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Mpac Group plc

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FY2014 Annual Report · Mpac Group plc
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Annual Report 
and Accounts 2014

COMPETITIVE 
ADVANTAGE 
THROUGH 
TECHNOLOGY 
AND INNOVATION

Molins is an international specialist 
technology and services group, providing 
high performance instrumentation, 
machinery and analytical services to the 
FMCG, healthcare and pharmaceutical 
sectors, together with extensive 
aftermarket support.

CONTENTS

STRATEGIC 
REPORT

CORPORATE 
GOVERNANCE

FINANCIAL 
STATEMENTS

Highlights

Business model and strategy

1 
2  Our business at a glance
4 
6  Operating review
9 
12  Principal risks and uncertainties

Financial review

14  Chairman’s report
17  Board of Directors
18  Audit Committee report
20  Remuneration Committee report

21 
Remuneration report
23  Remuneration policy

28  Directors’ report
30  Directors’ responsibilities statement

 Statements of comprehensive income

Independent Auditor’s report

31 
32  Consolidated income statement
33 
34  Statements of changes in equity
36  Statements of financial position
37  Statements of cash flow
38  Accounting policies
42  Notes to the accounts
72  Five year record
73  Principal divisions and subsidiaries
74  Notice of meeting
82  Corporate information

 
 
HIGHLIGHTS

Sales

£89.9m

(2013: £105.2m)

 Sales of £89.9m (2013: £105.2m)

  Underlying profit before tax of  
£3.3m (2013: £5.4m). Statutory profit 
before tax of £0.3m (2013: £3.8m)

Underlying profit
before tax

£3.3m

(2013: £5.4m)

Underlying earnings  
per share

11.9p

(2013: 23.9p)

  Underlying earnings per share of 11.9p 
(2013: 23.9p). Statutory loss per share 
of 1.3p (2013: earnings of 18.0p)

 Maintained ordinary dividend of 5.5p

  Scientific Services and Packaging 
Machinery divisions delivered 
improved profitability

  Tobacco Machinery division 
impacted by weak geopolitical 
and market conditions

1

STRATEGIC REPORTCORPORATE GOVERNANCEFINANCIAL STATEMENTSMolins PLC Annual Report and Accounts 2014OUR BUSINESS AT A GLANCE

Our businesses

The Group serves its customers through its 
wide geographic spread of sales, service and 
manufacturing locations.

The businesses are organised into three 
divisions, each with a particular market and 
product focus. They share resources and 
infrastructure where appropriate to support 
their international customer base.

Molins worldwide

The Group has an extensive international 
customer base and sells goods and services 
into a majority of countries across the world. 
Our businesses are based in key strategic 
locations, supported by sales and 
service operations in most geographic 
regions and a network of experienced and 
industry relevant agents and distributors.

Americas
Established for more than 50 years 
in the region, the Group operates 
from its facilities in Brazil and the 
USA to serve the tobacco industry 
through both the Scientific Services 
and Tobacco Machinery divisions; 
the Packaging Machinery division 
services this geographic area from 
its operation in Ontario, Canada, 
with support from Brazil for its 
activities in South America.

Sales

£27.2m

Scientific Services

Group Sales
£89.9m

Scientific Services  
Packaging Machinery  
Tobacco Machinery  

£24.8m
£40.5m
£24.6m

2

Overview
Arista Laboratories, based in Richmond, Virginia, USA 
is an independent tobacco and smoke constituent 
analytical laboratory.

Cerulean, based in Milton Keynes, UK, with an international 
network of sales and service offices, develops, assembles, 
sells and maintains process and quality control 
instruments for the tobacco and other industries.

Sales

£24.8m

Operating profit

£1.8m

(before reorganisation 
costs)

Employees

168

Molins PLC Annual Report and Accounts 2014 
Europe, Middle 
East & Africa
The Group supports both 
its multinational and 
regional customers from 
its businesses in the UK, 
Netherlands and Czech 
Republic; together with the 
extensive sales, engineering 
and field support services 
deployed across the region, 
including in Russia and 
Egypt, the divisions are 
well placed to service 
their customers in 
all parts of Europe, 
Middle East and Africa.

Sales

£36.0m

Asia & Oceania
The Group supports all 
three divisions in the 
region from its base 
in Singapore. The 
Packaging Machinery 
division continues to 
invest in local resources 
to support growth plans 
in the region. The Group 
is further strengthened 
through its offices in 
China, India and Thailand, 
as well as through its 
network of field service 
engineers and agents 
across Asia and Oceania.

Sales

£26.7m

Packaging Machinery

Tobacco Machinery

Overview
Langen Group, based in Mississauga, Ontario, Canada, 
in Wijchen, the Netherlands and in Singapore, is a designer 
and manufacturer of cartoning machinery, case packers, 
end-of-line and robotic solutions, as well as a provider of 
complete turnkey projects involving design and integration 
of packaging systems.

Molins Technologies based in Coventry, UK, is a specialist 
engineering supplier, developing innovative technology 
and associated production and packaging machinery.

Overview
Molins Tobacco Machinery designs, manufactures 
and services secondary tobacco processing machinery, 
particularly mid-speed cigarette makers, packing and 
handling equipment.

The division operates globally from its headquarters in 
Princes Risborough, UK, where the central engineering, 
sales and logistics teams are located. Additional sales 
and service operations are based in the USA, Brazil, 
Singapore and Russia, with manufacturing facilities 
in the Czech Republic and Brazil.

Sales

£40.5m

Operating profit

£1.8m

Sales

£24.6m

Operating loss

£0.2m

(before reorganisation 
costs)

Employees

270

Employees

337

3

STRATEGIC REPORTCORPORATE GOVERNANCEFINANCIAL STATEMENTSMolins PLC Annual Report and Accounts 2014BUSINESS MODEL AND STRATEGY

We apply our technological know-how to 
deliver high performance instrumentation 
and machinery, aftermarket support and 
analytical services to a range of markets 
around the world.

ue streams
Reven

High performance 
instrumentation and 
machinery 

Technological know-how

Product development 
Manufacturing 
Logistics 
Support 

R

e

v

e

n

u

e

s

t

r

e

a

m

s

Aftermarket  
support

Analytical 
services

International markets

Nutrition

Beverages

Healthcare

Pharmaceutical

Tobacco

Our strategy

Investing to drive
profitable growth

Driving operational
efficiency

Increasing exposure
to attractive global
industry sectors
based on regional
market drivers

4

Molins PLC Annual Report and Accounts 2014 
 
 
Our business model

Technological know-how
Product development
We innovate through investment in focused product 
development on key market deliverables to provide our 
customers with competitive advantage. 

Manufacturing
We continuously improve our production and assembly 
processes to deliver high quality specialist products. 

Revenue streams
High performance instrumentation and machinery
We offer a range of innovative analytical, processing and 
product handling equipment to meet the requirements 
of our diverse international customer base. 

Aftermarket support
Enabling enduring partnerships with customers by providing 
excellence in spare parts delivery, service and support to meet 
ongoing customer demand.

International markets 
Nutrition
Significant areas of opportunity in both developed 
economies, with new product launches, rebranding and new 
packaging styles, and developing economies, with increased 
automation of processing lines and a gradual move towards 
pre-packaged foods. 

Beverages
Innovation in liquid, leaf and powder beverage forms leads to 
opportunities in a number of areas, such as tea, stick-packs 
and the packaging of premium liquor. 

Healthcare
Growth in most geographic regions in a wide range of 
applications, including medical devices, personal hygiene 
products and contact lenses. 

Logistics 
Our extensive global network and long-standing partnerships 
with customers and suppliers enables delivery of excellent 
performance on an international scale.

Support
Our specialist sales support provides long-term value 
to customers through aftermarket spares sales and service 
to maximise customer operational efficiencies.

Analytical services
Expertise in the provision of laboratory services to 
meet constituent testing requirements for tobacco related 
products worldwide.

Pharmaceutical
A growing sector across all geographic regions, from the 
general packaging of products to the high-precision 
processing of pharmaceuticals.

Tobacco
A global industry, with continuing innovation in cigarette 
design, including reduced harm and e-cigarettes, packaging 
and regulatory compliance requirements, as well as increased 
demand for quality control and efficiency improvements.

5

STRATEGIC REPORTCORPORATE GOVERNANCEFINANCIAL STATEMENTSMolins PLC Annual Report and Accounts 2014OPERATING REVIEW

Dick Hunter  
Chief Executive

The Group delivered sales of £89.9m (2013: £105.2m) 
and underlying profit before tax of £3.3m (2013: £5.4m) 
in the year. 

Performance of the Tobacco Machinery division reflects 
the challenges within the geopolitical environment and 
general market sector. Both the Scientific Services and 
Packaging Machinery divisions performed satisfactorily, 
albeit our laboratory-based analytical services business 
within the Scientific Services division continues to be 
affected by delays in the introduction of new testing 
requirements for tobacco products by the US Food & 
Drug Administration (“FDA”). The cost reductions we 
implemented within analytical services in the first half 
helped the Scientific Services division generate a 
year-on-year increase in profits and the Packaging 
Machinery division made good progress as expected, 
increasing profitability. Its order book is significantly 
ahead of last year. 

The Board is recommending a final dividend of 3.0p, 
which, together with the interim dividend of 2.5p, results 
in an unchanged dividend for the year of 5.5p.

6

Scientific Services
The division comprises two main activities. First, the supply 
and support of process and quality control instruments 
and analytics machinery to the tobacco industry, where 
it is the market leader, as well as the supply and support 
of equipment to other industrial sectors. This business is 
based in Milton Keynes, UK, with sales and service offices 
in a number of key locations that support the needs of our 
global customer base. Second, the division operates an 
independent tobacco and cigarette smoke constituent 
testing laboratory. This business is based in Virginia, USA 
and its services are used by customers for regulatory, 
research and product development purposes. 

The division delivered sales of £24.8m (2013: £26.5m) 
and operating profit, before non-underlying items, 
increased to £1.8m (2013: £1.1m).

Sales of quality control instruments and analytics 
machinery were strong, although there was a marginal 
decline year-on-year, with the previous year benefiting 
from the delivery of a large one-off project. Demand 
from China, the largest market, continued to be strong, 
as was demand for our aftermarket products, which 
comprised 30% of sales. A favourable product mix 
meant that this activity lifted its contribution ahead of 
the previous year. The business continues to maintain 
its position as the leading supplier of quality control 
instruments to the multinational cigarette companies 
and sales of cigarette smoke capture machines 
increased, particularly into North America. Sales 
of a recently developed machine for the testing of 
e-cigarettes also contributed to the performance of 
the business. We are continuing to develop products 
for non-tobacco industrial applications, including tube 
packing, carton testing and enzyme sampling, and the 
business is well placed to develop sales in these newer 
areas. The business entered the year with a slightly lower 
order book than twelve months previously, which, 
combined with competitive pressures, leads us to expect 
trading to be more challenging in the year ahead.

Molins PLC Annual Report and Accounts 2014Our sales and service operation in Asia, established in 
2012, is performing well and helped to drive a three-fold 
increase in orders in this region, where it has established 
a firm presence with both existing and new customers.

Our focus on improving margins continued. We have 
introduced a more standardised range of products which 
benefits operational efficiency and we are also focusing 
on growing our aftermarket sales through implementing 
a more targeted approach, concentrating on key product 
applications. The division’s margins improved year-on-
year, although this improvement was diluted by the 
under-utilisation of available resource in the early part 
of the year. We are continuing to make progress with 
developing a responsive supply chain in lower cost 
areas and are making increasing use of the Group’s 
manufacturing and assembly facility in the Czech 
Republic. The division’s strong opening order book 
for the current financial year will also help to smooth 
the work-flows through the businesses.

The division is well positioned for further progress, 
supported by established customer relationships, 
including many large, multinational customers, an 
attractive product offering and strong engineering skills. 
While the ongoing challenge is to be able to deploy 
resources efficiently through the year, the division has 
entered 2015 with an order book significantly higher than 
twelve months previously and we expect it to continue 
to improve its performance.

As expected, sales at our analytical services laboratory 
decreased year-on-year, with no new regulatory testing 
requirement for tobacco products in the USA, although 
progress was made in developing our activity in Canada 
and in the testing of e-cigarettes. In the first half we took 
the decision to reduce costs in this area of the division’s 
activities given the continuing delays and uncertainty 
over the FDA’s intention regarding its proposed new 
testing regime for tobacco products. We have 
commenced a strategic review of the business where 
the laboratory infrastructure remains under-utilised 
and, having evaluated the expected future trading 
performance of the business, we have also partially 
written down the related goodwill in the Group’s 
Statement of financial position to a carrying value 
of £1.3m. This has resulted in a non-underlying charge 
of £1.6m in the year. 

Packaging Machinery
The division supplies highly automated product handling, 
cartoning and robotic end-of-line packaging machinery 
and systems, and operates from three locations in 
Mississauga, Canada, Wijchen in the Netherlands and 
in Singapore. Innovative machinery and technical 
consultancy to solve packaging and processing 
challenges are provided from our base in Coventry, UK.

In local currencies, sales were broadly flat year-on-year. 
Reflecting the relative strength of sterling, reported sales 
show a 9% reduction to £40.5m (2013: £44.3m). 
Operating profit increased to £1.8m (2013: £1.5m), in line 
with our focus on improving margins and the growth of 
our aftermarket products.

Order intake in the year was strong across both the UK 
and overseas-based businesses, with progress across 
most geographic regions, and the division has continued 
to broaden its customer base, particularly in the 
pharmaceutical and healthcare sectors. Overall, order 
intake was up more than 20% in local currencies. 

7

STRATEGIC REPORTCORPORATE GOVERNANCEFINANCIAL STATEMENTSMolins PLC Annual Report and Accounts 2014OPERATING REVIEW CONTINUED

Tobacco Machinery
The division designs, manufactures, markets and services 
specialist machinery for the tobacco industry and 
provides extensive aftermarket support to its customers 
globally. It is headquartered in Buckinghamshire, UK, 
where the central engineering and logistics teams are 
located together with the main distribution centre for 
spare parts. The UK sales and service teams support our 
sales across Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA). 
The division also operates a facility with full manufacturing 
capability in Curitiba, Brazil, which serves the South 
American markets. In addition, it has sales, service and 
distribution operations in Virginia, USA and in Singapore, 
which support the North American and Asia Pacific 
regions. We also have a sales office in Moscow, Russia. 
The division’s main machining and assembly operation is 
in Plzen, Czech Republic. This operation also supports the 
Group’s other divisions as well as servicing a number of 
non-tobacco industry customers.

Sales in the year reduced to £24.6m (2013: £34.4m) 
and the division incurred an operating loss, before 
non-underlying items, of £0.2m (2013: £2.9m profit). 
After a promising start to 2014, with good order 
prospects, trading conditions toughened considerably 
as evidenced by the closures of a number of large 
cigarette factories by the multinational manufacturers. 
As well as a widespread slowdown in activity, which 
affected all geographic regions, sales were impacted 
more specifically by geopolitical concerns in the Middle 
East and eastern Europe. This led to anticipated orders 
not materialising and, in particular, the division’s 
performance was adversely affected by the termination 
of an order from the Middle East received in 2012 and by 
competitive pricing pressures, as the machinery suppliers 
tried to secure those relatively few orders that were 
placed. The division secured orders for delivery at the 
end of 2014 to a major customer in North Africa, but at 
particularly competitive prices. Reflecting the general 
slowdown, sales of aftermarket products also reduced. 
In response to these conditions, we took action to 
reduce costs and this has resulted in a decrease during 
the year of 8% in employee numbers.

Despite reduced sales activity, the loading in the 
division’s manufacturing facilities in the Czech Republic 
held up reasonably well, partly through the utilisation of 
the facility by other Group businesses and partly through 
an increasing level of machining and assembly activity 
for third-party customers, which is set to develop further.

The division continued with the development of two new 
products. The production trial of Alto, our 10,000 per 
minute cigarette making machine, is nearing completion, 
and Optima, our new cigarette packing machine, which is 
being developed in collaboration with our Packaging 
Machinery division, will be available for production trials 
later in the year. These new products will help to 
reinforce Molins’ well-established position as a specialist 
machinery manufacturer within the tobacco industry.

The division entered 2015 with a lower order book 
than the previous year and while we do not expect to 
see any material improvement in market conditions in 
the short-term, the division’s strong product range and 
reputation for customer service mean that it is well 
positioned in its marketplace.

Outlook
We expect to complete a strategic review of our 
analytical services operation in the USA in the first 
half and with challenging market conditions for tobacco 
machinery related activities, the Board continues to 
focus on cost control and margins, as well as product 
development. Packaging Machinery is well placed to 
continue to progress. Overall, our order book at the start 
of the year is encouraging, albeit, as in previous years, we 
expect to see a significant weighting of performance in 
the second half of the year.

Dick Hunter 
Chief Executive
25 February 2015

8

Molins PLC Annual Report and Accounts 2014FINANCIAL REVIEW

Non-underlying items
Net non-underlying operating charges of £2.8m 
(2013: £0.9m) were incurred. These comprised charges 
of £0.9m (2013: £0.8m) in respect of administration 
costs relating to the Group’s defined benefit pension 
schemes (see Pension schemes section), £0.5m 
(2013: £0.1m) of reorganisation costs relating to the 
Scientific Services and Tobacco Machinery divisions, 
and £1.6m in respect of a partial write-down of 
goodwill (see Goodwill section), partially offset by a 
credit of £0.2m arising from actions taken in the 
Group’s UK defined benefit pension scheme 
(see Pension schemes section). Financing expense on 
pension scheme balances (see Interest and taxation 
section) is also considered to be a non-underlying item.

Interest and taxation
Net financing expense was £0.3m (2013: £0.8m), which 
includes a charge of £0.2m (2013: £0.7m) in respect of 
financing expense on pension scheme balances. The tax 
charge on underlying profit before tax was £0.9m 
(2013: £0.8m), an effective rate of 31% (2013: 14%). The 
total taxation charge on the Group’s profit before tax 
was £0.6m (2013: £0.3m).

Goodwill
Included within intangible assets in the Consolidated 
statement of financial position is goodwill arising on 
consolidation, which represents the excess of the cost of 
acquisition of Arista Laboratories and Cerulean over the 
Group’s interest in the fair value of the identifiable assets 
and liabilities of those businesses at the date of their 
acquisition. Goodwill is reviewed for impairment at least 
annually. Having carried out such a review in respect of 
Arista, with a particular focus on the expected future 
timing and scale of activity arising from the regulation of 
tobacco products in the USA, it was concluded that the 
carrying value of goodwill at 31 December 2014 should 
be impaired by £1.6m, from £2.9m to £1.3m. The carrying 
value of goodwill in respect of Cerulean at 31 December 
2014 was £7.3m and no impairment was required. 

Dividends 
The Board is recommending a final dividend of 3.0p per 
ordinary share which, together with the interim dividend 
of 2.5p paid in October 2014, results in a total dividend of 
5.5p per ordinary share in respect of 2014 (2013: 5.5p per 
ordinary share). The dividend, which is subject to 
shareholder approval at the Group’s AGM, will be paid 
on 13 May 2015 to shareholders registered at the close 
of business on 24 April 2015.

9

David Cowen
Group Finance Director

Both the Scientific Services and Packaging Machinery 
divisions progressed in the year, but market conditions 
in the tobacco industry for machinery caused a reversal 
in the progress the Group had made over the last few 
years. The continuing lack of demand for the services 
provided by our laboratory-based analytical services 
operation, Arista Laboratories, has also held back the 
development of the Group and we have commenced 
a strategic review of that business. 

Revenue and operating results
The trading performance of the Group is discussed in 
the Operating review. Group revenue in the year was 
£89.9m (2013: £105.2m). Sales in the Scientific Services 
division were £24.8m (2013: £26.5m) and underlying 
operating profit was £1.8m (2013: £1.1m). Packaging 
Machinery division sales were £40.5m (2013: £44.3m) 
and underlying operating profit was £1.8m (2013: £1.5m). 
Tobacco Machinery division sales were £24.6m 
(2013: £34.4m) and underlying operating loss was 
£0.2m (2013: £2.9m profit). 

STRATEGIC REPORTCORPORATE GOVERNANCEFINANCIAL STATEMENTSMolins PLC Annual Report and Accounts 2014FINANCIAL REVIEW CONTINUED

Cash, treasury and funding activities
Net debt at the end of the year was £2.1m (2013: £5.2m 
net funds). Net cash outflow from operating activities 
was £0.5m (2013: £4.1m inflow), which was after an 
increase in working capital of £3.7m (2013: £1.6m), 
reorganisation payments of £0.5m (2013: £0.7m), defined 
benefit pension payments of £1.8m (2013: £1.5m) and 
net taxation payments of £1.0m (2013: £1.0m). Capital 
expenditure on plant and equipment, net of proceeds 
from the sale of plant and equipment, was £1.9m 
(2013: £1.7m) and capitalised product development 
expenditure was £3.1m (2013: £2.2m). Additionally, in 
2013 an investment property was purchased at a cost 
of £0.7m. Dividends of £1.1m (2013: £1.1m) were paid in 
the year.

Pension schemes
The Group is responsible for defined benefit pension 
schemes in the UK and the USA, in which there are no 
active members, which is accounted for in accordance 
with IAS 19 Employee benefits. The IAS 19 valuation of 
the UK scheme’s assets and liabilities was undertaken 
as at 31 December 2014 based on the funding valuation 
work carried out as at 30 June 2012, updated to both 
reflect conditions at the 2014 year end and the specific 
requirements of IAS 19. The smaller USA defined 
benefit schemes were valued as at 31 December 2014, 
using actuarial data as of 1 January 2014, updated for 
conditions existing at the year end. Under IAS 19 the 
Group has elected to recognise all actuarial gains and 
losses outside of the income statement.

There were no significant changes during the year in 
the financial risks, principally currency risks and interest 
rate movements, to which the business is exposed and 
the Group treasury policy has remained unchanged. The 
Group does not trade in financial instruments and enters 
into derivatives (principally forward foreign exchange 
contracts) solely for the purpose of minimising currency 
exposures on sales or purchases in other than the 
functional currencies of its various operations.

The Group maintains bank facilities appropriate to its 
expected needs. These were renegotiated in 2013 and 
comprise secured, committed borrowing facilities with 
Lloyds Bank plc of £13.0m in aggregate. These facilities 
are committed until September 2018 and are subject 
to covenants covering leverage, interest cover, tangible 
net worth and capital expenditure, and are sterling and 
multi-currency denominated. Additionally, ancillary 
facilities are in place, covering bonds, indemnities 
and guarantees. The Group is operating well within its 
covenant levels. Short-term overdrafts and borrowings 
are utilised in certain parts of the Group to meet local 
cash requirements and these are typically denominated 
in local currencies. Foreign currency borrowings are 
used to hedge investments in overseas subsidiaries 
where appropriate.

The IAS 19 valuation of the UK scheme resulted in a net 
deficit at the end of the year of £14.1m (2013: £2.5m), before 
tax. The value of the scheme’s assets at 31 December 2014 
was £347.9m (2013: £337.9m) and the value of the scheme’s 
liabilities was £362.0m (2013: £340.4m). The accounting 
valuations of the USA pension schemes showed an 
aggregated net deficit of £6.5m (2013: £3.1m), all amounts 
being before tax, with total assets of £15.4m (2013: £14.3m). 
The main cause of the increases in the valuation of the 
liabilities was the reduction in the discount rates, reflecting 
lower interest rates at the year end compared with twelve 
months previously. 

The last completed scheme specific funding valuation 
of the Group’s UK defined benefit scheme, which was 
carried out as at 30 June 2012, showed a funding level of 
86% of liabilities, which represented a deficit of £53.0m. 
The solvency position of the scheme at that date, which 
reflects the scheme’s position if it was wound up, showed 
a funding level of 56%. Valuations are extremely sensitive 
to a number of factors outside the control of the Group, 
including discount rates. The trustee of the scheme 
and the Company agreed a deficit recovery plan, which 
commits the Company to paying to the scheme £1.7m 
per annum, in monthly instalments from July 2013, with a 
then estimated recovery period of 17 years from 30 June 
2012. The annual deficit recovery payments increase by 
2.1% per annum. The deficit recovery plan will be formally 
reassessed following the next scheme specific funding 
valuation, which will be carried out as at 30 June 2015.

10

Molins PLC Annual Report and Accounts 2014The aggregate cost of administering the defined benefit 
schemes charged to operating profit was £0.9m 
(2013: £0.8m). In 2014 an aggregate credit of £0.2m was 
reported, arising as a result of a trivial commutation 
exercise carried out in the year. As reported above in 
the Interest and taxation section, net financing expense 
in respect of the schemes was £0.2m (2013: £0.7m).

Equity
Group equity at 31 December 2014 was £25.9m 
(2013: £40.5m). The movement arises mainly from the net 
actuarial losses in respect of the Group’s defined benefit 
pension schemes of £11.9m, currency translation losses on 
foreign currency net investments of £1.3m and dividend 
payments of £1.1m, all figures net of tax where applicable.

During the year the Company made payments to the UK 
defined benefit scheme of £1.7m (2013: £1.4m) in respect 
of the deficit recovery plan. Payments of £0.1m 
(2013: £0.1m) were made to the USA schemes in the year.

