (loss)/gain 
Net interest related to defined benefit obligation 

Note

20

2016 
£’000 

173 
(49)
(150)

(26)

2015 
£’000 

198 
24 
(307)

(85)

Greggs plc Annual Report and Accounts 2016

91

AccountsNOTES TO THE CONSOLIDATED ACCOUNTS CONTINUED

7. Profit attributable to Greggs plc
Of the Group profit for the year, £57,967,000 (2015: £57,548,000) is dealt with in the accounts of the Parent Company. The Company has 
taken advantage of the exemption permitted by section 408 of the Companies Act 2006 from presenting its own income statement.

8. Income tax expense
Recognised in the income statement

Current tax 
Current year
Adjustment for prior years

Deferred tax 
Origination and reversal of temporary differences
Reduction in tax rate
Adjustment for prior years

Total income tax expense in income statement

2016
Excluding 
exceptional 
items
£’000 

2016
Exceptional 
items
 £’000 

2016
Total
 £’000 

2015
Total 
 £’000 

18,716 
(946)

17,770 

(767)
– 

17,949 
(946)

(767)

17,003 

(342)
239 
397 

294 

(148)
– 
– 

(148)

(490)
239 
397 

146 

18,064 

(915)

17,149 

17,970 
(530)

17,440 

(1,038)
(254)
(720)

(2,012)

15,428 

Reconciliation of effective tax rate
The tables below explain the differences between the expected tax expense calculated at the UK statutory rate of 20 per cent (2015: 
20.25 per cent) and the actual tax expense for each year for both the total tax expense and the underlying tax expense, excluding the 
effect of exceptional items.

Total tax expense

Profit before tax

Income tax using the domestic corporation tax rate
Expenses not deductible for tax purposes
Non-tax-deductible depreciation
Loss on disposal of non-tax-deductible assets
Impact of reduction in deferred tax rate
Adjustment for prior years

Total income tax expense in income statement

Underlying tax expense (excluding exceptional items)

Profit before tax

Income tax using the domestic corporation tax rate
Expenses not deductible for tax purposes
Non-tax-deductible depreciation
Loss on disposal of non-tax-deductible assets
Impact of reduction in deferred tax rate
Adjustment for prior years

Total income tax expense in income statement

92

Greggs plc Annual Report and Accounts 2016

2016 

20.0% 
0.9% 
2.1% 
0.1% 
0.4% 
(0.7%)

2016 
£’000 

75,142 

15,028 
697 
1,554 
93 
326 
(549)

2015 

20.25% 
0.95% 
1.7% 
0.1% 
(0.2%)
(1.7%)

2015 
£’000 

73,028 

14,788 
698 
1,263 
53 
(124) 
(1,250)

22.8% 

17,149 

21.1% 

15,428 

2016 

20.0% 
0.9% 
1.8% 
0.1% 
0.4% 
(0.7%)

2016 
£’000 

80,319 

16,064 
697 
1,473 
80 
299 
(549)

2015 

20.25% 
0.95% 
1.7% 
0.1% 
(0.2%)
(1.7%)

2015 
£’000 

73,028 

14,788 
698 
1,263 
53 
(124) 
(1,250)

22.5% 18,064 

21.1% 

15,428 

Reductions in the rate of corporation tax from 20 per cent to 19 per cent with effect from 1 April 2017 and from 19 per cent to 17 per cent 
with effect from 1 April 2020 were substantively enacted on 26 October 2015 and 6 September 2016 respectively. Any timing differences 
which reverse before 1 April 2017 will be charged/credited at 20 per cent, any timing differences which reverse between 1 April 2017 and 
1 April 2020 will do so at 19 per cent and any timing differences which exist at 1 April 2020 will reverse at 17 per cent.

Tax recognised in other comprehensive income or directly in equity

Debit/(Credit):
Relating to equity-settled transactions
Relating to defined benefit plan – re-measurement (losses)/gains

2016
Current tax
£’000

2016
Deferred tax
£’000

2016
Total
£’000

–
–

–

5,128
(3,194)

5,128
(3,194)

1,934

1,934

2015
Total
£’000

(5,242)
885

(4,357)

The deferred tax charge in the year relating to equity-settled transactions is in respect of share-based payments and arises primarily as 
a result of the fall in share price in the year and the stage of maturity of existing schemes.

9. Earnings per share 
Basic earnings per share
Basic earnings per share for the 52 weeks ended 31 December 2016 is calculated by dividing profit attributable to ordinary 
shareholders by the weighted average number of ordinary shares outstanding during the 52 weeks ended 31 December 2016 
as calculated below.

Diluted earnings per share
Diluted earnings per share for the 52 weeks ended 31 December 2016 is calculated by dividing profit attributable to ordinary shareholders 
by the weighted average number of ordinary shares, adjusted for the effects of all dilutive potential ordinary shares (which comprise share 
options granted to employees) outstanding during the 52 weeks ended 31 December 2016 as calculated below.

