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Xaar

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FY2016 Annual Report · Xaar
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Xaar plc 
Annual Report and Financial Statements 2016

DRIVING THE 
EVOLUTION OF 
DIGITAL INKJET 
TECHNOLOGY

Xaar plc Annual Report and Financial Statements 2016
Strategic Report

HIGHLIGHTS

Financial highlights

• Total revenue grew by 3% in 2016 to £96.2 million 

(2015: £93.5 million)

• Disappointing sales in ceramic tile printing were offset by 

revenue from the acquisition of EPS completed on  
1 July 2016, strong sales growth in Packaging, and higher 
license income resulting from royalty audit settlements

•	Operating	profit	margin	of	20%	achieved	for	the	year	

(2015: 22%)

• Gross research and development (R&D) investment 
(before capitalisation of development costs relating  
to the Thin Film programme) increased to £22.4 million 
in 2016 (2015: £19.9 million)

• Net cash reduced by £20.4 million to £49.3 million 
(2015: £69.7 million) through investments in capital 
expenditure, working capital and the acquisition of EPS.

Strategic and operational highlights 

• Establishment of our vision to grow annual sales to  

£220 million by 2020

• Two major printhead partnerships have now  

been announced

• Two Thin Film printheads were launched in 2016

• Acquisition of EPS completed on 1 July 2016

•	Investment	in	3D	confirmed	with	resources	 

in Nottingham and Copenhagen

• Multiple new Bulk products were launched in the year

• The Sweden facility was closed successfully, as planned.

Revenue £m

£96.2m

2016

2015

2014

2013

2012

96.2

93.5

109.2

137.1

86.3

Adjusted profit before tax £m

£19.5m

2016

2015

2014

2013

2012

19.5

20.8

24.6

18.4

Profit before tax £m

£17.9m

2016

2015

2014

2013

2012

17.9

13.6

23.1

15.7

Net cash1 balance £m

£49.3m

2016

2015

2014

2013

2012

49.3

47.0

53.5

28.9

41.1

40.1

69.7

Adjusted measures exclude items from the IFRS operating profit and profit before tax, such as share-based payment charges, exchange differences relating to 
Swedish operations, unrealised gains/losses on derivative financial instruments, restructuring costs, R&D expenditure credit, impairment on trade investments, 
commercial agreement costs, recurring and non-recurring royalty income (also excluded from IFRS revenue and gross profit), per the reconciliation of adjusted 
financial measures on page 88. Net cash includes cash and cash equivalents, treasury deposits, less obligations under loan and finance lease liabilities.
1 Net cash includes cash, cash equivalents and treasury deposits.

  
1 
Xaar plc 
Annual Report and Financial Statements 2016   

Welcome to Xaar plc

Xaar is a world leader in the 
development of digital inkjet technology, 
the manufacture of piezoelectric drop-
on-demand industrial printheads 
and the delivery of product printing 
solutions. 

 Read about our performance in 2016 

see p04

 Get an overview of  
our strategy see p08

 Learn more about  

our markets see p14

 Discover our  

market leading technology see p16

 Find out more about  

our risk management see p23

What’s in this report?

Strategic Report 

Governance

Financial Statements 

Highlights 
Chairman’s report 
Chief Executive Officer’s report 
Who we are 
Our strategy 
–  Our mission, vision and strategy 
–  Our strategic pillars 
–  Our strategy in action 
Our markets 
Our technology 
Chief Financial Officer’s report 
Key performance indicators 
Risk management 
Sustainable and responsible business 
Board approval of the Strategic  
and Annual Reports 

IFC
2
4
6
8
8
11
12
14
16
20
22
23
26

29

Board of Directors 
Directors’ report 
Governance 
–  Corporate governance statement 
–  Directors’ Remuneration report 
–  Directors’ Responsibilities statement 

30
33
39
39
46
70

71
77

Independent auditor’s report 
Consolidated income statement 
Consolidated statement of  
77
comprehensive income 
78
Consolidated statement of financial position 
79
Consolidated statement of changes in equity 
80
Consolidated cash flow statement 
Notes to the consolidated financial statements  81
113
Company balance sheet 
114
Company statement of changes in equity 
115
Notes to the Company financial statements 
118
Five year record 
119
Notice of the Annual General Meeting 
IBC
Advisors 

STRATEGIC REPORTGOVERNANCEFINANCIAL STATEMENTS2 
Xaar plc Annual Report and Financial Statements 2016
Strategic Report

Chairman’s report

PROGRESS AND CHANGE

Our technology

We have a market leading portfolio  
of products

 See p16

There have been a number of changes to the 
Board since 1 January 2016, and these are set 
out on the next page. The most notable is the 
departure of Phil Lawler, who stepped down  
as Chairman in 2016 after nine years of service. 
I thank Phil for his significant contribution to 
Xaar and the strong team that he has put 
together to take the Company forward. 

The task remains to bring Xaar to a more 
broadly based position of leadership in the 
digital transformation of printing worldwide; 
2016 took some important steps in that 
direction and we aim for the current year  
to build on this.

Robin Williams Chairman
22 March 2017

I am particularly pleased with the 
progress against our renewed 
strategy of partnership and 
acquisition, with the highlights 
being the Ricoh partnership, 
the Xerox partnership and the 
acquisition of EPS.

Robin Williams Chairman
22 March 2017

I was delighted to be appointed Chairman 
in October 2016, a year in which we 
continued the transformation of Xaar  
under the leadership of our Chief Executive 
Doug Edwards and made good progress 
towards our strategic vision.

We took significant steps to deliver our  
strategy of partnership and acquisition, with  
the highlights being the Ricoh partnership,  
the Xerox partnership and the acquisition  
of EPS, a first step for Xaar outside the area 
of component manufacture. The partnerships 
with Ricoh and Xerox capitalise on each 
company’s considerable expertise in printhead 
development. They will deliver substantial 
benefits through the expansion of market 
leading technology and enable Xaar to bring 
to customers a broader range of products. 
The acquisition of EPS, a leading provider of 
product printing equipment in North America, 
extends our reach beyond printheads and 
provides us with a customer base and footprint 
in North America, a region Xaar has been 
targeting for growth.

We announced in December an investment 
in our 3D printing activity, led by Professor 
Neil Hopkinson, through the establishment 
of staff and facilities in Nottingham, UK, and 
Copenhagen, Denmark, enabling us to deliver 
3D printing services and equipment to OEMs, 
material suppliers and end users. 

This was also a very active year for product 
launches and the commercial development of a 
new technology platform. We launched multiple 
new products during the year to support 
our partner OEMs in both existing and new 
markets for digital printing. The launch of our 
first Thin Film piezo printhead, the Xaar 5601, 
was particularly satisfying. We have made a 
significant investment in this technology and  
it is an important element of our 2020 vision.

Our financial performance in 2016 was broadly 
in line with our expectations set at the start of 
the year. Revenue increased 3% compared to 
2015, including the sales generated by EPS 
which contributed from the acquisition date  
of 1 July 2016. In 2016 the Group achieved  
an adjusted operating profit margin of 20%.  
Our cash balance remains strong, with almost 
£50 million as at 31 December 2016, which 
puts us in a good position to pursue our 
strategy of partnership and acquisition.

I would like to thank our employees for their 
hard work and dedication through 2016. 
Important changes across the business 
continue, and the support of staff at all 
levels getting behind those changes is much 
appreciated. As previously announced we 
closed our Sweden plant in 2016 following 
almost 20 years of service as part of Xaar  
and I would like to thank our Swedish 
colleagues for their dedication and hard 
work over the entire period.

3 
Xaar plc 
Annual Report and Financial Statements 2016   

Awards received in 2016

We were delighted to receive two 
prestigious awards in November 2016 

Xaar 2001 wins NMI’s Product of the  
Year Award
The NMI Awards are a prestigious annual 
programme delivered by NMI, a UK 
industry association for electronic systems, 
microelectronics and semiconductors; its 
mission is to increase the quality and quantity 
of electronic engineering and manufacturing 
in the UK and Ireland.

Xaar wins Design & Innovation award  
at The Manufacturer MX Awards 2016
Xaar won the Design & Innovation Award 
and was a People & Skills Award finalist at 
The Manufacturer MX Awards ceremony. 
In addition, Xaar’s Justin Noble was a 
finalist for the Young Manufacturer of 
the Year Award. The Manufacturer MX 
Awards recognises and celebrates the best 
performing businesses in manufacturing. 
Winning this year was especially thrilling 
as 2016 marked the year when Xaar truly 
branched out into multiple industry sectors, 
launching a range of new products.

Board changes

• On 4 January 2016 Chris Morgan joined  
the Board as a Non-Executive Director

• Following a review of the Board structure,  
Jim Brault stepped down from the Board  
on 16 March 2016. He continues in his role  
as Chief Human Resources Officer

• On 1 June 2016 Andrew Herbert joined the 

Board as a Non-Executive Director

• On 30 September 2016 Phil Lawler retired 

as Chairman. As a result, Robin Williams was 
appointed Chairman and Chairman of the 
Nomination Committee. Margaret Rice-Jones 
was appointed Senior Independent Director 
and Andrew Herbert was appointed Chairman 
of the Audit Committee

• On 21 October 2016 the Company 

announced that Alex Bevis, Chief Financial 
Officer and Company Secretary, will leave 
the Company to pursue other opportunities, 
effective 29 March 2017

• On 24 January 2017 the Company 

announced the appointment of Lily Liu 
as Chief Financial Officer and Company 
Secretary, effective 2 May 2017.

Xaar 3D Printing using High Speed Sintering

In March 2016 we appointed Professor 
Neil Hopkinson, the original inventor of 
High Speed Sintering technology

Professor Hopkinson joined Xaar to 
develop the Company’s 3D business. High 
Speed Sintering is a revolutionary Additive 
Manufacturing/3D printing technology which 
uses inkjet printheads and infrared heaters 
to manufacture products layer by layer from 
polymer powder materials at much higher 
speeds than other additive manufacturing 
processes. This technology is therefore  
of interest to companies looking to use  
in volume manufacturing.

In December we announced that our new 
Xaar 3D Centre and 3D team in Nottingham, 
UK, would open in 2017 to deliver 3D 
printing services and equipment to OEMs, 
material suppliers and end users. 

There is no doubt that High Speed 
Sintering can transform 3D printing 
from low volume prototyping to 
high volume manufacturing.

Neil Hopkinson Director of 3D Printing

STRATEGIC REPORTGOVERNANCEFINANCIAL STATEMENTS4 
Xaar plc Annual Report and Financial Statements 2016
Strategic Report

Chief Executive Officer’s report

ACHIEVEMENT AND TRANSFORMATION

Looking nearer term, our 
achievements in 2016 on a 
number of fronts position us 
well for growth.

I am pleased to report on another exciting 
year of achievement. In 2016 we made 
further progress in our transformation 
to an externally focussed market led 
business. We have continued to improve 
our understanding of our markets and 
our customers, we have developed 
and successfully launched multiple 
new products, we have pursued and 
signed strategic partnerships and we 
have secured and integrated our first 
acquisition.

In 2015 we performed a thorough review of  
our strategy. As a result we committed to 
expand our horizons through transformation 
from an internally focused product company  
to a market and customer focused business. 
We undertook to expand our offering beyond 
the printhead in carefully selected applications, 
and to access new products and new 
technology through partnership and acquisition. 
We identified packaging as a key market for 
growth, and the US as a region with untapped 
potential. I am pleased with our progress in 
2016 against all of these elements.

In 2016 we established four strategic pillars to 
support our 2020 vision; Ceramics; Product 
Printing and Packaging; Thin Film; Acquisitions 
and Partnerships. Progress within each of these 
pillars is described in this report.

Doug Edwards Chief Executive Officer
22 March 2017

Ceramics
Ceramics remained our largest application 
segment in 2016, where we retain a strong 
market position. It is a market which is maturing 
in terms of digital conversion, although 
opportunities to convert established analogue 
processes do still remain. As anticipated we 
have seen increased competition from other 
printhead suppliers in this application segment. 
We responded with two important product 
launches in 2016. The Xaar 1003, launched  
in March 2016, provided an improvement in  
the all-round performance of the well-
established and market leading Xaar 1002,  
and also achieved the longest maintenance-free 
production runs in the industry. In September 
2016 we launched the Xaar 2001+ family of 
printheads, a high performing and extremely 
versatile product range which enables tile 
manufacturers to easily implement new designs 
to respond to changing fashions and tastes, 
efficiently manage production changes from 
one day to the next and benefit from low 
maintenance production runs.

Overall sales performance in ceramics was 
disappointing in 2016, through a combination 
of lower overall printer sales in the market, 
increased competition and a slower take-up 
of new products. Initial demand for the 2001+ 
printheads was strong following the launch of 
those products in September, however, longer 
than expected customer printer re-designs 
and manufacturing ramp-up resulted in lower 
than expected sales in the second half of 2016. 
The products launched in 2016 position the 
Company well in terms of maintaining Xaar’s 
market leading position and supporting our 
OEM partners in 2017 and beyond.

Our 2020 vision

To lead the Digital Inkjet 
Revolution with annual sales 
of £220 million by 2020.

Product Printing & Packaging
Through our strategic review we identified the 
potential to extend our business model beyond 
printheads in carefully selected applications. 
In 2016 we selected two areas to focus on; 
product printing and 3D printing, and we 
have made good progress on both.

The product printing market is served by 
multiple print processes today and the fastest 
growing is inkjet. Here, just as with other 
industry sectors, there is great potential to 
accelerate the adoption of inkjet. On 1 July 
2016 we acquired EPS, a leader in product 
printing equipment based in the US, to increase 
our influence and financial returns from this 
sector. EPS successfully established itself 
through supplying customised and bespoke 
printing solutions to a wide variety of market 
sectors including promotional, packaging, 
medical, automotive, apparel, appliances, sports 
equipment and toys. One of its achievements 
has been to develop flexible and cost effective 
digital inkjet solutions. Through the acquisition, 
Xaar gained a well-established and successful 
business, a customer base and a footprint in 
North America, a region Xaar has been targeting 
for growth. I am delighted with the success  
of the integration and subsequent performance 
of the business since the acquisition.

In December 2016 we announced an 
investment in 3D printing, led by Professor 
Neil Hopkinson, through the establishment 
of staff and facilities in Nottingham, UK, and 
Copenhagen, Denmark. We will be opening a 
Xaar 3D Centre in Nottingham, UK, to deliver 
3D printing services and equipment to OEMs, 
material suppliers and end users. In addition 
to the investment in Nottingham, Neil’s team 
has recently been expanded through the 

acquisition of an experienced group of talented 
engineers working in Copenhagen, Denmark. 
The Copenhagen team will provide design and 
process development expertise to help our 
partners commercialise equipment, enhancing 
Xaar’s ability to secure further revenues in 
this fast growing sector. Our investments in 
Nottingham and Copenhagen will significantly 
expand our capability in this sector, helping  
us to achieve our growth plans.

In the various established and developing 
packaging applications outside of product 
printing, our focus remains our core business  
of selling printheads, and I am pleased to report 
good sales performance in 2016, with all areas 
of Packaging (Coding and Marking, Primary 
Labels and Direct-to-shape) delivering growth 
over 2015.

Thin Film
2016 was an exciting year for Thin Film 
printhead technology, with two important 
announcements.

We have made a significant investment in the 
development of Thin Film printhead technology, 
with the objective of producing a printhead 
which unlocks the digital conversion of very 
large and established analogue industrial 
printing markets such as commercial printing, 
textiles, brochures, magazines and high-volume 
packaging. This development is an important 
part of our 2020 vision which pushes the 
boundaries of inkjet technology. In May 2016 
we were delighted to announce the launch 
of the Xaar 5601, our first product based on 
this technology platform, which has been 
successfully demonstrated to a number of 
our partners. We had originally targeted to 
begin commercial sales of this product in early 
2017, however, our manufacturing partner 
experienced a processing issue as they began 
to increase production levels. The impact of  
this issue has limited production output of the 
Xaar 5601, which has delayed commercial 
sales volumes. The root cause of the issue has 
been identified and resolution is in progress. 

We are working closely with our manufacturing 
partner to minimise the impact of delays on  
our customers, and we expect to get back  
on-track during the second quarter of 2017 
with commercial sales anticipated from the 
middle of the year.

5 
Xaar plc 
Annual Report and Financial Statements 2016   

The second announcement on Thin Film 
resulted from a strategic collaboration with 
Ricoh, which yielded a new printhead, the Xaar 
1201, targeted at the already well-established 
digital printing market of outdoor advertising 
and soft signage in Asia. 

Initial demand is high from our partner OEMs. 
Production output is building and this printhead 
is expected to provide a material revenue 
contribution from the second half of 2017.

Acquisitions and Partnerships
In 2016 we were delighted to report our first 
acquisition. EPS, acquired on 1 July 2016, has 
been successfully integrated and is performing 
well. It has helped extend our business model 
and improve our market knowledge. We will 
continue to explore acquisition opportunities 
in the Product Printing space and in other 
carefully selected target markets.

We made excellent progress with partnerships 
in 2016. In May 2016 we announced our Thin 
Film piezo printhead partnership with Ricoh, 
and in January 2017 we announced our Bulk 
piezo printhead partnership with Xerox. These 
partnerships are important for three reasons; 
they extend our product range, they produce 
better products more efficiently, and they 
expand our market access. As noted above, 
the Ricoh partnership signed last year quickly 
yielded a first product, the Xaar 1201, which 
will contribute in 2017. The first product from 
the Xerox partnership announced in January, 
the Xaar 5501, is already in development and 
is expected to be introduced in the middle 
of this year.

In 2016 we also made progress on our 
partnership with GIS on electronics, Megnajet 
on fluid supply systems, and with a number 
of ink companies. Success with printhead 
adoption is reliant on the creation of an eco-
system of technology, products and partners; 
launching a stand-alone printhead without 
the necessary supporting elements will not 
be successful. Our external focus is therefore 
very important and we will continue to look 
for opportunities to partner.

Product and technology development
2016 was another busy year for our product 
development and delivery teams. In addition to 
the printheads mentioned above, the Xaar 1003 
and Xaar 2001+ for ceramics, and the Xaar 
5601 and Xaar 1201 Thin Film products, we 
achieved a number of other printhead launches.

In February 2016 we announced the launch 
of the Xaar 1002 GS40 for UV applications, 
perfect for a range of high build varnish and 
textured effects for labels, packaging, graphics 
and wood laminate.

In November 2016 we announced the launch 
of the Xaar 502 product family of high-
performance greyscale piezoelectric drop-on-
demand printheads designed for a wide variety 
of applications, including the well-established 
Coding and Marking application.

We also transferred production of the enduring 
Xaar 128 from Sweden to Huntingdon and 
achieved a successful closure of the Sweden 
facility, on plan and on budget.

Our people
I would like to thank all of our staff for their 
efforts during 2016; an important year in the 
long term development and progression of 
the Company. We have overcome a number 
of challenges, and together we will need to 
continue to challenge ourselves, and to change, 
to achieve our goals. In 2017 we have a change 
of CFO, as Alex Bevis departs after six years  
of service to join Frontier Developments plc,  
and Lily Liu joins us from Smiths Group plc.  
I’d like to thank Alex for his contribution to Xaar; 
particularly the last two years whilst we have 
been working together. I look forward to working 
with Lily to continue Xaar’s transformation.

Summary and outlook
We remain focused on our long term 
opportunity; the conversion of well-established 
analogue manufacturing techniques to digital 
inkjet solutions. Our vision is to grow annual 
revenues to £220 million by 2020. Looking 
nearer term, our achievements in 2016 on a 
number of fronts position us well for growth. 
Whilst our strengthened product portfolio 
expands our market opportunities, execution 
risks remain. The expected growth of new 
product revenues over the course of 2017 
reduces our visibility for the current year, with 
revenues expected to be more second half 
weighted than usual. Our objective is simple;  
to take the necessary steps in terms of product 
developments, partnerships and financial 
performance to reach our 2020 target.

Doug Edwards Chief Executive Officer
22 March 2017

STRATEGIC REPORTGOVERNANCEFINANCIAL STATEMENTS6 
Xaar plc Annual Report and Financial Statements 2016
Strategic Report

Who we are

LEADING THE DIGITAL INKJET REVOLUTION

About Xaar

Our business model

Xaar is a world leader in the development of digital inkjet 
technology. We are a designer and manufacturer of piezoelectric 
drop-on-demand industrial inkjet printheads; the key component 
in a digital printing system. Unlike analogue printing, digital printing 
requires no physical master image to copy from, and hence 
enables economic short run, variable data printing. The printhead 
is the device which converts the electronic image data into the 
physical image on the substrate. To achieve this, Xaar technology 
is a combination of high speed mixed signal electronics,  
micro-mechanics, and fluid dynamics. In addition to technology 
development, we drive the adoption of digital inkjet through 
acquisitions and partnerships.

Xaar sells its technology in component form (the printhead) to Original 
Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) who produce and sell the complete 
digital printing solutions to the end market. Our full range of printheads 
are used in delivering solutions for numerous applications. In addition 
to our close engagement with OEMs we also actively partner and co-
develop with fluid suppliers, hardware and software integrators, and 
substrate suppliers to deliver a robust and attractive total solution to the 
end user. Our core business is the design, manufacture, marketing and 
sale of printheads, printhead systems and associated products. Through 
its recently acquired company, Engineered Printing Solutions (EPS), Xaar 
also provides customised printing equipment for the product printing 
market. Xaar receives licensee royalty income from its legacy technology 
licensing model.

Xaar designs

 Xaar manufactures

Xaar invests a substantial proportion of sales (over 20% in 2016) in 
Research and Development (R&D) to remain a world leader in inkjet 
technology. Xaar has more than 250 patents and patent applications and 
continues to add to its Intellectual Property (IP) portfolio. At 31 December 
2016 R&D staff totalled 129 representing 20% of the total workforce.

Xaar manufactures its printheads in Huntingdon, UK. Xaar’s 
manufacturing is relatively capital intensive; the Group has invested 
over £60 million in assets and production facilities in Huntingdon since 
the plant opened in 2007. We export over 95% of our production to 
customers around the world. EPS, a Xaar company, manufactures 
customised and bespoke printing solutions in Vermont, US.

Xaar sells

Xaar markets

Xaar sells direct to OEMs around the world through its global sales team. 
Xaar’s highly skilled application engineers offer the highest level of technical 
support to assist OEMs in the successful design, build, commissioning, 
and ongoing maintenance of printing systems. Europe, Asia and North 
America are the primary locations of our current OEM partners. Xaar also 
sells printing equipment, services and consumables via EPS, a leading 
provider of product printing solutions based in the US.