David Cowen
Group Finance Director
25 February 2015

Key performance indicators (KPIs)

Sales 

£89.9m

(2013: £105.2m)

Underlying profit 
before tax

£3.3m

(2013: £5.4m)

Underlying operating 
return on sales

Underlying EPS 

3.8%

(2013: 5.2%)

11.9p

(2013: 23.9p)

105.2

5.4

89.9 93.0

89.9

86.4

4.9

4.5

5.3

5.2

5.0

4.3

3.6

3.3

3.8

18.3

13.9

23.9

21.8

11.9

2010 2011

2012
£m

2013

2014

2010 2011

2012
£m

2013

2014

2010 2011

2013

2014

2012
%

2010 2011

2012
pence

2013

2014

11

STRATEGIC REPORTCORPORATE GOVERNANCEFINANCIAL STATEMENTSMolins PLC Annual Report and Accounts 2014PRINCIPAL RISKS AND UNCERTAINTIES

The Board regularly considers the main 
risks that the Group faces and how to 
mitigate those risks. The principle risks 
and uncertainties to which the business 
is exposed are summarised as follows.

Risk

Mitigation

Economic and market cycles
The Group is potentially affected by global and local 
economic cycles, changes in a number of industrial sectors, 
including the tobacco industry and specifically from further 
delays in the implementation of a testing regime for tobacco 
related products in the USA by the FDA. Such potential 
changes include those arising as a consequence of 
governmental activities, such as regulation and taxation.

Loss of trading partners
The Group faces the general risk of trading partners, 
including both customers and suppliers, ceasing to operate; 
the loss of any such partner could have an adverse effect 
on the Group’s operating results and financial condition, 
including potentially affecting the viability of a subsidiary 
company. A number of customers operate in countries 
which may face a higher degree of political risk than others.

Large one-off projects
The Group undertakes a number of large, one-off projects 
for its customers each year. Several risks follow from the 
nature of this type of business, including the potential for 
cost over-runs and delays in performing the contract, with 
a consequent impact on cash flows and profits. Also, the 
Group is prone to potentially large fluctuations in business 
levels, as demand can be quite volatile.

The customer base is geographically diverse and the Group 
sells a range of products and services to a number of 
industries, including within the tobacco industry those that 
relate to the regulation and quality control of tobacco 
products, as well as those that relate directly to the 
manufacture of such products.

The Group has a diversified base of customers and the 
customer that accounts for the largest proportion of sales, 
excluding one-off projects, is routinely responsible for no more 
than 5% of total sales in any year. In certain years sales to a 
customer may be more than 5%, although the sales would 
typically be to a number of different geographic regions. The 
Group businesses regularly review their trading relationships 
with suppliers with the aim of ensuring that alternative sources 
of supply are available.

The Group utilises good project management practices, 
including regular technical and commercial reviews of its major 
projects. Resource capacity is regularly reviewed, alongside 
reviews of order prospects lists.

Loss of a key facility
The Group operates a number of businesses around the 
world and the loss of any one of them would interrupt a 
revenue stream and could potentially have an adverse effect 
on the Group’s operating results and financial condition.

Disaster recovery plans are in place for each business.

IT infrastructures are designed to have minimal inter 
dependence across the Group, thereby not exposing a number 
of facilities to the failure of one central system.

Exchange rate movements
The majority of the Group’s trading is conducted outside of 
the UK and in currencies other than sterling. Consequently, 
its financial performance is affected by fluctuations in 
foreign exchange rates, particularly as a result of changes 
in the relative values of the US dollar, Canadian dollar, euro, 
Czech koruna, Brazilian real and sterling.

The Group has a wide supply base in different countries and 
monitors the relative values of currencies in making purchasing 
decisions. The Group enters into forward foreign exchange 
contracts to minimise currency exposures on sales and 
purchases in other than the functional currencies of 
its operations. 

12

Molins PLC Annual Report and Accounts 2014Risk

Mitigation

Availability of funding
The Group has access from its principal UK bank to 
borrowing facilities of £13.0m, which are committed until 
September 2018, provided that the Group continues to meet 
the agreed covenants. In addition, these facilities provide 
the Group with access to other financial instruments for 
carrying out its activities, including bank guarantees and 
forward foreign exchange contracts. If a breach of agreed 
covenants was to occur and funding was withdrawn, it may 
result in the Group experiencing difficulty in financing 
its activities.

Liabilities of the Group sponsored defined 
benefit pension schemes
The Group is responsible for the funding of a defined benefit 
pension scheme in the UK, which pays a levy to the Pension 
Protection Fund of an amount outside the control of the 
Group, as well as three smaller such schemes in the USA. 
Changes in the value of the liabilities of the pension 
schemes, which were valued in aggregate at £383.9m 
at 31 December 2014 in accordance with IAS 19, as a 
consequence of changes in interest rates and mortality 
rates, amongst others, and changes in the value of the 
assets of the pension schemes, which were valued in 
aggregate at £363.3m at 31 December 2014, are largely 
outside the control of the Group. The Group has 
responsibility for the adequate funding of the pension 
schemes and is currently paying to the UK scheme £1.8m 
per annum in respect of deficit funding following an 
actuarial funding valuation as at 30 June 2012.

Ability to pay dividends
The ability of the Company to pay dividends to shareholders 
is a function of its profitability (incorporating reductions in 
the carrying values of capital employed in the Group, 
including the pension schemes’ valuations) and the extent 
to which, as a matter of law, it has available to it sufficient 
distributable profits out of which any proposed dividend 
may be paid. Whilst the Company has historically paid 
dividends to shareholders, there is no assurance that it 
will continue to pay a dividend going forward.

Litigation
The Group from time to time may be subject to claims from 
third parties in relation to its current and past operations, 
which could result in legal costs and rulings against it that 
may have a material effect on the Group’s operating results 
and financial condition.

Reviews of actual and forecast trading performance are 
regularly undertaken and assessed against the bank covenants, 
thereby allowing mitigating actions to be put in place if there 
were concerns that covenants might be breached. Regular 
reviews are held with the principal UK bank so that they are 
informed of the Group’s strategy and prospects and are able 
to comment as appropriate. 

The Group and the pension schemes implement liability 
reduction strategies where such opportunities exist and the 
Group maintains regular dialogue with its pension advisors 
on such matters. Regular meetings are held with the trustee 
of the UK pension scheme, to input into their asset investment 
decisions and to apprise the trustee of the progress of the 
Group to help inform them in making decisions which may 
impact the scheme funding requirements. However, many 
factors which impact the valuations of the pension schemes 
are outside the control of the Group.

The Group has a rigorous planning process which is aimed 
at securing future profitable business opportunities and 
supporting the value of capital employed in the Group.

The Group has a comprehensive risk management and review 
process which is aimed at minimising the risk of such claims 
arising as a consequence of its actions. Insurance policies are 
in place to cover some such incidences and third-party legal 
assistance is sought as required.

13

STRATEGIC REPORTCORPORATE GOVERNANCEFINANCIAL STATEMENTSMolins PLC Annual Report and Accounts 2014CHAIRMAN’S REPORT

Governance highlights
We are committed to excellence in corporate governance 
and maintain clear policies and practices that promote 
good corporate governance, including:

•  the Board of Directors has adopted clear corporate 

governance policies;

•  the independent members of the Board of Directors 
meet regularly without the presence of management;

•  we have a clear code of business conduct;

•  the Group has a whistle-blowers hotline available to all 

employees, and the Molins Audit Committee has 
procedures in place for the anonymous submission of 
employee complaints on accounting, internal accounting 
controls, or auditing matters; and

•  the Company’s internal audit function maintains 

critical oversight over the key areas of its business 
and financial processes and controls, and reports 
directly to the Company’s Audit Committee.

Corporate Governance Code (the Code), the directors 
consider that the Company adhered to the principles of 
the Code and those contained in the Large and Medium 
Sized Companies and Groups (Accounts and Reports) 
Regulations 2008.

The Board met seven times during 2014 and it is 
responsible for:

•  Group strategy, business planning, budgeting  

and risk management; 

•  monitoring performance against budget and other 

agreed objectives; 

•  setting the Group’s values and standards, including 

policies on employment, health and safety, 
environment and ethics; 

• 

relationships with shareholders and other 
major stakeholders; 

•  determining the financial and corporate structure of 
the Group (including financing and dividend policy); 

•  major investment and divestment decisions, and 

approving material contracts; and 

•  Group compliance with relevant laws and regulations.

Avril Palmer-Baunack
Chairman

I am pleased to have this opportunity to report to you 
on the responsibilities and activities of the Board. Earlier 
in this document we have explained how the Group has 
performed in the year and how it is structured. I explain 
below how the Board goes about ensuring it performs 
its duties effectively.

The Board’s activities
On 19 June 2014, following shareholders’ approval at a 
General Meeting on 20 May 2014, the Company ceased 
trading on the London Stock Exchange’s Main Market 
for listed securities and the Company’s Ordinary Shares 
were admitted to trading on AIM, a market that is also 
operated and regulated by the London Stock Exchange. 
The Company has since been subject to the AIM Rules 
for Companies whose regulatory requirements are more 
appropriate to a company of Molins’ size. At the time of 
the Company’s move to AIM, the Board confirmed to 
shareholders that it intended to operate the Company’s 
business, including its reporting and governance, in 
substantially the same manner and with the same 
objectives as it had done before the move and I confirm 
that this has and continues to be the case. Accordingly, 
even though the Company is not subject to the UK 

14

Molins PLC Annual Report and Accounts 2014Day to day management of the Company’s businesses 
is delegated to the executive directors and in turn to 
business unit managing directors or general managers 
in accordance with a clear and comprehensive 
statement of delegated authorities. The Board 
reviews at each meeting comprehensive financial and 
trading information produced by management each 
month and considers the trends in the Company’s 
businesses and their performance against strategic 
objectives and plans. It also regularly reviews the 
work of its formally constituted standing Committees 
as described below and compliance with the Group’s 
policies and obligations.

The director recognised as the Senior Independent 
Director is Mr Moorhouse. The Board also considers 
Mr Davies to be an independent director. The  
non-executive directors met with me as Chairman 
on a number of occasions during the year without 
the executive directors being present.

In furtherance of the principles of good corporate 
governance, the Board has appointed Audit, 
Remuneration and Nomination Committees, each 
with formal terms of reference, which can be read 
on the Company’s website at www.molins.com. 
The current memberships of the Committees are 
shown on page 17. All members of the Board and its 
Committees attended all meetings held in 2014.

The Chairmen of the Audit Committee and of the 
Remuneration Committee report on their activities 
on pages 18 and 20 respectively. The Nomination 
Committee, which I chair, is responsible for formulating 
and reviewing proposals for the appointment of directors 
and making recommendations thereon to the Board. It 
met twice during 2014 and intends to meet at least once a 
year to review the structure, size, diversity and composition 
of the Board and its Committees (including the balance 
of skills, knowledge and experience and the need for 
succession planning or membership of the Board). 

The directors attend seminars from time to time as 
appropriate to assist with training in their awareness 
of compliance issues facing boards of quoted 
companies. Directors have ensured they maintain 
awareness of current issues and skills development, 
through membership of professional associations 
where appropriate. Details of the service contracts of 
the executive directors are set out in the Remuneration 
report. The non-executive directors’ terms of 
engagement are set out in their letters of appointment. 
In each case, compensation for loss of office of a non-
executive director is specifically excluded by the letter 
of appointment.

Mr Davies and I are both non-executive directors of 
Redde plc. The Board has reviewed this and believes 
that no conflict arises as a result.

Board performance evaluation
The Board carries out a formal review each year in 
respect of its performance over the previous year. 
The evaluation is informed by detailed questionnaires 
completed by each director. In addition, as part of the 
annual process of performance evaluation undertaken 
by the Board, the Senior Independent Director leads a 
review of the performance of the Chairman of the Board.

Relationships with shareholders
The Board recognises the importance of maintaining 
regular dialogue with institutional shareholders to ensure 
that its strategy is communicated and any concerns 
can be addressed. In addition, all shareholders have 
the opportunity to attend the Annual General Meeting 
where the Group’s operations can be discussed with 
the directors. The Chief Executive and Group Finance 
Director make themselves available for meetings with 
analysts and representatives of the major shareholders 
on the day of the announcement of the preliminary 
results and the half-year results or shortly thereafter 
and upon request at other times of the year, and they 
report accordingly to the Board on shareholders’ 
views. Any shareholder wishing to meet with the 
directors should make contact with the Secretary. 
The non-executive directors are available to attend 
meetings with major shareholders thus enabling 
shareholders to draw their attention to any views 
that they consider need special emphasis.

The non-executive directors can also be contacted 
through the Secretary.

15

FINANCIAL STATEMENTSMolins PLC Annual Report and Accounts 2014STRATEGIC REPORTCORPORATE GOVERNANCECHAIRMAN’S REPORT CONTINUED

Internal controls
The Board is responsible for the Group’s system of 
internal controls and has established a framework of 
financial and other material controls that is periodically 
reviewed for its effectiveness. The Board has reviewed 
the effectiveness of the system of internal controls 
during the year ended 31 December 2014 and intends to 
review controls annually, having ensured that appropriate 
control mechanisms and review processes are in place.

The Board has taken and will continue to take 
appropriate measures to ensure that the chances 
of financial irregularities occurring are reduced as 
far as reasonably possible by improving the quality of 
information at all levels in the Group, fostering an open 
environment and ensuring that financial analysis is 
rigorously applied. Any system of internal control can, 
however, only provide reasonable, but not absolute, 
assurance against material misstatement or loss.

The major elements of the system of internal control 
are as follows:

•  major commercial, strategic and financial risks are 

formally identified, quantified and assessed by each 
business during the annual budgeting exercise and 
presented to and discussed with executive directors, 
after which they are considered by the Board; 

• 

there is a comprehensive system of planning, 
budgeting, reporting and monitoring of the Group’s 
businesses. This includes monthly management 
reporting and monitoring of performance and 
forecasts. Monthly reviews are embedded in the 
internal control process and cover each principal 
business. Monthly reviews require each business to 
consider, among other things, business development, 
financial performance against budget and forecast, 
health and safety and capital expenditure proposals, 
as well as a review of longer-term business 
development and all other aspects of the business. 
They are attended by executive directors and other 
Group personnel as appropriate; 

• 

there is an organisational structure with clearly 
defined lines of responsibility and delegation 
of authority;

•  each business is required to comply with defined 
policies, financial controls and procedures and 
authorisation levels which are clearly communicated;

•  a regular programme of internal control reviews and 

specific investigations is carried out by Group finance 
personnel. These are followed up during regular 
executive management visits. The internal control 
reviews include assessments of compliance 
with Group policies and procedures and findings 
are reported to the Audit Committee and Board 
as appropriate;

• 

there is a whistle-blower procedure of which all 
employees are made aware, to enable concerns to be 
raised either with line management or, if appropriate, 
confidentially outside line management; and

•  a formal risk management audit is regularly carried 

out by Group personnel and external risk 
management consultants, which covers physical 
damage, environmental and health and safety risks 
together with business continuity issues. Formal 
reports including recommendations are sent to each 
business for action and reported back to Group 
management. Progress reports are issued to the 
Board for review and monitoring.

Finally, I would like to take this opportunity to thank 
all Group employees for their hard work, commitment 
and their contribution to the performance of the 
Group during 2014.

Avril Palmer-Baunack
Chairman
25 February 2015

16

Molins PLC Annual Report and Accounts 2014BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Avril Palmer-Baunack§
Chairman
Avril Palmer-Baunack joined the Molins Board as a non-executive 
director and Chairman of the Board on 25 October 2010 and is also 
Chairman of the Nomination Committee. She is the Executive Chairman 
of Haversham Holdings plc, and the non-executive Chairman of Redde 
plc and of Quartix plc. She was formerly executive Chairman of Stobart 
Group Limited, Chief Executive Officer of Autologic Holdings plc, 
Chief Executive Officer of Universal Salvage plc and a non-executive 
director of Alexon Group plc.

Dick Hunter MBA
Chief Executive
Dick Hunter joined the Company in January 2003, was appointed 
to the Board on 28 June 2004 and was appointed Chief Executive 
on 25 January 2008. He previously held a number of general 
management positions within Coats Viyella plc and Dynacast 
International Ltd in Europe, the USA and the Far East.

David Cowen FCA
Group Finance Director
David Cowen joined the Molins Board as Group Finance Director on 
8 February 1999 from Rolls-Royce and Bentley Motor Cars Ltd where 
he was Finance Director. He previously held senior financial positions 
with Vickers PLC.

John Davies§
Non-Executive Director
John Davies joined the Molins Board on 27 January 2011 as a non-
executive director and is Chairman of the Remuneration Committee. 
He is a non-executive director of Redde plc and he was formerly 
non-executive Chairman of Autologic Holdings plc, Managing Director 
of Lloyds TSB’s Asset Finance division, Head of Consumer Finance for 
Standard Chartered Bank and Managing Director of United Dominions 
Trust, a subsidiary of Lloyds TSB Bank plc.

Phil Moorhouse FCCA§
Non-Executive Director
Phil Moorhouse joined the Molins Board on 1 March 2011 as a non-
executive director. He is Chairman of the Audit Committee and is the 
Senior Independent Director. He is also the non-executive Chairman 
of Newcastle Building Society. He was formerly Finance Director 
and Managing Director UK of Northgate plc.

§  Member of the Audit, Remuneration and Nomination Committees.

17

FINANCIAL STATEMENTSMolins PLC Annual Report and Accounts 2014STRATEGIC REPORTCORPORATE GOVERNANCEAUDIT COMMITTEE REPORT

The Audit Committee also considers the independence of 
the external auditors and has developed policies relating 
to the employment of former employees of the auditors 
and the engagement of the auditors, or advisors related 
to the auditors, on non-audit work. These policies, which 
have been adopted formally by the Board, require, inter 
alia, the Committee’s consent to material engagements 
or any employment and appropriate confirmations from 
the auditors. The Committee considers annually how the 
internal audit function operates in the Group, including 
its terms of reference and whether this gives sufficient 
assurance that the business and controls of the Group are 
adequately reviewed. The Committee also approves the 
internal audit work plan each year. This function is part 
of the Group finance department and its senior member 
reports to the Committee at each meeting on its activities 
and has direct access to me as required at all times.

Relationship with the Auditors
During the year under review KPMG provided tax advice 
to the Company and some of its principal subsidiaries. 
The Board has considered the effect on independence 
of the auditors and the objective criteria on which any 
decisions to appoint KPMG should be made. It was 
concluded that in the circumstances its appointment 
as tax advisor was the most cost-effective means of 
securing appropriate advice without a serious risk of 
affecting the independence of the auditors. KPMG have 
confirmed that they do not consider their independence 
to be affected. The Board has developed policies to 
safeguard the independence of the auditors based upon:

• 

internal KPMG processes to prevent information 
being shared between teams except where it is 
appropriate and a periodic rotation of senior audit 
staff in accordance with KPMG’s internal policies;

•  separate consideration of each category or major 
item of work, including the cost-effectiveness of 
any proposed work and the suitability of 
competing advisors;

•  consideration of the total level of fees payable 

to KPMG and its associated entities; and

•  periodic rotation of the lead audit partner; this was 
last effected during 2013, when Peter Selvey was 
appointed Senior Statutory Auditor.

Phil Moorhouse
Chairman of the Audit Committee

In my capacity as Chairman of the Audit Committee, 
I am pleased to report on the responsibilities of the 
Audit Committee and its activities during the year. 
With my background as a chartered certified accountant 
and former finance director the Board regards me as 
having the relevant experience to be able to perform 
my duties as the Committee’s Chairman effectively.

The Committee’s members are the non-executive 
directors, whose biographies are set out on page 17, all of 
whom attended all four of the Committee meetings held 
in the year. The Chief Executive, Group Finance Director, 
Secretary, senior member of the internal audit function 
and representatives of the external auditors (when 
half-year accounts, year end accounts or external audit 
plan proposals are to be considered) are invited to 
attend all or part of each meeting. Each of them has 
confidential access to me at other times as required.

The Audit Committee assists the Board in the discharge 
of its duties concerning the announcement of results, the 
Annual Report and Accounts and the maintenance of 
proper internal controls. It reviews the scope and 
planning, as well as the audit and the auditors’ findings 
and considers Group accounting policies and the 
compliance of those policies with applicable legal 
and accounting standards.

18

Molins PLC Annual Report and Accounts 2014Auditors’ appointment
The Committee evaluated and was satisfied with the work of the auditors, KPMG LLP, and therefore recommended to 
the Board that they should be re-appointed for the 2015 audit. A resolution for the re-appointment of KPMG LLP as 
auditors of the Company is to be proposed at the forthcoming Annual General Meeting to be held on 24 April 2015.

Activities of the Audit Committee during the year
A summary of the Committee’s principal activities in 2014 is set out below.

Month

February

April

August

Principal activities

Review of financial reporting, including material judgements and estimates, goodwill 
impairment review assumptions, going concern assumptions, draft Annual Report 
and Accounts 2013, governance reports, draft preliminary results announcement, 
representation letter to the external auditor and the audit report.

Review of internal controls and risk management processes and environment.

Consideration of the external auditor’s activities, effectiveness, objectivity and 
independence, and consideration of whether to recommend the appointment 
of KPMG LLP as external auditors.

Approval of the internal audit work plan for the year. 

Consideration of the effectiveness of the external audit process.

Review of financial reporting, including consideration of the going concern 
assumptions, the draft half-year announcement and the external auditors’ review 
report of the half-year condensed set of financial statements.

November

Review of financial controls and accounting policies.

Review and approval of the external audit plan for 2014 financial reporting.

Review of internal controls and risk management processes and environment.

Consideration of accounting and corporate governance developments.

By order of the Board

Phil Moorhouse
Chairman of the Audit Committee
25 February 2015

19

FINANCIAL STATEMENTSMolins PLC Annual Report and Accounts 2014STRATEGIC REPORTCORPORATE GOVERNANCEREMUNERATION COMMITTEE REPORT

The Remuneration Committee, which consists of the 
non-executive directors, deals with all aspects of the 
executive directors’ remuneration. The Chief Executive, 
Group Finance Director and Secretary are invited to 
attend all or parts of each Committee meeting but 
are not in attendance when the subject matter covers 
topics pertaining to their remuneration. The Committee 
meets on a regular basis, usually three times a year and 
additionally if required. It met three times in 2014.

During the year, the Committee has undertaken a review 
of the Remuneration policy to satisfy itself that the 
policy supports the strategic objectives of the Company. 
Since the beginning of the financial year there have been 
no substantial changes to the remuneration received by 
the directors or to the policy.

In February 2014 the Committee approved conditional 
grants of Molins ordinary shares under the Company’s 
Deferred share plan to the executive directors, details 
of which are provided in the Remuneration report on 
page 22. 

In reaching its decisions on policy and specific 
remuneration packages, incentive arrangements and 
targets, the Committee obtains professional advice, 
when necessary, from Towers Watson on the salary, 
benefits and incentive arrangements for executive 
directors. It has also taken advice from Towers Watson 
on pension arrangements (a separate team in Towers 
Watson provides actuarial services to the trustee of the 
Molins UK Pension Fund).

John Davies
Chairman of the 
Remuneration Committee

On behalf of the Board I am pleased to present the 
Remuneration Committee’s report for the year ended 
31 December 2014. 

The report is presented in three sections; my 
introductory statement, the Remuneration report 
and the forward-looking Remuneration policy. The 
Remuneration report, on pages 21 to 23, details the 
amounts earned by the directors in respect of the period 
to 31 December 2014 and is subject to an advisory 
shareholder vote. The Remuneration policy, on pages 
23 to 27, sets out the policy which was approved 
by shareholders at the Annual General Meeting held on 
24 April 2014 and which will continue to apply until no 
later than 24 April 2017. 

20

Molins PLC Annual Report and Accounts 2014Remuneration report

Directors’ total remuneration 
The remuneration of the executive directors for the years 2014 and 2013 is made up as follows:

Executive directors’ remuneration as a single figure

2014

D J Cowen 

R C Hunter 

2013

D J Cowen 

R C Hunter 

All taxable
benefitsa
£000

Short-term
incentive
schemeb
£000

Deferred
share planc
£000

23

26

–

–

70

80

All taxable
benefitsa
£000

Short-term
incentive
schemeb
£000

Deferred
share planc
£000

23

26

100

113

78

88

Salary
£000

214

242

Salary
£000

210

237

Pensiond
£000

58

36

Pensiond
£000

57

36

Total
£000

365

384

Total
£000

468

500

a  Taxable benefits include: Mr Cowen - car allowance payments, private medical cover, income replacement insurance and life assurance premiums;  

Mr Hunter – the provision of a company car, private fuel, private medical cover, income replacement insurance and life assurance premiums.

b The performance criteria for the Short-term incentive scheme is described in the Remuneration policy on page 26.

c The performance criteria for the Deferred share plan is described in the Remuneration policy on page 26. The amounts represent the values of the 
awards made in the form of conditional grants which are exercisable no earlier than three years from the date of grant. The share price at the date 
of grant in 2014 was 185.0p and in 2013 was 167.0p.

d The values are the amounts paid in lieu of membership of a pension scheme.

The remuneration of the non-executive directors for the years 2014 and 2013 is made up as follows:

Non-executive directors’ remuneration as a single figure

J L Davies

P J Moorhouse 

A Palmer-Baunack-Chairman

2014

All taxable
benefits
£000

–

–

–

Fees
£000

50

50

75

Total
£000

50

50

75

2013

All taxable
benefits
£000

–

–

–

Fees
£000

50

50

75

Total
£000

50

50

75

Defined benefit pension scheme
The executive directors were members of the Molins UK Pension Fund until April 2012 and the following table relates to the 
benefits of Mr Cowen and Mr Hunter under that scheme.