Profit attributable to ordinary shareholders

Profit for the financial year attributable to equity holders of the Parent

Basic earnings per share
Diluted earnings per share 

Weighted average number of ordinary shares

Issued ordinary shares at start of year
Effect of own shares held

Weighted average number of ordinary shares during the year
Effect of share options on issue

Weighted average number of ordinary shares (diluted) during the year

2016 
Excluding 
exceptional 
items 
£’000 

2016 
Exceptional 
items 
£’000 

2016 
Total 
£’000 

62,255

(4,262)

57,993

62.0p 
60.8p 

(4.2p)
(4.1p)

57.8p 
56.7p 

2015 
Total 
£’000 

57,600 

57.3p 
55.8p 

2016
Number

2015 
Number 

101,155,901 101,155,901 
(551,314)

(710,295)

100,445,606  100,604,587 
2,616,364 

1,921,344 

102,366,950  103,220,951 

Greggs plc Annual Report and Accounts 2016

93

Accounts 
NOTES TO THE CONSOLIDATED ACCOUNTS CONTINUED

10. Intangible assets
Group and Parent Company

Cost
Balance at 4 January 2015
Additions

Balance at 2 January 2016

Balance at 3 January 2016
Additions
Transfers

Balance at 31 December 2016

Amortisation
Balance at 4 January 2015
Amortisation charge for the year

Balance at 2 January 2016

Balance at 3 January 2016
Amortisation charge for the year

Balance at 31 December 2016

Carrying amounts
At 4 January 2015

At 2 January 2016

At 3 January 2016

At 31 December 2016

Software
£’000 

Assets under 
development
£’000 

Total
£’000 

2,532 
– 

2,532 

2,532 
5,961 
7,968 

2,992 
5,981 

5,524 
5,981 

8,973 

11,505 

8,973 
145 
(7,968)

11,505 
6,106 
– 

16,461 

1,150 

17,611 

803 
454 

1,257 

1,257 
2,100 

3,357 

1,729 

1,275 

– 
– 

– 

– 
– 

– 

803 
454 

1,257 

1,257 
2,100 

3,357 

2,992 

4,721 

8,973 

10,248 

1,275 

8,973 

10,248 

13,104 

1,150 

14,254 

Assets under development relate to software projects arising from the investment in new systems platforms.

94

Greggs plc Annual Report and Accounts 2016

11. Property, plant and equipment
Group

Cost
Balance at 4 January 2015
Additions
Disposals

Balance at 2 January 2016

Balance at 3 January 2016
Additions
Disposals
Transfers

Balance at 31 December 2016

Depreciation
Balance at 4 January 2015
Depreciation charge for the year
Impairment charge for the year
Impairment release for the year
Disposals

Balance at 2 January 2016

Balance at 3 January 2016
Depreciation charge for the year
Impairment charge for the year
Impairment release for the year
Disposals

Balance at 31 December 2016

Carrying amounts
At 4 January 2015

At 2 January 2016

At 3 January 2016

At 31 December 2016

Land and 
buildings 
£’000 

Plant and 
equipment 
£’000 

Fixtures 
and  fittings 
£’000 

Assets under
construction
£’000 

Total 
£’000 

127,963
70
(1,034)

123,619
9,265
(3,120)

250,724
45,510
(28,527)

278
10,890
–

502,584
65,735
(32,681)

126,999

129,764

267,707

11,168

535,638

126,999 129,764 267,707
50,724
13,446
(29,898)
(9,083)
–
2,094

7,710
(3,427)
9,075

11,168 535,638
74,315
(42,408)
–

2,435
–
(11,169)

140,357 136,221 288,533

2,434 567,545

34,092
2,772
–
–
(845)

79,762
10,544
133
–
(2,789)

126,011
26,371
537
(604)
(24,509)

36,019

87,650

127,806

36,019
2,949
436
–
(1,423)

87,650 127,806
29,254
11,250
624 
–
(572)
–
(25,402)
(8,409)

37,981

90,491 131,710

–
–
–
–
–

–

239,865
39,687
670
(604)
(28,143)

251,475

– 251,475
43,453
–
1,060 
–
(572)
–
(35,234)
–

– 260,182

93,871

43,857

124,713

278

262,719

90,980

42,114

139,901

11,168

284,163

90,980

42,114 139,901

11,168 284,163

102,376

45,730 156,823

2,434 307,363

Assets are reviewed for impairment on a regular basis and provision made where necessary. For shop assets a discounted cashflow is 
calculated for each shop using historic cashflows including attributable overheads, a zero per cent growth rate, the Group’s cost of 
capital of ten per cent, as an approximation to that for each individual unit, and an appropriate assumption regarding the remaining 
lease term. The net book value of the relevant assets attributable to the shop is impaired to the extent that the net present value of 
the cashflows is lower than the net book value. Supply chain assets are impaired to their estimated net realisable value.

Greggs plc Annual Report and Accounts 2016

95

AccountsNOTES TO THE CONSOLIDATED ACCOUNTS CONTINUED

11. Property, plant and equipment continued
Parent Company

Cost
Balance at 4 January 2015
Additions
Disposals

Balance at 2 January 2016

Balance at 3 January 2016
Additions
Disposals
Transfers

Balance at 31 December 2016

Depreciation
Balance at 4 January 2015
Depreciation charge for the year
Impairment charge for the year
Impairment release for the year
Disposals

Balance at 2 January 2016

Balance at 3 January 2016
Depreciation charge for the year
Impairment charge for the year
Impairment release for the year
Disposals

Balance at 31 December 2016

Carrying amounts
At 4 January 2015

At 2 January 2016

At 3 January 2016

At 31 December 2016

Land and buildings
The carrying amount of land and buildings comprises:

Freehold property
Long leasehold property
Short leasehold property

96

Greggs plc Annual Report and Accounts 2016

Land and
buildings
£’000

Plant and
equipment
£’000

Fixtures
and fittings
£’000

Assets under
construction
£’000

Total
£’000

128,473
70
(1,034)

124,152
9,265
(3,120)

251,212
45,510
(28,527)

278
10,890
–

504,115
65,735
(32,681)

127,509

130,297

268,195

11,168

537,169

127,509 130,297 268,195
50,724
13,446
(29,898)
(9,083)
–
2,094

7,710
(3,427)
9,075

11,168 537,169
74,315
(42,408)
–

2,435
–
(11,169)

140,867 136,754 289,021

2,434 569,076

34,369
2,772
–
–
(845)

80,032
10,544
133
–
(2,789)

126,402
26,371
537
(604)
(24,509)

36,296

87,920

128,197

36,296
2,949
436
–
(1,423)