Xaar offers a wide range of industrial inkjet printheads and printhead 
systems which are designed and produced to meet the customer-driven 
requirements of a range of manufacturing applications. Primary markets 
include wide-format graphics, ceramic tiles, labels, packaging, coding and 
marking, 3D printing, advanced manufacturing and decorative laminates.

Xaar in 2016

2016

Xaar strengthens 3D 
printing business with 
new appointment

Professor Neil Hopkinson, 
the original inventor of the 
transformational High Speed 
Sintering (HSS) technology, 
joins Xaar, bringing 19 
years’ experience in additive 
manufacturing technology.

Xaar and Ricoh 
announce strategic 
Thin Film partnership 
at drupa

The Xaar 5601 Thin 
Film silicon mems high 
resolution printhead 
family is launched

Xaar announces 
Engineered Printing 
Solutions as first 
acquisition

The partnership will maximise 
the benefits from each 
company’s considerable 
expertise in Thin Film piezo 
printhead development.  The 
collaboration will also deliver 
superior technology and a 
broader range of printheads 
which will provide substantial 
benefits to the customers of 
both companies.

The Xaar 5601 incorporates 
a number of innovative 
technologies, very high 
resolution (over 5,600 
nozzles), and is capable of 
jetting up to six litres of fluid 
per hour. New innovations 
such as AcuDrp Technology™ 
allow control over drop 
ejection for perfect image 
quality.

Engineered Printing Solutions, 
a leading provider of product 
printing equipment in North 
America, is Xaar’s first 
acquisition as part of the 
Company’s strategic vision  
to achieve £220 million of 
annual sales by 2020.

 
 
 
7 
Xaar plc 
Annual Report and Financial Statements 2016   

Where we operate

Americas

EMEA

Asia

Offices
2

Employees
72

Revenue
£18.1m

Offices
5

Employees
559

Revenue
£41.7m

Offices
2

Employees
8

Revenue
£36.4m

Xaar regional locations

Authorised resellers 

Adjusted revenue by region

Americas

EMEA

Asia

Launch of the first 
Xaar 1201 printers  
in China

Guangzhou Xucheng 
Electronic Technology Ltd 
is the first OEM partner to 
develop and launch wide-
format inkjet printers based on 
the innovative new Xaar 1201 
Thin Film piezo printhead.

Xaar 1003 printhead 
dramatically improves 
output at Oscar 
Ceramics, Italy

The Xaar 1003 printhead 
has played an important 
part in the Oscar Ceramics 
efficiency drive by helping 
to dramatically improve 
production uptime and 
throughput, whilst delivering  
a high quality print onto  
their tiles.

The new Xaar 502 
delivers high levels of 
quality and flexibility

Xaar 2001 Printhead 
Wins NMI Product of 
the Year Award

The first release from this 
printhead family is the Xaar 502 
GS15 O optimised for Coding 
and Marking applications. 
This printhead delivers a step 
change in product identification 
technology by combining 
binary and greyscale 
capabilities in one.

The innovative Xaar 2001 
printhead has won the 
‘Product of the Year Award’ 
at the 20th NMI Awards. “We 
took an innovative approach to 
the design and development 
of this new printhead which 
allowed us to bring it to a very 
successful market launch in a 
record time earlier this year.” 
said Ted Wiggans, Xaar’s Chief 
Operations Officer.

Leading the Digital 
Inkjet Revolution with 
annual sales of £220 
million by 2020

Read more at www.xaar.com

STRATEGIC REPORTGOVERNANCEFINANCIAL STATEMENTS8 
Xaar plc Annual Report and Financial Statements 2016
Strategic Report

Our strategy

OUR MISSION, VISION AND STRATEGY

Our mission
Leading the digital inkjet revolution

Our vision
£220 million of annual sales by 2020

New products and new technology

Our strategy
To drive the development of inkjet 
technology into selected multiple 
applications and industries, delivering 
sustainable profitable growth.

Building the 
eco-system

Converting 
multiple markets

Enhancing our capability

 See our strategy in detail on the following pages

9 
Xaar plc 
Annual Report and Financial Statements 2016   

New products and new technology

Building the eco-system

To penetrate any market successfully, an eco-system of technical 
and commercial partnerships must be formed to drive and 
support market conversion.

Xaar’s direct customers are mainly OEMs, who manufacture 
equipment for patterning, decorating, finishing or printing 
products in a number of different market sectors. We provide 
our OEM partners with the know-how and ability to incorporate 
our innovative range of printheads, printhead systems, systems 
components and electronics into their equipment to increase the 
value and functionality of their own products, and minimise the 
time required to bring products to market.

In addition to our close engagement with OEMs we also 
actively partner and co-develop with fluid suppliers, hardware 
and software integrators, and substrate suppliers to deliver a 
robust and attractive total solution to the end user. We work in 
partnership with the world’s leading ink manufacturers to develop 
and approve a wide range of inks which are optimised for our 
printheads and the end application.

Given the complexity of the final integrated solution, it is typical 
that our partners’ development cycles are measured in years 
rather than months, with successful solutions then benefiting 
from long commercial lifecycles. To support these developments 
we deploy sales and technical support staff globally ensuring a 
local presence in each of the key geographical regions.

We manage our product development programmes across three 
horizons: short term by delivering updates and improvements; 
medium term by developing new products or derivatives using 
existing technologies; and longer term through research and 
development of leading edge technologies. Alongside our internal 
development programmes we seek opportunities to access, through 
acquisition or partnership, products and technology developed by 
third parties.

To create and maintain competitive advantage over the short to 
medium term, it is critical that we continue to improve existing 
products as well as developing new products. Over the medium to 
long term, in order to access a greater proportion of the substantial 
industrial print market, we must continue to develop new technology 
which can open up opportunities for the application of digital inkjet 
in established analogue markets. 

We develop and maintain the different sets of skills and processes 
needed to execute the programmes in each of the three horizons 
successfully, and we balance our portfolio to achieve our short, 
medium and long term objectives targeted at achieving sustained 
profitable growth.

Products developed to date use our patented Xaar bulk piezo 
technology. Our Thin Film piezo technology programme will 
enable us to target an even wider range of applications, which will 
significantly increase Xaar’s addressable market. Products resulting 
from acquisition or partnership enable us to seek new opportunities 
beyond our current markets. 

Inkjet is a heavily patented area and managing our Intellectual 
Property (IP) is critical to our success, both in terms of protecting 
our position and avoiding infringing other parties’ IP. Xaar has more 
than 250 patents and patent applications and continues to add  
to its IP portfolio.

We allocate significant resources to research and development 
to enable the successful completion of programmes which will 
generate future sales. 

STRATEGIC REPORTGOVERNANCEFINANCIAL STATEMENTS10 
Xaar plc Annual Report and Financial Statements 2016
Strategic Report

Our strategy continued

Converting multiple markets

Enhancing our capability

The markets and applications that use Xaar’s printheads are 
diverse but can be grouped to have similar characteristics and 
general imaging requirements.

Xaar’s products are designed to provide benefits across multiple 
applications. This strategy means we can offer solutions 
across various markets through efficiency in development 
and implementation. We also continuously enhance product 
performance which allows our OEMs to take advantage of 
upgrades with minimal changes at the system level.

The Xaar 1003 range of products, with high resolution greyscale 
(variable drop size) and TF Technology® (fluid recirculation); this 
ensures an exceptional quality of print in one single pass of the 
substrate under the printhead, which maximises productivity and 
delivers significant quality and cost advantages over traditional 
analogue methods in ceramics and other industrial applications. 
Although the Xaar 100x series (Xaar 1001/2/3) is the market 
leading printhead range in the ceramics sector, it is also used  
for printing primary labels, decorative laminates and packaging. 

To date we have focused on three main sectors: Industrial, which 
covers ceramics, decorative laminates, product printing, 3D 
printing and advanced/additive manufacturing; Packaging, which 
includes product labelling, Direct-to-Shape (printing directly onto 
bottles and containers) and coding and marking (printing bar 
codes and data); and Graphic Arts, which includes wide-format 
graphics (typically outdoor advertising, posters and banners), 
commercial print, and varnishing. The wide-format graphics 
sector was the first to adopt industrial inkjet and is, therefore, the 
most mature. The ceramics market has been moving into digital 
inkjet decoration over the last ten years. However, the pace of 
change accelerated significantly in 2009 following the launch of 
the Xaar 1001 in 2007.

In order to develop new products and new technology 
successfully, and to sustain or grow sales in multiple end 
markets, we must constantly develop our capability in terms of 
our people and other resources, specifically both our R&D and 
manufacturing capacity and capability, and the structure of our 
organisation. External opportunities will also be identified and 
evaluated to support the expansion of our capability. 

The success of our business depends on our people so we 
recruit only the best. We offer competitive salary and benefits 
packages as well as share incentive plans and our employees 
benefit from extensive training and development opportunities. 
We aim to build long term relationships with all our employees 
by helping them grow and develop and by making Xaar a great 
place to work and a great Company to be involved with. 

Our state-of-the-art printhead manufacturing facility is located 
in Huntingdon, UK (5,000 m2). Manufacturing is cleanroom 
based with 24/7 demands for complex facilities’ requirements 
including climate control, gases and chemicals. The cleanrooms 
contain islands of processing automation, with custom-made or 
specially modified processing and test equipment. Operation is 
multi-shift and runs with small processing windows and micron 
scale tolerances. Production involves multiple non-reworkable 
processing steps, resulting in a highly sensitive cumulative yield; 
unit cost and throughput are in turn highly dependent upon yield.

11 
Xaar plc 
Annual Report and Financial Statements 2016   

OUR STRATEGIC PILLARS

£220m by 2020

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In 2016 we defined four 
strategic pilIars which 
support our 2020 vision to 
grow annual sales to £220m:

Ceramics (the digital decoration  
of ceramic tiles)

Product Printing and Packaging  
(including 3D and Direct-to-Shape)

Thin Film printhead technology

Acquisitions & Partnerships

STRATEGIC REPORTGOVERNANCEFINANCIAL STATEMENTS 
 
 
 
 
 
 
12 
Xaar plc Annual Report and Financial Statements 2016
Strategic Report

Our strategy continued

OUR STRATEGY IN ACTION

We made good progress against our strategic goals in 2016, and we have exciting plans for 2017. The highlights are set out below:

Our 2020 strategic pillars

Our areas of 
strategic focus

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In 2016 we launched the Xaar 1003 and the Xaar 
2001+ family of printhead families to secure our market 
leadership position. Although the Xaar 2001+ has been 
slower to ramp-up than expected in 2016, it is anticipated 
to be an important product for Xaar in 2017. 

In early 2016 we launched the Xaar 1002 GS40 for UV 
inks (used in many packaging applications), and the 
Xaar 502 product family for multiple applications, including 
Coding and Marking.

New products and 
new technology

In 2016 we launched the Xaar 5601, based on our own 

Our Ricoh partnership produced the Xaar 1201 in 2016. 

significant R&D investment; we also launched the Xaar 

We gained a product printing equipment portfolio from  

1201 as a result of our partnership with Ricoh.

the acquisition of EPS in July 2016. The Xerox partnership 

is expected to deliver at least one new product in 2017.

We continue to work with multiple OEMs and ink suppliers 
to bring the most effective printing solutions to market. 
The players in this sector are now well-established. 

In December 2016 we announced an investment in  
3D printing. This will enable us to work more effectively 
with our partners to begin to generate sales and returns 
from this important and strategic application.

Although the ceramics market is relatively mature, 
substantial opportunities remain to convert additional 
analogue processes to digital. In January 2017 we 
announced a new partnership with Italian ink manufacturer 
Metco Srl to deliver Xaar-approved Solvent Soluble inks, 
to help convert the polished tile market to digital.

The EPS acquisition is helping us in the product printing 
and Direct-to-Shape market by giving us access to new 
customers and helps to position Xaar as a key player in 
the packaging sector. Our investment in 3D printing will 
help to establish sales in a market which has good future 
potential.

Our partnership with Xerox, announced in January  
2017, enhances our position within the ceramics  
market since it broadens the product range we can  
offer to our customers.

The acquisition of EPS has enhanced our knowledge 
in building and customising machines for the product 
printing markets.

Building the  
eco-system

Converting  
multiple markets

Enhancing  
our capability

Following the successful launch of the Xaar 5601 and  

In May 2016 we announced an important partnership 

the Xaar 1201 in 2016 we have engaged with multiple 

with GIS to support Xaar printheads with the provision of 

OEM partners to ensure that these products generate  

electronics and system components. The EPS acquisition 

the significant revenue goals for 2017.

in July has provided invaluable experience of the 

manufacture of full digital printing solutions.

The specification of the Xaar 5601 provides us with 

The Ricoh partnership has given us access to new 

enormous opportunity to convert very large markets  

markets with the Xaar 1201. The acquisition of EPS  

which today remain analogue. The Xaar 1201 enables 

will enable us to accelerate the digital conversion  

rapid access to a significant existing digital market in Asia.

of the product printing market.

Following over eight years of investment in our Thin Film 

The partnerships with Ricoh and Xerox, and the 

technology development, the Xaar 5601 is a significant 

acquisition of EPS, have a expanded our product range 

step forward in our product portfolio, enabling us to 

which in turn gives us access to more markets and  

provide our customers with a step change in printhead 

more opportunities for conversion to digital.

productivity. Together with the Xaar 1201 we can now 

offer an aqueous solution which opens up new markets.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
13 
Xaar plc 
Annual Report and Financial Statements 2016   

We made good progress against our strategic goals in 2016, and we have exciting plans for 2017. The highlights are set out below:

Our 2020 strategic pillars

Our areas of 

strategic focus

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In 2016 we launched the Xaar 1003 and the Xaar 

In early 2016 we launched the Xaar 1002 GS40 for UV 

2001+ family of printhead families to secure our market 

inks (used in many packaging applications), and the 

leadership position. Although the Xaar 2001+ has been 

Xaar 502 product family for multiple applications, including 

New products and 

new technology

slower to ramp-up than expected in 2016, it is anticipated 

Coding and Marking.

to be an important product for Xaar in 2017. 

In 2016 we launched the Xaar 5601, based on our own 
significant R&D investment; we also launched the Xaar 
1201 as a result of our partnership with Ricoh.

Our Ricoh partnership produced the Xaar 1201 in 2016. 
We gained a product printing equipment portfolio from  
the acquisition of EPS in July 2016. The Xerox partnership 
is expected to deliver at least one new product in 2017.

Building the  

eco-system

Converting  

multiple markets

We continue to work with multiple OEMs and ink suppliers 

In December 2016 we announced an investment in  

to bring the most effective printing solutions to market. 

3D printing. This will enable us to work more effectively 

The players in this sector are now well-established. 

with our partners to begin to generate sales and returns 

from this important and strategic application.

Although the ceramics market is relatively mature, 

The EPS acquisition is helping us in the product printing 

substantial opportunities remain to convert additional 

and Direct-to-Shape market by giving us access to new 

analogue processes to digital. In January 2017 we 

customers and helps to position Xaar as a key player in 

announced a new partnership with Italian ink manufacturer 

the packaging sector. Our investment in 3D printing will 

Metco Srl to deliver Xaar-approved Solvent Soluble inks, 

help to establish sales in a market which has good future 

to help convert the polished tile market to digital.

potential.

Our partnership with Xerox, announced in January  

The acquisition of EPS has enhanced our knowledge 

2017, enhances our position within the ceramics  

in building and customising machines for the product 

market since it broadens the product range we can  

printing markets.

Enhancing  

our capability

offer to our customers.

Following the successful launch of the Xaar 5601 and  
the Xaar 1201 in 2016 we have engaged with multiple 
OEM partners to ensure that these products generate  
the significant revenue goals for 2017.

In May 2016 we announced an important partnership 
with GIS to support Xaar printheads with the provision of 
electronics and system components. The EPS acquisition 
in July has provided invaluable experience of the 
manufacture of full digital printing solutions.

The specification of the Xaar 5601 provides us with 
enormous opportunity to convert very large markets  
which today remain analogue. The Xaar 1201 enables 
rapid access to a significant existing digital market in Asia.

The Ricoh partnership has given us access to new 
markets with the Xaar 1201. The acquisition of EPS  
will enable us to accelerate the digital conversion  
of the product printing market.

Following over eight years of investment in our Thin Film 
technology development, the Xaar 5601 is a significant 
step forward in our product portfolio, enabling us to 
provide our customers with a step change in printhead 
productivity. Together with the Xaar 1201 we can now 
offer an aqueous solution which opens up new markets.

The partnerships with Ricoh and Xerox, and the 
acquisition of EPS, have a expanded our product range 
which in turn gives us access to more markets and  
more opportunities for conversion to digital.

STRATEGIC REPORTGOVERNANCEFINANCIAL STATEMENTS 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
14 
Xaar plc Annual Report and Financial Statements 2016
Strategic Report

Our markets

EVOLVING IN A CHALLENGING ENVIRONMENT

Most things we come into contact with 
on a daily basis are patterned, decorated, 
printed or finished in some way. In fact, 
even after excluding printing in the 
office or the home, over 3 trillion m2 of 
material is printed, patterned, decorated 
or finished each year – that’s a monthly 
output equivalent to the surface area of 
the United Kingdom.

These items can be broadly split into four 
areas: products, packaging, promotion 
and publishing. Products include things like 
ceramic tiles and laminate flooring. Packaging 
includes labels on bottles and bar codes on 
boxes. Promotion includes advertising banners 
and posters. Publishing includes books and 
newspapers. 

Perhaps surprisingly around 97% of production 
processes used in the manufacture of these 
items still use traditional analogue technology. 
Analogue (sometimes referred to as ‘fixed 
image’) solutions can be very effective when 
the same image is replicated many, many 
times. However, where frequent changes are 
required or run lengths are shorter, then digital 
(also known as ‘variable image’) processes 
can provide significant cost and inventory 
reductions whilst improving time-to-market 
versus analogue techniques. 

Over the last 20 years digital imaging 
technologies, including digital inkjet, have 
emerged for applying images, patterns or 
finishes in more efficient, flexible and cost-
effective ways. Because of its ability to work 
with a variety of jetting fluids and substrates, 
and in difficult environments, inkjet has the 
unique ability to potentially replace all current 
printing techniques.

To date Xaar has driven, and benefited 
from, ‘waves of conversion’ in two particular 
applications: outdoor advertising (including 
billboards, posters and banners) and ceramic 
tile decoration, which have both adopted digital 
inkjet technology. These two applications 
presently use inkjet to annually produce over  
7 billion m2, but represent only 0.2% of the  
3 trillion m2 entire global print production.

Xaar’s challenge is to expand its existing digital 
inkjet printhead technology into new markets 
and to develop new technology to maximise 
the opportunity that exists from the conversion 
of much larger applications to digital inkjet.

Looking forward, the opportunities for digital 
print continue to accelerate. Industry forecasts 
project the digital print market to double over 
the next ten years.

The pace of inkjet’s adoption and the rate it 
displaces existing technologies is driven by 
some key factors, including cost, speed and 
image quality, which must be met in order 
for the adoption to take place. Because of 
these characteristics the adoption of inkjet 
has typically occurred through ‘waves of 
conversion’ in distinct market sections,  
as the developing technology meets the 
individual conversion requirements  
of particular applications.

Xaar, a world leader in industrial inkjet, has 
successfully developed digital technology 
and manufactured and sold inkjet products, 
predominantly printheads, into a number of 
sectors. The printhead is the heart of the digital 
process, depositing fluids, including inks and 
coatings, in precisely the right quantity and in 
the right place on the substrate, without even 
touching the surface.

EPS acquisition adds a new dimension to Xaar’s portfolio

Engineered Printing Solutions (EPS)  
is a leading provider of product printing 
equipment in North America. The 
acquisition, completed on 1 July 2016, 
is Xaar’s first as part of the Company’s 
strategic vision to achieve £220 million 
of annual sales by 2020.

EPS has built a successful business through 
supplying customised and bespoke printing 
solutions to a wide variety of market sectors 
including promotional, packaging, medical, 
automotive, apparel, appliances, sports 
equipment and toys. One of its achievements 
has been to develop flexible and cost 
effective digital inkjet solutions. In 2015 EPS 
generated $14 million of revenue and today 
employs 60 staff.

15 
Xaar plc 
Annual Report and Financial Statements 2016   

Market sectors

Industrial 

The Industrial market presently includes ceramic 
tile decoration, decorative laminate, and 
advanced/additive manufacturing processes.

Ceramic tile production
Ceramics is a 12.1 billion m2 market currently 
and digital conversion was estimated to 
be over 70% at the end of 2016. There 
are c.10,000 production lines around the 
world, with almost half of these in China. 
The creative design is the key feature which 
sells a tile. Xaar’s digital inkjet solution 
provides an end result which is superior in 
terms of image quality, at a lower cost, plus 
with the advantages of flexibility, inventory 
reduction, and larger tile size capability. Tile 
manufacturing operates in a harsh industrial 
environment with high reliability/duty cycle 
requirements; hence any technology deployed 
needs to be appropriately robust. The market 
has been moving to digital inkjet decoration 
over the last ten years with the pace of 
change accelerating after the launch of the 
Xaar 1001 which achieved volume sales from 
2009 onwards. Today the Xaar 1003 family of 
printheads with TF Technology™ continue to 
deliver both quality and cost advantages over 
traditional analogue methods within a robust 
architecture suitable to this harsh environment, 
giving rise to maximum production uptime. 

Decorative laminates
Decorative laminates is estimated to be at 
7.8 billion m2 of annual output with c.1,600 
production lines around the world supplying 
simulated wood materials to the furniture and 
building industries. Realistic wood finishes 
or creative design are the key features which 
sell the board/plank/finished item and the 
digital quality that is now being demonstrated 
with Xaar printheads matches the analogue 
process, thereby offering the opportunity 
for more economic short run work to be 
undertaken whilst reducing inventories and 
improving time to market. Inkjet is the only 
digital solution which meets the high reliability 
and high duty cycle requirements needed 
within this industry. Digital adoption is still at 
the very early stages in this application, and 
the rate of adoption is expected to grow over 
the next few years. 

Product Printing
Product printing is the practice of printing 
onto all kinds of industrial objects, including 
promotional items, packaging, medical, 
automotive, apparel, appliances, sports 
equipment and toys. The product printing 
market is served by multiple print processes 
today and the fastest growing is inkjet. As with 
other industry sectors, there is great potential 
to accelerate the adoption of inkjet in this 
market, through the delivery of bespoke or 
highly customised printing solutions. In July 
2016 Xaar acquired EPS, a leading provider 
of product printing equipment for this sector 
based in North America.