D J Cowen 

R C Hunter 

Accrued
pension at
31 December
2014
£ pa

48,348

32,974

21

FINANCIAL STATEMENTSMolins PLC Annual Report and Accounts 2014STRATEGIC REPORTCORPORATE GOVERNANCEREMUNERATION COMMITTEE REPORT CONTINUED

Directors’ interests in shares 
The beneficial interests of directors holding office at 31 December 2014 and persons connected with them in the ordinary shares 
of the Company (excluding share options) were as follows:

D J Cowen

R C Hunter 

Held at
1 January and
31 December
2014

100,219

75,000

No director holds, or held at any time during the year, a beneficial interest in the Company’s preference shares.

There were no changes in the directors’ interests in shares between 31 December 2014 and 25 February 2015.

Incentive scheme – Deferred share plan
Details of conditional grants of Molins ordinary shares under the Company’s Deferred share plan yet to vest for each director who 
held office during the year and who is eligible to participate in the plan are as follows:

D J Cowen

R C Hunter

Date of award

Basis of award
(% of salary)

Number of
shares

Face value
at grant
(£000)

27 February 2014

27 February 2013

28 February 2012

1 March 2011

27 February 2014

27 February 2013

28 February 2012

1 March 2011

33.5%

37.5%

35.0%

30.0%

33.5%

37.5%

35.0%

30.0%

42,000

46,600

61,600

81,600

47,600

52,600

69,600

92,200

70

78

71

59

80

88

80

66

The awards are made subject to the achievement of personal objectives linked to long-term strategic initiatives. The earliest date 
that awards can vest is three years from the date of award. In 2014 neither of the executive directors exercised a conditional grant. 

Payments to past directors
There were no payments made to past directors during the period in respect of services provided to the Company.

22

Molins PLC Annual Report and Accounts 2014Total shareholder return (TSR) information
The Company’s TSR performance is shown in the following line graph over the last five years, compared with the FTSE Small 
Cap Index and the FTSE AIM All Share Index. The Board believes these are the most appropriate broad equity market indices 
with which to compare the Company’s performance.

Molins PLC 

FTSE Small Cap Index

FTSE AIM All Share Index

500

400

300

200

100

2009

2010

2011

2012

2013

2014

Remuneration policy
This part of the Remuneration Committee’s report sets out the Remuneration policy which was subject to a binding vote at the  
2014 Annual General Meeting. It is not subject to audit. The Remuneration policy, which was determined by the Company’s 
Remuneration Committee, took effect from the close of the Annual General Meeting on 24 April 2014. 

The Remuneration policy is designed to ensure that the remuneration packages offered, and the terms of the contracts of service, 
are competitive and are designed to attract, retain and motivate executive directors of the right calibre. To achieve these goals, 
the Remuneration Committee’s policy is to establish fixed salary at around half of the total obtainable in the case of excellent 
performance, with recognition and reward for achieving performance targets annually and growth in the long-term.

Remuneration packages
The main components of the package for each executive director are:

i. Basic salary
Basic salary is determined by taking into account the performance of the individual and information on the rates of salary 
for similar jobs in companies of comparable size and complexity in a range of engineering and other technology industries.

ii. Incentive schemes
The executive directors participate in incentive schemes in which the aggregated minimum bonus payable is nil and the 
maximum bonus payable is 120% of relevant salaries, of which a maximum of 70% of salary is payable in cash (awarded 
under the rules of the Short-term incentive scheme) and a maximum of 50% of salary is payable in deferred shares (currently 
awarded as conditional grants in Molins ordinary shares under the Company’s Deferred share plan). The targets against which 
performance is judged are primarily the Group’s underlying earnings per share in respect of the Short-term incentive scheme, 
set annually by the Remuneration Committee, and specific personal objectives linked directly to long-term strategic initiatives 
to enhance shareholder value in respect of the Deferred share plan. The directors’ personal objectives are commercially sensitive 
and therefore remain, and are expected to continue to remain, confidential to the Company. In some years the targets for 
the Short-term incentive scheme may be varied to reflect particular objectives determined by the Remuneration Committee. 
The Remuneration Committee took advice on good practice in this area in 2009 from Towers Watson and also considered 
appropriate benchmarking against similar companies.

The main terms of the Deferred share plan are that an award is made in the form of a nil cost option, which stipulates the number 
of deferred shares being awarded. Awards in each year are usually determined shortly after publication of the Company’s 
preliminary results announcement and, provided the director is still in the employment of the Company on the third anniversary 
of the award being made subject to the achievement of personal objectives, the stated number of shares will be granted to 
the director at any time requested by the director from the third anniversary to, normally, the fourth anniversary. Alternatively, 
in exceptional circumstances and at the Company’s absolute discretion, the Company may make a cash payment of a sum 
equivalent to the value of the shares that would otherwise have been granted. In certain circumstances, for example retirement 
at or after normal retirement age, the director may exercise a proportion of an award before the third year anniversary of the 
conditional grant.

23

FINANCIAL STATEMENTSMolins PLC Annual Report and Accounts 2014STRATEGIC REPORTCORPORATE GOVERNANCEREMUNERATION COMMITTEE REPORT CONTINUED

iii. Pensions
Molins’ policy, from April 2012, is, in lieu of payments to a pension scheme, to pay additional emoluments to the executive 
directors. Alternatively, directors may choose to join the Molins Personal Pension Plan, which is a defined contribution scheme. 
Additionally, life assurance and income protection policies are put in place for the executive directors.

Until April 2012 Molins’ policy was to offer its executive directors membership of the Molins UK Pension Fund (the Fund), which 
is a funded, HM Revenue & Customs approved, contributory, career average (since 1 September 2006), occupational pension 
scheme. Prior to 1 September 2006 benefits were accrued on a final salary basis. Accrual of benefits ceased for all remaining 
members of the Fund on 30 November 2012.

Pensionable salary is the member’s basic salary, subject to the earnings cap introduced by the Finance Act 1989, limiting the 
calculation of remuneration for the purposes of pensions and death benefits under approved schemes to a level of, at present, 
£145,800. In the case of Mr Cowen, the Company paid increased pension benefits through the payment of additional emoluments 
and death benefit through top-up life assurance. Membership of the Fund ceased in April 2012 for the Executive directors.

The Fund’s main features as they affect executive directors are:

• a normal pensionable age of 60 in respect of Mr Cowen and 65 in respect of Mr Hunter; 

• in respect of the career average salary pension (i.e. accruing from 1 September 2006) Mr Cowen accrued pension at the rate 

of 1/37th of each year’s pensionable salary from 1 September 2006, and Mr Hunter at the rate of 1/38th. Pensions accrued each 
year for Mr Cowen and Mr Hunter on a final salary basis (i.e. up to and including 31 August 2006) shall be paid on their final 
pensionable salaries as at the date of their leaving membership of the Fund or retirement from the Company; 

• pension payable in the event of ill health and incapacity; and 

• spouse’s pension on death.

Contracts of service
The Company’s policy is to offer contracts of employment that attract, motivate and retain skilled employees who are incentivised 
to deliver the Company’s strategy. The current service contracts were concluded with Mr Cowen on 18 October 2002 and with Mr 
Hunter on 10 February 2005 as amended on 25 January 2008. These service contracts are terminable on notice of one year given 
by the Company and six months given by the director. In the event of termination by the Company, the Company has the option 
of making a payment of liquidated damages equivalent to the value of 12 months’ salary and benefits, or the balance of the period 
to the date of expiry if less, or of negotiating appropriate compensation reflecting the principle of mitigation. In the event of a 
change of control in the Company, if the Company terminates any of these contracts within 24 months of the change of control, 
or if the director terminates the contract within six months of the change of control, the Company will be obliged to pay liquidated 
damages equivalent to the value of 12 months’ salary and benefits (including bonus at the rate of the average of the two previous 
years). The purpose of the change of control clause, which is reviewed regularly, is that the contracts should provide reasonable 
and appropriate security to the directors concerned and to the Company.

Any commitment contained within the current directors’ service contracts, or a current employee’s contract of employment 
who is subsequently promoted to the role of director, will be honoured even where it is inconsistent with the Company’s 
Remuneration policy.

Letter of appointment 
The non-executive directors are not issued with a separate service contract on appointment. The terms of their appointment are 
set out in their letter of appointment. The Company does not make termination payments to non-executive directors in the event 
a non-executive director’s appointment is terminated by the Company. 

24

Molins PLC Annual Report and Accounts 2014Recruitment 
The Committee reserves the right to make payments outside the Remuneration policy in exceptional circumstances. The 
Committee would only use this right where it believes that this is in the best interests of the Company and when it would be 
disproportionate to seek the specific approval of the shareholders in a general meeting. 

When hiring a new executive director, the Committee will use the Remuneration policy to determine the executive director’s 
remuneration package. To facilitate the hiring of candidates of the appropriate calibre to implement the Group’s strategy, the 
Committee may include any other remuneration component or award not explicitly referred to in this Remuneration policy 
sufficient to attract the right candidate. In determining the appropriate remuneration the Committee will take into consideration 
all relevant factors (including the quantum and nature of the remuneration) to ensure the arrangements are in the best interests 
of the Company and its shareholders.

The Committee may “buy-out” incentive arrangements forfeited on leaving a previous employer after taking account of relevant 
factors including the form of the award, any performance conditions attached to the award and when they would have vested. 
The Committee may consider other components for structuring the buy-out including cash or share awards where there is a 
commercial rationale for this.

Where the recruitment requires the individual to relocate appropriate relocation costs may be offered.

Recruitment awards will normally be liable to forfeiture or clawback if the executive director leaves the Company within the first 
two years of their employment. Any such awards will be linked to the achievement of appropriate and challenging performance 
measures and will be forfeited if performance or continued employment conditions are not met.

Termination 
The Committee reserves the right to make additional liquidated damages payments outside the terms of the directors’ service 
contracts where such payments are made in good faith in order to discharge an existing legal obligation (or by way of damages 
for breach of such an obligation) or by way of settlement or compromise of any claim arising in connection with the termination 
of a director’s office or employment. 

Non-executive directors
The fees of non-executive directors are determined by the Board based upon comparable market levels. The non-executive 
directors do not participate in the Company’s incentive schemes and nor do they receive any benefits or pension contributions.

Future Remuneration policy table
The following table provides a summary of the key components of the remuneration package for directors:

Salary

Purpose and link to strategy

Operation

Opportunity 

This is a fixed element of the executive directors’ remuneration and is intended to be 
competitive and attract, retain and motivate them.

Takes into account the performance of the individual and information on the rates of 
salary for similar jobs in companies of comparable size and complexity in a range of 
engineering and technology industries.

Salary is normally reviewed annually. Ordinarily, salary increases will be in line with 
increases awarded to other employees within the Group. However, increases may be 
made above this level at the Remuneration Committee’s discretion to take account 
of individual circumstances such as:

• increase in scope and responsibility;

• to reflect the individual’s development and performance in the role; and

• alignment to market level.

Performance metrics 

Not applicable, although individual performance is one of the considerations in 
determining the level of salary.

25

FINANCIAL STATEMENTSMolins PLC Annual Report and Accounts 2014STRATEGIC REPORTCORPORATE GOVERNANCEREMUNERATION COMMITTEE REPORT CONTINUED

Benefits 

Purpose and link to strategy

The benefits provided to the executive directors are intended to be competitive and 
attract and retain the right calibre of candidate.

Operation

Opportunity 

Benefits are paid to the executive directors in line with market practice. 

Benefits are set at a level which the Remuneration Committee considers:

• are appropriately positioned against comparable roles in companies of a similar size 

and complexity in the relevant market; and

• provide a sufficient level of benefit based upon the role and individual circumstances.

Performance metrics 

Not applicable.

Short-term incentive scheme

Purpose and link to strategy

Operation

Opportunity 

Performance metrics 

The Short-term incentive scheme is intended to reward executive directors for the 
performance of the Group in the financial year. 

The Remuneration Committee reviews the financial performance of the Group following 
the end of each financial year and determines the payments to be made.

Maximum of 70% of salary.

The targets against which performance is judged are primarily the Group’s underlying 
earnings per share in each financial year set annually by the Remuneration Committee. 
In some years the targets for the Short-term incentive scheme may be varied to reflect 
particular objectives determined by the Remuneration Committee. The Remuneration 
Committee retains the ability to adjust and/or set different performance measures if 
events occur (such as a change in strategy, a material acquisition/divestment of a Group 
business, a change in prevailing market conditions, or a change in regulation which 
affects one or other of the Group businesses) which cause the Remuneration 
Committee to determine that the measures are no longer appropriate and that 
amendment is required so that they achieve their original purpose.

Deferred share plan 

Purpose and link to strategy 

Operation

The Deferred share plan is intended to reward executive directors for their contribution 
in respect of the longer-term development of the Group.

The Remuneration Committee assesses the achievements of each director in respect 
of targets set annually and determines the award to be made, typically shortly after 
the Company’s preliminary results announcement. 

Opportunity 

Maximum of 50% of salary, valued at the date of award of the conditional grant.

The targets against which performance is judged are specific objectives personal to 
each director aimed at contributing towards the longer-term development of the Group. 
The Remuneration Committee retains the ability to adjust and/or set different 
performance measures if events occur (such as a change in strategy, a material 
acquisition/divestment of a Group business, a change in prevailing market conditions, or 
a change in regulation which affects one or other of the Group businesses) which cause 
the Remuneration Committee to determine that the measures are no longer appropriate 
and that amendment is required so that they achieve their original purpose.

Performance metrics 

26

Molins PLC Annual Report and Accounts 2014 
 
 
Pensions

Purpose and link to strategy

Operation

Opportunity 

The payment of a pension benefit is intended to form an integral part of an executive 
director’s remuneration package that is competitive and attracts, retains and motivates 
the director.

Directors may join the Molins Personal Pension Plan, or alternatively, in lieu of payments 
to the pension scheme, the Company may pay additional emoluments.

Any percentage increase in pension contributions will not exceed the percentage 
increase in salary. 

Performance metrics 

Not applicable. 

Fees

Purpose and link to strategy

To attract and retain non-executive directors of the right calibre.

Operation

The fees of non-executive directors are determined by the Board based upon 
comparable market levels. The non-executive directors do not participate in 
the Company’s incentive schemes and nor do they receive any benefits or 
pension contributions.

Statement of consideration of shareholders’ views 
2014 was the first year in which the Company sought binding shareholder approval for its Remuneration policy. Since receiving 
the shareholders’ approval at the 2014 Annual General Meeting, the results of that vote being set out below, the Company has 
not received any representations from shareholders in respect of the Remuneration policy and there has been no specific 
consultation with shareholders on this issue. 

To approve the Remuneration policy (2014 AGM Resolution 8)

For

Against

Withheld

Total

Shareholder votes 

7,148,069

20,201

42,188

7,210,458

Statement of consideration of employment conditions elsewhere in the Company
The Company applies the same key principles to setting remuneration for its employees as those applied to the 
directors’ remuneration. In setting salaries and benefits each business considers the need to retain and incentivise 
key employees and the impact such policy has on the continued success of the Company. Employees of the 
Company were not consulted in setting the Remuneration policy.

By order of the Board

John Davies
Chairman of the Remuneration Committee
25 February 2015

27

FINANCIAL STATEMENTSMolins PLC Annual Report and Accounts 2014STRATEGIC REPORTCORPORATE GOVERNANCEDIRECTORS’ REPORT

Business review
The directors business review is set out as part of the 
Strategic report with the results of the Group being set out 
in the Consolidated income statement on page 33 and in 
its related notes.

Going concern
The Group’s activities together with the factors likely to 
affect its future development, performance and position are 
described within the Strategic report on pages 1 to 3. The 
directors have considered the trading outlook of the Group, its 
financial position, including its cash resources and access to 
borrowings, as set out in note 20 to the accounts on page 54, 
and its continuing obligations, including to its defined benefit 
pension schemes, details of which are set out in note 24 to the 
accounts on pages 56 to 61. Having made due enquiries the 
directors have a reasonable expectation that the Group has 
adequate resources to continue in operational existence for the 
foreseeable future. For this reason, they continue to adopt the 
going concern basis in preparing the financial statements.

Dividends
An interim dividend of 2.5p was paid on 8 October 2014. 
The Board is recommending a final dividend of 3.0p, resulting in 
a maintained dividend for the full year of 5.5p (2013: 5.5p). 
Subject to approval at the Annual General Meeting on 24 April 
2015 the final dividend will be paid on 13 May 2015 to ordinary 
shareholders registered at the close of business on 24 April 
2015, at a cost of £0.6m. 

Dividends on the 6% preference shares are due for payment on 
30 June and 31 December in each year and in 2014 amounted 
to £0.1m (2013: £0.1m).

Research and development
Group policy is to retain and enhance its market position 
through the design and development of specialist machinery, 
instrumentation and services. To achieve this objective, 
engineering and product development facilities are maintained 
in the UK and overseas. Research and development 
expenditure incurred in 2014, net of third-party income, 
amounted to £3.7m (2013: £3.0m), of which £0.6m (2013: 
£0.8m) was charged to the Consolidated income statement 
and £3.1m (2013: £2.2m) was capitalised and included in 
development costs.

Directors and directors’ interests
The names of the directors of the Company at the date of this 
report are shown on page 17. All held office throughout 2014. 

Directors’ interests in the Company’s shares as at 31 December 
2014 are shown on page 22 in the Remuneration report. There 
are no shareholding requirements for directors.

28

Substantial shareholdings
At 25 February 2015, the Company had been notified of 
the following interests in the issued ordinary share capital 
of the Company:

Number of
ordinary shares

% of issued
ordinary shares

Schroder Investment 
Management Limited

River and Mercantile Asset 
Management LLP

Mr G V L Oury

EES Trustees 
International Limited

4,785,087

1,165,000

890,000

656,016

23.7

5.8

4.4

3.2

Share capital
Authority for the purchase of up to 3,000,000 own ordinary 
shares for cancellation was granted at the 2014 Annual General 
Meeting and this authority expires on 24 April 2015. The 
directors consider it appropriate to seek further authority from 
the shareholders at the forthcoming Annual General Meeting 
for the Company to purchase its own shares. Resolution 9 
which will be proposed as a special resolution, will seek the 
necessary authority to enable the Company to purchase for 
cancellation ordinary shares in the market for a period of 12 
months from the date of the meeting, upon the terms set out in 
the resolution, up to a maximum number of 3,000,000 ordinary 
shares representing approximately 15% of the issued ordinary 
share capital at the date of the notice convening the Annual 
General Meeting.

EES Trustees International Limited holds shares as trustee 
in connection with the Company’s long-term incentive 
arrangements for the benefit of the Group’s employees. The 
trustee has agreed to waive all dividends and not to exercise 
voting rights in respect of shares representing 3.2% of the 
issued share capital.

Information about the Company’s share capital is given in 
note 25 to the accounts on page 62.

Annual General Meeting
The Annual General Meeting will take place on 24 April 2015. 
Notice of the meeting can be found on pages 74 to 81.

Molins PLC Annual Report and Accounts 2014Social, community and human rights 
Employment policies 
The Group is committed to developing its employment policies 
in line with best practice and providing equal opportunities for 
all, irrespective of gender, age, marital status, sexual orientation, 
ethnic origin, religious belief or disability. Full and fair 
consideration is given to applications for employment from 
people with disabilities having regard to their aptitudes and 
abilities. Every reasonable effort is made to support those who 
become disabled, either in the same job or, if this is not 
practicable, in suitable alternative work.

Gender diversity
The information contained within the table below relates to 
employees of Molins PLC only and does not include employees 
of the Company’s overseas subsidiaries.

Directors

Senior managers

Total employees

Men (%)

Women (%)

80

67

83

20

33

17

Employee involvement 
Emphasis is placed on training, effective communication and 
the involvement of employees in the development of the 
business. Information is regularly provided on the progress 
of the Group through local review meetings, briefings and 
consultative bodies. Involvement in the achievements of the 
business is encouraged through other means appropriate 
to each location.

Ethics policy 
The Group‘s Ethics policy was reviewed, updated and reissued 
in April 2014. The Ethics policy, which is distributed to every 
Group employee and is available on the Group’s website at 
www.molins.com, sets out the values which Molins PLC seeks 
to encourage and certain principles governing the way it 
does business. 

Environmental policy
The Group is committed not only to compliance with 
environmental legislation but also to the progressive 
introduction of appropriate measures to limit the adverse 
effects of its operations upon the environment. In particular, 
efforts are made to minimise waste arising from operations, to 
recycle materials wherever possible and to consider alternative 
methods of design or operation. The Group aims both to 
reduce its costs by these means and to promote good practice 
in use of resources at sustainable levels. 

Emissions
Following its admission to AIM, Molins PLC has chosen to report 
emissions for the Group on a voluntary basis as set out below. 
Emissions are measured as tonnes of CO2 equivalent resulting 
directly from the Group’s purchase of electricity and the 
combustion of fuel arising from the activities of the Group 
for which it is responsible and an intensity ratio has also 
been included. 

Emissions (tonnes
of CO2 equivalent)

Intensity ratio
(tonnes of CO2
equivalent per
employeea)

2,237

1,368

3,605

4.5

Purchased electricity 

Combustion of fuel

Total

a Calculated using average number of employees in the year.

By order of the Board

S P Cannon
Secretary
25 February 2015

29

FINANCIAL STATEMENTSMolins PLC Annual Report and Accounts 2014STRATEGIC REPORTCORPORATE GOVERNANCE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 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. As required by the AIM Rules of the 
London Stock Exchange they are required to prepare 
the group financial statements in accordance with 
International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRSs) as 
adopted by the EU and applicable law and have elected 
to prepare the parent company financial statements on 
the same basis. 

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: 

The directors consider that the Annual Report and 
Accounts, taken as a whole, is fair, balanced and 
understandable and provides the information necessary 
for shareholders to assess the Company’s performance, 
business model and strategy.

Responsibilities statement
Each of the directors, whose names and functions 
are listed on page 17 confirm that to the best of 
their knowledge:

• 

• 

the financial statements, prepared in accordance with 
IFRS as adopted by the European Union, give a true 
and fair view of the assets, liabilities, financial position 
and profit of the Group and the Company; and 

the Strategic report includes a fair review of the 
development and performance of the business 
and the position of the Group, together with a 
description of the principal risks and uncertainties 
the Group faces.

•  select suitable accounting policies and then apply 

them consistently; 

•  make judgements and estimates that are reasonable 

In accordance with section 418 of the Companies Act 
2006, each director in office at the date the Annual 
Report and Accounts is approved, confirms that:

and prudent; 

•  state whether they have been prepared in 

accordance with IFRSs as adopted by the EU; and 

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

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

By order of the Board

R C Hunter  
Chief Executive  
25 February 2015

D J Cowen
Group Finance Director

•  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. 

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. 

30

Molins PLC Annual Report and Accounts 2014 
 
 
INDEPENDENT AUDITOR’S REPORT  
TO THE MEMBERS OF MOLINS PLC

We have audited the financial statements of Molins PLC 
for the year ended 31 December 2014 set out on pages 
32 to 71. The financial reporting framework that has 
been applied in their preparation is applicable law and 
International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRSs) as 
adopted by the EU and, as regards the parent company 
financial statements, as applied in accordance with the 
provisions of the Companies Act 2006. 

• 

• 

• 

This report is made solely to the Company’s members, 
as a body, in accordance with Chapter 3 of Part 16 of 
the Companies Act 2006. Our audit work has been 
undertaken so that we might state to the Company’s 
members those matters we are required to state to them 
in an auditor’s report and for no other purpose. To the 
fullest extent permitted by law, we do not accept or 
assume responsibility to anyone other than the Company 
and the Company’s members, as a body, for our audit 
work, for this report, or for the opinions we have formed. 

Respective responsibilities of directors 
and auditor 
As explained more fully in the Directors’ responsibilities 
statement set out on page 30, the directors are 
responsible for the preparation of the financial 
statements and for being satisfied that they give a true 
and fair view. Our responsibility is to audit, and express 
an opinion on the financial statements in accordance 
with applicable law and International Standards on 
Auditing (UK and Ireland). Those standards require us 
to comply with the Auditing Practices Board’s Ethical 
Standards for Auditors. 

Scope of the audit of the financial statements 
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.

Opinion on financial statements 
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 31 December 2014 and of the Group’s loss 
for the year then ended; 

the Group financial statements have been properly 
prepared in accordance with 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. 

Opinion on other matter prescribed by the 
Companies Act 2006 
In our opinion the information given in the Strategic 
report and the Directors’ report for the financial year for 
which the financial statements are prepared is consistent 
with the financial statements. 

Matters on which we are required to report 
by exception 
We have nothing to report in respect of the following 
matters where the Companies Act 2006 requires us 
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 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. 

