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JD Sports Fashion

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FY2016 Annual Report · JD Sports Fashion
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2016

Annual Report  
& Accounts

Annual Report & Accounts 2016

Contents

Overview
Highlights 
Milestones 
Who We Are 
Where We Are 
Executive Chairman’s Statement 

Strategic Report
Business Model 
Our Strategy 
Principal Risks 
Business Review 
Financial Review – Continuing Businesses 
Property and Stores Review 
Corporate and Social Responsibility 

Governance
The Board 
Directors’ Report 
Corporate Governance Report 
Directors’ Remuneration Report 

Financial Statements
Statement of Director’s Responsibilities 
Independent Auditor’s Report 
Consolidated Income Statement 
Statement of Comprehensive Income 
Statement of Financial Position 
Consolidated Statement of Changes in Equity 
Consolidated Statement of Cash Flows 
Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements 

Group Information
Five Year Record 
Financial Calendar 
Shareholder Information 

5
6
8
26
47

48
49
51
53
54
56
58

64
65
68
73

82
83
86
86
87
88
89
90

144
145
145

3

“

 Record result with 
headline profit  
before tax and  
exceptional items  
of £157.1 million.” 

Peter Cowgill

Annual Report & Accounts 2016 
Overview

Highlights

Revenue 

Profit Before Tax and Exceptional Items 

£1,059.5m

£1,258.9m

£1,216.4m

£1,522.3m

£1,821.7m

2012

2013

2014

2015

2016

£77.1m

2012

£60.5m

2013

£82.0m

2014

£100.0m

2015

£157.1m

2016

Total Dividend Payable per Ordinary Share

Adjusted Basic Earnings per Ordinary Share

6.32p

2012

6.58p

2013

6.78p

2014

7.05p

2015

7.40p

2016

26.47p

2012

22.13p

2013

30.82p

2014

38.89p

2015

61.34p

2016

Net Assets

Net Cash 

£229.2m

2012

£251.8m

2013

£272.8m

2014

£310.0m

2015

£400.8m

2016

£60.3m

2012

£45.6m

2013

£45.3m

2014

£84.2m

2015

£209.4m

2016

Group Revenue 

Wholesale
5%

Multichannel
14%

Retail Stores 
81%

Rest of the World
1%

Europe
22%

UK
77%

5

Overview 
 
Annual Report & Accounts 2016

Milestones

SCOTLAND

#BETHEDIFFERENCE

April 2015

September 2015

•  2015 ‘FACE OF JD’ COMPETITION LAUNCHES

•  KINGSWAY WAREHOUSE EXPANSION  

PROGRAMME COMPLETE

July 2015

October 2015

• NEW FLAGSHIP STORES OPEN ON
  - OXFORD STREET, LONDON
  - NORTHUMBERLAND STREET, NEWCASTLE

•  NEW FLAGSHIP STORE OPENS IN  

NIEUWENDIJK, AMSTERDAM

August 2015

• FIRST JD STORE IN BELGIUM OPENS IN ANTWERP

i

G
A
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a
d
d
a
5
1
0
2
©

 
 
 
November 2015

January 2016 

• FIRST JD STORES OPEN IN 
  - ROME (ITALY)
  - STOCKHOLM (SWEDEN)
  - COPENHAGEN (DENMARK)

•   FIRST JD STORE IN ASIA OPENS IN  

KUALA LUMPUR, MALAYSIA

•  NEW FLAGSHIP STORE OPENS ON 

ARGYLE STREET, GLASGOW

March 2016

•   PURCHASE OF THE TRADING ASSETS AND TRADE 

OF AKTIESPORT AND PERRY SPORT FASCIAS

•   ENGLAND FOOTBALL HOME KIT LAUNCH

December 2015

•   PINK SODA SPORT LAUNCH (FEMALE  

OWN BRAND ATHLEISURE RANGE)

•  JD GYMS RECEIVES BEST BUDGET GYM AWARD

•  FOOTBALL FEDERATION KIT LAUNCHES 

(SCOTLAND, WALES, NORTHERN IRELAND)  
WITH JD AS EXCLUSIVE RETAILER

7

Overview 
Who We Are

The Group has over  
900 stores across a 
number of retail fascias 
and is proud of the fact 
that it always provides  
its customers with the  
latest products from  
the very best brands. 
The Group embraces  
the latest online and 
instore digital technology 
providing it with a  
truly multichannel, 
international platform  
for future growth.

Annual Report & Accounts 2016Oxford Street London, UK

Sunway Pyramid, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

9

OverviewWho We Are

Northumberland Street, Newcastle Upon Tyne, UK

Annual Report & Accounts 2016Nieuwendijk, Amsterdam, The Netherlands

Argyle Street, Glasgow, UK

11

OverviewAnnual Report & Accounts 2016

Who We Are

Mary Street, Dublin, Ireland

Fields Mall Fields Shopping Centre, Copenhagen, Denmark

Mall of Scandinavia, Stockholm, Sweden

Calle jacarilla, 7, Elche, Spain

13

OverviewAnnual Report & Accounts 2016

Who We Are

Kleistrasse, Monchengladbach, Germany

Annual Report & Accounts 2016Roma Est Mall, Rome, Italy

Aeroville, Paris, France

Meir, Antwerp, Belgium

15

OverviewAnnual Report & Accounts 2016

Who We Are

Footpatrol, Berwick Street, London UK

Size?, Carnaby Street, London, UK
Manchester, UK

Scotts, The Trafford Centre, Manchester, UK
Elche, Spain

17

OverviewAnnual Report & Accounts 2016

Who We Are

Chausport, Centre Commercial Auchan V2, Lille, France

Sprinter, Poligono Vizcarra Nave 14, Elche, Spain

Ultimate Outdoors, Deepdale Retail Park, Preston, UK

Millets, Tulketh Street, Southport, UK

Blacks, Sheffield, UK

19

OverviewWho We Are

Established in 1981 
with a single store  
in the North West  
of England,  
JD Sports Fashion Plc 
is now a leading 
international 
multichannel  
retailer of  
sports fashion and 
outdoor brands.

Annual Report & Accounts 2016Overview

Who We Are

JD is acknowledged as the leading specialist multiple 
retailer of fashionable branded and own brand sports 
and casual wear in the UK and Republic of Ireland 
combining globally recognised brands such as Nike, 
adidas and The North Face with strong own brand 
labels such as Mckenzie, Carbrini, Supply & Demand 
and The Duffer of St George. JD continues to increase 
its presence in the European market with additional 
stores in all existing European territories. The recently 
opened store in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia is JD’s first 
venture outside of Europe.

Established in 2000, Size? specialises in supplying  
the finest products from the best brands in footwear, 
apparel and accessories. Initially set up to trial edgier 
product collections before introducing them to the 
mass market through the JD fascia, the Size? offer  
has since grown to include its own roster of highly 
sought-after worldwide exclusive product releases. 
Outside of the UK and Republic of Ireland, Size? now 
has stores in France, the Netherlands, Italy, Germany 
and Denmark.

Footpatrol is London’s best-known destination sneaker 
store, with a history in supplying the most exclusive 
footwear. It has been at the heart of supplying the 
sneaker fraternity with the most desirable footwear, 
apparel and accessories. Specialising in new and 
classic sneakers, limited editions, Japanese exclusives 
and rare deadstock, Footpatrol is based in the heart  
of Soho on Berwick Street.

Chausport operates throughout France retailing 
leading international footwear brands such as Nike, 
adidas and Le Coq Sportif together with brands  
more specific to the local market such as Redskins.

21

OverviewWho We Are

Sprinter is one of the leading sports retailers in Spain 
selling footwear, apparel, accessories and equipment 
for a wide range of sports as well as lifestyle casual 
wear and childrenswear. Their offer includes both 
international sports brands and successful own brands.  

Scotts retails fashion and sport led brands with 
authority to older, more affluent male consumers 
largely beyond school age, stocking brands such  
as EA7, Lacoste, Fred Perry, adidas Originals and 
Pretty Green.

K E L L   B R O O K
I B F   W E L T E R W E I G H T
C H A M P I O N   O F   T H E   W O R L D

160317 SCT15109 Annual Board Report DPS 210x297_3mm FA.indd   1

18/03/2016   08:42

Tessuti’s vision is to become the first choice retailer for 
branded premium menswear fashion in the UK. The 
current stores offer customers a strong mix of brands 
including Hugo Boss, Ralph Lauren Polo, Canada 
Goose and Stone Island.

T E S S U T I . C O . U K
Cloggs is an online niche retailer of premium branded 
footwear. Cloggs also has three stores in Shrewsbury, 
@TESSUTIUK
York and Newcastle.

@TESSUTIUK

/TESSUTIUK

Annual Report & Accounts 2016Overview

Who We Are

Mainline Menswear is an online niche retailer  
of premium branded Men’s apparel and footwear, 
stocking brands such as Armani, Hugo Boss and  
Ralph Lauren.

Getthelabel.com is an online and catalogue business 
which offers customers significant savings on branded 
fashion and footwear.

Kooga Annual Report DPS_PRINT.pdf   1   3/21/16   3:19 PM

C

M

Y

CM

MY

CY

CMY

K

JD Gyms offer exceptional fitness facilities in five prime 
city centre locations. JD Gyms have the latest gym 
equipment and workout techniques, providing a whole 
host of effective fitness classes and unrivalled onsite 
support and advice. JD Gyms was announced as the 
‘Best Budget Gym’ at the 2015 National Fitness Awards.

Kooga design, source and wholesale rugby apparel 
and equipment, with teamwear, replica and 
leisurewear ranges. Kooga is also sole kit supplier  
to a number of professional rugby clubs.

23

OverviewWho We Are

Kukri Sports is an international sportswear 
manufacturer supplying bespoke teamwear to many 
leading schools, colleges and universities. In addition, 
Kukri is sole kit supplier to a number of high profile 
professional teams and will once again be the official 
kit supplier to Team England for the 2018 
Commonwealth Games.

Focus are involved in the design, sourcing and 
distribution of footwear and apparel both for own 
brand and licensed brands, such as Peter Werth,  
Fly 53, Ecko, Ellesse, and Voi Footwear, for both  
Group and external customers.

Source Lab Annual Report DPS_PRINT.pdf   1   3/21/16   3:15 PM

C

M

Y

CM

MY

CY

CMY

K

Source Lab is a football license business in the UK 
working with some of the biggest and best known 
names in world football designing, sourcing and 
distributing mono branded apparel as well as 
supplying club retail operations. Source Lab has an 
impressive license portfolio which includes Chelsea, 
Arsenal, Manchester City and Barcelona.

Nicholas Deakins was launched in 1991 and is firmly 
established as one of the UK’s leading footwear and 
clothing lifestyle brands with a reputation for 
innovative, original design and quality manufacture. 
Nicholas Deakins will celebrate their 25th Anniversary 
in September 2016.

Annual Report & Accounts 2016Overview

Who We Are

Blacks is a long established retailer of specialist 
outdoor apparel, footwear and equipment. Trading 
online and from approximately 60 stores, Blacks 
primarily stock more technical products from premium 
brands such as Berghaus and The North Face helping 
the consumer, from weekend family users to more avid 
explorers, reach their goals, no matter how high.

With a strong emphasis on own brands, such as Peter 
Storm and Eurohike, our Millets outdoor stores are the 
port of call for a more leisurely consumer. Trading from 
approximately 100 stores, Millets supply a more casual 
outdoor customer who seeks value for money, 
providing for a wide range of recreational activities, 
such as walking or leisure camping.

Ultimate Outdoors is the ultimate destination for  
the outdoor consumer offering high quality and 
technical product from the biggest names in outdoors 
at the best prices. There are now six Ultimate 
Outdoors stores. 

Tiso is Scotland’s leading outdoor retailer, with  
10 stores with unrivalled product ranges catering for 
those who take the outdoors a bit more seriously. 
Alpine Bikes is a quality cycle retailer, with five 
standalone stores, stocking premium brands such as 
Trek and Cannondale. Based in the heart of the Lake 
District, George Fisher is the UK’s premium outdoor 
destination for more discerning explorers, who can 
expect the highest levels of customer service.

25

OverviewWhere We Are

Europe

Sweden

Denmark

Ireland

The Netherlands

UK

Belgium

Germany

France

Spain

Italy

Malaysia

Annual Report & Accounts 2016Sweden

Sweden

Denmark

Ireland

The Netherlands

UK

Belgium

Germany

Denmark

Ireland

UK

France

The Netherlands

Belgium

Germany

Spain

France

Spain

Italy

Italy

Overview

Asia

Malaysia

Malaysia

Chausport 

Sprinter

Other

Total 

73

72

 82 

 81 

80

104

 838 

 973 

60

59

 129 

 144 

660

736

 2,511 

 2,858 

Sports Fashion Fascias

No. Stores 

JD UK & ROI

JD Europe 

JD Asia

Size? 

2015

2016

000Sq Ft

2015

2016

Outdoor Fascias

No. Stores 

2015

2016

000Sq Ft

2015

2016

351

361

 1,292 

 1,371 

Blacks 
73

60

270

207

65

103

 121 

 222 

Millets 
92

99

175

205

 -   

1

 -   

 4 

Tiso 
17

16

101

97

31

36

 49 

 63 

Other
2

7

62

163

Sub-Total  
JD & Size?
447

501

 1,462 

 1,660 

Total 
184

182

608

672

27

OverviewGroup Portfolio

Our vision and 
passion helps 
continually build 
upon our proud 
heritage to set 
class leading 
standards across  
all communications 
and imagery.

Annual Report & Accounts 201629

Overview31

Overview33

Overview35

Overview37

Overview39

Overview41

Overview43

Overview45

OverviewOverview

Executive Chairman’s Statement

Dividends and Earnings per Share
The Board proposes paying a final dividend of 6.20p 
(2015: 5.90p) bringing the total dividend payable for 
the year to 7.40p (2015: 7.05p) per ordinary share,  
an increase of 5%. The proposed final dividend will  
be paid on 1 August 2016 to all shareholders on the 
register at 24 June 2016. We believe that this level  
of dividend strikes a fair balance for shareholders  
with appropriate capital retained to facilitate  
ongoing developments, particularly investment in  
the international Sports Fashion fascias, which will 
drive success for the Group, and increased benefits  
to shareholders, over the longer term.

The adjusted earnings per ordinary share before 
exceptional items have increased by 58% to 61.34p 
(2015: 38.89p).

The basic earnings per ordinary share have increased 
by 43% to 50.16p (2015: 35.17p).

Board Effectiveness
As Executive Chairman, I am responsible for the 
leadership of the Board and ensuring its effectiveness 
in all aspects of its role. The Board is then responsible 
for the Group’s strategic development, review  
of performance against the business objectives, 
overseeing risk and maintaining effective corporate 
governance including health and safety, 
environmental, social and ethical matters.

People
We are fortunate, as a Group, to have talented and 
committed people in every aspect and level of our 
business. The record result is principally due to their 
expertise, energy and passion. I thank everybody 
involved in all of our businesses for delivering these 
excellent results.

Current Trading and Outlook
We are encouraged by the continued positive trading 
across our core fascias in the year to date and the 
Board continues to believe that the Group is very well 
positioned for profitable growth.

Our next scheduled update will take place upon the 
announcement of our Interim Results which is 
scheduled for 14 September 2016.

Peter Cowgill
Executive Chairman
13 April 2016

Introduction
I am delighted to report that the Group has  
delivered another very strong set of results for the 
year to 30 January 2016 with the headline profit 
before tax and exceptional items increased by 57%  
to £157.1 million. Given that last year’s result was  
a record for our Group then the performance in the 
year was very pleasing, further demonstrating  
the increasing influence of the JD fascia in the UK  
and beyond. 

The foundation of our continued success remains  
our world class core Sports Fashion fascias. The 
investments made over a number of years in developing 
our multichannel retail proposition and driving improved 
buying, merchandising and retailing disciplines have 
given us the platform to exploit the favourable trends 
which exist for athletic inspired footwear and apparel 
throughout Europe. We remain committed to continually 
enhancing our proposition for both customers and third 
party brand partners. During the period we demonstrated 
this through the opening of new larger spaced flagship 
style JD stores in London, Glasgow, Newcastle and 
Amsterdam. JD has continued to develop its reputation 
for setting the highest standards of visual merchandising 
and retail theatre and the new flagship stores, which also 
embrace the latest innovations in digital technology, take 
these standards to a new level.

During the year we have expanded our international 
presence with additional stores in existing European 
territories together with a number of stores in new 
countries. We continue to gain traction in Europe  
and are confident of the opportunities that exist  
for the JD fascia in these markets. More recently,  
we have opened our first store outside of Europe  
at Sunway Pyramid in Kuala Lumpur as part of a newly 
formed venture with Stream Enterprise in Malaysia. 
Opening a store outside of Europe has brought the 
expected challenges and we continue to enhance the 
flexibility of both our proposition and our operational 
processes to cope with the increasing scale of our 
international ambitions. Our key international brand 
partners strongly support the continued international 
development of JD.

In the early part of the year we made a number  
of operational management changes in our Outdoor 
operations. This brought the Blacks and Millets and 
the newer Ultimate Outdoors fascias under common 
leadership and greater use has been made of the 
merchandising and commercial management 
expertise in the core JD team. 

Whilst there is a continual requirement to refine  
the product proposition, we believe that this new 
operational framework has given our Outdoor 
fascias a more efficient and appropriate cost base 
from which to operate and we are optimistic that 
this, combined with ongoing refinements to the 
product offering, will deliver a further improvement 
in the financial performance of these fascias in the 
year to January 2017.

47

Overview 
Business Model

RETAIL

KEY INPUTS

11 Countries

C.

20 Fascias

918 Stores

• INTERNATIONAL BRANDS

• OWN BRANDS

• SUPPLY CHAIN

• TECHNOLOGY AND IT INFRASTRUCTURE

• THIRD PARTY LOGISTICS

KEY COMMERCIAL ACTIVITIES

• RETAIL

• BUYING

• MERCHANDISING

• MARKETING

• MULTICHANNEL

• PROPERTY

• DISTRIBUTION

•  PROVIDING CUSTOMERS WITH EXCLUSIVE RANGES 

FROM THE BEST BRANDS IN SPORTS FASHION  

AND OUTDOOR 

•  MARKET LEADING ONLINE AND INSTORE  

DIGITAL TECHNOLOGY

•  WORLD CLASS STANDARDS OF VISUAL 

MERCHANDISING AND RETAIL THEATRE

C.

19,000 Colleagues

REVENUE CHANNELS

• STORES

• INSTORE DEVICES

• STORE COLLECTION OR HOME DELIVERY

• DESKTOP, TABLET AND MOBILE OPTIMISED WEBSITES

• APPS

Annual Report & Accounts 2016Our Strategy

Introduction
The Group has long been established as a leading 
retailer of branded and own brand sports fashion 
apparel and footwear in the UK and Ireland. Our Sports 
Fashion fascias are also now firmly established  
in mainland Europe with the existing store presence  
in France, Spain, the Netherlands and Germany 
complemented by new openings for JD in the year  
in Belgium, Italy, Sweden and Denmark. More recently, 
we have extended our geography further with our first 
store outside Europe in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia which 
necessitates the development of a different operating 
model. Building our reach in, and potentially beyond 
Europe, not only gives us significant potential for 
growth but it also cements the strong supplier 
relationships required to constantly bring in new and 
exclusive products and to market them collaboratively. 

We will sustain our market position through ongoing 
investment in the retail store portfolio, development 
and nurture of global branded supplier relationships, 
and the acquisition of brands and retailers which we 
can develop and exploit to ensure our overall product 
offers remain uniquely appealing and our stores retain 
a vibrant atmosphere. In working towards these 
objectives we aim to act always in a responsible and 
ethical manner with all our stakeholders including 
suppliers, employees and of course our customers.

Our core business strength is branded retail and  
our consumers are either sports fashion or outdoor 
oriented. Where we use own brands we will seek to 
present them as complementary to third party brands. 
We seek to build strong market positions which we 
will always seek to sustain and defend. We maintain 
these positions by constantly adding to our brand 
roster and endeavouring to be the partner of choice  
to as many brands as possible with as much exclusive 
product as possible. Any business in the Group which 
we now invest in will have relevance to our core 
strength. All businesses in the Group need to be 
capable of enhanced profitability in the medium term.

Our ultimate objective is to deliver long term sustainable 
earnings growth to enhance total shareholder returns 
(‘TSR’) through share price performance and dividends, 
whilst retaining our financial capability to invest in the 
growth and the sustainability of our propositions.  
Recent TSR performance is shown in the graph within 
the Remuneration Report on page 80. 

Stores
We are engaged in omnichannel retail and we continue 
to invest considerable time and financial resources in 
our retail property portfolio. Increasingly developments 
in the Sports Fashion fascias are focused overseas.  
We believe that the combination of a largely exclusive 
product offering presented in a well fitted store with 
world class standards of retail theatre are major drivers 
of footfall to our stores.

During the year, we have further developed our new 
flagship concept with new stores in London, Newcastle, 
Glasgow and Amsterdam. These stores are enhanced  
by the latest innovations in digital technology and 
take our already market leading standards of visual 
merchandising to a new level.

The movements in store numbers and square footage  
at the start and end of the period are documented  
in the ‘Where We Are’ section on page 27.

Multichannel
Multichannel activity has continued to grow significantly 
over the last 12 months as we continuously strengthen 
each of our channels and focus on delivering a seamless 
shopping experience for our customers across all of our 
channels. The strength of our multichannel offer 
continues to differentiate us in the market place,  
is highly regarded by our key global brand partners and 
is very popular with our consumers. We remain focused  
on ensuring our customers choose to shop with us, 
irrespective of which channels they choose to shop  
in and across. 

In the UK, we have again seen significant growth  
in online sales, principally driven by our continued 
investment and strengthening of our mobile and apps 
offer. Our digital and social media channels continue  
to be important research destinations for our customers 
and there has been substantial growth in sales from our 
instore digital devices (kiosks, web tills and iPads), both 
through increased adoption of existing ones by 
customers and through the roll out of additional 
devices. These enable customers to order products 
from the website but pay in cash, access extended 
ranges not available in the store and access our full 
warehouse stock inventory. Our new Oxford Street 
flagship store showcases our latest instore digital 
technology. Overseas, JD now has a local language and 
local currency multichannel offer in: Belgium, Denmark, 
Ireland, Italy, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Spain 
and Sweden. 

In 2016 we will continue our focus on optimising our 
digital channels profitably, improving the customer 
experience, enhancing our multichannel proposition, 
exploiting group synergies and rolling out our 
multichannel offer internationally.

Multichannel sales represented 11.3% (2015: 9.9%)  
of JD and Size? fascia sales in the last year, excluding 
kiosk sales.

4949

Strategic ReportStrategic ReportOur Strategy (continued)

Infrastructure and Resources
Our most important resource is our people. We are  
a large equal opportunities employer and we are 
particularly proud of our training resources. We provide 
direct employment and career development to 
thousands of people. The Group employs large numbers 
of recent school leavers and graduates and over  
180 training courses were completed by employees  
in the last year. We believe retention of our best staff  
is crucial to the success of our business as it preserves 
the DNA of each business.

We are continuing to invest in our central distribution 
facility (Kingsway) in Rochdale with additional 
mezzanine racking and machinery introduced in the 
year. This facility will be able to deal with further 
growth in volumes although we have also acquired  
an additional plot of land to facilitate further 
expansion in the near future.

Period ended  
30 January 2016

Period ended  
31 January 2015

59.58m

59.22m

58.75m

52.28m

Number of items processed by Kingsway 
Distribution Centre

Number of items processed by Kingsway 
Distribution Centre – continuing businesses 
only (excluding Bank Fashion Limited)

During the year, we took the decision to halt the 
project to replace the bespoke legacy core systems 
with Oracle Retail as we have concluded that the 
legacy systems can manage further growth and 
change in the Group with more agility and at a lower 
cost thus minimising the change risk to the business. 

We also recognise the importance of protecting our 
environment and are committed to carrying out all our 
activities with due consideration for their environmental 
impact, particularly with regard to ensuring efficient 
use of energy and other resources and materials, 
minimising waste by recycling wherever possible and 
ensuring compliance with relevant legislation and 
codes of best practice. See also our Corporate 
Responsibility Report on pages 58 to 63.

The risks faced by the Group and our mitigation plans 
are reported separately on pages 51 to 52.

Financial Key Performance Indicators 

Revenue

Gross profit %

Operating profit

Operating profit  
(before exceptional items)

Profit before tax and  
exceptional items

Profit before tax

Basic earnings per  
ordinary share

Adjusted basic earnings per  
ordinary share

Total dividend payable per ordinary 
share

%  
Change

+20%

+44%

+56% 

+57% 

+45%

2016
£000

2015
£000

1,821,652

1,522,253

48.5%

133,406

158,902 

48.6%

92,646

102,173 

157,127 

100,023 

131,631

50.16p 

61.34p 

90,496

35.17p 

38.89p

7.40p 

7.05p 

Net cash at end of period (a)

209,421

84,230 

a) 

 Net cash consists of cash and cash equivalents together with interest-bearing loans  
and borrowings.

On behalf of the Board

Peter Cowgill 
Executive Chairman 
13 April 2016

Annual Report & Accounts 2016 
 
Principal Risks

Any business undertaking will involve some risk with many risk factors common to any business  
no matter what segment it operates in. The Directors acknowledge however that certain risks and 
uncertainties are more specific to the Group and the markets in which its businesses operate.  
The principal risk factors are assessed below:

Omnichannel

Risk and Impact

Key Suppliers and Brands
The retail fascias offer a proposition that has a mixture of third party and own brand product. The Group 
maintains and is dependent on long term supplier relationships whose loss could adversely impact results.

The retail fascias are heavily dependent on the products and the brands themselves being desirable  
to the customer if the revenue streams are to grow. Therefore, the Group needs all of its third party and own 
brands, including brands licensed exclusively to it, to maintain their design and marketing prominence  
to sustain that desirability.

The Group is also subject to the distribution policies operated by some third party brands both in terms of the 
fascias which can sell the ranges and, more specifically, the individual towns or retail centres.

Intellectual Property

Mitigating Activities

The Group seeks to ensure it is not overly reliant on a small number of brands by offering a stable of own 
brands which is constantly evolving. 

Where possible, the Group’s retail fascias also work in partnership with the third party brands in their 
business on the design of bespoke product which is then exclusive to the Group’s fascias. 

Further, the Group continues to actively seek additional brands which it can either own or 
license exclusively.

The Group’s trademarks and other intellectual property rights are critical in maintaining the value of the 
Group’s own brands. Ensuring that the Group’s businesses can use these brands exclusively is critical in 
providing a point of differentiation to our customers and without this exclusivity we believe that footfall into 
the stores, visits to our websites and ultimately conversion of these visits into revenues would all be reduced.

The Group therefore works with third party organisations to ensure that the Group’s intellectual property 
is registered in all relevant territories. The Group also actively works to prevent counterfeit product 
being passed off as legitimate.

Retail Property Factors

The retail landscape has seen significant changes in recent years with a number of new developments 
opened and a high volume of retail units becoming vacant. 

The Group can be exposed where it has committed itself to a long lease in a location which, as a result  
of a more recent retail development, is no longer as attractive to the customer leading to reduced footfall 
and potentially lower sales volumes.

Seasonality

The Group’s core retail business is highly seasonal. Historically, the Group’s most important trading period  
Ain terms of sales, profitability and cash flow in its Sports Fashion fascias has been the Christmas season. 
Lower than expected performance in this period may have an adverse impact on results for the full year, 
which may cause excess inventories that are difficult to liquidate.

Economic Factors

Wherever possible, the Group will seek a number of protections when agreeing to new property leases:

• 

• 

• 

• 

New leases taken out for a maximum period of 10 years.

Break option part way through the lease.

Capped rent reviews.

Rents which flex with turnover in the store.

When the Group determines that the current store performance is unsatisfactory then an assessment  
is made on whether the Group wants to continue trading in that location. If it does then the landlord  
is approached to see whether we can reach an agreement on a reduction in the rent or a change  
to a turnover based rent.

If it is considered that the best solution is to exit the store completely then the landlord is approached with 
a view to a complete surrender of the lease. If this is not possible then the Group would alternatively seek 
to assign the lease or sublet it to another retailer. The Group is mindful of current economic factors, and the 
adverse impact on the potential for disposal from the high volume of vacant units already available  
as a consequence of a number of retailers going out of business in recent years.

Assigning the lease or finding a sub-tenant is not without risk because if the incoming retailer fails then 
the liability to pay the rent usually reverts to the head lessee. The Group monitors the financial condition  
of the assignees closely for evidence that the possibility of a store returning is more than remote and 
makes a provision for the return of stores if this risk looks probable. The Board reviews the list of assigned 
leases regularly and is comfortable that appropriate provisions have been made where there is a probable 
risk of the store returning to the Group under privity of contract and, other than as disclosed in note 25, 
they are not aware of any other stores where there is a possible risk of these stores returning.

The business monitors stock levels and manages the peaks in demand constantly with regular  
sales re-forecasting.

As with other retailers and distributors into retail businesses, the demand for the Group’s products is 
influenced by a number of economic factors, notably interest rates, the availability of consumer credit, 
employment levels and ultimately, disposable incomes.

The Group seeks to manage this risk by offering a highly desirable and competitively priced product range, 
which is highly differentiated from that of the Group’s competitors.

Reliance on Non-UK manufacturers

The majority of both third party branded product and the Group’s own branded product is sourced outside of 
the UK. The Group is therefore exposed to the risks associated with international trade and transport as well as 
different legal systems and operating standards. Whilst the Group can manage the risk in the supply chain on 
its own and licensed products, it has little control over the supply chain within the third party brands. As such, 
the Group is exposed to events which may not be under its control.

The Group works with its suppliers to ensure that the products being sourced satisfy increasingly stringent 
laws and regulations governing issues of health and safety, packaging and labelling and other social and 
environmental factors.

Compliance is monitored by the Group’s Head of Quality and Ethics who has extensive experience in this area.

Adequate levels of stock are maintained to cover short periods of supply delay.

5151
51

Strategic ReportStrategic ReportPrincipal Risks (continued)

Consistency of Infrastructure

Risk and Impact

IT
The Group relies on its IT systems and networks and those of the banks and the credit card companies  
to service its retail customers all year round. 

The principal enterprise system continues to be ideally suited to the operations of the business  
but it has always been reliant on a very limited number of key development staff.

Warehouse Operations

Stock is held in the Group’s warehouse in Rochdale. Having the stock in one location with increased 
automation in the picking process has brought significant benefits in terms of capacity, product availability, 
quicker deliveries to our European stores and reduced transport costs. However, there is an increased risk  
to store replenishment and multichannel fulfilment from both equipment and system failure, together with 
the inherent risk of having all the stock in one location. 

Personnel

The success of the Group is dependent upon the continued service of its key management personnel and 
upon its ability to attract, motivate and retain suitably qualified employees. 

Health and Safety

The health and safety of our customers and employees is of the utmost importance. Policies are 
implemented in conjunction with training programmes to protect our employees and customers. Personal 
injuries, distress and fatalities could result from a failure to establish and maintain  
safe environments.

Treasury and Financial  

The Group is exposed to fluctuations in foreign exchange rates.

Branded product for the JD fascia throughout Europe is purchased by JD Sports Fashion Plc which is the 
main UK trading business. This business then sells to the international businesses in their local currencies. 
Given the current geographical location of the Group’s stores this results in an increasingly significant 
Sterling / Euro exposure in the UK trading business for the Euros which are remitted back for stock 
purchases.

There is also exposure in relation to Sterling / US Dollar consequent to the sourcing of own brand merchandise, 
where suppliers are located principally in the Far East or Indian Sub-Continent. Strengthening of the US Dollar 
relative to Sterling makes product sourced in this currency more expensive thus reducing profitability.

Regulatory and Compliance 

The Group operates in an environment regulated by legislation, codes and standards including, but not 
limited to, listing rules, trading standards, advertising, product quality, carbon emission reporting, bribery, 
corruption and data protection rules.

The Group recognises that failure to comply with these may result in financial or reputational damage  
to the business. 

Brian Small 
Chief Financial Officer 
13 April 2016

Mitigating Activities

The IT team in place has been strengthened and the documentation of the current system has improved. 
Further, a bespoke training academy is being established to train already highly skilled IT operatives in the 
operating system behind the core ERP system.

Any long term interruption in the availability of the core enterprise system would have a significant impact 
on the retail businesses. The Group manages this risk by housing the principal IT servers in a third party 
location which has a mirror back up available should the primary servers or links fail. 

The Group has worked with its insurers on a conceptual Business Continuity Plan which came into effect 
when the warehouse became operational. This plan is being enhanced by the Group Supply Chain and 
Change Director. 

In addition, there is a full support contract with our automation equipment providers which includes a 24/7 
presence from a qualified engineer thereby enabling immediate attention to any equipment issues.

Consideration will also be given to any extension to the Kingsway site being a separate building rather 
than an extension to the existing footprint.

To help achieve this continued service, the Group has competitive reward packages for all staff. 

More specifically for the retail businesses, the Group also has a long established and substantial training 
function which seeks to develop training for all levels of retail employees and thereby increase morale and 
improve staff retention. This then ensures that knowledge of the Group’s differentiated product offering  
is not lost, thereby enhancing customer service.

The Board regularly considers the actions required to ensure there is succession planning for all key roles.

There is a comprehensive induction and training programme for store staff covering Health and  
Safety issues. 

The Group Health and Safety Committee meets on a monthly basis, is chaired by the Group Health and 
Safety Manager and includes as its attendees the Group Company Secretary and Group Property Director. 
The Group Health and Safety Manager appraises the Board of material issues and incidents on a periodic 
basis. Targets are set by the Board to enable measurement of performance.

Performance against targets, incidents and legal claims that arise are reported to the Board. 

The Group also works closely with its principal insurers who undertake regular risk reviews both in the 
store portfolio and in the main central warehouse.

The Group encourages its own brand suppliers to quote in Euros where possible thus creating a natural 
hedge against the Euros remitted from the international businesses. The surplus Euros are also used 
to fund the international store developments thus alleviating the need for local third party financing. 
Any surplus Euros are converted back to sterling with hedging now put in place for approximately 75% 
of the anticipated surplus. This leaves some Euros available should the Group need to move quickly to 
take advantage of an acquisition or other investment opportunity. Discussions continue with senior 
management at the major international brands on how the risk on Sterling / Euro volatility from the 
centralisation of product buying can be shared fairly between the parties.

The Group is currently monitoring its exchange rate risk closely in view of potential further uncertainty 
and volatility in currency markets as a result of the upcoming referendum on the UK’s membership of the 
European Union.

The Group sets a buying rate for the purchase of own brand goods in US dollars at the start of the buying 
season (typically six to nine months before the product actually starts to appear in the stores) and then 
enters into a number of local currency / US dollar contracts, using a variety of instruments, whereby the 
minimum exchange rate on the purchase of dollars is guaranteed. The Group typically looks to protect up 
to 90% of the US dollar requirement for the following year.

The Group actively monitors adherence to its existing regulatory requirements and has a number  
of internal policies and standards to ensure compliance where appropriate.

The Group provides training where required and operates a confidential whistleblowing hotline  
for colleagues to raise concerns in confidence.

The Group expects all suppliers to comply with its Conditions of Supply which clearly sets out its 
expectations of its suppliers and includes a Code of Conduct which all suppliers must adhere to. 

Annual Report & Accounts 2016 
 
Business Review

Sports Fashion
Sports Fashion has had an exceptional year with 
operating profits (before exceptional items) increased 
by 49% to £162.9 million (2015: £109.3 million).  
Our fascias have successfully exploited the buoyant 
market for branded athletic footwear and apparel across 
Western Europe with like for like store sales growth  
in excess of 10% for the second consecutive year. Whilst  
we would not expect a third year of organic growth  
at this level, the JD fascia is developing well in both its 
core and international markets. 

Our global brand partners support our continued 
international development and we would anticipate 
further significant investments in the current year. 
Indeed, we have already made one investment in the 
Netherlands market through the acquisition of the 
trade and store assets of Aktiesport and Perry Sport 
from the trustee in bankruptcy of Unlimited Sports 
Group BV. We are currently assessing the Aktiesport 
and Perry Sport store portfolio in order to create a 
viable and sustainable business across the Netherlands.

Outdoor 
The Outdoor fascias have made pleasing progress in 
the year with the operating loss (before exceptional 
items) reduced to £4.0 million (2015: £7.1 million) with 
the loss in the current year arising largely from initial 
losses and other significant property related costs 
associated with the newer larger space Ultimate 
Outdoors stores which remain a trial at this stage.  
We are encouraged that the original Blacks and 
Millets fascia stores have delivered a breakeven result.

Margins were improved over the full year with reduced 
levels of discounting of Autumn and Winter ranges 
relative to the prior year. We are striving for further 
improvements in margins in this year as the 
merchandising and commercial disciplines increasingly 
align themselves with the core JD team. However,  
in a sector with significant presence from retailers 
with a high proportion of private label product in their 
proposition, more significant improvements in margin 
will require enhanced levels of product differentiation 
and other support from the major brands.

Peter Cowgill 
Executive Chairman 
13 April 2016

As anticipated, the overall gross margin in Sports 
Fashion is slightly lower than the previous year 
reflecting the impact of the weaker Euro through  
the majority of the year on the JD fascia’s Euro 
denominated businesses where product is sourced 
and distributed from the UK. Whilst the Euro has 
strengthened since the year end, we are mindful  
of the potential impact of increased volatility in 
margin as the results of the European businesses 
increase in relative importance. We continue to  
work on mitigating any adverse currency impacts  
with our global brand partners. 

We are satisfied with the progress in the Chausport 
business in France and the Sprinter business in Spain 
and are also pleased to report a turnaround in the 
trading performance of Kukri, our supplier of multisport 
kit for schools, universities and sports teams at all levels.

Finally, we believe that we have successfully 
established Tessuti and Scotts as premium brand 
multichannel fashion retailers based on our strong 
relationships with the major global premium brands 
where we foster their brand equity to secure product 
longevity and stimulate further growth.