Advanced/additive manufacturing
Applications include demand for the fine 
coating, patterning and printing of functional 
fluids onto numerous substrates in numerous 
industries. Applications are challenging and 
push inkjet to its known limits and beyond 
in fields such as nano imprinting, solar cell 
manufacturing and display screen production. 
Xaar has been working with multiple partners 
in laboratories all over the world exploring 
what may be possible in the future. Technical 
progress is promising but the commercial 
implementation of many of these applications 
is still believed to be some years into the future.

Packaging

The Packaging sectors presently includes 
coding and marking, primary labels, and Direct-
to-Shape printing.

Coding and marking 
Coding and marking is an application of printing 
predominantly monochrome bar codes and 
logos on outer case/secondary packaging of 
consumer goods. This is an established and 
stable business based on bulk piezo technology 
which competes with alternative technologies 
including laser and thermal inkjet.

Primary label 
Primary label printing is estimated to be a 
market producing over 57 billion m2 annually, 
with only 9% of this market converted to 
digital printing to date. The change driver is 
the delivery of lower cost per copy on run 
lengths up to 100,000 impressions (versus 

only 50,000 impressions three years ago). 
There is a large range of substrates and inks  
in this application which adds complication  
to the conversion process.

Direct-to-Shape 
Direct-to-Shape is a new application where 
bottles and containers have the image printed 
directly onto their surface without the need for a 
label. The solution is aimed at shortening time to 
market whilst simultaneously reducing inventory 
and unit costs versus existing methods. This 
approach also enables mass customised 
marketing and event targeting. 

Graphic Arts

The Graphic Arts segment presently includes 
Grand/Wide-format graphics.

Grand/Wide-format graphics
Grand/Wide-format graphics (GWFG) includes 
both internal and external signage and 
advertising, including billboards, posters and 
point of sale advertising. It is the most mature 
industrial inkjet market, active for over 15 
years. Xaar’s growth to date has been based 
on its original set of bulk piezo products, which 
delivered annual growth from 2003 to 2007.  
To stimulate further material growth for Xaar  
in this end market new product developments 
are required to enhance the portfolio.

Market revenue

62.2

53.3

21.7

15.5

2015

2016

2015

2016

Industrial 
£53.3m
(2015: £62.2m)

9.6

7.9

Packaging 
£21.7m
(2015: £15.5m)

13.3

6.2

2015

2016

2015

2016

Graphic Arts 
£7.9m 
(2015: £9.6m)

Other 
£13.3m
(2015: £6.2m)

STRATEGIC REPORTGOVERNANCEFINANCIAL STATEMENTS16 
Xaar plc Annual Report and Financial Statements 2016
Strategic Report

Our technology

INNOVATIVE INKJET TECHNOLOGY

 The new Xaar 2001+ is the most versatile family of printheads available for ceramic
tile decoration offering unrivalled production flexibility, market leading print quality and 
industrial reliability.

Xaar

• The Xaar 2001+ family of printheads  

is ideal for printing an extensive range  
of ceramic tile designs and patterns.  
Tile printers enabled with the Xaar 2001+ 
can respond more quickly and cost 
effectively to design changes. 

• Able to jet one colour at 720 dpi or two 
colours at 360 dpi each, enabling ink 
configuration changes to respond to 
design trends; available in three drop sizes.

Production flexibility
• Market leading print quality, 
with up to 720 dpi and eight 
grey levels, means that tile 
manufacturers can produce a 
wide range of designs for floor 
and wall tiles.

• Fast line speed of 50m/min for 
high production throughput or 
high link laydown for tile designs 
with intense effects. 

Industrial reliability
Xaar’s TF Technology® 
• The XaarGuardTM nozzle plate for 
highly effective protection from 
mechanical impact to minimise 
production interruptions.

• Xaar’s Tuned Actuator 

Manufacturing process  
for consistent print.

• XaarSMARTTM technology to 
report ink temperature and 
printhead status in real time.

17 
Xaar plc 
Annual Report and Financial Statements 2016   

Xaar

Xaar 502 printheads are designed to deliver 
industrial reliability and robustness resulting 
in increased production up-time, particularly 
in harsh environments.

Exceptional print quality
The Xaar 502 family of printheads and the 
revolutionary PrecisionPlus architecture 
deliver smooth graduations and excellent 
edge definition for printing text, bar codes 
and graphics.

Flexible and easy integration
The Xaar 502 printheads offer a flexible range 
of ink supply options and easy printhead 
integration for maximum versatility, fast 
manufacturing and minimum servicing time.

Xaar

The Xaar 128 has maintained its position  
as the leading 17mm piezoelectric Drop-on-
demand printhead of choice for the Coding 
and Marking and Wide-Format Graphics  
print sectors.

Light and powerful
With a compact footprint and 
light carriage weight of only 
16 grams, the agile Xaar 128 
printhead is ideal for applications 
where weight and size are a key 
factor in machine design.

Easy to integrate
Specifically engineered with  
a simple electronic interface,  
the Xaar 128 promotes quick 
and easy integration into printers 
making it the ideal choice for  
a variety of markets.

Xaar

The Xaar 1003 is the benchmark against which 
all other single-pass printheads are compared 
and has an all-round superior performance. 

Ultimate versatility
Xaar’s new Tuned Actuator 
Manufacturing process 
ensures full scalability – 
long print bars with multiple 
printheads are simple and 
even quicker to set up, and 
printhead replacement is 
streamlined.

Outstanding print quality
Exceptionally smooth print tones and solid 
areas, perfect for printing amazing life-like 
images, pin-sharp text and bold colours. 
Excellent print uniformity for even colour 
density across the printhead and the  
entire print width.

Highest productivity
With TF Technology® and XaarGuard™, 
this printhead delivers maximum 
production uptime with minimum operator 
intervention to ensure high production 
output and a fast return on investment.

STRATEGIC REPORTGOVERNANCEFINANCIAL STATEMENTS18 
Xaar plc Annual Report and Financial Statements 2016
Strategic Report

Our technology continued

Xaar

This thin film piezo silicon MEMS 
printhead offers compelling advantages 
over competitor printheads for Wide-
Format Graphics and low productivity 
dye sublimation textile printing.

High versatility
This is an extremely versatile 
printhead for banners and 
Point of Sale (POS) applications.
It can be configured to print four 
colours at 300npi or two colours 
at 600npi depending on the price-
point and end user profile that 
OEMs wish to target. 

Easy to integrate
A single head can serve a complete 
four colour (CMYK) printer – making 
it easy to integrate mechanically, 
electrically and fluidically. 

Xaar

The Xaar 5601 3p0 is a high resolution inkjet printhead 
which delivers a market leading combination of total 
cost of ownership, print quality and usability. Its small 
drop and outstanding performance make it ideal for 
textiles, laminates, commercial print, carton printing  
and many more applications.

Market-leading total cost  
of ownership 
The print width of the Xaar 5601 
family is such that OEMs need 
fewer printheads for a print bar 
compared to other printheads in 
the same class. Therefore fewer 
electrical and fluid connections are 
required, which makes integration 
simpler and lower in cost. 

Best-in-class print quality 
The 1200 nozzles per inch,  
eight greyscale levels and a 
drop size of 3pl drop produce 
an apparent resolution greater 
than 2440 dpi with high levels of 
productivity. In addition, AcuDrp 
Technology minimises drop volume 
and drop speed variation, whilst 
TF Technology® ensures excellent 
print quality. 

Unparalleled usability
Plug’n’Print features enable quick 
and easy printhead installation and 
replacement, and a special nozzle 
overlap configured by software 
means no mechanical alignment  
is needed.

I  Watch our videos demonstrating our unique 
technology www.youtube.com/Xaarplc

19 
Xaar plc 
Annual Report and Financial Statements 2016   

SPECIALISED PRODUCT PRINTING SOLUTIONS  
FROM XAAR COMPANY EPS

‘High Speed Direct-to-Shape’ inkjet printer 
for higher throughput and better resolution.

• Continuous multi-colour printing in a 
single pass with printing speeds up  
to 15 inches per second

• Optional custom automation for parts 
handling, in-line pretreatment and  
vision systems.

Custom inkjet system
The high-volume industrial ink jet printer 
can be customised to include in-line 
automation and part handling options. 
Excellent for variable image data on short 
or long production runs with high-resolution 
print quality using a single-pass variable  
dot size grey scale technology. Powered  
by Xaar printheads delivering high-quality 
drop formation. 

STRATEGIC REPORTGOVERNANCEFINANCIAL STATEMENTS20 
Xaar plc Annual Report and Financial Statements 2016
Strategic Report

Chief Financial Officer’s report

SOLID FINANCIAL PERFORMANCE

A disappointing performance 
in ceramics was offset by 
strong growth in packaging, 
the addition of sales from the 
acquired EPS business, and 
higher royalty income.

Alex Bevis Chief Financial Officer 
22 March 2017

Revenue
The Group achieved total revenue for the year 
of £96.2 million (2015: £93.5 million) which was 
broadly in line with the Board’s expectations 
going into 2016. A disappointing performance 
in ceramics was offset by strong growth  
in packaging, the addition of sales from  
the acquired EPS business, and higher  
royalty income.

Revenues from the acquired EPS business 
have been included in the Industrial sector and 
accounted for £6.7 million in 2016 (from the 
acquisition date of 1 July 2016). Total sales into 
other Industrial applications such as advanced 
manufacturing, decorative laminates (artificial 
wood), and product printing (industrial Direct-
to-Shape) grew 19%.

The majority of Xaar’s revenue is generated by 
product sales, commissions and fees (£82.9 
million or 86% of total sales in 2016, £87.3  
million or 93% of total sales in 2015), with 14%  
of revenue in 2016 (2015: 7%) derived from 
licensee royalty income. The significantly 
higher level of licensee royalty income in 2016 
compared to previous years is the result of the 
resolution of royalty audits during the year.

Sales into the Packaging market grew 40% in 
the year, and accounted for 23% of revenue 
in 2016 at £21.7 million (2015: 17%, £15.5 
million). All three of the main sub-sectors; 
Coding and Marking, Primary Labels, and 
Direct-to-Shape delivered growth over 2015.
Sales into the Coding and Marking application 
were boosted by some one-off last-time-
buy arrangements for products previously 
manufactured in Sweden.

Industrial applications (associated with the 
production of physical end products) continue  
to be the largest sector for Xaar’s technology, 
and represented 55% of Group revenue in 2016 
at £53.3 million, compared to 66% in 2015 
(£62.2 million).

Sales into Graphic Arts, typically the printing of 
outdoor advertising and soft signage, accounted 
for £7.9 million for the year (2015: £9.6 million). 
The Xaar 1201 printhead launched in 2016 will 
be an important product to enable a return to 
more substantial sales in this sector in 2017.

The largest revenue contributor in Industrial 
continues to be ceramic tile decoration. The 
development and sale of printing equipment 
by our OEM partners continues to drive the 
conversion from analogue rotary systems to 
superior digital inkjet processes, but this sector 
is maturing and the replacement cycles for  
both printers and printheads are becoming 
more important.

As a supplier of technology to OEM partners, 
our geographic sales split reflects where our 
products are integrated into the manufacturing 
equipment, which is not necessarily the end-
user location.

Revenue £m 

£96.2m

Adjusted operating margin % 

20%

In 2016, Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) 
remained the Company’s largest sales region at 
£41.7 million (2015: £47.1 million), representing 
43% of Group sales. The year on year reduction 
in revenue is mainly the result of falling European 
OEM sales into ceramics. Europe will continue to 
be a very important market for us, and so we are 
keen that efficient trading arrangements continue 
with the EU as the UK prepares for Brexit.

Sales into Asia were also impacted by the 
lower sale into ceramics, but benefited from the 
royalty audit settlements. Overall sales into Asia 
reduced to £36.4 million (2015: £39.9 million) 
representing 38% of total revenue. 

The Americas remained the lowest region by 
sales but increased substantially following the 
EPS acquisition. Revenue increased to £18.1 
million from the £6.5 million recorded in 2015, 
representing 19% of total revenue.

Profitability
Overall profitability was slightly down year on 
year, with an adjusted operating margin in 2016 
of 20%, versus the 22% recorded in 2015. The 
reduction was mainly due to a lower gross profit 
margin, which reduced from 47.8% in 2015 
to 46.4% in 2016, despite the more significant 
contribution provided by license income arising 
from the resolution of two significant royalty 
audits. Gross profit margin in 2016 excluding all 
license related income was 37.8% compared to 
44.1% recorded in 2015. The reduction reflected 
lower output from the Sweden manufacturing 
facility in the first half of 2016, competition 
related pricing pressures and lower than planned 
production levels in the second half of the year  
of new products, including a slower than 
expected increase in the Xaar 2001+. 

 
21 
Xaar plc 
Annual Report and Financial Statements 2016   

Summary of financials

Revenue £m
Gross margin %
Gross research and development expenses £m
Adjusted operating margin %
Operating margin %
Adjusted profit before tax £m
Profit before tax £m
Adjusted diluted earnings per share
Diluted earnings per share
Net cash balance £m
Net cash flow £m

2016

2015

2014

2013

2012

£96.2m
46.4%
£22.4m
19.8%
18.1%
£19.5m
£17.9m
21.2p
18.9p
£49.3m
(£20.4m)

£93.5m
47.8%
£19.9m
21.8%
14.1%
£20.8m
£13.6m
24.5p
16.1p
£69.7m
£22.7m

£109.2m
44.5%
£19.2m
22.2%
20.8%
£24.6m
£23.1m
26.4p
24.4p
£47.0m
(£6.5m)

£137.1m
54.0%
£16.4m
30.4%
29.0%
£41.1m
£40.1m
43.2p
41.6p
£53.5m
£24.6m

£86.3m
47.4%
£8.0m
21.1%
18.0%
£18.4m
£15.7m
20.1p
16.9p
£28.9m
£11.5m

Adjusted measures exclude items from the IFRS operating profit and profit before tax, such as share-based payment charges, exchange differences on intra-group transactions, 
unrealised gains/losses on derivative financial instruments, restructuring costs, R&D expenditure credit, impairment on trade investments, commercial agreement costs, and 
non-recurring royalty income (also excluded from IFRS revenue and gross profit), per the reconciliation of adjusted financial measures on page 88. Net cash includes cash and 
cash equivalents, treasury deposits, less obligations under loan and finance lease liabilities.

Adjusted profit after tax for 2016 was £16.6 
million (2015: £19.0 million) and adjusted 
diluted earnings per share was 21.2 pence 
(2015: 24.5 pence).

Financial position
The Group maintains a strong cash position, 
with £49.3 million of cash and treasury deposits 
at 31 December 2016, which is a decrease  
of £20.4 million compared to balances held 
at 31 December 2015. Operating cash inflow, 
being adjusted profit before tax after adding 
back depreciation and amortisation, was  
£28.1 million. The change in working capital 
during the year represented a net cash outflow 
of £8.5 million. An increase in receivables was 
the biggest change in working capital, which 
resulted from the phasing of revenue in the 
year, the establishment of terms with new 
customers, last-time-buy credit arrangements 
for products previously manufactured in 
Sweden, and increased receivables from sales 
recorded by the acquired EPS business in the 
latter part of 2016. The acquisition of EPS in 
July 2016 accounted for an outflow of £8.0 
million. Total cash outflow relating to intangible 
and tangible assets was £21.1 million in the 
year, including £10.2 million of capitalised 
development expenditure. Dividends accounted 
for £7.3 million of cash outflow in 2016.

Dividend
As announced in 2014, the Company employs 
a progressive and sustainable dividend policy 
which takes into account the Group’s future 
prospects, its underlying profitability and the 
future cash requirements of the business. The 
Board will recommend a final dividend of 6.7 
pence for 2016 (2015: 6.3p) at the forthcoming 
Annual General Meeting (AGM), giving a total 
dividend for the year of 10.0 pence, a 5.8% 
increase over 2015 (9.45 pence). An interim 
dividend of 3.3 pence was paid during the year 
(2015: 3.15 pence). Subject to approval by 
shareholders at the AGM the final dividend will 
be paid on 26 June 2017, with an ex-dividend 
date of 25 May 2017, to shareholders on the 
register at close of business on 26 May 2017.

Alex Bevis Chief Financial Officer 
22 March 2017

Gross expenditure on R&D (before cost 
capitalisation) increased by 13% from £19.9 
million in 2015 to £22.4 million in 2016.
Development expenditure on the Thin Film 
programme of £10.2 million was capitalised 
in 2016 (2015: £8.4 million) as required under 
International Financial Reporting Standards 
(specifically IAS 38). We are currently working 
with our manufacturing partner to resolve an 
issue on our first Thin Film product, the Xaar 
5601, in order to increase production volumes 
and achieve commercial sales. The delay of this 
milestone means that in 2017 we will continue 
to capitalise costs associated with the Thin 
Film platform development programme. This 
position will be reviewed in the middle of the 
year, at which time we expect to commence 
commercial sales. 

Sales, marketing and general administrative 
costs increased to £13.4 million (2015: £12.7 
million) on an adjusted basis, partly as a result 
of the acquisition of EPS.

Adjusted profit before tax of £19.5 million was 
recorded for 2016 (2015: £20.8 million). Profit 
before tax as reported under IFRS was £17.9 
million (2015: £13.6 million).

The tax charge on adjusted profit before tax was 
£2.9 million (2015: £1.8 million), representing 
an effective tax rate of 15% (2015: 9%) which 
compares to the UK corporation tax rate for 2016 
of 20%. Xaar benefits from favourable intellectual 
property and R&D tax incentive schemes in 
the UK as a result of our continued investment 
in R&D. The effective tax rate for 2015 was 
particularly low due to prior year adjustments. 
The tax charge on IFRS profit before tax was 
£3.1 million (2015: £1.0 million) representing  
an effective tax rate of 17% (2015: 8%).

STRATEGIC REPORTGOVERNANCEFINANCIAL STATEMENTS 
22 
Xaar plc Annual Report and Financial Statements 2016
Strategic Report

Key performance indicators

MEASURING OUR PERFORMANCE

We measure our performance through key performance indicators (KPIs) that are closely aligned to our strategy.

Revenue by sector £m

Revenue by region £m

2016

2015

2014

2013

2012

53.3

21.7

7.9

13.3

62.2

15.5

9.6 6.2

78.0

13.4

11.4

6.4

98.2

15.7

13.3

6.9

55.0

12.0

13.1

6.2

2016

2015

2014

2013

2012

41.7 

47.1

36.4 

18.1 

39.9 6.5

60.1

67.4

42.6 6.5

59.8 6.9

50.0

30.0 6.3

 Industrial 

 Packaging 

 Graphic Arts 

 Royalties

 EMEA 

 Asia 

 Americas

Disappointing sales into ceramic tile printing were offset by revenue from the acquisition of EPS completed on 1 July 2016, strong sales growth  
in Packaging, and exceptionally high license income resulting from royalty audit settlements.

Adjusted operating margin %

19.8%

Adjusted profit before tax £m

£19.5m

Gross R&D investment £m

£22.4m

2016

2015

2014

2013

2012

19.8

22.0

22.2

21.1

2016

2015

2014

2013

2012

30.4

19.5

20.8

24.6

18.4

2016

2015

2014

2013

2012

41.1

22.4

19.9

19.2

16.4

8.0

Profitability reduced compared to 2015 as a result of increased competition and costs associated 
with new products.

R&D investment is key to our strategy.

Operating margin %

18.1%

Profit before tax £m

£17.9m

2016

2015

2014

2013

2012

18.1

14.1

20.8

18.0

2016

2015

2014

2013

2012

29.0

17.9

13.6

23.1

15.7

Net cash balance £m

£49.3m

2016

2015

2014

2013

2012

40.1

28.9

49.3

47.0

53.5

69.7

We have consistently maintained a strong  
cash position.

23 
Xaar plc 
Annual Report and Financial Statements 2016   

Risk management

PRUDENT RISK MANAGEMENT

Key risk areas

The risks around our existing business 
are set out in more detail on pages 24 
and 25 but the key risk areas can be 
identified as being associated with  
the following:

Opportunity identification and selection
Choosing appropriate end applications for 
conversion at the right time, and defining 
correctly the market requirements.

Development
Successfully developing products with 
the characteristics that meet market 
requirements within the necessary timescale.

Adoption
Working with OEMs and other partners  
to achieve adoption of the technology  
in the target application.

Competition
Maximising returns over the long term in the 
target application through early adoption to 
achieve a market leading position and then 
retention of that position.

Operations
Having the appropriate staff, systems, 
manufacturing arrangements and other 
operational structures in place.

Partnerships and acquisitions
Working with the right companies, at the 
right time and on the right terms to deliver 
long term value.

In compliance with provision C.2.1 of the 
UK Corporate Governance Code, the 
Board regularly reviews the effectiveness 
of the Group’s system of internal control. 
The Board’s monitoring covers all controls, 
including financial, operational and compliance 
controls and risk management systems. It is 
based principally on reviewing reports from 
management to consider whether significant 
risks are identified, evaluated, managed 
and controlled and whether any significant 
weaknesses are promptly remedied and 
indicate a need for more extensive monitoring. 
The Board has also performed a specific 
assessment for the purpose of this Annual 
Report. This assessment considers all 
significant aspects of internal control arising 
during the period covered by the report.  
The Audit Committee assists the Board  
in discharging its review responsibilities.

In 2016 we launched a number of new 
products, including the Xaar 5601 from our 
major Thin Film development, and the Xaar 
1201 from our partnership with Ricoh. We 
also launched the Xaar 2001+ family of Bulk 
printheads for ceramics. These product 
launches position us well for the future,  
but they also create more risk around the 
reliance on those new products delivering 
growth, and this has been reflected in the  
table of principal risks and uncertainties.

Following our strategic review in 2015 we 
identified Partnerships and Acquisitions as 
an essential element of our vision of £220 
million of annual sales by 2020, and in 2016 
we completed our first acquisition, as well as 
securing two important partnerships; with  
Ricoh and Xerox. Risks around M&A has  
been added to the table of principal risks  
and uncertainties as a consequence of  
our renewed external focus.

Effective risk management is key to 
our success against the dynamics of 
the industry that we operate in and the 
characteristics of our chosen business 
model. The printing industry in which 
we operate is, in general, declining in 
terms of total output, tends to be capital 
intensive, is slow to react to change 
and is resistant to the adoption of new 
technology. Product lifecycles tend to be 
long. Our business model is reliant on 
us first driving the conversion of well-
established processes to our technology, 
then maintaining our market position to 
maximise sales through both the initial 
conversion and replacement cycles in 
order to generate profits to enable us  
to invest in new technology and open  
up new applications.