Peter Selvey (Senior Statutory Auditor) 
for and on behalf of KPMG LLP, Statutory Auditor 
Chartered Accountants 
Altius House
One North Fourth Street
Milton Keynes 
MK9 1NE
25 February 2015

31

Molins PLC Annual Report and Accounts 2014STRATEGIC REPORTFINANCIAL STATEMENTSCORPORATE GOVERNANCECONSOLIDATED INCOME STATEMENT  
FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER

Revenue
Cost of sales

Gross profit

Other operating income

Distribution expenses

Administrative expenses

Other operating expenses

Operating profit

Financial income

Financial expenses

Net financing expense

Profit before tax

Taxation

(Loss)/profit for the period

Basic (loss)/earnings per 
ordinary share

Diluted (loss)/earnings 
per ordinary share

Note

Underlying
£m

2014

Non-
underlying
(note 5)
£m

Total
£m

Underlying
£m

2013

Non-
underlying
(note 5)
£m

1

2

3

1,4

8

8

9

11

11

89.9
(64.6)

25.3

–

(9.0)

(12.3)

(0.6)

3.4

0.2

(0.3)

(0.1)

3.3

(0.9)

2.4

–
–

–

0.2

–

(1.4)

(1.6)

(2.8)

–

(0.2)

(0.2)

(3.0)

0.3

(2.7)

89.9
(64.6)

25.3

0.2

(9.0)

(13.7)

(2.2)

0.6

0.2

(0.5)

(0.3)

0.3

(0.6)

(0.3)

(1.3)p

(1.3)p

105.2
(76.6)

28.6

–

(8.5)

(13.8)

(0.8)

5.5

0.2

(0.3)

(0.1)

5.4

(0.8)

4.6

–
–

–

–

–

(0.9)

–

(0.9)

–

(0.7)

(0.7)

(1.6)

0.5

(1.1)

Total
£m

105.2
(76.6)

28.6

–

(8.5)

(14.7)

(0.8)

4.6

0.2

(1.0)

(0.8)

3.8

(0.3)

3.5

18.0p

17.6p

32

Molins PLC Annual Report and Accounts 2014STATEMENTS OF COMPREHENSIVE INCOME  
FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER

(Loss)/profit for the period

Other comprehensive (expense)/income

Items that will not be reclassified to profit or loss

Actuarial (losses)/gains

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

Note

24

9

Group

Company

2014
£m

(0.3)

2013
£m

3.5

2014
£m

(3.6)

2013
£m

3.2

(15.5)

13.5

(12.7)

11.0

3.6

(11.9)

(3.6)

9.9

2.5

(10.2)

(2.6)

8.4

Items that may be reclassified subsequently to profit 
or loss

Currency translation movements arising on foreign 
currency net investments

Effective portion of changes in fair value of cash 
flow hedges

Tax on items that may be reclassified to profit or loss

9

Other comprehensive (expense)/income 
for the period

Total comprehensive (expense)/income 
for the period

(1.3)

(1.5)

(0.1)

–

(1.4)

(13.3)

(13.6)

(0.8)

0.1

(2.2)

7.7

11.2

–

0.1

–

0.1

(10.1)

(13.7)

–

(0.6)

0.1

(0.5)

7.9

11.1

33

Molins PLC Annual Report and Accounts 2014STRATEGIC REPORTFINANCIAL STATEMENTSCORPORATE GOVERNANCESTATEMENTS OF CHANGES IN EQUITY  
FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER

Balance at 1 January 2013

Profit for the period

Other comprehensive income/
(expense) for the period

Total comprehensive income/
(expense) for the period

Dividends to shareholders

Equity-settled share-based 
transactions

Purchase of own shares

Tax on items taken directly 
to equity

Total transactions with owners, 
recorded directly in equity

Balance at 31 December 2013

Balance at 1 January 2014

Loss for the period

Other comprehensive expense for 
the period

Total comprehensive expense for 
the period

Dividends to shareholders

Equity-settled share-based 
transactions

Purchase of own shares

Tax on items recorded directly 
in equity

Total transactions with owners, 
recorded directly in equity

Share
capital
£m

5.0

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

26.0

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

5.0

5.0

26.0

26.0

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

Share
premium
£m

Translation
reserve
£m

Hedging
reserve
£m

Retained
earnings
£m

0.2

–

(8.1)

3.5

(0.7)

9.9

Group

Capital
redemption
reserve
£m

3.9

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

3.5

–

(1.5)

(1.5)

–

–

–

–

–

2.0

2.0

–

(1.3)

(1.3)

–

–

–

–

–

Total
equity
£m

30.5

3.5

7.7

11.2

(1.1)

0.2

(0.2)

13.4

(1.1)

0.2

(0.2)

(0.1)

(0.1)

(1.2)

(1.2)

4.1

4.1

40.5

40.5

(1.1)

(1.1)

0.3

(0.1)

0.3

(0.1)

(0.1)

(0.1)

(1.0)

(9.1)

(1.0)

25.9

(0.7)

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

3.9

3.9

(0.5)

(0.5)

–

(0.3)

(0.3)

(0.1)

(11.9)

(13.3)

(0.1)

(12.2)

(13.6)

Balance at 31 December 2014

5.0

26.0

0.7

3.9

(0.6)

34

Molins PLC Annual Report and Accounts 2014Share
premium
£m

Translation
reserve
£m

Company

Capital
redemption
reserve
£m

Hedging
reserve
£m

Retained
earnings
£m

Balance at 1 January 2013

Profit for the period

Other comprehensive income/
(expense) for the period

Total comprehensive income/
(expense) for the period

Dividends to shareholders

Equity-settled share-based 
transactions

Purchase of own shares

Tax on items recorded directly 
in equity

Total transactions with owners, 
recorded directly in equity

Balance at 31 December 2013

Balance at 1 January 2014

Loss for the period

Other comprehensive (expense)/
income for the period

Total comprehensive (expense)/
income for the period

Dividends to shareholders

Equity-settled share-based 
transactions

Purchase of own shares

Tax on items recorded directly 
in equity

Total transactions with owners, 
recorded directly in equity

Share
capital
£m

5.0

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

26.0

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

5.0

5.0

26.0

26.0

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

Balance at 31 December 2014

5.0

26.0

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

3.9

(0.2)

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

(0.5)

(0.5)

–

–

–

–

–

Total
equity
£m

56.0

3.2

7.9

11.1

(1.1)

0.2

(0.2)

21.3

3.2

8.4

11.6

(1.1)

0.2

(0.2)

(0.1)

(0.1)

(1.2)

(1.2)

3.9

3.9

(0.7)

(0.7)

31.7

31.7

65.9

65.9

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

0.1

0.1

–

–

–

–

–

3.9

(0.6)

(3.6)

(3.6)

(10.2)

(10.1)

(13.8)

(13.7)

(1.1)

(1.1)

0.3

(0.1)

0.3

(0.1)

(0.1)

(0.1)

(1.0)

16.9

(1.0)

51.2

35

Molins PLC Annual Report and Accounts 2014STRATEGIC REPORTFINANCIAL STATEMENTSCORPORATE GOVERNANCESTATEMENTS OF FINANCIAL POSITION  
AS AT 31 DECEMBER

Non-current assets

Intangible assets

Property, plant and equipment

Investment property

Investments

Deferred tax assets

Current assets

Inventories

Trade and other receivables

Current tax assets

Cash and cash equivalents

Current liabilities

Trade and other payables

Current tax liabilities

Provisions

Net current assets

Total assets less current liabilities

Non-current liabilities

Interest-bearing loans and borrowings

Employee benefits

Net assets

Equity

Issued capital

Share premium

Reserves

Retained earnings

Total equity

Note

12

13

14

15

16

17

19

10

22

10

23

20

24

1

25

Group

Company

2014
£m

15.7

11.3

0.8

–

6.4

2013
£m

15.2

11.2

0.8

–

3.2

34.2

30.4

18.5

26.0

0.2

9.8

54.5

18.5

24.3

–

15.0

57.8

2014
£m

11.5

3.5

0.8

50.6

2.1

68.5

6.6

20.4

–

5.1

32.1

2013
£m

10.6

3.2

0.8

50.6

0.1

65.3

8.7

22.3

–

8.5

39.5

(28.6)

(29.5)

(22.5)

(25.2)

(0.4)

(1.3)

(1.2)

(1.6)

(0.1)

(0.8)

(0.4)

(1.0)

(30.3)

(32.3)

(23.4)

(26.6)

24.2

58.4

(11.9)

(20.6)

25.5

55.9

(9.8)

(5.6)

8.7

77.2

(11.9)

(14.1)

12.9

78.2

(9.8)

(2.5)

(32.5)

(15.4)

(26.0)

(12.3)

25.9

40.5

51.2

65.9

5.0

26.0

4.0

(9.1)

25.9

5.0

26.0

5.4

4.1

40.5

5.0

26.0

3.3

16.9

51.2

5.0

26.0

3.2

31.7

65.9

These financial statements were approved by the directors on 25 February 2015 and signed on their behalf by:

R C Hunter
Director

D J Cowen
Director

Registered number
124855

36

Molins PLC Annual Report and Accounts 2014STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOW  
FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER

Group

Company

Operating activities

Operating profit/(loss)

Non-underlying items included in operating profit 
(excluding impairments)

Amortisation

Depreciation

Impairment

Other non-cash items

Pension payments

Working capital movements:

– (increase)/decrease in inventories

– (increase)/decrease in trade and other receivables

– (decrease)/increase in trade and other payables

– (decrease)/increase in provisions

Cash flows from operations before reorganisation

Reorganisation costs paid 

Cash flows from operations

Taxation paid

Cash flows from operating activities

Investing activities

Interest received

Proceeds from sale of property, plant and equipment

Acquisition of property, plant and equipment

Acquisition of investment property

Capitalised development expenditure

Cash flows from investing activities

Financing activities

Interest paid

Purchase of own shares

Net increase against revolving facilities

Dividends paid

Cash flows from financing activities

Net (decrease)/increase in cash and cash equivalents

Cash and cash equivalents at 1 January

Effect of exchange rate fluctuations on cash held

Cash and cash equivalents at 31 December

Note

5

25

21

2014
£m

0.6

1.2

1.2

1.8

1.6

0.1

(1.8)

(0.7)

(1.9)

(0.9)

(0.2)

1.0

(0.5)

0.5

(1.0)

(0.5)

0.2

0.2

(2.1)

–

(3.1)

(4.8)

(0.3)

(0.1)

1.8

(1.1)

0.3

(5.0)

15.0

(0.2)

9.8

2013
£m

4.6

0.9

1.4

1.8

–

0.2

(1.5)

(1.0)

(3.4)

2.4

0.4

5.8

(0.7)

5.1

(1.0)

4.1

0.2

0.2

(1.9)

(0.7)

(2.2)

(4.4)

(0.3)

(0.2)

4.2

(1.1)

2.6

2.3

13.3

(0.6)

15.0

2014
£m

(3.2)

0.8

1.1

0.4

0.8

0.4

(1.7)

2.1

1.6

(2.2)

(0.2)

(0.1)

(0.2)

(0.3)

(0.2)

(0.5)

0.3

–

(0.7)

–

(2.8)

(3.2)

(0.3)

(0.1)

1.8

(1.1)

0.3

2013
£m

4.2

0.7

1.1

0.4

–

0.2

(1.4)

(2.0)

(7.1)

3.9

0.2

0.2

(0.6)

(0.4)

(0.3)

(0.7)

0.3

0.1

(0.3)

(0.7)

(1.8)

(2.4)

(0.3)

(0.2)

4.2

(1.1)

2.6

(3.4)

(0.5)

8.5

–

5.1

9.0

–

8.5

37

Molins PLC Annual Report and Accounts 2014STRATEGIC REPORTFINANCIAL STATEMENTSCORPORATE GOVERNANCEThe significant accounting policies which are set out 
below apply to both the Group and Company financial 
statements, as appropriate.

Basis of accounting
Molins PLC (the Company) is a company incorporated 
and domiciled in the UK. The Group financial statements 
consolidate those of the Company and its subsidiaries 
(together referred to as the Group).

Both the Company financial statements and the Group 
financial statements have been prepared and approved 
by the directors in accordance with International 
Financial Reporting Standards as adopted by 
the EU (Adopted IFRSs).

The financial statements have been prepared on the 
historical cost basis except that derivative financial 
instruments, principally forward foreign exchange 
contracts, are stated at fair value and non-current 
assets are stated at the lower of previous carrying 
amount and fair value less costs to sell.

The preparation of financial statements in conformity 
with adopted IFRS requires the directors to make 
judgements, estimates and assumptions that affect 
the application of policies and reported amounts of 
assets, liabilities, income and expenses. The estimates 
and assumptions are based on historical experience 
and other factors considered reasonable at the time, 
but actual results may differ from these estimates. 
Revisions to these estimates are made in the period 
in which they are recognised.

The accounting policies, presentation and methods of 
computation applied by the Group and Company in 
these financial statements are the same as those applied 
in the 2013 financial statements.

At the date of this report the following standards and 
interpretations, which have not been applied in this 
report, were in issue but not yet effective:

IAS 32 (amended) Offsetting Financial Assets and 
Financial Liabilities; and

IAS 36 (amended) Impairment of Assets.

The directors do not believe that the application of 
these standards, where applicable, will have a significant 
impact on the financial statements’ disclosures.

Going concern
The Group’s activities together with the factors likely to 
affect its future development, performance and position 
are described within the Operating review on pages 6 to 
8, Financial review on pages 9 to 11 and in the Principal 
risks and uncertainties on pages 12 and 13.

The directors have considered the trading outlook of the 
Group, its financial position, including its cash resources 
and access to borrowings, as set out in the Financial 
review on pages 9 to 11 and in note 20 to the accounts 
on page 54, and its continuing obligations, including to 
its defined benefit pension schemes, details of which 
are set out in note 24 to the accounts on pages 56 to 
61. Having made due enquiries the directors have a 
reasonable expectation that the Group has adequate 
resources to continue in operational existence for the 
foreseeable future. For this reason, they continue to 
adopt the going concern basis in preparing the financial 
statements.

Basis of consolidation
The Group financial statements comprise the 
consolidated results of the Company and all of 
its subsidiary companies together with the Group’s 
share of the results of its associated companies on an 
equity accounting basis. A separate income statement 
dealing only with the results of the Company has not 
been presented in accordance with section 408 of the 
Companies Act 2006.

A subsidiary is a company controlled, directly or 
indirectly, by the Group. Control is the power to 
govern the financial and operating policies of the 
subsidiary company so as to obtain benefits from its 
activities. A subsidiary’s results are included in the 
Group financial statements from the date that control 
commences until the date that control ceases.

Intragroup balances and any unrealised gains and 
losses or income and expenses arising from intragroup 
transactions are eliminated in preparing the consolidated 
financial statements.

Foreign currency
Transactions in foreign currencies are translated at 
the foreign exchange rate ruling at the date of the 
transaction. Monetary assets and liabilities denominated 
in foreign currencies at the statement of financial 
position date are translated at the foreign exchange 
rate ruling at that date. Foreign exchange differences 
arising on translation are recognised in the 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. Non-monetary assets and liabilities 
denominated in foreign currencies that are stated at fair 
value are translated at foreign exchange rates ruling at 
the date the fair value was determined.

The assets and liabilities of foreign operations, 
including goodwill and fair value adjustments arising on 
consolidation, are translated at foreign exchange rates 
ruling at the statement of financial position date.

38

Molins PLC Annual Report and Accounts 2014ACCOUNTING POLICIESForeign currency continued
The revenues and expenses of foreign operations are 
translated at an average rate for the period where this 
rate approximates to the foreign exchange rates ruling 
at the dates of the transactions.

Exchange differences arising from the translation of 
foreign operations, and of related qualifying hedges, 
are taken directly to the translation reserve. They are 
released into the income statement upon disposal.

Goodwill
Goodwill arising on consolidation represents the excess 
of the cost of acquisition over the Group’s interest in 
the fair value of the identifiable assets and liabilities 
of the subsidiary or associated undertaking at the 
date of acquisition.

Goodwill is recognised as an asset and is reviewed 
for impairment at least annually. Any impairment is 
recognised immediately through the income statement 
and is not subsequently reversed. Impairment losses 
recognised are allocated first to reduce the carrying 
value of the goodwill the business relates to, and then 
to reduce the carrying value of the other assets of that 
business on a pro rata basis.

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

Goodwill arising on acquisitions prior to 2004 has been 
retained at its deemed cost, representing the amount 
recorded under UK GAAP, and is subject to impairment 
review as indicated above. Goodwill written off to 
reserves under UK GAAP prior to 1998 is not included 
in determining any subsequent profit or loss on disposal.

Research and development
Research and development and related product 
development costs are charged to the income 
statement in the year in which they are incurred unless 
they are specifically chargeable to and recoverable 
from customers under agreed contract terms or the 
expenditure meets the criteria for capitalisation.

Where the expenditure relates to the development 
of a new product for which the technical feasibility and 
commercial viability of the product is expected, where 
development costs can be measured reliably and where 
future economic benefits are probable, development 
costs are capitalised and amortised over their useful 
economic lives, to a maximum of five years. The 
expenditure capitalised includes costs of materials, direct 
labour and an appropriate proportion of overheads. 
Such intangible assets are assessed for indicators 
of impairment at least annually and any impairment 
is charged to the income statement.

Property, plant and equipment
Property, plant and equipment is stated at cost or 
deemed cost less accumulated depreciation and 
any provision for impairment in value.

Depreciation is provided on a straight-line basis to 
write-off the cost, less the estimated residual value, 
of property, plant and equipment over their estimated 
useful lives.

The annual depreciation rates used are as follows:

Freehold land

Freehold buildings

– nil

– 3% on cost or 
deemed cost

Leasehold property

– over life of lease

Plant and machinery

– 8% to 25%

Fixtures, fittings and vehicles

–

10% to 33%

The carrying value of property, plant and equipment is 
reviewed at least annually for indicators of impairment. 
Any change in value arising from impairment is charged 
or credited (up to the carrying value prior to any previous 
impairment) to the income statement for the year.

Certain items of property that had been revalued to fair 
value on or prior to 1 January 2004, the date of transition 
to IFRS, are measured on the basis of deemed cost, 
being the revalued amount at the date of the revaluation.

Investment property
Investment property, which is property held to earn 
rentals and/or for capital appreciation, is stated at 
cost. Depreciation is based on cost less residual value. 
Where the expected residual value exceeds cost no 
depreciation is provided.

Investments
Investments in subsidiary undertakings are held at cost 
less provision for any impairment in value. The carrying 
value of investments in subsidiary undertakings are 
reviewed at least annually for indicators of impairment.

Inventories
Inventories are valued at the lower of cost, including 
appropriate overheads, and net realisable value. 
Provisions are made against excess and obsolete 
inventories.

Construction contracts
The attributable profit recognised on construction 
contracts is based on the stage of completion and the 
overall contract profitability after taking account of 
uncertainties. Full provision is made for any estimated 
losses to completion of contracts.

39

Molins PLC Annual Report and Accounts 2014STRATEGIC REPORTFINANCIAL STATEMENTSCORPORATE GOVERNANCEConstruction contracts continued
The gross amount due from customers for contract work 
and the gross amount due to customers for contract 
work are shown within trade and other receivables 
and trade and other payables respectively. They are 
measured at cost plus profit recognised to date less 
deposits billed on account and recognised losses.

Cash and cash equivalents
Cash and cash equivalents comprise cash balances and 
short-term fixed deposits, and for the statements of cash 
flows they also include bank overdrafts.

Share capital
When share capital is repurchased, the amount of 
consideration paid, including directly attributable costs, 
is recognised as a change in equity. Repurchased shares 
are classified as treasury shares and presented as a 
deduction from total equity.

Hedge accounting
The Group applies cash flow hedge accounting to 
forward foreign exchange contracts, held to reduce 
the exposure to movements in the future value of 
foreign currency receipts and payments.

For those contracts included in an effective cash 
flow hedging relationship, changes in the fair value 
of the hedging instrument are recognised in other 
comprehensive income and taken to equity. When 
the hedged forecast transaction occurs, amounts 
previously recorded in equity are recognised in the 
income statement. Any ineffectiveness in the hedging 
arrangement is included in the income statement.

Post-retirement and other employee benefits
The Group and Company account for pensions 
and other post-retirement benefits under IAS 19 
Employee benefits.

Preference share capital is classified as a liability 
as dividend payments are not discretionary.

Dividends on the preference shares are disclosed 
as interest charges, are recognised as a liability and 
are accounted for on an accruals basis. Dividends 
on ordinary shares are only recognised in the period 
in which they are paid.

Financial instruments
IAS 39 Financial instruments – recognition and 
measurement requires the classification of financial 
instruments into different types for which the 
accounting requirement is different. The Group has 
classified its financial instruments as follows:

•  short-term fixed deposits, principally comprising 

funds held with banks and other financial institutions, 
are classified as loans and receivables;

•  borrowings are classified as other liabilities; and

•  derivatives, comprising forward foreign exchange 
contracts, are classified as instruments that are 
held for trading.

Financial instruments are initially measured at fair value. 
Their subsequent measurement depends on their 
classification:

• 

• 

loans and receivables and other liabilities are held 
at amortised cost; and

instruments that are held for trading are held at fair 
value. Changes in fair value are included in the 
income statement unless the instrument is included 
in a cash flow hedge.

For defined benefit schemes, the net obligation is 
calculated separately for each scheme by estimating the 
amount of future benefits that employees have earned 
in return for their service in the current and prior periods. 
The benefit is discounted to determine its present value, 
and the fair value of the schemes’ assets (at bid price) 
is deducted. The liability discount rate is the yield at 
the statement of financial position date on AA credit 
rated bonds that have maturity rates approximating 
to the terms of the obligations. The calculations are 
performed by qualified actuaries using the projected 
unit credit method. The expense of administering the 
pension schemes and financing income/expense of the 
schemes are recognised in the income statement. Past 
service costs/credits and curtailment costs/credits are 
recognised in the periods in which they arise. Actuarial 
gains and losses are recognised in the period in which 
they arise in other comprehensive income.

Payments to defined contribution schemes are charged 
to the income statement as incurred.

The net obligation in respect of long-term service 
benefits, other than pension plans, is the amount of the 
future benefit that employees have earned in return for 
their service in the current and prior periods. Obligations 
are measured at their present value.

Share-based payments
The Group has applied the requirements of IFRS 2 
Share-based payments.

The Group issues equity-settled share-based payments 
to certain employees. These are measured at their 
fair value at the date of grant and are expensed on a 
straight-line basis over the vesting period, based on an 
estimate of the number of shares that will eventually 
vest, and adjusted for the effect of non-market 
related conditions.

40

Molins PLC Annual Report and Accounts 2014ACCOUNTING POLICIES CONTINUEDShare-based payments continued
Charges made to the income statement in respect of 
share-based payments are credited to retained earnings.

Provisions
A provision is recognised when the Group has a legal or 
constructive obligation as a result of a past event and it 
is probable that an outflow of economic benefits will be 
required to settle the obligation.

Revenue
Revenue comprises sales to third-party customers 
after discounts, excluding value added tax and other 
sales taxes.

Revenue from goods is recognised when the significant 
risks and rewards of ownership of goods are transferred 
to the customer. Revenue from services is recognised 
when value or benefit has been transferred to the 
customer. Where the impact of discounting to present 
value is significant, revenues are recognised at 
present value.

Construction contract revenues are recognised when 
the outcome of the transaction can be assessed reliably. 
Revenue is recognised by reference to the stage of 
completion which is dependent on the nature of the 
contract, but will generally be based on labour costs 
incurred up to the reporting date or achievement 
of contractual milestones where appropriate.

Leases
Rentals payable under operating leases are charged 
to the income statement over the term of the lease.

Interest receivable
Interest receivable is recognised in the income statement 
using the effective interest method as defined in IAS 39 
Financial instruments: recognition and measurement.

Borrowing costs
Borrowing costs directly attributable to the acquisition, 
construction or production of qualifying assets are 
added to the cost of those assets.

All other borrowing costs are recognised in the income 
statement in the period in which they are incurred.

Taxation
Tax on the profit or loss for the year comprises current 
and deferred tax. Tax is recognised in the income 
statement except to the extent that it relates to items 
recognised in other comprehensive income, in which 
case it is recognised in the statements of comprehensive 
income, or to items recorded directly in equity in which 
case it is recorded directly in equity.

Current tax is the expected tax payable on the 
taxable income for the year, using tax rates enacted 
or substantively enacted at the statement of financial 
position date, and any adjustment to tax payable in 
respect of previous years.

Deferred tax is the tax expected to be payable or 
recoverable on differences between the carrying 
amounts of assets and liabilities in the financial 
statements and the corresponding tax bases used in 
the computation of taxable profit, and is accounted 
for using the balance sheet liability method. 

Deferred tax liabilities are generally recognised for all 
taxable temporary differences and deferred tax assets 
are recognised to the extent that it is probable that 
taxable profits will be available against which deductible 
temporary differences can be utilised. Such assets and 
liabilities are not recognised if the temporary difference 
arises from the initial recognition of goodwill; the initial 
recognition of other assets and liabilities that affect 
neither the taxable profit nor the accounting profit; 
and differences relating to investments in subsidiaries 
to the extent that they will probably not reverse in the 
foreseeable future.

The carrying amount of deferred tax assets is reviewed 
at each balance sheet date and reduced to the extent 
that it is no longer probable that sufficient taxable 
profits will be available to allow all or part of the asset 
to be recovered. 

Deferred tax is calculated at the tax rates that are 
expected to apply in the period when the liability is 
settled or the asset is realised based on tax laws and 
rates that have been enacted or substantively enacted 
at the balance sheet date. Deferred tax is charged or 
credited to the income statement, except when it relates 
to items charged or credited in other comprehensive 
income, in which case the deferred tax is also dealt with 
in other comprehensive income. 

Deferred tax assets and liabilities are offset when there 
is a legally enforceable right to set off current tax assets 
against current tax liabilities and when they relate to 
income taxes levied by the same taxation authority 
and the Group intends to settle its current tax assets 
and liabilities on a net basis. 

Operating segments
An operating segment is a component of the Group that 
is engaged in business activities from which it may earn 
revenues and incur expenses, and for which discrete 
financial information is available. All operating segments’ 
results are regularly reviewed by the Group’s chief 
operating decision maker, which is the Board of directors, 
in order to assess performance and make decisions 
about the allocation of resources to each segment.