5353
53

Strategic ReportStrategic ReportFinancial Review – Continuing Businesses

Revenue, Gross Margin and Overheads
Total revenue increased by 20% in the year to £1,821.7 
million (2015: £1,522.3 million). Like for like sales for 
the 52 week period across all Group fascias, including 
those in Europe, increased by 11.6%.

Total gross margin in the year of 48.5% was broadly 
consistent with the prior year with an increase in the 
margin in Outdoor to 43.3% (2015: 42.2%) offset by  
a slight reduction in the margin in Sports Fashion to 
49.0% (2015: 49.2%).

Operating Profits and Results
Operating profit (before exceptional items) increased 
substantially by £56.7 million to £158.9 million (2015: 
£102.2 million) driven by the performance in Sports 
Fashion assisted by a further reduction in the losses  
in Outdoor.

There were net exceptional items in the year of  
£25.5 million (2015: £9.5 million) from the impairment 
of certain intangible assets and the write off of costs 
on the project to replace the Group’s core IT systems. 
We took the decision not to continue with this project 
as we believe that enhanced internally developed 
systems will enable further growth of the Group, 
including increasing internationalisation, with more 
agility, lower cost and reduced risk.

The exceptional items comprised:

Impairment of intangible assets (1) 

Termination of project to replace core IT systems (2)

Other property related items

Total exceptional charge

2016 
£m

10.6

14.9

–

25.5

2015 
£m

5.1

–

4.4

9.5

1.   Relates to the impairment in the period to  

30 January 2016 of the goodwill arising in prior 
years on the acquisition of ActivInstinct Limited,  
a partial impairment of the Blacks fascia name and 
the impairment of other goodwill and fascia name 
balances which were not significant. The charge in 
the prior period related to the goodwill arising in 
prior years on the acquisition of Blacks Outdoor 
Retail Limited, the goodwill arising in prior years  
on the acquisition of Kukri Sports Limited, the  
Kukri brand name and the Ark fascia name.

2.   One off exceptional charge writing off costs to 

date including certain other related costs.

Group profit before tax in the year ultimately increased 
by 45% to £131.6 million (2015: £90.5 million).

Working Capital and Cash
Strong cash generation from the ongoing trading in our 
core retail fascias combined with further management 
focus on driving improvements in stock management 
disciplines has meant that we ended the year with a net 
cash balance in excess of £200 million for the first time. 
The positive cash position provides the Group with a 
strong financial foundation for our ongoing retail 
developments, both in the UK and internationally. 
Whilst there were no acquisitions in the year to  
30 January 2016, we will continue to make selected 
acquisitions and investments, as we have done recently 
in the Netherlands, where they benefit our strategic 
development.

On 1 September 2015, the Group amended and 
extended its syndicated committed £155 million bank 
facility which previously expired on 11 October 2017. 
The facility has been amended by increasing the 
syndicated committed facility by £60 million to £215 
million. The expiry date has also been extended by 
two years and so the amended facility now expires  
on 11 October 2019.

Gross capital expenditure (excluding disposal costs) 
increased by £13.3 million to £83.5 million (2015: £70.2 
million). Our continuing commitment to enhancing our 
customers’ experience, including the development of the 
new flagship concept, and to developing our overseas 
businesses means that investment in our retail fascias, 
both in terms of taking new stores where appropriate 
and refurbishing existing space, remains very substantial 
with the spend on our retail fascias increasing by £14.5 
million to £51.7 million (2015: £37.2 million). 

We anticipate a further increase in capital expenditure in 
the new financial year although the ultimate level  
of spend will depend on the final availability of 
appropriate retail sites.

Elsewhere, we have now completed the project  
to increase the operational capacity and flexibility  
of our Kingsway warehouse at a cost in the year of  
£9.7 million (2015: £11.5 million). We have also acquired  
a plot of land next to our existing Kingsway site at a cost 
of £4.7 million to facilitate future development.

Taxation 
The effective rate of tax on profit from continuing 
operations has increased from 22.9% to 23.5% 
primarily due to impairments of non-current assets 
which do not qualify for tax relief and prior year 
adjustments. Excluding both exceptional items and 
prior year adjustments from the tax charge, the 
effective core rate from continuing activities has 
decreased from 22.4% to 21.4%. This core effective 
rate continues to be above the standard rate due to 
depreciation of non-current assets which do not 
qualify for tax relief and overseas subsidiaries being 
subject to higher rates of corporation tax than the UK.

Annual Report & Accounts 2016Financial Review – Continuing Businesses (continued)

Earnings per Share
The basic earnings per share from continuing operations 
has increased by 42.6% from 35.17p to 50.16p. However, 
the Directors consider the adjusted earnings per share 
to be a more appropriate measure of the Group’s 
underlying earnings performance since it excludes the 
post-tax effect of exceptional items (other than the loss 
on disposal of non-current assets). The strong trading 
performance in the year is reflected in the fact that the 
adjusted earnings per share from continuing operations 
has increased by 57.7% from 38.89p to 61.34p.

Dividends
A final cash dividend of 6.20p per share is proposed, 
which if approved, would represent an increase of  
5.1% on the final dividend from the prior year. Added 
to the interim dividend of 1.20p per share, this takes 
the full year dividend to 7.40p, which is an increase  
of 5.0% on the prior year. The dividend has risen by 
64% since 2010. We believe that this level of dividend 
strikes a fair balance for shareholders with appropriate 
capital retained to facilitate ongoing developments, 
particularly investment in the international Sports 
Fashion fascias, which will drive success for the Group, 
and increased benefits to shareholders, over the 
longer term.

Treasury Facilities
Interest rate hedging has not been put in place on the 
current facility. The Directors continue to be mindful  
of the potential for rises in UK base rates as the 
general economic situation improves but, at present, 
given the highly seasonal nature of the Group’s core 
cashflows, they do not believe that a long term interest 
hedge is appropriate. This position continues to be 
reviewed regularly.

Working capital remains well controlled with suppliers 
continuing to be paid to agreed terms and settlement 
discounts taken whenever due.

Foreign Exchange Exposures
The Group has two principal foreign exchange 
exposures:

1.   The sourcing of own brand merchandise from either 
the Far East or Indian Sub-Continent which usually 
has to be paid for in US Dollars. A buying rate is set 
at the start of the buying season (typically six to nine 
months before product is delivered to stores). At this 
point, the Group aims to protect the anticipated  
US Dollar requirement at rates at, or above, the 
buying rate through appropriate foreign exchange 
instruments. The Group’s forecast requirement for 
US Dollars in the period to January 2017 is now  
$100 million. Cover is in place for 2016 for $85 million 
meaning that the Group is currently exposed on 
exchange rate movements for $15 million of the 
current year’s estimated requirement.

2.   The Group is also exposed to the movement in the 
rate of the Euro from the sale of its UK sourced 
stocks to its subsidiaries in Europe. However, the 
Group has an element of a natural hedge on this 
exposure as the Euros received for that stock are 
then reinvested back in those European subsidiaries 
to fund the development of both new stores and 
refurbishments. The anticipated surplus over and 
above the planned investment levels in the period 
to January 2017, pre any potential acquisition 
activity to be funded in Euros, is €160 million. 
Hedging contracts are in place to sell €122 million 
meaning that the Group is currently exposed on 
exchange rate movements for €38 million of the 
current year’s estimated surplus.

Brian Small 
Chief Financial Officer 
13 April 2016

5555
55

Strategic ReportStrategic ReportProperty and Stores Review

Sports Fashion

JD
The retail property strategy for the core JD fascia  
is consistent across all of our territories. JD is a world  
class retail fascia and we strongly believe that our 
multichannel approach, which marries vibrant retail 
theatre with the latest retail digital technology, increases 
the attractiveness and desirability of our product and 
provides our stores with a real point of difference for 
both our consumers and our branded supplier partners.

We are committed to continually enhancing our retail 
proposition for both customers and third party brand 
partners and during the period we demonstrated this 
commitment with the opening of new larger spaced 
flagship style JD stores in Oxford Street London, 
Glasgow, Newcastle and Amsterdam. Including the 
Trafford Centre, which was refurbished in the previous 
year, there are now five stores in this style.

Further international expansion of the JD fascia is  
a clear strategic focus for the Group. During the year 
we have opened additional stores in all existing 
European territories. We also saw the opening of our 
first JD stores in Belgium, Italy, Denmark and Sweden. 
More recently, we have opened our first store outside 
of Europe at Sunway Pyramid in Kuala Lumpur, 
Malaysia. Our international credibility with both major 
landlords and property agents is increasing and we 
continue to look at opportunities, in both our existing 
and new territories, to develop the fascia with 
particular focus on major metropolitan areas.

The major property developments in each area were:

•  UK & Republic of Ireland – 25 new stores were 
opened in the period with 14, generally smaller, 
stores closed. The 25 new stores included nine 
relocations in towns or malls in the UK to a more 
appropriately spaced store or a position of greater 
footfall. We also upsized in four locations where  
we were able to negotiate a favourable rent deal  
on additional space, the most significant one  
being Newcastle Northumberland Street where  
the enlarged 16,000 sqft store has been presented 
in the new flagship style.

•  Europe - JD continues to develop momentum in 

Europe with a net increase of 38 stores. A total of  
41 stores were opened in the year of which 34 were 
across the existing territories of France, Spain, the 
Netherlands and Germany with seven new stores 
opened in the new territories of Belgium, Italy, 
Denmark and Sweden. The openings included 
Amsterdam Nieuwendijk which, with a retail space 
of 9,500 sqft, is our largest store to date in Europe 
and is the first flagship style store outside of the UK. 
Three stores were closed in the year of which two, 
Berlin Gesundbrunnen and Almere (the Netherlands), 
were relocations into larger space.

•  Asia - The first JD store outside of Europe opened 

in January 2016 at Sunway Pyramid in Kuala 
Lumpur where we are working with a local partner, 
Stream Enterprise SDN BHD.

Size?
As with JD, we believe that the Size? fascia with  
its independent feel and loyal consumer following  
has the potential to be successful internationally.  
Our international focus for this fascia is reflected in 
the fact that of the seven new Size? stores which  
were opened during the year, three were in Europe 
with one further store in France (Marseille) together 
with our first Size? stores in Germany (Cologne)  
and Denmark (Copenhagen). 

Chausport
It is still our belief that the Chausport fascia is more 
suited to the smaller regional towns and centres where 
conflict with JD’s expansion is unlikely. We continue  
to be satisfied with the performance of the Chausport 
business and will support limited investment in this 
business. One smaller store, at Chenove, closed in  
the year.

Sprinter
We continue to believe that the Sprinter proposition has 
significant potential to expand beyond its traditional 
heartlands in the communities of Andalucía, Murcia and 
Valencia and are supporting the Sprinter management 
team in their store opening programme. During the year 
we opened a further 24 stores of which 12 were outside 
of the traditional heartlands, including a further five 
stores in Catalonia to complement the opening at 
Badalona in the previous year and a first store off the 
Spanish mainland on the island of Mallorca. The average 
retail footprint of the stores opened in the year was 
5,600 sqft which is less than 40% of the average retail 
footprint of the stores on acquisition in 2010. We are 
confident that this lower footprint provides a more 
effective and efficient trading area for the business.

Scotts
Whilst investment in the business has been limited in 
recent years, we are very encouraged by more recent 
performance. Accordingly, we have supported a limited 
investment in the fascia during the year with a new 
store at Cardiff and relocations in St Helens, Bolton  
and Blackpool.

Tessuti
After a year of consolidation in the previous year,  
we have been able to increase investment in the 
Tessuti fascia in the year with five new stores at 
Liverpool Speke, Blackburn, Ayr, Walsall and West 
Bromwich. In addition to the usual decision making 
factors for new property of rent cost, retail footprint 
and strength of footfall, openings in the premium 
branded Tessuti business are also dependent on 
availability of third party brands in a particular location.

Annual Report & Accounts 2016Property and Stores Review (continued)

Outdoor 

•  Ultimate Outdoors: Two of the former Kiddicare 

Blacks, Millets and Ultimate Outdoors
Subsequent to our acquisition of the business in 
January 2012, we agreed short term leases with flexible 
break clauses with landlords in a number of locations 
which gave both parties the mutual ability to move 
quickly if appropriate. Consequently, whilst this gives 
maximum flexibility, it does mean that the Blacks and 
Millets store portfolios continue to be very dynamic:

•  Blacks: Three new stores were opened in the period 
at Edinburgh Kinnaird, Cardiff Bay and Leeds with 
six stores closed. A further six stores were converted 
to Millets and four, larger space, stores were 
converted to the new Ultimate Outdoors fascia.
•  Millets: The Millets store portfolio has seen further 

considerable change during the year with nine new 
stores opened and the conversion of eight stores 
from other fascias of which six were formerly Blacks 
stores, one ex JD and one ex Scotts. 10 stores were 
closed in the year.

stores, which we acquired in the previous financial 
year, were opened in the year in the new larger 
format Ultimate Outdoors style. These stores,  
at Merryhill and Nottingham both have retail 
footprints in excess of 30,000 sqft and, as the name 
suggests, provide the ultimate destination for the 
Outdoor consumer. This means that three of the 
former Kiddicare stores are now trading with 
Aintree surrendered back to the landlord during  
the year and Southampton the subject of ongoing 
discussions with the landlord. Four, larger space 
stores, where the footprint is more consistent with 
the Ultimate Outdoors format were converted from 
Blacks although, subsequently, West Thurrock was 
closed as the landlord exercised his mutual right  
to break the flexible lease.

Tiso
The underperforming Tiso store at Fort William was 
closed in the year. 

For a complete table of store numbers see page 27.

Peter Cowgill 
Executive Chairman 
13 April 2016

5757
57

Strategic ReportStrategic ReportCorporate and Social Responsibility

The Group recognises that it has a responsibility to 
ensure its business is carried out in a way that ensures 
high standards of environmental and human behaviour. 
With the help and co-operation of all employees, the 
Group endeavours to comply with all relevant laws  
in order to meet that duty and responsibility wherever 
it operates. The major contributions of the Group in 
this respect are detailed below. 

Developing Our People
The Group understands the importance of developing 
our people across all levels and is committed to 
providing all employees with the tools to excel within 
their careers. In order to facilitate this, learning and 
development solutions tailored and adjusted to meet 
the ever changing requirements of a fast-paced, 
growing business are provided. 

Training and Development 

Who Are Our People?
The Group is a large equal opportunities employer  
that is committed to providing exceptional prospects 
for its people to grow and develop within the business, 
investing heavily in attracting, recruiting and retaining 
its people.

The Group has grown significantly since its birth  
in 1981, and at the end of the financial year employs  
over 19,000 people, across all aspects of the business. 
Internal progression is a fundamental value of the 
business and is key to the future expansion of the 
Group, promoting the core values and DNA throughout. 
The Group promotes career development both in the 
UK and internationally, employing large numbers  
of school leavers and university graduates, within 
Retail, Head Office and Distribution.

JD’s global expansion offers its people infinite 
opportunities across its ever growing international 
territories. A variety of interesting positions usually 
exist across a number of departments such as;  
Human Resources, Finance, Buying, Merchandising, 
Property, IT, e-Commerce and Retail.

Part of the foundation for internal progression is the 
Group’s Trainee Management Academy, designed  
to turn the most promising junior managers of today 
into the senior managers of tomorrow. The Academy 
has already provided a number of key senior positions 
within the business such as Area Sales Managers and 
key Head Office appointments, continually evolving  
to the needs of the Group. During the year ended  
30 January 2016, the Academy produced graduates 
from France, Spain and the Netherlands and continues 
to expand its international influence.

The development across all territories is provided by 
the established Learning & Development department. 
The team operates across all of the Group’s fascias and 
territories, as well as Head Office and the Distribution 
Centre. This function assesses the needs and designs 
and delivers necessary programmes for all fascias and 
territories in order to ensure operational consistency 
along with developing the management skills required 
to effectively manage the business.

A Learning Management System (‘LMS’) platform along 
with e-learning and compliance based e-assessments 
are continually evolving to meet the ever demanding 
needs of the business.

Within Retail alone there are a number of roles,  
in more than 900 stores across all territories, such  
as team members, store management and visual 
merchandisers, working together to present the 
product range to extremely high standards and 
provide unparalleled service to customers.

Growing Our People
The opportunities are extensive for those who spend 
their careers with JD. Examples abound within the group 
of individuals who began their careers in store before 
either rising through the Retail ranks or pursuing other 
careers within JD Sports Fashion Plc.

Recruiting Our People
The Group continues to grow with over 100 new stores 
opening during the year and the expansion is long term, 
so there remains a substantial need for recruitment. 
Whilst the Group is committed to getting the very best 
from its people, it also strives to ensure that its recruits 
are of the highest standard.

Dedicated recruitment personnel for our Head Office 
and Retail teams provide invaluable support in arranging 
interviews, scouring CV databases and advertising 
positions both internally and externally, ensuring that  
the most suitable candidates are sourced.

Equality and Diversity
The Group is committed to promoting policies which are 
designed to ensure that employees and those who seek 
to work for the Group are treated equally regardless  
of gender, marital status, sexual orientation, age, race, 
religion, ethnic or social origin or disability.

The Group gives full and fair consideration to 
applications for employment by people who  
are disabled, to continue whenever possible the 
development of staff who become disabled and  
to provide equal opportunities for the career 
development of disabled employees. It is also Group 
policy to provide opportunities for the large number 
of people seeking flexible or part time hours. 

58

Annual Report & Accounts 2016Corporate and Social Responsibility (continued)

A breakdown by gender of the number of employees 
who were Directors of the Company, Senior Managers 
and other employees as at 30 January 2016, is set  
out below:

Plc Board

Senior Managers*

All Employees

Male

Female

4

108

1

42

Total

5

150

10,336

9,497

19,833

%  
Male

80%

72%

52%

%  
Female

20%

28%

48%

The breakdown for the comparative period, as at  
31 January 2015, is set out below:

Plc Board

Senior Managers*

All Employees

Male

Female

4

91

-

36

Total

4

127

8,274

7,551

15,825

%  
Male

100%

72%

52%

%  
Female

-

28%

48%

* Senior Managers are defined as -

1.   persons responsible for planning, directing  

or controlling the activities of the Company, or  
a strategically significant part of the Company,  
other than Company Directors and;

2.  any other Directors of subsidiary undertakings

Communication
The number and geographic dispersion of the  
Group’s operating locations make it difficult, but 
essential, to communicate effectively with employees. 

Communication with retail staff is primarily achieved 
through management in the regional and area 
operational structures. In addition, formal 
communications informing all employees of the 
financial performance of the Group are issued on  
a regular basis by the Group’s Human Resources 
Department in the form of ‘Team Briefs’. This 
department also produces a booklet four times  
a year for distribution within the Group’s Head 
Office and Warehouse called People 1st.

Health and Safety 
We are fully committed to continuous health and 
safety improvement across all areas of the Group  
and understand that it is the way we work and  
behave that protects our colleagues, customers  
and other stakeholders. 

Our organisational structure defines individual safety 
responsibilities and duties to ensure that we provide 
and maintain safe and healthy working conditions, 
equipment and systems of work for all our colleagues.

We demonstrate this commitment through active 
leadership, promoting best practice and by setting 
specific and measurable targets each year.  
Our performance against these targets is reviewed 
and reported upon regularly and we will ensure  
that adequate resource is provided to enable their 
achievement and ensure the effective management  
of risk within the Group. Our commitment is best 
evidenced by:

•  The continued development of our induction and 

training programmes that ensures every colleague 
has the competence, understanding and awareness 
to work safely and at minimum risk.

•  Our Group health and safety committee meeting 
four times a year and our distribution health and 
safety committee meeting monthly both ensure 
engagement with our colleagues. Every employee 
has the opportunity to raise any safety concerns 
through their nominated representative.

•  There has been continued safety input into all our 
new and refitted stores from the initial design 
through to opening. Our health and safety team 
conducts its own audit programmes to ensure the 
highest safety standards are maintained during the 
construction phase of all our shop-fit projects.

•  We review the processes we have in place and aim 
to implement current best practice in all areas  
of our business. During the year we have reviewed 
and re-written our Group, retail and distribution 
safety policies. We have also implemented safety 
improvement plans for our retail and distribution 
teams demonstrating that we are committed  
to continuous improvement. 

•  We have implemented Group safety procedures 

across all UK companies with our focus on companies 
with warehousing and distribution activity.

5959

Strategic ReportStrategic Report 
 
 
 
 
 
Corporate and Social Responsibility (continued)

•  Our drive to implement Group safety procedures 
across all JD retail stores in Europe continues. 
Group procedures are now in place in Germany,  
the Netherlands, Belgium, Denmark and Sweden.
•  Acknowledging that our main Distribution Centre  
is our most hazardous environment, the safety and 
operations teams have been working throughout 
the year towards the achievement of a British 
Safety Council Accreditation. 

•  We set ourselves a number of measurable targets 

for the year and have worked towards their 
achievement, including:
 - Our area sales managers must carry out a health 
and safety inspection every six months in each 
store under their control. Our target was that 
95% of all stores must have a current inspection 
in place. At the end of the year the level of 
compliance was 95%.

 - During the financial year, our target of zero  

Local Authority or Fire Authority enforcement 
notices to be served on the company has  
been achieved.

Environment
The Group recognises that it has a responsibility  
to manage the impact that its businesses have on  
the environment and is committed to carrying out its 
activities with due consideration for the potential 
environmental impact both now and in the future.  
We continue to comply with the UK Government’s 
carbon reduction commitment and have the following 
as the key areas of focus:

•  Ensuring efficient use of energy and other materials.
•  Maximising the amount of waste which is recycled.
•  Ensuring compliance with relevant legislation and 

codes of best practice.

Energy 

Basic Principles
The Group’s core business is retail and it is the Group’s 
aim to give customers an enjoyable retail experience 
with goods presented attractively in an environment 
that is both well-lit and has a pleasant ambient 
temperature. However, the Group accepts that all the 
businesses within it must be responsible in their 
energy usage and associated carbon emissions.  
This policy applies in all territories.

Carbon Management Programme
The Group maintains a Carbon Management Programme (‘CMP’) which is sponsored by the Chief Financial 
Officer and is reviewed regularly. The objectives of this programme are:

Objective
1. Understand the drivers and timing of usage by continued investment in energy ‘smart’ meters.

2. Reduce energy usage in non-trading periods.

3. Reduce energy usage through investment in lighting technology.

4. Reduce energy usage through staff awareness and training.

5. Purchase energy competitively from sustainable sources wherever possible.

6. Ensure all business activities are aware of their impact on energy consumption.

7. Ensure that the CMP applies to all businesses in all territories.

Action & Progress
This has now been achieved in over 545 of the Group’s sites with ongoing rollout planned for remaining 
sites. Combined with the stores where accurate and timely usage data is already received from 
mandatory half hourly meters, this means that in excess of 96% of the UK and Republic of Ireland 
electricity consumption and 75% of gas consumption is automatically measured every 30 minutes.

In the period to 30 January 2016, the Group has invested in Building Management Systems in 180 of its 
highest energy consuming stores in the UK. The project covers all fascias and is maintaining average 
energy savings of 20% and a payback in less than 12 months. This technology is now fitted in all new 
stores as standard with further retrofits scheduled for 2016.

Working with our preferred lighting suppliers, we have improved the design of the 23 Watt LED 
lamps, which are used as standard in all new shopfits, delivering an 11% improvement in power 
efficiency compared to the previous design. Our standard retail lighting scheme also incorporates 
LED lamps in changing areas and individual motion sensors on every light fitting in non-retail areas. 
Further, individual motion sensors have been fitted on lights in the Group’s Head Office building in 
the year.

Retail staff have a key role to play in the execution of the CMP. All new managers receive training in 
energy management as part of their wider training programme.

The Group has placed new supply contracts in the UK (except Northern Ireland). The contract is  
to supply the Group’s core businesses with 100% of its electricity requirement from either  
renewable or other sustainable sources. Newly acquired businesses are migrated to these  
contracts when possible.

A multi-disciplined approach to the CMP is adopted with considerable focus also given to reducing 
usage in the Group’s warehouses and offices.

The CMP applies to all business in the Group. We work closely with the local management after 
acquisition to identify gaps and implement group strategies.

Annual Report & Accounts 2016Corporate and Social Responsibility (continued)

Objectives For The Period To January 2017
The Group is committed to investing in the necessary 
resources to help achieve its targets on reducing carbon 
emissions, with the following works planned for the year 
to 28 January 2017:

•  Continue to expand the reach of the CMP by working 

with the newly acquired businesses.

•  Retrofit further stores with the 23 Watt LEDs  

for retail lighting thereby further reducing energy 
consumption and heat gain in the retail environment.

•  Further investment in the use of building 
management systems to allow remote  
monitoring and control of building services.
•  Review energy usage and practices at the main 

warehouse in Kingsway, Rochdale.

•  Implement recommendations from the energy 

surveys carried out to exceed our Energy Savings 
Opportunity Scheme (‘ESOS’) obligations.

Interaction With Pentland Group Plc
Under the current rules of the statutory Carbon 
Reduction Commitment Energy Efficiency scheme 
(‘CRC’), the Group’s submission to the UK Environment 
Agency is aggregated with that of Pentland Group Plc 
which is the Group’s ultimate holding company (see 
note 36). The Group continues to work closely with 
Pentland Group Plc to ensure an efficient process with 
regard to the emissions trading scheme which was 
introduced in April 2010, as part of the CRC. 

Recycling
Wherever possible, cardboard (the major packaging 
constituent) is taken back to the Group’s distribution 
centres. The cardboard is then baled and passed to 
recycling businesses for reprocessing. During the  
year, the amount of cardboard recycled increased  
to 1,638 tonnes (2015: 1,322 tonnes).

The Group has expanded its use of the Dry Mixed 
Recycling (‘DMR’) scheme to all pre-existing stores 
and businesses in the UK, Ireland and the Netherlands 
to divert as much waste as possible away from 
landfill. The scheme will be rolled out to other newly 
acquired businesses as soon as this is possible. In the 
period to 30 January 2016 we recycled 95% (2015: 
92%) of our DMR waste with the remainder being 
used as an energy-from-waste (EfW) material.

Our Kingsway Distribution Facility continues to be  
a zero waste to landfill site.

KPIs
The Group is committed to using and subsequently 
reporting on appropriate KPIs with regards to energy 
usage. Accordingly, the Group can report the following 
which have been calculated based on the GHG Protocol 
Corporate Standard using emissions factors from UK 
government conversion factor guidance for the year 
reported. The emissions reported correspond with our 
financial year and reflect emissions from the leased and 
controlled assets for which the Group is responsible. 
Emissions are predominately from electricity use and 
delivery vehicle fuel consumption for our UK operations. 
Emissions from the Group’s overseas operations are low 
relative to UK activities.

Global GHG emissions from:

Combustion of fuels & operation of facilities (i)

Purchased electricity, heat, stream & cooling

Intensity measurement (ii)

2015/16
Tonnes CO2 
Equivalent

3,751

41,505

2014/15
Tonnes CO2 
Equivalent

3,691

43,952

Emissions reported above normalised to per £m revenue

26

34

(i)   Excludes facility F-Gas emissions 
(ii) 

 Like for like revenues for businesses that have 
contributed full years both years

The following businesses are excluded from the data 
above as their contribution is not considered material 
at this time:

•  Kooga Rugby Limited
•  JD Sports Fashion Sweden AB
•  JD Sports Fashion Denmark ApS
•  JD Sports Fashion SDN BHD
•  Source Lab Limited
•  JD Sports Fashion SRL
•  JD Sports Fashion Belgium BVBA

Whilst it is not mandatory, the Group remains committed 
to presenting data with regard to energy usage and 
carbon footprint on a ‘like for like’ basis in respect  
of those locations in the Group’s core operations in the 
UK and Republic of Ireland that have been present for 
the full year in both years:

Energy Usage – Electricity (MWh)

Energy Usage – Natural Gas (MWh)

Total Energy Use (MWh)

Carbon Footprint (Tonnes CO2)

2016

59,988

1,810

61,798

28,059

2015

63,145

1,905

65,050

29,536

% 
Change

-5%

6161
61

Strategic ReportStrategic Report 
 
Corporate and Social Responsibility (continued)

In addition to the DMR scheme, there are three other 
main elements to our recycling strategy:

•  Confidential paper waste is shredded on collection 
by a recycling business. This business provides  
a ‘Certificate of Environmental Accomplishment’ 
which states that the shredded paper, which was 
collected in the year, was the equivalent of 3,808 
trees (2015: 2,862 trees).

•  Photocopier and printer toners (laser and ink) are 

collected and recycled for charity by Environmental 
Business Products Limited.

•  Food waste is separated where possible and reused 

in the production of compost. 

Plastic bags
Approximately 35% of the bags issued by the Group’s 
like for like businesses are high quality drawstring duffle 
bags, which are generally reused by customers many 
times. However, the Group is aware of the environmental 
impact of plastic bags and has sought to minimise any 
impact through the following measures:

•  The bags are made from 33% recycled material.
•  The bags contain an oxo-biodegradable additive, 

which means that they degrade totally over  
a relatively short life span.

The use of this material has also been adopted in an 
additional 70% of the Group’s plastic bags handed out 
to customers. The Group uses paper-based bags rather 
than plastic bags in its stores in the Republic of Ireland 
and we are also fully compliant with the carrier bag 
charge schemes across the United Kingdom.

100% of the proceeds from the carrier bag charges 
(net of VAT) is passed to the JD Foundation for annual 
distribution as follows:

•  England: £183,000 received from 1 October 2015  

to 30 January 2016. 50% of the funds will be passed  
to Mountain Rescue in England and Wales with  
50% donated to other charitable causes in 
accordance with the objects of the JD Foundation.

•  Wales: £89,000 received on a cumulative basis 
from the inception of the charge to 30 January 
2016. 100% of these funds will be passed to 
Mountain Rescue in England and Wales.

•  Scotland: £78,000 received on a cumulative basis 
from the inception of the charge to 30 January 
2016. 100% of these funds will be passed to  
Scottish Mountain Rescue. 

We have committed to continuing the arrangements 
with Mountain Rescue in England and Wales and 
Scottish Mountain Rescue for a further two years  
on the same basis, being:

•  Mountain Rescue in England and Wales: 50% of the 
income (net of VAT) from carrier bag charges levied 
in England and 100% of charges levied in Wales.
•  Scottish Mountain Rescue: 100% of the income (net 
of VAT) from carrier bag charges levied in Scotland.

Human Rights
The Group endorses the principles set out in the United 
Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the 
International Labour Organisation’s Declaration on 
Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work which seek 
to ensure safe and fair working conditions on a global 
scale. Our suppliers are selected upon and contractually 
committed to the Group on the basis of their adherence 
to these principles.

Ethical Sourcing
The Group seeks to provide its customers with high 
quality and value merchandise from suppliers who can 
demonstrate compliance with internationally accepted 
core labour and ethical standards throughout their 
supply chain. These standards are based upon the 
provisions of the Ethical Trading Initiative (‘ETI’) Base 
Code and specifically cover areas such as wages, 
working hours, health and safety and the right to 
freedom of association.

The Group requires all of its suppliers, both existing and 
new, to formally commit to implementing the provisions 
of the ETI Base Code throughout their supply chains. 
Prior to any orders being placed, all new suppliers are 
required to complete the Group’s risk assessment form 
to indicate their degree of compliance to the ETI Base 
Code. All existing suppliers are also required to conduct 
this assessment on an annual basis. These forms are 
reviewed by the Group’s Compliance team and any areas 
of concern with regard to potential non-compliance are 
investigated when visiting the factories concerned. 
These reports are shared by the Group in a central base 
and those travelling are encouraged to take all 
documentation from the base with them when 
visiting the factories so that follow up can be done  
on a continual basis.

Annual Report & Accounts 2016Corporate and Social Responsibility (continued)

This year has seen the Corporate Responsibility team  
at JD Head office engage with the Fair Factories 
Clearing House (‘FFC’) compliance programme and 
combined with the continued progression of the Asia 
Inspections partnership we continue to work towards 
documented compliance in our suppliers and resolution 
of non-compliances within the core factory base.  
Our aim is zero tolerance on critical issues, with critical 
issues defined as ‘an issue that impacts workers causing 
hardship or harm’. In 2015/16 we eradicated critical issues 
from our existing supply base and we will continue to 
do so as our supplier base expands. Furthermore, 
issues categorised as major and minor issues were 
reduced by 53% year on year.

Over the past two years we have reduced our supply 
base by 50% as the Group further amalgamates its 
sourcing strategy. 62% of these factories have been 
audited by a third party. With the increase in auditing 
we have enhanced visibility of issues in these factories 
and are working with the FFC and the factories to track 
the resolution of these non-compliances to improve 
conditions across all areas of the ETI base code.  
The FFC is invaluable in the monitoring of the progress 
of individual issues and sharing improvement 
responsibility with other brands sharing one factory, 
and it is expected that by joining the FFC we will 
further develop our ethical compliance programme.

Due to the diverse nature and scope of the supply 
chain, it is not always possible to visit all of the factories 
directly. Where instances of non-compliance are 
identified from the risk assessment forms/and or audits 
and the supplier cannot be visited, they are required to 
provide evidence of corrective action and subsequently 
re-graded against the initial report. These actions will 
be verified directly by the Group’s Compliance team as 
soon as practically possible on a future visit.

All suppliers are contractually obliged to comply  
with the Group’s Conditions of Supply which includes a 
specific policy on ‘Employment Standards for Suppliers’.

Our Communities
The Group seeks to be involved in the community 
where it can make an appropriate contribution from 
its resources and skills base.

During the year, JD set up the JD Foundation (the 
registered charity number is pending). In addition  
to the support given to Mountain Rescue in England 
and Wales and Scottish Mountain Rescue, the aim  
of the Foundation is to support charities working with 
young people in the UK with the mission to give back 
to these youth communities.

We have nominated four specific charities for funding 
in the new financial year:

•  The Teenage Cancer Trust
•  The Factory Zone
•  Once Upon A Smile 
•  The Retail Trust

Funding for these donations will come from the 
remaining 50% of the carrier bag charges in England 
together with the other fund raising activities 
undertaken by the Foundation.

A number of donations were made throughout the 
year, including £14,000 to Once Upon A Smile, £8,000 
to Cancer Research UK and £4,000 to The Teenage 
Cancer Trust.

We also sent each child at a Special Needs school and 
an orphanage in Coimbatore, India, a present box which 
was delivered to them on Christmas Eve, along with  
a further four cartons of toys which were funded by 
donations from within the Head Office.

Brian Small 
Chief Financial Officer 
13 April 2016

6363
63

Strategic ReportStrategic ReportThe Board

Peter Cowgill
Executive Chairman and Chairman of the  
Nomination Committee – Aged 63
Peter was appointed Executive Chairman in March 
2004. He was previously Finance Director of the 
Group until his resignation in June 2001. He is a 
Non-Executive Chairman of United Carpets Plc and 
also held the position of Non-Executive Chairman  
of MBL Group Plc until June 2014. 

Brian Small
Chief Financial Officer – Aged 59
Brian was appointed Chief Financial Officer in  
January 2004. Immediately prior to his appointment 
he was Operations Finance Director at Intercare Group 
Plc and has also been Finance Director of a number  
of other companies. He qualified as an accountant 
with Price Waterhouse in 1981. 

Andrew Leslie
Non-Executive Director, Chairman of the 
Remuneration Committee and Member of the Audit 
and Nomination Committees – Aged 69
Andrew was appointed to the Board in May 2010.  
He has over 40 years of experience in the retail, 
footwear and apparel sectors. He was an Executive 
Board Director of Pentland Brands Plc, from which  
he retired in 2008. Andrew also held a number  
of senior positions with British Shoe Corporation,  
The Burton Group Plc and Timpson Shoes Limited. 

Martin Davies
Non-Executive Director, Chairman of the Audit 
Committee and Member of the Nomination and 
Remuneration Committees – Aged 56
Martin was appointed to the Board in October 2012. 
Martin also holds the position of Chairman of Sentric 
Music Limited. He was previously Group Chief 
Executive of Holidaybreak Plc from 2010 until its sale 
to Cox and Kings Limited in 2011. He joined the Board 
of Holidaybreak Plc in 2007 when it acquired PGL 
where he had been Chief Executive. He left 
Holidaybreak Plc in 2012. Previously, he has had roles 
at Allied Breweries, Kingfisher and Woolworths.

Heather Jackson
Non-Executive Director, Member of the Audit, 
Nomination and Remuneration Committees – Aged 50
Heather was appointed to the Board in May 2015. 
Heather has extensive experience in IT and change 
management. Heather is currently Managing Director 
at Actinista 2016 Limited and a Non-Executive Director 
of Ikano Bank AB. Her former roles have included  
CIO of HBOS Plc and other director level roles with 
Capital One, Boots the Chemist and George at Asda.

Andy Rubin
Non-Executive Director – Aged 51
Andy was appointed to the Board in February 2016. 
Andy is Chairman of Pentland Brands, a Director of 
Pentland Group Plc and the European Vice-President  
of the World Federation of the Sporting Goods Industry.

Annual Report & Accounts 2016Directors’ Report

The Directors present their Annual Report and the 
audited financial statements of JD Sports Fashion Plc 
(the ‘Company’) and its subsidiaries (together referred 
to as the ‘Group’) for the 52 week period ended  
30 January 2016. The Board considers 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 
Company’s position and performance, business model 
and strategy.

Principal Activity
The principal activity of the Group is the retail of 
branded sports fashionwear and outdoor clothing  
and equipment. 

In accordance with the Companies Act 2006, a review 
of the business providing a comprehensive analysis  
of the main trends and factors likely to affect the 
development, performance and position of the business, 
including environmental, employee, social, community 
and human rights issues, together with the Group’s Key 
Performance Indicators and a description of the 
principal risks and uncertainties facing the business is 
detailed in the Strategy Report on pages 49 to 63.

All of the information set out in those sections is 
incorporated by reference into, and is deemed to form 
part of, this report.

The Corporate Governance Report (pages 68 to 72) 
and the Directors’ Remuneration Report (pages  
73 to 81) are incorporated by reference into, and are 
deemed to form part of, this report. 