The first approach to managing these risks 
is to have high quality individuals within the 
necessary functions that these risks tend to fall 
into. Other examples of the effective day to day 
management of these risks include operating 
multi-functional teams to share knowledge 
across the business, having regular stage 
gates in the management of development 
programmes, and the regular assessment of 
manufacturing capacity against future potential 
needs. In addition to day to day processes 
the Group’s risk register is formally reviewed 
twice per year at senior management and 
Board level, including the assessment of the 
performance of risk management during the 
preceding period. 

The Board has applied principle C.2 of the UK 
Corporate Governance Code by establishing a 
continuous process for identifying, evaluating, 
and managing the significant risks the Group 
faces which has operated throughout the 
year and up to the date of this report. Such 
a system is designed to manage rather than 
eliminate the risk of failure to achieve business 
objectives and can only provide reasonable 
and not absolute assurance with respect to 
the preparation of financial information and 
the safeguarding of assets against material 
misstatement or loss.

STRATEGIC REPORTGOVERNANCEFINANCIAL STATEMENTS24 
Xaar plc Annual Report and Financial Statements 2016
Strategic Report

Risk management continued

A reminder of our strategy

New products and new technology

Building the eco-system

Converting multiple markets

Enhancing our capability

Principal risk  
and uncertainty

Link to strategy 
and pillars

Impact

Mitigation

Likelihood Magnitude Change

Lower than 
anticipated revenues 
are achieved 
resulting in excess 
production capacity 
and lower levels of 
profit. Since fixed 
factory costs are 
significant, relatively 
small reductions in 
production/sales 
volume may result  
in substantially lower 
profit margins.

Lower than 
anticipated revenues 
are achieved 
resulting in excess 
production capacity 
and lower levels of 
profit. Since fixed 
factory costs are 
significant, relatively 
small reductions in 
production/sales 
volume may result  
in substantially lower 
profit margins.

Longer term 
revenue and profit  
is impacted.

Product sales 
into established 
applications fail to 
deliver sustained 
revenue due to 
competitor activity 
(market share 
loss and/or price 
reductions), macro-
economic factors 
(such as changes in 
trades agreements 
resulting from Brexit 
or political/economic 
changes in China), 
market maturity or 
other changes.

Product sales into 
new applications fail to 
achieve their targets.

New products fail to 
achieve their targets 
through either a 
failure to identify the 
appropriate products 
to meet future market 
requirements, or 
the products are 
identified but are not 
successfully required 
specification.

1

2

1

2

3

1

3

2

4

Competitive pricing policies are employed.

Possible

High

The product portfolios and pricing of 
competitors are constantly monitored.

Manufacturing cost reduction programmes 
are established to ensure that products 
remain competitive.

Close customer relationships are 
maintained with supply agreements  
in place where appropriate.

New product variants are developed to 
constantly improve the product portfolio 
on offer.

Macro-economic indicators and data is 
regularly reviewed to improve forecasting.

Information from customers, partners, 
market reports and other sources is 
collected, consolidated and reviewed 
to improve forecasting.

Regular reviews of OEM partners are held 
to ensure that appropriate and extensive 
market coverage is achieved together with 
a focus on new equipment manufacture.

New products and product variants are 
developed to meet market requirements.

Competitive pricing policies are employed.

Manufacturing cost reduction programmes 
are established to ensure that products 
remain competitive.

Information from customers, partners, 
market reports and other sources is 
collected, consolidated and reviewed  
to improve forecasting.

Regular, specific and detailed reviews are 
held to assess current and anticipated 
market requirements. These reviews include 
input from customers and other external 
sources. Product developments are 
selected on appropriate criteria. Product 
development activity is properly managed 
with regular reviews of progress against 
project plans, and gated milestone reviews. 
Appropriate resource is applied to product 
development activity.

Possible

High

Possible

High

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
25 
Xaar plc 
Annual Report and Financial Statements 2016   

A reminder of our strategic pillars

1

Ceramics

2

Product Printing & Packaging

3

Thin Film

4

Acquisitions and Partnerships

Principal risk  
and uncertainty

Link to strategy 
and pillars

Impact

Mitigation

Likelihood Magnitude Change

1

2

3

Manufacturing output 
fails to meet demand 
due to supplier issues, 
an event at one of 
the manufacturing 
facilities, delays or 
problems associated 
with production 
equipment, a lack 
of manufacturing 
capacity, or for other 
reasons.

Significant and 
sustained quality 
problems are identified 
with products which 
have been sold or 
which are held in 
inventory.

1

2

3

2

4

Potential M&A 
opportunities are 
either not identified 
or not managed 
effectively, leading 
to loss of revenue 
or increased costs. 
Alternatively, unsuitable 
M&A projects are 
undertaken, leading to 
a loss of shareholder 
value and profit.

Demand is not 
satisfied resulting 
in lower levels of 
revenue and profit.

Customers may 
start purchasing (or 
increase their level 
of purchasing) with 
Xaar’s competitors, 
leading to a longer 
term reduction 
in market share, 
revenue and profit.

Lower levels of 
revenue in the short 
term whilst the 
issues are resolved. 
Unexpected costs 
associated with 
resolving the issues, 
which may include 
product scrap, 
warranty costs 
and/or customer 
compensation. 
Potentially longer 
term revenue loss 
if customers start 
purchasing (or 
increase their level 
of purchasing) from 
Xaar’s competitors.

Lost growth 
opportunity from 
suitable transactions 
not being identified. 
Alternatively the 
business may be 
impacted by a 
transaction which 
is unsuitable, or 
by an appropriate 
project which 
is not correctly 
managed, leading 
to adverse financial 
performance.

Possible Medium

Remote

Medium

Detailed sales forecasts are prepared 
and reviewed regularly to minimise 
unexpected changes in short term 
demand. Suppliers are managed carefully. 
Appropriate sourcing, inspection and 
inventory holding policies are applied 
to ensure continuity and consistency of 
product supply. Appropriate contingency 
factors are applied to capacity planning. 
Manufacturing facilities are fitted with the 
appropriate safety and security systems. 
Staff are properly trained.

Standard operating procedures are in 
place for all products. Staff are properly 
trained. The quality of supplies is constantly 
monitored. Quality performance is regularly 
reviewed by senior management who apply 
appropriate resources to systematically 
address recurrent problems. New products 
are thoroughly tested before launch. 

Xaar’s manufacturing facilities are ISO 9001 
accredited. Customer returns are reviewed 
quickly using a consistent and thorough 
investigation process.

Possible Medium

New 
risk

Following our strategy review in 2015 
we have identified partnerships and 
acquisitions as an essential element of our 
vision of £220 million by 2020. As a result 
we have increased our focus on external 
opportunities, with a formal register of 
ideas and potential targets, and regular 
M&A reviews in our Board meetings. We 
also regularly review the landscape with 
assistance from external advisors. We 
benefit from industry specific experience 
on the Board and Executive teams.  
We successfully completed our first 
acquisition in 2016.

STRATEGIC REPORTGOVERNANCEFINANCIAL STATEMENTS 
 
 
 
 
 
26 
Xaar plc Annual Report and Financial Statements 2016
Strategic Report

Sustainable and responsible business

DEVELOPING A SUSTAINABLE BUSINESS

The Group strongly believes that 
corporate responsibility is integral 
to business success. The Group is 
compliant with all relevant regulation and 
legislation whilst enhancing the working 
environment for our employees and 
minimising the environmental impact of our 
manufacturing processes. There is internal 
reporting of key metrics throughout the 
business, and each member of staff is 
expected to take individual responsibility 
for their performance and to work 
together to achieve shared goals.

Social responsibility
• Xaar employees raised money during the year 

for a number of charities, including taking 
part in various activities for Comic Relief on 
Red Nose Day, for Macmillan Cancer Support 
by hosting a coffee morning, for the Royal 
British Legion Poppy Appeal and for the East 
Anglia’s Children’s Hospices.

Human rights
The Group respects all human rights and in 
conducting its business the Group regards 
those rights relating to non-discrimination, 
fair treatment and respect for privacy to be 
the most relevant and to have the greatest 
potential impact on its key stakeholder groups 
of customers, employees and suppliers.

The Board has overall responsibility for 
ensuring that the Group upholds and promotes 
respect for human rights. The Group seeks to 
anticipate, prevent and mitigate any potential 
negative human rights impacts as well as 
enhance positive impacts through its policies 
and procedures and, in particular, through 
its policies regarding employment, equality 
and diversity, treating customers fairly and 
information security. Group policies seek both 
to ensure that employees comply with the 
relevant legislation and regulations in place in 
the UK and other operating locations and to 
promote good practice. The Group’s policies 
are formulated and kept up to date by the 
relevant business area, authorised by the 
Board and communicated to all employees.

The Group undertakes extensive monitoring of 
the implementation of all of its policies and has 
not been made aware of any incident in which 
the organisation’s activities have resulted in an 
abuse of human rights.

Equality and diversity
The Group is committed to providing a working 
environment in which employees feel valued 
and respected and are able to contribute to 
the success of the business. Employees are 
requested to co-operate with the Group’s 
efforts to ensure that the policy is fully 
implemented.

• Charitable donations were made through the 
Xaar charitable giving programme, whereby 
employees nominate and vote for four 
charities to each receive a £2,000 donation. 
The chosen charities in 2016 were Alzheimer’s 
Society, Cancer Research UK, Macmillan 
Cancer Support and Great Ormond Street 
Hospital Charity. 

• Xaar has sponsored a number of employees 

and their families engaging in events 
throughout the year, including charity 
golf days, a charity quiz night and cycling 
events. In total, the Group made charitable 
contributions to local and national charities 
during the year totalling £11,767 (2015: 
£21,174). No political donations were 
made in the year (2015: £nil).

• The social club, which is aimed at 

encouraging staff to have fun and get to 
know each other socially, held several events 
throughout the year including theatre trips, 
comedy nights, family fun days, sporting 
events including a trip to watch cricket and 
rugby, gliding, meals and nights at the races.

• Xaar continues to sponsor an Imagineering 
Foundation club at a Huntingdon Primary 
School. The Foundation introduces 8-16 year 
olds to the fascinating world of engineering 
and technology through fun, hands-on 
activities. We are working with Year Six pupils 
building engineering-related projects such 
as a Morse code buzzer, balloon-powered 
car, aero-glider, magnetic compass and 
micrometer. The scientific principles are 
explained and explored through the  
hands-on activities.

• In 2013 Xaar invested £1 million in bonds 
to support the Future Business Centre in 
Cambridge. The centre provides affordable 
workspace with support and shared services 
to new social and environmental enterprises.

27 
Xaar plc 
Annual Report and Financial Statements 2016   

Formal directives and certification 
The Group undertakes R&D and manufactures 
products in the UK. The Group complies 
with all local and European legislation. The 
Groups manufacturing facilities in Huntingdon 
is both ISO 9001 and ISO 14001 certified. 
It is the Group’s policy to maintain this level 
of certification for its manufacturing facilities 
and to comply at all times with all relevant 
environmental and other legislation in the 
territories in which the Group operates. The 
Group is compliant with REACH (Registration, 
Evaluation, Authorisation and restriction of 
Chemicals), WEEE (Waste Electrical and 
Electronic Equipment) and RoHS (Restriction 
of the Use of Certain Hazardous Substances) 
directives, as required under European 
legislation. 

The Group has a proactive Health and Safety 
System modelled on OHSAS 18001/HSG65 
in Cambridge, Huntingdon.

Health, safety and environment
Xaar has a manufacturing site in Huntingdon, 
UK, along with R&D and head office functions 
in Cambridge, UK, plus sales offices worldwide.

It is always Xaar’s intention to conduct 
business in a manner that protects the 
public, the environment, and employee 
safety. Xaar’s Environmental and Health 
& Safety policies provide a framework for 
setting and reviewing of Occupational Health, 
Safety and Environmental Objectives. This 
demonstrates Xaar’s commitment to the 
prevention of injury and ill health and also the 
continual improvement in Environmental and 
Occupational Health & Safety Performance. 
Xaar recognises that the combination of a safe 
place of work and safe working practices, 
together with a productive and innovative 
environment, are critical to the continued 
success of the Company.

The Group’s aim is that its employees should 
be able to work in an environment free from 
discrimination, harassment and bullying, and 
that employees, job applicants, customers, 
retailers, business introducers and suppliers 
should be treated fairly regardless of:

• Race, colour, nationality (including citizenship), 

ethnic or national origins

• Gender, gender reassignment, sexual 

orientation, marital or civil partnership status

• Religious or political beliefs or affiliations

• Disability, impairment or age

• Real or suspected infection with HIV/AIDS

• Membership of a trade union

• Pregnancy and maternity

and that they should not be disadvantaged by 
unjust or unfair conditions or requirements.

The Group aims to ensure that applications for 
employment from people with disabilities, and 
other under-represented groups, are given full 
and fair consideration and that such people are 
given the same training, development and job 
opportunities as other employees. Every effort is 
also made to retrain and support employees who 
suffer from disabilities during their employment, 
including the provision of flexible working to 
assist their re-entry into the workplace.

Human Resources policies are reviewed regularly 
to ensure that they are non-discriminatory and 
promote equality of opportunity. In particular, 
recruitment, selection, promotion, training and 
development policies and practices are monitored 
to ensure that all employees have the opportunity 
to train and develop according to their abilities.

The Group places considerable value on the 
involvement of its employees and has continued 
to keep them informed of the various factors 
affecting the performance of the Group. This 
is achieved through written communications 
shared through the Company intranet and 
email, and formal and informal meetings. All 
employees participate in a bonus scheme based 
on individual performance and Group business 
targets and, in the UK, have the opportunity to 
participate in an HMRC approved Share Save 
Scheme and Share Incentive Plan.

The management of Xaar is committed to 
achieving and maintaining full compliance with 
environmental, health and safety legislation. 
Although certain responsibilities under this 
policy can be attributed to specific roles 
within the organisation, and in particular with 
different levels of management, each and every 
Xaar employee shares the core basic duty to 
understand their responsibilities to observe 
instructions put in place and, where necessary, 
to draw these to the attention of others.

To achieve our Environmental and Health 
& Safety policies, Xaar will ensure that the 
organisation is led by example; systems are in 
place to engage, train, develop and maintain 
competent, informed personnel; resources 
are allocated to enable safety standards to be 
maintained; employee involvement and open 
communication are actively encouraged; plant, 
equipment and facilities are safe and without 
risk to the health and welfare of all persons who 
could be affected by their use or maintenance; 
substances required and used in the workplace 
are handled and disposed of safely; a 
comprehensive risk assessment programme 
is maintained covering all activities and 
processes, with control measures implemented 
to minimise risk where applicable; adequate 
welfare facilities are provided; where accidents 
or ‘near misses’ occur, they are reported, 
investigated and treated as the source of 
learning for on-going working practices; and 
that best practice is shared across the Group.

The Group is committed to minimising its 
impact on the environment through the 
reduction and recycling of waste and by 
operating its facilities as efficiently as is 
practicable. Our printhead technology improves 
process efficiency and reduces wastage in our 
end user markets.

Based on the closing headcount at 31 
December the split of staff by gender was 
as follows:

31 December 2016 
male/female

31 December 2015 
male/female

All employees

512/127

483/130

Directors

Senior Managers

Employees 
excluding 
Directors and 
Senior Managers

5/1

87/15

6/1

48/9

420/111

429/120

STRATEGIC REPORTGOVERNANCEFINANCIAL STATEMENTS28 
Xaar plc Annual Report and Financial Statements 2016
Strategic Report

Sustainable and responsible business continued

GREENHOUSE GAS EMISSIONS STATEMENT

Xaar plc has calculated its global 
greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions 
statement using an operational control 
consolidation approach as described 
in the Greenhouse Gas: Protocol: A 
Corporate Accounting and Reporting 
Standard (Revised Edition, 2004), which 
reflects the Defra Environmental Reporting 
Guidelines (Revised October 2013). 

Scope 1 emissions
Scope 1 emissions occur from sources that 
are owned or where Xaar plc has operational 
control. This includes direct emissions from gas 
combustion in our buildings and fuel used in 
leased company vehicles. Actual and estimated 
gas consumption data has been collected from 
each of the leased properties under the control 
of the Xaar Group, from data sources including 
direct meter readings, meter readings from 
suppliers included on invoices and estimations 
where required based on available information 
from property management suppliers and 
other sources. Actual mileage data has been 
collected from the leased company vehicle fleet.

Assessment parameters

Scope 2 emissions
Scope 2 refers to indirect emissions from 
the consumption of purchased electricity 
(also including any purchased heat, steam 
or cooling) from facilities owned or under the 
operational control of Xaar plc. Actual and 
estimated data has been collected from each 
of the leased properties under the control of 
the Xaar Group, from data sources including 
direct meter readings, meter readings from 
suppliers included on invoices and estimations 
where required based on available information 
from property management suppliers and 
other sources. 

Baseline year

1 January 2013 to 31 December 2013

Consolidation approach

Operational control

Boundary summary

Consistency with the financial statements

All entities and all facilities under operational 
control included subject to the materiality 
threshold applied

The only variation is that leased properties 
deemed to be under operational control have 
been included in scope 1 and 2 emissions

Materiality threshold

Materiality has been set at Group level at 5%*

Assessment methodology

Greenhouse Gas Protocol and ISO 14064-1 
(2006)

Intensity ratio

Emissions per £m turnover excluding royalties

* The total of any excluded emission sources are estimated to be less than 5% of Xaar plc’s total reported emissions.

GHG emission source

Scope 1
Scope 2

Statutory total (scope 1 and 2)

2016

2015

(tCO2e)

167
4,432

4,599

(tCO2e/£m)

2
47

49

(tCO2e)

162
4,475

4,637

(tCO2e/£m)

2
51

53

The GHG emissions statement includes 
emissions data from leased assets that are not 
included in the rest of the consolidated financial 
statements, other than in note 31 Operating 
lease arrangements.

29 
Xaar plc 
Annual Report and Financial Statements 2016   

Board approval of the Strategic and Annual Reports

BOARD APPROVAL

The Strategic Report, Annual Report and Financial Statements, 
taken as a whole, are fair, balanced and understandable and 
provide the information necessary for shareholders to assess  
the Company’s performance, business model and strategy.

Robin Williams
Chairman

Doug Edwards
Chief Executive Officer

Alex Bevis
Chief Financial Officer  
and Company Secretary 
(until 29 March 2017)

Ted Wiggans
Chief Operations Officer

Andrew Herbert
Non-Executive Director

Margaret Rice-Jones
Non-Executive Director

Chris Morgan
Non-Executive Director

STRATEGIC REPORTGOVERNANCEFINANCIAL STATEMENTS30 
Xaar plc Annual Report and Financial Statements 2016
Governance

Board of Directors

TRUSTED LEADERSHIP

Experience: 
Robin spent ten years as a corporate advisor before co-founding Britton Group plc in 
1992. As CEO of Britton, he grew the business to £250 million revenues within six years, 
before selling to a competitor. He was then an Executive Director of Hepworth plc, with a 
leading role in the rationalisation and subsequent sale of the group. He has subsequently 
held various public and private company directorships across a range of industries 
including business services, healthcare, outsourcing, contracting, and manufacturing. 

Current external appointments:
Robin is currently Chairman of NHS Professionals Ltd and a Non-Executive Director 
of Nanoco Group plc.

Experience: 
Doug joined the Company from Kodak (Eastman Kodak Company) where most 
recently he was President, Digital Printing and Enterprise and had been a member 
of the Executive Board since 2006. He started his career in the UK in a variety of 
technical roles with Ilford Limited, ICI, Zeneca and International Paper before moving 
to the US 14 years ago with Kodak Polychrome Graphics (a joint venture company 
between Sun Chemical Corporation and Kodak). 

Experience: 
Alex joined Xaar in February 2011 after ten years at CSR plc (Cambridge Silicon 
Radio). He held a variety of key finance roles at CSR, supporting the growth of the 
business including the IPO in 2004 and multiple acquisitions. He was most recently 
employed as Vice President of Finance. He qualified as a Chartered Accountant with 
Deloitte in Cambridge prior to joining CSR in 2000.

Alex leaves Xaar on 29 March 2017 to join Frontier Developments plc, a leading 
independent creator of video games based in Cambridge.

Experience: 
Lily will join Xaar on 2 May 2017. Lily has spent the past four years at FTSE 
100 Smiths Group PLC, where she has held a number of senior financial and 
management roles. Most recently, from 2014 to 2016, Lily was CFO of the Smiths 
Detection Division, with reported revenues of £526 million for financial year 2016. 
Prior to this, Lily was Director of Financial Planning and Performance Analysis at the 
Group level, reporting to the Group Chief Financial Officer. Before joining Smiths Lily 
was with Edwards Ltd. Edwards, the world leader in the manufacture and supply of 
industrial vacuum systems, was part of the FTSE 100 BOC Group Plc until 2007, 
when it was acquired by private equity firm, CCMP.

Lily has an MBA from the Australian Graduate School of Management. 

Robin Williams
Chairman

Appointed:
2010 (Chairman: 2016)

Committee membership: 

A

R

N

Qualifications:
BSc Chemistry, Oxford
PhD in Conducting  
Organic Materials, 
Peat Marwick Mitchell

Doug Edwards
Chief Executive 
Officer

Appointed:
2015

Committee membership: 

N

Qualifications:
BSc Chemistry
PhD in Conducting Organic 
Materials, London University

Alex Bevis
Chief Financial 
Officer and  
Company Secretary 
(until 29 March 2017)

Appointed:
2011

Qualifications:
Chartered Accountant,  
BA Economics

Lily Liu
Chief Financial 
Officer and  
Company Secretary 
(from 2 May 2017)

Appointed:
2017

Qualifications:
Chartered Management 
Accountant, MBA

 
 
31 
Xaar plc
Annual Report and Financial Statements 2016   

Key to Committees
A – Audit  R – Remuneration  N – Nomination

 Chairman 

 Member

Experience: 
Ted joined Xaar in January 2011, with over 30 years’ experience in high technology 
operations. Immediately prior to joining Xaar he was Chief Operating Officer at 
Cambridge Semiconductor Ltd (CamSemi). Before joining CamSemi in 2006, he 
was Operations Director at Zetex Semiconductors with overall responsibility for 
its multi-site, multi-national manufacturing activities and a global team of 500. 
In addition, he has held senior-level manufacturing, engineering and quality roles 
with Motorola and Philips. 

Experience: 
Andrew joined Xaar in June 2016. He has extensive experience in the global digital 
printing industry following a 30-year career with Domino Printing Sciences plc, 
working both in the UK and the US. Andrew holds a BA (Hons) in Business Studies 
and is a Chartered Management Accountant, He was Group Finance Director/Chief 
Financial Officer of Domino Printing Sciences plc from 1998 to 2015 during which 
time he played  an instrumental role in expanding the business geographically through 
acquisition and creation of sales channels, and in broadening the product range via 
acquisition of technology based businesses. He previously held a number of line 
director roles in Finance, Operations, Planning and Business Development.