41

Molins PLC Annual Report and Accounts 2014STRATEGIC REPORTFINANCIAL STATEMENTSCORPORATE GOVERNANCE1. Operating segments
The Group has three operating segments which are the Group’s three divisions. The three divisions comprise Scientific 
Services, Packaging Machinery and Tobacco Machinery. The divisions offer different products and services and form 
the basis of the Group’s management and internal reporting structure. Further details in respect of the products and 
services offered by each of the three divisions can be found on pages 2 and 3. A commentary on the performance of 
the three operating segments during the year is provided in the Operating review on pages 6 to 8.

All segment information is prepared in accordance with the Group accounting policies shown on pages 38 to 
40. There have been no changes to the basis of segmentation or the measurement basis for the segment profit 
or loss since 31 December 2013. Information regarding the results of each operating segment is included below. 
Performance is measured based on underlying segment operating profit as included in the internal management 
reports provided to the Group’s chief operating decision maker. Segment profit or loss includes those central items 
that are allocated to segment results in the internal management accounts. Unallocated items comprise defined 
benefit pension costs/credits, goodwill impairment, net financing income/expense and taxation. The unallocated 
items are excluded from segment profit or loss as they are managed centrally by employees at the Group’s head 
office as corporate activities.

The measurement of segment assets and liabilities excludes central items that are not allocated to the three 
divisions in the Group’s internal management accounts. Unallocated items comprise mainly goodwill, net  
debt/funds, pension assets/liabilities, taxation balances and net liabilities attributable to the Group’s head office.

Segment capital expenditure is the total cost incurred during the year to acquire segment assets that are expected 
to be used for more than one period.

Segment information

Revenue

Underlying segment operating 
profit/(loss)
Segment non-underlying items

Segment operating profit/(loss)

Unallocated non-underlying 
items (note 5)
Operating profit

Net financing expense
Profit before tax
Taxation

(Loss)/profit for the period

Segment assets
Segment liabilities

Segment net assets – 
continuing operations

Unallocated net (liabilities)/assets

Total net assets

Capital expenditure (including 
development expenditure)

Depreciation and amortisation

42

Scientific Services

Packaging Machinery

Tobacco Machinery

Total

2014
£m

24.8

1.8
(0.1)

1.7

2013
£m

26.5

1.1
(0.1)

1.0

2014
£m

40.5

2013
£m

44.3

1.8
–

1.8

1.5
–

1.5

2014
£m

24.6

(0.2)
(0.4)

(0.6)

2013
£m

34.4

2.9
–

2.9

2014
£m

89.9

2013
£m

105.2

3.4
(0.5)

2.9

(2.3)

0.6

(0.3)
0.3
(0.6)

(0.3)

5.5
(0.1)

5.4

(0.8)

4.6
(0.8)

3.8
(0.3)

3.5

14.1
(4.6)

14.0
(5.9)

24.4
(17.0)

25.1
(12.9)

23.9
(5.6)

23.8
(10.1)

62.4
(27.2)

62.9
(28.9)

9.5

8.1

7.4

12.2

18.3

13.7

35.2

34.0

(9.3)

6.5

25.9

40.5

2.4

1.6

1.4

1.6

1.3

0.9

1.3

0.8

1.5

0.5

1.4

0.8

5.2

3.0

4.1

3.2

Molins PLC Annual Report and Accounts 2014NOTES TO THE ACCOUNTS1. Operating segments continued
Geographical information
Revenue

UK

USA

Europe (excl. UK)

Americas (excl. USA)

Africa

Asia

Non-current assets (excluding taxation balances)

UK

USA

Canada

Rest of the world

Major customers
No single customer accounted for more than 10% of Group revenue in either 2014 or 2013.

Revenue by type
An analysis of the Group’s revenue is as follows:

Sale of goods

Rendering of services

Total revenue

2. Other operating income

Commutation settlement gain on UK defined benefit pension scheme  
(included in non-underlying items)

3. Other operating expenses

Research and development costs (expensed as incurred)

2014
£m

9.2

17.5

18.4

9.7

8.4

26.7

89.9

By location of customer

2014
%

10

20

20

11

9

30

2013
£m

9.8

27.9

23.5

9.5

7.3

27.2

2013
%

9

27

22

9

7

26

100

105.2

100

By location of assets

2014
£m

15.8

6.2

2.5

3.3

27.8

2014
£m

80.8

9.1

89.9

2014
£m

0.2

2014
£m

0.6

2013
£m

14.6

7.1

2.3

3.2

27.2

2013
£m

95.4

9.8

105.2

2013
£m

–

2013
£m

0.8

43

Molins PLC Annual Report and Accounts 2014STRATEGIC REPORTFINANCIAL STATEMENTSCORPORATE GOVERNANCE4. Operating profit

Operating profit is arrived at after charging:

Amortisation of capitalised development costs

Depreciation of owned assets

Impairment of goodwill

Cost of inventories recognised as an expense

Operating leases

– land and buildings

– other

Audit fees paid to KPMG (Company £0.1m; 2013: £0.1m)

Other fees paid to KPMG

– tax services (Company £0.1m; 2013: £0.1m)

2014
£m

2013
£m

1.2

1.8

1.6

1.4

1.8

–

57.3

66.6

1.4

0.3

0.2

0.1

1.4

0.3

0.2

0.1

5. Non-underlying items
Net non-underlying operating charges of £2.8m (2013: £0.9m) were incurred. These comprised charges of £0.9m 
(2013: £0.8m) in respect of administration costs relating to the Group’s defined benefit pension schemes, £1.6m 
(2013: £nil) relating to charges as a result of the impairment of goodwill at Arista Laboratories (see note 12) and 
£0.5m (2013: £0.1m) of reorganisation costs, partially offset by a credit of £0.2m (2013: £nil) arising from actions 
taken in the Group’s UK defined benefit pension scheme. Additionally, interest costs on pension scheme balances 
are included in non-underlying items (see note 8). Cash payments of £0.1m were made in 2014 (2013: £0.7m) in 
respect of reorganisations in earlier periods.

6. Employee information

The number of persons employed by the Group was:

Scientific Services

Packaging Machinery

Tobacco Machinery

Head Office (including non-executive directors and 
pension scheme administrators)

Employment costs for the Group were:

Wages and salaries

Social security costs

Employee benefits

– defined contribution schemes (Company £0.7m; 2013: £0.7m)

– equity-settled share-based transactions

Period end

Average

2014

2013

2014

2013

168

270

337

14

789

164

257

358

14

793

Note

24

164

262

353

14

793

2014
£m

26.2

3.8

1.2

0.3

31.5

159

249

350

15

773

2013
£m

27.6

4.1

1.2

0.2

33.1

44

Molins PLC Annual Report and Accounts 2014NOTES TO THE ACCOUNTS CONTINUED7. Emoluments of directors and interests in shares
Information on the emoluments of the directors, together with information regarding the beneficial interests of the 
directors and persons connected with them in the ordinary shares of the Company, is included in the Remuneration 
report on pages 21 to 23.

8. Net financing expense

Financial income:

Amounts receivable on cash and cash equivalents

Financial expenses:

Amounts payable on bank loans and overdrafts

Preference dividends paid

Interest cost on pension scheme balances 

Net financing expense

Interest costs on pension scheme balances are included in non-underlying items.

9. Taxation

Current tax expense:

Current year

Deferred tax

Total taxation

2014
£m

0.2

0.2

(0.2)

(0.1)

(0.2)

(0.5)

(0.3)

2014
£m

0.2

0.4

0.6

2013
£m

0.2

0.2

(0.2)

(0.1)

(0.7)

(1.0)

(0.8)

2013
£m

1.1

(0.8)

0.3

Included within the total taxation charge is a tax credit of £0.3m (2013: £0.5m) attributable to the non-underlying 
items set out in note 5 and note 8.

Reconciliation of effective tax rate

Profit before tax

Income tax using the UK corporation tax rate

Permanent differences

Tax incentives

Tax effect of utilisation of tax losses not previously recognised

Foreign tax charged at higher and lower rates than UK 
corporation tax rate

Adjustment in respect of prior years

Change in unrecognised deferred tax assets

Reduction in UK rate of tax

2014

%

21.5

30.7

£m

0.3

0.1

0.1

(36.5)

(0.1)

–

–

(60.9)

245.2

–

200.0

–

–

(0.2)

0.7

–

0.6

2013

%

23.3

5.3

(2.5)

(7.9)

(10.4)

(5.3)

7.9

(2.5)

7.9

£m

3.8

0.9

0.2

(0.1)

(0.3)

(0.4)

(0.2)

0.3

(0.1)

0.3

45

Molins PLC Annual Report and Accounts 2014STRATEGIC REPORTFINANCIAL STATEMENTSCORPORATE GOVERNANCE9. Taxation continued
The UK Finance Bill 2013, which contains legislation for some of the proposals announced by the Chancellor in the 20 March 
2013 Budget, was substantively enacted on 2 July 2013. The Bill introduced a reduction in the rate of UK corporation tax to 
21% from 1 April 2014 and to 20% from 1 April 2015. Deferred tax assets and liabilities are measured at tax rates that are 
enacted or substantively enacted at the end of the reporting period. The deferred tax asset at 31 December 2014 has been 
calculated based on the rate of 20% substantively enacted at the balance sheet date.
In view of probable utilisation of brought forward losses in the short-term, deferred tax assets have not been 
recognised on tax losses and timing differences in respect of the Group companies in USA and Brazil. 

Deferred tax credit/(charge) on items in other comprehensive income/(expense)

Actuarial losses/(gains)

Foreign currency derivatives

2014
£m

3.6

–

3.6

2013
£m

(3.6)

0.1

(3.5)

A deferred tax credit on own shares of £0.1m (2013: £0.1m) was recorded directly within equity in the period.

10. Current tax assets and liabilities
Current tax assets of £0.2m (2013: £nil) and current tax liabilities of £0.4m (2013: £1.2m) for the Group, and current 
tax liabilities of £0.1m (2013: £0.4m) for the Company, represent the amount of income taxes recoverable and 
payable in respect of current and prior periods.

11. Earnings per share
Basic loss/earnings per share
The calculation of basic loss/earnings per ordinary share is based upon the loss for the period of £0.3m 
(2013: £3.5m profit) and the weighted average number of ordinary shares in issue during the year. The weighted 
average number of shares excludes shares held by the employee trust in respect of the Company’s deferred share 
plan arrangements.

Diluted loss/earnings per share
The calculation of diluted loss/earnings per ordinary share is based upon the loss for the period of £0.3m 
(2013: £3.5m profit) and the diluted weighted average number of ordinary shares in issue during the year. For diluted 
earnings per ordinary share, the weighted average number of shares includes the diluting effect, if any, of own 
shares held by the employee trust. 

2014

2013

Weighted average number of ordinary shares (non-diluted) at 31 December

19,491,966

19,399,424

Effect of own shares

–

448,065

Weighted average number of ordinary shares (diluted) at 31 December1¹

19,491,966

19,847,489

1  In the 12 months to 31 December 2014 the effect of the dilution would be to decrease the loss per ordinary share and is therefore excluded from 

the dilution calculation. The adjusted weighted average number of ordinary shares for the diluted underlying earnings per share calculation 
(see below) in the 12 months to 31 December 2014 is 19,984,410.

Underlying and diluted underlying earnings per share
Underlying earnings per ordinary share and diluted underlying earnings per ordinary share, which are calculated on 
profit before non-underlying items, amounted to 11.9p (2013: 23.9p) in respect of underlying earnings per share and 
11.6p (2013: 23.4p) in respect of diluted underlying earnings per share.

The calculations of underlying earnings per ordinary share and diluted underlying earnings per ordinary share 
are based upon an underlying profit for the period of £2.4m (2013: £4.6m) which is calculated as follows:

(Loss)/profit for the period

Non-underlying items (net of tax)

Underlying profit for the period

46

2014
£m

(0.3)

2.7

2.4

2013
£m

3.5

1.1

4.6

Molins PLC Annual Report and Accounts 2014NOTES TO THE ACCOUNTS CONTINUED12. Intangible assets

Cost:

Balance at 1 January 2013

Additions

Retranslation

Balance at 31 December 2013

Balance at 1 January 2014

Additions

Retranslation

Balance at 31 December 2014

Amortisation and impairment 
losses:

Balance at 1 January 2013

Amortisation for the period

Retranslation

Balance at 31 December 2013

Balance at 1 January 2014

Amortisation for the period

Impairment

Retranslation

Balance at 31 December 2014

Carrying amounts:

At 1 January 2013

At 31 December 2013

At 31 December 2014

Group

Development
costs
£m

Goodwill
£m

Total
£m

Goodwill
£m

Company

Development
costs
£m

11.8

–

(0.1)

11.7

11.7

–

0.2

11.9

1.7

–

–

1.7

1.7

–

1.6

–

3.3

10.1

10.0

8.6

14.8

2.2

(0.1)

16.9

16.9

3.1

(0.1)

19.9

10.4

1.4

(0.1)

11.7

11.7

1.2

–

(0.1)

12.8

4.4

5.2

7.1

26.6

2.2

(0.2)

28.6

28.6

3.1

0.1

31.8

12.1

1.4

(0.1)

13.4

13.4

1.2

1.6

(0.1)

16.1

14.5

15.2

15.7

7.2

–

–

7.2

7.2

–

–

7.2

1.1

–

–

1.1

1.1

–

0.8

–

1.9

6.1

6.1

5.3

12.4

1.8

–

14.2

14.2

2.8

–

17.0

8.6

1.1

–

9.7

9.7

1.1

–

–

10.8

3.8

4.5

6.2

The amortisation for development costs is included in cost of sales in the Consolidated income statement.

Total
£m

19.6

1.8

–

21.4

21.4

2.8

–

24.2

9.7

1.1

–

10.8

10.8

1.1

0.8

–

12.7

9.9

10.6

11.5

47

Molins PLC Annual Report and Accounts 2014STRATEGIC REPORTFINANCIAL STATEMENTSCORPORATE GOVERNANCE12. Intangible assets continued
Goodwill
The carrying amount of goodwill at 31 December 2014 relates to the acquisitions of businesses by the Group and 
Company and is attributable to the following cash generating units (CGUs) within the Scientific Services division:

Cerulean

Arista Laboratories

Group

Company

2014
£m

7.3

1.3

8.6

2013
£m

7.2

2.8

10.0

2014
£m

5.3

–

5.3

2013
£m

5.3

0.8

6.1

Impairment review of goodwill
An annual impairment review of goodwill is undertaken and is determined from a value in use calculation for each CGU 
using cash flow projections over a five year period which are based on the latest three year plan presented to the 
Board, modified as appropriate to reflect the latest conditions. The main assumptions for each CGU, which relate to 
sales volume, selling prices and cost changes, are based on recent history and expectations of future changes in the 
market. No growth rate is applied to cash flows beyond the period of the projections. The discount rates applied to the 
cash flow forecasts for each CGU are based on a market participant’s pre-tax weighted average cost of capital of 12.5% 
(2013: 10.2%) in respect of Cerulean and 13.8% (2013: 13.8%) in respect of Arista Laboratories.

Having evaluated the expected future trading performance of Arista Laboratories, making a number of assumptions 
in respect of prospective sales levels against an uncertain future testing regime of tobacco products in the USA, the 
goodwill carried in the Group’s Statement of financial position has been partially written down to a carrying value of 
£1.3m, resulting in a non-underlying charge of £1.6m in the period.

As a consequence of the impairment review, £0.8m of goodwill relating to Arista Laboratories in the Statement of 
financial position of the Company has been written down to £nil.

There has been no impairment of goodwill during the year in respect of Cerulean.

Sensitivity to the changes in assumptions
The directors have reviewed the main assumptions used in the cash flow projections, which include sales volume, 
selling prices, cost changes and the discount rate, and applied sensitivity analysis to the projections. The directors 
believe that any reasonable change in any of the key assumptions would not cause the carrying value of Cerulean to 
materially exceed its recoverable amount for either the Group or the Company. In respect of Arista Laboratories, any 
adverse change in the assumptions to the timing or scope of regulatory tobacco testing requirements issued by the 
FDA in the USA is likely to result in its carrying value exceeding its recoverable amount.

48

Molins PLC Annual Report and Accounts 2014NOTES TO THE ACCOUNTS CONTINUED13. Property, plant and equipment

Group

Company

Land and
buildings
£m

Plant and
machinery
£m

Fixtures,
fittings and
vehicles
£m

Total
£m

Land and
buildings
£m

Plant and
machinery
£m

Fixtures,
fittings and
vehicles
£m

Cost:

Balance at 1 January 2013

Additions

Transfer to investment property

Disposals

Retranslation

Balance at 31 December 2013

Balance at  
1 January 2014

Additions

Disposals

Retranslation

Balance at 31 December 2014

Depreciation:

10.0

0.1

(0.1)

(1.1)

(0.3)

8.6

8.6

0.3

(0.1)

(0.1)

8.7

13.0

1.0

–

(2.4)

(0.7)

10.9

10.9

1.1

(0.5)

(0.4)

11.1

12.6

0.8

–

(1.1)

(0.3)

12.0

12.0

0.7

(0.4)

0.1

12.4

35.6

1.9

(0.1)

(4.6)

(1.3)

31.5

31.5

2.1

(1.0)

(0.4)

32.2

3.9

–

(0.1)

(0.4)

–

3.4

3.4

0.1

(0.1)

–

3.4

2.2

0.1

–

(1.9)

–

0.4

0.4

0.4

–

–

0.8

Total
£m

10.0

0.3

(0.1)

(3.3)

–

6.9

6.9

0.7

3.9

0.2

–

(1.0)

–

3.1

3.1

0.2

(0.2)

(0.3)

–

3.1

–

7.3

Balance at 1 January 2013

2.7

11.5

9.7

23.9

1.2

1.9

3.4

6.5

Depreciation charge 
for the period

Disposals

Retranslation

Balance at  
31 December 2013

Balance at 1 January 2014

Depreciation charge 
for the period

Disposals

Retranslation

0.4

(1.1)

(0.1)

1.9

1.9

0.4

–

–

Balance at 31 December 2014

2.3

Carrying amounts:

At 1 January 2013

At 31 December 2013

At 31 December 2014

7.3

6.7

6.4

0.4

(2.4)

(0.6)

8.9

8.9

0.5

(0.3)

(0.3)

8.8

1.5

2.0

2.3

1.0

(1.0)

(0.2)

9.5

9.5

0.9

(0.4)

(0.2)

1.8

(4.5)

(0.9)

20.3

20.3

1.8

(0.7)

(0.5)

9.8

20.9

2.9

2.5

2.6

11.7

11.2

11.3

0.2

(0.4)

–

1.0

1.0

0.2

(0.1)

–

1.1

2.7

2.4

2.3

0.1

(1.9)

–

0.1

0.1

0.1

–

–

0.2

0.3

0.3

0.6

0.1

(0.9)

–

2.6

2.6

0.1

(0.2)

–

2.5

0.5

0.5

0.6

0.4

(3.2)

–

3.7

3.7

0.4

(0.3)

–

3.8

3.5

3.2

3.5

At 31 December 2014 assets disclosed as land and buildings with a carrying value of £6.1m were used as security for 
bank loans (2013: £6.2m).

49

Molins PLC Annual Report and Accounts 2014STRATEGIC REPORTFINANCIAL STATEMENTSCORPORATE GOVERNANCE14. Investment property

Balance at 1 January 

Additions

Transfer from property, plant & equipment

Balance at 31 December 

Group

Company

2014
£m

0.8

–

–

0.8

2013
£m

–

0.7

0.1

0.8

2014
£m

0.8

–

–

0.8

2013
£m

–

0.7

0.1

0.8

Investment property is shown at cost. The fair value of the investment property at 31 December 2014 is £0.8m 
(2013: £0.8m) and has been arrived at on the basis of a valuation carried out by independent valuers. The valuation, 
which conforms to International Valuation Standards, was arrived at by reference to market evidence of transaction 
prices for similar properties.

15. Investments

Company

Balance at 1 January 2013 and 31 December 2013

Balance at 31 December 2014

The Company’s principal divisions and subsidiaries are listed on page 73.

16. Deferred tax assets and liabilities
Deferred tax assets and liabilities are attributable to the following:

Cost of shares
in subsidiaries
£m

50.6

50.6

Group

Intangible assets
Property, plant and equipment
Employee benefits
Inventories
Foreign currency derivatives
Provisions
Translation movements on foreign currency 
investments
Own shares (employee trust)
Tax losses

Deferred tax assets/(liabilities)
Offset of tax

Net deferred tax assets/(liabilities)

Assets

Liabilities

Net

2014
£m

1.4
0.1
5.4
0.2
0.1
0.5

–
0.1
0.2

8.0
(1.6)

6.4

2013
£m

1.6
0.2
1.7
0.2
0.1
0.4

–
0.1
0.2

4.5
(1.3)

3.2

2014
£m

(1.2)
(0.1)
–
–
–
–

(0.3)
–
–

(1.6)
1.6

–

2013
£m

(1.0)
(0.1)
–
–
–
–

(0.2)
–
–

(1.3)
1.3

–

2014
£m

0.2
–
5.4
0.2
0.1
0.5

(0.3)
0.1
0.2

6.4
–

6.4

2013
£m

0.6
0.1
1.7
0.2
0.1
0.4

(0.2)
0.1
0.2

3.2
–

3.2

50

Molins PLC Annual Report and Accounts 2014NOTES TO THE ACCOUNTS CONTINUED16. Deferred tax assets and liabilities continued

Assets

Liabilities

Company

Intangible assets

Property, plant and equipment

Employee benefits

Foreign currency derivatives

Provisions

Own shares (employee trust)

Deferred tax assets/(liabilities)

Offset of tax

Net deferred tax assets

2014
£m

–

0.1

2.8

0.1

0.2

0.1

3.3

(1.2)

2.1

2013
£m

–

0.2

0.5

0.1

0.2

0.1

1.1

(1.0)

0.1

2014
£m

(1.2)

2013
£m

(1.0)

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

(1.2)

(1.0)

1.2

–

1.0

–

Net

2014
£m

(1.2)

0.1

2.8

0.1

0.2

0.1

2.1

–

2.1

2013
£m

(1.0)

0.2

0.5

0.1

0.2

0.1

0.1

–

0.1

Deferred tax is measured at the rates that are expected to apply in the period when the temporary differences are 
expected to reverse, based on tax rates and laws that have been enacted or substantively enacted by the statement 
of financial position date.

No deferred tax is recognised on the unremitted earnings of overseas subsidiaries and associates. As the earnings 
are continually reinvested by the Group, no tax is expected to be payable on them in the foreseeable future.

Unrecognised deferred tax assets
Deferred tax assets have not been recognised in respect of temporary differences arising in certain 
subsidiary companies. 

These assets are only recognised to the extent that their recovery is reasonably certain. At the year end the Group had 
£8.1m of unrecognised deferred tax assets (2013: £7.4m) which would become recoverable if the relevant companies 
were to make sufficient profits in the future. Under current tax legislation these tax assets expire as follows:

Expiry

10 to 20 years

No expiry date

Group

2014
£m

3.2

4.9

8.1

2013
£m

2.2

5.2

7.4

51

Molins PLC Annual Report and Accounts 2014STRATEGIC REPORTFINANCIAL STATEMENTSCORPORATE GOVERNANCE16. Deferred tax assets and liabilities continued
Movement in temporary differences during the year

Balance at
1 January
2014
£m

Recognised
in profit
or loss
£m

Recognised
in other
comprehensive
income/
(expense)
£m

Recorded
in equity
£m

Retranslation
£m

Balance at
31 December
2014
£m

0.6
0.1
1.7
0.2
0.1
0.4

(0.2)
0.1
0.2

3.2

(0.3)
(0.1)
(0.1)
–
–
0.1

(0.1)
0.1
–

(0.4)

–
–
3.6
–
–
–

–
–
–

3.6

–
–
–
–
–
–

–
(0.1)
–

(0.1)

(0.1)
–
0.2
–
–
–

–
–
–

0.1

0.2
–
5.4
0.2
0.1
0.5

(0.3)
0.1
0.2

6.4

Balance at
1 January
2013
£m

Recognised
in profit
or loss
£m

Recognised
in other
comprehensive
income/
(expense)
£m

Recorded
in equity
£m

Retranslation
£m

Balance at
31 December
2013
£m

(1.1)
(0.3)
5.3
0.3
–
0.7

(0.3)
0.3
1.2

6.1

1.7
0.4
–
(0.1)
–
(0.2)

–
(0.1)
(0.9)

0.8

–
–
(3.6)
–
0.1
–

–
–
–

(3.5)

–
–
–
–
–
–

–
(0.1)
–

(0.1)

–
–
–
–
–
(0.1)

0.1
–
(0.1)

(0.1)

0.6
0.1
1.7
0.2
0.1
0.4

(0.2)
0.1
0.2

3.2

Balance at
1 January
2014
£m

Recognised
in profit
or loss
£m

Recognised
in other
comprehensive
income/
(expense)
£m

Recorded
in equity
£m

Balance at
31 December
2014
£m

(1.0)

0.2

0.5

0.1

0.2

0.1

0.1

(0.2)

(0.1)

(0.2)

–

–

0.1

–

–

2.5

–

–

–

(0.4)

2.5

–

–

–

–

–

(0.1)

(0.1)

(1.2)

0.1

2.8

0.1

0.2

0.1

2.1

Group

Intangible assets
Property, plant and equipment
Employee benefits
Inventories
Foreign currency derivatives
Provisions
Translation movements on foreign 
currency investments
Own shares (employee trust)
Tax losses

Group

Intangible assets
Property, plant and equipment
Employee benefits
Inventories
Foreign currency derivatives
Provisions
Translation movements on foreign 
currency investments
Own shares (employee trust)
Tax losses

Company

Intangible assets

Property, plant and equipment

Employee benefits

Foreign currency derivatives

Provisions

Own shares (employee trust)

52

Molins PLC Annual Report and Accounts 2014NOTES TO THE ACCOUNTS CONTINUED16. Deferred tax assets and liabilities continued
Movement in temporary differences during the year continued

Company

Intangible assets

Property, plant and equipment

Employee benefits

Foreign currency derivatives

Provisions

Own shares (employee trust)

17. Inventories

Raw materials and consumables

Work in progress

Finished goods

Balance at
1 January
2013
£m

Recognised
in profit
or loss
£m

Recognised
in other
comprehensive
income/
(expense)
£m

Recorded
in equity
£m

Balance at
31 December
2013
£m

(1.0)

0.2

3.2

–

–

0.3

2.7

–

–

(0.1)

–

0.2

(0.1)

–

–

–

(2.6)

0.1

–

–

(2.5)

–

–

–

–

–

(0.1)

(0.1)

Group

Company

2014
£m

2.6

7.5

8.4

18.5

2013
£m

3.3

6.5

8.7

18.5

2014
£m

1.0

1.4

4.2

6.6

(1.0)

0.2

0.5

0.1

0.2

0.1

0.1

2013
£m

1.5

2.2

5.0

8.7

An amount of £0.9m (2013: £0.4m) has been charged in the year in respect of inventory write-downs.