Share Capital
As at 30 January 2016 the Company’s issued share 
capital was £2,433,083 comprising 194,646,632 
ordinary shares of 1.25p each. 

Shareholder and Voting Rights 
All members who hold ordinary shares are entitled  
to attend and vote at the Company’s Annual General 
Meeting. On a show of hands at a general meeting, 
every member present in person or by proxy shall 
have one vote and, on a poll, every member present  
in person or by proxy shall have one vote for every 
ordinary share they hold. Subject to relevant statutory 
provisions and the Company’s Articles of Association, 
holders of ordinary shares are entitled to a dividend 
where declared or paid out of profits available for 
such purposes. 

Restrictions on Transfer of Shares
The restrictions on the transfer of shares in the 
Company are as follows:

•  The Board may, in its absolute discretion, refuse  

to register any transfer of shares which are not fully 
paid up (but not so as to prevent dealings in listed 
shares from taking place), or which is in favour of 
more than four persons jointly or which is in relation 
to more than one class of share.

•  Certain restrictions may, from time to time, be 
imposed by laws and regulations (for example, 
insider trading laws).

•  Restrictions apply pursuant to the Listing Rules of 

the Financial Conduct Authority whereby Directors 
and certain of the Group’s employees require prior 
approval to deal in the Company’s shares.

The Company is not aware of any arrangement 
between its shareholders that may result in restrictions 
on the transfer of shares and / or voting rights. 

Substantial Interests in Share Capital
As at 30 January 2016 the Company has been advised 
of the following significant holdings of voting rights in 
its ordinary share capital pursuant to the Disclosure 
and Transparency Rules of the Financial Conduct 
Authority (‘DTRs’):

Number of 
ordinary shares/ 
voting rights held

% of Ordinary share  
capital

Pentland Group Plc

Sports World International Ltd

Fidelity Management and Research LLC

111,854,888

13,500,000

9,990,400

57.47

6.94

5.13

The Company has not been notified of any significant 
changes in interests pursuant to the DTRs between  
30 January 2016 and the date of this report.

Relationship Agreement
In accordance with LR 9.2.2AR (2) (a), the Company has 
entered into a written and legally binding relationship 
agreement with its controlling shareholder Pentland 
Group Plc. So far as the Company is aware, the 
independence provisions included within the 
relationship agreement have been complied with during 
the period since the agreement has been in force. 

6565
65

GovernanceGovernanceDirectors’ Report (continued)

Directors
The names and roles of the current Directors together 
with brief biographical details are given on page 64. 
The Directors are responsible for the management  
of the business of the Company and, subject to law 
and the Company’s Articles of Association (‘Articles’),  
the Directors may exercise all of the powers of the 
Company and may delegate their power and discretion 
to committees. 

The number of Directors at any one point in time shall 
not be less than two. 

The Articles give the Directors power to appoint  
and replace Directors. Any Director so appointed  
shall hold office only until the dissolution of the first 
Annual General Meeting of the Company following 
appointment unless they are re-elected during  
such meeting. 

Contractual Arrangements Essential to the Business 
of the Group 
The Board considers that continuing supply from Nike 
and adidas, being the main suppliers of third party 
branded sporting products, to the Group’s core sports 
fashion retail operation is essential to the business of 
the Group.

Employees
The Group communicates with its employees through 
team briefs and via the Company’s intranet and notice 
boards. Views of employees are sought on matters  
of common concern. Priority is given to ensuring that 
employees are aware of all significant matters affecting 
the Group’s performance and of significant 
organisational changes.

The Group’s employee remuneration strategy is set 
out in the Remuneration Report on pages 73 to 81. 

The Articles require that, at each AGM of the Company, 
any Director who was elected or last re-elected at or 
before the AGM held in the third calendar year before 
the current calendar year must retire by rotation and 
such further Directors must retire by rotation so that  
in total not less than one third of the Directors retire  
by rotation each year. A retiring Director is eligible  
for re-election. 

The Group is committed to promoting equal 
opportunities in employment regardless of employees’ 
or potential employees’ gender, marital status, sexual 
orientation, age, race, religion, ethnic or social origin or 
disability. Recruitment, promotion and the availability of 
training are based on the suitability of any applicant for 
the job and full and fair consideration is always given to 
disabled persons in such circumstances. 

However, in accordance with the UK Corporate 
Governance Code the Board has determined that all 
Directors will stand for re-election at the 2016 AGM.

Amendment of the Company’s Articles of Association
The Company’s Articles of Association may only be 
amended by a special resolution at a general meeting 
of shareholders. 

Change of Control – Significant Agreements
In the event of a change of control of the Company,  
the Company and the lenders of the £215 million  
bank syndicated facility shall enter into an agreement  
to determine how to continue the facility. If no 
agreement is reached within 20 business days of the 
date of change in control, the lenders may, by giving 
not less than 10 business days’ notice to the Company, 
cancel the facility and declare all outstanding loans, 
together with accrued interest and all other amounts 
accrued immediately due and payable.

Should an employee become disabled during his or 
her employment by the Group, every effort is made  
to continue employment and training within their 
existing capacity wherever practicable, or failing that, 
in some alternative suitable capacity. 

Auditor
KPMG LLP have indicated their willingness to continue 
in office as auditor of the Company. A resolution 
proposing their re-appointment will be proposed to 
shareholders at the forthcoming AGM. 

Disclosure of Information to the Auditor
Each person who is a Director at the date of approval 
of this report confirms that:

•  So far as they are aware, there is no relevant audit 
information of which the Company’s auditor is 
unaware; and 

•  Each Director has taken all the steps that they ought 
to have taken as a Director to make themselves 
aware of any relevant audit information and to 
establish that the Company’s auditor is aware of 
that information.

Annual Report & Accounts 2016Directors’ Report (continued)

Viability Statement 
In accordance with provision C.2.2 of the UK Corporate 
Governance Code, published by the Financial Reporting 
Council in September 2014, the Directors have assessed 
the prospects of the Group over a longer period.

The Board conducted this review for a period of five 
years. The five year period of review was selected as 
this was linked to the retail property portfolio and  
was considered appropriate as this is the average 
remaining life of the store leases.

In assessment of the viability of the Group, the Board 
has considered the Group’s current position and 
strategy and performed a robust assessment of each 
of the principal risks detailed on pages 51 to 52.  
These principal risks are considered to be those which 
may threaten the business model, future performance 
and liquidity. Where appropriate, the Board has 
evaluated the impact of the key principal risks actually 
occurring based on severe but plausible scenarios. 
The evaluation included performing sensitivity analysis 
by flexing the main assumptions in the scenarios. 

The Board has also considered the Group’s income 
and expenditure projections, the Group cash flows  
and other key financial ratios over the period. 

Annual General Meeting 
The Company’s AGM will be held at 1pm on 17 June 2016 
at Edinburgh House, Hollinsbrook Way, Pilsworth, Bury, 
Lancashire, BL9 8RR. The notice of this year’s AGM  
is included in a separate circular to shareholders and will 
be sent out at least 20 working days before the meeting. 
This notice will be available to view under the ‘Investors’ 
section of the Company’s website, www.jdplc.com/
investor-relations. 

The Directors consider that each of the proposed 
resolutions to be presented at the AGM is in the best 
interests of the Company and its shareholders and 
employees as a whole and most likely to promote  
the success of the Company for the benefit of its 
shareholders as a whole. The Directors unanimously 
recommend that shareholders vote in favour of each 
of the proposed resolutions, as the Directors intend  
to do in respect of their own shareholdings.

By order of the Board 

Based on the results of the analysis, the Board has  
a reasonable expectation that the Group will be able 
to continue in operation and meet its liabilities as they 
fall due over the five year period of the assessment.

Brian Small 
Chief Financial Officer 
13 April 2016

Going Concern 
After making enquiries, the Directors have a reasonable 
expectation that the Company, and the Group as  
a whole, has adequate resources to continue in 
operational existence for the foreseeable future.  
For this reason, the financial statements have been 
prepared on a going concern basis. 

6767
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GovernanceGovernanceCorporate Governance Report

Compliance with good corporate governance is 
important to the Board. This report sets out how the 
Company has applied the main principles set out in 
the UK Corporate Governance Code published by  
the Financial Reporting Council in September 2014 
(‘the Code’) and the extent to which the Company  
has complied with the provisions of the Code. 

The Board
The Board currently consists of six Directors; an 
Executive Chairman, the Chief Financial Officer  
and four Non-Executive Directors. Martin Davies  
is the senior independent Non-Executive Director.  
The name, position and brief profile of each Director  
is set out on page 64. 

The composition of the Board is kept under review 
and changes are made when appropriate and in the 
best interests of the Group. The Board considers that 
its composition during the year had the necessary 
balance of Executive and Non-Executive Directors 
providing the desired blend of skills, experience and 
judgement appropriate for the needs of the Group’s 
business and overall effectiveness of the Board. 

The independence of the Non-Executive Directors  
is considered by the Board on an annual basis. All 
Non-Executive Directors, save for Andy Rubin, are 
considered to be independent by the Board. Andrew 
Leslie was formerly an Executive Director of Pentland 
Brands Plc, a subsidiary of Pentland Group Plc 
(‘Pentland’), the Company’s largest shareholder. Andrew 
Leslie does not represent the interests of Pentland on 
the Board and retired from Pentland Brands Plc in 2008. 
Andy Rubin is the Chairman of Pentland Brands and a 
Director of Pentland Group Plc and is, therefore, not 
considered by the Board to be an independent Non-
Executive Director. The Board believes that the Non-
Executive Directors have provided ample guidance to 
the Board and perform an effective role in challenging 
the Executive Directors, when appropriate.

From time to time, the Executive Chairman meets  
with the Non-Executive Directors without the other 
Directors present to discuss Board performance and 
other matters considered appropriate.

The Board considers that all the Directors are able  
to devote sufficient time to their duties as Directors  
of the Company. The brief biographical detail on  
page 64 includes details of the Chairman’s other 
directorships of listed companies. The Board is 
satisfied that these appointments do not conflict  
with the Chairman’s ability to carry out his role 
effectively for the Group. 

Under the Company’s Articles of Association, all 
Directors are required to retire and offer themselves  
for re-election every three years. However, in 
accordance with the Code, all Directors will retire and 
offer themselves for re-election at the 2016 AGM. 

Board Operation
The Board is responsible for the direction, management 
and performance of the Company. The Board held nine 
scheduled meetings during the year under review and 
ad hoc meetings were held between scheduled 
meetings, where required. Directors’ attendance  
at scheduled Board and Committee meetings is set  
out in the table opposite. The Board is responsible for 
providing effective leadership and promoting the 
success of the Group. The Board has a formal schedule 
of matters reserved specifically to it for decisions which 
include major strategic matters, approval of financial 
statements, acquisitions and disposals and significant 
capital projects. 

The Board delegates certain powers to Board 
Committees, as set out below. 

Board papers are circulated to Directors prior to 
Board meetings which include up-to-date financial 
information, reports from the Executive Directors and 
papers on major issues for consideration by the Board. 
The Board has a formal procedure for Directors to 
obtain independent professional advice. 

All Board members have full access to the Company 
Secretary who is a fully admitted solicitor and attends 
all Board and Committee meetings. The Company 
Secretary is responsible for advising the Board on 
Corporate Governance matters. The appointment and 
removal of the Company Secretary is a matter for the 
Board as a whole to determine. Andrew Batchelor 
resigned as the Company Secretary and was replaced 
by Siobhan Mawdsley with effect from 1 October 2015.

All newly appointed Directors receive an appropriate 
induction when they join the Board. Relevant training 
is arranged as and when deemed appropriate.

A performance evaluation of the Board, its Committees 
and individual Directors was conducted during the 
year. This consisted of an internally run exercise 
conducted through the completion by each Director  
of a questionnaire prepared by the Company Secretary 
which encourages each Director to give his opinions 
on Board and Committee procedures, operation and 
effectiveness as well as any other matter they wish  
to raise. 

A separate questionnaire was completed by the Directors 
(other than the Executive Chairman) in relation to the 
performance of the Executive Chairman with the Senior 
Independent Director discussing the resulting feedback 
with the other Non-Executive Directors, taking into 
account the views of the other Executive Directors 
(excluding the Executive Chairman). The feedback from 
the evaluation process is used by the Board to identify 
strengths and development areas and confirmed that the 
Board and its Committees were operating effectively. The 
Board determined that an internal performance 
evaluation exercise was appropriate.

Annual Report & Accounts 2016Corporate Governance Report (continued)

The Company, through its majority shareholder 
Pentland Group Plc, maintains appropriate Directors’ 
and Officers’ liability insurance. 

Attendance at Board and Committee Meetings

Year to  
30 January 2016

Total number  
of meetings 

P Cowgill

B Small

A Leslie

M Davies

H Jackson

Board 
Meetings

Remuneration 
Committee

Audit  
Committee

Nomination 
Committee

9

9

9

9

9

7

3

3(1)

1(1)

3

3

1

2

2(1)

2(1)

2

2

1

2

2

2

2

2

1

Notes: 
1.    P Cowgill and B Small attended the Remuneration 

Committee meetings and the Audit Committee meetings  
at the invitation of the members of those Committees. 

Conflicts of Interest
The Company’s Articles of Association permit the Board 
to consider and, if it sees fit, to authorise situations 
where a Director has an interest that conflicts, or 
possibly could conflict, with the interests of the 
Company. The Board considers that the procedures  
it has in place for reporting and considering conflicts  
of interest are effective. 

Board Committees
There are three principal Board Committees to which 
the Board has delegated certain of its responsibilities. 
The terms of reference for all three Committees are 
available for inspection on request and are available 
on the Company’s corporate website www.jdplc.com. 

Audit Committee 

Membership and Meetings
The Audit Committee currently comprises three 
independent Non-Executive Directors, Martin Davies, 
Andrew Leslie and Heather Jackson. Martin Davies 
chairs the Audit Committee.

The Audit Committee met twice in the year with the 
external auditor attending each meeting. Details of 
attendance at Audit Committee meetings are set out 
in the table above.

Principal Duties
The Committee’s principal duties are to review draft 
annual and interim financial statements prior to being 
submitted to the Board, reviewing the effectiveness  
of the Group’s system of internal control, risk 
management and the performance and cost 
effectiveness of the external auditor.

Main Activities During the Year
The Committee’s activities included:

•  Reviewing the Group’s draft financial statements 
and interim results statement prior to Board 
approval and reviewing the external auditor’s 
detailed reports thereon including internal controls.

•  Reviewing regularly the potential impact on the 

Group’s financial statements of certain matters such 
as impairments of fixed asset values and proposed 
International Accounting Standards.

•  Reviewing the external auditor’s plan for the audit 
of the Group’s financial statements, key risks of 
misstatement in the financial statements, 
confirmations of auditor independence, audit fee 
and terms of engagement of the auditor. 

•  Reviewing the independence and effectiveness of 

the Group’s external auditor. 

•  Reviewing the arrangements in place for employees 
to be able to raise matters of possible impropriety 
in confidence to ensure they remain appropriate.

•  Reviewing the Company’s risk register and  

internal controls. 

•  Consideration of whether an internal audit function 

should be established. 

Financial Statements and Significant  
Accounting Matters
The Committee is responsible for reviewing the 
Group’s draft financial statements and interim results 
statement prior to Board approval. As part of such 
review, the Committee considers whether suitable 
accounting policies have been adopted and whether 
appropriate judgements have been made by 
management. The Committee also reviews reports  
by the external auditor on the full year and half  
year results.

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GovernanceGovernanceCorporate Governance Report (continued)

The Committee has a formal policy on the provision  
of non-audit services by the external auditor. The 
objective of the policy is to ensure the external 
auditor’s independence is maintained and to establish 
appropriate approval levels prior to non-audit work 
being undertaken by the external auditor. Under the 
policy, any non-audit services to be undertaken by the 
auditor require advance authorisation in accordance 
with the following:

•  Work in excess of £100,000 – Committee  

approval required.

•  For individual pieces of work between £20,000 and 
£100,000 – Executive Chairman approval required.

•  For individual pieces of work below £20,000 -  

Chief Financial Officer approval required. 

KPMG have acted as auditor to the Company since  
its flotation in 1996 and no tender exercise has been 
conducted to date. The lead partner is subject to 
rotation every five years to safeguard independence, 
with a new lead partner having been appointed to 
lead the audit during the 2014/15 financial year.  
The Audit Committee confirms that the Company 
complied throughout the financial year under review 
with The Statutory Audit Services for Large 
Companies Market Investigation (Mandatory Use of 
Competitive Tender Processes and Audit Committee 
Responsibilities) Order 2014. The Audit Committee 
does not necessarily intend to recommend to the 
Board that it carries out a competitive tender 
programme for audit services within the next financial 
year, however, this process will be completed in 
advance of the deadline for completing a mandatory 
competitive tender process.

The Committee keeps under review the relationship 
between the Group and external auditor and, having 
considered the external auditor’s performance during 
their period in office and being satisfied that the 
external auditor continues to be independent, 
recommends their reappointment.

Internal Audit
The Company does not currently have an internal 
audit function. The Committee considers on an annual 
basis whether an internal auditor should be recruited 
and at the current time has determined that this is not 
necessary due to the centralised nature of the Group’s 
core operations and the Group’s experienced Profit 
Protection team who play an effective role in limiting 
shrinkage, theft and fraud. The Profit Protection 
Director reports to the Board on a quarterly basis. 

The following are material areas in which significant 
judgements have been applied and have been 
considered by the Committee during the year:

Impairment of Goodwill and Fascia Names
The Committee considered the assumptions 
underlying the calculation of the value in use of the 
cash generating units being tested for impairment, 
primarily the achievement of the short term business 
plan, the assumptions on discount rates and long term 
growth rates. The Committee reviewed the budgets 
and business plans that support the impairment 
reviews and challenged the key assumptions used and 
are comfortable that they represent management’s 
best estimate at the time. 

The external auditor provides to the Committee 
detailed explanations of the results of their review  
of the estimate of the value in use, including their 
challenge of management’s underlying cash flow 
projections, the key growth assumptions and discount 
rates. The Committee has also reviewed the 
disclosures in the financial statements.

During the year the Committee reviewed the value  
in use of the Blacks, Millets and ActivInstinct fascia 
names and, after performing relevant sensitivity 
analyses, believe that these values are recoverable. 
Further information on the Blacks and Millets 
sensitivity analysis is provided in note 14.

Valuation of Inventories
The Committee considered the assumptions used in 
the inventory obsolescence provision models across 
the Group. The valuation of inventories is a principal 
risk for the Group as its retail businesses are highly 
seasonal. The Committee reviews the provision 
models and challenges management on the key 
judgements made over aged stock and the level of 
proceeds for aged stock.

The external auditor reports to the Committee on the 
work they have completed and how their audit work  
is concentrated on this area. 

External Auditor
A breakdown of the audit and non-audit related fees  
is set out in note 3 to the Consolidated Financial 
Statements on page 97. Non-audit work was 
comprised mainly of tax and other project work and 
was undertaken by the external auditor due to their 
knowledge and understanding of the Group’s business 
and in the interests of efficiency. Larger pieces of 
non-audit work were awarded following a tender 
process. The Company has instructed other firms to 
provide non-audit services from time to time in prior 
years and the Committee will keep the level of 
non-audit work performed by the auditor under 
review. The Committee is satisfied that the level and 
scope of non-audit services performed by the external 
auditor does not impact their independence. 

Annual Report & Accounts 2016Corporate Governance Report (continued)

Remuneration Committee
The Remuneration Committee currently comprises 
three independent Non-Executive Directors, Andrew 
Leslie, Martin Davies and Heather Jackson. Andrew 
Leslie is the chair of the Remuneration Committee.

The Committee’s principal duties are to determine 
overall Group remuneration policy, remuneration 
packages for Executive Directors and senior 
management, the terms of Executive Director service 
contracts, the terms of any performance-related 
schemes operated by the Group and awards thereunder.

The Committee met three times during the year. 
Details of attendance at Remuneration Committee 
meetings are set out in the table on page 69.

Further details about Directors’ remuneration are set 
out in the Directors’ Remuneration Report on pages 
73 to 81.

Nomination Committee
The Nomination Committee currently comprises  
Peter Cowgill, the Executive Chairman, and two 
independent Non-Executive Directors, Andrew Leslie 
and Martin Davies. The Executive Chairman is the  
chair of the Nominations Committee.

The Committee’s principal duties are to consider the 
size, structure and composition of the Board, ensure 
appropriate succession plans are in place for the 
Board and senior management and, where necessary, 
consider new appointments to the Board and senior 
management. The Nominations Committee met twice 
during the financial year.

successful completion of the recruitment exercise. 
Heather was appointed to the Board on 6 May 2015 
and brief biographical details about Heather are 
located on page 64. 

In January 2015 the Board adopted a diversity policy 
which seeks to recognise and promote the benefits 
which diversity can bring to the Group  
and its operations.

Internal Control
There is an ongoing process for identifying, evaluating 
and managing the significant risks faced by the Group. 
This process has been in place for the year under review. 

The Board, in conjunction with the Audit Committee, 
has full responsibility for the Group’s system of 
internal controls and monitoring their effectiveness. 
However, such a system is designed to manage rather 
than eliminate the risk of failure to achieve business 
objectives, and can only provide reasonable and not 
absolute assurance against material misstatement.  
The Board has established a well-defined 
organisation structure with clear operating 
procedures, lines of responsibility, delegated 
authority to executive management and a 
comprehensive financial reporting process. 

Key features of the Group’s system of internal control 
and risk management are:

•  Identification and monitoring of the business risks 
facing the Group, with major risks identified and 
reported to the Audit Committee and the Board.
•  Detailed appraisal and authorisation procedures  

for capital investment.

From time to time, the full Board performs some of 
the duties of the Nomination Committee, as was the 
case during the year under review. In addition, regular 
informal discussions on Board structure, succession 
and performance take place between the Non-
Executive Directors and the Executive Chairman.

•  Prompt preparation of comprehensive monthly 

management accounts providing relevant, reliable 
and up-to-date information. These allow for 
comparison with budget and previous year’s results. 
Significant variances from approved budgets are 
investigated as appropriate.

Board Composition and Diversity
Whilst the Board is mindful of the recommendations 
of the Davies Review, the Board’s overriding aim is  
to ensure that Board membership is based on merit 
and that any new appointments to the Board are 
measured against objective criteria.

The Board undertook a recruitment exercise in the 
previous financial year led by the Senior Independent 
Director, employing the professional services of  
Korn Ferry (a recruitment and executive search 
consultancy). The search had due regard to the 
benefits of diversity on the Board, including gender 
diversity, as well as relevant experience against an 
agreed criteria. The Board is, accordingly, pleased to 
welcome Heather Jackson to the Board following the 

•  Preparation of comprehensive annual profit and 
cash flow budgets allowing management to 
monitor business activities and major risks and the 
progress towards financial objectives in the short 
and medium term.

•  Monitoring of store procedures and the reporting 

and investigation of suspected fraudulent activities.

•  Reconciliation and checking of all cash and stock 

balances and investigation of any material differences.

In addition, the Audit Committee receives 
comprehensive reports from the external auditor in 
relation to the financial statements and the Group’s 
system of internal controls. 

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71

GovernanceGovernanceCorporate Governance Report (continued)

Compliance with the Code
The Directors consider that during the year under 
review and to the date of this report, the Company 
complied with the Code except in relation to the 
following:

•  Code provision B.6.2 – The Board did not conduct 
an externally facilitated evaluation exercise, as the 
Board considered it most appropriate to carry out 
an internal evaluation exercise this year. The Board 
will keep under consideration on an annual basis 
whether an externally facilitated exercise is 
appropriate and would provide value for money.
•  Code provision C.3.1 and D.2.1 – These provisions 

require there to be three independent Non-
Executive Directors on the Audit Committee and 
Remuneration Committee respectively. Each such 
Committee was comprised of two independent 
Non-Executive Directors until 6 May 2015 when 
Heather Jackson was appointed to the Board and 
joined the Audit Committee and the Remuneration 
Committee and, accordingly, since that date, the 
Company has complied with these Code provisions. 

•  Code provision C.3.7 – The audit has not been put 

out to tender within the last ten years. In light of the 
Code, the Committee will keep under review the 
appropriate timing for a formal tender.

•  Code provision D1.1 – The Directors’ remuneration 

policy, which was approved by shareholders at the 
AGM held on 26 June 2014, does not include 
clawback and malus provisions, as recommended 
by the Code. Following such shareholder approval, 
the remuneration policy will remain in force for a 
period of three years and, accordingly, will be 
renewed, subject to a shareholder vote, at the 
appropriate time. 

This report was approved by the Board and signed on 
its behalf by:

Brian Small 
Chief Financial Officer 
13 April 2016

The Group has a formal whistleblowing policy in place 
enabling employees to raise concerns in relation to the 
Group’s activities on a confidential basis. Information 
about whistleblowing channels is made available to all 
store and head office employees. During the year, the 
whistleblowing policy was updated, reviewed and 
approved by the Audit Committee.

It is the Group’s policy to conduct all of its business in 
an ethical manner. The Group takes a zero tolerance 
approach to bribery and corruption, amongst its 
employees, suppliers and any associated parties 
acting on the Group’s behalf. The Group has a detailed 
Anti-Bribery and Corruption Policy and is committed 
to acting professionally, fairly and with integrity in all 
its business dealings and relationships and to 
implementing effective systems to counter bribery.

The Board has reviewed the effectiveness of the 
Group’s system of internal controls and believes this  
to be effective. In establishing the system of internal 
control the Directors have regard to the materiality of 
relevant risks, the likelihood of a loss being incurred 
and costs of control. It follows, therefore, that the 
system of internal control can only provide a 
reasonable, and not absolute, assurance against the 
risk of material misstatement or loss.

The integration of recently acquired businesses into 
the Group’s system of internal controls is achieved as 
quickly as possible. 

Shareholder Relations
The Executive Directors maintain an active dialogue 
with the Company’s major shareholders to enhance 
understanding of their respective objectives. The 
Executive Chairman provides feedback to the Board 
on issues raised by major shareholders. This is 
supplemented by twice yearly formal feedback to the 
Board on meetings between management, analysts 
and investors which seeks to convey the financial 
market’s perception of the Group.

The Senior Independent Non-Executive Director is 
available to shareholders if they have concerns which 
have not been resolved through dialogue with the 
Executive Directors, or for which such contact is 
inappropriate. Major shareholders may meet with the 
Non-Executive Directors upon request.

External brokers’ reports on the Group are circulated 
to the Board for consideration. In addition, the 
Non-Executive Directors attend results presentations 
and analyst and institutional investor meetings 
whenever possible. 

The AGM is attended by all Directors, and 
shareholders are invited to ask questions during the 
meeting and to meet with Directors after the formal 
proceedings have ended. 

Annual Report & Accounts 2016Directors’ Remuneration Report

Annual Statement

The 2015/2016 year has seen excellent growth across 
the Group and an outstanding financial performance. 
This first class earnings improvement and increased 
shareholder value creation reflect well on the 
successful efforts of the Executive Directors. In 
addition the strategic development of JD 
internationally and its performance here is most 
encouraging for the future.

The Senior Managers directly below the Board 
continue to demonstrate great ability, commitment, 
consistency and energy. They represent a strong core 
management team led by the Executive Chairman that 
is driving the business forward.

Annual bonus awards for the Executive Directors 
reflect this exceptional company performance.  
The Senior Managers are also rewarded appropriately 
for their immense contribution. The Remuneration 
Committee (‘Committee’) has focused on ensuring 
that our policies and actions are appropriate for our 
business and that they balance the rewards to our 
Executive Directors for delivering first class financial 
performance with our medium / long term strategic 
goals to create long term value for our shareholders.

We believe in rewarding our Executives based on their 
individual and team performance and on the value 
created for the shareholders. Our annual bonus 
scheme combines financial targets with medium / 
long term strategic objectives. A new Long Term 
Incentive Plan (‘LTIP’) was approved at the Annual 
General Meeting on 26 June 2014 which is based on 
the achievement of earnings based financial targets 
over a three year period. The first awards under the 
LTIP were made to the Executive Chairman and the 
Chief Financial Officer in 2014.

This Directors’ Remuneration Report (‘Report’) is on 
the activities of the Committee for the period to 30 
January 2016. It sets out the remuneration policy and 
remuneration details for the Executive and Non-
Executive Directors of the Company. There are three 
sections:

•  This Annual Statement. 
•  The Policy Report setting out the Directors’ 

remuneration policy; and 

•  The Annual Report on Remuneration providing 

details on how the Directors’ remuneration policy 
will be operated for 2016/2017 and the 
remuneration earned in the year to 30 January 
2016. This Annual Report on Remuneration together 
with the Annual Statement will be subject to an 
advisory shareholder vote at the 2016 AGM.

This report has been prepared in accordance with 
Schedule 8 of The Large and Medium-sized 
Companies and Groups (Accounts and Reports) 
Regulations 2008 as amended in August 2013 
(‘Regulations’). The Companies Act 2006 requires the 
auditor to report to the shareholders on certain parts 
of the Report and to state whether, in their opinion, 
those parts of the report have been properly prepared 
in accordance with the Regulations. The parts of the 
Annual Report on Remuneration that are subject to 
audit are indicated in that report. 

The Committee keeps under review the remuneration 
policy and specific remuneration packages for the 
Executive Directors and Senior Managers. The 
Committee is mindful that our Group operates in a 
highly competitive retail environment and we seek to 
ensure that our remuneration policy is appropriate to 
attract, retain and motivate Executive Directors and 
Senior Managers of the right calibre to ensure the 
success of the Company into the future. 

Summary of Activity
•  Agreeing bonus awards for the Executive Directors 
and annual bonus and long term incentive plan for 
Senior Managers in relation to the period 2015/2016.

•  Reviewing the basic salary of the Executive 

Chairman and the Chief Financial Officer to ensure 
these are appropriate for the market in which we 
operate. With effect from 1 April 2016, the 
Committee has agreed that the basic salary reviews 
detailed on page 81 will be implemented. The salary 
increases equate to a 1.5% increase for the 
Executive Chairman and the Chief Financial Officer 
(which is in line with the general increase for our 
Head Office employees).

•  Reviewing the annual bonus awards for the year  

to 30 January 2016, which are set out on page 79, 
and setting appropriate targets for the 2016/17 
financial year. These are based on a combination of 
financial and non-financial Key Performance 
Indicators (‘KPIs’) linked to key strategic objectives 
which are intended to reward our Executive 
Directors for performance and provide alignment 
with shareholder interests.

Andrew Leslie 
Chairman of the Remuneration Committee 
13 April 2016

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73

GovernanceGovernance 
Directors’ Remuneration Report (continued)

Directors’ Remuneration Policy (Unaudited)

This Directors’ remuneration policy was approved by shareholders at the AGM held on 26 June 2014 and will, 
subject to any amendment, remain in force for a period of three years. Remuneration payments and payments for 
loss of office can only be made to Directors if they are consistent with the approved Directors’ remuneration 
policy. However, commitments made before the Directors’ remuneration policy came into effect and commitments 
made before an individual became a Director will be honoured even if they are inconsistent with the policy 
prevailing when the commitment is fulfilled. 

Policy Overview
•  The Group operates in a highly competitive retail environment and the Committee seeks to ensure that the 

level and form of remuneration is appropriate to attract, retain and motivate Executive Directors of the right 
calibre to ensure the success of the Company into the future. 

•  Remuneration should be aligned with the key corporate metrics that drive earnings growth and increased 
shareholder value with significant emphasis on performance related pay measured over the longer term.
•  Incentive arrangements for Executive Directors should provide an appropriate balance between fixed and 

performance related elements and be capable of providing exceptional levels of total payment if 
outstanding performance is achieved.

Approved Remuneration Policy Table

Executive Directors

Element of Remuneration

Purpose and link to strategy

Operation

Maximum

Base salary

To provide competitive fixed level 
remuneration to attract and retain 
Executive Directors of the necessary 
calibre to execute the Group’s strategy 
and deliver shareholder value.

Benefits

To ensure the overall package is 
competitive for Executive Directors.

Pension

To provide post-retirement benefits 
for Executive Directors.

Base salaries for the Executive Directors 
are reviewed annually by the Committee.
The following factors are taken into 
account when determining base 
salary levels:
• 

 Remuneration levels at compara-
ble quoted UK retail companies.
 The need for salaries to be 
competitive.
 The performance of the individual 
Executive Director.

• 

• 

•  Experience and responsibilities.
 Pay for other employees in  
• 
the Group.
 The total remuneration available 
to the Executive Directors and the 
components thereof and the cost 
to the Company.

• 

Current benefits provision is detailed 
on page 79.
Other benefits may be provided 
where appropriate including  
health insurance, life insurance / 
death in service, travel expenses  
and relocation. 

Payments are made into a defined 
contribution scheme with company 
contributions set as a percentage of 
base salary. 
The Committee has the discretion  
to pay a cash amount in lieu of a  
pension contribution (any such 
payment would not count for the 
purposes of calculating bonus  
and LTIP awards).  

Performance targets

Not applicable

The policy of the Committee is that 
the salaries of the Executive Directors 
should be reviewed annually, although 
it reserves the right to review salaries 
on a discretionary basis if it believes an 
adjustment is required to reflect market 
rates or performance. 
There is no prescribed maximum 
annual increase. The Committee is 
guided by the general increase for the 
broader employee population but on 
occasions may need to recognise, for 
example, an increase in the scale, scope 
or responsibility of the role as well as 
market rates.

The Committee determines the appro-
priate level taking into account market 
practice and individual circumstances.

Not applicable

Not applicable

The rates are set at a level which the 
Committee considers is appropriate.
Current company contribution rates  
for Executive Directors are shown  
on page 79. 

Annual Report & Accounts 2016Directors’ Remuneration Report (continued)

Element of Remuneration

Purpose and link to strategy

Operation

Maximum

Performance targets

Annual Bonus

Executive Directors have the 
opportunity to earn performance 
related bonuses based on the 
achievement of financial targets and 
key performance indicators which 
incentivise the achievement of the 
business strategy.

The bonus is paid annually in cash  
and is non-pensionable. 
No claw back provisions apply.

100% of salary, however, the 
Committee has the discretion 
to award bonuses of up to 
200% of salary for exceptional 
performance. 

Long Term Incentive Plans

To provide the Executive Directors  
with the opportunity to earn  
competitive rewards.
To align the Executive Directors’ 
interests more closely with those  
of the shareholders.
To focus the Executive Directors 
on sustaining and improving the 
long-term financial performance 
of the Company and reward them 
appropriately for doing so.

150% to 200% of base salary.  
The level of any awards under  
the LTIP remains under the  
consideration of the 
Committee.

A new LTIP was approved at the 2014 
AGM.
Key features of the LTIP are:
•  Cash awards (not shares).
•  Three year performance period.
• 

 The performance condition can be 
amended or substituted if events 
occur which cause the Committee 
to consider that an amended or 
substituted performance target 
would be more appropriate.  
Any amended or substituted target 
would not be materially more or less 
difficult to satisfy.
 Malus provisions apply to unvested 
awards. The Committee can reduce, 
cancel or impose further conditions 
on the awards where it considers 
such action is appropriate. This 
includes where there has been 
a material misstatement of the 
Company’s audited financial results, 
a serious failure of risk management 
or serious reputational damage. 

• 

The targets are set by the Committee 
each year and are based on a 
combination of financial and strategic 
KPIs, with target and maximum levels. 
At least two thirds of the annual bonus 
will be linked to financial targets.
The Committee retains the discretion 
to adjust the targets in the event of 
significant corporate activity during 
the year. The Committee will review 
the Group’s overall performance before 
determining final bonus levels. 
The Committee may in exceptional 
circumstances amend the bonus payout 
should this not, in the view of the 
Committee, reflect the overall business 
performance or individual contribution. 
Targets will be disclosed  
in the following year’s  
Annual Report.

The LTIP will measure financial 
performance over a 3 year period with 
targets based on headline earnings 
during that period.
25% of any award will vest at 
threshold performance increasing on a 
straightline basis to 100% for maximum 
performance.
Targets will be disclosed in  
the annual accounts for  
the year following a performance 
period.

7575
75

GovernanceGovernanceDirectors’ Remuneration Report (continued)

Non-Executive Directors

Element of Remuneration

Purpose and link to strategy

Operation

Maximum

Performance targets

Non-Executive Director Fees

Set at a level which the Committee 
considers reflects the time 
commitment and contributions  
that are expected from the  
Non-Executive Directors.

None

The policy of the Committee is that the 
fees paid to Non-Executive Directors 
should be reviewed annually, although 
it reserves the right to review fees 
on a discretionary basis if it believes 
an adjustment is required to reflect 
market rates, scope of responsibilities 
or performance. There is no prescribed 
maximum annual increase. 

Cash fee paid. Additional fees based 
on additional responsibilities, such as 
acting as Senior Independent Director 
or serving as Chairman of Board 
Committees, may be paid. 
Fees are reviewed on an annual basis.
The Non-Executive Directors do not 
participate in the Company’s incentive 
arrangements and no pension  
contributions are made in respect 
of them. Reasonable travel and 
subsistence expenses may be paid  
or reimbursed by the Company.

Share Ownership Guidelines
The Company does not have a minimum share ownership 
requirement for the Executive Directors. Given our 
narrow shareholder base, the Committee considers  
it impractical to set realistic shareholding targets.

Consideration of Shareholder Views
The Committee engages directly with major shareholders 
on key aspects of the remuneration policy and will take 
into consideration feedback received in relation to the 
AGM (or otherwise) when next reviewing the policy. 

Consideration of Employee Conditions Elsewhere  
in the Group
Remuneration arrangements are determined 
throughout the Group based on the same principle 
that reward should be achieved for delivery of our 
business strategy and should be sufficient to attract 
and retain high calibre talent, without paying more 
than is necessary.

Senior Managers below Board level with a significant 
ability to influence company results may participate  
in an annual bonus plan and deferred bonus plan 
which reward both performance and loyalty and are 
designed to retain and motivate.