87,920 128,197
29,254
11,250
624 
–
(572)
–
(25,402)
(8,409)

38,258

90,761 132,101

–
–
–
–
–

–

240,803
39,687
670
(604)
(28,143)

252,413

– 252,413
43,453
–
1,060 
–
(572)
–
(35,234)
–

– 261,120

94,104

44,120

124,810

278

263,312

91,213

42,377

139,998

11,168

284,756

91,213

42,377 139,998

11,168 284,756

102,609

45,993 156,920

2,434 307,956

Group

Parent Company

2016
£’000

2015
£’000

2016
£’000

100,725
–
1,651

102,376

3
197

90,780 100,958
–
1,651
90,980 102,609

2015
£’000

91,013
3
197

91,213

12. Investments
Non-current investments
Parent Company

Cost
Balance at 4 January 2015, 2 January 2016 and 31 December 2016

Impairment
Balance at 4 January 2015, 2 January 2016 and 31 December 2016

Carrying amount
Balance at 4 January 2015, 2 January 2016, 3 January 2016 and 31 December 2016

Shares in
subsidiary 
undertakings 
£’000 

5,828 

841 

4,987 

The undertakings in which the Company’s interest at the year end is more than 20 per cent are as follows:

Principal activity

Address of registered office

Proportion of voting rights 
and shares held

Charles Bragg (Bakers) Limited
Greggs (Leasing) Limited
Thurston Parfitt Limited
Greggs Properties Limited
Olivers (U.K.) Limited
Olivers (U.K.) Development Limited*
Birketts Holdings Limited
J.R. Birkett and Sons Limited*
Greggs Trustees Limited
Solstice Zone A Management Company Limited

*  Held indirectly.

Non-trading
Dormant
Non-trading
Property holding
Dormant
Non-trading
Dormant
Non-trading
Trustees
Non-trading

1  Greggs House, Quorum Business Park, Newcastle upon Tyne, Newcastle NE12 8BU.
2  Clydesmill Bakery, 75 Westburn Drive, Clydesmill Estate, Cambuslang, Glasgow G72 7NA.
3  The Abbey, Preston,  Yeovil, Somerset BA20 2EN.

1
1
1
1
2
2
1
1
1
3

100%
100%
100%
100%
100%
100%
100%
100%
100%
28%

Solstice Zone A Management Company Limited was not consolidated on the grounds of materiality.

The Company’s subsidiary undertakings listed above were all entitled to exemption, under subsections (1) and (2) of section 480 of 
Companies Act 2006 relating to dormant companies, from the requirement to have their accounts audited.

13. Deferred tax assets and liabilities
Group
Deferred tax assets and liabilities are attributable to the following:

Property, plant and equipment
Employee benefits
Short-term temporary differences

Tax assets/(liabilities)

Assets

Liabilities

Net

2016
£’000 

– 
6,397 
48 

6,445 

2015 
£’000 

– 
8,878 
32 

8,910

2016 
£’000 

(4,695)
– 
– 

(4,695)

2015 
£’000 

(5,080)
– 
–

(5,080)

2016 
£’000 

(4,695)
6,397 
48 

1,750 

2015 
£’000 

(5,080)
8,878 
32 

3,830 

Greggs plc Annual Report and Accounts 2016

97

AccountsNOTES TO THE CONSOLIDATED ACCOUNTS CONTINUED

13. Deferred tax assets and liabilities continued
Group continued
The movements in temporary differences during the year ended 2 January 2016 were as follows:

Property, plant and equipment
Employee benefits
Short-term temporary differences

Balance at 
4 January 2015 
£’000

Recognised 
in income 
£’000

Recognised 
in equity 
£’000

Balance at  
2 January 2016 
£’000 

(7,054)
4,034 
481 

(2,539)

1,974 
487 
(449)

2,012 

–
4,357 
– 

4,357 

(5,080)
8,878 
32 

3,830 

The movements in temporary differences during the year ended 31 December 2016 were as follows:

Property, plant and equipment
Employee benefits
Short-term temporary differences

Parent Company
Deferred tax assets and liabilities are attributable to the following:

Property, plant and equipment
Employee benefits
Short-term temporary differences

Tax assets/(liabilities)

Balance at 
3 January 2016 
£’000 

Recognised 
in income 
£’000 

Recognised 
in equity 
£’000 

(5,080)
8,878 
32 

3,830 

385 
(547)
16 

(146)

– 
(1,934)
– 

(1,934)

Balance at  
31 December 
2016  
£’000 

(4,695)
6,397 
48 

1,750 

Assets

Liabilities

Net

2016 
£’000 

– 
6,397 
48 

6,445 

2015 
£’000 

– 
8,878 
32 

8,910 

2016 
£’000 

(4,246)
– 
– 

(4,246)

2015 
£’000 

(4,605)
– 
– 

(4,605)

2016 
£’000 

(4,246)
6,397 
48 

2,199

2015 
£’000 

(4,605)
8,878 
32 

4,305 

The movements in temporary differences during the year ended 2 January 2016 were as follows:

Property, plant and equipment
Employee benefits
Short-term temporary differences

Balance at  
4 January 2015 
£’000 

Recognised 
in income 
£’000 

Recognised 
in equity 
£’000 

Balance at 
2 January 2016 
£’000 

(6,527)
4,034 
481 

(2,012)

1,922 
487 
(449)

1,960 

– 
4,357 
– 

4,357 

(4,605)
8,878 
32 

4,305 

The movements in temporary differences during the year ended 31 December 2016 were as follows:

Property, plant and equipment
Employee benefits
Short-term temporary differences

Balance at 
3 January 2016 
£’000

Recognised 
in income 
£’000 

Recognised 
in equity 
£’000

(4,605)
8,878
32

4,305 

359 
(547)
16

(172)

– 
(1,934)
–

(1,934) 

Balance at 
31 December 
2016 
£’000 

(4,246)
6,397 
48 

2,199 

98

Greggs plc Annual Report and Accounts 2016

14. Inventories

Raw materials and consumables
Work in progress

15. Trade and other receivables

Trade receivables
Other receivables
Prepayments

Group and Parent Company

2016 
£’000 

12,375 
3,559 

15,934 

2015 
£’000 

12,213 
3,231 

15,444 

Group and Parent Company

2016 
£’000 

12,250 
4,741 
13,722 

30,713 

2015 
£’000 

9,496 
4,513 
13,638 

27,647 

At 31 December 2016 trade receivables are shown net of an allowance for bad debts of £46,000 (2015: £31,000) arising in the ordinary 
course of business.