18. Construction contracts

Contracts in progress at statement of financial position date:

Gross amount due from customers for contract work (included in 
Trade and other receivables)

Gross amount due to customers for contract work (included in 
Trade and other payables)

Group

2014
£m

2013
£m

Company

2014
£m

2013
£m

0.5

1.0

–

(6.5)

(0.1)

(3.4)

–

–

For contracts in progress at the statement of financial position date, the contract costs incurred plus recognised 
profits less recognised losses to date was £7.7m (2013: £9.5m) for the Group and £4.7m (2013: £4.4m) for the 
Company. Deposits received on account from customers for contract work amounted to £2.8m (2013: £0.9m) for 
the Group and £1.1m (2013: £0.6m) for the Company.

Included within gross amount due to customers for contract work is £4.6m (2013: 0.1m) of trade receivables 
where deposits were invoiced but not received.

Revenue recognised during the year in respect of construction contracts amounted to £6.9m (2013: £8.4m).

53

Molins PLC Annual Report and Accounts 2014STRATEGIC REPORTFINANCIAL STATEMENTSCORPORATE GOVERNANCE19. Trade and other receivables

Current assets:

Trade receivables

Amounts owed by Group undertakings

Construction contracts

Other receivables

Prepayments and accrued income

Foreign currency derivatives

20. Interest-bearing loans and borrowings

Non-current liabilities:

Bank borrowings

Fixed cumulative preference shares

Non-current liabilities:

Repayable between two and five years

More than five years

Group

2014
£m

2013
£m

20.2

17.8

–

0.5

0.8

4.5

–

–

1.0

1.3

4.1

0.1

Company

2014
£m

10.0

7.8

–

–

2.6

–

2013
£m

7.6

12.3

–

0.5

1.8

0.1

26.0

24.3

20.4

22.3

Group

2014
£m

11.0

0.9

11.9

11.0

0.9

11.9

2013
£m

8.9

0.9

9.8

8.9

0.9

9.8

Company

2014
£m

11.0

0.9

11.9

11.0

0.9

11.9

2013
£m

8.9

0.9

9.8

8.9

0.9

9.8

Preference shares
The preference shares carry a fixed cumulative preferential dividend at the rate of 6% per annum and on the winding-up of 
the Company entitle the holders to repayment of the capital paid up thereon (together with a sum equal to any arrears or 
deficiency of the fixed dividend calculated to the date of the return of capital and to be payable irrespective of whether 
such dividend has been declared or earned or not) in priority to any payment to the holders of the ordinary shares. The 
preference shares do not entitle the holders to any further participation in the profits or assets of the Company.

The preference shareholders are not entitled to receive notice of or to attend or vote at any general meeting 
unless either:

•  at the date of the notice convening the meeting, the dividend on the preference shares is six months in arrears 
(for this purpose the dividend on the preference shares is deemed to be payable half-yearly on 30 June and 
31 December); or

• 

the business of the meeting includes the consideration of a resolution for the winding-up of the Company, or for 
reducing its share capital or for sanctioning a sale of the undertaking, or any resolution directly and adversely 
affecting any of the special rights or privileges attached to the preference shares.

There were no arrears in the payment of preference dividends at the statement of financial position date. 

Preference dividends paid amounted to £0.1m (2013: £0.1m).

54

Molins PLC Annual Report and Accounts 2014NOTES TO THE ACCOUNTS CONTINUED21. Reconciliation of net cash flow to movement in net funds

Group

Company

Net (decrease)/increase in cash and cash equivalents

Cash inflow from movement in borrowings

Change in net debt/funds resulting from cash flows

Translation movements

Movement in net debt/funds in the period

Opening net funds/(debt)

Closing net (debt)/funds

Analysis of net (debt)/funds:

Cash and cash equivalents – current assets

Interest-bearing loans and borrowings – non-current liabilities

Closing net (debt)/funds

22. Trade and other payables

Current liabilities:

Deposits received on account

Trade payables

Amounts owed to Group undertakings

Construction contracts

Other taxes and social security

Other payables

Accruals and deferred income

Foreign currency derivatives

2014
£m

(5.0)

(1.8)

(6.8)

(0.5)

(7.3)

5.2

(2.1)

9.8

(11.9)

(2.1)

Group

2014
£m

1.3

6.7

–

6.5

0.8

3.1

9.7

0.5

2013
£m

2.3

(4.2)

(1.9)

(0.3)

(2.2)

7.4

5.2

15.0

(9.8)

5.2

2013
£m

5.1

8.7

–

0.1

0.8

4.7

9.3

0.8

2014
£m

(3.4)

(1.8)

(5.2)

(0.3)

(5.5)

(1.3)

(6.8)

5.1

(11.9)

(6.8)

2013
£m

(0.5)

(4.2)

(4.7)

0.3

(4.4)

3.1

(1.3)

8.5

(9.8)

(1.3)

Company

2014
£m

2013
£m

0.2

3.3

9.6

3.4

0.4

1.9

3.4

0.3

1.8

4.6

9.8

–

0.4

3.2

4.6

0.8

Deposits received on account of £1.3m (2013: £5.1m) exclude £2.4m (2013: £1.4m) of deposit amounts billed on 
short term contracts but not received. The deposit amounts billed but not received are included in accruals and 
deferred income.

28.6

29.5

22.5

25.2

55

Molins PLC Annual Report and Accounts 2014STRATEGIC REPORTFINANCIAL STATEMENTSCORPORATE GOVERNANCE23. Provisions

Balance at 1 January 

Provision created in the year

Utilised during the year

Unused amounts reversed

Balance at 31 December 

Group

Company

2014
£m

1.6

0.5

(0.6)

(0.2)

1.3

2013
£m

1.7

1.1

(1.0)

(0.2)

1.6

2014
£m

1.0

0.3

(0.4)

(0.1)

0.8

2013
£m

1.2

0.5

(0.7)

–

1.0

Provisions are based on historical data and a weighting of all possible outcomes against their associated 
possibilities. Except for specific identifiable claims, they are generally utilised within one year of the statement 
of financial position date.

24. Employee benefits
Defined contribution pension schemes
The Group operates a number of defined contribution pension schemes for employees. Contributions to these 
schemes are recognised as an expense in the Consolidated income statement as they fall due.

Defined benefit pension schemes
The Group is responsible for defined benefit pension schemes in the UK and the USA. All schemes are funded by 
Group companies as necessary, at rates determined by independent actuaries and as agreed between the trustees 
of the schemes and the sponsoring company.

The defined benefit pension schemes are administered by bodies that are legally separated from the Group. The trustees 
of the schemes are required by law to act in the interest of the schemes and of all relevant stakeholders in the schemes. 
The trustees of the schemes are responsible for the investment policies in respect of the assets of the schemes.

The pension schemes typically expose the Group to certain risks. These include the risk of investment under-
performance, interest rates falling, an increase in life expectancy and an increase in inflation.

UK pension scheme
The Group operated one defined benefit pension scheme in the UK in which future accruals ceased in November 2012. 
The assets of the scheme are held separately from those of the Company and it is funded by the Company as 
necessary in order to ensure that the scheme can meet the expected benefit obligations. The funding policy is to 
ensure that the assets held by the scheme in the future are adequate to meet expected liabilities, allowing for future 
increases in pensions. The only assets of the scheme which are invested in the Company are an interest in the 
cumulative preference shares of the Company with an estimated current market value of £0.1m.

The most recent formal actuarial valuation of the scheme was carried out as at 30 June 2012 using the projected 
unit credit method. The market value of the scheme assets at that date was £315.8m and the funding level was 86% 
of liabilities, which represented a deficit of £53.0m. Following agreement between the trustee of the scheme and the 
Company of a deficit recovery plan, from 1 July 2013, the Company commenced paying to the scheme £1.7m per 
annum (previously £1.2m per annum), in monthly instalments, increasing by 2.1% per annum. The deficit recovery 
period from 30 June 2012 was estimated to be 17 years and 2 months, which is scheduled to be formally reassessed 
as at 30 June 2015.

During the year the Company paid deficit recovery contributions of £1.7m (2013: £1.4m). Further payments of £0.2m 
were made in 2013 in respect of redundancies. The expected contributions in 2015 are £1.8m.

The Company accounts for pension costs under IAS 19 Employee benefits and the valuation used has been based 
on the detailed actuarial valuation work carried out as at 30 June 2012, updated by the Company’s actuary to assess 
the value of the liabilities of the scheme at 31 December 2014. Scheme assets are stated at their market value at 
31 December 2014.

56

Molins PLC Annual Report and Accounts 2014NOTES TO THE ACCOUNTS CONTINUED24. Employee benefits continued
USA pension schemes
In the USA the Group has three defined benefit pension schemes, all of which are closed to future accrual. Formal 
independent actuarial valuations of the USA pension schemes were carried out as at 1 January 2014 using the 
projected unit credit method. The valuations under IAS 19 at 31 December 2014 have been based on these actuarial 
valuations, updated for conditions existing at the year end.

Employer contributions of £0.1m (2013: £0.1m) were paid during the year.

Assumptions
The key financial assumptions used to calculate scheme liabilities and the annual net pension charge are as follows:

Discount rate

Inflation rate

– CPI

– RPI

Increases to pensions in payment

– final salary benefits

– career average benefits

UK (Company)

USA

2014

3.5%

2.0%

3.0%

2.0%

1.9%

2013

4.3%

2.4%

3.3%

2.4%

2.0%

2014

3.7%

3.0%

n/a

n/a

n/a

2013

4.5%

3.0%

n/a

n/a

n/a

The assumptions relating to longevity underlying the pension liabilities of the defined benefit pension schemes at 
the statement of financial position date are based on standard actuarial mortality tables and include an allowance 
for future improvements in longevity. The assumptions are equivalent to expecting an individual to live for a number 
of years as follows:

Current pensioner aged 65 – male

Current pensioner aged 65 – female

Future retiree currently aged 45 upon reaching age 65 – male

UK scheme

USA schemes

21.6 years

20.2 to 21.1 years

24.0 years 22.2 to 23.3 years

22.9 years

20.1 to 22.1 years

Future retiree currently aged 45 upon reaching age 65 – female

25.5 years 23.0 to 24.2 years

At 31 December 2014 the weighted average duration of the defined benefit obligation in the UK scheme was 
15 years (2013: 14 years) and in the USA schemes 13 years (2013: 11 years).

Significant actuarial assumptions for the determination of the defined benefit obligations are discount rate, inflation 
rate and mortality. The sensitivity analysis below has been determined assuming that all other assumptions are 
held constant.

Changes in values of pension schemes’ liabilities before tax as at 31 December 2014

UK scheme

USA schemes

0.1% change in discount rate

0.1% change in inflation rate

Change in life expectancy by 1 year on average

£5.2m

£2.9m

£12.3m

£0.4m

n/a

£0.7m

57

Molins PLC Annual Report and Accounts 2014STRATEGIC REPORTFINANCIAL STATEMENTSCORPORATE GOVERNANCE24. Employee benefits continued
Categories of assets and funded status
The fair value of scheme assets were as follows:

UK (Company)

USA

Group

UK equities

Overseas equities

Emerging Market equities

Bonds – index linked gilts

Bonds – other

Properties – funds

Properties – directly owned

Absolute return funds

Alternative investments

Other

2014
£m

4.3

105.2

4.9

39.7

47.6

35.6

1.3

50.6

50.2

8.5

2013
£m

34.5

111.4

–

38.1

14.7

23.6

9.9

59.8

41.5

4.4

Total fair (bid) value of scheme assets

347.9

337.9

2014
£m

–

4.8

–

–

9.4

0.6

–

–

0.2

0.4

15.4

2013
£m

–

4.2

–

–

9.1

0.5

–

–

0.1

0.4

14.3

2014
£m

4.3

110.0

4.9

39.7

57.0

36.2

1.3

50.6

50.4

8.9

2013
£m

34.5

115.6

–

38.1

23.8

24.1

9.9

59.8

41.6

4.8

363.3

352.2

Present value of defined benefit 
obligations

(362.0)

(340.4)

(21.9)

(17.4)

(383.9)

(357.8)

Defined benefit liability

(14.1)

(2.5)

(6.5)

(3.1)

(20.6)

(5.6)

All equities, bonds, property funds, absolute return funds and the majority of alternative investments have quoted 
prices in active markets. Directly owned properties are subject to an independent valuation.

Disclosed defined benefit pension income/expense for financial year
A) Components of defined benefit pension income/expense
Net defined benefit pension expense recognised in the Consolidated income statement comprises:

Settlement gain

Interest expense on net liability

Administration costs

Expense recognised in income statement

UK (Company)

USA

Group

2014
£m

(0.2)

0.1

0.7

0.6

2013
£m

–

0.5

0.7

1.2

2014
£m

–

0.1

0.2

0.3

2013
£m

–

0.2

0.1

0.3

2014
£m

(0.2)

0.2

0.9

0.9

2013
£m

–

0.7

0.8

1.5

B) Statements of comprehensive income (SOCI)
The actuarial losses recognised in the SOCI in respect of pensions was £15.5m (2013: £13.5m gains), comprising an 
actuarial loss of £12.7m (2013: £11.0m gain) for the UK pension scheme and an actuarial loss of £2.8m (2013: £2.5m 
gain) for the USA schemes, all figures being before tax.

Actual return on scheme assets
The actual return on scheme assets in 2014 was a gain of £29.2m (2013: £33.2m), comprising a gain of £28.0m 
(2013: £32.3m) for the UK pension scheme and a gain of £1.2m (2013: £0.9m) for the USA schemes, all figures 
being before tax.

58

Molins PLC Annual Report and Accounts 2014NOTES TO THE ACCOUNTS CONTINUED24. Employee benefits continued
Reconciliation of the present value of defined benefit obligations

Present value of defined benefit 
obligations at 1 January

Interest cost

Actuarial losses/(gains)

– Changes in demographic assumptions

– Changes in financial assumptions

– Experience

Benefit payments

Settlements

Retranslation

UK (Company)

USA

Group

2014
£m

2013
£m

340.4

14.2

336.4

13.7

–

26.5

0.8

(18.7)

(1.2)

–

–

7.0

1.8

(18.5)

–

–

2014
£m

17.4

0.8

1.5

2.0

–

(1.1)

–

1.3

2013
£m

20.0

0.7

–

(2.0)

–

(1.1)

–

(0.2)

2014
£m

357.8

15.0

1.5

28.5

0.8

2013
£m

356.4

14.4

–

5.0

1.8

(19.8)

(19.6)

(1.2)

1.3

–

(0.2)

Present value of defined benefit 
obligations at 31 December*

362.0

340.4

21.9

17.4

383.9

357.8

* At 31 December 2014 the pensioner population accounted for some 60% of the UK scheme’s obligations and some 60% of the USA 

schemes’ obligations.

Reconciliation of the fair value of scheme assets

Fair value of scheme assets at 1 January

Interest income

Actuarial gains

– Return on scheme assets

Company contributions

Administration expenses

Benefit payments

Settlements

Retranslation

Fair value of scheme assets 
at 31 December

UK (Company)

USA

Group

2014
£m

337.9

14.1

14.6

1.7

(0.7)

(18.7)

(1.0)

–

2013
£m

322.5

13.2

19.8

1.6

(0.7)

(18.5)

–

–

2014
£m

14.3

0.7

0.7

0.1

(0.2)

(1.1)

–

0.9

2013
£m

14.7

0.5

0.5

0.1

(0.1)

(1.1)

–

(0.3)

2014
£m

352.2

14.8

15.3

1.8

(0.9)

(19.8)

(1.0)

0.9

2013
£m

337.2

13.7

20.3

1.7

(0.8)

(19.6)

–

(0.3)

347.9

337.9

15.4

14.3

363.3

352.2

59

Molins PLC Annual Report and Accounts 2014STRATEGIC REPORTFINANCIAL STATEMENTSCORPORATE GOVERNANCE24. Employee benefits continued
Experience gains and losses for the year

Fair value of scheme assets

Defined benefit obligations

Net liability

Actuarial gain on scheme assets

Actuarial (loss)/gain on defined benefit 
obligations

Total (loss)/gain recognised in the SOCI 
during the year

UK (Company)

USA

2014
£m

347.9

2013
£m

337.9

2014
£m

15.4

2013
£m

14.3

Group

2014
£m

2013
£m

363.3

352.2

(362.0)

(340.4)

(21.9)

(17.4)

(383.9)

(357.8)

(14.1)

14.6

(2.5)

19.8

(6.5)

0.7

(3.1)

0.5

(20.6)

15.3

(5.6)

20.3

(27.3)

(8.8)

(3.5)

2.0

(30.8)

(6.8)

(12.7)

11.0

(2.8)

2.5

(15.5)

13.5

Movements in the net liability/asset of defined benefit pension schemes recognised in the Statements 
of financial position

Net liability for employee benefits at 
1 January

Expense recognised in the income 
statement (see below)

Company contributions

Actuarial (losses)/gains recognised in the 
SOCI

Retranslation

Net liability for employee benefits at 
31 December

UK (Company)

2014
£m

2013
£m

USA

2014
£m

2013
£m

Group

2014
£m

2013
£m

(2.5)

(13.9)

(3.1)

(5.3)

(5.6)

(19.2)

(0.6)

1.7

(12.7)

–

(1.2)

1.6

11.0

–

(0.3)

0.1

(2.8)

(0.4)

(0.3)

0.1

2.5

(0.1)

(0.9)

1.8

(15.5)

(0.4)

(1.5)

1.7

13.5

(0.1)

(14.1)

(2.5)

(6.5)

(3.1)

(20.6)

(5.6)

Defined benefit pension schemes income/expense recognised in the Consolidated income statement
The income/expense is recognised in the following line items in the Consolidated income statement:

Other operating income

Administrative expenses

Financial expense

Net pension expense

UK (Company)

USA

Group

2014
£m

(0.2)

0.7

0.1

0.6

2013
£m

–

0.7

0.5

1.2

2014
£m

–

0.2

0.1

0.3

2013
£m

–

0.1

0.2

0.3

2014
£m

(0.2)

0.9

0.2

0.9

2013
£m

–

0.8

0.7

1.5

Administration costs of the defined benefit pension schemes and financial expense on pension scheme balances 
are included in non-underlying items. 

60

Molins PLC Annual Report and Accounts 2014NOTES TO THE ACCOUNTS CONTINUED24. Employee benefits continued
Share-based payments
The Company currently operates a deferred share plan. Own shares are held in trust and granted to plan 
participants when certain conditions are met. Further details of the Deferred share plan, including the performance 
conditions and vesting periods, are in the Remuneration Committee report on pages 20 to 27 and in this note.

The share awards that were subject to conditional grants during the year were:

1 March 2011

1 December 2011a

28 February 2012

1 December 2012

27 February 2013

1 December 2013

27 February 2014

1 December 2014

At
1 January
2014

173,800

99,000

131,200

121,600

99,200

62,800

Granted

Exercised

At
31 December
2014

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

173,800

(82,600)

16,400

–

–

–

–

–

–

131,200

121,600

99,200

62,800

89,600

118,400

–

–

89,600

118,400

687,600 208,000

(82,600)

813,000

a  Exercise under Deferred share plan on 10 December 2014. Mid-market price on that date was 81.0p.

The granting of all conditional awards and the exercise of such awards are at nil cost to the participant.

As at 31 December 2014 the shares awarded on 1 March 2011 were exercisable.

The share-based compensation charge for the year amounted to £0.3m (2013: £0.2m).

The fair value of the conditional awards made under the Deferred share plan has been based on the market price 
of the Company’s shares at the date of grant, reduced by the assumptions made (for the purposes of this exercise) 
in respect of the present value of dividends expected to be paid (at the time of grant) during the vesting period. 
The fair value of each conditional award is as follows:

Date of award

1 March 2011

1 December 2011

28 February 2012

1 December 2012

27 February 2013

1 December 2013

27 February 2014

1 December 2014

Fair value
per share

59.5p

79.5p

103.0p

124.5p

154.5p

180.0p

169.0p

64.0p

61

Molins PLC Annual Report and Accounts 2014STRATEGIC REPORTFINANCIAL STATEMENTSCORPORATE GOVERNANCE25. Capital and reserves
Share capital

Allotted, called up and fully paid

Ordinary shares of 25p each

2014
£m

5.0

2013
£m

5.0

There were 20,171,540 (2013: 20,171,540) ordinary shares in issue at the year end. The holders of the ordinary shares 
are entitled to one vote per share at meetings of the Company and to receive dividends as declared from time to 
time. At the year end an employee trust held 656,016 of the ordinary shares and it has agreed to waive all dividends 
and not to exercise voting rights in respect of these shares. The Company also has in issue 900,000 6% fixed 
cumulative preference shares of £1 each (see note 20); these are classified as borrowings.

Translation reserve
The translation reserve comprises all foreign exchange differences arising from the translation of the financial 
statements of foreign operations.

Capital redemption reserve
The capital redemption reserve records the historical repurchase of the Company’s own shares.

Hedging reserve
The hedging reserve comprises the effective portion of the cumulative net change in the fair value of cash flow 
hedging instruments related to hedged transactions that have not yet occurred.

Investment in own shares
Included within retained earnings is the carrying value of own shares held in trust for the benefit of employees. 
These shares are used to service the obligations of the Company’s Deferred share plan. Further details of the 
Deferred share plan can be found in the Remuneration report on pages 21 to 23 and on page 61 in note 24.

At 31 December 2014 the employee trust held 656,016 (2013: 681,716) ordinary shares of 25p each, representing 3.3% 
of the issued shares (2013: 3.4%), all of which were subject to conditional grants. The shares held by the trust were 
purchased at an aggregate cost of £1.0m (2013: £1.0m), including 56,900 (2013: 106,500) shares purchased in the 
year at a cost of £0.1m (2013: £0.2m). The market value of the shares held by the trust at 31 December 2014 was 
£0.5m (2013: £1.3m).

Dividends

Dividends to shareholders paid in the period:

Final dividend for the year ended 31 December 2014 of 3.0p per ordinary share 
(2013: 3.0p)

Interim dividend for the year ended 31 December 2013 of 2.5p per ordinary share 
(2013: 2.5p)

2014
£m

2013
£m

0.6

0.5

1.1

0.6

0.5

1.1

The Board recommends a final dividend of 3.0p per share. The proposed final dividend is subject to approval at 
the Annual General Meeting on 24 April 2015 and has not been included as a liability at 31 December 2014. Subject 
to approval, the dividend will be paid on 13 May 2015 to ordinary shareholders registered at the close of business 
on 24 April 2015.

62

Molins PLC Annual Report and Accounts 2014NOTES TO THE ACCOUNTS CONTINUED26. Financial risk management
The Group has exposure to credit, liquidity and market risks from its use of financial instruments.

These risks are regularly considered and the impact of these risks on the Group, and how to mitigate them, 
assessed. The Board of directors is responsible for the Group’s system of internal controls and has established risk 
management policies to identify and analyse the risks faced by the Group, to set appropriate risk limits and controls, 
and to monitor risks and adherence to limits. The Audit Committee assists the Board in the discharge of its duty in 
relation to the maintenance of proper internal controls. Further details regarding the Audit Committee can be found 
in its report on pages 18 and 19.

Categories of financial instruments

Financial assets:

Derivative instruments in designated 
hedge accounting relationships

Loans and receivables (including cash  
and cash equivalents) 

Financial liabilities:

Derivative instruments in designated 
hedge accounting relationships

Amortised cost

Group

2014
£m

Company

2013
£m

2014
£m

2013
£m

–

0.1

–

0.1

30.0

30.0

0.5

40.0

40.5

32.8

32.9

0.8

38.5

39.3

22.9

22.9

0.3

34.1

34.4

28.4

28.5

0.8

34.2

35.0

Amortised cost comprises interest-bearing loans and borrowings and trade and other payables, excluding foreign 
currency derivatives.

IFRS 7 Financial instruments: disclosures for financial instruments that are measured in the statement of financial 
position at fair value requires disclosure of fair value measurements in the form of a three level fair value hierarchy, 
by class, for all financial instruments recognised at fair value. 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:  inputs other than quoted prices included within Level 1 that are observable for the asset or liability, either 

directly (i.e. as prices) or indirectly (i.e. derived from prices); and

Level 3:  inputs for the asset or liability that are not based on observable market data (unobservable inputs).