Approach to Recruitment Remuneration
In the event that a new Executive Director was to  
be appointed, a remuneration package would be 
determined consistent with the Directors’ remuneration 
policy. In particular, new Executive Directors will 
participate in variable remuneration arrangements  
on the same basis as existing Executive Directors.  
In the event that a new Non-Executive Director was  
to be appointed, the fees payable would be determined 
consistent with the Directors’ remuneration policy. 

If it were necessary to attract the right candidate,  
due consideration would be given to making awards 
necessary to compensate for forfeited awards in  
a previous employment. In making any such award, 
the Committee will take into account any performance 
conditions attached to the forfeited awards, the form 
in which they were granted and the timeframe of the 
forfeited awards. The value of any such award will be 
capped to be no higher on recruitment than the forfeited 
awards and will not be pensionable nor count for the 
purposes of calculating bonus and LTIP awards. The 
Committee retains the right to exercise the discretion 
available under Listing Rule 9.4.2 where necessary  
to put in place an arrangement established 
specifically to facilitate, in unusual circumstances,  
the recruitment of a new Executive Director. Where 
appropriate the Company will offer to pay reasonable 
relocation expenses for new Executive Directors.

In respect of an internal promotion to the Board,  
any commitments made before the promotion will 
continue to be honoured even if they would otherwise 
be inconsistent with the Directors’ remuneration 
policy prevailing when the commitment is fulfilled.

Service Contracts and Payments for Loss of Office
Details of the contracts currently in place for 
Executive Directors are as follows:

Date of Contract

Notice Period (Months) Unexpired Term

P Cowgill

B Small

16 March 2004

10 March 2004

12

12

Rolling 12 months

Rolling 12 months

It is the Company’s policy that notice periods for 
Executive Director service contracts are no more than 
12 months. 

Annual Report & Accounts 2016Directors’ Remuneration Report (continued)

In the event of early termination, the Company may 
make a termination payment not exceeding one year’s 
salary and benefits. Incidental expenses may also be 
payable where appropriate. It is in the discretion of the 
Committee as to whether departing Directors would be 
paid a bonus. In exercising its discretion on determining 
the amount payable to an Executive Director on 
termination of employment, the Board would consider 
each instance on an individual basis and take into 
account contractual terms, circumstances of the 
termination and the commercial interests of the 
Company. When determining whether a bonus or any 
other payment should be made to a departing Director, 
the Committee will ensure that no ‘reward for failure’ is 
made. The Committee may make a payment to  
a departing Director for agreeing to enter into 
enhanced restrictive covenants following termination 
where it considers that it is in the best interests of 
the Company to do so. 

Where cessation of employment is due to death,  
the LTIP award will, unless the Committee determine 
otherwise, vest as soon as reasonably practicable 
following death. Where the Executive Director is 
dismissed lawfully without notice, the LTIP award  
will lapse on the date of cessation.

In all other circumstances the LTIP award will lapse  
on the date of cessation of employment unless the 
Committee determines otherwise, in which case it  
will determine the extent to which the unvested LTIP 
award vest taking into account the extent to which  
the performance target is satisfied at the end of the 
performance period or, as appropriate, on the date  
on which employment ceases. The period of time  
that has elapsed since the start of the performance 
period to the date of cessation of employment will 
also be taken into account unless the Committee 
determines otherwise.

In the event of gross misconduct, the Company may 
terminate the service contract of an Executive Director 
immediately and with no liability to make further 
payments other than in respect of amounts accrued  
at the date of termination.

In the event of a change of control, LTIP awards will 
vest at the date of change of control (other than in 
respect of an internal reorganisation) unless the 
Committee determines otherwise. 

The current Executive Director service contracts 
permit the Company to put an Executive Director on 
garden leave for a maximum period of three months. 
The Company may adjust such period as deemed 
appropriate for any new Executive Directors.

The Executive Director service contracts contain  
a change of control provision whereby if 50% or more 
of the shares in the Company come under the direct  
or indirect control of a person or persons acting in 
concert, an Executive Director may serve notice on  
the Company, at any time within the 12 month period 
following a change of control, terminating his 
employment. Upon termination in these circumstances, 
an Executive Director will be entitled to a sum equal  
to 112% of his basic salary (less deductions required  
by law) and such Executive Director waives any claim 
for wrongful or unfair dismissal. The Company does  
not envisage such a provision being contained in any 
service contracts for any new Executive Directors.

The service contracts and letters of appointment  
are available for inspection by shareholders at the 
forthcoming AGM and during normal business  
hours at the Company’s registered office address.

LTIP
Where cessation of employment is due to ill-health, 
injury, disability or the sale of the employing entity 
out of the group, the unvested LTIP award will 
continue. It will continue to vest in accordance  
with the original vesting date unless the Committee 
determines that it should vest as soon as reasonably 
practicable following the date of cessation. 

Non-Executive Directors
The Non-Executive Directors have entered into  
letters of appointment with the Company which  
are terminable by the Non-Executive Director or  
the Company on not less than three months’ notice.

Non-Executive Directorships
The Board recognises that Executive Directors may  
be invited to become Non-Executive Directors of other 
businesses and that the knowledge and experience 
which they gain in those appointments could be of 
benefit to the Company. Prior approval of the Board is 
required before acceptance of any new appointments. 

During the year to 30 January 2016, only Peter Cowgill 
held other Non-Executive Directorships, as a  
Non-Executive Chairman of United Carpets Group Plc. 
Peter Cowgill has aggregate retained earnings of 
£42,500 (2015: £53,909) in respect of these offices.

Illustrations of Application of Remuneration Policy
The chart overleaf illustrates the level of remuneration 
that would be received by the Executive Directors in 
accordance with the Directors’ remuneration policy in 
the year to 28 January 2017.

Each bar gives an indication of the minimum amount 
of remuneration payable at target performance and 
remuneration payable at maximum performance  
to each Director under the policy. Each of the bars  
is broken down to show how the total under each 
scenario is made up of fixed elements of 
remuneration and variable remuneration.

7777
77

GovernanceGovernanceDirectors’ Remuneration Report (continued)

Fixed elements of remuneration 
Variable element of remuneration 
LTIP (LTIP scheme approved by the shareholders at the 2014 AGM)

£2,004k

24%

38%

£1,260k

10%

30%

£759k

100%

60%

38%

£316k

100%

£479k
7%
27%

66%

£707k

18%

37%

45%

Minimum

On target

Maximum

Minimum

On target

Maximum

P. Cowgill Executive Chairman

B. Small Chief Financial Officer

)
0
0
0
£
(
n
o
i
t
a
r
e
n
u
m
e
R

2,500

2,250

2,000

1,750

1,500

1,250

1,000

750

500

250

0

The scenarios in the above graphs are defined as follows:

Minimum

On target performance

Maximum performance

Fixed Elements of  
Remuneration

•  The base salary is the salary as at 1 April 2016
•  The benefits are taken as those in the single figure table on page 79
•  The pension contribution for Brian Small

Annual Bonus (1)

Long Term Incentive Plan (2)

0%

0%

50%

25%

100%

150% to 200%

1.  The maximum annual bonus has been based on the usual maximum award of 100% of salary.

2.   The new LTIP was adopted at the 2014 AGM. On target performance is 25% of salary. Maximum performance is  

150% of salary in the case of Brian Small and 200% of salary in the case of Peter Cowgill. One third of the award would be  
earned in the year to 28 January 2017 subject to the performance conditions being met and the rules of the scheme.

Annual Report & Accounts 2016 
Directors’ Remuneration Report (continued)

Annual Report on Remuneration

Single Total Figure Table (Audited)

Salary 
£000

Loss of Office 
£000

Benefits 
£000

Pension 
£000

Peter Cowgill
2016
2015

Brian Small (2)
2016
2015

Barry Bown (3,4)
2016
2015

Andrew Leslie
2016
2015

Martin Davies 
2016
2015

Heather Jackson (5)
2016
2015

744
729

264
255

-
107

44
36

44
36

34
-

-
-

-
-

-
952

-
-

-
-

-
-

2
2

19
20

-
1

-
-

-
-

-
-

-
-

26
31

-
8

-
-

-
-

-
-

Bonus 
£000

1,494
732

312
204

-
-

-
-

-
-

-
-

LTIP 
£000

488
488

127
127

-
-

-
-

-
-

-
-

Total 
£000

2,728
1,951

748
637

-
1,068

44
36

44
36

34
-

1.  Salary reviews effective 1 April annually

2.   In accordance with the remuneration policy £26,000 (2015: £23,000) of the pension contribution shown above for  

Brian Small has been paid as a cash amount

3.  Includes payment for compensation for loss of office

4.  Barry Bown stepped down as Chief Executive on 30 May 2014

5.  Heather Jackson was appointed as a Non-Executive Director on 6 May 2015

The taxable benefits received by the Executive Directors are car benefits and healthcare insurance.

Pension contributions are:
•  Peter Cowgill – 0% of salary
•  Brian Small - 12% of salary 
•  Barry Bown - 8% of salary (contribution ended May 2014)

Statement of Directors’ Shareholding (Audited)
The interests of the Directors who held office at 30 January 2016 and their connected persons in the Company’s 
ordinary shares are shown below:

P Cowgill
B Small

Ordinary Shares of 1.25p each

30 January 2016

31 January 2015

1,661,052
95,800

1,756,852

1,641,052
95,800

1,736,852

There has been no change in the interests of the Directors or their connected persons between 30 January 
2016 and the date of this report. The holdings stated above are held directly by the Directors and are not 
subject to any performance targets. The Directors have no other interests in Company shares. As stated in the 
Directors’ remuneration policy, the Company does not have a minimum share ownership requirement for 
Directors. Given our narrow shareholder base, the Committee considers it impractical to set realistic 
shareholding targets.

7979
79

GovernanceGovernance 
Directors’ Remuneration Report (continued)

Scheme Interests Awards During the Year (Audited)
Following approval of the LTIP at the 2014 AGM, Peter 
Cowgill was granted a cash award of up to £1,463,700 
(being 200% of base salary) subject to satisfaction  
of annual audited earnings based performance targets  
for the Group over a three year period. Brian Small was 
granted a cash award of up to £382,500 (being 150% 
of base salary) on the same basis. The target for the 
period 2015/2016 was £83.1m threshold earnings with  
a maximum payment being achieved where earnings 
of £91.4m are achieved with straight line vesting 
in-between. Threshold earnings are the consolidated 
earnings on a normalised basis (pre-exceptional and 
goodwill) as represented in the audited accounts for 
the period. In the interests of commercial confidence 
the targets for subsequent years (based on threshold 
earnings) will be disclosed one year in arrears. 

Total Shareholder Return 
The following graph shows the Total Shareholder 
Return (‘TSR’) of the Group in comparison to the  
FTSE All Share General Retailers Index over the past 
seven years. The Committee consider the FTSE  
All Share General Retailers Index a relevant index  
for total shareholder return comparison disclosure 
required under the Regulations as the index 
represents the broad range of UK quoted retailers.

TSR is calculated for each financial year end relative  
to the base date of 31 January 2009 by taking the 
percentage change of the market price over the 
relevant period, re-investing any dividends at the 
ex-dividend rate.

Executive Chairman’s Remuneration Over Past  
5 years (Audited)
The total remuneration figures for the Executive 
Chairman during each of the last 5 financial years  
are shown in the table below. The total remuneration 
figure includes the annual bonus based on that year’s 
performance and LTIP awards based on three year 
performance periods ending in the relevant financial 
year. The annual bonus payout and LTIP vesting level 
as a percentage of the maximum opportunity are also 
shown for each of these years. 

Year ended

January 2012 January 2013 January 2014 January 2015 January 2016

Total remuneration 
£000

Annual bonus %

LTIP vesting %

2,293

2,045

75

100

37

100

3,137

100

n/a

1,951

100

n/a*

2,728

200

n/a*

* 

 Whilst the LTIP performance target for the first year has been 
achieved, final vesting is dependent on the performance 
measured over the three year period to 28 January 2017. 
Subject to the performance criteria being achieved over the 
full three year period, the award will vest on 30 October 2017. 

Percentage Change in Executive Chairman’s 
Remuneration (Unaudited)
The table below shows the percentage change in the  
Executive Chairman’s salary, benefits and annual 
bonus between financial years 31 January 2015 and  
30 January 2016 compared to UK Head Office 
employees in the JD and Size? businesses, being 
deemed by the Board as the most appropriate 
comparator group.

JD Sports Fashion Plc
FTSE All Share General Retailers Index

Salary
Executive Chairman 
UK Head Office Employee average*

Benefits
Executive Chairman
UK Head Office Employee average*

Annual Bonus
Executive Chairman
UK Head Office Employee average*

% change

1.5
3.8

-
-

200.0
7.0

* 

 Comparator group as defined above. There are circa 1,015 
employees within this group.

31/01/09

31/01/10

31/01/11

31/01/12

31/01/13

31/01/14

31/01/15

31/01/16

2,600%

2,400%

2,200%

2,000%
1,800%

1,600%

1,400%
1,200%

1,000%

800%
600%

400%

200%
0%

Annual Report & Accounts 2016Directors’ Remuneration Report (continued)

Relative Importance of Spend on Pay (Unaudited)
The following table shows the Group’s actual spend  
on pay (for all employees) relative to dividends, tax 
and retained profits:

The Committee can obtain independent advice at the 
Company’s expense where they consider it appropriate 
and in order to perform their duties. No such advice  
was obtained during 2015/16.

Staff costs (£’000)

Dividends (£’000)

Tax (£’000)

Retained profits (£’000)

2016

267,994

13,820

31,001

100,630

2015

237,620

13,260

20,741

53,971

% Change

12.8

4.2

49.5

86.5

The Committee is formally constituted with written 
Terms of Reference, which are available on the 
Company’s corporate website www.jdplc.com.  
The Committee engages with the major shareholders  
or other representative groups where appropriate 
concerning remuneration matters.

The Committee is mindful of the Company’s social, 
ethical and environmental responsibilities and is 
satisfied that the current remuneration arrangements 
and policies do not encourage irresponsible behaviour.

The Committee has met three times during the year 
under review with each member attending all the 
meetings. Details of attendance at the Committee 
meetings are set out on page 69. 

Statement of Voting at General Meeting (Unaudited)
At last year’s AGM, the Directors’ Remuneration Report 
received the following votes from shareholders:

Votes cast for

Votes cast against 

Total votes cast

Votes withheld

2015 AGM

158,003,113

21,383,416

179,386,529

310,174

%

88.08

11.92

This report has been prepared on behalf of the Board.

Andrew Leslie 
Chairman of the Remuneration Committee 
13 April 2016

Implementation of Directors’ Remuneration Policy  
in 2016/17 (Unaudited)

Salaries
Following this year’s review, the Committee has 
determined that salaries for the current year will  
be revised as follows with effect from 1 April 2016:

Previous  
Salary
£000

747

260

New  
Salary
£000

758

264

Percentage 
Increase

Position Against 
Comparator  
Group

1.5%

1.5%

Upper Quartile

Lower Quartile

P Cowgill

B Small

The Comparator Group for these purposes is the  
FTSE 350 companies. 

The salary increases for P Cowgill and B Small are  
in line with the general salary increase for Head  
Office employees.

Annual Bonus Performance Targets
The targets in respect of the annual bonus for the 
financial year to 30 January 2016 were £104 million 
threshold earnings with a maximum payment being 
achieved where earnings are £115 million. The Board 
considers that the targets for the financial year  
to 28 January 2017 are commercially sensitive and  
so will be disclosed in the 2017 Annual Report. 

Consideration by Directors of Matters Relating  
to Directors’ Remuneration (Unaudited)
The Committee comprises three independent Non-
Executive Directors, being Andrew Leslie, Martin Davies 
and Heather Jackson. Andrew Leslie was appointed as 
the Chairman of the Committee on 1 October 2013. 

The Committee assists the Board in determining the 
Group’s policy on Executive Directors’ remuneration  
and determines the specific remuneration packages  
for Senior Executives, including the Executive Directors, 
on behalf of the Board. Peter Cowgill, the Executive 
Chairman and Brian Small, the Chief Financial Officer, 
have assisted the Committee when requested with 
regards to matters concerning key Executives below 
Board level.

8181

GovernanceGovernance 
Statement of Directors’ Responsibilities in Respect  
of the Annual Report and the Financial Statements

The Directors are responsible for preparing the 
Annual Report and the Group and Parent Company 
financial statements in accordance with applicable 
law and regulations. 

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

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 
financial statements may differ from legislation in 
other jurisdictions. 

Under company law the Directors must not approve 
the financial statements unless they are satisfied that 
they give a true and fair view of the state of affairs of 
the Group and Parent Company and of their profit or 
loss for that period. In preparing each of the Group 
and Parent Company financial statements, the 
Directors are required to: 

•  select suitable accounting policies and then apply 

them consistently; 

Responsibility Statement of the Directors in Respect 
of the Annual Financial Report
We confirm that to the best of our knowledge:

•  The financial statements, 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

•  make judgements and estimates that are 

•  The strategic report includes a fair review of the 

reasonable and prudent; 

•  state whether they have been prepared in 

accordance with IFRSs as adopted by the EU; and 

•  prepare the financial statements 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 financial statements 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. 

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.

Brian Small 
Chief Financial Officer 
13 April 2016

Annual Report & Accounts 2016Independent Auditor’s Report to the Members of  
JD Sports Fashion Plc only 

Opinions and Conclusions Arising from our Audit 

•  Our response – our audit procedures included
 - An assessment of the Group’s historical 

1.   Our Opinion on the Financial Statements 

is Unmodified 

We have audited the financial statements of JD Sports 
Fashion Plc for the 52 week period ended 30 January 
2016 set out on pages 86 to 143. In our opinion: 

•  the financial statements give a true and fair view of 

the state of the Group’s and of the Parent Company’s 
affairs as at 30 January 2016 and of the Group’s 
profit for the year then ended; 

•  the Group financial statements 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 financial statements 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 financial statements have been prepared in 

accordance with the requirements of the 
Companies Act 2006 and, as regards the Group 
financial statements, Article 4 of the IAS Regulation.

2.  Our Assessment of Risks of Material Misstatement 
In arriving at our audit opinion above on the financial 
statements the risks of material misstatement that had 
the greatest effect on our audit are detailed below. 
There are no changes in the risks which we have 
determined to have the greatest effect on our audit 
from the prior year.

Goodwill and Fascia Names - £64.8m (2015: £79.0m)
Refer to page 70 (Audit Committee Report),  
pages 109 to 110 (accounting policy) and pages  
106 to 112 (financial disclosures)

•  The risk – There is a risk of impairment of the group’s 
significant goodwill and fascia name balances due to 
challenging trading conditions in certain of the high 
street retail sectors and locations that the Group 
operates in. Goodwill and fascia names are reviewed 
by the directors for impairment using value in use 
models. The directors perform their reviews on groups 
of individual cash generating units (CGUs). Included 
within the £10.6m total impairment of intangible 
assets recognised in the year is a write down of £6.6m 
in relation to the Activinstinct goodwill and £3.5m in 
relation to the Blacks fascia name. Due to the inherent 
uncertainty involved in forecasting and discounting 
future cash flows, which are used as the basis of the 
assessment of recoverability of all goodwill and fascia 
names, this is one of the key judgmental areas that 
our audit concentrated on. 

budgeting accuracy and challenge of the 
assumptions used in the current year budgets 
upon which the cash flow forecasts are based.
 - In addition we have tested the principles and 
integrity of the discounted cash flow models 
used and performed sensitivity analysis on the 
key assumptions underlying the cash flow 
forecasts (revenue growth and margin growth) 
and the discount rates used.

 - We assessed the overall consistency of the 
assumptions and of the estimated inputs, 
including the potential risk of management bias 
by comparing growth and discount rates applied 
in the models across each class of goodwill and 
fascia names.

 - We challenged the directors’ assumptions  

on revenue and margin growth for management 
bias by critically analysing their strategy for future 
growth and undertook our own assessments of 
future growth potential based on long term 
growth within the market and historic 
performance of margin growth within the Group.

 - With the support of our own KPMG valuation 

specialist we assessed the reasonableness of the 
discount rates applied to groups of cash 
generating units.

 - We considered the adequacy of the Group’s 

disclosures in respect of impairment testing and 
whether disclosures about the sensitivity of the 
outcome of the impairment assessment  
to changes in the key assumptions reflected the 
risks inherent in the valuation of goodwill and 
fascia names. 

Carrying Value of Inventories –  
£238.3m (2015: £225.0m)
Refer to page 70 (Audit Committee Report),  
page 119 (accounting policy) and page 119  
(financial disclosures)

•  The risk over the carrying value of inventories is 
considered a significant audit risk due to the 
seasonal nature of the Group’s core retail business, 
the changing desirability of branded products over 
time and the judgment therefore made in assessing 
the recoverability of its carrying value.

8383

Financial StatementsFinancial Statements 
Independent Auditor’s Report to the Members of  
JD Sports Fashion Plc only (continued)

•  Our response – Our audit procedures included  

testing the principles and integrity of the 
obsolescence provision calculations used across the 
Group principally by performing our own assessments 
in relation to key assumptions within the model such 
as the proportion of current inventory expected to 
become aged in the future and average proceeds 
received for aged inventory. We assessed the 
overall consistency of the assumptions, including 
the potential risk of management bias by 
comparing the assumptions to those used in prior 
periods, coupled with a review of inventory sold 
below cost during the year and margins achieved 
for aged inventory sold post year end. Finally we 
considered the adequacy of the financial 
statements disclosures in respect of gross inventory 
and inventory provisioning. 

of any of total group revenue, group profit before tax  
or total group assets. For the remaining components,  
we performed analysis at an aggregated group level  
to re-examine our assessment that there were no 
significant risks of material misstatement within these.

The Group audit team performed the audits of the  
UK components in accordance with materiality levels 
used for local audits. These local materiality levels 
were set individually for each component in the Group 
and were £6.2m and £2.6m for JD Sports Fashion Plc 
and Blacks Outdoor Retail Limited respectively. The 
Group audit team instructed component auditors on 
component materiality, which was £1.5m for both the 
Sprinter and Chausport sub-groups.

4.   Our Opinion on Other Matters Prescribed by the 

Companies Act 2006 is Unmodified 

3.   Our Application of Materiality and an Overview of 

In our opinion: 

the Scope of our Audit 

The materiality of the Group financial statements as  
a whole was set at £7.0 million (2015: £8.0 million).  
This has been determined with reference to a benchmark 
of Group profit before tax from continuing operations, 
normalised to exclude this year’s exceptional items as 
disclosed in note 4, which we consider to be one of the 
principal considerations for members of the company 
in assessing the financial performance of the Group, of 
which it represents 4.5% reflecting industry consensus 
levels. In 2015 materiality was determined with reference 
to a benchmark of Group operating profit, normalised 
to exclude that year’s exceptional items, from both 
continuing and discontinued operations, of which it 
represented 8.6%.

•  the part of the Directors’ Remuneration report  
to be audited has been properly prepared in 
accordance with the Companies Act 2006; and 
•  the information given in the Strategic report and 
Directors’ report for the financial year for which  
the financial statements are prepared is consistent 
with the financial statements, and

•  information given in the Corporate Governance 

Statement set out on pages 68 to 72 with respect 
to internal control and risk management systems  
in relation to financial reporting processes and 
about share capital structures is consistent with  
the financial statements

We report to the Audit Committee any corrected and 
uncorrected misstatements exceeding £0.3 million, in 
addition to other audit misstatements that warranted 
reporting on qualitative grounds. 

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:

5.   We Have Nothing to Report on the Disclosure  

•  the directors’ Viability Statement on page 67  

concerning the principal risks, their management, 
and, based on that, the directors’ assessment and 
expectations of the group’s continuing in operation 
over the 5 years to 2021;  
or

•  the disclosures in note 1 of the financial statements 
concerning the use of the going concern basis  
of accounting.

Audits for Group reporting purposes were performed  
by component auditors at the key reporting components  
in the following countries: UK (two entities), France (one 
entity), and Spain (one entity), which is consistent with 
the key reporting components in the prior year. The 
Group audit team instructed component auditors as  
to the significant areas to be covered, including the 
relevant risks detailed above and the information to  
be reported back. The Group team held telephone 
conference meetings with the component auditors, 
including to assess the audit risk and strategy. At these 
meetings, the findings reported to the Group team were 
discussed in more detail and any further work required 
by the Group team was then performed by the 
component auditor. The group procedures covered  
79% of total Group revenue (2015: 74%); 83% of the total 
Group profits and losses before taxation (2015: 83%); 
and 88% of total Group assets and liabilities (2015: 90%).  
The remaining 21% of total group revenue, 17% of group 
profit before tax and 12% of total group assets is 
represented by 29 reporting components (2015: 24), 
none of which individually represented more than 3%  

Annual Report & Accounts 2016Independent Auditor’s Report to the Members of  
JD Sports Fashion Plc only (continued)

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 financial statements, 
a material misstatement or fact, or that is otherwise 
misleading. 

Under the Listing Rules we are required to review: 

•  the Directors’ statement, set out on page 67,  
in relation to going concern and longer-term 
viability; and

•  the part of the Corporate Governance Statement  
on pages 68 and 72 relating to the company’s 
compliance with the eleven provisions of the 2014 
UK Corporate Governance Code specified for our 
review; and 

In particular we are required to report to you if: 

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

•  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 financial statements taken as  
a whole is fair, balanced and understandable and 
provides information necessary for shareholders  
to assess the Group’s performance, business model 
and strategy; or 

•  the section of the Corporate Governance Statement 
describing the work of the Audit Committee 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 financial statements and the 
part of the Directors’ Remuneration report to be 
audited are not in agreement with the accounting 
records and returns; or 

•  certain disclosures of Directors’ remuneration 

specified by law are not made; or 

•  we have not received all the information and 

explanations we require for our audit; or

•  a Corporate Governance Statement has not been 

prepared by the company

Scope of Report and Responsibilities 
As explained more fully in the Directors’ 
Responsibilities Statement set out on page 82, the 
directors are responsible for the preparation of the 
financial statements and for being satisfied that they 
give a true and fair view. A description of the scope  
of an audit of financial statements is provided on the 
Financial Reporting Council’s website at www.frc.org.
uk/auditscopeukprivate. 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 Davies (Senior Statutory Auditor)  
for and on behalf of KPMG LLP, Statutory Auditor
Chartered Accountants 
1 St. Peter’s Square, Manchester, M2 3AE 
13 April 2016 

8585

Financial StatementsFinancial StatementsConsolidated Income Statement

For the 52 weeks ended 30 January 2016

Continuing Operations 

Revenue 

Cost of sales 

Gross profit 

Selling and distribution expenses - normal 

Selling and distribution expenses - exceptional 

Selling and distribution expenses 

Administrative expenses - normal 

Administrative expenses - exceptional 

Administrative expenses 

Other operating income 

Operating profit 

Before exceptional items 

Exceptional items 

Operating profit 

Financial income 

Financial expenses 

Profit before tax 

Income tax expense 

Profit from continuing operations 

Discontinued operation 

Loss from discontinued operation, net of tax 

Profit for the period 

Attributable to equity holders of the parent 

Attributable to non-controlling interest 

Basic earnings per ordinary share from continuing operations 

Diluted earnings per ordinary share from continuing operations 

52 weeks to  
30 January 2016 

52 weeks to  
30 January 2016 

52 weeks to  
31 January 2015 

52 weeks to  
31 January 2015 

Note 

£000

£000

£000

£000

(648,333)

- 

(78,228)

(25,496)

1,821,652 

(937,431)

884,221 

(648,333)

(103,724)

1,242 

133,406 

158,902 

(25,496)

133,406 

388 

(2,163)

131,631 

(31,001)

100,630 

- 

100,630 

97,634 

2,996 

50.16p 

50.16p 

(564,333)

(4,467)

(73,969)

(5,060)

1,522,253 

(782,703)

739,550 

(568,800)

(79,029)

925 

92,646 

102,173 

(9,527)

92,646 

657 

(2,807)

90,496 

(20,741)

69,755 

(15,784)

53,971 

52,677 

1,294 

35.17p 

35.17p 

4 

4 

4 

7 

8 

3 

9 

10 

11 

11 

Statement of Comprehensive Income 

For the 52 weeks ended 30 January 2016

Profit for the period 

Other comprehensive income: 

Items that may be classified subsequently to the Consolidated Income Statement: 

Exchange differences on translation of foreign operations 

Total other comprehensive income / (expense) for the period 

Total comprehensive income and expense for the period (net of income tax) 

Attributable to equity holders of the parent 

Attributable to non-controlling interest 

Group

Company

52 weeks to  
30 January 2016 

52 weeks to  
31 January 2015 

52 weeks to  
30 January 2016 

52 weeks to  
31 January 2015 

£000

100,630

4,144 

4,144 

104,774 

101,828 

2,946 

£000

53,971 

(4,512)

(4,512)

49,459 

49,983 

(524)

£000

91,931

- 

- 

91,931

91,931

- 

£000

70,150 

- 

- 

70,150 

70,150 

-   

Annual Report & Accounts 2016Statement of Financial Position

As at 30 January 2016 

Assets 

Intangible assets 

Property, plant and equipment 

Investment property 

Other assets 

Investments 

Deferred tax assets 

Total non-current assets 

Inventories 

Trade and other receivables  

Cash and cash equivalents 

Total current assets 

Total assets 

Liabilities  

Interest-bearing loans and borrowings 

Trade and other payables 

Provisions 

Income tax liabilities 

Total current liabilities 

Interest-bearing loans and borrowings 

Other payables 

Provisions 

Deferred tax liabilities 

Total non-current liabilities 

Total liabilities 

Total assets less total liabilities 

Capital and reserves 

Issued ordinary share capital 

Share premium 

Retained earnings 

Other reserves 

Total equity attributable to equity holders of the parent 

Non-controlling interest 

Total equity 

Group

Company

As at  
30 January 2016 

As at  
31 January 2015 

As at  
30 January 2016 

As at  
31 January 2015 

Note 

£000

£000

£000

£000

14 

15 

16 

17 

18 

26 

19 

20 

21 

22 

24 

25 

22 

24 

25 

26 

27 

28 

73,611 

173,317 

-   

33,191 

-   

482 

280,601 

238,324 

56,375 

215,996 

510,695 

791,296 

(6,301)

(324,964)

(1,132)

(15,757)

(348,154)

(274)

(40,834)

(1,209)

-   

(42,317)

(390,471)

400,825 

2,433 

11,659 

378,898 

(10,570)

382,420 

18,405 

400,825 

101,075 

147,934 

-   

32,402 

-   

-   

281,411 

225,020 

53,922 

121,317 

400,259 

681,670 

(36,713)

(274,006)

(3,098)

(12,931)

(326,748)

(374)

(41,733)

(1,020)

(1,804)

(44,931)

(371,679)

309,991 

2,433 

11,659 

297,161 

(14,764)

296,489 

13,502 

309,991 

22,291 

88,557 

3,491 

10,240 

69,785 

2,148 

196,512 

106,336 

259,059 

148,138 

513,533 

710,045 

-   

(218,040)

(587)

(14,333)

(232,960)

-   

(31,890)

(1,117)

-   

(33,007)

(265,967)

444,078 

2,433 

11,659 

429,986 

-   

444,078 

- 

444,078 

34,953 

78,628 

3,532 

10,748 

69,679 

404 

197,944 

91,024 

243,778 

60,070 

394,872 

592,816 

(31,000)

(154,586)

(1,529)

(10,172)

(197,287)

-   

(28,909)

(653)

-   

(29,562)

(226,849)

365,967 

2,433 

11,659 

351,875 

-   

365,967 

- 

365,967 

These financial statements were approved by the Board of Directors on 13 April 2016 and were signed on its behalf by:

Brian Small 
Director 
Registered number: 1888425

8787

Financial StatementsFinancial StatementsConsolidated Statement of Changes in Equity

For the 52 weeks ended 30 January 2016

Total equity 
attributable  
to equity  
holders of  
the parent 

£000

259,766 

52,677 

Non- 
controlling 
interest  

£000

13,074 

1,294 

Ordinary share 
capital 

£000

2,433 

Share  
premium 

£000

11,659 

-   

-   

-   

-   

-   

-   

-   

-   

-   

-   

-   

-   

2,433 

11,659 

-   

-   

-   

-   

-   

-   

-   

-   

-   

-   

-   

-   

Retained 
earnings 

£000

257,744 

52,677 

-   

-   

52,677 

(13,260)

-   

297,161 

97,634 

-   

-   

97,634 

(13,820)

(2,077)

Foreign  
currency  
translation 
reserve 

£000

(8,997)

-   

(2,694)

(2,694)

(2,694)

-   

-   

Other  
equity 

£000

(3,073)

-   

-   

-   

-   

-   

-   

(3,073)

(11,691)

-   

-   

-   

-   

-   

-   

-   

4,194 

4,194 

4,194 

-   

-   

2,433 

11,659 

378,898 

(3,073)

(7,497)

Ordinary 
share 
capital

£000

2,433 

-   

-   

-   

-   

(2,694)

(2,694)

49,983 

(13,260)

-   

296,489 

97,634 

4,194 

4,194 

101,828 

(13,820)

(2,077)

382,420 

Share 
premium

£000

11,659 

-   

-   

-   

-   

2,433 

11,659 

-   

-   

-   

-   

-   

-   

2,433 

11,659 

Total  
equity 

£000

272,840 

53,971 

(4,512)

(4,512)

49,459 

(13,323)

1,015 

309,991 

100,630 

4,144 

4,144 

104,774 

(13,940)

-   

(1,818)

(1,818)

(524)

(63)

1,015 

13,502 

2,996 

(50)

(50)

2,946 

(120)

2,077 

18,405 

400,825 

Retained 
earnings

£000

294,628 

70,150 

70,150 

(13,260)

357 

351,875 

91,931 

91,931 

(13,820)

429,986 

Total  
equity 

£000

308,720 

70,150 

70,150 

(13,260)

357 

365,967 

91,931 

91,931 

(13,820)

444,078 

Group

Balance at 1 February 2014 

Profit for the period 

Other comprehensive income: 

Exchange differences on translation of foreign 
operations 

Total other comprehensive income 

Total comprehensive income for the period 

Dividends to equity holders 

Non-controlling interest arising on acquisition 

Balance at 31 January 2015 

Profit for the period 

Other comprehensive income: 

Exchange differences on translation of foreign 
operations 

Total other comprehensive income 

Total comprehensive income for the period 

Dividends to equity holders 

Acquisition of non-controlling interest 

Balance at 30 January 2016 

Company

Balance at 1 February 2014 

Profit for the period 

Total comprehensive income for the period 

Dividends to equity holders 

Dividends received from subsidiary  

Balance at 31 January 2015 

Profit for the period 

Total comprehensive income for the period 

Dividends to equity holders 

Balance at 30 January 2016 

Annual Report & Accounts 2016 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Consolidated Statement of Cash Flows

For the 52 weeks ended 30 January 2016 

Cash flows from operating activities 

Profit for the period 

Income tax expense 

Financial expenses 

Financial income 

Dividends received 

Depreciation and amortisation of non-current assets 

Forex losses on monetary assets and liabilities 

Loss on disposal of Bank Fashion Limited, net of tax 

Loss on disposal of non-current assets 

Termination of IT project 

Impairment of fixed assets 

Increase in inventories 

Decrease / (increase) in trade and other receivables 

Increase in trade and other payables 

Interest paid 

Income taxes paid 

Net cash from operating activities 

Cash flows from investing activities 

Interest received 

Dividends received 

Proceeds from sale of non-current assets 

Investment in bespoke software development 

Acquisition of other intangible assets 

Acquisition of property, plant and equipment 

Acquisition of non-current other assets 

Acquisition of investments 

Cash consideration of acquisitions 

Cash acquired with acquisitions 

Consideration received on disposal of Bank Fashion Limited 

Net cash used in investing activities 

Cash flows from financing activities  

Repayment of interest-bearing loans and borrowings 

Repayment of finance lease liabilities 

Draw down of finance lease liabilities 

(Repayment ) / draw down of syndicated bank facility 

Equity dividends paid 

Dividends paid to non-controlling interest in subsidiaries 

Net cash used in financing activities 

Net increase in cash and cash equivalents 

Cash and cash equivalents at the beginning of the period 

Foreign exchange losses on cash and cash equivalents 

Cash and cash equivalents at the end of the period 

Group

Company

52 weeks to  
30 January 2016 

52 weeks to  
31 January 2015 

52 weeks to  
30 January 2016 

52 weeks to  
31 January 2015 

Note 

£000

£000

£000

£000

9 

8 

7 

3 

14 

14 

15 

17 

18 

13 

29 

32 

32 

32 

32 

100,630 

31,001 

2,163 

(388)

-   

48,778 

7,997 

-   

-   

14,896 

10,600 

(13,304)

47 

55,738 

(2,163)

(29,981)

226,014 

388 

-   

1,145 

(4,401)

-   

(72,765)

(6,343)

-   

-   

-   

-   

(81,976)

(191)

(30)

75 

(31,000)

(13,820)

(120)

(45,086)

98,952 

115,697 

(4,790)

209,859 

53,971 

20,531 

2,881 

(657)

-   

45,241 

4,979 

6,318 

986 

-   

6,043 

(54,696)

7,760 

46,097 

(2,881)

(20,811)

115,762 

657 

-   

705 

(7,123)

(29)

(52,924)

(10,124)

-   

(12,686)

3,563 

18,150 

(59,811)

(291)

(9)

-   

5,000 

(13,260)

(63)

(8,623)

47,328 

72,043 

(3,674)

115,697 

91,931 

30,328 

1,832 

(2,387)

(680)

30,671 

8,373 

-   

-   

14,896 

-   

(15,313)

(20,926)

61,488 

(1,832)

(24,417)

173,964 

2,387 

680 

869 

(4,401)

-   

(34,522)

(1,076)

(106)

-   

-   

-   

(36,169)

-   

-   

-   

(31,000)

(13,820)

-   

(44,820)

92,975 

60,070 

(4,907)

148,138 

70,150 

20,416 

2,304 

(2,193)

-   

26,596 

5,033 

10,099 

346 

-   

-   

(17,498)

(51,336)

32,044 

(2,304)

(19,318)

74,339 

2,193 

357 

41 

(7,123)

(1,029)

(26,688)

(6,654)

(13,952)

-   

-   

18,150 

(34,705)

-   

-   

-   

5,000 

(13,260)

-   

(8,260)

31,374 

32,433 

(3,737)

60,070 

8989

Financial StatementsFinancial StatementsNotes to the Consolidated Financial Statements

1. Basis of Preparation 

General Information
JD Sports Fashion Plc, (the ‘Company’) is a company incorporated and domiciled in the United Kingdom.  
The financial statements for the 52 week period ended 30 January 2016 represent those of the Company  
and its subsidiaries (together referred to as the ‘Group’). The Parent Company financial statements present 
information about the Company as a separate entity and not about its Group.