The ageing of trade receivables that were not impaired at the balance sheet date was:

Not past due date
Past due 1–30 days
Past due 31–90 days
Past due over 90 days

Group and Parent Company

2016 
£’000 

11,563 
149 
458 
80 

12,250

2015 
£’000 

6,089 
3,283 
80 
44 

9,496 

The Group believes that the unimpaired amounts that are past due by more than 30 days are still collectable in full based on historic 
payment behaviour and extensive analysis of customer credit risk. Based on the Group’s monitoring of customer credit risk, the Group 
believes that no impairment allowance is necessary in respect of trade receivables not past due.

16. Cash and cash equivalents

Cash and cash equivalents

17. Trade and other payables

Trade payables
Amounts owed to subsidiary undertakings
Other taxes and social security
Other payables
Accruals and deferred income
Deferred government grants

Group and Parent Company

2016 
£’000 

2015 
£’000 

45,960

42,915 

Group

Parent Company

2016
£’000 

49,482
–
7,143
28,744 
19,087
468

2015
£’000 

42,405
–
5,912
27,085
16,910
468

2016
£’000 

49,482
7,807
7,143
28,744 
19,087
468

2015
£’000 

42,405
7,807
5,912
27,085
16,910
468

104,924

92,780 112,731  100,587

Greggs plc Annual Report and Accounts 2016

99

AccountsNOTES TO THE CONSOLIDATED ACCOUNTS CONTINUED

18. Current tax liability
The current tax liability of £10,426,000 in the Group and the Parent Company (2015: Group and Parent Company £9,580,000) 
represents the estimated amount of income taxes payable in respect of current and prior years.

19. Non-current liabilities – other payables

Deferred government grants

Group and Parent Company

2016
£’000

5,599

2015
£’000

6,071

The Group has been awarded five government grants relating to the extension of existing facilities and construction of new facilities. 
The grants, which have all been recognised as deferred income, are being amortised over the weighted average of the useful lives of 
the assets they have been used to acquire.

20. Employee benefits
Defined benefit plan
Scheme background
The Company sponsors a funded final salary defined benefit pension plan (the ‘scheme’) for qualifying employees. The scheme was 
closed to future accrual in 2008 and all remaining employees who are still members of the scheme are now members of the Company’s 
defined contribution scheme.

The scheme is administered by a Board of Trustees which is legally separate from the Company. The Trustees are composed of 
representatives of both the employer and employees. The Trustees are required by law to act in the interest of all relevant beneficiaries 
and are responsible for the investment policy with regard to the assets plus the day-to-day administration of the benefits.

UK legislation requires that pension schemes are funded prudently. The last funding valuation of the Scheme was carried out by a 
qualified actuary as at 6 April 2014 and showed a surplus. The Company is currently not required to pay contributions into the scheme. 

Profile of the scheme
The defined benefit obligation includes benefits for deferred members and current pensioners. Broadly, two-thirds of the liabilities are 
attributable to deferred members and one-third to current pensioners.

The scheme duration is an indicator of the weighted average time until benefit payments are made. For the scheme as a whole, the 
duration is approximately 20 years.

Investment strategy
The Company and Trustees have agreed a long-term strategy for reducing investment risk as and when appropriate. This includes a 
policy to hold sufficient cash and bond assets to cover the anticipated benefit payments for at least the next five years so as to 
improve the cashflow matching of the scheme’s assets and liabilities.

Defined benefit obligation
Fair value of plan assets

Net defined benefit liability

Group and Parent Company

2016
£’000

2015
£’000

(131,373)
108,522

(102,918)
99,008

(22,851)

(3,910)

100

Greggs plc Annual Report and Accounts 2016

Liability for defined benefit obligation
Changes in the present value of the defined benefit obligation are as follows:

Opening defined benefit obligation
Interest cost
Re-measurement losses/(gains):

– changes in demographic assumptions
– changes in financial assumptions
– experience

Benefits paid

Changes in the fair value of plan assets are as follows:

Opening fair value of plan assets
Net interest on plan assets
Re-measurement gains
Benefits paid

Closing fair value of plan assets

The costs charged in the income statement are as follows:

Interest expense on net defined benefit liability

The amounts recognised in other comprehensive income are as follows:

Re-measurement (losses)/gains on defined benefit pension plan

Group and Parent Company

2016
£’000

2015
£’000

102,918
3,871

106,201
3,751

–
29,387
(699)
(4,104)

1,384
(2,519)
(1,854)
(4,045)

131,373

102,918

Group and Parent Company

2016
£’000

99,008
3,721
9,897
(4,104)

108,522

2015
£’000

97,683
3,444
1,926
(4,045)

99,008

Group

2016
£’000

150

2015
£’000

307

Group

2016
£’000

(18,791)

2015
£’000

4,915

Cumulative re-measurement gains and losses reported in the consolidated statement of comprehensive income since 28 December 
2003, the transition date to adopted IFRSs, for the Group and the Parent Company are net losses of £40,010,000 (2015: net losses  
of £21,219,000).