Current external appointments:
Andrew is the Non-Executive Chairman of Midwich Group plc and is a Governor at 
Cambridge Regional College.

Experience: 
Margaret joined Xaar in August 2015. She has over 25 years’ experience within innovative 
technology businesses. She has an engineering background and has operated at Board 
level in various executive and non-executive roles for the last ten years. Previously, 
Margaret was CEO of Aircom International, a global software and services company, 
and Corporate Vice President of Motorola Inc. Margaret has had P&L responsibility for 
over $1 billion revenue, and has worked with both business turnaround situations and 
high growth companies including Skyscanner where she was Chairman. Margaret has 
previously served on listed company boards including Psion plc and Abacus Polar plc.

Current external appointments:
Margaret is currently Chairman at Openet Ltd.

Experience: 
Chris brings with him a wealth of expertise in managing complex international 
technology businesses, having spent 25 years at HP, Inc. He has a strong 
background in global marketing, sales and general management senior executive 
roles including global accountability for HP’s multibillion dollar graphics/industrial 
portfolio of digital 2D and 3D printing businesses from 2009-2012. Chris also has 
extensive experience in Asia and Japan having spent more than a decade in senior 
APJ leadership roles. He has led strategic investments in key growth markets and 
has been involved in a number of mergers and acquisitions at both the strategic and 
operational levels. He recently served as Chief Marketing Officer for Stratasys, Ltd, 
until June 2015, where he was responsible for marketing 3D printing and additive 
manufacturing solutions globally.

Ted Wiggans
Chief Operations 
Officer

Appointed:
2011

Qualifications:
Chartered Engineer

Andrew Herbert
Non-Executive 
Director

Appointed:
2016

Committee membership: 

A

R

N

Qualifications:
Chartered Management 
Accountant, BA (Hons) in 
Business Studies

Margaret Rice-Jones
Senior Independent 
Director

Appointed:
2015

Committee membership: 

A

R

N

Chris Morgan
Non-Executive 
Director 

Appointed:
2016

Committee membership: 

A

R

N

STRATEGIC REPORTGOVERNANCEFINANCIAL STATEMENTS 
 
 
 
 
 
32 
Xaar plc Annual Report and Financial Statements 2016
Governance

Board of Directors

OUR GOVERNANCE

Board structure

Board of Directors

Management Committee

Principal Committees

Audit Nomination

Remuneration

Audit Committee

Nomination Committee

Remuneration Committee

The Audit Committee is responsible for 
monitoring and reviewing the integrity of 
the financial reporting process, including 
the appropriateness and effectiveness 
of the Internal Controls and Risk 
Management procedures of the Group.

The Nomination Committee is 
responsible for reviewing the size, 
structure and composition of the 
Board and provide advice to the Board 
on Board and senior management 
appointments and succession planning; 
monitoring of the composition of the 
Board and its Committees.

The Remuneration Committee is 
responsible for the development 
and implementation of the Group’s 
remuneration framework and policies 
for Directors including all incentives 
and bonuses.

Chairman Andrew Herbert

Chairman Robin Williams

Chairman Margaret Rice-Jones

 See p42

 See p44

 See p45

33 
Xaar plc
Annual Report and Financial Statements 2016   

Directors’ report

REPORT ON THE AFFAIRS OF THE GROUP

The Directors present their Annual Report 
on the affairs of the Group together with 
the financial statements and auditor’s 
report for the year ended 31 December 
2016. The corporate governance 
statement set out on pages 39 to 45 
forms part of this report.

Capital structure
Details of the issued share capital, together with 
details of the movements in the Company’s 
issued share capital during the year, are shown 
in note 25. The Company has one class of 
ordinary shares which carries no right to fixed 
income. Each share carries the right to one 
vote at general meetings of the Company. 

An indication of likely future developments 
in the business of the Company and details 
of research and development activities are 
included in the Strategic Report. The Group’s 
policies relating to equality, diversity and 
employee consultation can be found in the 
‘Sustainable and responsible business’ section 
of the Strategic Report on pages 26 to 28.

There are no specific restrictions on the size of 
a holding nor on the transfer of shares, which 
are both governed by the general provisions 
of the Articles of Association and prevailing 
legislation. The Directors are not aware of any 
agreements between holders of the Company’s 
shares that may result in restrictions on the 
transfer of securities or on voting rights.

Directors and their interests 
The Directors who served during the year, and 
subsequent to the year-end, unless otherwise 
stated, were as follows:

Robin Williams – Chairman  
(appointed chairman from 1 October 2016)

Phil Lawler – (stepped down as Chairman  
on 30 September 2016)

Doug Edwards – Chief Executive Officer

Alex Bevis – Chief Financial Officer and 
Company Secretary  
(resigns as of 29 March 2017)

Ted Wiggans – Chief Operations Officer 

Details of the proposed dividend are set out  
on page 21.

Details of employee share schemes are set out 
in note 32. 

Margaret Rice-Jones – Non-Executive Director 

The Greenhouse gas emissions statement  
can be found on page 28.

Chris Morgan – Non-Executive Director 
(appointed 4 January 2016)

Andrew Herbert Non-Executive Director 
(appointed 1 June 2016).

Brief biographical descriptions of the Directors 
are set out on pages 30 and 31. Full details 
of their interests in shares of the Company 
and its subsidiary undertakings are included 
in the Directors’ Remuneration report on pages 
46 to 69.

No person has any special rights of control 
over the Company’s share capital and all 
issued shares are fully paid.

With regard to the appointment and 
replacement of Directors, the Company 
is governed by its Articles of Association, 
the UK Corporate Governance Code, the 
Companies Act and related legislation. The 
Articles themselves may be amended by 
Special Resolution of the shareholders. The 
powers of Directors are described in the Main 
Board terms of reference, copies of which 
are available on request, and the corporate 
governance statement on page 39.

Treasury
The Group’s policy enables it to use financial 
instruments to hedge foreign currency 
exposures. The main trading currency of the 
Group is UK pounds. The Group’s use of 
financial instruments and the related risks are 
discussed further in notes 19, 20 and 23.

At the 2016 AGM held on 16 May 2016,  
the Company’s shareholders granted the 
Company authority to make one or more 
market purchases (within the meaning of 
section 693(4) of the Companies Act 2006)  
of ordinary shares of 10 pence each in the 
capital of the Company. 

The Company did not purchase any shares  
for cancellation or to be held as treasury in 
2015 or 2016.

STRATEGIC REPORTGOVERNANCEFINANCIAL STATEMENTS34 
Xaar plc Annual Report and Financial Statements 2016
Governance

Directors’ report continued

REPORT ON THE AFFAIRS OF THE GROUP CONTINUED

Shareholdings in the Company
The interests of the Directors in the shares of the Company and its subsidiaries (all of which are beneficial) as at 31 December 2016 are as follows:

Doug Edwards
Alex Bevis
Ted Wiggans
Robin Williams
Margaret Rice-Jones
Chris Morgan
Andrew Herbert

Number of 
ordinary shares of 
10p each 
31 December 
2016

Number of 
ordinary shares of
10p each 
31 December 
2015

32,913
58,558
71,239
4,000
5,700
–
–

26,085
57,822
71,239
4,000
–
–
–

There have been no changes in the Directors’ interests in shares of the Company between 31 December 2016 and 22 March 2017. Directors’ 
interests in options over shares in the Company are shown in the Directors’ Remuneration report.

Directors’ liabilities
The Company has granted an indemnity to all of its Directors against liability in respect of any potential proceedings that may be brought by third 
parties, subject to the conditions set out in the Companies Act 2006. Such qualifying third party indemnity provision remains in force as at the date  
of approving the Directors’ Report.

Share capital
As at 31 December 2016 the Company had been notified in accordance with Chapter 5 of the Financial Conduct Authority’s (FCA’s) Disclosure and 
Transparency Rules of the following material interests in its share capital:

AXA Framlington Investment Managers
Legal & General Investment Management
Schroder Investment Management
M&G Investment Management
Aberdeen Asset Management
Oppenheimer Funds
Baillie Gifford
Generation Investment Management
T Rowe Price Global Investments
Standard Life Investments

Number 
of ordinary 
shares held

Percentage 
of issued 
share capital

10,867,785
7,059,522
5,566,586
4,810,823
4,253,162
4,000,000
3,829,439
3,586,998
3,493,607
2,084,754

14.0%
9.1%
7.2%
6.2%
5.5%
5.2%
4.9%
4.6%
4.5%
2.7%

During the period 31 December 2016 to 22 March 2017, the Company did not receive any notifications pursuant to chapter five of the FCA’s 
Disclosure and Transparency Rules.

35 
Xaar plc
Annual Report and Financial Statements 2016   

Annual General Meeting
The notice convening the Annual General 
Meeting is set out on pages 119 to 122. 
Resolutions 1 to 12 set out in the notice of the 
meeting deal with the ordinary business to be 
transacted at the meeting. The special business 
to be transacted at the meeting is set out in 
Resolutions 13 to 18.

Re-election of Directors
Resolutions 5 to 11
The Company’s Articles of Association require 
the Directors to retire by rotation at least once 
every three years, with the number to retire by 
rotation at each Annual General Meeting being 
the number nearest to but not exceeding one 
third of the Board. However, the UK Corporate 
Governance Code provides that all Directors 
of FTSE 350 companies should be subject to 
re-election by their shareholders every year. 
In accordance with this provision of the UK 
Corporate Governance Code and in keeping 
with the Board’s aim of following best corporate 
governance practice, the Board has decided 
that, as at the previous Annual General Meeting 
of the Company in 2016, all Directors should 
retire at each Annual General Meeting offer 
themselves for re-election. 

Directors’ Remuneration report
Resolutions 12 and 13
These Resolutions seek shareholder approval 
for the Directors’ Remuneration report, which 
includes the remuneration policy. The Directors’ 
Remuneration report can be found on pages 
46 to 69 (inclusive) of the Annual Report and 
Financial Statements. 

As at the previous Annual General Meeting 
of the Company in 2016, in accordance 
with regulations which came into force on 
1 October 2013 in this area, the Company 
is offering shareholders: (i) an advisory vote 
on the implementation of the Company’s 
existing remuneration policy, and (ii) a binding 
vote on the Company’s forward-looking 
Directors’ Remuneration Policy. 

Resolution 12 contains the advisory resolution 
relating to the Directors’ Remuneration 
Report, and Resolution 13 contains 
the binding resolution in relation to the 
Directors’ Remuneration Policy.

The Directors’ Remuneration Policy sets 
out the Company’s future policy on Directors’ 
remuneration. If Resolution 13 is approved, 
the effective date of the remuneration policy 
will be the date of the Annual General Meeting 
(16 May 2017).

Authority to purchase own shares
Resolution 14
It is proposed by Resolution 14, by Special 
Resolution, to authorise the Company generally 
and unconditionally to purchase its own shares 
at a price of not less than the par value of the 
shares and not more than the higher of: 

(i)  5% above the average of the middle market 
quotations of the shares as derived from the 
London Stock Exchange Daily Official List for 
the five dealing days immediately preceding 
the day on which the purchase is made; and 

(ii) the amount stipulated by article 5(1) of the 

Buy-back and Stabilisation Regulation 2003 
(in each case exclusive of any expenses 
payable by the Company).

The authority will be for a maximum of 14.9% 
of the Company’s issued share capital and 
will expire at the earlier of the next Annual 
General Meeting of the Company or within 
15 months from the date of the passing of 
this resolution. The Directors currently have 
no intention to exercise the authority and will 
only purchase shares if it is in the best interests 
of shareholders as a whole.

The total number of options to subscribe for 
ordinary shares outstanding at 31 December 
2016 (including options awarded under LTIP 
which may be satisfied by subscription of new 
shares) was 2,761,447. This represents 4% of 
the issued ordinary share capital at that date. 
If Xaar plc was to buy back the maximum 
number of ordinary shares permitted pursuant 
to the passing of this resolution, then the total 
number of options to subscribe for ordinary 
shares outstanding at 31 December 2016 
would represent 4% of the reduced issued 
ordinary share capital.

Power to issue securities
Resolution 15
Under the Companies Act 2006 the Directors 
of the Company may only allot shares 
(whether for cash or otherwise) with the 
authority of shareholders given at a general 
meeting of the Company. In accordance with 
institutional guidelines, under Resolution 15, 
to be proposed as an Ordinary Resolution, 
authority is sought to allot shares:

(i)  in relation to a pre-emptive rights issue 

only, up to an aggregate nominal amount of 
£5,187,834.40, which represented two thirds 
of the Company’s ordinary share capital as at 
22 March 2017; and

(ii) in any other case, up to an aggregate 

nominal amount of £2,593,917.20, which 
represented one third of the Company’s 
ordinary share capital as at 22 March 2017.

The Directors do not currently have an intention 
to exercise the authority.

Resolution 16
This resolution, to be proposed as a Special 
Resolution, will give the Directors power to allot 
shares:

(i)  up to an aggregate nominal amount of 

£5,187,834.40 (representing approximately 
66% of the Company’s issued share capital) 
on an offer to existing shareholders on a pre-
emptive basis (subject to any adjustments, 
such as for fractional entitlements and 
overseas shareholders, as the Directors see 
fit); and

(ii) for cash up to a maximum aggregate 

nominal value of £778,175.10, representing 
10% of the ordinary share capital of the 
Company as at 22 March 2017, otherwise 
than in connection with an offer to existing 
shareholders.

STRATEGIC REPORTGOVERNANCEFINANCIAL STATEMENTS36 
Xaar plc Annual Report and Financial Statements 2016
Governance

Directors’ report continued

REPORT ON THE AFFAIRS OF THE GROUP CONTINUED

In previous years, the Directors have sought, 
and been granted, power to allot equity 
securities for cash free from pre-emption rights 
(otherwise than in connection with a rights issue 
or similar pre-emptive issue) up to a maximum 
nominal amount representing approximately 
5% of the Company’s issued ordinary share 
capital. Such power has given the Directors the 
ability to allot equity securities for cash non pre-
emptively in any circumstances. The limitation of 
the disapplication power to a maximum of 5% 
of the Company’s issued ordinary share capital 
accorded with best practice as set out in The 
Pre-Emption Group’s Statement of Principles 
on the Disapplication of Pre-Emption Rights 
(July 2008).

In March 2015, The Pre-Emption Group 
published a revision of its Statement of 
Principles. In addition to restating the existing 
5% disapplication limit, the 2015 Statement 
of Principles introduced greater flexibility for 
companies to undertake non pre-emptive 
issues for cash in connection with acquisitions 
and specified capital investments. This 
relaxation is intended to allow companies 
the opportunity to finance expansion 
opportunities as and when they arise.

Accordingly, the 2015 Statement of Principles 
provides that a company may now seek power 
to issue on a non pre-emptive basis for cash 
equity securities representing (i) no more than 
5% of the company’s issued ordinary share 
capital in any one year; and (ii) no more than an 
additional 5% of the company’s issued ordinary 
share capital provided that such additional 
power is only used in connection with an 
acquisition or specified capital investment.

Accordingly, this year, in line with the 2015 
Statement of Principles (which have been 
endorsed by The Investment Association), 
the Directors are seeking power to allot 
equity securities for cash (otherwise than 
in connection with a rights issue or similar 
pre-emptive issue) up to a maximum nominal 
amount of £778,175.10, representing 
approximately 10% of the Company’s issued 
ordinary share capital as at 22 March 2017 
(being the latest practicable date prior to 
publication of this document). Whilst the 
Directors may use up to one half of this 
amount to issue equity securities for cash 
non pre-emptively in any circumstances, they 
confirm that they would only use the other half 

in connection with an acquisition or a specified 
capital investment which is announced 
contemporaneously with the issue, or which 
has taken place in the preceding six-month 
period and is disclosed in the announcement 
of the issue.

The Directors also confirm their intention to 
adhere to the provisions of the 2015 Statement 
of Principles regarding cumulative use of 
authorities within a rolling three-year period. 
Those Principles provide that equity securities 
should not be allotted for cash on a non 
pre-emptive basis (other than pursuant to a 
rights issue or pre-emptive offer) in excess of 
an amount equal to 7.5% of the total issued 
ordinary share capital of the Company in 
any rolling three-year period, without prior 
consultation with the Company’s shareholders. 
This limit excludes any equity securities  
issued pursuant to a specific disapplication  
of pre-emption rights and any equity securities 
issued pursuant to a general disapplication 
of pre-emption rights in connection with an 
acquisition or specified capital investment.

The Directors do not currently have an intention 
to exercise any power given to them by 
shareholders to allot shares for cash on  
a non pre-emptive basis.

The authorities contained in Resolutions 15 and 
16 will expire no later than 15 months after the 
passing of those resolutions.

Xaar 2017 Long Term Incentive Plan  
and authority to establish similar  
international plans
Resolutions 17 and 18
The Company’s existing long term incentive 
plan, which was established in 2007, expires 
in 2017. The Board is proposing the adoption 
of a new long term incentive plan, the Xaar 
2017 Long Term Incentive Plan, to replace 
the 2007 plan and is asking for shareholder 
approval of the new plan.

The new plan is very similar to the 2007 plan 
but it has been updated to bring the plan into 
line with current market practice, including, 
in particular, by removing the possibility of 
deferred bonus matching awards as mentioned 
in the Directors’ Remuneration report for 2015. 
In addition, to reflect best practice, a holding 
period can be applied to shares received 
under the new plan and the remuneration 

committee of the Board intends that awards 
granted to Executive Directors will be subject 
to a holding period as set out in the Directors’ 
Remuneration Policy.

Shareholder approval is also being sought 
to establish plans based on the LTIP outside 
of the UK to give the Company flexibility to 
set up local plans should this be necessary 
or desirable to take account of local tax, 
legal or regulatory requirements or local 
market practice.

Sharesave Plan
Resolution 19
The Directors are supportive of the principle 
of extending share ownership amongst the 
Company’s employees and wish to offer them 
opportunities to acquire shares, including, 
where appropriate and as permitted by 
relevant legislation, on a tax-favoured basis. 
It is proposed to introduce a new all-employee 
tax-advantaged sharesave plan (the ‘Sharesave 
Plan’). The Company has operated an all 
employee sharesave plan since 2007. The 
existing sharesave plan will expire in May 2017 
and the purpose of the new plan is simply to 
replace the plan that is expiring. Under the 
Sharesave Plan, all eligible employees are 
invited to participate on the same basis by 
entering into an approved savings contract for 
a period of three or five years and are granted 
an option to acquire ordinary shares in the 
Company at the end of that period using the 
proceeds of their savings contract. The exercise 
price of an option is fixed at the time the 
invitation to apply for an option is issued and 
will not be less than 80% of the market value 
of a share at that time.

The Sharesave Plan is intended to qualify for tax 
advantages (under Schedule 3 to the Income 
Tax (Earnings & Pensions) Act 2003). There will 
be power to scale back awards and limit the 
maximum monthly saving at the Remuneration 
Committee’s discretion, to preserve balance 
and protect the overall sustainability of the 
Company’s incentive scheme structure.

37 
Xaar plc
Annual Report and Financial Statements 2016   

Going concern
The Group’s business activities, together 
with the factors likely to affect its future 
development, performance and position are set 
out in the Strategic Report on pages 8 to 13. 
Notes 19, 20 and 23 include a description of 
the Group’s objectives, policies and processes 
for managing its capital; its financial risk 
management objectives; details of its financial 
instruments and hedging activities; and its 
exposure to credit risk and liquidity risk.

The Group has considerable financial resources 
and through a diverse customer base is 
exposed not only to the Western economies 
but also to China, India and Latin America. 
As a consequence, the Directors believe that 
the Group is well placed to manage its business 
risks successfully.

After making enquiries, the Directors have a 
reasonable expectation that the Group has 
adequate resources to continue in operational 
existence for the foreseeable future, based 
on the Group’s forecasts and projections 
for the next three years, taking account 
of reasonably possible changes in trading 
performance. For this reason, we continue 
to adopt the going concern basis in preparing 
the financial statements.

Viability statement
The long term viability of the Company is 
assessed by the Directors as part of the risk 
management process and regular strategic 
reviews. As well as continually monitoring 
and managing risk the Directors lead a 
comprehensive review of the principal risks 
to the company at least annually. This review, 
which also involves key individuals from all 
areas of the business, was last performed 
in January 2017. The Company’s strategy 
is regularly discussed by the Board and is 
biannually subject to a full review.

Resolution 19 seeks shareholder approval 
of the proposed Sharesave Plan. A copy of 
the draft rules of the Sharesave Plan will be 
available for inspection at the registered office 
of the Company during usual business hours on 
any weekday (Saturdays, Sundays and public 
holidays excluded) from the date of the notice 
until the date of the Annual General Meeting 
and at the place of the Annual General Meeting 
from at least 15 minutes prior to, and until the 
conclusion of, the Annual General Meeting. 
A summary of the main provisions is set out in 
Appendix 2 of the notice on pages 125 to 126.

Additional information for shareholders
The following provides the additional 
information required for shareholders as a 
result of the implementation of the Takeovers 
Directive into UK law.

The structure of the Company’s issued share 
capital is shown in note 25.

Details of ordinary shares held in trust owned 
by the Company can be found in note 27.

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

The Directors are authorised to issue and allot 
shares and to undertake purchases of the 
Company’s shares. Appropriate resolutions 
to renew these authorities are proposed to 
be passed at the AGM as detailed above 
and notice of which is on pages 119 to 126.

Ordinary shares
On a show of hands at a general meeting of 
the Company every holder of ordinary shares 
present in person and entitled to vote shall have 
one vote for every ordinary share held and, on 
a poll, every member present in person or by 
proxy and entitled to vote shall have one vote 
for every ordinary share held. The notice of the 
AGM on pages 119 to 126 specifies deadlines 
for exercising voting rights either by proxy notice 
or present in person or by proxy in relation to 
resolutions to be passed at the AGM. All proxy 
votes are counted and the numbers for, against 
or withheld in relation to each resolution are 
made available at the AGM and are published 
on the Company’s website after the meeting. 
No person holds securities carrying special rights 
with regard to control of the Company.

Restrictions
There are no restrictions on the transfer of 
ordinary shares in the Company other than:

•  Certain restrictions may from time to time 
be imposed by laws and regulations (for 
example, insider trading laws and market 
requirements relating to close periods)
•  Pursuant to the Listing Rules of the FCA 
whereby all employees of the Company 
require the approval of the Company to deal 
in the Company’s securities.

The Company’s Articles of Association may 
only be amended by a Special Resolution at a 
general meeting of the shareholders. Directors 
are reappointed by Ordinary Resolution at a 
general meeting of the shareholders. 