The financial statements were authorised for issue by the Board of Directors on 13 April 2016.

Basis of Preparation
European Union law (‘EU LAW’) (IAS Regulation EC 1606 / 2002) requires that the financial statements of the 
Group are prepared and approved in accordance with International Financial Reporting Standards as adopted  
by the EU (‘adopted IFRSs’). The financial statements have been prepared on the basis of the requirements  
of adopted IFRSs that are endorsed by the EU and effective at 30 January 2016.

The Company has chosen to present its own results under adopted IFRSs and by publishing the Company 
Financial Statements here, with the Group Financial Statements, 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. 

The financial statements are presented in pounds sterling, rounded to the nearest thousand.

The financial statements have been prepared under the historical cost convention, as modified for financial 
assets and liabilities (including derivative instruments) at fair value through the Consolidated Income Statement 
and also put options held by the non-controlling interests.

The preparation of financial statements 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 associated assumptions are based on 
historical experience and various other factors that are believed to be reasonable under the circumstances, 
the results of which form the basis of making the judgements about carrying values of assets and liabilities 
that are not readily apparent from other sources. Actual results may differ from these estimates.

The judgements, estimates and underlying assumptions are reviewed on an ongoing basis. Revisions  
to accounting estimates are recognised in the period in which the estimate is revised and in any future  
periods affected. 

The accounting policies set out below have unless otherwise stated been applied consistently to all periods 
present in these financial statements and have been applied consistently by all Group entities.

The Group’s business activities, together with the factors likely to affect its future development, performance 
and position are set out in the Executive Chairman’s Statement and Financial and Risk Review on pages 47 and 
54 respectively. In addition, details of financial instruments and exposures to interest rate, foreign currency, 
credit and liquidity risks are outlined in note 23.

As at 30 January 2016, the Group had net cash balances of £209,421,000 (2015: £84,230,000) with available 
committed borrowing facilities of £215,000,000 (2015: £155,000,000) of which £nil (2015: £31,000,000) has 
been drawn down (see note 22). With a facility of £215,000,000 available, the Directors believe that the Group 
is well placed to manage its business risks successfully despite the current uncertain economic outlook.

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 foreseeable future. Accordingly, they continue 
to adopt the going concern basis in preparing the financial statements.

Adoption of New and Revised Standards
The following amendments to accounting standards and interpretations, issued by the International Accounting 
Standards Board (IASB), have been adopted for the first time by the Group in the period with no significant 
impact on its consolidated results or financial position:

•  Annual Improvements to IFRSs - 2010 – 2012 Cycle
•  Annual Improvements to IFRSs - 2011 – 2013 Cycle

Annual Report & Accounts 2016Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements (continued)

1. Basis of Preparation (continued)
A number of new standards, amendments to standards and interpretations have been issued during the  
52 week period ended 30 January 2016 but are not yet effective, and therefore have not yet been adopted  
by the Group.

IFRS 9 ‘Financial Instruments’ is expected to be applicable after 1 January 2018. If endorsed, this standard  
will simplify the classification of financial assets for measurement purposes, but it is not anticipated to have  
a significant impact on the financial statements.

IFRS 16 Leases is expected to be applicable after 1 January 2019. If endorsed, this standard will significantly 
affect the presentation of the Group financial statements with all leases apart from short term leases being 
recognised as on-balance sheet finance leases with a corresponding liability being the present value  
of lease payments.

The Group continues to monitor the potential impact of other new standards and interpretations which  
may be endorsed by the European Union and require adoption by the Group in future reporting periods.

The Group does not consider that any other standards, amendments or interpretations issued by the IASB,  
but not yet applicable, will have a significant impact on the financial statements. 

Critical Accounting Estimates and Judgements
The preparation of financial statements 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 associated assumptions are based on historical 
experience and various other factors that are believed to be reasonable under the circumstances, the results  
of which form the basis of making the judgements about carrying values of assets and liabilities that are not 
readily apparent from other sources. Actual results may differ from these estimates. 

The judgements, estimates and assumptions which have a significant risk of causing a material adjustment  
to the carrying amount of assets and liabilities are considered to be the impairment of goodwill and intangibles 
(due to the inherent uncertainty involved in forecasting and discounting future cash flows) and inventory (due  
to the seasonal nature of the Group’s retail businesses and the judgement required in assessing the recoverability 
of its carrying value). These are discussed further below: 

I. Impairment of Goodwill
Goodwill arising on acquisition is allocated to groups of cash-generating units that are expected to benefit from 
the synergies of the business combination from which goodwill arose. Goodwill is allocated to groups of cash-
generating units, being portfolios of stores or individual businesses. The cash-generating units used to monitor 
goodwill and test it for impairment are therefore the store portfolios and individual businesses rather than 
individual stores, as the cash flows of individual stores are not considered to be independent. The recoverable 
amount is the higher of the value-in-use and the fair value less the costs to sell. The recoverable amounts of these 
cash-generating units are determined based on value-in-use calculations. The use of this method requires the 
estimation of future cash flows expected to arise from the continuing operation of the cash-generating unit and 
the choice of a suitable discount rate in order to calculate the present value. See note 14 for further disclosure  
on impairment of goodwill and review of the key assumptions used.

II.  Impairment of Other Intangible Assets with Definite Lives
The Group is required to test whether other intangible assets with a definite useful economic life have suffered 
any impairment. The recoverable amount of brand names is based on an estimation of future sales and the choice 
of a suitable royalty and discount rate in order to calculate the present value, when this method is deemed the 
most appropriate. Alternatively the carrying value of the brand names has been allocated to a cash-generating 
unit, along with the relevant goodwill and fascia names, and tested in the value-in-use calculation performed for 
that cash-generating unit. The recoverable amount of brand licences is determined based on value-in-use 
calculations. The use of this method requires the estimation of future cash flows expected to arise from the 
continuing operation of the cash-generating unit until the licence expiry date and the choice of a suitable discount 
rate in order to calculate the present value. Note 14 provides further disclosure on impairment of other intangible 
assets with definite lives, including review of the key assumptions used.

9191
91

Financial StatementsNotes to the Consolidated Financial Statements (continued)Financial StatementsNotes to the Consolidated Financial Statements (continued)

1. Basis of Preparation (continued)

III.  Impairment of Other Intangible Assets with Indefinite Lives
The Group is required to test whether other intangible assets with an indefinite useful economic life have suffered 
any impairment. The recoverable amount of these assets is determined based on value-in-use calculations. The 
use of this method requires the estimation of future cash flows expected to arise from the continuing operation  
of the cash-generating unit and the choice of a suitable discount rate in order to calculate the present value. Note 
14 provides further detail of the judgements made by the Board in determining that the lives of acquired fascia 
names are indefinite and further disclosure on impairment of other intangible assets with indefinite lives, including 
review of the key assumptions used.

IV.  Provisions to Write Inventories Down to Net Realisable Value
The Group makes provisions for obsolescence, mark downs and shrinkage based on historical experiences, the 
quality of the current season buy, market trends and management estimates of future events. 

Other Accounting Estimates and Judgements

I.  Impairment of Property, Plant and Equipment and Non-current Other Assets
Property, plant and equipment and non-current other assets are reviewed for impairment if events or changes 
in circumstances indicate that the carrying amount of an asset or a cash-generating unit is not recoverable.  
A cash-generating unit is an individual store. The recoverable amount is the greater of the fair value less costs 
to sell and value-in-use. Impairment losses recognised in prior periods are assessed at each reporting period 
date for any indications that the loss has decreased or no longer exists. An impairment loss is reversed if there 
has been a change in the estimates used to determine the recoverable amount. An impairment loss is reversed 
only to the extent that the assets carrying amount does not exceed the carrying amount that would be held 
(net of depreciation) if no impairment had been realised. 

II. Onerous Property Lease Provisions
The Group makes a provision for onerous property leases on specific stores based on the anticipated future 
cash outflows relating to the contractual lease cost less potential sublease income. The estimation of sublease 
income is based on historical experience and knowledge of the retail property market in the area around each 
specific property. Significant assumptions and judgements are used in making these estimates and changes in 
assumptions and future events could cause the value of these provisions to change. This would include sublet 
premises becoming vacant, the liquidation of an assignee resulting in a property reverting to the Group or 
closing an uneconomic store and subletting at below contracted rent.

III.  Value of Put Options Held by Non-controlling Interest
The Group recognises put options over non-controlling interests in its subsidiary undertakings as a liability  
in the Consolidated Statement of Financial Position at the present value of the estimated exercise price of the 
put option. The present value of the non-controlling interests’ put options are estimated based on expected 
earnings in Board-approved forecasts and the choice of a suitable discount rate. Upon initial recognition  
a corresponding entry is made to other equity. For subsequent changes on remeasurement of the liability  
the corresponding entry is made to the Income Statement.

IV.  Estimation of Useful Economic Lives of Brand Names
The Group amortises brand names over their useful economic life. In determining the useful economic life  
of each brand name, the Board considers the market position of the brands acquired, the nature of the market 
that the brands operate in, typical product life cycles of brands and the useful economic lives of similar assets 
that are used in comparable ways.

V.  Determination of Fair Value of Assets and Liabilities on Acquisition
For each acquisition, the Group reviews the appropriateness of the book values of the assets and liabilities 
acquired, taking into account the application of Group accounting policies, to determine if fair value adjustments 
are required.  The key judgements involved are the identification and valuation of intangible assets which require 
the estimation of future cash flows based on the Board’s strategic plans for the intangible asset, the useful 
economic life of the intangible asset and the selection of a suitable discount rate. 

2. Segmental Analysis
IFRS 8 ‘Operating Segments’ requires the Group’s segments to be identified on the basis of internal reports 
about components of the Group that are regularly reviewed by the Chief Operating Decision Maker to allocate 
resources to the segments and to assess their performance. The Chief Operating Decision Maker is considered 
to be the Executive Chairman of JD Sports Fashion Plc.

Annual Report & Accounts 20162. Segmental Analysis (continued)
Information reported to the Chief Operating Decision Maker is focused on the nature of the businesses within 
the Group. The Group’s reportable segments under IFRS 8 are therefore as follows:

•  Sports Fashion – includes the results of JD Sports Fashion Plc, John David Sports Fashion (Ireland) Limited, 
Spodis SA, Champion Sports Ireland, JD Sprinter Holdings 2010 SL (including subsidiary companies), JD 
Sports Fashion BV, JD Sports Fashion Germany GmbH, JD Sports Fashion SRL, JD Sports Fashion Belgium 
BVBA, JD Sports Fashion Sweden AB, JD Sports Fashion Denmark ApS, JD Sports Fashion SDN BHD, Size 
GmbH, ActivInstinct Limited, JD Gyms Limited, Duffer of St George Limited, Topgrade Sportswear Limited, 
Kooga Rugby Limited, Focus Brands Limited (including subsidiary companies), Kukri Sports Limited 
(including global subsidiary companies), Source Lab Limited, R.D. Scott Limited, Tessuti Group Limited 
(including subsidiary companies), Nicholas Deakins Limited, Cloggs Online Limited, Ark Fashion Limited and 
Mainline Menswear Limited.

•  Outdoor – includes the results of Blacks Outdoor Retail Limited and Tiso Group Limited (including  

subsidiary companies). 

Activinstinct Limited is now included in the Sports Fashion segment reflecting the fact that there has been  
a restructure of the business in the year and the website is now held on a different platform more closely 
aligned with the Group’s other Sports Fashion businesses than with the businesses classified as Outdoor. 

The Chief Operating Decision Maker receives and reviews segmental operating profit. Certain central 
administrative costs including Group Directors’ salaries are included within the Group’s core ‘Sports Fashion’ 
result. This is consistent with the results as reported to the Chief Operating Decision Maker.

IFRS 8 requires disclosure of information regarding revenue from major products and customers. The majority 
of the Group’s revenue is derived from the retail of a wide range of apparel, footwear and accessories to the 
general public. As such, the disclosure of revenues from major customers is not appropriate. Disclosure of 
revenue from major product groups is not provided at this time due to the cost involved to develop a reliable 
product split on a same category basis across all companies in the Group.

Intersegment transactions are undertaken in the ordinary course of business on arm’s length terms. 

The Board consider that certain items are cross divisional in nature and cannot be allocated between the segments 
on a meaningful basis. Net funding costs and taxation are treated as unallocated reflecting the nature of the Group’s 
syndicated borrowing facilities and its tax group. Drawdowns from the Group’s syndicated borrowing facility of £nil 
(2015: £31,000,000), a deferred tax asset of £482,000 (2015: liability of £1,804,000) and an income tax liability  
of £15,757,000 (2015: £12,931,000) are included within the unallocated segment.

Each segment is shown net of intercompany transactions and balances within that segment. The eliminations 
remove intercompany transactions and balances between different segments which primarily relate to the  
net down of long term loans and short term working capital funding provided by JD Sports Fashion Plc  
(within Sports Fashion) to other companies in the Group, and intercompany trading between companies  
in different segments.

Revenue Recognition
Revenue is measured at the fair value of the consideration received or receivable and represents amounts 
receivable for goods and services provided in the normal course of business, net of discounts and sales  
related taxes.

In the case of goods sold through the retail stores and trading websites, revenue is recognised when goods are 
sold and the title has passed, less provision for returns. Accumulated experience is used to estimate and provide 
for such returns at the time of the sale. Retail sales are usually in cash, by debit card or by credit card. 

Wholesale revenue is recognised when goods are dispatched and the title and the risks and rewards of 
ownership have passed to the customer. In some instances, goods are sold with a right of return. Where 
wholesale goods are sold with a right of return, a provision is made to estimate the expected level of returns 
based on accumulated experience and historical rates. Wholesale sales are either settled by cash received  
in advance of the goods being dispatched or made on agreed credit terms.

9393

Financial StatementsNotes to the Consolidated Financial Statements (continued)Financial Statements2. Segmental Analysis (continued) 

Business Segments
Information regarding the Group’s reportable operating segments for the 52 weeks to 30 January 2016  
is shown below:

Sports Fashion 

Outdoor  

Continuing Operations 

Income statement

Gross revenue 

Intersegment revenue 

Revenue 

Operating profit / (loss) before exceptional items  

Exceptional items 

Operating profit / (loss) 

Financial income 

Financial expenses 

Profit before tax 

Income tax expense 

Profit for the period 

Total assets and liabilities

Total assets 

Total liabilities 

Total segment net assets / (liabilities) 

Other segment information

Capital expenditure: 

Software development 

Property, plant and equipment 

Non-current other assets 

Depreciation, amortisation and impairments: 

Depreciation and amortisation of non-current assets 

Impairment of intangible assets 

Termination of IT project 

Impairment of non-current assets 

Sports Fashion 

£000

792,411 

(336,736)

455,675 

Outdoor  

£000

82,016 

(121,591)

(39,575)

£000

1,666,477 

(138)

1,666,339 

162,864 

(21,634)

141,230 

£000

155,313 

- 

155,313 

(3,962)

(3,862)

(7,824)

Unallocated 

Eliminations 

£000

482 

(15,757)

(15,275)

Sports Fashion 

£000

4,401 

69,025 

6,343 

45,326 

6,739 

14,896 

843 

£000

(83,613)

83,613 

-   

Outdoor  

£000

- 

3,740 

- 

3,452 

3,861 

- 

584 

£000

1,821,790 

(138)

1,821,652 

158,902 

(25,496)

133,406 

388 

(2,163)

131,631 

(31,001)

100,630 

Total 

£000

791,296 

(390,471)

400,825 

Total

£000

4,401 

72,765 

6,343 

48,778 

10,600 

14,896 

1,427 

Annual Report & Accounts 2016Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements (continued)2. Segmental Analysis (continued)
The comparative segmental results (re-presented) for the 52 weeks to 31 January 2015 are as follows:

Income statement (re-presented)

Gross revenue 

Intersegment revenue 

Revenue 

Operating profit / (loss) before exceptional items  

Exceptional items 

Operating profit / (loss) 

Financial income 

Financial expenses 

Profit / (loss) before tax 

Income tax (expense) / credit 

Profit / (loss) for the period 

Total assets and liabilities (re-presented)

Total assets 

Total liabilities 

Total segment net assets / (liabilities) 

Other segment information (re-presented)

Capital expenditure: 

Software development 

Other intangible assets 

Property, plant and equipment 

Non-current other assets 

Depreciation, amortisation and impairments: 

Depreciation and amortisation of non-current assets 

Impairment of intangible assets 

Impairment of non-current assets 

Sports  
Fashion 

£000

1,382,408 

(79)

1,382,329 

109,315 

(4,876)

104,439 

Outdoor  

£000

139,924 

- 

139,924 

(7,142)

(4,651)

(11,793)

Sports Fashion 

£000

670,491 

(274,031)

396,460 

Outdoor  

£000

94,873 

(135,607)

(40,734)

Continuing 
Operations 

£000

1,522,332 

(79)

1,522,253 

102,173 

(9,527)

92,646 

657 

(2,807)

90,496 

(20,741)

69,755 

Discontinued 
Operations 

£000

83,441 

- 

83,441 

(7,832)

(8,088)

(15,920)

- 

(74)

(15,994)

210 

(15,784)

Unallocated 

Eliminations 

£000

-   

(45,735)

(45,735)

Sports Fashion 

£000

7,123 

29 

49,770 

10,124 

42,047 

2,560 

233 

£000

(83,694)

83,694 

-   

Outdoor  

£000

- 

- 

3,154 

- 

3,194 

2,500 

750 

Total 

£000

1,605,773 

(79)

1,605,694 

94,341 

(17,615)

76,726 

657 

(2,881)

74,502 

(20,531)

53,971 

Total 

£000

681,670 

(371,679)

309,991 

Total

£000

7,123 

29 

52,924 

10,124 

45,241 

5,060 

983 

9595

Financial StatementsNotes to the Consolidated Financial Statements (continued)Financial Statements2. Segmental Analysis (continued) 

Geographical Information
The Group’s operations are located in the UK, Republic of Ireland, France, Spain, Germany, the Netherlands, 
Italy, Sweden, Denmark, Belgium, Malaysia, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Dubai, Singapore and Hong Kong. 

The following table provides analysis of the Group’s revenue by geographical market, irrespective of the origin 
of the goods / services:

52 weeks to 30 January 2016

52 weeks to 31 January 2015

Revenue

UK 

Europe 

Rest of world 

Continuing 

Discontinued 

£000

1,407,866 

391,954 

21,832 

1,821,652 

£000

- 

- 

- 

- 

Continuing 

Discontinued 

Total  

£000

£000

1,407,866 

1,184,966 

391,954 

21,832 

317,472 

19,815 

Total  

£000

1,267,906 

317,661 

20,127 

£000

82,940 

189 

312 

1,821,652 

1,522,253 

83,441 

1,605,694 

The revenue from any individual country, with the exception of the UK, is not more than 10% of the Group’s total 
revenue.

The following is an analysis of the carrying amount of segmental non-current assets by the geographical area  
in which the assets are located:

Non-current assets

UK 

Europe 

Rest of world 

2016 

£000

183,623 

96,437 

541 

280,601 

2015 

£000

206,692 

74,523 

196 

281,411 

Annual Report & Accounts 2016Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements (continued) 
3.  Profit Before Tax

Profit before tax is stated after charging: 

Auditor's remuneration: 

Audit of these financial statements (KPMG LLP) 

Amounts receivable by the Company's auditor (KPMG LLP) and its associates in respect of: 

Audit of financial statements of subsidiaries of the Company 

Audit-related assurance services 

Taxation compliance services 

Other tax advisory services 

All other services 

Depreciation and amortisation of non-current assets: 

Depreciation of property, plant and equipment  

Amortisation of intangible assets 

Amortisation of non-current other assets - owned 

Impairments of non-current assets: 

Property, plant and equipment 

Intangible assets  

Other non-current assets 

Rentals payable under non-cancellable operating leases for: 

Land and buildings - non-contingent rentals payable 

Land and buildings - contingent rentals payable 

Other - plant and equipment 

Foreign exchange loss recognised 

Movement in the fair value of forward contracts 

Profit before tax is stated after crediting: 

Rents receivable and other income from property 

Sundry income 

Reversal of impairments of other non current assets 

Reverse premia  

Movement in the fair value of forward contracts 

52 weeks to 
30 January 2016

52 weeks to 
31 January 2015 

£000

£000

115 

345 

33 

- 

40 

- 

37,310 

9,304 

2,164 

1,382 

10,600 

45 

118,717 

10,071 

3,102 

6,300 

7,849 

566 

677 

-   

2,505 

-   

111 

352 

32 

8 

37 

6 

35,601 

8,433 

1,207 

1,203 

5,060 

-   

118,714 

4,100 

2,906 

5,085 

- 

542 

383 

220 

590 

9,783 

In addition, fees of £76,000 (2015: £52,000) were incurred and paid by Pentland Group Plc (see note 36) in 
relation to the non-coterminous audit of the Group for the purpose of inclusion in their consolidated financial 
statements. 

Non-current other assets comprise key money, store deposits, legal fees and lease premia associated with the 
acquisition of leasehold interests (see note 17).

9797

Financial StatementsNotes to the Consolidated Financial Statements (continued)Financial Statements4.  Exceptional Items

Items that are, in aggregate, material in size and / or unusual or infrequent in nature, are included within 
operating profit and disclosed separately as exceptional items in the Consolidated Income Statement. 

The separate reporting of exceptional items, which are presented as exceptional within the relevant category  
in the Consolidated Income Statement, helps provide an indication of the Group’s underlying business 
performance. The principal items where significant or non-recurring which will be included as exceptional  
items are:

•  Profit / (loss) on the disposal of non-current assets
•  Provision for rentals on onerous property leases
•  Impairment of property, plant and equipment
•  Impairment of non-current other assets
•  Impairment of goodwill, brand names and fascia names
•  Impairment of investment property
•  Profit / (loss) on disposal of subsidiary undertakings
•  Negative goodwill 
•  Business restructuring and business closure related costs
•  (Gains) / losses arising on changes in ownership interest where control has been obtained
•  Fair value adjustments to put option liabilities

Property related exceptional costs 

Selling and distribution expenses - exceptional  

Impairment of goodwill, brand names and fascia names (1) 

Termination of project to replace core IT systems (2) 

Administrative expenses - exceptional 

Exceptionals - continuing operations 

Exceptionals - discontinued operations 

Note 

10

52 weeks to 
30 January 2016

52 weeks to  
31 January 2015 

£000

-   

-   

10,600 

14,896 

25,496 

25,496 

- 

25,496 

£000

4,467 

4,467 

5,060 

-   

5,060 

9,527 

8,088 

17,615 

(1)   Relates to the impairment in the period to 30 January 2016 of the goodwill arising in prior years on the 
acquisition of ActivInstinct Limited, a partial impairment of the Blacks fascia name and the impairment  
of several other goodwill and fascia name balances which were not significant. The charge in the prior period 
related to the goodwill arising in prior years on the acquisition of Blacks Outdoor Retail Limited, the goodwill 
arising in prior years on the acquisition of Kukri Sports Limited, the Kukri brand name and the Ark fascia 
name.

(2) One off exceptional charge writing off costs to date including certain other related costs.

These selling and distribution expenses and administrative expenses are exceptional items as they are,  
in aggregate, material in size and / or unusual or infrequent in nature.

Annual Report & Accounts 2016Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements (continued) 
5.  Remuneration of Directors
The remuneration of the Executive Directors includes provision for future LTIP payments of £615,000  
(2015: £615,000). Further information on Directors’ emoluments is shown in the Directors’ Remuneration  
Report on page 73.

In the opinion of the Board, the key management as defined under revised IAS 24 ‘Related Party Disclosures’ 
are the five Executive and Non-Executive Directors (2015: four). Full disclosure of the Directors’ remuneration  
is given in the Directors’ Remuneration Report on page 79.

Directors' emoluments: 

As Non-Executive Directors 

As Executive Directors 

Pension contributions 

Compensation for loss of office 

6.  Staff Numbers and Costs 

52 weeks to 
30 January 2016

52 weeks to  
31 January 2015 

£000

122 

3,450 

26 

- 

3,598 

£000

73 

2,665 

39 

952 

3,729 

Group
The average number of persons employed by the Group (including Directors) during the period, analysed by 
category, was as follows:

Group

Continuing operations: 

Sales and distribution  

Administration  

Discontinued operations: 

Sales and distribution  

Administration  

Full time equivalents - continuing operations 

Full time equivalents - discontinued operations 

The aggregate payroll costs of these persons were as follows:

Group

Continuing operations: 

Wages and salaries 

Social security costs 

Other pension costs (see note 31) 

2016

18,284 

749 

- 

- 

19,033 

12,602 

- 

2015

15,209 

676 

1,797 

2 

17,684 

10,471 

727 

52 weeks to 
30 January 2016

52 weeks to  
31 January 2015 

£000

£000

241,536 

23,341 

3,117 

267,994 

214,312 

20,667 

2,641 

237,620 

9999

Financial StatementsNotes to the Consolidated Financial Statements (continued)Financial Statements6.  Staff Numbers and Costs (continued)

Company
The average number of persons employed by the Company (including Directors) during the period, analysed by 
category, was as follows:

Company

Sales and distribution 

Administration 

Full time equivalents 

The aggregate payroll costs of these persons were as follows:

Company

Wages and salaries 

Social security costs 

Other pension costs 

7.  Financial Income

2016

10,463 

359 

10,822 

7,056 

2015

9,197 

309 

9,506 

5,942 

52 weeks to 
30 January 2016

52 weeks to  
31 January 2015 

£000

135,525 

8,743 

1,456 

145,724 

£000

119,222 

8,300 

1,136 

128,658 

Financial income comprises interest receivable on funds invested. Financial income is recognised in the 
Consolidated Income Statement on an effective interest method.

Bank interest 

Financial income - continuing operations 

8.  Financial Expenses

52 weeks to 
30 January 2016

52 weeks to  
31 January 2015 

£000

388 

388 

£000

657 

657 

Financial expenses comprise interest payable on interest-bearing loans and borrowings. Financial expenses 
are recognised in the Consolidated Income Statement on an effective interest method.

On bank loans and overdrafts 

Amortisation of facility fees 

Interest on obligations under finance leases 

Other interest 

Financial expenses - continuing operations 

Financial expenses - discontinued operations 

52 weeks to 
30 January 2016

52 weeks to  
31 January 2015 

£000

1,908 

230 

7 

18 

2,163 

- 

2,163 

£000

2,542 

206 

23 

36 

2,807 

74 

2,881 

Annual Report & Accounts 2016Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements (continued) 
9. Income Tax Expense
Tax on the profit or loss for the year comprises current and deferred tax.

Current Income Tax
Current income tax expense is calculated using the tax rates which have been enacted or substantively 
enacted by the reporting date, adjusted for any tax paid in respect of prior years.

Deferred Tax
Deferred tax is recognised in respect of temporary differences between the carrying amounts of assets  
and liabilities for financial reporting purposes and the amounts used for taxation purposes. The following 
temporary differences are not provided for:

•  Goodwill not deductible for tax purposes 
•  The initial recognition of assets or liabilities that affect neither accounting nor taxable profit
•  Differences relating to investments in subsidiaries to the extent that they will probably not reverse  

in the foreseeable future

The amount of deferred tax provided is based on the expected realisation or settlement of the carrying 
amount of assets and liabilities, using tax rates enacted or substantively enacted by the reporting date.

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 reduced to the extent that it is  
no longer probable that the related tax benefit will be realised.

Current tax 

UK corporation tax at 20.2% (2015: 21.3%) 

Adjustment relating to prior periods 

Total current tax charge - continuing operations 

Deferred tax 

Deferred tax (origination and reversal of temporary differences) 

Adjustment relating to prior periods 

Total deferred tax credit - continuing operations 

Income tax expense - continuing operations

Income tax credit - discontinued operations (see note 10)

Income tax expense

Reconciliation of income tax expense - continuing operations

Profit before tax multiplied by the standard rate of corporation tax in the UK of 20.2% (2015: 21.3%)

Effects of:

Expenses not deductible 

Depreciation and impairment of non-qualifying non-current assets (including brand names arising on consolidation)

Non taxable income

Loss on disposal of non-qualifying non-current assets

Effect of tax rates in foreign jurisdictions

Research and development tax credits and other allowances

Recognition of previously unrecognised tax losses

Reduction in tax rate

Change in unrecognised temporary differences

Over provided in prior periods

Group relief from discontinued operations, not paid for

Income tax expense - continuing operations

52 weeks to 
30 January 2016

52 weeks to  
31 January 2015 

£000

32,568 

574 

33,142 

(2,892)

751 

(2,141)

31,001 

-   

31,001 

£000

22,817 

(196)

22,621 

(1,900)

20 

(1,880)

20,741 

(210)

20,531 

52 weeks to 
30 January 2016

52 weeks to  
31 January 2015 

£000

 26,590 

310 

2,315 

(452)

(116)

612 

(54)

(283)

262 

492 

1,325 

-   

31,001 

£000

 19,276 

1,127 

1,541 

(147)

36 

1,209 

(57)

(110)

(315)

691 

(176)

(2,334)

20,741 

101101

Financial StatementsNotes to the Consolidated Financial Statements (continued)Financial Statements10. Discontinued Operations

A discontinued operation is a component of the Group’s business, the operations and cash flows of which 
can be clearly distinguished from the rest of the Group and which: 

•  represents a separate major line of business or geographic area of operations;
•  is part of a single co-ordinated plan to dispose of a separate major line of business or geographic area  

of operations; or

•  is a subsidiary acquired exclusively with a view to re-sale

Classification as a discontinued operation occurs at the earlier of disposal or when the operation meets the 
criteria to be classified as held for sale. 

When an operation is classified as a discontinued operation, the comparative statement of profit or loss and 
other comprehensive income is re-presented as if the operation has been discontinued from the start of the 
comparative year.

On 25 November 2014 the Group disposed of its 100% shareholding in Bank Fashion Limited to Huk 57 Limited 
(a subsidiary of Hilco Capital Limited). Bank Fashion Limited has been treated as a discontinued operation  
as at 31 January 2015 as its fashionwear business offering represented a significant line of business.

Results of discontinued operation

Revenue 

Expenses - normal 

Expenses - exceptional 

Net interest expense 

Results from operating activities 

Income tax 

Results from operating activities, net of tax 

Loss on sale of discontinued operation - exceptional 

Loss for the period 

Basic loss per ordinary share 

Diluted loss per ordinary share 

52 weeks to 
30 January 2016

52 weeks to  
31 January 2015 

Note

£000

-   

-   

-   

-   

-   

-   

-   

-   

-   

-   

-   

13

£000

83,441 

(91,273)

(1,770)

(74)

(9,676)

210 

(9,466)

(6,318)

(15,784)

(8.11p) 

(8.11p) 

The result from the discontinued operations of £nil (2015: loss of £15,784,000) is attributable entirely to the 
equity holders of the parent.

Cash flows from / (used in) discontinued operation

Net cash used in operating activities

Net cash from investing activities

Net decrease in cash and cash equivalents 

52 weeks to 
30 January 2016

52 weeks to  
31 January 2015 

£000

-   

-   

-   

£000

(25,272)

18,905 

(6,367)

Annual Report & Accounts 2016Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements (continued) 
10. Discontinued Operations (continued)

Effect of disposal on the financial position of the Group

Property, plant and equipment 

Inventories 

Trade and other receivables 

Income tax assets 

Deferred tax asset 

Trade and other payables 

Provisions 

Net assets 

Fascia name 

Deferred tax on fascia name 

Net fascia name disposed of on divestment of subsidiary 

Consideration received, satisfied in cash 

Cash and cash equivalents disposed of 

Net cash inflow 

11. Earnings Per Ordinary Share

52 weeks to  
31 January 2015 

£000

(9,266)

(18,371)

(4,198)

(21)

(873)

10,624 

1,599 

(20,506)

(5,481)

1,519 

(3,962)

18,150 

-   

18,150 

Basic and Diluted Earnings Per Ordinary Share
The calculation of basic and diluted earnings per ordinary share at 30 January 2016 is based on the profit  
from continuing operations for the period attributable to equity holders of the parent of £97,634,000  
(2015: £68,461,000) and a weighted average number of ordinary shares outstanding during the 52 week  
period ended 30 January 2016 of 194,646,632 (2015: 194,646,632).

An Ordinary Resolution was passed at the Annual General Meeting, effective 30 June 2014, resulting in a share 
split whereby four ordinary shares were issued for each ordinary share. In accordance with IAS 33, the number 
of shares outstanding before the event has been adjusted for the proportionate change as if the event had 
occurred at the beginning of the earliest period presented. 

Issued ordinary shares at beginning and end of period 

52 weeks to 
30 January 2016

52 weeks to  
31 January 2015 

Number

Number

194,646,632 

194,646,632 

Adjusted Basic and Diluted Earnings Per Ordinary Share
Adjusted basic and diluted earnings per ordinary share have been based on the profit for the period from 
continuing operations attributable to equity holders of the parent for each financial period but excluding the 
post-tax effect of certain exceptional items. The Directors consider that this gives a more meaningful measure 
of the underlying performance of the Group.

Profit for the period from continuing operations attributable to equity holders of the parent 

Exceptional items excluding loss on disposal of non-current assets 

Tax relating to exceptional items 

Profit for the period from continuing operations attributable to equity holders of the parent excluding exceptional items

Adjusted basic and diluted earnings per ordinary share from continuing operations

Note

4

52 weeks to 
30 January 2016

52 weeks to  
31 January 2015 

£000

97,634 

25,496 

(3,737)

119,393 

61.34p

£000

68,461 

8,541 

(1,309)

75,693 

38.89p

103103

Financial StatementsNotes to the Consolidated Financial Statements (continued)Financial Statements12. Acquisitions

Business Combinations
The Group accounts for business combinations using the acquisition method when control is transferred to 
the Group. The Group 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 the returns through its power over the entity.

Costs related to the acquisition, other than those associated with the issue of debt or equity securities, that 
the Group incurs in connection with a business combination are expensed as incurred. 

The consideration transferred in the acquisition is generally measured at fair value, as are the identifiable net 
assets acquired. Any goodwill that arises is tested annually for impairment. The consideration transferred 
does not include amounts related to the settlement of pre-existing relationships. Such amounts are generally 
recognised in the Consolidated Income Statement.

Any contingent consideration is measured at fair value at the date of acquisition. If an obligation to pay 
contingent consideration that meets the definition of a financial instrument is classified as equity, then it is 
not remeasured and the settlement is accounted for within equity. Otherwise, subsequent changes in the fair 
value of the contingent consideration are recognised in the Consolidated Income Statement.

Current Period Acquisitions
During the period, the Group has increased its shareholding in three non-wholly owned subsidiaries. These 
transactions were not material.

Prior Period Acquisitions

Mainline Menswear Limited
On 21 March 2014, the Group acquired 80% of the issued share capital of Mainline Menswear Holdings Limited for 
cash consideration of £10,924,000 with additional consideration of up to £500,000 payable after 30 November 
2014 if certain performance criteria were achieved. At acquisition, management believed that Mainline Menswear 
was on course to meet the performance criteria for the maximum contingent consideration to be payable and 
therefore the fair value of this contingent consideration at this time was £500,000. The deferred consideration 
was subsequently paid in full in February 2015. Mainline Menswear is primarily an online niche retailer of premium 
branded men’s apparel and footwear.

The measurement period concluded in the 52 week period ended 30 January 2016, with no measurement 
adjustments being made to the fair values in the period. The final goodwill calculation is summarised below:

Acquiree's net assets at acquisition date: 

Intangible assets 

Property, plant and equipment 

Inventories 

Cash 

Trade and other receivables 

Trade and other payables 

Income tax liabilities 

Deferred tax liabilities 

Net identifiable assets 

Non-controlling interest (20%)

Goodwill on acquisition

Consideration paid - satisfied in cash 

Book value

£000

- 

52 

1,519 

3,535 

60 

(692)

(62)

(10)

4,402 

(880)

Measurement  
adjustment 

Fair value at 
30 January 2016

£000

843 

- 

- 

- 

- 

- 

- 

(169)

674 

(135)

£000

843 

52 

1,519 

3,535 

60 

(692)

(62)

(179)

5,076 

(1,015)

7,363 

11,424 

The intangible asset acquired represents the fair value of the ‘Mainline’ fascia name. The Board believes that the 
excess of consideration paid over the fair value of the net identifiable assets of £7,363,000 is best considered as 
goodwill on acquisition representing employee expertise and anticipated future operating synergies.

Annual Report & Accounts 2016Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements (continued)12. Acquisitions (continued) 

Ultimate Outdoors
On 3 February 2014, the Group acquired, via its 100% owned subsidiary Blacks Outdoor Retail Limited, 100%  
of the entire issued share capital of Ultimate Outdoors Limited for cash consideration of £835,000 which was 
equal to the fair value of the net identifiable assets acquired.

The measurement period concluded in the 52 week period ended 30 January 2016, with no measurement 
adjustments being made to the fair values in this period.

Oswald Bailey
On 28 March 2014, the Group acquired, via its 100% owned subsidiary Blacks Outdoor Retail Limited, the trade 
and assets of 14 stores (and 2 websites) trading as Oswald Bailey for cash consideration of £851,000 which was 
equal to the fair value of the net identifiable assets acquired.  Oswald Bailey is a retailer of outdoor footwear, 
apparel and equipment.

The measurement period concluded in the 52 week period ended 30 January 2016, with no measurement 
adjustments being made to the fair values in this period.