Greggs plc Annual Report and Accounts 2016

101

AccountsNOTES TO THE CONSOLIDATED ACCOUNTS CONTINUED

20. Employee benefits continued
Defined benefit plan continued
The fair value of the plan assets is as follows:

Equities  – UK

Bonds 

– overseas
– corporate
– government

Absolute return funds
Cash and cash equivalents/other

Principal actuarial assumptions (expressed as weighted averages):

Discount rate
Future salary increases
Future pension increases

Group and Parent Company

2016
£’000

40,239
42,740
13,747
3,606
7,280
910

108,522

2015
£’000

40,320
32,381
16,547
3,405
6,125
230

99,008

Group and Parent Company

2016

2015

2.70%
n/a

3.85%
n/a
1.7% – 2.45% 1.7% – 2.45%

Mortality assumption
Mortality in retirement is assumed to be in line with the S2PXA tables using CMI_2013 projections and a long-term rate of 1.25 per 
cent per annum. Under these assumptions, pensioners aged 65 now are expected to live for a further 22.5 years (2015: 22.5 years) if 
they are male and 24.5 years (2015: 24.4 years) if they are female. Members currently aged 45 are expected to live for a further 24.4 
years (2015: 24.3 years) from age 65 if they are male and for a further 26.5 years (2015: 26.4 years) from age 65 if they are female.

The sensitivities regarding the principal assumptions used to measure the scheme liabilities are set out below:

Discount rate
Inflation
Mortality rates

Change in assumption

Impact on scheme liabilities

0.1% increase
0.1% decrease
1 year increase

reduction of £2.8m
reduction of £1.7m
increase of £5.2m

The other demographic assumptions have been set having regard to latest trends in the scheme.

The next triennial valuation of the scheme is due to take place in April 2017. The outcome of that valuation will be considered by the 
Trustees and the Company and any requirement for future contributions to the scheme assessed at that time.

Defined contribution plans
The Company also operates defined contribution schemes for other eligible employees. The assets of the schemes are held separately 
from those of the Group. The pension cost represents contributions payable by the Group and amounted to £11,030,000 (2015: 
£10,302,000) in the year.

102

Greggs plc Annual Report and Accounts 2016

 
 
Share-based payments – Group and Parent Company
The Group has established a Savings Related Share Option Scheme, an Executive Share Option Scheme and a Performance Share Plan.

The terms and conditions of the grants for these schemes are as follows, whereby all options are settled by physical delivery of shares:

Date of grant

Employees entitled

Exercise
price

Number of 
shares granted

Vesting conditions

Contractual life

Executive Share Option 
Scheme 12

August 2006 Senior employees

407p

1,028,000

Executive Share Option 
Scheme 13

April 2008

Senior employees

457p

618,500

Executive Share Option 
Scheme 14

April 2009

Senior employees

356p

2,012,000

Performance Share  
Plan 3

March 2012

Senior executives

£nil

248,922

10 years

10 years

10 years

10 years

Three years’ service and EPS 
growth of 3-5% over RPI on 
average over those 
three years

Three years’ service and EPS 
growth of 3-5% over RPI on 
average over those 
three years

Three years’ service and EPS 
growth of 3-7% over RPI on 
average over those three 
years

Three years’ service, EPS 
annual average growth of 
3-8% over RPI over those 
three years and TSR position 
relative to an appropriate 
comparator group

Savings Related Share 
Option Scheme 13

Executive Share Option 
Scheme 16

Transitional bonus share 
award

Performance Share  
Plan 4

April 2012

All employees

468p

703,332

Three years’ service

3.5 years

March 2013

Senior employees

480p

693,000

March 2013 Chief Executive

£nil

60,000

March 2013

Senior executives

£nil

305,592

Three years’ service and EPS 
growth of 3-7% over RPI on 
average over those 
three years

10 years

Continuous service of two 
and three years

3 years

10 years

Three years’ service, EPS 
annual average growth of 
3-8% over RPI over those 
three years and TSR position 
relative to an appropriate 
comparator group

Savings Related Share 
Option Scheme 14

April 2013

All employees

414p

699,989

Three years’ service

3.5 years

Recruitment share award February 2014 Senior executive

£nil

5,517

Performance Share  
Plan 5

March 2014

Senior executives

£nil

224,599

2 years

10 years

Continuous service of  
two years

Three years’ service, EPS 
annual average growth of 
1-4% over RPI over those 
three years and average 
annual ROCE of 15.5-17% 
over those three years

Greggs plc Annual Report and Accounts 2016

103

AccountsNOTES TO THE CONSOLIDATED ACCOUNTS CONTINUED

20. Employee benefits continued
Share-based payments – Group and Parent Company continued

Date of grant

Employees entitled

Exercise
price

Number of 
shares granted

Vesting conditions

Executive Share Option 
Scheme 17

April 2014

Senior employees

500p

598,225

Three years’ service and EPS 
growth of 1-4% over RPI on 
average over those 
three years

Contractual life

10 years

April 2014

All employees

465p

696,344

Three years’ service

3.5 years

Savings Related Share 
Option Scheme 15

Executive Share Option 
Scheme 18

March 2015

Senior employees

1022p

298,045

Executive Share Option 
Scheme 18a

May 2015

Senior employee

1056p

3,285

Performance Share  
Plan 6

March 2015

Senior executives

£nil

146,174

Savings Related Share 
Option Scheme 16

Performance Share  
Plan 7

April 2015

All employees

818p

391,979

Three years’ service

3.5 years

March 2016

Senior executives

£nil

133,271

Executive Share Option 
Scheme 19

April 2016

Senior employees

1088p

235,857

Savings Related Share 
Option Scheme 17

April 2016

All employees

870p

361,853

Three years’ service

3.5 years

104

Greggs plc Annual Report and Accounts 2016

10 years

10 years

10 years

Three years’ service and EPS 
growth of 1-7% over RPI on 
average over those 
three years