At 1 January 2014 and 31 December 2014 the Group held all financial instruments at Level 2.

63

Molins PLC Annual Report and Accounts 2014STRATEGIC REPORTFINANCIAL STATEMENTSCORPORATE GOVERNANCE26. Financial risk management continued
Credit risk
Credit risk is the risk of financial loss to the Group if a customer or counterparty to a financial instrument fails 
to meet its contractual obligations and arises principally from the Group’s receivables from customers and cash 
held at financial institutions. In addition, for the Company, a credit risk exists in respect of amounts owed by 
Group undertakings.

Trade receivables
The Group ensures that the provision of credit to customers is adequately managed by each individual business 
in order that the risk of non-payment or delayed payment is minimised. The Group’s exposure to risk is influenced 
mainly by the individual characteristics of each customer, the industry and country in which customers operate. 
The Group has a relatively diversified base of customers and the customer that accounts for the largest proportion 
of sales, excluding one-off projects, is routinely responsible for no more than 5% of total sales in any year. In certain 
years sales to a customer may be more than 5%, although the sales would typically be to a number of different 
geographic regions.

The Group has written credit control policies which cover procedures for accepting new customers, setting credit 
limits, dealing with overdue amounts and delinquent payers.

An impairment loss provision against trade receivables is created where it is anticipated that the value of trade 
receivables is not fully recoverable.

Exposure to credit risk
The carrying amount of financial assets represents the maximum credit exposure. The maximum exposure to credit 
risk for the Group and the Company at 31 December was:

Trade receivables

Amounts owed by Group undertakings

Foreign currency derivatives

Cash and cash equivalents

Group

Company

2014
£m

20.2

–

–

9.8

30.0

2013
£m

17.8

–

0.1

15.0

32.9

2014
£m

10.0

7.8

–

5.1

2013
£m

7.6

12.3

0.1

8.5

22.9

28.5

The maximum exposure to credit risk for trade receivables at 31 December by business segment was:

Group

Company

2014
£m

4.4

10.0

5.8

20.2

2013
£m

4.4

8.3

5.1

17.8

2014
£m

2.5

3.8

3.7

10.0

2013
£m

3.7

1.9

2.0

7.6

Operating segments

Scientific Services

Packaging Machinery

Tobacco Machinery

64

Molins PLC Annual Report and Accounts 2014NOTES TO THE ACCOUNTS CONTINUED26. Financial risk management continued
Credit risk continued
Impairment loss provisions
The ageing of trade receivables and the impairment loss provisions for the Group and the Company at 
31 December were:

Group

Not past due

Past due up to 30 days

Past due 31–60 days

Past due 61–90 days

Past due more than 91 days

Company

Not past due

Past due up to 30 days

Past due 31–60 days

Past due 61–90 days

Past due more than 91 days

2014

Impairment
loss
provisions
£m

–

–

–

–

–

–

2014

Impairment
loss
provisions
£m

–

–

–

–

–

–

Gross
£m

17.2

1.7

0.3

0.2

0.8

20.2

Gross
£m

8.4

0.8

0.2

0.1

0.5

10.0

Total
£m

17.2

1.7

0.3

0.2

0.8

20.2

Total
£m

8.4

0.8

0.2

0.1

0.5

10.0

2013

Impairment
loss
provisions
£m

–

–

–

–

(0.1)

(0.1)

2013

Impairment
loss
provisions
£m

–

–

–

–

–

–

Gross
£m

14.3

1.5

1.0

0.2

0.9

17.9

Gross
£m

5.2

0.9

0.7

0.2

0.6

7.6

Total
£m

14.3

1.5

1.0

0.2

0.8

17.8

Total
£m

5.2

0.9

0.7

0.2

0.6

7.6

Liquidity risk
Liquidity risk is the risk that the Group will not be able to meet its financial obligations as they fall due. The Group’s 
approach to managing liquidity is to hold cash and cash equivalents and maintain undrawn committed facilities at a 
level sufficient to ensure that the Group has available funds to meet its liabilities as they become due. Further details 
of the Group’s treasury policies can be found in the Financial review on pages 9 to 11.

Contractual maturities of non-derivative financial liabilities
The non-derivative financial liabilities for the Group and the Company at 31 December were:

Group

2014
£m

Company

2013
£m

2014
£m

2013
£m

Current liabilities:

Trade and other payables (excluding derivatives)

28.1

28.7

22.2

24.4

Non-current liabilities:

Interest-bearing loans and borrowings

11.9

9.8

11.9

9.8

The maturities of the Interest-bearing loans and borrowings are disclosed in note 20. Further details relating to 
the committed borrowing facilities of the Group can be found in the Financial review on pages 9 to 11.

Trade and other payables shown as current liabilities are expected to mature within six months of the statement 
of financial position date.

The contractual maturities of forward foreign exchange contracts that the Group and Company had committed 
at 31 December are shown in the Foreign currency risk section in this note.

65

Molins PLC Annual Report and Accounts 2014STRATEGIC REPORTFINANCIAL STATEMENTSCORPORATE GOVERNANCE26. Financial risk management continued
Market risk
Market risk is the risk that changes in market prices, such as interest rates and foreign exchange rates, will affect 
the Group’s income or the value of its holdings of financial instruments. Exposure to interest rate and currency 
risks arises in the normal course of the Group’s business. The Group does not trade in financial instruments and 
enters into derivatives (principally forward foreign exchange contracts) solely for the purpose of minimising 
currency exposure on sales or purchases in other than the functional currencies of its various operations.

The Group’s treasury policies are explained in the Financial review on page 10.

Interest rate risk
Cash and cash equivalents
The cash profile at 31 December was:

Group

Currency:

Sterling

US dollar

Canadian dollar

Euro

Czech koruna

Brazilian real

Other

Company

Currency:

Sterling

Canadian dollar

Euro

Czech koruna

2014

Cash on
which no
interest
received
£m

Cash at
floating
rates
£m

5.0

0.1

(0.2)

2.1

0.5

0.6

0.2

8.3

Cash at
floating
rates
£m

5.0

(0.4)

0.2

0.3

5.1

0.1

0.7

–

–

–

0.7

–

1.5

2014

Cash on
which no
interest
received
£m

–

–

–

–

–

2013

Cash on
which no
interest
received
£m

Cash at
floating
rates
£m

7.6

1.3

–

1.3

0.3

2.6

0.1

13.2

Cash at
floating
rates
£m

7.6

(0.1)

0.5

0.3

8.3

0.6

0.7

–

0.1

–

0.4

–

1.8

2013

Cash on
which no
interest
received
£m

0.2

–

–

–

0.2

Total
£m

5.1

0.8

(0.2)

2.1

0.5

1.3

0.2

9.8

Total
£m

5.0

(0.4)

0.2

0.3

5.1

Total
£m

8.2

2.0

–

1.4

0.3

3.0

0.1

15.0

Total
£m

7.8

(0.1)

0.5

0.3

8.5

Interest rates are based on London Interbank Bid Rate (LIBID) and relevant national equivalents. All cash surplus to 
immediate operational requirements is placed on deposit at floating rates of interest. 

66

Molins PLC Annual Report and Accounts 2014NOTES TO THE ACCOUNTS CONTINUED26. Financial risk management continued
Interest rate risk continued
Interest-bearing loans and borrowings
The profile of interest-bearing loans and borrowings at 31 December was:

Group and Company

Currency:

Sterling

Canadian dollar

US dollar

Czech koruna

Euro

Borrowings
at floating
rates
£m

2014

Borrowings
at fixed
rates
£m

–

0.7

8.3

2.0

–

11.0

0.9

–

–

–

–

0.9

Borrowings
at floating
rates
£m

2013

Borrowings
at fixed
rates
£m

–

2.0

6.0

0.4

0.5

8.9

0.9

–

–

–

–

0.9

Total
£m

0.9

0.7

8.3

2.0

–

11.9

Total
£m

0.9

2.0

6.0

0.4

0.5

9.8

The borrowings at fixed rates in sterling are the fixed cumulative preference shares which are explained in more 
detail in note 20.

The floating rate borrowings are based on interest rates at UK base rate, UK London Interbank Offered Rate (LIBOR) 
and relevant national equivalents.

Sensitivity to interest rate risk
If interest rates had been 100 basis points higher/lower throughout the period, net financial expense (excluding 
on pension scheme balances) for the Group would have increased/decreased by £nil (2013: £0.1m). This analysis 
assumes that all other variables, in particular foreign currency rates, remain constant and considers the effect of 
financial instruments with variable interest rates. The analysis is performed on the same basis as for the year ended 
31 December 2013.

Foreign currency risk
The majority of the Group’s operations are outside of the UK, and therefore a significant portion of its business is 
conducted overseas in currencies other than sterling. As explained on page 12, foreign currency risk is one of the 
principal risks and uncertainties to which the Group is exposed. The Group is exposed to both transaction and 
translation risk.

Transactions in foreign currency are translated at the foreign exchange rate ruling at the date of the transaction. 
Monetary assets and liabilities denominated in foreign currencies at the statement of financial position date are 
translated at the foreign exchange rate ruling at that date. Foreign exchange differences arising on translation are 
recognised in the income statement.

The revenues and expenses of foreign operations are translated at an average rate for the period.

The assets and liabilities of foreign operations are translated at foreign exchange rates ruling at the statement 
of financial position date and foreign exchange differences are taken directly to the translation reserve.

The following exchange rates (relative to sterling), which are significant to the Group, applied during the period:

US dollar

Canadian dollar

Euro

Czech koruna

Brazilian real

Average rate

Closing rate

2014

1.65

1.82

1.24

34.19

3.88

2013

1.57

1.62

1.18

30.65

3.40

2014

1.56

1.81

1.29

35.59

4.14

2013

1.66

1.76

1.20

32.91

3.87

67

Molins PLC Annual Report and Accounts 2014STRATEGIC REPORTFINANCIAL STATEMENTSCORPORATE GOVERNANCE26. Financial risk management continued
Foreign currency risk continued
Forward foreign exchange contracts
The Group enters into forward foreign exchange contracts solely for the purpose of minimising currency exposures 
on sale and purchase transactions. The Group classifies its forward foreign exchange contracts used for hedging as 
cash flow hedges and states them at fair value.

Fair values
The fair value of forward foreign exchange contracts at 31 December was:

Cash flow hedges

Gain

Loss

Group

Company

2014
£m

–

(0.9)

(0.9)

2013
£m

0.2

(0.9)

(0.7)

2014
£m

–

(0.7)

(0.7)

2013
£m

0.1

(0.9)

(0.8)

The fair value is the gain/loss on all open forward foreign exchange contracts at the period end. These amounts are 
based on the market values of equivalent instruments at the period end date and all relate to those forward foreign 
exchange contracts that have been designated as effective cash flow hedges under IAS 39 Financial instruments – 
recognition and measurement.

There were no open forward foreign exchange contracts, as at either 31 December 2014 or 2013, that had been 
designated as fair value hedges under IAS 39.

During the period a charge of £0.1m for the Group (2013: £0.8m) and a credit of £0.1m for the Company (2013: £0.6m 
charge) was recognised in the Statement of comprehensive income in respect of cash flow hedges. The amount 
transferred from equity to profit or loss for the period for the Group was £nil (2013: £nil) and was £nil (2013: £nil) for 
the Company.

Contractual maturity date and future cash flows
The contractual maturity date and period when cash flows are expected to occur in relation to open forward foreign 
exchange contracts at 31 December were:

Group

Outflow

Inflow

Company

Outflow

Inflow

2014

Between six
and twelve
months
£m

(2.4)

2.1

(0.3)

2014

Between six
and twelve
months
£m

Total
£m

(7.8)

9.4

1.6

Less than
six months
£m

(11.9)

7.9

(4.0)

Total
£m

Less than
six months
£m

2013

Between six
and twelve
months
£m

(0.4)

0.7

0.3

2013

Between six
and twelve
months
£m

Total
£m

(12.3)

8.6

(3.7)

Total
£m

(4.9)

4.2

(0.7)

(15.3)

(20.4)

(0.9)

(21.3)

17.5

2.2

15.9

(4.5)

1.2

0.3

17.1

(4.2)

Less than
six months
£m

(5.4)

7.3

1.9

Less than
six months
£m

(10.4)

13.3

2.9

Currency profile
The currency profiles at 31 December of Cash and cash equivalents and Interest-bearing loans and borrowings 
are shown within the interest rate risk section in this note.

68

Molins PLC Annual Report and Accounts 2014NOTES TO THE ACCOUNTS CONTINUED26. Financial risk management continued
Currency profile continued
The main functional currency of the Group is sterling. The following analysis of financial assets and liabilities 
(excluding net funds/debt) shows the Group and Company exposure after the effects of forward foreign exchange 
contracts used to manage currency exposure.

The amounts shown represent the transactional exposures that give rise to net currency gains and losses which are 
recognised in the income statement. Such exposures represent the financial assets and liabilities of the Group 
and the Company that are not denominated in the functional currency of the business involved.

Group

Functional currency:

Sterling

Canadian dollar

Brazilian real

Company

Functional currency:

Sterling

US dollar
£m

2014

Euro
£m

Total
£m

US dollar
£m

–

0.1

0.1

0.2

–

0.2

–

0.2

–

0.3

0.1

0.4

–

0.5

0.1

0.6

US dollar
£m

2014

Euro
£m

Total
£m

US dollar
£m

2013

Euro
£m

0.1

0.3

0.1

0.5

2013

Euro
£m

Total
£m

0.1

0.8

0.2

1.1

Total
£m

0.1

–

0.1

0.1

0.1

0.2

Sensitivity to foreign currency risk
Average exchange rates are used to translate the profits of foreign operations in the Consolidated income 
statement. If sterling had been 10% stronger/weaker against all foreign currencies during the period, the effect 
of this on the average exchange rates used to translate profits would have increased/decreased Group profit for 
the period by £0.1m (2013: £nil).

If sterling had been 10% stronger against all foreign currencies at 31 December 2014, Group equity would have 
reduced by £1.2m (2013: £1.6m). Conversely, if sterling had been 10% weaker against all foreign currencies at 
31 December 2014, Group equity would have increased by £1.4m (2013: £1.9m). This analysis assumes that all 
other variables remain constant.

Fair values
The fair value of borrowings at fixed rates for both the Group and the Company at 31 December 2014 is £1.5m 
(2013 £1.6m) and has been calculated by discounting the expected future cash flows at prevailing interest rates.

There are no other significant differences between book and fair values for any of the other financial assets or 
liabilities included in either the Group or Company statement of financial position.

Capital management
Capital comprises total equity as shown in the Statements of financial position. The Group’s policy is to maintain a 
strong capital base so as to maintain investor, creditor and market confidence and to sustain the future development 
of the business. The Group manages its capital structure and makes adjustments to it in light of the economic 
conditions. To maintain or adjust the capital structure, the Group may adjust the dividend payment to shareholders, 
return capital to shareholders or issue new shares.

The Group monitors capital through measures of earnings per share (see note 11), return on capital employed 
(profit for the period divided by average equity) and tangible net worth (total equity before intangible assets and 
employee benefits, net of tax). There were no changes to the Group’s approach to capital management during the 
year and neither the Company nor any of its subsidiaries are subject to externally imposed capital requirements.

69

Molins PLC Annual Report and Accounts 2014STRATEGIC REPORTFINANCIAL STATEMENTSCORPORATE GOVERNANCE27. Operating leases
Non-cancellable operating lease rentals are payable as follows:

Less than one year

Between one and five years

More than five years

Group

Company

2014
£m

1.7

5.2

2.4

9.3

2013
£m

1.7

6.0

2.5

10.2

2014
£m

0.6

2.0

1.0

3.6

2013
£m

0.6

2.0

1.2

3.8

The Group leases a number of manufacturing and service facilities under operating leases. The lease terms vary in 
length and some have the option to renew at the end of the lease term.

During the year £1.7m was recognised as an expense in the Consolidated income statement in respect of operating 
leases (2013: £.7m).

28. Capital commitments

Capital investment contracted but not provided for

29. Contingent liabilities

Contingent liabilities in respect of guarantees and 
indemnities related to sales and other contracts

Group

Company

2014
£m

–

2013
£m

0.1

2014
£m

–

Group

Company

2014
£m

2.3

2013
£m

5.5

2014
£m

2.2

2013
£m

–

2013
£m

5.4

30. Related parties
Identity of related parties
The Company has a related party relationship with its subsidiaries (see note 31), directors and the UK and USA 
defined benefit pension schemes. In the course of normal operations, related party transactions entered into 
by the Group have been contracted on an arm’s-length basis.

Details regarding transactions involving the directors and their remuneration can be found in the Remuneration 
report on pages 21 to 23.

The Group recharges the UK pension scheme with the costs of administration incurred by the Group. The total 
amount recharged in the year to 31 December 2014 was £0.2m (2013: £0.2m).

At 31 December 2014 there were no outstanding balances with related parties.

70

Molins PLC Annual Report and Accounts 2014NOTES TO THE ACCOUNTS CONTINUED31. Group entities
All intra-group related party transactions and outstanding balances are eliminated in the preparation of 
the Consolidated financial statements of the Group and therefore in accordance with IAS 24 Related party 
disclosures are not disclosed.

Subsidiary undertakings
Details of the principal subsidiary undertakings are shown on page 73.

During the year ended 31 December 2014 the Company made sales of £6.9m (2013: £8.8m) and purchased 
goods totalling £7.0m (2013: £8.7m) to and from other Group undertakings.

During the year ended 31 December 2014 the Company received interest income from subsidiary undertakings 
of £0.3m (2013: £0.2m) and management fees of £0.5m (2013: £0.8m).

At 31 December 2014 amounts owed by subsidiary undertakings to the Company were £7.8m (2013: £12.3m) 
and amounts owed by the Company to subsidiary undertakings were £9.6m (2013: £9.8m).

Included within amounts owed by subsidiary undertakings to the Company is a provision of £5.2m (2013: £nil) 
representing amounts owed to the Company which are no longer considered recoverable.

At 31 December 2014 investments in subsidiaries by the Company were £50.6m (2013: £50.6m).

32. Accounting estimates and judgements
The development, selection and disclosure of the Group’s critical accounting policies and estimates, and 
the application of these policies and estimates, are considered as part of the remit of the Audit Committee.

Pension accounting
Changes to key assumptions used for calculating the net pension asset/liability of the Group can have a significant 
impact on the accounting valuation of the Group’s defined benefit pension schemes. The key assumptions used in 
calculating the net pension asset/liability for the Group are disclosed in note 24. The value of the schemes’ liabilities 
is particularly sensitive to the discount, inflation and mortality rates used. An analysis of the impact on the net 
pension asset/liability to changes in these assumptions is also disclosed in note 24.

Goodwill impairment
Determining whether goodwill is impaired requires an estimation of the value in use of the cash generating 
units (CGUs) to which the goodwill relates. The value in use calculation requires the Group to estimate the future 
cash flows expected to arise from each CGU and to determine a suitable discount rate to calculate the present 
value. The carrying value of goodwill at 31 December 2014 was £8.6m. An impairment charge of £1.6m has 
been recognised in the year in respect of the carrying value of purchased goodwill of Arista Laboratories. 
Further information is contained in note 12.

Investment impairment
Determining whether the Company’s investments in subsidiaries are impaired requires an estimation of the value 
in use of the cash generating units (CGUs) to which the investments relate. The value in use calculation requires 
the Company to estimate the future cash flows expected to arise from each CGU and to determine a suitable 
discount rate to calculate the present value. The carrying value of investments in subsidiaries by the Company 
at 31 December 2014 was £50.6m and there has been no impairment of investments in subsidiaries during 
the period.

Provisions
The Group assesses the carrying value of both receivable balances and inventory balances based on past losses, 
current trading patterns and anticipated future events. Provisions for expected future cash flows are made based 
upon past experience and management’s assessment of the likely outflow, after taking professional advice 
where appropriate.

Construction contracts
The timing of revenue recognition on construction contracts is based on the assessed stage of completion 
of contract activity at the statement of financial position date. The assessed stage of completion is based on 
an estimate of the labour costs expended on each contract at the statement of financial position date as a 
proportion of estimated total labour costs on each contract.

71

Molins PLC Annual Report and Accounts 2014STRATEGIC REPORTFINANCIAL STATEMENTSCORPORATE GOVERNANCERevenue

Underlying operating profita

Non-underlying items

Operating profit

Net financing (expense)/income

Profit before tax

Taxation

(Loss)/profit for the period

Underlying operating return on salesa

Underlying earnings per ordinary sharea

Basic (loss)/earnings per ordinary share

Dividends per ordinary share in respect of the year

Intangible assets

Property, plant and equipment and investment property

Inventories

Trade and other receivables (including taxation)

2014
£m

89.9

3.4

(2.8)

0.6

(0.3)

0.3

(0.6)

(0.3)

3.8%

11.9p

(1.3)p

5.5p

15.7

12.1

18.5

32.6

2013
£m

105.2

5.5

(0.9)

4.6

(0.8)

3.8

(0.3)

3.5

5.2%

23.9p

18.0p

5.5p

15.2

12.0

18.5

27.5

2012
£m

93.0

4.9

(0.3)

4.6

(0.1)

4.5

(0.7)

3.8

5.3%

21.8p

20.6p

5.5p

14.5

11.7

18.1

29.3

2011
£m

89.9

4.5

0.2

4.7

0.5

5.2

(1.9)

3.3

5.0%

18.3p

17.2p

5.25p

14.9

10.5

15.9

23.8

Employee benefits

(20.6)

(5.6)

(19.2)

(3.4)

2010
£m

86.4

3.7

(2.4)

1.3

(0.9)

0.4

0.1

0.5

4.3%

13.9p

2.9p

5.0p

13.8

10.5

15.6

17.5

6.2

Trade and other payables (including taxation 
and provisions)

Net (debt)/funds

Net assets

(30.3)

(32.3)

(31.3)

(27.8)

(25.5)

28.0

(2.1)

25.9

35.3

5.2

40.5

23.1

7.4

30.5

33.9

7.1

41.0

38.1

9.0

47.1

Net assets per ordinary share

128p

201p

151p

203p

233p

Ordinary shares in issue (000’s)

20,172

20,172

20,172

20,172

20,172

a  Before non-underlying items.

72

Molins PLC Annual Report and Accounts 2014FIVE YEAR RECORDPRINCIPAL DIVISIONS AND SUBSIDIARIES

The divisions and subsidiary undertakings shown include those which principally affect the profits and net assets 
of the Group as at the date of this report. Overseas companies operate and are incorporated in the countries 
in which they are based. In all cases the class of shares held is ordinary equity shares (or equivalent) and the 
proportion held is 100% unless otherwise indicated. Shares in the UK, Russian and Czech Republic companies 
are held directly by Molins PLC and those in the other overseas subsidiaries by intermediate holding companies.

A full list of subsidiaries will be included in the next annual return filed at Companies House.