13. Disposals 

Prior Period Disposal

Disposal of 100% of the Issued Ordinary Share Capital of Bank Fashion Limited 
On 25 November 2014, the Group disposed of its 100% shareholding in Bank Fashion Limited to Huk 57 Limited 
(a subsidiary of Hilco Capital Limited) for a total consideration of £18.15m. The total cash payment comprised  
£1 for the entire share capital of Bank Fashion Limited and £18.15m which repaid a substantial part of the 
intercompany receivable balance of £28.25m. JD Sports Fashion Plc has recorded a provision of £10.1m  
against the remaining balance. 

The assets and liabilities related to Bank Fashion Limited form a disposal group. Bank Fashion Limited has been 
treated as a discontinued operation as at 31 January 2015 as its fashionwear business offering represented a 
significant line of business. 

Further information related to the disposal is set out below:

Consideration received

Less carrying value of net assets disposed of

Less fascia name disposed of

Plus deferred tax on fascia name

Loss on disposal

Net cashflow on disposal:

Consideration received

Less cash and cash equivalents disposed of

Net cash inflow from disposal

52 weeks to 
31 January 2015

£000

18,150 

(20,506)

(5,481)

1,519 

(6,318)

18,150 

-   

18,150 

105105

Financial StatementsNotes to the Consolidated Financial Statements (continued)Financial Statements14. Intangible Assets

Group

Cost or valuation 
At 1 February 2014 

Acquisitions 

Additions 

Divestment of subsidiaries 
At 31 January 2015 

Additions 

Disposals 

Exchange differences 
At 30 January 2016 
Amortisation and impairment 

At 1 February 2014 

Charge for the period 

Impairments 
At 31 January 2015 

Charge for the period 

Impairments 
At 30 January 2016 

Net book value 

At 30 January 2016 
At 31 January 2015 

At 1 February 2014 

Goodwill  
£000

 Brand licences  
£000

 Brand names  
£000

 Fascia name  
£000

 Software  
development 
£000 

78,776 

7,363 

- 

- 
86,139 

- 

- 

(2,195)
83,944 

25,560 

- 

4,153 
29,713 

- 

6,738 
36,451 

47,493 
56,426 

53,216 

11,779 

15,314 

- 

- 

- 
11,779 

- 

- 

- 
11,779 

4,543 

2,799 

- 
7,342 

750 

- 
8,092 

3,687 
4,437 

7,236 

- 

29 

- 
15,343 

- 

- 

- 
15,343 

4,271 

3,112 

438 
7,821 

3,984 

- 
11,805 

3,538 
7,522 

11,043 

29,203 

1,204 

- 

(5,481)
24,926 

- 

- 

(493)
24,433 

838 

1,000 

469 
2,307 

1,000 

3,862 
7,169 

17,264 
22,619 

28,365 

4,609 

- 

7,123 

- 
11,732 

4,401 

(9,273)

- 
6,860 

139 

1,522 

- 
1,661 

3,570 

- 
5,231 

1,629 
10,071 

4,470 

Total  
£000

139,681 

8,567 

7,152 

(5,481)
149,919 

4,401 

(9,273)

(2,688)
142,359 

35,351 

8,433 

5,060 
48,844 

9,304 

10,600 
68,748 

73,611 
101,075 

104,330 

Impairment
The impairment in the current period relates to the impairment of the goodwill arising in prior years on  
the acquisition of ActivInstinct Limited, a partial impairment of the Blacks fascia name and the impairment  
of several other goodwill and fascia name balances which were not significant.

The goodwill in ActivInstinct of £6,617,000 arose in October 2013 on the acquisition of the share capital  
of ActivInstinct by the Group’s newly formed subsidiary, ActivInstinct Holdings Limited.  ActivInstinct is  
a cash-generating unit and is included in the Sports Fashion segment. The recoverable amount of the 
cash-generating unit is the value-in-use, which has been calculated using a pre-tax discount rate of 15.9% 
(2015: 13.7%). The goodwill has been impaired following a weaker than anticipated performance due to 
increased competition in the marketplace and adverse currency movements. The Board believes that the 
ActivInstinct fascia name (£3,524,000) is recoverable after having performed relevant sensitivity analysis. 

The Black and Millets fascia names of £8,500,000 arose in January 2012 on the acquisition of the trade and 
assets of Blacks Leisure Group Plc (in administration) by the Group’s newly formed subsidiary, Blacks Outdoor 
Retail Limited.  Blacks is a cash-generating unit and is included in the Outdoor segment. The recoverable amount 
of the cash-generating unit is the value-in-use, which has been calculated using a pre-tax discount rate of 15.3% 
(2015: 15.3%). The fascia name has been partially impaired following a weaker than anticipated performance 
following generally milder weather resulting in heavy discounting across the wider Outdoor Sector which 
impacted margins. The Board believes that the remainder of the Blacks fascia name (£3,000,000) and Millets 
fascia name (£2,000,000) are recoverable after having performed relevant sensitivity analysis. 

The impairment in the previous period related to the impairment of the goodwill arising in prior years on the 
acquisition of Blacks Outdoor Retail Limited (‘Blacks’), the goodwill arising on the acquisition of Kukri Sports 
Limited, the Kukri brand name and the Ark fascia name. 

Annual Report & Accounts 2016Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements (continued)14. Intangible Assets (continued)

Intangibles Assets with Definite Lives

Brand Licences
Brand licences are stated at cost less accumulated amortisation and impairment losses. Amortisation of 
brand licences is charged to the Consolidated Income Statement within cost of sales over the term to the 
licence expiry on a straight line basis.

Brand licences are tested annually for impairment by comparing the recoverable amount to their carrying 
value. Impairment losses are recognised in the Consolidated Income Statement.

The recoverable amount of brand licences is determined based on value-in-use calculations. The use of this 
method requires the estimation of future cash flows expected to arise from the continuing operation of the 
relevant cash-generating unit until the licence expiry date and the choice of a suitable discount rate in order 
to calculate the present value. 

The Group’s brand licences and the key assumptions used in the value-in-use calculations, are as follows:

Group

Fila 

Segment 

Sports Fashion 

Sergio 

Sports Fashion 

Terms 

10 year licence from 
January 2011 for exclusive 
use of the brand in the UK 
and Republic of Ireland

Sub-licence to use the 
brand in the UK 

Basic information

Impairment model assumptions used

Net Book 
Value 2016 

Net Book 
Value 2015 

Short term  
growth 
rate (1) 

Long term  
growth 
rate (2) 

£000 

3,687 

£000 

4,437 

%

2.0%

%

2.0%

Cost 

£000 

7,500 

Pre Tax  
Discount rate 
(3) 2016 

Pre Tax  
Discount rate 
(3) 2015 

%

12.9%

%

13.0%

Margin rate

Gross margins over the remaining 
licence period are assumed to be 
consistent with approved budget levels 
for the period ending January 17

4,279 

- 

- 

N/A

N/A The licence has been fully written down 
in the period ended January 2015

N/A - fully  
written down

N/A - fully 
written down

11,779 

3,687 

4,437 

(1)  The short term growth rate is the Board approved compound annual growth rate in sales for the first two 

year period following the January 2017 financial year currently underway

(2) The long term growth rate is the rate used thereafter until the end of the licence period

(3) The discount rate applied is pre-tax and reflects current market assessments of the time value of money and 
risks specific to the assets, for which future cash flow estimates have not been adjusted. This discount rate 
is considered to be equivalent to the rate a market participant would use

107107

Financial StatementsNotes to the Consolidated Financial Statements (continued)Financial Statements14. Intangible Assets (continued)

Brand Names
Brand names acquired as part of a business combination are stated at fair value as at the acquisition date 
less accumulated amortisation and impairment losses. Brand names separately acquired are stated at cost 
less accumulated amortisation and impairment losses. The useful economic life of each purchased brand 
name is considered to be finite. 

Brand names are all amortised over a period of 10 years and the amortisation charge is included within 
administrative expenses in the Consolidated Income Statement. Brand names are tested annually for 
impairment by comparing the recoverable amount to their carrying value.

The recoverable amount of brand names is determined based on a ‘royalty relief’ method of valuation. This is 
based on an estimation of future sales and the choice of a suitable royalty and discount rate in order to calculate 
the present value, when this method is deemed the most appropriate. This method involves calculating a net 
present value for each brand by discounting the projected future royalties expected over the remaining useful 
life of each brand. The future royalties are estimated by applying a suitable royalty rate to the sales forecast. 
Alternatively the carrying value of the brand names has been allocated to a cash-generating unit, along with  
the relevant goodwill and fascia names, and tested in the value-in-use calculation performed for that cash-
generating unit (see below). Impairment losses are recognised in the Consolidated Income Statement.

The Group’s brand names and the key assumptions used in ‘royalty relief’ method of valuation, are as follows:

Group 

Segment 

Royalty relief model used to test the following brands: 

Date of  
acquisition 

Cost 

£000 

Duffer of St George

Sports Fashion

24 November 2009

Sonneti

Peter Werth

Sports Fashion

Sports Fashion

26 April 2010

26 May 2011

Brands included within the intangible asset models (as below):

Nanny State

Peter Storm

Eurohike

Brands with nil net book value at period end:

Kooga 

Chilli Pepper

Kukri

Fenchurch

Henleys

One True Saxon

Gio Goi 

Fly 53

Sports Fashion

4 August 2010

Outdoor

Outdoor

9 January 2012

9 January 2012

Sports Fashion

Sports Fashion

3 July 2009

18 June 2010

Sports Fashion

7 February 2011

Sports Fashion

Sports Fashion

17 March 2011

4 May 2012

Sports Fashion

13 September 2012

Sports Fashion

31 January 2013

Sports Fashion

2 February 2013

2,071

1,520

400

350

2,250

750

452

190

720

1,100

2,632

50

2,400

458

Basic information

Impairment model assumptions used

Net Book  
Value 2016 

Net Book  
Value 2015 

Short term  
growth rate (1) 

Long term  
growth rate (2) 

Pre Tax Discount  
rate (3) 2016 

Pre Tax Discount  
rate (3) 2015 

%

2.0%

2.0%

2.0%

%

2.0%

2.0%

2.0%

%

%

12.9%

12.9%

12.9%

13.0%

13.0%

13.0%

£000 

£000 

684

684

213

160

1,359

438

- 

- 

- 

- 

- 

- 

- 

- 

913 

836 

253 

195 

1,578 

512 

- 

- 

- 

669 

1,908 

38 

297 

323 

15,343 

3,538 

7,522 

(1)  The short term growth rate is the Board approved annual growth rate in sales for the first two year period 

following the January 2017 financial year currently underway 

(2) The long term growth rate is the rate used thereafter until the end of the useful life remaining

(3) The discount rate applied is pre-tax and reflects current market assessments of the time value of money  

and risks specific to the assets, for which future cash flow estimates have not been adjusted. This discount 
rate is considered to be equivalent to the rate a market participant would use

Annual Report & Accounts 2016Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements (continued)14. Intangible Assets (continued)

Software Development
Software developments costs (including website development costs) are capitalised as Intangible Assets  
if the technical and commercial feasibility of the project has been demonstrated, the future economic 
benefits are probable, the Group has an intention and ability to complete and use or sell the software and 
the costs can be measured reliably. Costs that do not meet these criteria are expensed as incurred. Software 
development costs are stated at historic cost, less accumulated amortisation.

Software development costs are all amortised over a period of two to seven years and the amortisation 
charge is included within administrative expenses in the Consolidated Income Statement.

Intangibles Assets with Indefinite Lives  

Fascia Name
Separately identifiable fascia names acquired are stated at fair value as at the acquisition date less 
accumulated impairment losses. 

With the exception of the Champion fascia name, all fascia names are not being amortised as management 
consider these assets to have indefinite useful economic life. 

All fascia names are subject to an impairment review on an annual basis or more frequently if there is  
an indicator that the fascia name is impaired. The recoverable amount of these assets is determined based  
on value-in-use calculations. The use of this method requires the estimation of future cash flows expected  
to arise from the continuing operation of the cash-generating unit and the choice of a suitable discount rate  
in order to calculate the present value. Impairment losses are recognised in the Consolidated Income Statement.

As the remaining Champion stores are being converted to the JD fascia it was determined that this now indicates 
that the Champion fascia name has a finite useful life and should be amortised in line with the conversion programme. 
The change in the useful life assessment from indefinite to finite in the previous period was accounted for as a change 
in the accounting estimate in accordance with IAS 8. The fascia name has been fully amortised in the period ended 
30 January 2016.

Factors considered by the Board in determining that the useful life of the fascia names are indefinite for all 
fascia names (with the exception of Champion):

•  The strength of the respective fascia names in the relevant sector and geographic region where the fascia  

is located

•  The history of the fascia names and that of similar assets in the UK (in relation to Blacks, Millets, Tessuti,  

Ark and Tiso), Spain (Sprinter) and Germany (Isico) retail sectors 

•  The commitment of the Group to continue to operate these stores separately for the foreseeable future, 

including the ongoing investment in new stores and refurbishments

•  The strength of the respective online fascia names for the online fascia’s acquired (Cloggs, ActivInstinct  

and Mainline Menswear)

109109

Financial StatementsNotes to the Consolidated Financial Statements (continued)Financial Statements14. Intangible Assets (continued)

Goodwill
Goodwill represents amounts arising on acquisition of subsidiaries. 

Method 1: For acquisitions on or after 31 January 2010, the Group measures goodwill at the acquisition date as:

•  the fair value of the consideration transferred; plus
•  the recognised amount of any non-controlling interests in the acquiree; plus
•  if the business combination is achieved in stages, the fair value of the existing equity interest in the 

acquiree; less

•  the net recognised amount of the identifiable assets acquired and liabilities assumed.

When the excess is negative, negative goodwill is recognised immediately in the Consolidated Income 
Statement.

On disposal of a subsidiary, the attributable amount of goodwill is included in the determination of the 
profit/loss on disposal.

Method 2: In respect of business acquisitions that occurred from 1 February 2004 to 30 January 2010, goodwill 
represents the difference between the cost of the acquisition and the net fair value of the identifiable assets, 
liabilities and contingent liabilities of the acquiree. When the excess was negative (negative goodwill), it was 
recognised immediately in the Consolidated Income Statement as an exceptional item. Transaction costs, other 
than those associated with the issue of debt or equity securities, that the Group incurred in connection with 
business combinations were capitalised as part of the cost of the acquisition.

Method 3: In respect of acquisitions prior to 1 February 2004, goodwill is included on the basis of its deemed 
cost, which represents the amount recorded under previous GAAP. The classification and accounting 
treatment of business combinations that occurred prior to 1 February 2004 has not been reconsidered in 
preparing the Group’s opening adopted IFRS balance sheet at 1 February 2004.

Goodwill is stated at cost less any accumulated impairment losses. Goodwill is allocated to groups of cash-
generating units and is tested annually for impairment and whenever there is an indication that the goodwill 
may be impaired. The cash-generating units used are individual stores and the groups of cash-generating units 
are either the store portfolios or individual businesses acquired. The recoverable amount is compared to the 
carrying amount of the cash-generating units including goodwill. 

The recoverable amount of a cash-generating unit is determined based on value-in-use calculations.  
The carrying amount of goodwill and fascia name by cash-generating units, along with the key assumptions 
used in the value-in-use calculation is set out on the following pages:

Annual Report & Accounts 2016Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements (continued)14. Intangible Assets (continued)

Basic financial information

Impairment model assumptions used

Group

Segment 

First Sport 
store portfolio 

Sports 
Fashion 

Goodwill 
2016 

£000 

14,976 

Champion 
store portfolio 

Sports 
Fashion 

9,757 

- 

- 

Fascia  
name  
2016 

£000 

Total  
intangible 
2016 

Goodwill 
2015 

£000 

£000 

Fascia  
name  
2015 

£000 

£000 

Total  
intangible 
2015 

Short term 
growth 
rate (1) 

Long term 
growth 
rate (2)  Margin rate 

14,976 

14,976 

- 

14,976 

%

1.0%

%

1.0% Gross margins are assumed to be 

broadly consistent with recent 
historic and approved budget levels

Pre Tax 
Discount  
rate (3)  
2016 

%

9.7%

Pre Tax 
Discount  
rate (3)  
2015 

%

9.9%

9,757 

11,202 

1,000 

12,202 

2.0%

2.0% Gross margins are assumed to be 

10.9%

12.7%

broadly consistent with recent 
historic and approved budget levels

Sprinter store 
portfolio 

ActivInstinct  
online 

Blacks/Millets 
store portfolio 
(4) 

Tiso store  
portfolio 

Mainline 
Menswear 
Limited 

Sports 
Fashion 

Sports 
Fashion 

Outdoor 

5,528 

3,644 

9,172 

6,173 

4,139 

10,312 

2.0%

2.0% Gross margins are assumed to be 

13.8%

15.1%

3,524 

3,524 

6,617 

3,524 

10,141 

2.0%

broadly consistent with recent 
historic and approved budget levels

1.0% Gross margins are assumed  
to be broadly consistent  
with approved budget levels

15.9%

13.7%

5,000 

5,000 

- 

8,500 

8,500 

3.5%

3.0% Gross margins are assumed 

15.3%

15.3%

- 

- 

Outdoor 

3,280 

2,700 

5,980 

3,280 

2,700 

5,980 

3.8%

to improve by 2.0% in the short 
term to reflect increase proportion 
of own brand sales budget and 
better purchasing

2.0% Gross margins are assumed to im-
prove by 3.1% in the short term to 
reflect focused strategy regarding 
stock and merchandising 

15.4%

13.1%

Sports 
Fashion 

7,363 

843 

8,206 

7,363 

843 

8,206 

3.0%

1.0% Gross margins are assumed  

13.5%

13.6%

to improve by 1.7% in the short 
term to reflect implementation of 
enhanced group terms  
and focused strategy regarding 
stock and merchandising 

Other 

Sports 
Fashion 

6,589 

1,553 

8,142 

6,815 

1,552 

8,367  1.0% - 3.0% 1.0% - 2.0% A range of gross margin 

9.7% - 12.9%

9.9% - 13.2%

assumptions, from broadly 
consistent with approved budget 
levels to improvements of up to 
3.5% in the short term to reflect 
implementation  
of enhanced group terms and 
focused strategy regarding  
stock and merchandising 

Other 

Outdoor 

- 

- 

- 

- 

361 

361 

-

-

-

-

14.0%

47,493 

17,264 

64,757 

56,426 

22,619 

79,045 

(1)  The short term growth rate is the Board approved compound annual growth rate for the four year period 

following the January 2017 financial year currently underway 

(2) The long term growth rate is the rate used thereafter, which is an estimate of the growth based on past 
experience within the Group taking account of economic growth forecast for the relevant industries

(3) The discount rate applied is pre-tax and reflects the current market assessments of the time value of money 
and any specific risk premiums relevant to the individual cash-generating unit. These discount rates are 
considered to be equivalent to the rates a market participant would use

(4) The impairment model prepared for Blacks and Millets, in addition to covering the fascia names, has also 

been used to support the net book value of the Peter Storm and Eurohike brand names, which are 
exclusively sold through the Blacks and Millets store portfolio

111111

Financial StatementsNotes to the Consolidated Financial Statements (continued)Financial Statements14. Intangible Assets (continued)
The cash flow projections used in the value-in-use calculations are all based on actual operating results, 
together with financial forecasts and strategy plans approved by the Board covering a five year period. These 
forecasts and plans are based on both past performance and expectations for future market development.

Sensitivity Analysis
A sensitivity analysis has been performed on the base case assumptions of margin growth used for assessing 
the goodwill and other intangibles. 

With regards to the assessment of value-in-use of all cash-generating units, with the exceptions of those listed 
below, the Board believe that there are no reasonably possible changes in any of the key assumptions, which 
would cause the carrying value of the unit to exceed its recoverable amount.

For the Blacks and Millets cash-generating unit, changes in key assumptions could cause the carrying value  
of the unit to exceed its recoverable amount.  

The Board has considered the possibility of each of these businesses achieving less revenue and gross profit % 
than forecast. Whilst any reduction in revenue would be partially offset by a reduction in revenue related costs,  
the Board would also take actions to mitigate the loss of gross profit by reducing other costs. 

Blacks and Millets
Should the business not achieve the assumed store gross margin rate % growth in the first five year period  
of 2.0% by 1.0% and be unable to reduce selling and distribution and administrative costs, the reduction  
in value-in-use would lead to an impairment of £5,000,000. All other assumptions remain unchanged.

Should the business not achieve the assumed online gross margin rate % growth in the first five year period  
of 2.9% by 1.0% and be unable to reduce selling and distribution and administrative costs, the reduction  
in value-in-use would lead to an impairment of £1,100,000. All other assumptions remain unchanged.

Should the pre-tax discount rate increase by 1%, the reduction in value-in-use would lead to an impairment  
of £2,800,000. All other assumptions remain unchanged.

Company

Cost or valuation 

At 1 February 2014 

Additions 

At 31 January 2015 

Additions 

Disposals 

At 30 January 2016

Amortisation and impairment 

At 1 February 2014 

Charge for the period 

At 31 January 2015 

Charge for the period 

At 30 January 2016

Net book value 

At 30 January 2016 

At 31 January 2015

At 1 February 2014 

Brand licences 

Brand names 

Software development 

Goodwill 

£000

19,945 

- 

19,945 

- 

- 

£000

11,779 

- 

11,779 

- 

- 

19,945 

11,779 

4,045 

- 

4,045 

- 

4,045 

15,900 

15,900 

15,900 

4,543 

2,799 

7,342 

750 

8,092 

3,687 

4,437 

7,236 

£000

8,750 

1,029 

9,779 

- 

- 

9,779 

1,945 

3,289 

5,234 

3,470 

8,704 

1,075 

4,545 

6,805 

£000

4,609 

7,123 

11,732 

4,401 

(9,273)

6,860 

139 

1,522 

1,661 

3,570 

5,231 

1,629 

10,071 

4,470 

Total 

£000

45,083 

8,152 

53,235 

4,401 

(9,273)

48,363 

10,672 

7,610 

18,282 

7,790 

26,072 

22,291 

34,953 

34,411 

Goodwill in the Company comprises the goodwill on acquisition of First Sport (£14,976,000) and  
Allsports (£924,000).

Brand names in the Company comprise all brand names included in the Group table above within the Sport 
Fashion segment, with the exception of the fair value adjustments remaining in relation to brand name acquired 
on acquisition of Duffer of St George (£684,000).

Annual Report & Accounts 2016Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements (continued)15. Property, Plant and Equipment 

Owned Assets
Items of property, plant and equipment are stated at cost less accumulated depreciation and impairment 
losses. Where parts of an item of property, plant and equipment have different useful economic lives, they 
are accounted for as separate items.

Legal fees and other costs associated with the acquisition of a leasehold interest are capitalised within  
non-current other assets (see note 17). These costs are amortised over the life of the lease.

Rental income from operating leases where the Group is the lessor is recognised on a straight-line basis  
over the term of the relevant lease.

Depreciation 
Depreciation is charged to the Consolidated Income Statement over the estimated useful life of each part  
of an item of property, plant and equipment. The estimated useful economic lives are as follows:

•  Freehold land 

not depreciated

•  Long leasehold and freehold properties 

2% per annum on a straight line basis

•  Improvements to short leasehold properties 

life of lease on a straight line basis

•  Computer equipment 

•  Fixtures and fittings 

•  Motor vehicles 

3 - 4 years on a straight line basis

 5 - 7 years, or length of lease if shorter, on a  
straight line basis

25% per annum on a reducing balance basis

113113

Financial StatementsNotes to the Consolidated Financial Statements (continued)Financial Statements15. Property, Plant and Equipment (continued)

Group

Cost
At 1 February 2014 

Additions 

Disposals 

Acquisitions 

Divestment of subsidiaries 
Exchange differences 

At 31 January 2015 

Additions 

Disposals 

Transfers  

Exchange differences 

At 30 January 2016 

Depreciation and impairment 

At 1 February 2014 

Charge for the period 

Disposals 

Impairments 

Acquisitions 

Divestment of subsidiaries 

Exchange differences 

At 31 January 2015 

Charge for the period 

Disposals 

Transfers 

Impairments 

Exchange differences 

At 30 January 2016

Net book value 

At 30 January 2016 

At 31 January 2015

At 1 February 2014

Freehold land,  
long leasehold &  
freehold properties 
£000

Improvements to 
short leasehold 
properties  
£000 

Computer 
equipment  
£000 

Fixtures  
and fittings  
£000 

Motor 
vehicles  
£000 

12,120 

-   

-   

554 

-   
-   

12,674 

4,511 

-   

-   

-   

17,185 

193 

191 

-   

-   

107 

-   

-   

491 

189 

-   

-   

-   

-   

20,872 

2,556 

(895)

-   

(3,482)
(1)

19,050 

5,481 

(1,587)

-   

(157)

22,787 

11,719 

1,915 

(724)

84 

-   

(1,848)

-   

11,146 

1,966 

(1,532)

-   

74 

(67)

680 

11,587 

16,505 

12,183 

11,927 

11,200 

7,904 

9,153 

33,480 

6,006 

(458)

7 

(383)
(9)

38,643 

4,827 

(3,060)

6 

(540)

39,876 

16,049 

6,970 

(395)

5 

-   

(300)

(7)

22,322 

8,594 

(393)

11 

35 

(349)

30,220 

9,656 

16,321 

17,431 

211,534 

44,298 

(12,828)

930 

(23,466)
(5)

220,463 

57,911 

(8,159)

(6)

(9,170)

261,039 

108,852 

26,428 

(12,024)

1,114 

717 

(15,916)

5 

109,176 

26,482 

(7,297)

(11)

1,273 

(4,374)

125,249 

135,790 

111,287 

102,682 

396 

64 

(192)

3 

32 
12 

315 

35 

(100)

-   

(15)

235 

15 

97 

(85)

-   

-   

31 

18 

76 

79 

(80)

-   

-   

(6)

69 

166 

239 

381 

Total  
£000

278,402 

52,924 

(14,373)

1,494 

(27,299)
(3)

291,145 

72,765 

(12,906)

-   

(9,882)

341,122 

136,828 

35,601 

(13,228)

1,203 

824 

(18,033)

16 

143,211 

37,310 

(9,302)

-   

1,382 

(4,796)

167,805 

173,317 

147,934 

141,573 

Impairment charges of £1,382,000 (2015: £1,203,000) relate to all classes of property, plant and equipment  
in cash-generating units which are loss making and where it is considered that the position cannot be recovered 
as a result of a continuing deterioration in the performance in the particular store. The cash-generating units 
represent individual stores with the loss based on the specific revenue streams and costs attributable to those 
cash-generating units. Assets in impaired stores are written down to their recoverable amount which  
is calculated as the greater of the fair value less costs to sell and value-in-use.

Annual Report & Accounts 2016Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements (continued)15. Property, Plant and Equipment (continued)

Leased Assets
Assets funded through finance leases and similar hire purchase contracts are capitalised as property, plant 
and equipment where the Group assumes substantially all of the risks and rewards of ownership. Upon initial 
recognition, the leased asset is measured at the lower of its fair value and the present value of the minimum 
lease payments. Future instalments under such leases, net of financing costs, are included within interest-
bearing loans and borrowings. 

Rental payments are apportioned between the finance element, which is included in finance costs, and the 
capital element which reduces the outstanding obligation for future instalments so as to give a constant 
charge on the outstanding obligation. 

All other leases are accounted for as operating leases and the rental costs, are charged to the Consolidated 
Income Statement on a straight line basis over the life of the lease. Contingent rentals payable based on store 
revenues are accrued in line with the related sales and are charged as expenses in the period to which they 
relate. The value of any lease incentives is recognised as deferred income and credited to the Consolidated 
Income Statement against rentals payable on a straight line basis over the life of the lease.

The carrying amount of the Group’s property, plant and equipment includes an amount of £122,000 (2015: 
£63,000) in respect of motor vehicles held under finance leases. The depreciation charge on those motor 
vehicles for the current period was £36,000 (2015: £26,000).

Company

Cost 
At 1 February 2014 

Additions 

Disposals 
At 31 January 2015 

Additions 
Disposals 

At 30 January 2016 

Depreciation and impairment 

At 1 February 2014 

Charge for period 

Disposals 

At 31 January 2015 

Charge for period 

Disposals 

At 30 January 2016 

Net book value 

At 30 January 2016 

At 31 January 2015 

At 1 February 2014 

Improvements to 
short leasehold 
properties  
£000 

Computer 
equipment  
£000 

Fixtures  
and fittings  
£000 

Motor 
vehicles  
£000 

13,471 

1,135 

(743)
13,863 

3,163 
(1,348)

15,678 

9,231 

992 

(683)

9,540 

1,253 

(1,255)

9,538 

6,140 

4,323 

4,240 

26,522 

3,693 

(114)
30,101 

1,541 
(2,816)

28,826 

13,291 

4,956 

(99)

18,148 

6,185 

(216)

24,117 

4,709 

11,953 

13,231 

129,642 

21,860 

(6,211)
145,291 

25,307 
(4,994)

165,604 

77,620 

12,307 

(6,002)

83,925 

13,892 

(4,434)

93,383 

72,221 

61,366 

52,022 

215 

-   

(145)
70 

-   
-   

70 

118 

13 

(105)

26 

10 

-   

36 

34 

44 

97 

Land 
£000

942 

-   

-   
942 

4,511 
-   

5,453 

-   

-   

-   

-   

-   

-   

-   

5,453 

942 

942 

Total  
£000

170,792 

26,688 

(7,213)
190,267 

34,522 
(9,158)

215,631 

100,260 

18,268 

(6,889)

111,639 

21,340 

(5,905)

127,074 

88,557 

78,628 

70,532 

115115

Financial StatementsNotes to the Consolidated Financial Statements (continued)Financial Statements16. Investment Property

Investment property, which is property held to earn rentals, is stated at cost less accumulated depreciation 
and impairment losses. Investment property is depreciated over a period of 50 years on a straight line basis, 
with the exception of freehold land, which is not depreciated. The Group has elected not to revalue 
investment property annually but to disclose the fair value in the Consolidated Financial Statements.

The fair value is based on an external valuation prepared by persons having the appropriate professional 
qualification and experience.

Company

Cost 

1 February 2014, 31 January 2015 and 30 January 2016 

Depreciation and impairment 

At 1 February 2014 

Charge for period 

At 31 January 2015 

Charge for period 

At 30 January 2016 

Net book value 

At 30 January 2016 

At 31 January 2015 

At 1 February 2014 

£000 

4,837 

1,264 

41 

1,305 

41 

1,346 

3,491 

3,532 

3,573

The investment properties brought forward relate to properties leased to Focus Brands Limited (£4,160,000) 
and Kukri Sports Limited (£677,000). 

Both of these properties are owner-occupied from the perspective of the Group as both Focus Brands Limited 
and Kukri Sports Limited are subsidiaries of the Group. These properties however remain Investment Properties 
from the Company perspective as at 30 January 2016. 

Based on an external valuation, the fair value of the investment properties as at 30 January 2016 was 
£3,977,000 (2015: £3,777,000). 

Management do not consider either of the investment properties to be impaired as the future rental income 
supports the carrying value. 

17. Non-current Other Assets 

Key Money
Monies paid in certain countries to give access to retail locations are capitalised within non-current assets. 
Key money is stated at historic cost less impairment losses. These assets are not depreciated as past 
experience has shown that the key money is fully recoverable on disposal of a retail location and is 
deemed to have an indefinite useful economic life but will be impaired if evidence exists that the market 
value is less than the historic cost. Gains / losses on key money from the subsequent disposal of these 
retail locations are recognised in the Consolidated Income Statement.

Deposits
Money paid in certain countries as deposits to store landlords as protection against non-payment of rent,  
is capitalised within non-current assets. A provision for the impairment of these deposits is established  
when there is objective evidence that the landlord will not repay the deposit in full.

Legal Fees
Legal fees and other costs associated with the acquisition of a leasehold interest are capitalised within 
non-current other assets and amortised over the life of the lease. 

Lease Premia
Money paid in certain countries specifically to landlords or tenants as an incentive to exit an existing lease 
commonly referred to as compensation for early termination, to enable acquisition of that lease. These 
payments are capitalised within other non-current assets and amortised over the life of the lease.

Annual Report & Accounts 2016Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements (continued)17. Non-current Other Assets (continued)

Group 

Company 

Key Money 
£000

Deposits  
£000

Legal Fees  
£000 

Lease Premia 
£000 

Total  
£000 

Legal Fees 
£000 

Lease Premia 
£000 

Cost 

At 1 February 2014 

Additions 

Disposals 

Transfers 

At 31 January 2015 

Additions 

Disposals 

Reclassifications  

Exchange Differences  

At 30 January 2016

Depreciation and Impairment

At 1 February 2014 

Charge for period 

Disposals 

Reclassifications 

Impairments 

At 31 January 2015 

Charge for period 

Disposals 

Reclassifications 

Impairments 

Exchange differences 

At 30 January 2016 

Net book value

At 30 January 2016 

At 31 January 2015 

At 1 February 2014 

14,086

240

(255)

(280)

13,791

1,105 

(23)

-   

(1,531)

13,342

968 

-   

10 

-   

(220)

758

-   

-   

-   

45 

(60)

743

2,925

1,135

(208)

-   

3,852

3,764 

(222)

(31)

(581)

6,782

62 

-   

-   

-   

-   

62 

-   

-   

-   

-   

-   

62

12,599

13,033

13,118

6,720

3,790

2,863

12,542

1,654

(200)

(1,280)

12,716

1,210 

(422)

31 

(43)

13,492

4,721 

1,015 

(136)

93 

-   

5,693

1,243 

(263)

(185)

- 

(13)

6,475

7,017

7,023

7,821

-   

7,095 

-   

1,560 

8,655 

264 

(525)

-   

(380)

8,014

-   

192 

-   

(93)

99 

921 

-   

185 

-   

(46)

1,159 

6,855

8,556

-   

29,553 

10,124 

(663)

-   

39,014 

6,343 

(1,192)

-   

(2,535)

41,630

5,751 

1,207 

(126)

-   

(220)

6,612 

2,164 

(263)

-   

45 

(119)

8,439

33,191

32,402

23,802

Total  
£000

8,961

6,654

(200)

-   

15,415 

1,076 

(323)

-   

-   

8,961

1,654

(200)

-   

10,415

1,076 

(323)

-   

-   

-   

5,000 

-   

-   

5,000 

-   

-   

-   

-   

11,168

5,000

16,168

4,126 

677 

(136)

-   

-   

4,667 

875 

(239)

-   

-   

-   

5,303

5,865

5,748

4,835

-   

-   

-   

-   

-   

-   

625 

-   

-   

-   

-   

4,126 

677 

(136)

-   

-   

4,667 

1,500 

(239)

-   

-   

-   

625 

5,928

4,375 

5,000 

-   

10,240

10,748 

4,835 

117117

Financial StatementsNotes to the Consolidated Financial Statements (continued)Financial Statements18. Investments

In the Company’s accounts all investments in subsidiary undertakings and joint ventures are stated at cost 
less provisions for impairment losses.

Basis of Consolidation 

I. Subsidiaries 
Subsidiaries are entities controlled by the Group. The Group 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 financial statements of subsidiaries are included in the consolidated financial statements from the date 
that control commences until the date that control ceases. Non-controlling interests in the net assets  
of consolidated subsidiaries are identified separately from the equity attributable to holders of the parent. 
Non-controlling interests consist of the amount of those interests at the date that control commences and 
the attributable share of changes in equity subsequent to that date.

II. Joint Ventures
Joint ventures are entities over which the Group has joint control based on a contractual arrangement.  
The results and assets and liabilities of joint ventures are incorporated in the consolidated financial statements 
using the equity method of accounting. Investments in joint ventures are carried in the Consolidated Statement 
of Financial Position at cost and adjusted for post-acquisition changes in the Group’s share of the net assets. 
Losses of the joint venture in excess of the Group’s interest in it are not recognised.

III. Transactions Eliminated on Consolidation
Intragroup balances, and any unrealised income and expenses arising from intragroup transactions, are 
eliminated in preparing the consolidated financial statements.

Changes in Ownership Interest Without a Loss of Control
In accordance with IAS 27 ‘Consolidated and Separate Financial Statements’ (2008), upon a change in ownership 
interest in a subsidiary without a loss of control, the carrying amounts of the controlling and non-controlling 
interests are adjusted to reflect the changes in their relative interests in the subsidiary. Any difference between 
the amount by which the non-controlling interests are adjusted and the fair value of the consideration paid  
or received is recognised directly in equity and attributed to the owners of the parent. Acquisitions or disposals 
of non-controlling interests are therefore accounted for as transactions with owners in their capacity as owners 
and no goodwill is recognised as a result of such transactions. Associated transaction costs are accounted for 
within equity.

Company

Cost 

At 1 February 2014 

Additions 

At 31 January 2015 

Additions 

At 30 January 2016

Impairment 

At 1 February 2014, 31 January 2015 and 30 January 2016 

Net book value 

At 30 January 2016 

At 31 January 2015 

At 1 February 2014 

£000 

60,697 

14,452 

75,149 

106 

75,255

5,470 

69,785 

69,679 

55,227 

Annual Report & Accounts 2016Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements (continued)18. Investments (continued)
The additions to investments in the current year comprise the following. Unless otherwise stated the investment 
is 100% owned.  

Company

Open Fashion Limited 

JD Sports Fashion SDN BHD (50% owned) 

JD Sports Fashion Denmark ApS 

JD Sports Fashion Sweden AB 

Kukri Sports Limited 

JD Sports Fashion Belgium BVBA 

JD Sports Fashion SRL 

Total additions 

A list of subsidiaries is shown in note 37.

19. Inventories

2016 
£000 

- 

- 

4 

5 

10 

16 

71 

106 

Inventories are stated at the lower of cost and net realisable value. Cost is based on the weighted average 
principle. Provisions are made for obsolescence, mark downs and shrinkage.

Finished goods and goods for resale 

Group

Company

2016 
£000

238,324

2015  
£000

225,020 

2016 
£000

106,336 

2015 
£000

91,024 

The cost of inventories recognised as expenses and included in cost of sales from continuing operations for the 
52 weeks ended 30 January 2016 was £937,431,000 (2015: £782,703,000).