Three years’ service and EPS 
growth of 1-7% over RPI on 
average over those 
three years

Three years’ service, EPS 
annual average growth of 
1-7% over RPI over those 
three years and average 
annual ROCE of 19-21.5% 
over those three years

Three years’ service, EPS 
annual average growth of 
2-8% over RPI over those 
three years and average 
annual ROCE of 22-27% over 
those three years

Three years’ service and EPS 
growth of 2-8% over RPI on 
average over those 
three years

10 years

10 years

The number and weighted average exercise price of share options is as follows:

Outstanding at the beginning of the year
Lapsed during the year
Exercised during the year
Granted during the year

Outstanding at the end of the year

Exercisable at the end of the year

2016

Weighted 
average  

exercise price

446p
662p
324p
782p

548p

399p

Number of 
options

4,033,559 
(106,112)
(1,137,020)
730,981 

3,521,408 

582,327 

2015

Weighted  
average  

exercise price

369p
291p
401p
749p

446p

365p

Number of  
options

4,333,526 
(257,187)
(882,263)
839,483 

4,033,559 

331,380 

The options outstanding at 31 December 2016 have an exercise price in the range of £nil to £10.88 and have a weighted average 
contractual life of 5.6 years. The options exercised during the year had a weighted average market value of £10.93 (2015: £11.38). 

The fair value of services received in return for share options granted is measured by reference to the fair value of share options 
granted. The estimate of the fair value of the services received is measured based on the Black-Scholes model for all Savings Related 
Share Option Schemes and Executive Share Option Schemes and for Performance Share Plan options granted from 2014 onwards. 
The Monte Carlo option pricing model was used for Performance Share Plans granted prior to 2014. The fair value per option granted 
and the assumptions used in these calculations are as follows:

Fair value at grant date

Share price
Exercise price
Expected volatility
Option life
Expected dividend yield
Risk-free rate

2016

Executive 
Share 
Option 
Scheme 19
April 2016

Savings 
Related 
Share 
Option 
Scheme 17
April 2016

2015

Performance 
Share Plan 6
March 2015

Executive 
Share 
Option 
Scheme 18
March 2015

Executive 
Share 
Option 
Scheme 18a
May 2015

Savings
Related
Share
Option
Scheme 16
April 2015

Performance 
Share Plan 7
March 2016

971p

177p

263p

971p

140p

145p

230p

1102p
nil 
29.5%
3 years
2.60%
0.55%

1088p
1088p
29.4%
3 years
2.63%
0.48%

1087p
870p
28.8%
3 years
2.66%
0.60%

1035p
nil 
23.9%
3 years
2.13%
0.69%

1022p
1022p
23.9%
3 years
2.15%
0.64%

1056p
1056p
23.8%
3 years
2.08%
0.69%

1023p
818p
23.9%
3 years
2.15%
0.76%

The expected volatility is based on historical volatility, adjusted for any expected changes to future volatility due to publicly available 
information. The historical volatility is calculated using a weekly rolling share price for the three-year period immediately prior to the 
option grant date.

The costs charged to the income statement relating to share-based payments were as follows:

Share options granted in 2012
Share options granted in 2013
Share options granted in 2014
Share options granted in 2015
Share options granted in 2016

Total expense recognised as employee costs

Group

2016 
£’000

– 
134 
639 
820 
401 

2015
£’000

91 
696 
665 
605 
– 

1,994 

2,057 

Greggs plc Annual Report and Accounts 2016

105

Accounts2015
Employee-
related
As restated 
(see page 82)
£’000

2015
Total
As restated 
(see page 82)
£’000

–

6,611

2015
Onerous 
leases
£’000

3,155

581
– 

1,605
– 

3,608
– 

NOTES TO THE CONSOLIDATED ACCOUNTS CONTINUED

21. Provisions

Group and Parent Company

2016
Dilapidations 
£’000

2016
Onerous 
leases
£’000

2016
Employee-
related 
£’000

2016
Total
£’000

2015
Dilapidations
 £’000

Balance at start of year
Additional provision in the year:

3,343

2,289

1,605

7,237

22
3,964 

2,323
4,036 

3,456

1,422
– 

– ordinary
– exceptional
Utilised in year:

– ordinary
– exceptional

Provisions reversed during the year:

– ordinary
– exceptional

Balance at end of year

Included in current liabilities
Included in non-current liabilities

1,611
72 

(426)
(209)

(586)
(562)

3,243

2,899
344

3,243

690
– 

(306)
(268)

(200)
(386)

1,819

866
953

1,819

(470)
(2,526)

(1,202)
(3,003)

(1,135)
– 

(1,059)
– 

(143)
– 

2,452

2,323
129

2,452

(929)
(948)

7,514

6,088
1,426

7,514

(400)
– 

3,343

2,632
711

3,343

(388)
– 

2,289

1,043
1,246

2,289

–
– 

–
– 

1,605

590
1,015

1,605

(2,194)
– 

(788)
– 

7,237

4,265
2,972

7,237

The provisions at the end of the year relate to ordinary or exceptional activity as follows:

Ordinary
Exceptional

2,757 
486 

1,034 
785 

1,014 
1,438 

4,805 
2,709 

3,243 

1,819 

2,452 

7,514 

2,158 
1,185 

3,343 

850 
1,439 

2,289 

1,605 
–

1,605

4,613 
2,624 

7,237 

The Group provides for property dilapidations, where appropriate, based on the future expected repair costs required to restore the 
Group’s leased buildings to their fair condition at the end of their respective lease terms, where it is considered a reliable estimate can 
be made.