Scientific Services
Arista Laboratories Inc
1470 East Parham Road, Richmond,
Virginia 23228-2300, USA
Tel: 
Fax: 
E-mail:  info@aristalabs.com 
Sherry Duff, President

+1 804 887 2100
+1 804 271 5594

Cerulean
Rockingham Drive, Linford Wood East, 
Milton Keynes MK14 6LY, UK
+44 (0)1908 233833 
Tel: 
Fax: 
+44 (0)1908 235333 
E-mail:  info@cerulean.com 
Steve Frankham, Managing Director

Cerulean Inc
1470 East Parham Road, Richmond, 
Virginia 23228-2300, USA
Tel: 
Fax: 
E-mail:  info@cerulean.com 
Steve Frankham, Managing Director

+1 804 887 2525
+1 804 887 2527

Cerulean Shanghai Co Ltd
Units 2011 & 2012, Commerce Spirit,
No. 1258 Yu Yuan Road, Shanghai
200050, Peoples Republic of China
Tel: 
Fax: 
E-mail:  info@cerulean.com
Mark Liu, General Manager

+86 21 6125 3288
+86 21 6384 2262

Packaging Machinery
Langen Packaging Inc
6154 Kestrel Road, Mississauga, 
Ontario L5T 1Z2, Canada 
+1 905 670 7200 
Tel: 
Fax: 
+1 905 670 5291 
E-mail:  info@langengroup.com 
José Cornejo, General Manager

Langenpac BV
Edisonstraat 14, 6604 BV Wijchen, 
The Netherlands 
+31 24 648 6655 
Tel: 
Fax: 
+31 24 648 6657 
E-mail:  info@langengroup.com 
Geert van den Heiligenberg, 
Managing Director

Tobacco Machinery
Molins Tobacco Machinery 
Unit A1, Regent Park, Summerleys Road, 
Princes Risborough, HP27 9LE, UK
Tel: 
Fax: 
E-mail:  mtm@molins.com 
Mark Aldridge, Managing Director

+44 (0)1844 276600 
+44 (0)1844 276730 

Molins Do Brasil Maquinas  
Automaticas Ltda
Rua Joao Lunardelli, 810 CIC, Curitiba, 
Parana, CEP 81.460 100, Brazil 
Tel: 
Fax: 
E-mail:  molins.brazil@molins.com.br 
Fabio de Souza, President

+55 41 3227 8300 
+55 41 3227 8310 

Molins Technologies 
13 Westwood Way, Westwood Business 
Park, Coventry CV4 8HS, UK
+44 (0)2476 421100 
Tel: 
Fax: 
+44 (0)2476 421255 
E-mail:  info@molinstechnologies.com 
Dan Murthi, Managing Director

Molins Far East Pte Ltd
5 Pereira Road, 05–04 Asiawide Building, 
Singapore 368025 
Tel: 
Fax: 
E-mail:  mfe@molins.com 
Mark Aldridge, Managing Director

+65 6289 3788 
+65 6289 5788 

Molins Richmond Inc
1470 East Parham Road, Richmond, 
Virginia 23228-2300, USA
Tel: 
Fax: 
E-mail:  molins.richmond@molins.com 
Mark Aldridge, Managing Director

+1 804 887 2525
+1 804 887 2527

Molins sro
Korandova 12, 301 00 Plzen, 
Czech Republic 
Tel: 
Fax: 
E-mail:  info@molins.cz 
Jiri Honomichl, Managing Director

+420 378 080 111 
+420 378 080 211 

Molins Tobacco CIS (69%)
Rozanova str 10/1, 
Moscow 123007, Russia 
Tel: 
Fax: 
E-mail:  molins-tobacco-cis@yandex.ru 
Olga Agafontseva, General Director

+7 495 232 4025 
+7 495 232 4026

73

Molins PLC Annual Report and Accounts 2014STRATEGIC REPORTFINANCIAL STATEMENTSCORPORATE GOVERNANCEThe one hundred and third Annual General Meeting (the Meeting) of Molins PLC will be held at Rockingham Drive, 
Linford Wood East, Milton Keynes MK14 6LY on Friday 24 April 2015 at 12 noon for the following purposes:

As ordinary business
To consider and, if thought fit, to pass the following resolutions as ordinary resolutions:

1.  To receive the Annual Report and Accounts 2014 now laid before the Meeting. (Resolution 1)

2.  To declare a final dividend for the year ended 31 December 2014 of 3.0p per ordinary share to be paid on 13 May 

2015 to the shareholders who were on the Register of Members at the close of business on 24 April 2015. 
(Resolution 2)

3.  To re-appoint Mrs A Palmer-Baunack as a director. (Resolution 3)

4.  To re-appoint Mr D J Cowen as a director. (Resolution 4)

5.  To re-appoint KPMG LLP as auditors and to authorise the directors to determine their remuneration. (Resolution 5)

6.  To approve the Remuneration report set out on pages 21 to 23 in the Annual Report and Accounts 2014. 

(Resolution 6)

As special business
To consider and, if thought fit, to pass the following resolution as an ordinary resolution:

7.  Power to allot securities

That, in substitution for all existing authorities, the directors be and are hereby generally and unconditionally 
authorised to exercise all powers of the Company to allot relevant securities (within the meaning of section 551 of 
the Companies Act 2006) up to an aggregate nominal value of £1,512,865 (representing 30% of the total ordinary 
share capital in issue at 25 February 2015) provided that this authority shall expire on the day 15 months following 
the passing of this resolution save that the Company may, before such expiry, make an offer or agreement which 
would or might require relevant securities to be allotted after such expiry and the directors may allot relevant 
securities in pursuance of such offer or agreement as if the authority conferred hereby had not expired. 
(Resolution 7)

To consider and, if thought fit, to pass the following resolutions as special resolutions:

8.  Disapplication of pre-emption rights

That the directors be and are hereby empowered pursuant to section 570 and section 573 of the Companies Act 
2006 (the Act) to allot equity securities for cash, pursuant to the general authority conferred upon them by the 
resolution passed under item number 7 in the notice of the Annual General Meeting of the Company, for the 
period ending on the date of the next Annual General Meeting following the passing of this resolution or at the 
end of 15 months following the passing of this resolution, whichever is the earlier (unless previously revoked or 
varied) as if section 561 of the Act did not apply to any such allotment and so that the power conferred by this 
resolution shall enable the Company to make any offer or agreement before the expiry of this power (unless 
previously revoked or varied by the Company in general meeting), which would or might require equity securities 
to be allotted after such expiry and so that notwithstanding such expiry the directors may allot equity securities 
pursuant to any such offer or agreement previously made by the Company as if the power conferred hereby had 
not expired PROVIDED however that the power conferred by this resolution shall be limited:

a  to the allotment of equity securities in connection with or pursuant to any arrangement whereby the holders 
of ordinary shares at a record date or dates adopted for the purposes of the arrangement are entitled to 
acquire any equity securities of the Company issued for cash pursuant to such arrangement, in the proportion 
(as nearly as may be) to such holders’ holdings of shares (or, as appropriate, to the numbers of ordinary shares 
which such holders are for the purpose deemed to hold) subject to such exclusions or other arrangements as 
the directors may consider necessary or expedient to deal with fractional entitlements or legal or practical 
problems under or resulting from the application of the laws of any territory or the requirements of any 
recognised regulatory body or stock exchange in any territory; and

b  to the allotment (otherwise than pursuant to sub-paragraph a above) of equity securities having an aggregate 
nominal value not exceeding £504,288.50 (representing 10% of the total ordinary share capital in issue as at 
25 February 2015).

74

Molins PLC Annual Report and Accounts 2014NOTICE OF MEETING 
 
  Words and expressions defined in or for the purposes of the Act shall bear the same meanings in this resolution. 

(Resolution 8)

9.  Purchase of own shares

That the directors be empowered in the terms of Article 11 of the Company’s Articles of Association and pursuant 
to section 701 of the Companies Act 2006 to make market purchases (as defined in section 693(4) of that Act) 
of ordinary shares of 25p each in the capital of the Company on such terms and in such manner as the directors 
may from time to time determine, provided that:

a  the maximum aggregate number of shares which may be so purchased shall be 3,000,000 ordinary shares 
(representing approximately 15% of the Company’s issued ordinary share capital at the date of the Notice 
convening the Meeting at which this resolution is to be proposed);

b  the maximum price (excluding expenses) which may be paid for an ordinary share shall be an amount equal 
to 105% of the average middle market quotations taken from the London Stock Exchange Daily Official List 
for the five business days immediately preceding the day on which the shares in question 
are to be purchased;

c  the minimum price which may be paid for an ordinary share shall be 25p (exclusive of expenses); and

d  this authority shall expire, unless previously revoked or varied, at the conclusion of the next Annual General 

Meeting of the Company after the passing of this resolution or twelve months from the date of the resolution 
(whichever is the earlier) provided that the Company may before this authority expires make contracts for 
purchases of ordinary shares under this authority which would or might be executed wholly or partly after this 
authority expires and may make a purchase of ordinary shares pursuant to any such contract. (Resolution 9)

10. Authority to hold general meetings (other than annual general meetings) on 14 clear days’ notice.

That a General Meeting of the Company, other than annual general meetings of the Company, may be called 
on not less than 14 clear days’ notice.

By order of the Board

S P Cannon
Secretary
25 February 2015

75

Molins PLC Annual Report and Accounts 2014STRATEGIC REPORTFINANCIAL STATEMENTSCORPORATE GOVERNANCE 
 
Notes relating to the Notice
Entitlement to attend and vote
1.  Only those members registered on the Company’s Register of Members 48 hours prior to the time of the 
Annual General Meeting (the Meeting) or, if this Meeting is adjourned, 48 hours prior to the time of the 
adjourned Meeting shall be entitled to attend and vote at the Meeting.

Website giving information regarding the meeting
2.  A copy of this Notice of Meeting (the Notice) and other information required by section 311A of the Companies 

Act 2006 (the Act) is available online at www.molins.com.

Appointment of proxies
3.  Members of the Company are entitled to appoint a proxy to exercise all or any of their rights to attend, speak and 
vote at the Meeting using the proxy form accompanying this Notice. The person appointed proxy does not need 
to be a member of the Company but must attend the Meeting to represent the member. The Chairman of the 
meeting or another person may be appointed as proxy. Members wishing their proxy to speak on their behalf at 
the Meeting will need to appoint their own choice of proxy (not the Chairman) and give instructions directly to 
them. Members can only appoint a proxy using the procedures set out in this Notice and the notes to the proxy 
form. The appointment of a proxy does not preclude a shareholder from attending and voting in person at the 
Meeting. More than one proxy may be appointed provided each proxy is appointed to exercise rights attached to 
different shares. More than one proxy to exercise rights attached to any one share may not be appointed. In the 
case of joint holders, where more than one of the joint holders purports to appoint a proxy, only the appointment 
submitted by the most senior holder will be accepted. Seniority is determined by the order in which the names of 
the joint holders appear in the Company’s register of members in respect of the joint holding (the first-named 
being the most senior).

The notes to the proxy form explain how to direct the proxy to vote on each resolution or withhold their vote. The 
manner in which the proxy(ies) is/are to vote should be indicated by marking either ‘Vote for’ or ‘Vote against’ or 
‘Vote withheld’. If none is marked, the proxy(ies) will vote or abstain at his/her/their discretion. A ‘Vote withheld’ 
option is provided on the proxy form to enable instructions to be given to a proxy not to vote on any particular 
resolution. It should, however, be noted that a vote withheld is not a vote in law and therefore will not be counted 
in the calculation of the proportion of the votes ‘For’ and ‘Against’ a resolution.

4.  Those that are not members of the Company but who have been nominated by a member of the Company 

under section 146 of the Act to enjoy information rights, do not have a right to appoint any proxies under the 
procedures set out herein or in the proxy form. They may have a right under an agreement with the member of 
the Company who has nominated them (Relevant Member) to be appointed or to have someone else appointed 
as a proxy for the Meeting. If they either do not have such a right or if they have such a right but do not wish to 
exercise it, they may have a right under an agreement with the Relevant Member to give instructions to the 
Relevant Member as to the exercise of voting rights. The main point of contact in terms of their investment in the 
Company is the Relevant Member and they should contact them (and not the Company) regarding their interest 
in the Company.

Appointment of proxy using hard copy proxy form
5.  To appoint a proxy using the proxy form, the form must be:

a  completed and signed;

b  sent or delivered to the Company’s registrars at PXS 1, 34 Beckenham Road, Beckenham, Kent BR3 4ZF; and

c 

received by the Company’s registrars not less than 48 hours before the time appointed for holding the 
Meeting or adjourned Meeting at which the person named in the proxy form proposes to vote.

In the case of a member which is a company, the proxy form must be executed under its common seal or signed 
on its behalf by an officer of the company or an attorney for the company. Any power of attorney or any other 
authority under which the proxy form is signed (or a notarised copy of such power or authority or a copy of such 
power and written authority certified in accordance with the Powers of Attorney Act 1971) must be included with 
the proxy form. In the case of a poll taken more than 48 hours after it is demanded, the proxy document(s) must 
be delivered as aforesaid not less than 24 hours before the time appointed for taking the poll, and where the 
poll is taken less than 48 hours after it was demanded, the proxy documents must either be delivered at the 
meeting at which the demand is made, or at the proxy notification address not less than 48 hours before the 
time appointed for holding the meeting or adjourned meeting, or otherwise as the Chairman of the meeting at 
which a poll is demanded may direct.

76

Molins PLC Annual Report and Accounts 2014NOTICE OF MEETING CONTINUED 
 
Appointment of proxy using email
6.  As an alternative to submitting the hard copy proxy form by hand or by post, a proxy may be appointed 

electronically by emailing a copy of the signed hard copy proxy form and any accompanying documents to 
agm@molinsplc.com with details of the full name and address of the registered shareholder. For an electronic 
proxy appointment to be valid it must be delivered not less than 48 hours before the time appointed for holding 
the Meeting or adjourned Meeting at which the person named in the proxy form proposes to vote. Please refer 
to note 5 for details as to when proxy notices appointing a proxy in the event of a poll are to be delivered.

Changing proxy instructions
7.  To change proxy instructions simply submit a new proxy form using the methods set out above. Note that the 

cut-off times for receipt of proxy forms (see note 5) also apply in relation to amended instructions; any amended 
proxy form received after the relevant cut-off time will be disregarded. Where another hard copy proxy form is 
required please contact the Company (see note 18). If a member submits more than one valid proxy form, the 
form received last before the latest time for the receipt of proxies will take precedence.

Termination of proxy appointments
8.  To revoke a proxy instruction the Company must be informed by either:

a  sending a signed hard copy notice clearly stating the intention to revoke the proxy appointment to the 

Company’s registrars at PXS 1, 34 Beckenham Road, Beckenham, Kent BR3 4ZF; or

b  sending an email clearly stating the registered shareholder’s name and address and the intention to revoke 

the previous proxy appointment to agm@molinsplc.com.

In the case of a member which is a company, the revocation notice must be executed under its common seal 
or signed on its behalf by an officer of the company or an attorney for the company (any power of attorney or 
any other authority under which the revocation notice is signed (or a notarised copy of such power or authority 
or a copy of such power and written authority certified in accordance with the Powers of Attorney Act 1971) 
must be included with the revocation notice).

The revocation notice must be received by the Company’s registrars or delivered to agm@molinsplc.com (as the 
case may be) no later than six hours before the time fixed for holding the relevant meeting or adjourned meeting 
or, in the case of a poll not taken on the same day as the meeting or adjourned meeting, before the time fixed for 
taking the poll.

If the revocation is received after the time specified then the original proxy appointment will remain valid.

Corporate representatives
9.  A corporation which is a member can appoint one or more corporate representatives who may exercise, on 

its behalf, all its powers as a member provided that no more than one corporate representative exercises powers 
over the same share. Representatives will be required to produce documentary evidence of their appointment.

Issued shares and total voting rights
10. As at the close of business on 24 February 2014 (being the last business day prior to publication of this notice), 
the Company’s issued share capital comprised 20,171,540 ordinary shares of 25p each. Each ordinary share 
carries the right to one vote at a general meeting of the Company and, therefore, the total number of voting 
rights in the Company at that time was 20,171,540.

Questions at the meeting
11.  Under section 319A of the Act, the Company must answer any question asked at the Meeting relating to 

the business being dealt with at the Meeting unless:

a  answering the question would interfere unduly with the preparation for the Meeting or involve the disclosure 

of confidential information;

b  the answer has already been given on a website in the form of an answer to a question; or

c 

it is undesirable in the interests of the Company or the good order of the Meeting that the question 
be answered.

77

Molins PLC Annual Report and Accounts 2014STRATEGIC REPORTFINANCIAL STATEMENTSCORPORATE GOVERNANCE 
 
 
Notes relating to the Notice continued
Members’ right to require circulation of resolution to be proposed at the meeting
12.  Under section 338 of the Act, a member or members meeting the qualification criteria set out at note 15, may, 
subject to conditions, require the Company to give its members notice of a resolution which may properly be 
moved and is intended to be moved at that Meeting. The conditions are that:

a  the resolution must not, if passed, be ineffective (whether by reason of inconsistency with any enactment 

or the Company’s constitution or otherwise);

b  the resolution must not be defamatory of any person, frivolous or vexatious; and

c  the request:

i  may be in hard copy form or in electronic form (see note 16);

ii  must identify the resolution of which notice is to be given by either setting out the resolution in full or, if 

supporting a resolution sent by another member, clearly identifying the resolution which is being supported;

iii  must be authenticated by the person or persons making it (see note 16); and

iv  must be received by the Company not later than six weeks before the Meeting to which the request 

relates, or if later, the time at which notice is given of that Meeting.

Members’ right to have a matter of business dealt with at the meeting
13.  Under section 338A of the Act, a member or members meeting the qualification criteria set out at note 15, may, 
subject to conditions, require the Company to include in the business to be dealt with at the Meeting a matter 
(other than a proposed resolution) which may properly be included in the business (a matter of business). 
The conditions are that:

a  the matter of business must not be defamatory of any person, frivolous or vexatious; and

b  the request:

i  may be in hard copy form or in electronic form (see note 16);

ii  must identify the matter of business by either setting it out in full or, if supporting a statement sent 

by another member, clearly identify the matter of business which is being supported;

iii  must be accompanied by a statement setting out the grounds for the request;

iv  must be authenticated by the person or persons making it (see note 16); and

v  must be received by the Company not later than six weeks before the Meeting to which the request 

relates, or if later, the time at which notice is given of that Meeting.

Website publication of audit concerns
14. Pursuant to sections 527 to 531 of the Act, where requested by a member or members meeting the qualification 
criteria set out at note 15, the Company must publish on its website a statement setting out any matter that such 
members propose to raise at the Meeting relating to the audit of the Company’s accounts (including the auditor’s 
report and the conduct of the audit) that are to be laid before the Meeting. Where the Company is required to 
publish such a statement on its website:

a 

b 

it may not require the members making the request to pay any expenses incurred by the Company 
in complying with the request;

it must forward the statement to the Company’s auditor no later than the time the statement is made 
available on the Company’s website;

c  the statement may be dealt with as part of the business of the Meeting; and

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Molins PLC Annual Report and Accounts 2014NOTICE OF MEETING CONTINUEDd  the request:

i  may be in hard copy form or in electronic form (see note 16);

ii  must either set out the statement in full or, if supporting a statement sent by another member, clearly 

identify the statement which is being supported;

iii  must be authenticated by the person or persons making it (see note 16); and

iv  must be received by the Company at least one week before the Meeting.

Members’ qualification criteria
15.  A request under section 338, section 338A or section 527 of the Act (see notes 12 to 14) may only be made by:

a  a member or members having a right to vote at the Meeting and holding at least 5% of total voting rights of 

the Company; or

b  at least 100 members having a right to vote at the Meeting and holding, on average, at least £100 of paid up 

share capital per member.

For information on voting rights, including the total number of voting rights, see note 10 and the website referred 
to in note 2.

Submission of hard copy and electronic requests and authentication requirements
16. A request made under section 338, section 338A or section 527 of the Act (see notes 12 to 14) must be made in 

accordance with one of the following ways:

a  a hard copy request which is signed by the Relevant Member(s), stating their full name(s) and address(es) and 

sent for the attention of the Company Secretary at the Company’s Registered Office address; or

b  a request which states the Relevant Member’s full name and address emailed to agm@molinsplc.com.

Documents on display
17.  Copies of directors’ letters of appointment and service contracts will be available for inspection for 15 minutes 

before, and during, the Meeting.

Communication
18. Except where specifically provided above, members who have general queries about the Meeting or who require 
additional copies of the Notice and/or proxy form should write to or telephone the Company Secretary at the 
Company’s registered office (see page 82). No other methods of communication will be accepted.

After the meeting
19.  Members will have the opportunity to meet the directors of the Company.

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Molins PLC Annual Report and Accounts 2014STRATEGIC REPORTFINANCIAL STATEMENTSCORPORATE GOVERNANCE 
Explanatory notes on the resolutions
Resolutions 1 to 7 are ordinary resolutions; resolutions 8, 9 and 10 are special resolutions. To be passed, ordinary 
resolutions require more than half the votes cast to be in favour of the resolution whilst special resolutions require 
at least three-quarters of the votes cast to be in favour of the resolution.

The resolutions
Ordinary business
Resolution 1 – To receive the Annual Report and Accounts 2014
The Companies Act 2006 requires the directors to lay before the Company in a general meeting copies of the 
Company’s annual accounts, and the auditor’s report on those accounts. The resolution goes beyond this by 
asking shareholders to receive the Annual Report and Accounts 2014 and therefore gives shareholders a vote.

Resolution 2 – Declaration of a final dividend
The Company’s Articles of Association state that the Company may, by ordinary resolution, declare a final dividend 
be paid to members.

Resolutions 3 and 4 – Directors’ re-appointments
The Company’s Articles of Association require a director to retire:

a  who was appointed by the Board since the last Annual General Meeting; or

b  at the third Annual General Meeting following the Annual General Meeting at which they were elected or 

last re-elected.

In both cases the retiring director can offer themselves for appointment/re-appointment.

No directors have been appointed since the last Annual General Meeting. At the Annual General Meeting three 
years ago Mr Cowen was the only director who was re-appointed and therefore he retires at the forthcoming Annual 
General Meeting. The Chairman, Mrs Palmer-Baunack, has offered herself for re-appointment and will also retire at 
the forthcoming Annual General Meeting. Being eligible both Mr Cowen and Mrs Palmer-Baunack offer themselves 
for re-appointment. Biographical information for Mr Cowen and Mrs Palmer-Baunack is given on page 17 of the 
Annual Report and Accounts 2014.

Resolution 5 – To re-appoint KPMG LLP as auditors and to authorise the directors to determine their remuneration
It is a Companies Act 2006 (the Act) requirement that a company appoint an auditor at each general meeting 
at which accounts are laid, to hold office from the conclusion of the meeting until the conclusion of the next 
similar general meeting. The Company has evaluated the work of KPMG LLP and recommends that they be 
re-appointed as the Company’s auditors from the conclusion of the Meeting until the conclusion of the next 
similar meeting. In addition, the Act states that the auditors’ remuneration shall be fixed by the Meeting or in 
such manner as the Company in general meeting may determine. For simplicity of administration the directors 
are seeking authorisation to determine KPMG LLP’s remuneration.

Resolution 6 – To approve the Remuneration report
This resolution seeks shareholders’ approval for the Remuneration report which can be found at pages 21 to 23 of 
the Annual Report and Accounts 2014. The vote is advisory only.

Special business
Resolution 7 – Power to allot securities
The Companies Act 2006 and the Company’s Articles of Association permit the allotment of new shares only if 
the Company is authorised to do so by resolution of the Company. Such authorisation was given for a period of 15 
months at a General Meeting held on 20 May 2014 and therefore the directors are seeking new shareholder 
authorisation at this Meeting.

The directors have no current intention of exercising the power to be conferred by this resolution and will exercise 
this power only when they believe that such exercise is in the best interests of the shareholders.

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Molins PLC Annual Report and Accounts 2014NOTICE OF MEETING CONTINUEDResolution 8 – Disapplication of pre-emption rights
In Resolution 7 above the directors seek authority to allot securities up to an aggregate nominal value of £1,512,865 
in accordance with the requirements of section 551 of the Companies Act 2006 (the Act). However section 561 of 
the Act requires such securities to be offered to existing shareholders (pre-emption rights). This resolution, which is 
permitted by sections 570 and 573 of the Act, seeks shareholders’ authorisation for the directors to disapply, albeit 
to the extent limited within the resolution, the section 561 pre-emption rights so that the Company can satisfy 
immediate allotment requirements. Currently the directors have no plans to allot securities.

Resolution 9 – Purchase of own shares
At the 2014 Annual General Meeting authority to purchase for cancellation 3,000,000 ordinary shares was granted. 
The 2014 Annual General Meeting authority expires on 24 April 2015 and the directors consider it appropriate to 
seek further authority from the shareholders at the forthcoming Meeting for the Company to purchase up to a 
maximum number of 3,000,000 ordinary shares representing approximately 15% of the issued ordinary share capital 
at the date of the Notice convening the Meeting.

In reaching a decision to purchase ordinary shares, the directors will take account of the Company’s cash resources 
and capital and the general effect of such purchase on the Company’s business. The authority would only be 
exercised by the directors if they considered it to be in the best interests of the shareholders generally and if the 
purchase could be expected to result in an increase in earnings per ordinary share.

Resolution 10 – Authority to hold general meetings (other than annual general meetings) on 14 clear days’ notice
The notice period required by the Companies Act 2006 for general meetings is 21 days unless shareholders approve 
a shorter notice period which cannot, however, be less than 14 clear days. Annual general meetings must always be 
held on at least 21 clear days’ notice. Whereas Article 28 (1) of the Company’s Articles of Association permits the 
Company to call a general meeting (other than an annual general meeting) on 14 clear days’ notice, shareholder 
approval is also required by the Companies Act 2006 to give effect to this. The authority granted by Resolution 10, 
if passed, will be effective until the Company’s next Annual General Meeting, when it is intended that a similar 
resolution will be proposed. In order to be able to call a general meeting on less than 21 clear days’ notice, the 
Company must make a means of electronic voting available to all shareholders for that meeting. Resolution 10 
seeks the approval of shareholders to give the Company the authority to be able to call general meetings (other 
than the Annual General Meeting) on 14 days’ clear notice. The flexibility offered by Resolution 10 will only be 
used where, taking into account the circumstances, the directors consider this appropriate in relation to the 
business of the meeting and in the interests of the Company and shareholders as a whole.

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Molins PLC Annual Report and Accounts 2014STRATEGIC REPORTFINANCIAL STATEMENTSCORPORATE GOVERNANCETimetable
Annual General Meeting
24 April 2015

Payment dates for preference dividend
30 June 2015 and 31 December 2015

Record date for proposed final dividend
24 April 2015

Payment date for proposed final dividend
13 May 2015

Half-year announcement
August 2015

CORPORATE INFORMATION

Registered office
Rockingham Drive 
Linford Wood East 
Milton Keynes MK14 6LY 
Tel: 
Email:   molins.ho@molinsplc.com

+44 (0)1908 246870 

Registered number
124855

Secretary
Mrs S P Cannon 
Solicitor

Auditors
KPMG LLP 
Altius House
One North Fourth Street 
Milton Keynes MK9 1NE

Stockbrokers 
Panmure Gordon (UK) Limited
One New Change 
London EC4M 9AF

Registrars
Capita Registrars 
The Registry 
34 Beckenham Road 
Beckenham BR3 4TU

Share price
Available from:
FT Cityline – tel: +44 (0)905 817 1690
Financial Times and certain other national newspapers

Website
Further information is available at www.molins.com

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Molins PLC Annual Report and Accounts 2014Designed and produced by Luminous 
www.luminous.co.uk

Molins PLC
Rockingham Drive
Linford Wood East
Milton Keynes MK14 6LY
Tel: 
Email:  molins.ho@molinsplc.com

+44 (0) 1908 246870

www.molins.com