Appointment of Directors
The Board can appoint a Director but anyone 
so appointed must be elected by an Ordinary 
Resolution at the next general meeting. 
All Directors are required to submit themselves 
for reappointment every year at the AGM. 

Significant interests
Directors’ interests in the share capital of the 
Company are shown in the table on page 34. 
Major interests (i.e. those greater than 3%) 
of which the Company has been notified are 
shown on page 34.

Company share schemes
The Xaar plc ESOP Trust holds 1.8% of the 
issued share capital of the Company in trust 
for the benefit of employees of the Group and 
their dependants. The voting rights in relation 
to these shares are exercised by the Trustees.

Change of control
The Company is not party to any agreements 
which take effect, alter or terminate upon a 
change of control of the Company following a 
takeover bid. There are no agreements between 
the Company and its Directors or employees 
providing for compensation for loss of office 
or employment (whether through resignation, 
purported redundancy or otherwise) that 
occurs because of a takeover bid. Depending 
on the achievement of performance conditions, 
share-based payment arrangements may vest 
on change of control but this is subject to the 
approval and exercise of the discretion of the 
Remuneration Committee.

STRATEGIC REPORTGOVERNANCEFINANCIAL STATEMENTS38 
Xaar plc Annual Report and Financial Statements 2016
Governance

Directors’ report continued

REPORT ON THE AFFAIRS OF THE GROUP CONTINUED

Directors’ statement as to disclosure 
of information to auditor
The Directors who were members of the Board 
at the time of approving the Directors’ report 
are listed on page 29. 

Having made enquiries of fellow Directors, each 
of these Directors confirm that:

•  To the best of each Director’s knowledge 
and belief, there is no information relevant 
to the preparation of their report of which 
the Group’s auditor is unaware

•  Each Director has taken all the steps a 

Director might reasonably be expected to 
have taken to be aware of relevant audit 
information and to establish that the Group’s 
auditor is aware of that information.

This confirmation is given and should be 
interpreted in accordance with the provisions 
of section 418 of the Companies Act 2006.

Approval
The Director’s report was approved by the Board 
on 22 March 2017 and is signed on its behalf by:

Alex Bevis
Chief Financial Officer and Company Secretary

The Directors’ assessment of the Company’s 
viability has been made with reference to the 
strategic planning documented on pages 8 to 
13. The Company’s strategic plans are based 
on the four strategic pillars which underpin the 
Company’s vision for 2020. Strategic plans for 
the whole Company and each of the pillars are 
updated taking into consideration assumptions 
concerning existing and future products and 
technology, customer engagements, business 
relationships, partnership opportunities and 
the commercial, technological and macro-
economic risks. The strategic plan for the 
Company is approved by the Executive 
Committee who then track both current 
and forecast performance against this plan. 

The Company is aware that it operates in an 
uncertain environment and faces risks both 
internally and externally that could potentially 
impact on the Company’s ability to achieve its 
strategy. The principal risks and uncertainties 
faced by the Company are included on pages 
23 to 25. As part of the process of reviewing 
these risks, and other potential risks, the Board 
assigns responsibility for these to members of 
the Executive Committee. It is the responsibility 
of the Executive Committee members to 
manage the risk and the mitigating actions. This 
process is supplemented with strong internal 
controls and processes. This combination 
ensures that the Company manages the 
risks it face appropriately and that these 
are considered in all of the financial models.

Taking account of the Company’s current 
financial position, operating performance, 
and the principal risks and uncertainties, 
the Directors have assessed the prospects 
of the Company, and confirm that they have 
a reasonable expectation that the Company 
will be able to continue in operation and meet 
its liabilities as they fall due for the next four 
years, to December 2020.

Auditor
Deloitte LLP have expressed their willingness 
to continue in office as auditor and a resolution 
to reappoint them will be proposed at the 
forthcoming AGM.

39 
Xaar plc
Annual Report and Financial Statements 2016   

Governance

CORPORATE GOVERNANCE STATEMENT

The Company is committed to the 
principles of corporate governance 
contained in the 2014 UK Corporate 
Governance Code which was issued in 
2014 by the Financial Reporting Council 
(‘the Code’) for which the Board is 
accountable to shareholders. 

Statement of compliance with the Code 
Throughout the year ended 31 December 2016 
the Company has followed the provisions set 
out in the Code.

During 2016, the Company implemented 
provision B.1.2 of the Code relating to the 
composition of the Board. Following the 
appointment of Chris Morgan on 4 January 
2016 and Andrew Herbert on 1 June 2016, 
the Board is comprised of three executive roles 
and four non-executive roles, including the 
Chairman, thus now complying with provision 
B.1.2 of the Code. The previous weighting 
towards executive roles reflected the need for 
operational focus at the most senior level in the 
Company to achieve success in Xaar’s highly 
demanding end markets.

The Board confirms that the 2016 Annual 
Report and Financial Statements, taken as a 
whole, is fair, balanced and understandable, 
and provides the information necessary for 
shareholders to assess the performance, 
strategy, and business model of the Company, 
in accordance with C.1.1 of the Code.

Statement about applying the principles  
of the Code
The Company has applied the principles  
of the Code, including both the Main Principles 
and the supporting principles, by complying 
with the Code as reported above. Further 
explanation of how the Main Principles  
have been applied is set out below and,  
in connection with Directors’ remuneration,  
in the Directors’ Remuneration report. 

Board of Directors
Following the appointment of Chris Morgan on 
4 January 2016 and Andrew Herbert on 1 June 
2016, the Board of Directors comprises the 
Chairman, three Executive Directors and three 
Non-Executive Directors. Brief biographical 
details of all members of the Board are set 
out on pages 30 and 31. 

The Board considers Margaret Rice-Jones, 
Chris Morgan and Andrew Herbert to be 
independent within the meaning of the 
Code, in compliance with Code provision 
B.1.1. To be considered as independent each 
Non-Executive Director is sufficiently separate 
to management and free from any business 
or other relationships which could affect their 
judgement, impartiality or objectivity.

The Board is responsible for the formulation 
of strategy; the monitoring of financial and 
non-financial performance and the approval of 
major transactions; financial statements; other 
formal communications with shareholders; and 
operating and capital expenditure budgets. 
Comprehensive Board papers, dealing with 
all aspects of the business, are distributed by 
the Company Secretary typically one week in 
advance of each Board meeting. The Board 
met nine times during 2016.

The Non-Executive Directors attend the Board 
meetings, and form the Audit, Remuneration 
and Nomination Committees. They are 
responsible for scrutinising the performance 
of management and determining appropriate 
levels of remuneration of Executive Directors, 
and have a key role in appointing and, where 
required, removing Executive Directors.

There exists a clear division of responsibilities 
between the Chairman and the Chief Executive. 
The Chairman’s primary role includes ensuring 
that the Board functions properly, that it meets 
its obligations and responsibilities, and that its 
organisation and mechanisms are in place and 
are working effectively. The Chief Executive’s 
primary role is to provide overall leadership 
and vision in developing, with the Board, the 
strategic direction of the Company. Additionally, 
the Chief Executive is responsible for the 
management of the overall business to ensure 
that strategic and business plans are effectively 
implemented, the results are monitored and 
reported to the Board, and financial and 
operational objectives are attained. 

The Board delegates management of the 
business to the Executive Committee, 
headed by the Chief Executive Officer. The 
Executive Committee meets weekly and is 
responsible for implementing Group strategy, 
monitoring business performance, preparing 
the operating and capital expenditure budgets 
for recommendation to the Board, and ensuring 
efficient management of the Group.

The committee has formally identified the 
COO as Director responsible for health and 
safety and the CFO Director responsible for 
risk assessment.

STRATEGIC REPORTGOVERNANCEFINANCIAL STATEMENTS40 
Xaar plc Annual Report and Financial Statements 2016
Governance

Governance continued

CORPORATE GOVERNANCE STATEMENT CONTINUED

Summary of Board meeting attendance in 2016
Nine Board meetings were held in 2016.

Name

Phil Lawler 
Robin Williams
Margaret Rice-Jones
Doug Edwards
Alex Bevis
Ted Wiggans
Jim Brault
Chris Morgan
Andrew Herbert

Figures in brackets denote the maximum number of meetings that could have been attended. 

Board committees
Summary of committee membership:

Name

Robin Williams 
Margaret Rice-Jones
Chris Morgan
Andrew Herbert
Doug Edwards

Summary of committee meeting attendance in 2016:

Name

Number of meetings held
Phil Lawler
Robin Williams
Margaret Rice-Jones
Chris Morgan
Andrew Herbert
Doug Edwards

Meetings attended

6 (6)
9 (9)
9 (9)
9 (9)
9 (9)
9 (9)
 2 (2)
8 (9)
6 (6)

Audit 
Committee

Remuneration 
Committee

Yes
Yes
Yes
Chairman
No

Yes
Chairman
Yes
Yes
No

Nomination 
Committee

Chairman 
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes

Audit 
Committee

Remuneration 
Committee

Nomination 
Committee

4
3 (3)
4 (4)
4 (4)
4 (4)
1 (1)
N/A

8
5 (6)
8 (8)
8 (8)
8 (8)
4 (4)
N/A

6
4 (4)
6 (6)
6 (6)
5 (6)
3 (3)
6 (6)

Figures in brackets denote the maximum number of meetings that could have been attended. 

Conflicts of interest
Following the changes made to the Company’s Articles of Association to incorporate the provisions of section 175 of the Companies Act 2006 which 
gave Boards the statutory power to authorise conflicts of interest, any potential conflict of interest is approved by the Board in advance of any action 
or appointment that could result in a conflict of interest arising. Each member of the Board is familiar with the procedure to follow in relation to 
conflicts of interest and the process is operated efficiently.

41 
Xaar plc
Annual Report and Financial Statements 2016   

Performance evaluation
The Board’s policy for individual Executive 
Director performance review is for a formal 
and rigorous appraisal process based on 
performance by the individual Director against 
specific targets. Individual Director performance 
is reviewed at least annually. The Senior 
Independent Director, in consultation with 
the other Non-Executive Directors and taking 
into account the views of the other Directors, 
appraises the performance of the Chairman. 
The Executive Directors, in consultation 
with the Chairman, appraise the performance 
of the Non-Executive Directors.

When new Directors are appointed, they 
receive a complete and specifically bespoke 
induction and training, aimed at introducing and 
familiarising them to the management team, 
the Group’s activities and processes, and to 
give them the knowledge required to effectively 
execute their role.

The Board reviewed both its own performance 
and the performance of the Board committees 
once during the year through a questionnaire 
issued to all members of the Board. The results 
were reviewed by the Board as a whole and it 
was concluded that individual Board members 
are satisfied that the Board works well and 
operates effectively in an environment where 
there is constructive challenge from the Non-
Executive Directors. They are also satisfied 
with the contribution made by their colleagues 
and that Board committees operate properly 
and effectively. It is the Board’s intention to 
review its own performance, and that of its 
committees, at least once a year.

Group structure
The Group has three main locations. The head 
office functions, R&D, EMEA sales, marketing, 
human resources and enterprise solutions are 
based in Cambridge, UK. The Group also has 
two manufacturing facilities: one in Huntingdon, 
UK, and the other in Vermont, USA. The 
Swedish manufacturing facility closed during 
2016. The Group also has representatives in 
other global locations including India, Hong 
Kong and the USA.

Refer to page 6 for the Xaar business model.

Dialogue with institutional shareholders
The Directors seek to build on a mutual 
understanding of objectives between the Group 
and its institutional shareholders by meeting 
at least twice per year, following interim and 
annual results, to provide an update on trading 
and obtain feedback. Additionally, the Group 
has hosted institutional investors at Cambridge 
and its Huntingdon facility during the year.

The Group’s financial public relations advisors 
and lead brokers give all investors and potential 
investors who have met with the Group’s 
investor relations team, the opportunity to 
provide feedback on the meetings. Additionally, 
the Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial 
Officer provide feedback to the Board at 
the meeting following shareholder meetings 
to ensure that the Board, and in particular 
the Non-Executive Directors, possess an 
understanding of the views of the Company’s 
major shareholders. Both the Chairman and 
the Senior Independent Director are available 
to meet with shareholders as required.

Shareholders can access up-to-date Company 
information from the Investor Relations section 
of the Xaar website at www.xaar.com.

Constructive use of the Annual  
General Meeting
The Board uses the AGM to communicate with 
investors and to encourage their participation. 

Risk management and internal control 
The Group’s policies relating to risk 
management and internal control can be 
found in the ‘Risk management’ section 
of the Strategic Report on pages 23 to 25.

Whistle-blowing, and anti-bribery and 
corruption policies
The Company conducts its business with the 
highest standards of integrity and honesty at all 
times and expects its employees to maintain 
the same standards in everything they do. 
Employees are therefore required to report 
any wrongdoing by Xaar or its members of 
staff that falls short of these principles. The 
whistle-blowing, and anti-bribery and corruption 
policies are available and communicated to all 
employees via the Company intranet, and all 
employees confirm in writing that they have 
read and comply with the whistle-blowing and 
anti-bribery and corruption policies. All reported 
incidences of actual or suspected bribery or 
corruption will be promptly and thoroughly 
investigated and dealt with appropriately. The 
purpose of the anti-bribery and corruption 
policy is to protect Xaar and its employees from 
breaches of anti-bribery and corruption laws. 
Xaar does not tolerate any employee or third 
party being involved in any level of bribery or 
corruption. Xaar is committed to complying 
with applicable anti-bribery and corruption laws 
in all countries in which it conducts business.

Approval
The Corporate governance statement was 
approved by the Board on 22 March 2017 
and is signed on its behalf by:

Alex Bevis
Chief Financial Officer and Company Secretary

STRATEGIC REPORTGOVERNANCEFINANCIAL STATEMENTS42 
Xaar plc Annual Report and Financial Statements 2016
Governance

Governance continued

CORPORATE GOVERNANCE STATEMENT CONTINUED

Andrew Herbert 
Chairman of the Audit Committee

Audit Committee 

Governance
The Audit Committee is appointed by the 
Board from the Non-Executive Directors of 
the Company. The Chairman of the committee, 
Andrew Herbert, is deemed by the Board to 
have recent and relevant financial experience 
as he is a qualified Chartered Accountant.

The Audit Committee’s terms of reference 
include all matters indicated by Disclosure and 
Transparency Rule 7.1 and the UK Corporate 
Governance Code. The written terms of 
reference of the committee are available 
on request from the Company Secretary. 

Please see the tables on page 40 for details 
of the Audit Committee members in the year 
and the number of Audit Committee meetings 
attended. The committee meetings are also 
attended, by invitation, by the Group Chief 
Executive Officer, the Chief Financial Officer 
and other senior financial management as 
appropriate, as well as by the external auditor 
for specific parts of the meeting.

Responsibilities
The Audit Committee’s primary 
responsibilities are:

•  To monitor the integrity of the financial 

statements and announcements and review 
significant financial reporting judgements 
contained therein, as well as financial and 
accounting policies and practices

•  To keep under review the adequacy and 

effectiveness of internal controls 

•  To review procedures, systems and controls 
for whistle blowing, fraud detection and 
bribery prevention

•  To review, approve and monitor internal 

audit activities

•  To monitor and review the Group’s external 
auditor’s independence, objectivity and 
effectiveness

•  To make recommendations to the Board 

on the appointment, remuneration and terms 
of engagement of the external auditor.

The Audit Committee is not responsible for the 
identification of key risks or the review of the 
adequacy of arrangements to mitigate those 
risks, which remains the responsibility of the 
main Board. 

The Audit Committee is required to report 
its findings to the Board at least annually, 
identifying any matters on which it considers 
that action or improvement is needed, to make 
recommendations on the steps to be taken, 
and to ensure that the required actions are 
taken.

Significant issues
The Audit Committee has a set agenda for 
each of its regular meetings, which is then 
augmented by specific matters concerning the 
Company and in assessing the appropriateness 
of the financial statements. Key areas of focus 
during the year included:

Royalty audits
The results of completed and ongoing royalty 
audits were monitored and discussed by the 
Audit Committee. Additional actions relating  
on-going and future royalty audits were agreed.

Process and system audits 
The Group is bringing internal process reviews 
and systems audits (internal auditing) in-
house and the committee reviewed potential 
issues and new procedures and policies to 
be updated, as part of this resource switch. 
Planned procedures to be undertaken going 
forward in 2017 were proposed and agreed 
by the Audit Committee.

Tax areas
The Audit Committee considered the tax related 
affairs of the Group together with projects that 
impact the Group, including capital allowances, 
patent box, R&D expenditure credit and 
developments in relation to Transfer Pricing 
and BEPS Action Point of the OECD. Updates 
and progress in these areas were discussed 
by the Audit Committee. The requirements of 
each area were reviewed, planned and actions 
agreed and taken.

Significant issues considered
Significant issues that have been considered 
by the Audit Committee include revenue 
recognition, provisions, inventory valuation, 
finalising the restructure and closure of 
the Swedish facility and capitalisation of 
development costs and the acquisition and 
integration of EPS into the Group, during the 
year. These are also areas of focus for the 
external auditor, who report on these matters 
to the Audit Committee.

43 
Xaar plc
Annual Report and Financial Statements 2016   

External auditor
Deloitte LLP have been the Company’s 
auditor since 2009 and there has been no 
tender held for audit services during that 
time. The committee considers that the 
auditor’s knowledge of the Group’s business 
and systems gained through experience has 
contributed to the effectiveness of the audit 
process. The committee intends the Company 
to continue to comply fully with the FRC Audit 
Committees Guidance regarding the frequency 
of audit tender. Under the standard rotation 
process, a new audit engagement partner 
was appointed from 2014.

The Audit Committee has noted that there 
are no contractual obligations to restrict the 
choice of external auditor and has considered 
the likelihood of a withdrawal of the auditor 
from the market. The committee meets with 
the Company’s auditor at least twice a year. 
The Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial 
Officer, and other relevant managers as 
required, attend by invitation, except for a period 
of each meeting where the committee members 
may meet with the auditor without any member 
of the Group management present. 

The committee is required to assess the 
qualifications, expertise, resources, and 
independence of the external auditor, and 
the objectivity and effectiveness of the audit 
process. The committee reviews the type 
of work, effectiveness of, and level of fees 
charged by the auditor on an annual basis and 
recommends to the Board the appointment, 
reappointment, term, remuneration, and terms 
of engagement of the external auditor. Auditor 
objectivity and independence is safeguarded 
by the committee monitoring fees paid to the 
auditor in respect of both audit and non-
audit work, and approving all additional work 
performed by the external auditor. Non-audit 
services include remuneration services, tax  
and audit advisory.

Note 7 to the consolidated financial  
statements includes disclosures of the auditor’s 
remuneration for the year, including an analysis 
of audit services, audit related services, and 
other non-audit services under those headings 
prescribed by law. The committee monitors the 
level of non-audit fees in relation to the audit fee 
for its bearing on external auditor independence.

The independence and objectivity of the auditor 
is regularly considered by the committee taking 
into consideration relevant UK professional 
and regulatory requirements. The committee 
receives an annual statement from the auditor 
detailing their independence policies and 
safeguards and confirming their independence, 
taking into account relevant ethical guidance 
regarding the provision of non-audit services 
by the external auditor. Under the standard 
rotation process, a new audit engagement 
partner was appointed from 2014.

The committee considers the effectiveness of 
the external audit and the Group’s relationship 
with the external auditor, Deloitte LLP, on an 
on-going basis, and have conducted a review 
of the effectiveness of the annual audit. This 
review consisted of considering a number of 
key points together with the senior financial 
management of the Group, without the external 
auditor present, and then discussing the 
evaluation with the auditor. The committee was 
able to conclude, on the basis of this exercise 
and its experience over the year, that the 
external audit process remained effective. 

A further review will be carried out following the 
completion of audit procedures on all Group 
companies and reported on in next year’s 
Annual Report.

Andrew Herbert 
Chairman of the Audit Committee

Key activities
As a result of its work during the year, the 
Audit Committee has concluded that it 
has acted in accordance with its terms 
of reference, which were last updated in 
2013. New terms of reference for the Audit 
Committee were adopted on 16 March 
2017. The Chairman of the Audit Committee 
will be available at the AGM to answer any 
questions about the work of the committee. 
The Audit Committee has performed actions 
to discharge its responsibilities during 2016, 
and its effectiveness was reviewed as part of 
the overall annual Board effectiveness review. 
The committee has carried out the activities 
described as follows:

Financial statements and reports
•  Reviewed the Annual Report and financial 

statements, the half-yearly financial report and 
as part of this review the Audit Committee 
received a report from the external auditor 
on their audit and review performed

•  Reviewed the effectiveness of the Group’s 
internal controls and disclosures made in 
the Annual Report and financial statements.

Internal controls and compliance
•  Reviewed fraud detection and the systems 
and controls for the prevention of bribery.

Internal audit
•  Agreed a schedule of the internally and 

externally resourced internal audit activities, 
and reviewed the results of internal audit 
activities performed

•  Reviewed the internal financial controls  

and risk management systems

•  Reviewed the results of system processes 

reviews completed in the year.

External audit
•  Reviewed and agreed the scope of the audit 
work to be undertaken by the auditor, and 
reviewed non-audit services provided and 
the level of this compared with the audit 
services provided

•  Agreed the fees to be paid to the external 

auditor relating to their services rendered for 
the annual audit and interim review
•  Reviewed audit work performed on 

significant risk areas, including those areas 
identified and discussed by the external 
auditor in their report, and ensured the 
independence and objectivity of the 
external auditor.

STRATEGIC REPORTGOVERNANCEFINANCIAL STATEMENTS44 
Xaar plc Annual Report and Financial Statements 2016
Governance

Governance continued

CORPORATE GOVERNANCE STATEMENT CONTINUED

Robin Williams
Chairman of the Nomination Committee

Nomination Committee 

Governance
The Nomination Committee is appointed by 
the Board from the Non-Executive Directors 
of the Company and the Chief Executive 
Officer. The Chairman of the committee is 
Robin Williams. The committee meets as 
required. The written terms of reference 
of the committee are available on request 
from the Company Secretary.

Responsibilities
The Nomination Committee’s primary 
responsibilities are:

•  Reviewing the size, structure, skills, 

knowledge and composition of the Board
•  Formulating plans for succession for both 
Executive and Non-Executive Directors
•  Making recommendations to the Board on 
the appointment of new Executive and Non-
Executive Directors and their reappointment 
following retirement by rotation.