The provision for onerous leases is held in respect of leasehold properties for which the Group is liable to fulfil rent and other property 
commitments for shops from which, either the Group no longer trades, or for which future trading cash flows are projected to be 
insufficient to cover these costs. Amounts have been provided for the shortfall between projected cashflows and property costs up  
to the lease expiry date or other appropriate estimated date. Included within the provision is £607,000 (2015: £704,000) in respect  
of possible recourse on leases which have been conditionally assigned.

Employee-related provisions are for redundancy costs arising from the supply chain restructuring described in Note 4 and employer’s 
national insurance costs on future share option exercises.

The majority of all of the provisions are expected to be utilised within four years such that the impact of discounting would not be material.

106

Greggs plc Annual Report and Accounts 2016

22. Capital and reserves
Share capital

In issue and fully paid at start and end of year – ordinary shares of 2p 

Ordinary shares

2016
Number

2015
Number

101,155,901 101,155,901

The holders of ordinary shares are entitled to receive dividends as declared from time to time and are entitled to one vote per share at 
meetings of the Company. 

Capital redemption reserve
The capital redemption reserve relates to the nominal value of issued share capital bought back by the Company and cancelled.

Own shares held
Deducted from retained earnings is £8,335,000 (2015: £13,998,000) in respect of own shares held by the Greggs Employee Benefit 
Trust. The Trust, which was established during 1988 to act as a repository of issued Company shares, holds 878,235 shares (2015: 
857,882 shares) with a market value at 31 December 2016 of £8,519,000 (2015: £11,273,000) which have not vested unconditionally in 
employees. During the year the Trust purchased 1,160,066 shares for an aggregate consideration of £12,399,000 and sold 1,139,713 
shares for an aggregate consideration of £4,064,000.

The shares held by the Greggs Employee Benefit Trust can be purchased either by employees on the exercise of an option under the 
Greggs Executive Share Option Schemes, Greggs Savings Related Share Option Scheme and Greggs Performance Share Plan or by 
the trustees of the Greggs Employee Share Scheme. The trustees have elected to waive the dividends payable on these shares.

Dividends
The following tables analyse dividends when paid and the year to which they relate:

2014 final dividend
2015 interim dividend
2015 special dividend
2015 final dividend
2016 interim dividend

2016
Per share
pence

–
–
–
21.2p
9.5p

30.7p

2015
Per share
pence

16.0p
7.4p
20.0p
–
–

43.4p

The proposed final dividend in respect of 2016 amounts to 21.5 pence per share (£21,560,000). This proposed dividend is subject to 
approval at the Annual General Meeting and has not been included as a liability in these accounts.

2014 final dividend
2015 interim dividend
2015 special dividend
2015 final dividend
2016 interim dividend

2016
£’000

–
–
–
21,326
9,610

30,936

2015
£’000

16,090
7,463
20,161
–
–

43,714

Greggs plc Annual Report and Accounts 2016

107

AccountsNOTES TO THE CONSOLIDATED ACCOUNTS CONTINUED

23. Operating leases
Non-cancellable operating lease rentals are payable as follows:

2016
£’000
Property 

2016
£’000
Equipment

2016
£’000
Total

2015
£’000
Property 

2015
£’000
Equipment

Less than one year
Between one and five years
More than five years

37,896 
82,492 
14,230 

134,618 

2,057 
3,672 
– 

39,953 
86,164 
14,230 
5,729  140,347  123,460

36,136
73,881
13,443

1,928
2,588
–

4,516

127,976

2015
£’000
Total

38,064
76,469
13,443

The Group leases the majority of its shops under operating leases. The leases typically run for a period of ten years, with an option to 
renew the lease after that date. Lease payments are generally increased every five years to reflect market rentals. For a small number 
of the leases the rental is contingent on the level of turnover achieved in the relevant unit; these amounts are immaterial.

The inception of the shop leases has taken place over a long period of time and many date back a significant number of years. They 
are combined leases of land and buildings. It is not possible to obtain a reliable estimate of the split of the fair values of the lease 
interest between land and buildings at inception. Therefore, in determining lease classification the Group evaluated whether both 
parts are clearly an operating lease or a finance lease. Firstly, title does not pass for the land or buildings. Secondly, because the rent 
paid to the landlord for the buildings is increased to market rent at regular intervals, and the Group does not participate in the residual 
value of the land or buildings it is judged that substantially all the risks and rewards of the land and buildings are with the landlord. 
Based on these qualitative factors it is concluded that the leases are operating leases.

24. Capital commitments
During the year ended 31 December 2016, the Group entered into contracts to purchase property, plant and equipment and 
intangible assets for £1,268,000 (2015: £2,010,000). These commitments are expected to be settled in the following financial year.

25. Related parties
Identity of related parties
The Group has a related party relationship with its subsidiaries (see Note 12) and its Directors and executive officers.

Trading transactions with subsidiaries – Group
There have been no transactions between the Company and its subsidiaries or associates during the year (2015: £nil).

Trading transactions with subsidiaries – Parent Company

Dormant subsidiaries

Amounts owed to 
related parties

Amounts owed by 
related parties

2016
£’000

7,807

2015
£’000

7,807

2016
£’000

–

2015
£’000

–

The Greggs Foundation is also a related party and during the year the Company made a donation to the Greggs Foundation  
of £860,000 (2015: £700,000), as well as passing on £715,000 (2015: £369,000) raised from the sale of carrier bags and £193,000  
(2015: £115,000) raised from the sale of products.