The Group has £28,430,000 (2015: £24,602,000) of stock provisions at the end of the period. The Company 
has £12,450,000 (2015: £9,798,000) of stock provisions at the end of the period. 

Cost of inventories includes a net charge of £7,800,000 (2015: £12,800,000) in relation to net provisions 
recognised against inventories.

20. Trade and Other Receivables

Trade receivables are recognised at amortised cost less impairment losses. A provision for the impairment  
of trade receivables is established when there is objective evidence that the Group will not be able to collect 
all amounts due according to the original terms. Significant financial difficulties of the debtor, probability 
that the debtor will enter bankruptcy or financial reorganisation and default or delinquency in payments are 
considered indicators that the trade receivable is impaired. The movement in the provision is recognised  
in the Consolidated Income Statement.

119119

Financial StatementsNotes to the Consolidated Financial Statements (continued)Financial Statements20. Trade and Other Receivables (continued)

Current assets 

Trade receivables 

Other receivables 

Prepayments and accrued income 

Amounts owed by other Group companies 

The ageing of trade receivables is detailed below:

Group

Not past due

Past due 0 - 30 days

Past due 30 - 60 days

Past 60 days

Company

Not past due

Past due 0 - 30 days

Past due 30 - 60 days

Past 60 days

2016

Provision

£000

(3)

(31)

(175)

(676)

(885)

2016

Provision

£000

-   

-   

(173)

(327)

(500)

Gross

£000

8,447 

3,776 

1,477 

1,777 

15,477 

Gross

£000

1,770 

1,850 

241 

486 

4,347 

Analysis of gross trade receivables is shown below:

Not past due or impaired

Past due but not impaired

Impaired

Group

Company

2016  
£000

14,592 

11,297 

30,486 

- 

56,375 

2015  
£000

11,719 

4,465 

37,738 

- 

53,922 

2016 
£000

3,847 

3,218 

18,011 

233,983 

259,059 

Net

£000

8,444 

3,745 

1,302 

1,101 

2015

Provision

£000

-   

(47)

(115)

(947)

Gross

£000

6,617 

2,598 

744 

2,869 

2015 
£000

277 

298 

17,234 

225,969 

243,778 

Net

£000

6,617 

2,551 

629 

1,922 

14,592 

12,828 

(1,109)

11,719 

Net

£000

1,770 

1,850 

68 

159 

3,847 

Group

2016  
£000

8,444 

6,148 

885 

15,477 

2015  
£000

6,617 

5,102 

1,109 

12,828 

2015

Provision

£000

-   

(25)

(108)

(87)

(220)

Gross

£000

-   

302 

108 

87 

497 

Company

2016 
£000

1,770 

2,077 

500 

4,347 

Net

£000

-   

277 

-   

-   

277 

2015 
£000

-   

277 

220 

497 

Annual Report & Accounts 2016Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements (continued) 
 
20. Trade and Other Receivables (continued) 
The ageing of the impaired gross receivables is detailed below:

Not past due

Past due 0 - 30 days

Past due 30 - 60 days

Past 60 days

Group

Company

2016  
£000

3 

31 

175 

676 

885 

2015  
£000

-   

47 

115 

947 

1,109 

2016 
£000

-   

-   

173 

327 

500 

2015 
£000

-   

25 

108 

87 

220 

The Board consider that the carrying amount of trade and other receivables approximate their fair value. 
Concentrations of credit risk with respect to trade receivables are limited due to the majority of the Group’s 
customer base being wide and unrelated. Therefore, no further credit risk provision is required in excess of the 
normal provision for impairment losses, which has been calculated following individual assessments of credit 
quality based on historic default rates and knowledge of debtor insolvency or other credit risk. 

Movement on this provision is shown below:

At 1 February 2014 

Created 

Released  

Utilised 

Divestments 

Exchange differences 

At 31 January 2015 

Created 

Released  

Utilised 

Divestments 

Exchange differences 

At 30 January 2016

Group

£000

650 

815 

24 

(11)

(381)

12 

1,109 

437 

(7)

(642)

-   

(12)

885 

Company

£000

100 

120 

- 

- 

- 

- 

220 

339 

- 

(59)

- 

- 

500 

The other classes within trade and other receivables do not contain impaired assets.

21. Cash and Cash Equivalents

Cash and cash equivalents comprise cash balances and call deposits with an original maturity of three months 
or less. Bank overdrafts are included as a component of cash and cash equivalents for the purpose of the 
Consolidated Statement of Cash Flows, as these are used as an integral part of the Group’s cash management. 

Bank balances and cash floats

Group

Company

2016  
£000

215,996 

2015  
£000

121,317 

2016 
£000

148,138 

2015 
£000

60,070 

121121

Financial StatementsNotes to the Consolidated Financial Statements (continued)Financial Statements22. 

Interest-bearing Loans and Borrowings

Interest-bearing borrowings are recognised initially at fair value less attributable transaction costs. Following 
the initial recognition, interest-bearing borrowings are stated at amortised cost with any difference between 
cost and redemption value being recognised in the Consolidated Income Statement over the period of the 
borrowings on an effective interest basis.

Current liabilities 

Finance lease liabilities 

Bank loans and overdrafts 

Syndicated bank facility 

Other loans 

Non-current liabilities 

Finance lease liabilities 

Bank loans  

Other loans 

Group

Company

2016  
£000

44 

6,191 

- 

66 

6,301 

64 

- 

210 

274 

2015  
£000

28 

5,620 

31,000 

65 

36,713 

35 

60 

279 

374 

2016 
£000

- 

- 

- 

- 

- 

- 

- 

- 

- 

2015 
£000

- 

- 

31,000 

- 

31,000 

- 

- 

- 

- 

The following provides information about the contractual terms of the Group and Company’s interest-bearing 
loans and borrowings. For more information about the Group and Company’s exposure to interest rate risk,  
see note 23.

Bank Facilities 
On 1 September 2015, the Group amended and extended its syndicated committed £155,000,000 bank facility 
which previously expired on 11 October 2017. The facility has been amended by increasing the syndicated 
committed facility by £60,000,000 to £215,000,000. The expiry date has also been extended by two years  
and so the amended facility now expires on 11 October 2019.

Under this facility, a maximum of 10 drawdowns can be outstanding at any time with drawdowns made for a 
period of one, two, three or six months with interest currently payable at a rate of LIBOR plus a margin of 1.10% 
(2015: 1.35%). The arrangement fee payable on the amended facility is 0.5% on £60,000,000 of the commitment 
and 0.25% on £155,000,000 of the commitment. The commitment fee on the undrawn element of the facility  
is 35% of the applicable margin rate. 

This facility encompasses cross guarantees between the Company, RD Scott Limited, Topgrade Sportswear 
Limited, Blacks Outdoor Retail Limited, Tessuti Limited and Focus International Limited. 

At 30 January 2016, £nil was drawn down on this facility (2015: £31,000,000).

Bank Loans and Overdrafts
The following Group companies have overdraft facilities which are repayable on demand:

•  Spodis SA €5,000,000 (2015: €5,000,000)
•  Sprinter Megacentros Del Deporte SLU €12,000,000 (2015: €13,000,000)
•  Champion Sports Ireland €3,000,000 (2015: €3,000,000)  
•  Source Lab Limited £350,000 (2015: £350,000)
•  Tiso Group £5,030,000 (2015: £5,030,000)
•  ActivInstinct Limited £300,000 (2015: £300,000)
•  Cloggs Online Limited £500,000 (2015: £nil)  
•  Kukri Sports Limited and Kukri GB Limited £1,000,000 (2015: £nil)  

As at 30 January 2016, these facilities were drawn down by £6,136,000 (2015: £5,503,000). Further information 
on guarantees provided by the Company is disclosed in note 34.

Annual Report & Accounts 2016Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements (continued)22. Interest-bearing Loans and Borrowings (continued)
The maturity of the bank loans and overdrafts is as follows:

Within one year 

Between one and five years 

Group

Company

2016  
£000

6,191 

-   

6,191 

2015  
£000

5,620 

60 

5,680 

2016 
£000

- 

- 

- 

Other Loans
The acquisition of Tessuti Group Limited included a freehold property with a mortgage balance remaining  
of £508,000 at the time of acquisition. The loan is repayable over 10 years and attracts interest at 2.99%  
over base. At 30 January 2016, 46 months is remaining. 

The maturity of the other loans is as follows:

Within one year 

Between one and five years 

Group

Company

2016  
£000

66 

210 

276 

2015  
£000

65 

279 

344 

2016 
£000

- 

- 

- 

2015 
£000

- 

- 

- 

2015 
£000

- 

- 

- 

Finance Leases
As at 30 January 2016, the Group’s liabilities under finance leases are analysed as follows:

Amounts payable under finance leases: 

Within one year 

Later than one year and not later than five years 

 Minimum lease payments 

 Present value of  
minimum lease payments 

2016  
£000

48 

72 

120 

2015  
£000

33 

39 

72 

2016 
£000

44 

64 

108 

2015 
£000

28 

35 

63 

Assets held under finance leases consist primarily of motor vehicles. The fair value of the Group’s lease 
obligations approximate to their present value. 

The Group’s obligations under finance leases are secured by the lessors’ rights over the leased assets.

123123

Financial StatementsNotes to the Consolidated Financial Statements (continued)Financial Statements23. Financial Instruments 

Financial assets and financial liabilities are recognised in the Group’s Statement of Financial Position when the 
Group becomes a party to the contractual provisions of the instrument. Financial assets are derecognised 
when the contractual rights to the cash flows from the financial assets expire or are transferred. Financial 
liabilities are derecognised when the obligation specified in the contract is discharged, cancelled or expires.

Financial Assets
The Group’s financial assets are all categorised as loans and receivables with the exception of derivative assets. 
Loans and receivables are non-derivative financial assets with fixed or determinable payments that are not quoted 
in an active market. The Group’s loans and receivables comprise ‘Trade and other receivables’ and ‘Cash and cash 
equivalents’ in the Consolidated Statement of Financial Position. 

Cash and cash equivalents comprise short-term cash deposits with major United Kingdom and European 
clearing banks earning floating rates of interest based upon bank base rates or rates linked to LIBOR and 
EURIBOR. 

The currency profile of cash and cash equivalents is shown below:

Bank balances and cash floats

Sterling 

Euros 

US Dollars 

Australian Dollars 

New Zealand Dollars 

Swedish Krona 

Danish Krone 

Other 

Group

Company

2015 
£000 

121,317 

14,798 

98,271 

6,744 

918 

212 

- 

- 

374 

121,317 

2016 
£000 

148,138 

113,066

27,766 

6,428 

34 

- 

- 

381 

463 

2015 
£000 

60,070 

(4,194)

58,642 

5,580 

42 

- 

- 

- 

- 

148,138 

60,070 

2016 
£000 

215,996 

136,459 

67,245 

7,981 

611 

588 

792 

791 

1,529 

215,996 

Financial Liabilities
The Group’s financial liabilities are all categorised as other financial liabilities. Other financial liabilities, with the 
exception of foreign exchange forward contracts and put option liabilities, are measured at amortised cost. 
The Group’s other financial liabilities comprise ‘Interest-bearing loans and borrowings’ and ‘Trade and other 
payables’.

The currency profile of interest-bearing loans and borrowings is shown below:

Interest-bearing loans and borrowings

Sterling 

Euros 

US Dollars 

Australian Dollars 

New Zealand Dollars 

Group

Company

2016 
£000 

6,575 

6,500

53

- 

4 

18 

2015 
£000 

37,087 

36,872 

176 

39 

- 

- 

6,575

37,087 

2016 
£000 

- 

- 

- 

- 

- 

- 

- 

2015 
£000 

31,000 

31,000 

- 

- 

- 

- 

31,000 

Annual Report & Accounts 2016Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements (continued)23. Financial Instruments (continued)

Risk Management
The Group’s operations expose it to a variety of financial risks that include the effects of changes in exchange 
rates, interest rates, credit risk and its liquidity position. The Group manages these risks through the use  
of derivative instruments, which are reviewed on a regular basis. Derivative instruments are not entered into  
for speculative purposes. There are no concentrations of risk in the period to 30 January 2016.

Interest Rate Risk
The Group finances its operations by a mixture of retained profits and bank borrowings. The Group’s borrowings 
are at floating rates, partially hedged by floating rate interest on deposits, reflecting the seasonality of its cash 
flow. Interest rate risk therefore arises from bank borrowings. Interest rate hedging has not been put in place on 
the current facility. The Directors continue to be mindful of the potential volatility in base rates, but at present do not 
consider a long term interest rate hedge to be necessary given the inherent short term nature of both the revolving 
credit facility and working capital facility. This position is reviewed regularly, along with the level of facility required.

The Group has potential bank floating rate financial liabilities on the £215,000,000 committed bank facility, 
together with overdraft facilities in subsidiary companies (see note 22). At 30 January 2016 £nil was drawn 
down from the committed bank facility (2015: £31,000,000). When drawdowns are made, the Group is exposed 
to cash flow interest risk with interest paid at a rate of LIBOR plus a margin of 1.10% (2015: 1.35%).

As at 30 January 2016 the Group has liabilities of £108,000 (2015: £63,000), in respect of finance lease or 
similar hire purchase contracts.

A change of 1.0% in the average interest rates during the year, applied to the Group’s floating interest rate 
loans and borrowings as at the reporting date, would change profit before tax by £610,000 (2015: £938,000) 
and would change equity by £610,000 (2015: £938,000). The calculation is based on any floating interest rate 
loans and borrowings drawn down at the period end date. This includes the Group’s committed bank facility, 
Tiso Group Limited’s overdraft and Cloggs Online Limited’s overdraft. Calculations are performed on the same 
basis as the prior year and assume that all other variables remain unchanged.

Foreign Currency Risk

Foreign Currency Translation
Transactions denominated in foreign currencies are translated into sterling at the exchange rate prevailing  
on the date of the transaction. Monetary assets and liabilities denominated in foreign currencies are translated 
into sterling at the rate of exchange at the reporting date. Exchange differences in monetary items are 
recognised in the Consolidated Income Statement. 

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.

On consolidation, the assets and liabilities of the Group’s overseas operations are translated into sterling  
at the rate of exchange at the reporting date. Income and expenses are translated at the average exchange 
rate for the accounting period. Foreign currency differences are recognised in Other Comprehensive  
Income and are presented in the foreign currency translation reserve.

Derivative Financial Instruments  
The Group uses derivative financial instruments to hedge its exposure to foreign exchange and interest rate 
risks arising from operational, financing and investment activities. In accordance with its treasury policy, the 
Group does not hold or issue derivative financial instruments for trading purposes. However, derivatives that 
do not qualify for hedge accounting are accounted for as trading instruments.

Derivative financial instruments are recognised initially at fair value and remeasured at each  
period end. The gain or loss on remeasurement to fair value is recognised immediately in the Consolidated 
Income Statement. However, where derivatives qualify for hedge accounting, recognition of any resultant  
gain or loss depends on the nature of the item being hedged.

Interest rate swaps are recognised at fair value in the Consolidated Statement of Financial Position  
with movements in fair value recognised in the Consolidated Income Statement for the period. The fair 
value of interest rate swaps is the estimated amount that the Group would receive or pay to terminate the 
swap at the reporting date, taking into account current interest rates and the respective risk profiles of the 
swap counterparties.

125125

Financial StatementsNotes to the Consolidated Financial Statements (continued)Financial Statements23. Financial Instruments (continued)

Hedging of Monetary Assets and Liabilities
Where a derivative financial instrument is used to hedge the foreign exchange exposure of a recognised 
monetary asset or liability, no hedge accounting is applied and any gain or loss on the hedging instrument  
is recognised in the Consolidated Income Statement.

The Group is exposed to foreign currency risk on sales and purchases that are denominated in a currency other 
than pound sterling. The currencies giving rise to this risk are the Euro and US Dollar with sales made in Euros 
and purchases made in both Euros and US Dollars (principal exposure). To protect its foreign currency position, 
the Group sets a buying rate in each country for the purchase of goods in US Dollars at the start of the buying 
season (typically six to nine months before the product actually starts to appear in the stores) and then enters 
into a number of local currency / US Dollar contracts whereby the minimum exchange rate on the purchase  
of dollars is guaranteed.

As at 30 January 2016, options have been entered into to protect approximately 85% of the US Dollar 
requirement for the period to January 2017. The balance of the US Dollar requirement for the period will  
be satisfied at spot rates. 

As at 30 January 2016, the fair value of these instruments was a liability of £4,344,000 (2015: asset of £2,888,000) 
and these are all classified as due within one year. A loss of £4,344,000 (2015: gain of £2,888,000) has been 
recognised in cost of sales within the Consolidated Income Statement for the change in fair value of these 
instruments. 

We have considered the credit risk of the Group’s and counterparty’s credit risk and this is not expected  
to have a material effect on the valuation of these options.

A 10.0% strengthening of sterling relative to the following currencies as at the reporting date would have 
reduced profit before tax and equity as follows:

Impact of 10% strengthening of sterling

Euros 

US Dollars 

Australian Dollars 

New Zealand Dollars 

Other 

Profit before tax

Equity

2016 
£000 

4,147 

615 

28 

50 

32 

4,872 

2015 
£000 

5,487 

363 

80 

59 

3 

5,992 

2016 
£000 

10,937 

615 

55 

74 

(129)

11,552 

2015 
£000 

7,571 

362 

95 

67 

(15)

8,080 

A 10.0% weakening of sterling relative to the following currencies as at the reporting date would have increased 
profit before tax and equity as follows:

Impact of 10% weakening of sterling

Euros 

US Dollars 

Australian Dollars 

New Zealand Dollars 

Other 

Profit before tax

Equity

2016 
£000 

5,068 

752 

35 

61 

33 

5,949 

2015 
£000 

6,707 

444 

98 

73 

3 

7,325 

2016 
£000 

13,534 

752 

67 

91 

(164)

14,280 

2015 
£000 

9,496 

440 

107 

74 

(218)

9,899 

Calculations are performed on the same basis as the prior year and the method assumes that all other variables 
remain unchanged.

Annual Report & Accounts 2016Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements (continued)23. Financial Instruments (continued)

Credit Risk
Credit risk arises from the possibility of customers and counterparties failing to meet their obligations to the 
Group. Investments of cash surpluses, borrowings and derivative instruments are made through major United 
Kingdom and European clearing banks, which must meet minimum credit ratings as required by the Board.

All customers who wish to trade on credit terms are subject to credit verification procedures. Receivable 
balances are monitored on an ongoing basis and provision is made for impairment where amounts are not 
thought to be recoverable (see note 20). At the reporting date there were no significant concentrations of 
credit risk and receivables which are not impaired are believed to be recoverable.

The Group considers its maximum exposure to credit risk to be equivalent to total trade and other receivables  
of £56,375,000 (2015: £53,922,000) and cash and cash equivalents of £215,996,000 (2015: £121,317,000).

The Company has provided guarantees on working capital and other banking facilities entered into by Spodis SA 
(€6,600,000), Sprinter Megacentros Del Deporte SLU (€8,750,000), Cloggs Online Limited (£500,000), Kukri 
Sports Limited and Kukri GB Limited (£1,000,000), and Kooga Rugby Limited (£250,000). As at 30 January 2016, 
these facilities were drawn down by £490,000 (2015: £nil). In addition, the syndicated committed £215,000,000 
bank facility, which was in place as at 30 January 2016, encompassed cross guarantees between the Company, RD 
Scott Limited, Topgrade Sportswear Limited, Blacks Outdoor Retail Limited, Tessuti Limited and Focus International 
Limited to the extent to which any of these companies were overdrawn. As at 30 January 2016, these facilities were 
drawn down by £nil (2015: £31,000,000). 

Liquidity Risk
The Group manages its cash and borrowing requirement to minimise net interest expense, whilst ensuring that 
the Group has sufficient liquid resources to meet the operating needs of the business. The forecast cash and 
borrowing profile of the Group is monitored on an ongoing basis, to ensure that adequate headroom remains 
under committed borrowing facilities. The Board review 13 week and annual cash flow forecasts each month.

Information about the maturity of the Group’s financial liabilities is disclosed in note 22.

As at 30 January 2016, there are committed facilities with a maturity profile as follows:

Expiring in more than two years but no more than three years 

Expiring in more than three years but no more than four years 

The commitment fee on these facilities is 0.35% (2015: 0.45%).

2016 
£000 

- 

215,000 

215,000 

2015 
£000 

155,000 

- 

155,000 

127127

Financial StatementsNotes to the Consolidated Financial Statements (continued)Financial Statements23. Financial Instruments (continued)

Fair Values
The fair values together with the carrying amounts shown in the Statement of Financial Position as at  
30 January 2016 are as follows:

Trade and other receivables 

Cash and cash equivalents 

Interest-bearing loans and borrowings - current 

Interest-bearing loans and borrowings - non-current 

Trade and other payables - current 

Trade and other payables - non-current 

Unrecognised gains

Group

Company

Note

20 

21 

22 

22 

Carrying amount
2016 
£000 

25,889 

215,996 

(6,301)

(274)

(275,910)

(4,890)

(45,490)

Fair value
2016
£000 

25,889 

215,996 

(6,301)

(189)

(275,910)

(4,282)

(44,797)

693 

Carrying amount
2016 
£000 

241,048 

148,138 

-   

-   

(199,507)

(10,588)

179,091 

The comparatives at 31 January 2015 (restated) are as follows:

Trade and other receivables 

Cash and cash equivalents 

Interest-bearing loans and borrowings - current 

Interest-bearing loans and borrowings - non-current 

Trade and other payables - current 

Trade and other payables - non-current 

Unrecognised gains

Group

Company

Note

20 

21 

22 

22 

Carrying amount
2015 
£000 

16,184 

121,317 

(36,713)

(374)

(234,307)

(4,710)

(138,603)

Fair value
2015
£000 

16,184 

121,317 

(36,713)

(233)

(234,307)

(4,094)

(137,846)

757 

Carrying amount
2015 
£000 

226,544 

60,070 

(31,000)

-   

(143,250)

(10,401)

101,963 

Fair value
2016 
£000 

241,048 

148,138 

-   

-   

(199,507)

(7,854)

181,825 

2,734 

Fair value
2015 
£000 

226,544 

60,070 

(31,000)

-   

(143,250)

(7,644)

104,720 

2,757 

In the opinion of the Board, the fair value of the Group’s current financial assets and liabilities as at 30 January 2016 
and 31 January 2015 are not considered to be materially different to that of the book value. On this basis, the fair 
value hierarchy reflects the carrying values. In respect of the Group’s non-current financial assets and liabilities  
as at 30 January 2016 and 31 January 2015, the fair value has been calculated using a pre-tax discount rate of 12.3% 
(2015: 12.4%) which reflects the current market assessments of the time value of money and the specific risks 
applicable to the liability.

Estimation of Fair Values
For trade and other receivables/payables, the notional amount is deemed to reflect the fair value.

Fair Value Hierarchy
As at 30 January 2016, the Group held the following financial instruments carried at fair value on the Statement 
of Financial Position:

•  Foreign exchange forward contracts - non-hedged

Annual Report & Accounts 2016Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements (continued)23. Financial Instruments (continued)
The Group uses the following hierarchy for determining and disclosing the fair value of financial instruments  
by valuation technique:

Level 1: quoted (unadjusted) prices in active markets for identical assets or liabilities

Level 2: other techniques for which all inputs which have a significant effect on the recorded fair value are 
observable, either directly or indirectly

Level 3: techniques which use inputs that have a significant effect on the recorded fair value that are not based 
on observable market data

At 30 January 2016

Loans and receivables 

Deposits 

Trade and other receivables 

Cash and cash equivalents 

Financial assets at fair value through profit or loss 

Foreign exchange forward contracts – non-hedged  

Financial liabilities at fair value through profit or loss 

Foreign exchange forward contracts – non-hedged  

Other financial liabilities 

Interest-bearing loans and borrowings - current 

Interest-bearing loans and borrowings - non-current 

Trade and other payables - current 

Trade and other payables - non-current 

Put options held by non-controlling interests 

Carrying amount
£000

Level 1
£000

6,720 

25,170 

215,996 

719

(5,063)

(6,301)

(274)

(270,847)

(1,630)

(3,260)

-   

-   

-   

-  

-  

-   

-  

-  

-  

-  

Level 2
£000

6,720 

25,170 

215,996 

719

(5,063)

(6,301)

(274)

(270,847)

(1,630)

(3,260)

Level 3
£000

-   

-   

-   

-  

-  

-   

-   

-   

-   

-   

Where the Company has corresponding balances, these are categorised as the same level as above.  
In addition, Investment property held in the Company of £3,491,000 (2015: £3,532,000) is categorised as Level 
3 within the fair value hierarchy.

At 31 January 2015

Loans and receivables 

Deposits 

Trade and other receivables 

Cash and cash equivalents 

Financial assets at fair value through profit or loss 

Foreign exchange forward contracts – non-hedged  

Other financial liabilities 

Interest-bearing loans and borrowings - current 

Interest-bearing loans and borrowings - non-current 

Trade and other payables - current 

Trade and other payables - non-current 

Put options held by non-controlling interests 

Carrying amount
£000

Level 1
£000

3,790 

16,184 

121,317 

2,888 

(36,713)

(374)

(237,195)

(1,637)

(3,073)

-   

-   

-   

-   

-   

-   

-   

-   

-   

Level 2
£000

3,790 

16,184 

121,317 

2,888 

(36,713)

(374)

(237,195)

(1,637)

(3,073)

Level 3
£000

-   

-   

-   

-   

-   

-   

-   

-   

-   

129129

Financial StatementsNotes to the Consolidated Financial Statements (continued)Financial Statements 
24. Trade and Other Payables

Trade and Other Payables
Trade and other payables are non-interest-bearing and are stated at their cost. Volume related rebates or other 
contributions from suppliers are recognised in the Consolidated Financial Statements when it is contractually 
agreed with the supplier and can be reliably measured. All significant rebates and contributions are agreed 
with suppliers retrospectively and after the end of the relevant supplier’s financial year.

Reverse Premia
Reverse premia represent monies received by the Group on assignment of property leases.  
Reverse premia are amortised over the life of the remaining lease.

Current liabilities 

Trade payables 

Other payables and accrued expenses 

Other tax and social security costs 

Non-current liabilities 

Other payables and accrued expenses 

Amounts payable to other Group companies 

Group

Company

2016 
£000 

122,638 

160,613 

41,713 

324,964 

40,834 

- 

40,834 

2015 
£000 

124,590 

116,144 

33,272 

274,006 

41,733 

- 

41,733 

2016 
£000 

78,643 

124,791 

14,606 

218,040 

24,562 

7,328 

31,890 

2015 
£000 

72,555 

74,023 

8,008 

154,586 

21,581 

7,328 

28,909 

Put Options Held by Non-controlling Interests
Put options held by non-controlling interests are accounted for using the present access method. The Group 
recognises put options over non-controlling interests in its subsidiary undertakings as a liability in the 
Consolidated Statement of Financial Position at the present value of the estimated exercise price of the put 
option. Upon initial recognition a corresponding entry is made to other equity, and for subsequent changes 
on remeasurement of the liability the corresponding entry is made to the Income Statement.

The Group has a number of options to buy the remaining shares in partly-owned subsidiaries from the  
non-controlling interest. The present value of these options has been estimated as at 30 January 2016 and  
is included within non-current other payables and accrued expenses.

The present value of the estimated exercise price is calculated using the option price formula agreed on 
acquisition. All existing option price formulas are based on a profit measure, which is estimated by applying  
an approved growth assumption to the current budget profit for the January 2017 financial year, if appropriate 
for the individual business the put option directly relates to. A discount rate is also applied to the option price 
which is pre-tax and reflects the current market assessments of the time value of money and any specific risk 
premiums relevant to the individual businesses involved. These discount rates are considered to be equivalent 
to the rates a market participant would use.

Put options held by non-controlling interests 
At 31 January 2015 

Increase/ (decrease) in the present value of the existing option liability 

At 30 January 2016

Source Lab 
Limited 
£000 

Tessuti Group 
Limited 
£000 

ActivInstinct 
Holdings Limited 
£000 

JD Germany 
GmbH 
£000 

Tiso Group  
Limited  
£000 

310 

(161)

149

361 

1,999 

2,360 

2,178 

(2,178)

-   

224 

(105)

119 

- 

632 

632 

Total 
£000 

3,073 

187 

3,260 

Annual Report & Accounts 2016Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements (continued)24. Trade and Other Payables (continued)

Put Options Held by Non-controlling Interests (continued)

Company
Source Lab  
Limited

Tessuti Group 
Limited

Options in existence
Put and call option,  
whereby JD Sports Fashion Plc 
may acquire or be required 
to acquire (in stages) the 
remaining 15% of the issued 
share capital of Source  
Lab Limited.  
Put and call option whereby  
JD Sports Fashion Plc may 
acquire or be required to 
acquire (in stages) the 
remaining 40% of the  
issued share capital of  
Tessuti Group Limited.  

Exercise periods
Exercisable by either party after the third anniversary of 
the completion of the initial transaction, during the 30 day 
period commencing on the date on which the statutory 
accounts of Source Lab Limited for the relevant financial 
year have been approved by the board of directors. 

Exercisable by either party after the fifth anniversary 
of the completion of the initial transaction, during the 
30 day period commencing on the date on which the 
statutory accounts of Tessuti Group Limited for the 
relevant financial year have been approved by the board 
of directors (exercise period).

Methodology 
The option price is calculated 
based on a multiple of the 
audited profit before distributions, 
interest, amortisation and 
exceptional items but after 
taxation for the relevant financial 
year prior to the exercise date.
The option price is calculated 
based on a multiple of the 
audited consolidated profit 
before distributions, interest, 
amortisation and exceptional 
items but after taxation for Tessuti 
Group Limited (which includes its 
subsidiary undertakings) for the 
relevant financial year prior to  
the exercise date.  
The option price is calculated 
based on a multiple of the 
average audited profit before 
distributions, amortisation and 
exceptional items but after 
taxation for the relevant two 
financial years prior to the 
exercise date.  

The option price is calculated 
based on a multiple of the 
average profit before tax  for  
the relevant two financial years 
prior to the exercise date.  

Maximum price
The option price 
shall not exceed 
£12,450,000.

The option price 
shall not exceed 
£12,000,000.

The put option 
price shall 
not exceed 
£3,000,000 and 
the call option 
shall not exceed 
£5,000,000.

The option price 
shall not exceed 
£5,000,000.

The option price is calculated 
based on a multiple of the 
average earnings before tax for 
the relevant two financial years 
prior to the exercise date.  

The put option 
price shall 
not exceed 
€20,000,000.

The put option is exercisable between the period starting 
on the date on which the statutory accounts for the 
financial year ending in 2016 have been approved by the 
board of directors of the Company until one month after 
the date on which the statutory accounts of the Company 
for the financial period ending in 2018 have been 
approved by the board of directors of the Company.  
Two months after the put options cease to be exercisable 
the call options become exercisable.
The call option is exercisable at any point from completion 
date if the contract of employment of non-controlling 
interest with the Company is terminated. The put option 
is exercisable each year after the fifth anniversary of the 
initial transaction during the 30 day period commencing 
on the date on which the accounts of Ark Fashion Limited 
for the relevant year have been approved by the board 
of directors.  
The put option is exercisable after a period of five years 
from the completion date during the 30 days following 
approval of the shareholders meeting of the audited annual 
accounts of the Company for the relevant financial year.

First call option is exercisable 90 days beginning 30 days 
after the consolidated accounts of the Company for the 
financial period ending 28 January 2017 are signed.  
The first put option is exercisable 60 days following the 
end of the first call option. The second call option  
is exercisable 90 days beginning 30 days after the 
consolidated accounts of the Company for the financial 
period ending 3 February 2018 are signed. The first put 
option is exercisable 60 days following the end of the 
second call option.

The option price is calculated 
based on a multiple of the 
average operating profit for the 
financial year ending  28 January 
2017 and the prior year for the 
first put and call option and year 
ending 3 February 2018 and the 
prior year for the second put  
and call option.

The option price 
shall not exceed 
£8,000,000 or  
25p per share.

Within 40 business days of the financial period ending 
31 August 2016 the Company must deliver the relevant 
option accounts for the 12 month period to 31 August 
2016. Either party has then 30 days to exercise the 
options once both parties have agreed to accounts.

The option price is calculated 
based on a multiple of the 
relevant EBITDA for the  
12 months to August 2016.

The option price 
shall not exceed 
£10,211,000

Cloggs 
Online 
Limited

Put and call options, whereby 
JD Sports Fashion Plc may 
acquire or be required to 
acquire the remaining 6% of 
the issued share capital of 
Cloggs Online Limited. 

Ark Fashion 
Limited

Put and call option whereby JD 
Sports Fashion Plc may acquire 
or be required to acquire (in 
stages) the remaining 22% of 
the issued share capital of Ark 
Fashion Limited.  

JD Germany 
GmbH

Tiso Group 
Limited

ActivInstinct 
Holdings 
Limited

Put option whereby JD Sports 
Fashion Plc may be required 
to acquire all or some of the 
remaining 15% of the issued 
share capital of JD Germany 
GmbH, including earn  
out shares.
First put and call option 
whereby JD Sports Fashion Plc 
may acquire or be required to 
acquire 20% of the issued share 
capital of Tiso Group Limited. 
Second put and call option 
whereby JD Sports Fashion Plc 
may acquire or be required to 
acquire 40% (or the remaining 
20%) of the issued share capital 
of Tiso Group Limited.
Put and call option whereby  
JD Sports Fashion Plc may 
acquire or be required to 
acquire 13.3% remaining issued 
share capital of ActivInstinct 
Holdings Limited.

Recognised as a liability  
and in other equity

At 30 January 2016  
£000
149

At 31 January 2015  
£000
310

2,360

361

-   

-   

-   

-   

119

224

632

-   

-   

2,178

3,260

3,073

131131

Financial StatementsNotes to the Consolidated Financial Statements (continued)Financial Statements25. Provisions

A provision is recognised in the Consolidated Statement of Financial Position when the Group has a present 
legal or constructive obligation as a result of a past event, it is more likely than not that an outflow of 
economic benefits will be required to settle the obligation and the obligation can be estimated reliably.

Within the onerous lease provision, management have provided against the minimum contractual lease cost 
less potential sublease income for vacant stores. For loss making trading stores and for stores where there  
is a probable risk of the store returning to the Group under privity of contract, a provision is made to the 
extent that the lease is deemed to be onerous. 

The provisions are discounted where the effect is material. The pre-tax discount rate used is 12.3% (2015: 12.4%) which 
reflects the current market assessments of the time value of money and the specific risks applicable to the liability. 

Provisions have been analysed between current and non-current as follows:

Group

Balance at 31 January 2015

Provisions created during the period

Provisions released during the period

Provisions utilised during the period

Balance at 30 January 2016

Provisions have been analysed between current and non-current as follows:

Group

Current 

Non-current 

Company

Balance at 31 January 2015

Provisions created during the period

Provisions utilised during the period

Balance at 30 January 2016

Provisions have been analysed between current and non-current as follows:

Company

Current 

Non-current 

2016 
£000

1,132 

1,209 

2,341 

2016 
£000

 587 

 1,117 

 1,704 

26. Deferred Tax Assets and Liabilities 

Recognised Deferred Tax Assets and Liabilities
Deferred tax assets and liabilities are attributable to the following:

Group

Property, plant and equipment 

Chargeable gains held over / rolled over 

Other 

Tax losses 

Tax (assets) / liabilities

Assets 
2016 
£000

(1,717)

-   

-   

(399)

(2,116)

Assets 
2015
£000

(314)

-   

-   

(579)

(893)

Liabilities 
2016
£000

-   

225 

1,409 

-   

1,634 

Liabilities 
2015
£000

-   

237 

2,460 

-   

2,697 

Net 
2016 
£000

(1,717)

225 

1,409 

(399)

(482)

Onerous property leases
£000 

4,118 

1,893 

(185)

(3,485)

2,341 

2015 
£000 

3,098 

1,020 

4,118 

Onerous property leases
£000 

2,182 

727 

(1,205)

1,704 

2015 
£000 

 1,529 

 653 

 2,182 

Net 
2015
£000

(314)

237 

2,460 

(579)

1,804 

Annual Report & Accounts 2016Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements (continued)26. Deferred Tax Assets and Liabilities (continued)
Deferred tax assets on losses of £4,136,000 (2015: £4,136,000) within Kooga Rugby Limited; £723,000 (2015; 
£810,000) with Champion Sports Ireland; £3,114,000 (2015: £3,847,000) within Champion Retail Limited; 
£1,000,000 (2015: £1,656,000) with Tessuti Group Limited (and its subsidiaries); £2,251,000 (2015: £2,369,000) 
with Ark Fashion Limited and £523,000 (2015: £399,000) with Kukri Sports Limited (and its subsidiaries) have 
not been recognised as there is uncertainty over the utilisation of these losses.

Movement in Deferred Tax During the Period

Group

Balance at 1 February 2014 

Recognised in income 

Recognised on acquisition 

Recognised on disposal 

Balance at 31 January 2015 

Recognised in income 

Foreign exchange movements 

Balance at 30 January 2016 

Property,  
plant and 
equipment 
£000 

Chargeable gains  
held over/ 
rolled over 
£000 

(126)

(808)

168 

452 

(314)

(1,401)

(2)

(1,717)

237 

-   

-   

-   

237 

(12)

-   

225 

Recognised Deferred Tax Assets and Liabilities
Deferred tax assets and liabilities are attributable to the following:

Company 

Property, plant and equipment 

Chargeable gains held over / rolled over 

Other 

Tax (assets) / liabilities 

Movement in Deferred Tax During the Period

Assets 
2016 
£000

(930)

-   

(1,444)

(2,374)

Assets 
2015
£000

-   

-   

(904)

(904)

Liabilities 
2016
£000

-   

226 

-   

226 

Other 
£000 

4,556 

(986)

-   

(1,110)

2,460 

(900)

(151)

1,409 

Liabilities 
2015
£000

263 

237 

-   

500 

Company  

Balance at 1 February 2014 

Recognised in income 

Balance at 31 January 2015 

Recognised in income 

Balance at 30 January 2016 

Property,  
plant and 
equipment 
£000 

Chargeable gains  
held over/ 
rolled over 
£000 

340 

(77)

263 

(1,193)

(930)

237 

-   

237 

(11)

226 

Tax losses 
£000 

(384)

(86)

(109)

-   

(579)

172 

8 

(399)

Net 
2016 
£000

(930)

226 

(1,444)

(2,148)

Other 
£000 

(584)

(320)

(904)

(540)

(1,444)

Total 
£000 

4,283 

(1,880)

59 

(658)

1,804 

(2,141)

(145)

(482)

Net 
2015
£000

263 

237 

(904)

(404)

Total 
£000 

(7)

(397)

(404)

(1,744)

(2,148)

As at 30 January 2016, the Group has no recognised deferred income tax liability (2015: £nil) in respect of taxes 
that would be payable on the unremitted earnings of certain overseas subsidiaries. As at 30 January 2016, the 
unrecognised gross temporary differences in respect of overseas subsidiaries is £32,088,000 (2015: £30,072,000). 
No deferred income tax liability has been recognised in respect of this temporary timing difference due to the 
foreign profits exemption, the availability of double tax relief and the ability to control the remittance of earnings. 