Boardroom diversity
Recruitment of Board candidates is conducted, 
and appointments made, on merit and 
suitability against objective selection criteria 
with consideration of, amongst other things, 
the benefits of diversity on the Board, including 
gender. The Board has not set a diversity 
quota, however the Board encourages 
applications for roles being recruited from 
women subject to the selection criteria being 
met. Following the appointment of Lily Liu to 
the Board on 2 May 2017, the gender ratio 
will be 29% female versus 71% male. 

Key issues and activities
The process adopted by the committee to 
identify a candidate for a specific vacancy is, 
in the first instance, to determine whether any 
individuals known to the committee would be 
suitable for the role. If no candidates can be 
identified through this process then an external 
search consultancy will be approached. 

Shortlisted candidates are interviewed by 
members of the committee and other Executive 
and Non-Executive Directors as the committee 
deems appropriate. Once a suitable candidate 
has been identified, the Chairman of the 
committee will recommend to the Board 
that the Company make a formal offer of 
employment to the candidate. 

During the year, the Nominations Committee 
has been engaged in recruiting one new Non-
Executive Director to join the Board; Andrew 
Herbert joined the Board during the year on 
1 June 2016 and the appointment of Lily Liu 
as new CFO and Company Secretary to join 
the Board from 2 May 2017.

All Directors are required to submit themselves 
for reappointment every year at the AGM. 

Robin Williams 
Chairman of the Nomination Committee

Margaret Rice-Jones 
Chairman of the Remuneration Committee

45 
Xaar plc
Annual Report and Financial Statements 2016   

Remuneration Committee

Governance
The Remuneration Committee is appointed by 
the Board from the Non-Executive Directors of 
the Company. The Chairman of the committee 
is Margaret Rice-Jones. The Chief Executive 
Officer and Chief Human Resources Officer 
attend meetings by invitation, except when 
their own remuneration package is being 
discussed. The written terms of reference of 
the committee are available on request from 
the Company Secretary.

Responsibilities
The Remuneration Committee’s primary 
responsibilities are:

•  To make recommendations to the Board 

on the Group’s policy for executive 
remuneration, and review the on-going 
appropriateness and relevance of the policy

•  To review the design of all share incentive 
plans and oversee any major changes in 
employee benefit structures

•  To monitor the level and structure of 
remuneration for senior managers

•  To determine the individual remuneration 
packages on behalf of the Board for the 
Executive Directors of the Group.

Key issues and activities
The committee has access to professional 
advice, both inside and outside the Company, 
in the furtherance of its duties. The committee 
has received guidance on best practice for 
Directors’ remuneration from Deloitte LLP, 
Mercer Limited and Willis Towers Watson 
during the year, and has reviewed and 
approved executive remuneration, equity 
budgets, share incentive schemes and 
grants, and bonus schemes.

During 2016 the Remuneration Committee 
undertook an extensive review of the operation 
of the Remuneration Policy. The main principle 
applied by the Committee in its review was 
that rewards should be aligned with Company 
strategy, and that the incentive targets should 
be directly linked to the 2020 Vision laid out by 
CEO Doug Edwards. 

As a result of the review the committee, after 
consultation with shareholders, a new proposed 
policy is laid out in the Directors’ Remuneration 
report and will be subject to a binding vote at 
the AGM in May. The proposed changes will 
not affect the outstanding LTIP grants which are 
due to mature in 2017, 2018 and 2019. 

The Directors’ Remuneration report sets out 
in more detail the committee’s policies and 
practices on executive remuneration. 

Margaret Rice-Jones 
Chairman of the Remuneration Committee

STRATEGIC REPORTGOVERNANCEFINANCIAL STATEMENTS46 
Xaar plc Annual Report and Financial Statements 2016
Governance

Governance continued

DIRECTORS’ REMUNERATION REPORT

Existing LTIP Grants
The LTIP granted in 2013 did not vest in 2016 
and it is our current expectation that the LTIP 
granted in 2014 will also not vest in 2017. All 
terms of the 2015 and 2016 grants remain 
unchanged.

Leading remuneration decisions for 2017 
The policy is now due for renewal with a 
binding vote at the AGM in May 2017. The 
Remuneration Committee has undertaken 
a comprehensive and detailed review of 
the operation of the whole awards policy 
with support from our consultants. The 
Remuneration Committee Chairman has 
also consulted extensively with Xaar’s largest 
shareholders and key shareholder bodies.

Statement from the Chairman of the 
Remuneration Committee 

Dear Shareholder 
On behalf of the Board, I am pleased to 
present the 2016 Remuneration report. This 
covers our proposed new policy on pay, 
benefits and incentives for the Directors and 
the actual amounts earned for the year ended 
31 December 2016. 

The Committee’s goals are to support the 
drive to deliver the 2020 vision by:

•  Attracting and retaining management 

of the highest calibre

•  Providing incentives that reward near and 
longer term achievement that are clearly 
linked to performance

•  Offering competitive packages comparable 
to those offered by companies similar to 
Xaar in terms of size and complexity
•  Being considerate to the climate for pay 
restraint, with awards biased towards 
delivery of sustainable long term growth

•  Taking into account the views of our 

shareholders.

Remuneration for 2016 
For the 2015 Annual Report we recognised 
that a significant shortfall existed in certain 
Executive and Non-Executive Director base 
salaries compared to companies of a similar 
size and complexity. We further described 
various revisions to the LTIP, in light of concerns 
that these are not achieving the policy goals 
listed above. At the same time we sought to 
simplify arrangements by removing the bonus 
matching shares. An underpin provision 
was introduced for the 2016 LTIP grants. 
The salaries of the CFO and NED’s were 
adjusted as the first part of a two-step move 
to address the aforementioned shortfalls.

These moves also recognised the growing 
importance of the US market along with growth 
in emerging and highly innovative market areas 
such as 3D printing and Direct-to-Shape. 
Acquisitions and other investments in these 
areas reinforced the need for strong leadership 
with global experience.

Annual Bonus payments 
The bonus payments outlined on page 49 
reflect both the delivery against Company 
targets and the performance of each Director 
against their specific individual objectives. 
The profit measure used for the determination 
of Company performance is adjusted profit 
before tax excluding any impact of IAS 38 
(capitalisation/amortisation of development 
costs). Adjusted profit before tax excluding 
IAS 38 of £9.3 million in 2016 was above 
the minimum threshold of £9.05 million at 
which level payments against financial targets 
were triggered for Executive Directors. The 
Company performance component provided 
a payment 25% against the on-target bonus 
opportunity for each individual as a result of 
the on-target bonus being set at £12.8 million. 
The Committee undertook a rigorous review of 
the achievement against financial and individual 
objectives to ensure the level of bonus payment 
was appropriate and fair given the overall 
performance of the business. The highest 
bonus payment was made to Doug Edwards, 
being 12.5% of salary (25% of target bonus) 
at 31 December 2016. This was based on a 
personal performance multiplier of 1.0 reflecting 
strong progress in the development of the five 
year strategy for the Company, including our 
first acquisition of EPS in July, and the launch 
of new products, such as the Xaar 5601, to 
support future growth.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
47 
Xaar plc
Annual Report and Financial Statements 2016   

Summary of proposed remuneration changes

Element

Base Salary

Base Salary

Annual Bonus

Annual Bonus 
Performance 
Measures

Annual Bonus 
Maximum

Current
arrangements

Proposed
arrangements

Rationale

•  CEO £315,000.
•  CFO £194,350. 

•  COO £230,000.

•  Increase CEO to £345,000 on 1 July 2017
•  Newly appointed CFO to £230,000 
•  No change considered until 2018
•  No change to COO in 2017.

Salary levels below 
median.

Maintains salary levels below median 
benchmark.

Continue re-alignment of salaries as described 
in 2015 annual report to take into account 
continued performance of the business and 
the individual along with increased experience 
and heightened complexity of role reflecting 
increasing business and geographic diversity.

Single metric of 
adjusted profit before 
tax (excl. IAS 38).

Two metrics of adjusted profit before tax  
(excl. IAS 38) (60%) and revenue (40%).

To increase the focus on additional financial 
measures that align with the transformation 
strategy.

Maximum of 133%  
of salary.

Reduction to maximum of 125% of salary  
for CEO, and 100% for CFO and COO. 

Simplifies the current plan and biases 
remuneration towards the LTIP scheme  
and delivery of long term vision.

60% – three year cumulative EPS; 40% 
– revenue growth (2019 versus 2016).

Direct linkage to Company performance  
and delivery of the 2020 vision.

Long-Term Incentive Plan (‘LTIP’)

LTIP Performance 
Conditions

67% – three year 
cumulative EPS and 
33% – three year 
TSR against FTSE 
TechMARK All 
Share Index.

TSR outperformance 
multiplier

Not used.

Supplemented by a TSR outperformance 
multiplier – see below.

Multiplier determined by comparison to 
the FTSE Small Cap index. For the CEO a 
performance multiplier of between 116.7% 
(for upper quartile performance) and 200% 
(for upper decile performance) applies. For 
the CFO and COO the multipliers are 116.7% 
and 150%. Straight line vesting between 
these thresholds.

Annual LTIP
Grant value

Up to 175%  
of salary.

300% of salary for the CEO and 150% 
for the CFO and COO, including the 
TSR outperformance multiplier.

Vesting

At minimum threshold 
performance, vesting 
is 25%. Vesting is 
then straight line 
up to maximum.

Excluding the outperformance multiplier, at 
minimum threshold performance, vesting 
is 25%. Vesting is then straight line up to 
maximum.

Ensures that Xaar must outperform the  
FTSE Small Cap index to achieve maximum 
vesting; the additional gains can only be 
earned for significant outperformance of  
the index and delivery of superior returns  
to shareholders. 

The increase in the maximum opportunity for 
the CEO reflects the challenge and complexity 
of Xaar’s transformational strategic vision. 
This will only be achieved through outstanding 
Company performance against revenue and 
profit targets and outperformance against the 
FTSE small cap index.

No change, excluding the impact of the  
TSR outperformance multiplier.

STRATEGIC REPORTGOVERNANCEFINANCIAL STATEMENTS48 
Xaar plc Annual Report and Financial Statements 2016
Governance

Governance continued

DIRECTORS’ REMUNERATION REPORT CONTINUED

Element

Current
arrangements

Proposed
arrangements

Long-Term Incentive Plan (‘LTIP’) continued

Rationale

EPS Targets – three 
year cumulative 
adjusted basic EPS 
(excluding IAS 38).

Revenue growth 
targets.

Maximum – 56 pence.
Threshold – 38 pence.

Maximum – 61 pence.
Threshold – 39 pence.

Not used.

Achievement of revenue growth over three years:

•  Maximum – £180 million in 2019  
(23% equivalent annual growth)
•  Threshold – £128 million in 2019  
(10% equivalent annual growth).

Maximum target is set by achievement of very 
significant improvement and a trend that would 
deliver the 2020 vision. 

Minimum target is set by achievement of clear 
progress and growth over the 2016 results.

Maximum target represents achievement  
of a 23% annual growth rate over 2016,  
a track to deliver £220 million in 2020.

Minimum target represents achievement  
of a 10% annual growth rate over 2016,  
a significant transformation from the  
2014-16 period.

Annual LTIP
Vesting/hold period. 

3 years with no further 
holding period.

Vesting after three years with 33% released 
immediately, 33% held until the end of four 
years and 33% held until the end of five years. 

Introduction of post vest holding period to align 
with best practice and transformation timeline.

Share Ownership Requirements

Share Ownership 
Requirements.

100% of base salary 
over five years.

Move to 200% of base salary.

To drive long-term shareholder alignment.

Margaret Rice-Jones
Chairman of the Remuneration Committee

22 March 2017

49 
Xaar plc
Annual Report and Financial Statements 2016   

Annual report on remuneration
This part of the report sets out the actual payments made by the Company to its Directors with respect to the year ended 31 December 2016.

The Remuneration Committee’s policy is to attract and retain individuals of the highest calibre by offering remuneration competitive with comparable 
publicly listed companies, and to drive Company performance by providing arrangements which fairly and responsibly reward individuals for their 
contribution to the success of the Group. Performance related bonuses and equity-based remuneration represent a substantial proportion of 
Executive Directors’ potential remuneration.

Single figure table
The aggregate remuneration provided to Directors who have served as Directors in the year ended 31 December 2016 is set out below, along with 
the aggregate remuneration provided to such Directors for the financial year ended 31 December 2015.

Director

Year ended 31 December 2016
Executive
Doug Edwards
Jim Brault
Alex Bevis
Ted Wiggans
Non-Executive
Phil Lawler (Chairman)1
Margaret Rice-Jones
Chris Morgan
Andrew Herbert2
Robin Williams (Chairman)1

Year ended 31 December 2015
Executive
Doug Edwards
Jim Brault
Alex Bevis
Ted Wiggans
Ian Dinwoodie
Richard Barham
Edmund Creutzmann
Non-Executive
Phil Lawler (Chairman)
Margaret Rice-Jones
David Cheesman
Robin Williams

Salary/fees(a)

£’000

Benefits(b)
£’000

Bonus(c)
£’000

Long term
incentives(d)

£’000

Pension(e)
£’000

Total 
remuneration
£’000

307
36
182
230

59
44
42
25
57

298
141
169
183
130
174
57

90
18
18
42

50
5
21
24

–
–
–
–
–

43
35
21
21
10
20
15

–
–
–
–

39
5
24
29

–
–
–
–
–

190
90
98
111
–
–
–

–
–
–
–

2
–
2
–

–
–
–
–
–

10
10
–
–
–
–
–

–
–
–
–

31
2
18
23

–
–
–
–
–

30
14
17
18
10
18
6

–
–
–
–

429
48
247
306

59
44
42
25
57

571
290
305
333
150
212
78

90
18
18
42

1  Phil Lawler stepped down from the Board on 30 September 2016, and Robin Williams was appointed Chairman.
2  Andrew Herbert joined the Board on 1 June 2016.
3  Jim Brault stepped down from the Board on 16 March 2016.

STRATEGIC REPORTGOVERNANCEFINANCIAL STATEMENTS 
 
 
 
 
 
50 
Xaar plc Annual Report and Financial Statements 2016
Governance

Governance continued

DIRECTORS’ REMUNERATION REPORT CONTINUED

The figures in the single figure table on the left are derived from the following:

(a) Salary/fees

(b) Benefits

(c) Bonus

(d) Long Term Incentives 

The amount of base salary/fees received in the year.

This is the taxable value of benefits and the flexible benefits allowance received in the year. 
This includes any relocation allowance claimed in 2016.

The value of the bonus earned in respect of the year, including any part of the bonus invested 
into bonus investment shares for a period of three years. Performance against the targets 
which applied for the financial year is provided on page 47. 

The value of performance related incentives vesting in respect of the financial year (including 
any Matching Share Awards granted under the LTIP) and the value of SAYE options and 
Matching Shares under the HMRC approved Share Incentive Plan (SIP) granted based on the 
fair value of the options/shares at grant.

The performance condition for the Performance Share Awards and Matching Share Awards 
granted under the LTIP on 2 April 2014 was EPS growth against RPI over the three-year 
performance period ending 31 December 2016.

For the year ended 31 December 2016, the Company’s EPS declined over the three year 
performance period commencing 1 January 2014 and ending 31 December 2016, and 
therefore none of the Performance Share Awards and Matching Share Awards in respect 
of the year ending 31 December 2016 will vest. 

For the year ended 31 December 2015 comparative figures, none of the Performance Share 
Awards and Matching Share Awards in respect of the year ending 31 December 2015 vested.

Also included in the long term incentives figure are:

SAYE options granted in the year, valued at the accounting value on date of grant. 

(e) Pension

The value of the employer contribution to the defined contribution pension plan (or the value 
of a salary supplement paid in lieu of a contribution to this pension plan).

Individual elements of remuneration
Base salary and fees
Base salaries for Executive Directors were reviewed by the Remuneration Committee prior to the beginning of each year and when an individual 
changes position or responsibility. From 2016, the annual review was effective from 1 July. In deciding appropriate levels, the Remuneration 
Committee considers the role, responsibility, and experience of the individual, corporate and individual performance, market conditions, and 
the range of salary increases awarded across the Group.

The remuneration policy for the Non-Executive Directors is reviewed periodically. 

Benefits
Benefits principally comprise a car allowance, private medical insurance and basic levels of other insurances (such as Income protection cover).  
In addition, Executive Directors are provided with an allowance of 5% of base salary which they can apply to a range of benefits such as life 
insurance, critical illness insurance etc.

51 
Xaar plc
Annual Report and Financial Statements 2016   

Pension 
The Company operates a self-administered, defined contribution, HMRC approved pension scheme. All current Executive Directors participate  
in this scheme. In appropriate circumstances, Executive Directors may take a salary supplement instead of contributions into a pension plan.  
This salary supplement does not form part of salary for the purposes of calculating any other entitlement under the policy. Non-Executive Directors 
do not receive pension contributions.

Annual bonus
For the year ended 31 December 2016 the annual bonus was based on performance against a Group profit target, which was achieved for 2016.
Group profit is defined as Group adjusted profit before tax excluding any impact of IAS 38 capitalisation of development costs, which for 2016  
was £9.3 million.

Executive Director

Doug Edwards
Alex Bevis
Ted Wiggans

Salary (at 31 
December 2016)

Achievement against 
profit target

Achievement against 
performance target 
(range 0-1.33)

Resulting bonus 
as a % of salary

Resulting bonus

£315,000
£194,350
£230,000

25%
25%
25%

1.0
1.0
1.0

12.5%
12.5%
12.5%

£39,375
£24,294
£28,750

The Board considers the Group profit target to be a matter that is commercially sensitive. The Board believes that the advance disclosure of this 
commercially sensitive information could negatively impact the Company’s competitive position by providing our competitors with insight into 
our business plans, expectations and, in the case of individual performance, our strategic actions resulting in significant risk to future profitability 
and shareholder value. It will however disclose targets retrospectively. For 2016 adjusted profit before tax at £9.3 million was above the minimum 
threshold at which level payments against financial targets were triggered for Executive Directors of £9.05 million. The Company performance 
component provided a 12.5% payment against the maximum bonus opportunity for each individual as a result of the on target bonus being set 
at £12.8 million, and threshold performance being set at £9.05 million. The maximum bonus would of been achieved £16.55 million. Straight line 
vesting was applied between threshold and target and between target and maximum.

For 2016 the Remuneration Committee assessed the personal performance multiplier for each Director at 1.0. For the CEO this reflects strong 
progress in the development of the five year strategy for the Company, including our first acquisition and the launch of new products, such as the 
Xaar 5601, to support future growth. The CFO achieved two significant royalty audit resolutions and drove the completion of the acquisition of EPS. 
The COO led the R&D and manufacturing teams to achieve a significant number of new product launches including the Xaar 5601.

Executive Directors may choose to invest the bonus earned relating to 2016 in the HMRC approved Share Incentive Plan.

STRATEGIC REPORTGOVERNANCEFINANCIAL STATEMENTS 
 
52 
Xaar plc Annual Report and Financial Statements 2016
Governance

Governance continued

DIRECTORS’ REMUNERATION REPORT CONTINUED

Long term incentives awarded during the financial year
The table below outlines awards made under the LTIP to Executive Directors in 2016:

Award basis

Performance 
condition

Number of  

shares

Face value of  
the award  

£’000

Vesting at 
EPS threshold/
TSR Median

Performance
period

1 April 2016

Doug Edwards

25 August 2016 Doug Edwards

1 April 2016

Alex Bevis

25 August 2016 Alex Bevis

Performance 
Share plan 
Awards

1 April 2016

Ted Wiggans

1 April 2016

Doug Edwards

1 April 2016

Alex Bevis

Bonus 
Matching 
Share plan 
Awards 

EPS
TSR
EPS
TSR
EPS
TSR
EPS
TSR
EPS
TSR

EPS
TSR
EPS
TSR

41,026
20,513
31,706
15,853
23,111
11,556
13,041
6,521
31,453
15,726

7,663
3,831
11,367
5,683

200
100
158
79
113
56
65
32
153
77

38
19
56
28

25% of award

1 January 2016 to  
31 December 2018

25% of award 

1 January 2016 to 
31 December 2018 

Vesting date

1 April 2019
1 April 2019
25 August 2019
25 August 2019
1 April 2019
1 April 2019
25 August 2019
25 August 2019
1 April 2019
1 April 2019

1 April 2019
1 April 2019
1 April 2019
1 April 2019

The share prices used to calculate the face value of the Performance Share award was £4.875 for the 1 April 2016 and £4.9675 for the 25 August 
2016 award, being the mid-market prices on the days prior to award dates.

The share price used for the Bonus Matching award was £4.93, being the mid-market price on the days prior to award date.

The performance conditions for the LTIP and bonus matching awards are described in full on page 110.

 
 
 
53 
Xaar plc
Annual Report and Financial Statements 2016   

Shareholding guidelines and total shareholdings of Directors
With effect from 16 May 2017, the date of the AGM, the Remuneration Committee will introduce a shareholding guideline of 2x salary. Executive 
Directors will be expected to move towards the new guidelines as new grants vest. The extent to which each Executive Director has met the 
shareholding guideline is shown in the table below:

Shareholding
guidelines

Current
shareholdings
(% of salary)

Type

Owned
outright

Executive Directors
Doug Edwards

100% of salary

32,545 (42%)

Alex Bevis

100% of salary

57,700 (121%)

Ted Wiggans

100% of salary

70,749 (124%)

Shares 
LTIP options 
SAYE options
Matching SIP
Shares 
LTIP options 
SAYE options
Matching SIP
Shares 
LTIP options 
SAYE options
Matching SIP

32,545
–
–
–
57,700
–
–
–
70,749
–
–
–

Unvested

Subject to 
performance 
conditions

Not subject to 
performance 
conditions

Total as at  
31 December 
2016

–
193,897
–
–
–
140,070
–
–
–
121,050
–
–

–
–
4,316
368
–
–
5,325
858
–
–
5,325
490

32,545
193,897
4,316
368
57,700
200,487
5,325
858
70,749
121,050
5,325
490

Vested

–
–
–
–
–
60,417
–
–
–
–
–
–

Non-Executive Directors
Robin Williams (Chairman)
Margaret Rice-Jones

–
–

–
–

Shares
Shares

4,000
5,700

–
–

–
–

–
–

4,000
5,700

There have been no changes in the Directors’ holdings in the share capital of the Company, as set out in the table above, between 31 December 
2016 and 22 March 2017. 

STRATEGIC REPORTGOVERNANCEFINANCIAL STATEMENTS54 
Xaar plc Annual Report and Financial Statements 2016
Governance

Governance continued

DIRECTORS’ REMUNERATION REPORT CONTINUED

Outstanding Directors’ share awards
The awards held by Executive Directors of the Company under the LTIP are shown below:

LTIP
The outstanding awards granted to each Executive Director of the Company under the Xaar plc 2007 LTIP are as follows. All options under the LTIP 
are nil-cost options such that no exercise price is payable. The performance conditions for these LTIP awards are described in full in note 32.