108

Greggs plc Annual Report and Accounts 2016

Transactions with key management personnel
The Directors are the key management personnel of the Group. The Company has been notified of the following interests of the 
Directors who served during the year (including those of their connected persons but excluding interests in shares pursuant to 
unexercised share options) in the share capital of the Company as follows:

Roger Whiteside 
Richard Hutton
Raymond Reynolds 
Ian Durant (Non-Executive)
Allison Kirkby (Non-Executive)
Helena Ganczakowski (Non-Executive)
Peter McPhillips (Non-Executive)
Sandra Turner (Non-Executive)

Ordinary shares of 2p  
(Beneficial interest)

Ordinary shares of 2p 
(Trustee holding with no 
beneficial interest)

2016 
(or date of 
cessation if 
earlier)

2015 
(or date of 
appointment 
if later)

2016
(or date of 
cessation if 
earlier)

2015 
(or date of 
appointment 
if later)

135,563
78,094
64,484
11,700
1,600
1,000
1,000
1,000

75,998
–
77,923 400,000
59,244
–
11,700
–
1,600
–
1,000
–
500
–
1,000
–

–
400,000
–
–
–
–
–
–

Details of Directors’ share options, emoluments, pension benefits and other non-cash benefits can be found in the Directors’ 
remuneration report on pages 56 to 72. Summary information on remuneration of key management personnel is included in Note 5. 

There have been no changes since 31 December 2016 in the Directors’ interests noted above. 

26. Events after the reporting period
As noted in the Chief Executive’s report on page 14, in January 2017 the Company communicated further restructuring proposals  
to staff relating to the previously announced investment in its supply chain. This communication included the planned impact  
of consolidating manufacturing operations and announced a consultation with trade unions and employee representatives over the 
detail of the proposals.

The total one-off exceptional costs of this major change programme are expected to be in the region of £25 million. This includes  
£6.4 million charged in 2016 (see Note 4) and an expected further charge of £12 million in 2017, of which £6 million will be a 
cash cost.

Greggs plc Annual Report and Accounts 2016

109

AccountsProfit on ordinary activities 

including exceptional items and 
before tax (£’m)

Diluted earnings per share 

excluding exceptional items 
(pence)

Dividend per share (pence)2

Total shareholder return (%)

Capital expenditure (£’m)

TEN-YEAR HISTORY

2007

2008

20091

20101

2011

2012
(as restated)3

2013

2014
(as restated)1,4

20151

2016

Turnover (£’m)

586.3

628.2

658.2

662.3

701.1

734.5

762.4

806.1

835.7

Total sales growth (%)

6.4%

7.1%

4.8%

0.6%

5.8%

4.8% 

3.8% 

5.7%

3.7%

Company-managed shop 

like-for-like sales growth (%)

5.3%

4.4%

0.8%

0.2%

1.4%

(2.7%)

(0.8%)

4.5% 

4.7%

Earnings before interest and tax 
(EBIT) excluding exceptional 
items (£’m)

EBIT margin excluding 
exceptional items (%)

47.7

44.3

48.4

52.4

53.0

51.3

41.5

58.1

73.1

8.1%

7.1%

7.4%

7.9%

7.6%

7.0%

5.4%

7.2%

8.7%

Exceptional (charge)/credit (£’m)

2.2 

4.3 

–

–

7.4 

1.4 

(8.1)

(8.5)

– 

894.2

7.0%

4.2%

80.3

9.0%

(4.3)

51.1 

49.5 

48.8 

52.5 

60.5 

52.4 

33.2 

49.7 

73.0

75.1

32.0

14.0

12%

42.3 

30.6

14.9

(22%)

40.8 

34.0

16.6

29%

37.3

18.2

11%

38.8

19.3

13%

30.3 

45.6 

59.1 

38.3

19.5

(6%)

46.9 

30.6

19.5

1%

47.6 

43.4

55.8

60.8

48.65

22.0

31.0
70% 87.1% (23.4%)
71.7
48.9 

80.4
22.4% 26.8% 28.1%

Return on capital employed 

29.6% 26.2% 25.9% 25.9% 24.4%

21.3% 16.4%

Number of shops in operation 

at year end

1,368 

1,409 

1,419 

1,487 

1,571 

1,671 

1,671 

1,650 

1,698

1,764

1  2009 and 2014 were 53 week years, impacting on total sales growth for that year and the year immediately following.
2  All years prior to 2009 adjusted to take account of the ten for one share split which took place during 2009.
3  Restated following the adoption of IAS 19 (Revised).
4  Restated to include revenue in respect of franchise fit-out costs.
5 

Includes a special dividend of 20p.

All of the non-GAAP measures detailed above (excluding company-managed like-for-like sales growth) can be calculated from the 
GAAP measures included in the annual accounts.

110

Greggs plc Annual Report and Accounts 2016

NOTES

Greggs plc Annual Report and Accounts 2016

111

NOTES

112

Greggs plc Annual Report and Accounts 2016

FINANCIAL CALENDAR

Announcement of results and dividends
Half year
Full year

Early August
Early March

Dividends
Interim
Final

Mid-October
26 May 2017

Annual report posted to shareholders
Annual General Meeting

Late March
19 May 2017

SECRETARY AND ADVISERS

Secretary
Jonathan D Jowett, LL.M. Solicitor

Registered office
Greggs House 
Quorum Business Park
Newcastle upon Tyne 
NE12 8BU

Registered number
502851

Bankers
National Westminster Bank Plc
149 High Street
Gosforth
Newcastle upon Tyne
NE3 1HA

Auditor
KPMG LLP
Quayside House
110 Quayside
Newcastle upon Tyne
NE1 3DX

Stockbrokers
UBS
1 Finsbury Avenue
London
EC2M 2PA

Investec
2 Gresham Street
London
EC2V 7QP

Solicitors
Muckle LLP
Time Central
32 Gallowgate
Newcastle upon Tyne
NE1 4BF

Registrars
Capita Asset Services
Bourne House
34 Beckenham Road
Beckenham
Kent
BR3 4TU

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Greggs plc
Company Registered Number 502851

greggs.co.uk