There are no income tax consequences attached to the payment of dividends by the Group to its shareholders. 

Reductions in the UK corporation tax rate from 23% to 21% (effective from 1 April 2014) and 20% (effective from 
1 April 2015) were substantively enacted on 2 July 2013. Further reductions to 19% (effective from 1 April 2017) 
and to 18% (effective 1 April 2020) were substantively enacted on 26 October 2015. This will reduce the group’s  
future current tax charge accordingly. The deferred tax asset at 30 January 2016 has been calculated based on 
a rate of 19% as this is the prevaliling rate at which the group expects the deferred tax liability to reverse.

133133

Financial StatementsNotes to the Consolidated Financial Statements (continued)Financial Statements27. Capital

Issued Ordinary Share Capital

Group and Company 

At 31 January 2015 and 30 January 2016

Number of
ordinary shares
thousands 

194,647 

Ordinary
share capital
£000 

2,433 

An Ordinary Resolution was passed at the Annual General Meeting, effective 30 June 2014, resulting in a share 
split whereby four ordinary shares were issued for each ordinary share. In accordance with IAS 33, the number 
of shares outstanding before the event has been adjusted for the proportionate change as if the event had 
occurred at the beginning of the earliest period presented. 

The total number of authorised ordinary shares was 248,600,000 (2015: 248,600,000) with a par value of 1.25p 
per share (2015: 1.25p per share). All issued shares are fully paid.

The capital structure of the Group consists of equity attributable to equity holders of the parent, comprising 
issued share capital, share premium  and retained earnings. 

It is the Board’s policy to maintain a strong capital base so as to maintain investor, creditor and market confidence 
and to sustain future development of the business. The processes for managing the Group’s capital levels are that 
the Board regularly monitors the net cash / debt in the business, the working capital requirements and forecast 
cash flows. Based on this analysis, the Board determines the appropriate return to equity holders while ensuring 
sufficient capital is retained in the business to meet its strategic objectives. 

The Board consider the capital of the Group as the net cash / debt at the year end (see note 32) and the Board 
review the gearing position of the Group which as at 30 January 2016 was less than zero (2015: less than zero). 
There were no changes to the Group’s approach to capital management during the period.

Full disclosure on the rights attached to shares is provided in the Directors’ Report on page 65. 

28. Non-controlling Interests
The following disclosure provides summarised financial information for investments that have non-controlling 
interests. Non-controlling interest is initially measured at the proportionate interest in identifiable net assets  
of the acquiree.

The table below provides a list of the subsidiaries which include non-controlling interests at 30 January 2016 
and 31 January 2015:

Group

Name of subsidiary: 
Sprinter Megacentros Del Deporte SLU (Sprinter) 

ActivInstinct Holdings Limited 

Mainline Menswear Holdings Limited 

Tessuti Group Limited 

Cloggs Online Limited 

Ark Fashion Limited 

Tiso Group Limited 

JD Sports Fashion Germany GmbH 

Other 

Germany

UK/ Malaysia

% of 
non-controlling 
interests and 
non-controlling 
voting rights at 
30 January 2016

% of 
non-controlling 
interests and 
non-controlling 
voting rights at 
31 January 2015

Net income/(loss) 
attributable to 
non-controlling 
interests for 52 
weeks ending  
30 January 2016
£000

Net income/(loss) 
attributable to 
non-controlling 
interests for 52 
weeks ending  
31 January 2015
£000

Non-controlling 
interests at 
30 January 2016
£000

Non-controlling 
interests at 
31 January 2015
£000

Country of  
incorporation

Spain 

UK 

UK 

UK 

UK 

UK 

UK 

49.9%

13.3%

20.0%

40.0%

6.0%

22.0%

40.0%

15.0%

49.9%

18.8%

20.0%

40.0%

6.0%

22.0%

40.0%

15.0%

15% - 50%

15% - 20%

4,008

(1,266)

373

267

(93)

(297)

(265)

25

244

2,996

21,618

(2,509)

1,643

(1,272)

(160)

(841)

(1,417)

230

1,113

18,405

3,263

300

254

(537)

(77)

(557)

(306)

67

(1,113)

1,294

17,757

(1,241)

1,270

(1,539)

(135)

(742)

(1,151)

221

(938)

13,502

During the period, the Group has increased its shareholding in three non-wholly owned subsidiaries.  
The consideration paid was negligible.

Annual Report & Accounts 2016Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements (continued) 
28. Non-controlling Interests (continued)
The table below provides summarised financial information for significant non-controlling interests  
at 30 January 2016 and 31 January 2015:

Summarised statement of financial position 

Current assets 

Non-current assets 

Total assets 

Current liabilities 

Non-current liabilities 

Net assets 

Summarised results of operations

Revenue 

Profit for the period, net of tax 

Summarised statement of cash flows 

Net cash provided by operating activities 

Net cash used in investing activities 

Net cash used in financing activities 

Cash and cash equivalents: 

At the beginning of the period 

At the end of the period 

Sprinter 
2016 
£000 

52,370 

38,080 

90,450 

(40,647)

(1,755)

48,048 

Sprinter 
52 weeks to 
30 January 2016
£000 

141,590 

7,888 

Sprinter 
52 weeks to 
30 January 2016
£000 

12,200

(12,707)

(1,613)

24,461

22,341

Sprinter 
2015 
£000 

47,186 

33,894 

81,080 

(34,203)

(1,779)

45,098 

Sprinter 
52 weeks to  
31 January 2015
£000 

118,730 

6,405 

Sprinter 
52 weeks to 
31 January 2015
£000 

11,343

(9,524)

(1,468)

24,110

24,461

29. Dividends
After the reporting date the following dividends were proposed by the Directors. The dividends were not 
provided for at the reporting date.

6.2000p per ordinary share (2015: 5.9000p)  

Dividends on Issued Ordinary Share Capital 

Group and Company 

Final dividend of 5.9000p (2015: 5.6625p) per qualifying ordinary share paid in respect of prior period, but not recognised as a 
liability in that period 

Interim dividend of 1.2000p (2015: 1.1500p) per qualifying ordinary share paid in respect of current period 

52 weeks to 
30 January 2016
£000

12,068 

52 weeks to 
31 January 2015
£000

11,484 

52 weeks to 
30 January 2016
£000

52 weeks to 
31 January 2015 
£000

11,484 

2,336 

13,820 

11,022 

2,238 

13,260 

135135

Financial StatementsNotes to the Consolidated Financial Statements (continued)Financial Statements30. Commitments

Group

(i) Capital Commitments
As at 30 January 2016, the Group had entered into contracts to purchase property, plant and equipment  
as follows:

Group 

Contracted 

2016  
£000

4,442 

2015 
£000 

15,344 

(ii) Operating Lease Commitments 
The Group leases various retail outlets, offices, warehouses, plant and equipment under non-cancellable operating 
lease agreements. The leases have varying terms, escalation clauses and renewal rights.

Undiscounted total future minimum rentals payable under non-cancellable operating leases are as follows:

Group 

Within one year 

Later than one year and not later than five years 

After five years 

Land and 
buildings
2016 
£000 

106,219 

312,653 

219,975 

638,847 

Plant and 
equipment
2016 
£000 

1,846 

1,583 

3 

3,432 

Land and 
buildings
2015
(restated)
£000 

95,657 

264,484 

172,223 

532,364 

Plant and 
equipment
2015
(restated)
£000 

2,339 

2,583 

4 

4,926 

The future minimum rentals payable on land and buildings represent the base rents that are due on each 
property over the non-cancellable lease term, being usually the earliest date at which the lease can be exited. 
Certain properties have rents which are partly dependent on turnover levels in the individual store concerned.

(iii) Sublease Receipts
The Group subleases various retail outlets under non-cancellable operating lease agreements. The leases have 
varying terms, escalation clauses and renewal rights. The total future minimum operating sublease receipts 
expected to be received at 30 January 2016 are as follows:

Group 

Within one year 

Later than one year and not later than five years 

After five years 

Company

2016 
£000 

489 

1,447 

613 

2,549 

2015
(restated)
£000 

468 

1,434 

957 

2,859 

(i) Capital Commitments
As at 30 January 2016, the Company had entered into contracts to purchase property, plant and equipment  
as follows:

Company

Contracted 

2016 
£000 

261 

2015
£000 

8,912 

Annual Report & Accounts 2016Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements (continued)30. Commitments (continued)

(ii) Operating Lease Commitments 
The Company leases various retail outlets, offices, warehouses, plant and equipment under non-cancellable 
operating lease agreements. The leases have varying terms, escalation clauses and renewal rights.

Undiscounted total future minimum rentals payable under non-cancellable operating leases are as follows:

Company 

Within one year 

Later than one year and not later than five years 

After five years 

Land and 
buildings
2016 
£000 

53,696 

160,502 

125,961 

340,159 

Plant and 
equipment
2016 
£000 

890 

839 

-   

1,729 

Land and 
buildings
2015
(restated)
£000 

48,478 

139,761 

97,813 

286,052 

Plant and 
equipment
2015
(restated)
£000 

1,287 

1,628 

-   

2,915 

(iii) Sublease Receipts
The Company subleases various retail outlets under non-cancellable operating lease agreements. The leases 
have varying terms, escalation clauses and renewal rights. The total future minimum operating sublease receipts 
expected to be received at 30 January 2016 are as follows:

Company 

Within one year 

Later than one year and not later than five years 

After five years 

31. Pension Schemes

2016 
£000 

324 

1,254 

578 

2,156 

2015
£000 

350 

1,211 

880 

2,441 

The Group operates defined contribution pension schemes, the assets of which are held separately from 
those of the Group in independently administered funds. Obligations for contributions to the defined 
contribution schemes are recognised as an expense in the Consolidated Income Statement when incurred.

The pension charge for the period represents contributions payable by the Group of £3,091,000 (2015: 
£2,602,000) in respect of employees, and £26,000 (2015: £39,000) in respect of Directors. The amount  
owed to the schemes at the period end was £435,000 (2015: £393,000).

137137

Financial StatementsNotes to the Consolidated Financial Statements (continued)Financial Statements32. Analysis of Net Cash
Net cash consists of cash and cash equivalents together with other borrowings from bank loans and overdrafts, 
other loans, loan notes, finance leases and similar hire purchase contracts.

Group 

Cash at bank and in hand 

Overdrafts 

Cash and cash equivalents  
Interest-bearing loans and borrowings: 

Bank loans 

Syndicated bank facility 

Finance lease liabilities 

Other loans 

Company 

Cash at bank and in hand  

Cash and cash equivalents  

Interest-bearing loans and borrowings:  

Syndicated bank facility

At 31 January 2015 
£000 

121,317 

(5,620)

115,697 

(60)

(31,000)

(63)

(344)

84,230 

At 31 January 2015 
£000 

60,070 

60,070 

(31,000)
29,070 

Cash flow 
£000 

99,586 

(634)

98,952 

123 

31,000 

(45)

68 

130,098 

Cash flow 
£000 

92,975 

92,975 

31,000 
123,975 

Non-cash 
movements 
£000 

At 30 January  
2016 
£000 

(4,907)

117 

(4,790)

(117)

-   

-   

-   

215,996 

(6,137)

209,859 

(54)

-   

(108)

(276)

(4,907)

209,421 

Non-cash 
movements 
£000 

At 30 January  
2016 
£000 

(4,907)

(4,907)

- 
(4,907)

148,138 
148,138 

-   
148,138 

33. Related Party Transactions and Balances
Transactions and balances with each category of related parties during the period are shown below. Transactions 
were undertaken in the ordinary course of business on an arm’s length basis. Outstanding balances are unsecured 
(unless otherwise stated) and will be settled in cash.

Transactions with Related Parties Who Are Not Members of the Group

Pentland Group Plc
Pentland Group Plc owns 57.5% (2015: 57.5%) of the issued ordinary share capital of JD Sports Fashion Plc.  
The Group and Company made purchases of inventory from Pentland Group Plc in the period and the Group 
also sold inventory to Pentland Group Plc. The Group also paid royalty costs to Pentland Group Plc for the use 
of a brand. 

During the period, the Group entered into the following transactions with Pentland Group Plc:

Group 

Sale of inventory

Purchase of inventory

Royalty costs

Income from 
related parties
2016
£000

Expenditure with 
related parties
2016
£000

Income from  
related parties
2015
£000

Expenditure with 
related parties
2015
£000

45 

-   

-   

-   

(21,251)

(785)

42 

-   

-   

-   

(25,232)

(270)

Annual Report & Accounts 2016Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements (continued)33. Related Party Transactions and Balances (continued)
At the end of the period, the following balances were outstanding with Pentland Group Plc:

Group 

Trade receivables / (payables)

Amounts owed by 
related parties
2016
£000

Amounts owed to 
related parties
2016
£000

Amounts owed by 
related parties
2015
£000

Amounts owed to 
related parties
2015
£000

-   

(570)

4 

(638)

During the period, the Company entered into the following transactions with Pentland Group Plc:

Company 

Sale of inventory

Purchase of inventory

Income from  
related parties
2016
£000

Expenditure with 
related parties
2016
£000

Income from  
related parties
2015
£000

Expenditure with 
related parties
2015
£000

45 

-   

-   

(10,912)

48 

-   

-   

(11,573)

At the end of the period, the Company had the following balances outstanding with Pentland Group Plc:

Company  

Trade receivables / (payables)

Amounts owed by 
related parties
2016
£000

Amounts owed to 
related parties
2016
£000

Amounts owed by 
related parties
2015
£000

Amounts owed to 
related parties
2015
£000

-   

(283)

2 

(580)

Transactions with Related Parties Who Are Members of the Group Subsidiaries

Subsidiaries
The Company transacts and has outstanding balances with its subsidiaries. The Company enters into loans  
with its subsidiaries as follows:

Long term loans represent historic intercompany balances and initial investment in subsidiary undertakings  
to enable them to purchase other businesses. These loans do not attract interest when the subsidiaries are wholly 
owned, with the exception of loans to Spodis SA and JD Sports Fashion (France) SAS, where interest is charged at 
the official French government interest rate. This interest rate is variable and is reviewed quarterly. For subsidiaries 
with a non-controlling interest, these long term loans attract interest at the UK base rate plus an applicable margin. 
All long term loans are repayable on demand. 

Debenture loans represent formal loan agreements previously put in place between the Company and its subsidiaries 
RD Scott Limited and Premium Fashion Limited (2015: RD Scott Limited and Premium Fashion Limited). These loans 
attract interest at the UK base rate plus a margin of 2.0% and are repayable on demand. 

The secured loan from the Company is secured upon the intellectual property in Duffer of St George Limited.  
This loan accrues interest at the UK base rate plus a margin of 4.0%. This loan is repayable on demand.

Other intercompany balances and trade receivables/payables relates to  
-  The sale and purchase of stock between the Company and its subsidiaries on arms length terms  
-  Recharges for administrative overhead and distribution costs. 

Other intercompany balances are settled a month in arrears. These balances do not accrue interest. In certain 
circumstances where the subsidiaries have not repaid these balances, they have been reclassified to long term loans, 
and therefore accrue interest as applicable. 

139139

Financial StatementsNotes to the Consolidated Financial Statements (continued)Financial Statements33. Related Party Transactions and Balances (continued)

During the period, the Company entered into the following transactions with subsidiaries:

Company 

Sale / Purchase of inventory

Interest receivable

Dividend income received

Rental income

Royalty income

Concession fee payable

Management charge receivable

Income from 
related parties
2016
£000

Expenditure with 
related parties
2016
£000

Income from  
related parties
2015
£000

Expenditure with 
related parties
2015
£000

134,273 

2,108 

680 

695 

732 

-   

4,321 

(6,954)

-   

-   

-   

-   

(192)

-   

87,923 

1,851 

357 

440 

900 

-   

1,988 

(7,001)

-   

-   

-   

-   

(167)

-   

At the end of the period, the Company had the following balances outstanding with subsidiaries:

Company

Non-trading loan receivable

Non-trading loan receivable (interest bearing)

Non-trading loan payable

Debenture loan receivable (interest bearing)

Secured loan receivable

Trade receivables / (payables)

Other intercompany balances

Income tax group relief

Amounts owed by 
related parties
2016
£000

Amounts owed to 
related parties
2016
£000

Amounts owed by 
related parties
2015
£000

Amounts owed to 
related parties
2015
£000

138,886 

59,051 

-   

7,312 

670 

9,238 

56,252 

-   

-   

-   

(7,328)

-   

-   

(214)

(10,096)

(13,110)

130,752 

31,064 

-   

7,255 

641 

12,771 

66,078 

-   

-   

-   

(7,328)

-   

-   

(284)

(9,163)

(13,145)

Remuneration of Key Management Personnel
Other than the remuneration of Directors as shown in note 5 and in the Directors’ Remuneration Report on page 79 
there have been no other transactions with Directors in the year (2015: nil)

34. Contingent Liabilities

Where the Company enters into financial guarantee contracts to guarantee the indebtedness of other 
companies within its group, the company treats the guarantee contract as a contingent liability until such 
time as it becomes probable that the company will be required to make a payment under the guarantee.

The Company has provided the following guarantees:

•  Guarantee on the working capital facilities and bonds and guarantees in Spodis SA of €6,600,000  

(2015: €6,600,000)

•  Guarantee on the working capital and other banking facilities in relation to the Sprinter Megacentros Del 

Deporte SLU of €8,750,000 (2015: €8,750,000)

•  Guarantee on the working capital facilities in Cloggs Online Limited of £500,000 (2015: £500,000)
•  Guarantee on the working capital facilities in Kooga Rugby Limited of £250,000 (2015: £250,000)
•  Guarantee on the working capital facilities Kukri Sports Limited and Kukri GB Limited of £1,000,000  

(2015: £nil)

•  Guarantee to Kiddicare Properties Limited in relation to the rental commitments on four stores assigned to 

Blacks Outdoor Retail Limited in the year. The total value of the remaining rental commitments at 30 January 
2016 was £15,383,026 (2015: £21,700,000)

Annual Report & Accounts 2016Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements (continued)35. Subsequent Events 

Sports Unlimited Retail BV
On 20 March 2016, the Group acquired, via its newly incorporated subsidiary Sports Unlimited Retail BV, the trading 
assets and trade of the Aktiesport and Perry Sport fascias from the Trustee of Unlimited Sports Group BV which was 
declared bankrupt by the court of Amsterdam on 23 February 2016. On acquisition there were 187 trading stores 
and two trading websites.

The Board believe that the cash consideration of €26.5 million represents the current best estimates of the fair value 
of the net assets acquired.

Acquiree's net assets at acquisition date: 

Property, plant and equipment 

Inventories 

Cash and cash equivalents 

Trade and other payables 

Net identifiable assets 

Goodwill on acquisition 

Consideration paid - satisfied in cash 

Provisional fair value at 
20 March 2016 
£000 

3,929 

23,330 

58 

(8,364)

18,953

-  

18,953

36. Ultimate Parent Company
The Company is a subsidiary undertaking of Pentland Group Plc which is also the ultimate parent company. 
Pentland Group Plc is incorporated in England and Wales.

The largest group in which the results of the Company are consolidated is that headed by Pentland Group Plc.  
The results of Pentland Group Plc may be obtained from Companies House, Crown Way, Cardiff, CF14 3UZ.

The Company has taken advantage of the exemption in s408 of the Companies Act 2006 not to present its 
individual income statement and related notes. The total recognised comprehensive income for the parent 
included in these consolidated financial statements is £91,931,000 (2015: £70,150,000). The Consolidated Financial 
Statements of JD Sports Fashion Plc are available to the public and may be obtained from The Company 
Secretary, JD Sports Fashion Plc, Hollinsbrook Way, Pilsworth, Bury, BL9 8RR or online at www.jdplc.com.

141141

Financial StatementsNotes to the Consolidated Financial Statements (continued)Financial Statements37.  Subsidiary Undertakings
The following companies were the subsidiary undertakings of JD Sports Fashion Plc at 30 January 2016. 

Nature of business and operation

Ownership  
interest

Voting rights 
interest 

Retailer of sports inspired footwear and apparel 
Intermediate holding company 
Intermediate holding company 
Dormant company  
Dormant company  
Dormant company  
Dormant company  
Dormant company  
Intermediate holding company  
Retailer of fashion clothing and footwear 
Dormant company  
Distributor and multichannel retailer of sports and fashion clothing and footwear 
Dormant company  
Dormant company  
Distributor of fashion footwear 
Intermediate holding company 
Retailer of sports footwear and accessories 
Distributor of rugby clothing and accessories 
Licensor of a fashion brand 
Intermediate holding company 
Intermediate holding company 
Distributor of sports clothing and footwear 
Dormant company  
Distributor of sports clothing and footwear 
Dormant company  
Intermediate holding company 
Distributor and retailer of sports clothing and accessories 
Distributor of sports clothing and accessories 
Distributor of sports clothing and accessories 
Distributor of sports clothing and accessories 
Distributor of sports clothing and accessories 
Distributor of sports clothing and accessories 
Distributor of sports clothing and accessories 
Distributor of sports clothing and accessories 
Dormant company  
Dormant company  
Dormant company  
Dormant company  
Dormant company  
Dormant company  
Intermediate holding company 
Intermediate holding company 
Retailer of sports and leisure goods 
Retailer of sports and leisure goods 
Dormant company  
Dormant company  
Dormant company  
Intermediate holding company 
Retailer of sports and leisure goods 
Retailer of sports and leisure goods 
Retailer of outdoor footwear, apparel and equipment 

100.0%
100.0%
100.0%
100.0%
100.0%
100.0%
100.0%
100.0%
100.0%
100.0%
80.0%
80.0%
80.0%
80.0%
100.0%
100.0%
100.0%
100.0%
100.0%
80.0%
80.0%
80.0%
80.0%
80.0%
80.0%
100.0%
100.0%
100.0%
75.0%
100.0%
83.0%
75.0%
100.0%
100.0%
100.0%
90.0%
100.0%
100.0%
100.0%
100.0%
100.0%
100.0%
100.0%
100.0%
100.0%
100.0%
100.0%
50.1%
65.1%
50.1%
100.0%

100.0%
100.0%
100.0%
100.0%
100.0%
100.0%
100.0%
100.0%
100.0%
100.0%
80.0%
80.0%
80.0%
80.0%
100.0%
100.0%
100.0%
100.0%
100.0%
80.0%
80.0%
80.0%
80.0%
80.0%
80.0%
100.0%
100.0%
100.0%
75.0%
100.0%
83.0%
75.0%
100.0%
100.0%
100.0%
90.0%
100.0%
100.0%
100.0%
100.0%
100.0%
100.0%
100.0%
100.0%
100.0%
100.0%
100.0%
50.1%
65.1%
50.1%
100.0%

Name of subsidiary 
John David Sports Fashion (Ireland) Limited 
J.D Sports Limited 
Athleisure Limited 
Jog Shop Limited* 
Allsports.co.uk Limited* 
Sonneti Fashions Limited* 
Peter Werth Limited* 
First Sport Limited* 
Capso Holdings Limited* 
R.D. Scott Limited 
Topgrade Sportswear Holdings Limited 
Topgrade Sportswear Limited* 
GetTheLabel.com Limited* 
Topgrade Trading Limited* 
Nicholas Deakins Limited 
JD Sports Fashion (France) SAS 
Spodis SA* 
Kooga Rugby Limited 
Duffer of St George Limited 
Focus Brands Limited 
Focus Group Holdings Limited*  
Focus International Limited* 
Focus Sports & Leisure International Limited*  
Focus Italy S.pa.*  
Focus Equipment Limited* 
Kukri Sports Limited 
Kukri GB Limited* 
Kukri (Asia) Limited* 
Kukri NZ Limited* 
Kukri Sports Ireland Limited* 
Kukri Australia Pty Limited* 
Kukri Sports Canada Inc* 
Kukri Sports Middle East JLT* 
Kukri Pte Limited* 
Kukri Events Limited* 
Frank Harrison Limited* 
Kukri (HK) Limited* 
Squirrel Sports Limited* 
The John David Group Limited 
J D Sports Limited 
Champion Sports Group Limited* 
PCPONE* 
Champion Retail Limited* 
Champion Sports Ireland*  
Champion Sports Newco Limited*  
Marathon Sports Limited*  
Champion Sports (Holdings) Unlimited* 
JD Sprinter Holdings 2010 SL 
JD Spain Sports Fashion 2010 SL* 
Sprinter Megacentros Del Deporte SLU* 
Blacks Outdoor Retail Limited 

Place of 
registration

Ireland 
Ireland 
UK 
UK 
UK 
UK 
UK 
UK 
Isle of Man  
UK 
UK 
UK 
UK 
UK 
UK 
France 
France 
UK 
UK 
UK 
UK 
UK 
UK 
Italy 
UK 
UK 
UK 
Hong Kong 
New Zealand 
Ireland 
Australia 
Canada 
Middle East 
Singapore 
UK 
UK  
Hong Kong 
UK 
UK  
UK  
Ireland 
Ireland 
Ireland 
Ireland 
Ireland 
Ireland 
Ireland 
Spain 
Spain 
Spain 
UK 

*Indirect holding of the Company

Annual Report & Accounts 2016Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements (continued)37. Subsidiary Undertakings (continued)

Name of subsidiary 
Ultimate Outdoors Limited* 
Oswald Bailey Limited* 
Source Lab Limited 
Tessuti Group Limited 
Tessuti Limited* 
Tessuti Retail Limited* 
Prima Designer Limited* 
Blue Retail Limited* 
Cloggs Online Limited 
Ark Fashion Limited 
Tiso Group Limited 
Graham Tiso Limited* 
Sundown Limited* 
Alpine Group (Scotland) Limited* 
The Alpine Group Limited* 
Alpine Bikes Limited* 
The Alpine Store Limited* 
George Fisher Holdings Limited* 
George Fisher Limited* 
JD Sports Fashion Germany GmbH 
JD Size GmbH 
JD Sports Fashion BV* 
ActivInstinct Holdings Limited 
Millet Sports Limited* 
ActivInstinct Limited* 
Activinstinct Pty Limited* 
Mainline Menswear Holdings Limited 
Mainline Menswear Limited* 
Dapper (Scarborough) Limited* 
JD Sports Gyms 
JD Sports Fashion SRL 
JD Sports Fashion SDN BHD 
JD Sports Fashion Belgium BVBA
JD Sports Fashion Sweden AB
JD Sports Fashion Denmark ApS
JD Sports Fashion Distribution Limited
Size? Limited
Henleys Clothing Limited
Nanny State Limited
Fly53 Ltd
Footpatrol London 2002 Limited
Premium Fashion Limited
Exclusive Footwear Limited
Pink Soda Limited
Varsity Kit Limited*
Allsports (Retail) Limited
OneTrueSaxon Limited
Peter Storm Limited 
Open Fashion Limited 
Millets Limited
Planet Fear Limited
JD Sports Active Limited 
Hip Store Limited

Place of 
registration

UK 
UK 
UK 
UK 
UK 
UK 
UK 
UK 
UK 
UK 
UK 
UK 
UK 
UK 
UK 
UK 
UK 
UK 
UK 
Germany 
Germany 
Netherlands 
UK 
UK  
UK 
UK 
UK 
UK 
UK 
UK 
Italy 
Malaysia 
Belgium 
Sweden 
Denmark  
UK 
UK 
UK 
UK 
UK 
UK 
UK 
UK 
UK 
UK 
UK 
UK 
UK 
UK 
UK 
UK 
UK 
UK 

Nature of business and operation

Dormant company  
Dormant company  
Design and distributor of sportswear 
Intermediate holding company 
Retailer of fashion clothing and footwear 
Dormant company  
Intermediate holding company 
Retailer of sports inspired footwear and apparel 
Multichannel retailer of fashion footwear 
Retailer of fashion clothing and footwear 
Intermediate holding company 
Retailer of outdoor footwear, apparel and equipment 
Dormant company  
Intermediate holding company 
Intermediate holding company 
Retailer of outdoor footwear, apparel and equipment 
Dormant company  
Intermediate holding company 
Retailer of outdoor footwear, apparel and equipment 
Retailer of sports inspired footwear and apparel 
Retailer of sports inspired footwear and apparel 
Retailer of sports inspired footwear and apparel 
Intermediate holding company 
Dormant company  
Multichannel retailer of sports inspired footwear and apparel 
Dormant company  
Intermediate holding company 
Retailer of premium branded Men's apparel and footwear 
Retailer of premium branded Men's apparel and footwear 
Operator of fitness centres 
Retailer of sports inspired footwear and apparel 
Retailer of sports inspired footwear and apparel 
Retailer of sports inspired footwear and apparel 
Retailer of sports inspired footwear and apparel 
Retailer of sports inspired footwear and apparel 
Dormant company  
Retailer of sports inspired footwear and apparel 
Dormant company  
Distributor of fashion clothing and footwear 
Dormant company  
Dormant company  
Dormant company  
Retailer of premium branded footwear 
Intermediate holding company 
Dormant company  
Dormant company  
Dormant company  
Dormant company  
Retailer of fashion clothing and footwear 
Dormant company  
Dormant company  
Dormant company  
Retailer of fashion clothing and footwear 

Ownership  
interest

Voting rights 
interest 

100.0%
100.0%
85.0%
60.0%
60.0%
60.0%
60.0%
49.8%
94.0%
78.0%
60.0%
60.0%
60.0%
60.0%
60.0%
60.0%
60.0%
60.0%
60.0%
85.0%
100.0%
100.0%
86.7%
86.7%
86.7%
86.7%
80.0%
80.0%
80.0%
100.0%
100.0%
50.0%
100.0%
100.0%
100.0%
100.0%
100.0%
100.0%
100.0%
100.0%
100.0%
100.0%
90.0%
100.0%
100.0%
100.0%
100.0%
100.0%
100.0%
100.0%
100.0%
100.0%
100.0%

100.0%
100.0%
85.0%
60.0%
60.0%
60.0%
60.0%
49.8%
94.0%
78.0%
60.0%
60.0%
60.0%
60.0%
60.0%
60.0%
60.0%
60.0%
60.0%
85.0%
100.0%
100.0%
86.7%
86.7%
86.7%
86.7%
80.0%
80.0%
80.0%
100.0%
100.0%
50.0%
100.0%
100.0%
100.0%
100.0%
100.0%
100.0%
100.0%
100.0%
100.0%
100.0%
90.0%
100.0%
100.0%
100.0%
100.0%
100.0%
100.0%
100.0%
100.0%
100.0%
100.0%

143143

Financial StatementsNotes to the Consolidated Financial Statements (continued)Financial StatementsFive Year Record

Revenue 
Cost of sales 

Gross profit 
Selling and distribution expenses - normal 

Selling and distribution expenses - exceptional 

Selling and distribution expenses 

Administrative expenses - normal 

Administrative expenses - exceptional 

Administrative expenses 

Other operating income 

Operating profit 
Before exceptional items 

Exceptional items 

Operating profit before financing and share of result of joint venture 
Share of results of joint venture before exceptional items (net of income tax) 

Share of exceptional items (net of income tax) 

Share of results of joint venture 

Financial income 

Financial expenses 

Profit before tax 
Income tax expense 

Profit for the period 

Discontinued operation 
Loss from discontinued operation, net of tax 

Attributable to equity holders of the parent 

Attributable to non-controlling interest 

Basic earnings per ordinary share from continuing operations (i) 

Adjusted basic earnings per ordinary share from continuing operations (ii) 

Dividends per ordinary share (iii) 

(iv)
52 weeks to 
28 January 2012
£000

(iv)
53 weeks to 
2 February 2013
£000

(iv)
52 weeks to 
1 February 2014
£000

(iv)
52 weeks to 
31 January 2015
£000

52 weeks to 
30 January 2016
£000

1,059,523 

1,258,892 

1,216,371 

1,522,253 

(538,676)

520,847 

(403,923)

(10,532)

(414,455)

(43,193)

847 

(42,346)

2,730 

66,776 

76,461 

(9,685)

66,776 

(102)

1,170 

1,068 

646 

(1,048)

67,442 

(18,093)

49,349 

- 

46,847 

2,502 

24.07p 

26.47p 

6.32p 

(645,404)

613,488 

(494,619)

(3,724)

(498,343)

(59,973)

(1,624)

(61,597)

2,427 

55,975 

61,323 

(5,348)

55,975 

-   

-   

-   

645 

(1,503)

55,117 

(13,875)

41,242 

- 

38,786 

2,456 

19.93p 

22.13p 

6.58p 

(624,220)

592,151 

(455,657)

(5,164)

(460,821)

(55,185)

-   

(55,185)

1,723 

77,868 

83,032 

(5,164)

77,868 

-   

-   

-   

582 

(1,619)

76,831 

(18,897)

57,934 

(16,448)

40,158 

1,328 

29.08p 

30.82p 

6.78p 

(782,703)

739,550 

(564,333)

(4,467)

(568,800)

(73,969)

(5,060)

(79,029)

925 

92,646 

102,173 

(9,527)

92,646 

-   

-   

-   

657 

(2,807)

90,496 

(20,741)

69,755 

(15,784)

52,677 

1,294 

35.17p 

38.89p 

7.05p 

1,821,652 

(937,431)

884,221 

(648,333)

-   

(648,333)

(78,228)

(25,496)

(103,724)

1,242 

133,406 

158,902 

(25,496)

133,406 

-   

-   

-   

388 

(2,163)

131,631 

(31,001)

100,630 

-   

97,634 

2,996 

50.16p 

61.34p 

7.40p 

(i)  

 Basic and adjusted earnings per ordinary share and dividends per ordinary share have been adjusted to 
reflect the share split (see note 27), effective 30 June 2014, as if the event had occurred at the beginning 
of the earliest period presented.  

(ii) 

 Adjusted basic earnings per ordinary share is based on earnings excluding the post-tax effect of certain 
exceptional items (see note 11).

(iii)   Represents dividends declared for the year. Under IFRS dividends are only accrued  

when approved.

(iv)   In accordance with IFRS 5, the results of Bank Fashion Limited (‘Bank’) are presented as a discontinued 

activity in the 52 weeks to 31 January 2015 as Bank was a separate major line of business. The Consolidated 
Income Statement for the 52 weeks to 1 February 2014 has consequently been re-presented as if Bank had 
been discontinued from the start of the comparative year. The previous two financial years as shown above 
have not been re-presented.

Annual Report & Accounts 2016 
Financial Calendar

Final Results Announced

Final Dividend Record Date

Financial Statements Published

Annual General Meeting

Final Dividend Payable

Interim Results Announced

Period End (52 Weeks)

Final Results Announced

Shareholder Information

Registered office
JD Sports Fashion Plc
Hollinsbrook Way
Pilsworth
Bury
Lancashire 
BL9 8RR

Company number
Registered in England 
and Wales, 
Number 1888425

Financial advisers 
and stockbrokers
Investec
2 Gresham Street
London 
EC2V 7QP

Financial public relations
MHP Communications
60 Great Portland Street
London 
W1W 7RT

Principal bankers
Barclays Bank Plc
43 High Street
Sutton
Surrey 
SM1 1DR

Registrars
Equiniti Limited
Aspect House
Spencer Road
Lancing
West Sussex 
BN99 6DA

Solicitors
DLA Piper UK LLP
Princes Exchange
Princes Square
Leeds 
LS1 4BY

Addleshaw Goddard LLP
100 Barbirolli Square
Manchester 
M2 3AB

Auditor
KPMG LLP
1 St. Peter’s Square
Manchester 
M2 3AE

14 April 2016

24 June 2016

 May 2016

17 June 2016

1 August 2016

14 September 2016

28 January 2017

April 2017

145145

Financial StatementsFinancial StatementsNon trading websites

www.uksourcelab.com

www.kooga-rugby.com

www.bluestheskishop.co.uk

www.thedufferofstgeorge.com

www.planetfear.com

Registered office
JD Sports Fashion Plc
Hollinsbrook Way
Pilsworth
Bury
Lancashire 
BL9 8RR
Tel:  +44(0)161 767 1000 
Fax: +44(0)161 767 1001

www.jdplc.com

Trading websites

www.jdsports.co.uk

www.size.co.uk

www.scottsmenswear.com

www.chausport.com

www.getthelabel.com

www.kukrisports.com

www.nicholasdeakins.com

www.peterwerth.co.uk

www.blacks.co.uk

www.millets.co.uk

www.cloggs.co.uk

www.sprinter.es

www.tessuti.co.uk

www.footpatrol.co.uk

www.tiso.com

www.georgefisher.co.uk

www.mainlinemenswear.co.uk

www.ultimateoutdoors.com

www.thehipstore.co.uk

www.jdgyms.co.uk

www.fly53.com

www.jdsports.fr

www.jdsports.nl

www.jdsports.ie

www.jdsports.de

www.jdsports.es

www.jdsports.be

www.jdsports.it

www.jdsports.se

www.jdsports.dk

www.topgradesportswear.com

www.milletsports.com

The Board wishes to express its thanks to the marketing and finance departments for the in-house production 
of this Annual Report and Accounts.

Annual Report & Accounts 2016