Name

Doug Edwards

 Alex Bevis

Ted Wiggans

Jim Brault

As at 
1 January 
2016

73,305
–
–
–

Granted  
during 
the year

–
61,539
11,494*
47,559

73,305

120,592

60,417
35,529
15,641*
18,798
8,698*
41,295
–
–
–

–
–
–
–
–
–
34,667
17,050*
19,562

180,378

71,279

38,118
3,773*
20,355
8,800*
44,716
–

–
–
–
–
–
47,179

115,762

47,179

41,295

41,295

–

–

*  LTIPs granted as part of the bonus matching scheme.

Exercised 
during the 
year

Lapsed  
during  

the year

As at 
31 December 
2016

Share price  
at date  
of grant

Grant date

Earliest  
date of  

exercise

Expiry date

– 
–
–
–

– 

–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–

–

–
–
–
–
–
–

–

–

–

–
–
–
–

–

73,305
61,539
11,494*
47,559

2 April 2015
1 April 2016
11 May 2016
25 August 2016

193,897

–
(35,529)
(15,641)*

–
–
–
–
–
–

60,417
–
–
18,798
8,698*
41,295
34,667
17,050*
19,562

2 April 2012
2 April 2013
15 May 2013
2 April 2014
12 May 2014
2 April 2015
1 April 2016
11 May 2016
25 August 2016

(51,170)

200,487

£4.09
£4.875
£4.93

2 April 2025
1 April 2026
11 May 2026
£4.9675 25 August 2019 25 August 2026

2 April 2018
1 April 2019
11 May 2019

£2.36
£4.20
£6.14
£8.96
£7.52
£4.09
£4.875
£4.93

2 April 2022
2 April 2023
15 May 2023
2 April 2024
12 May 2024
2 April 2025
1 April 2026
11 May 2026
£4.9675 25 August 2019 25 August 2026

2 April 2015
2 April 2016
15 May 2016
2 April 2017
12 May 2017
2 April 2018
1 April 2019
11 May 2019

(38,118)
(3,773)*

–
–
–
–

–
–
20,355
8,800*
44,716
47,179

2 April 2013
15 May 2013
2 April 2014
12 May 2014
2 April 2015
1 April 2016

£4.20
£6.14
£8.96
£7.52
£4.09
£4.875

2 April 2016
15 May 2016
2 April 2017
12 May 2017
2 April 2018
1 April 2019

2 April 2023
15 May 2023
2 April 2024
12 May 2024
2 April 2025
1 April 2026

(41,891)

121,050

41,295

2 April 2015

£4.09

2 April 2018

2 April 2025

–

–

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
55 
Xaar plc
Annual Report and Financial Statements 2016   

All employee share plans
The Executive Directors may participate in the Company’s all employee share plans, the Xaar plc 2007 SAYE Scheme (SAYE Scheme) and the  
Xaar SIP, on the same basis as other employees. 

The SAYE Scheme provides an opportunity to save a set monthly amount (up to £500) over three years towards the exercise of a discounted share 
option, which is granted at the start of the three years. 

The SIP provides an opportunity for employees to buy shares from their pre-tax remuneration up to the limit permitted by the relevant tax legislation 
(currently £1,800 per year) and are awarded additional shares for free on a matching basis; the Company currently operates the plan on the basis  
of a 1:1 match but may award Matching Shares up to the maximum ratio permitted by the relevant tax legislation (currently a 2:1 ratio). 

Options and awards under these plans are not subject to performance conditions.

The outstanding awards granted to each Executive Director under the SAYE Scheme are as follows:

Name

Doug Edwards
Alex Bevis
Ted Wiggans

As at  
1 January  

2016

4,316
5,325
5,325

Granted  
during  

the year

Exercised  
during  

the year

As at  
31 December  

2016

Grant date

Exercise  
price

Earliest  
date of  

exercise

–
–
–

–
–
–

4,316 1 November 2015
5,325 1 November 2014
5,325 1 November 2014

£4.17 1 November 2018
£3.38 1 November 2017
£3.38 1 November 2017

The outstanding awards granted to each Executive Director under the SIP are as follows:

Name

Doug Edwards
Alex Bevis
Ted Wiggans

Expiry date

1 May 2019
1 May 2018
1 May 2018

Total number  
of matching  
shares as at  
31 December  

2016

368
858
490

Payments for loss of office made during the year
No payments for loss of office were made during the year.

CFO Transition
On 29 March 2017 Alex Bevis, CFO, will leave Xaar to pursue other opportunities. In recognition of Alex’s contribution to Xaar over the last six years, 
and in particular in supporting the results period and assuring a smooth transition to Lily Liu, the Remuneration Committee exercised their discretion 
to allow unvested LTIPs to be retained after a pro-rating adjustment. All other conditions including vesting date and performance conditions remain 
unchanged. No bonus will be paid for 2017.

On 2 May Lily Liu joins Xaar as new CFO. Her remuneration arrangements are detailed on page 58. In addition, Lily will receive a grant of LTIPs 
equating in value to £120,000 as a ‘buy out grant’ upon joining as detailed in our Approach to recruitment remuneration on page 66. These will vest 
over a two year period.

STRATEGIC REPORTGOVERNANCEFINANCIAL STATEMENTS 
 
56 
Xaar plc Annual Report and Financial Statements 2016
Governance

Governance continued

DIRECTORS’ REMUNERATION REPORT CONTINUED

Performance graph and table
The graph on this page shows the Company’s performance measured by total shareholder return (TSR), compared with the performance of the FTSE 
TechMARK All Share Index, which the Remuneration Committee considers to be the most appropriate index for comparison because they illustrate 
the Company’s TSR performance against a broad equity market index of similar UK companies. 

Total shareholder return 
£ 

3,000 

2,500 

2,000 

1,500 

1,000 

500 

0 

31-Dec-08 

31-Dec-09 

31-Dec-10 

31-Dec-11 

31-Dec-12 

31-Dec-13 

31-Dec-14

31-Dec-15

31-Dec-16

Xaar 

FTSE TechMARK All Share 

FTSE Small Cap 

Source: Datastream (Thomson Reuters) 

This graph shows the value, by 31 December 2016, of £100 invested in Xaar plc on 31 December 2008 compared with the value of £100 invested 
in the FTSE TechMARK All Share Index. 

The table below shows details of the total remuneration, annual bonus (as a percentage of maximum opportunity) and LTIP vesting percentage 
for the CEO over the last eight financial years.

Year ended 31 December 2016
Year ended 31 December 2015 
Year ended 31 December 2014
Year ended 31 December 2013
Year ended 31 December 2012
Year ended 31 December 2011
Year ended 31 December 2010 
Year ended 31 December 2009

Total  

remuneration

Annual bonus  
as a %  
of maximum 
opportunity

LTIP as a % 
of maximum 
opportunity

438
571
562
1,379
649
1,244
504 
229

12.5%
48% 
0%
83%
53%
100%
80% 
0%

0%
0%
100%
100%
100%
100%
32%
0%

 
 
 
 
57 
Xaar plc
Annual Report and Financial Statements 2016   

CEO pay increase in relation to all employees
The table below sets out in relation to salary and annual bonus the increase between the pay for the year ended 31 December 2015 and the pay for 
the year ended 31 December 2016 for CEO compared with the average increase/bonus award between the same periods for the wider workforce. 
For the purposes of the table below, the wider workforce has been defined as the UK employees of the Group. This comparator group was chosen 
because it is the most relevant sub-set of employees and can be used consistently.

Element of remuneration

Salary – % change
Annual bonus – absolute % of salary paid
Benefits – absolute % of salary paid

CEO

15%
12.5%
16%

Wider  
workforce  
average

5%
2.07%
9%

Spend on pay
The table below sets out the Group’s distributions to shareholders by way of dividends and total Group-wide expenditure on pay for all employees 
(including employer social security, pension contributions and share-based payments), as reported in the audited financial statements for the financial 
year ended 31 December 2016. 

Dividends paid to shareholders
Group-wide expenditure on pay for all employees

2016 
£’000

7,328
31,055

2015  
£’000

6,925
30,302

Change %

6
2

Implementation of Directors’ remuneration policy for the financial year commencing 1 January 2017
Information on how the Company intends to implement the policy for the financial year commencing 1 January 2017 is set out below.

We want our remuneration policy to support the transformation of Xaar to Lead the Digital Revolution and grow our revenue to £220 million by 2020.  
We will, therefore, be making some changes to our three year policy to drive the delivery of the vision, to retain the key executive talent required  
to deliver the transformation and to align executive and shareholder interests.

STRATEGIC REPORTGOVERNANCEFINANCIAL STATEMENTS 
 
 
 
 
58 
Xaar plc Annual Report and Financial Statements 2016
Governance

Governance continued

DIRECTORS’ REMUNERATION REPORT CONTINUED

Basic salary and fees
Our approach on base salary continues to be to provide a fixed remuneration component which reflects the increased experience and heightened 
complexity of the roles and the increasing business and geographic diversity. 

The Remuneration Committee considers it to be appropriate to increase base salary for the CEO to £345,000 effective 1 July 2017. There will be no 
change for the COO in 2017 as Ted Wiggan’s salary was increased appropriately in 2016. The newly appointed CFO will have a salary of £230,000 
with no further increase planned in 2017. 

The changes in 2017 will complete the moves and base salaries going forward will align with the increases for the rest of the Company.

The proposed base salary increases for the Executive Directors are shown below:

Year Ended 31 December 2016

Doug Edwards
Lily Liu – joining 2 May 2017
Ted Wiggans

Increase  

effective from

1 July 2017
–
–

2016

2017

% increase

£315,000
–
£230,000

£345,000
£230,000
£230,000

9.5%
–
0%

As communicated in the 2015 Annual Report, the plan to move the Non-Executive Directors’ fees towards the lower end of the market competitive 
range will be completed in 2017. The Remuneration Committee considers it to be appropriate to increase fees in 2017. The proposed fee increases 
for the Non-Executive Directors are shown below:

Year Ended 31 December 2016

Robin Williams
Margaret Rice-Jones
Andrew Herbert
Chris Morgan

Increase  

effective from

1 July 2017
1 July 2017
1 July 2017
1 July 2017

2016

2017

% increase

£97,000
£46,000
£45,000
£42,000

£102,000
£48,300
£47,250
£44,100

5%
5%
5%
5%

Annual bonus
In order to move the emphasis from the short term to the long term, there will be a reduction of the maximum opportunity for the CEO to 125% 
and for the CFO and COO to 100% of salary. We are removing the personal multiplier for Executive Directors. There will also be a change to the 
performance metrics of the bonus as we add the additional financial measure of revenue growth. This measure aligns with our 2020 vision.

The Board considers the Group profit target for 2017 to be a matter that is commercially sensitive and should therefore remain confidential to the 
Company. It provides our competitors with insight into our business plans, expectations and, in the case of individual performance, our strategic 
actions. However, the Remuneration Committee will disclose on a retrospective basis how the Company’s performance relates to any annual 
bonus payments made.

Long term incentives
The Remuneration Committee has conducted an extensive review and has, following shareholder consultation, designed a new LTIP plan which will 
be used from 2017.

The details of the new plan alongside the previous scheme were outlined in the table of proposed remuneration changes on page 47.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
59 
Xaar plc
Annual Report and Financial Statements 2016   

Consideration by the Directors of matters relating to Directors’ remuneration
Membership
The Company has established a Remuneration Committee which is constituted in accordance with the recommendations of the UK Corporate 
Governance Code. The terms of reference of the Remuneration Committee can be obtained by contacting the Company Secretary.

The Remuneration Committee is chaired by Margaret Rice-Jones. The other members during the year ended 31 December 2016 were Phil Lawler, 
Robin Williams, Andrew Herbert and Chris Morgan. All members of the Remuneration Committee are considered independent within the meaning  
of the UK Corporate Governance Code. 

The principal function of the Remuneration Committee is to determine, on behalf of the Board, the specific remuneration and other benefits  
of Executive Directors, including pension contributions, bonus arrangements, long term incentives and service contracts. The fees paid to the  
Non-Executive Directors are determined by the Chief Executive Officer and the Chairman. The fees paid to the Chairman are determined by  
the Chief Executive Officer and the Non-Executive Directors.

Additionally, the Remuneration Committee makes recommendations to the Board on the framework of Executive Director remuneration as well 
as principal Company-wide compensation programmes.

The members of the Remuneration Committee have no personal financial interest, other than as shareholders, in the matters to be decided,  
no actual or potential conflicts of interest arising from other directorships and no day to day operational responsibility within the Company.  
Executive Directors are entitled to accept appointments outside the Group providing that the Chairman’s permission is sought.

Advisors to the Remuneration Committee
The Remuneration Committee is assisted in its work by Xaar’s human resources department including the Chief Human Resources Officer.  
The Chief Executive Officer is consulted on the remuneration of those who report directly to him and also of other senior executives.  
No Executive Director or employee is present or takes part in discussions in respect of matters relating directly to their own remuneration. 

During the year, the Remuneration Committee was assisted in its work by the following external consultants:

Advisor

Details of appointment

Services provided by the advisor

Fees paid by the Company  
for advice to the Remuneration 
Committee and basis of charge

Other services provided  
to the Company in the year  
ended 31 December 2016

Willis Towers Watson

Appointed by the 
Remuneration Committee 
in 2016

Consulting advice  
regarding the new 3 year 
policy from 2017

£39,777

Deloitte

Appointed by the 
Remuneration Committee 
in 2015

Advice in relation to 
Directors’ remuneration  
for 2016 revisions

£9,991

External auditor

The Remuneration Committee took into account the Remuneration Consultants Group’s Code of Conduct when reviewing Deloitte’s role  
as external auditor. As Deloitte are external auditor to the Company, Deloitte’s advice to the Remuneration Committee is governed by certain 
guidelines and safeguards. 

The Remuneration Committee is satisfied that the remuneration advice provided by Willis Towers Watson is objective and independent.

STRATEGIC REPORTGOVERNANCEFINANCIAL STATEMENTS60 
Xaar plc Annual Report and Financial Statements 2016
Governance

Governance continued

DIRECTORS’ REMUNERATION REPORT CONTINUED

Shareholder voting
The Company remains committed to on-going shareholder dialogue and takes an active interest in voting outcomes. The following table sets out 
actual voting in respect of the resolution to approve the Directors’ Remuneration report for the year ended 31 December 2015

Number of votes

Resolution 12 – Directors’ Remuneration report for the year ended 31 December 2015

Resolution 13 – Directors’ Remuneration policy for the year ended 31 December 2015

Resolution 15 – Approve the proposed amendments to the 2007 LTIP plan rules

Against

Withheld

For (including 
discretion)

63,539,451
(98.53%)

945,772
(1.47%)

62,672,998
(97.72%)

1,459,892
(2.28%)

63,024,957
(97.74%)

1,459,266
(2.26%)

0 

352,333 

1,000 

Directors’ remuneration policy
This part of the report sets out the Company’s Directors’ remuneration policy, which, subject to shareholder approval at the 2017 AGM, shall take 
binding effect from 16 May 2017. The policy is determined by the Remuneration Committee.

The Directors’ remuneration policy is not audited.

Policy table for Executive Directors
The table below describes each of the elements of the remuneration package for the Executive Directors. This is the proposed policy to run until  
May 2020 and is subject to binding vote at the AGM.

Base Salary

Objective

Core element of fixed remuneration that provides the basis to recruit and retain talent necessary to deliver the business strategy.

Operation

Normally reviewed annually any increases generally apply from 1 January or 1 July (but may be reviewed more frequently  
if required).

When determining base salary levels, consideration is given to the following:

•  Role, responsibility and experience of the individual
•  Corporate and individual performance
•  Market conditions including typical pay levels for comparable roles in companies of a similar size and complexity
•  The range of salary increases awarded across the Group.

Opportunity

No maximum salary opportunity has been set out in this policy report to avoid setting expectations for Executive Directors  
and employees. 

The base salaries effective as at 1 July 2017, are shown on page 58. The Remuneration Committee resolved to move base 
salaries progressively to a level which is market competitive (in general, positioned below median) taking account of individual 
factors such as:

•  Increase in scope and responsibility
•  A new Executive Director being moved to market positioning over time
•  Alignment to market level.

Performance 
Measures

Not applicable.

 
61 
Xaar plc
Annual Report and Financial Statements 2016   

Benefits

Objective

Provide a market-competitive benefits package to recruit and retain Directors of the calibre required for the business.

Participation in the Company’s Share Incentive Plan (SIP) and Share Save Scheme (SAYE) encourages share ownership 
and alignment with the wider workforce.

Operation

Executive Directors receive base benefits including car allowance, private medical insurance, and basic levels of other 
insurances (such as critical illness cover).

All UK staff, including Executive Directors, are also provided with a benefit allowance which they can apply to a range of 
benefits, including pension contributions. In some circumstances, and subject to Remuneration Committee approval, the 
allowance may be paid in cash rather than utilised to purchase benefits.

The SIP and SAYE are HMRC approved share plans for all employees facilitating the acquisition of shares in the Company 
at a discount.

Other benefits may be provided based on individual circumstances, such as, but not limited to: housing or relocation 
allowances, travel allowance or other expatriate benefits.

Opportunity

Whilst the Remuneration Committee has not set an absolute maximum on the level of benefits Executive Directors receive, 
the value of benefits is set at a level which the Remuneration Committee considers to be appropriately positioned taking into 
account relevant market levels based on the nature and location of the role and individual circumstances.

The flexible benefits allowance is currently up to 5% of base salary. 

The Remuneration Committee has the authority to review and amend this rate as appropriate. Individuals have the choice 
to invest all or part of this amount in their pension scheme, in addition to the benefits outlined in the ‘Retirement benefits’ 
section of this table.

SAYE and SIP limits as permitted in accordance with the relevant tax legislation.

Performance 
Measures

Not applicable.

Retirement Benefits

Objective

Provide market competitive post-employment benefits to recruit and retain Directors of the calibre required for the business.

Operation

Executive Directors are eligible to participate in the defined contribution pension scheme (or such other pension plan as may 
be deemed appropriate).

In appropriate circumstances, Executive Directors may take a salary supplement instead of contributions into a pension plan.

Opportunity

10% of base salary for the Executive Directors.

The Remuneration Committee has the authority to review and amend this rate as appropriate.

Performance 
Measures

Not applicable.

STRATEGIC REPORTGOVERNANCEFINANCIAL STATEMENTS62 
Xaar plc Annual Report and Financial Statements 2016
Governance

Governance continued

DIRECTORS’ REMUNERATION REPORT CONTINUED

Annual Bonus

Objective

Operation

Rewards performance against annual targets which support the strategic direction of the Company. The majority of staff 
participate in the same scheme.

Targets are set annually and any pay-out is determined by the Remuneration Committee after the period-end, based 
on performance against those targets. The Remuneration Committee has discretion to vary the bonus pay-out should 
any formulaic output not produce a fair result for either the Executive Director or the Company, taking account of the 
Remuneration Committee’s assessment of overall business performance.

The annual bonus is delivered in cash. 

Additionally Directors may opt to invest in the Company SIP (refer to note 32 for details).

Opportunity

Overall maximum annual bonus 125% of salary for CEO and 100% for CFO and COO. This will normally subject to the 
following performance components:

Profit
The Company profit performance element represents 60% of the bonus and has a direct relationship with adjusted profit 
before tax, excluding any impact of IAS 38. A minimum profit threshold is set.

Revenue growth
The Company revenue performance element represents 40% of the bonus. This measure is based on revenue growth 
performance with a minimum profit threshold.

The pay-out has the following parameters:

•  Below threshold performance: 0% of the maximum opportunity
•  On-target performance: 50% of the maximum opportunity
•  Maximum: 100% of the maximum opportunity.

The Committee may vary the weighting of these measures and could consider alternative measure in future years.

Performance 
Measures

Stretching performance targets are set each year reflecting the business priorities that underpin Group strategy.

125% (CEO) and 100% (CFO and COO) of salary can be earned based on achieving the maximum financial performance 
targets and subject to individual performance.

63 
Xaar plc
Annual Report and Financial Statements 2016   

Long Term Incentive Plan

Objective

Drive and reward the achievement of longer term objectives aligned closely to shareholders’ interests.

Retain key executives over a longer term measurement period.

Provide alignment with shareholders’ interests.

Supports retention and promotes share ownership.

Operation

Subject to the approval by shareholders in May 2017, the LTIP will operate as follows:

An award of performance shares (zero priced share options) may be granted on an annual basis. The award is composed  
of two elements:

•  The base LTIP award is the primary element and will vest after three years subject to the achievement of the applied 

performance conditions

•  An outperformance multiplier will be applied to the base LTIP grant for the delivery of results relative to the FTSE small cap 
market. For upper quartile results, the base award will be multiplied by x1.167. For upper decile results, the CEO’s base 
award will be multiplied by x2 (x1.5 for the CFO and COO).

Vesting will occur at the end of a three year period. A two year hold is introduced with 33% being held for one year after 
vesting and 33% being held for two years after vesting.

Vested LTIP options must be exercised within ten years of the date of grant. Under the rules of the LTIP, the Remuneration 
Committee has discretion to satisfy vested LTIP awards in cash.

On the vesting/exercise of an LTIP award, the Remuneration Committee has the discretion to decide that executives can 
receive an amount (in cash or shares) equal to the dividends paid or payable between the date of grant and the vesting  
of an award on the number of shares which have vested.

Awards may vest early on a change of control (or other relevant event) subject to the satisfaction of the performance 
conditions (as determined by the Remuneration Committee) and pro-rating for the LTIP was previously approved by 
shareholders in April 2007.

The Remuneration Committee may at its discretion structure awards as Approved Long Term Incentive Plan (‘ALTIP’) awards. 
ALTIP awards enable the participant and Company to benefit from HMRC approved option tax treatment in respect of part of 
the award, without increasing the pre-tax value delivered to participants. ALTIP awards may be structured either as an approved 
option for the part of the award up to the HMRC limit (currently £30,000) with an unapproved option for the balance and a 
‘linked award’ to fund the exercise price of the approved option, or as an approved option and an LTIP award, with the vesting 
of the LTIP award scaled back to take account of any gain made on the exercise of the approved option. Other than to enable 
the grant of ALTIP awards, the Company will not grant awards to Executive Directors under the Executive Share Option Plan.

Maximum 
opportunity

The maximum annual award of the base LTIP will be 150% of base salary for CEO and 100% of salary for CFO and COO.

The outperformance multiplier could increase the maximum opportunity for the CEO to 300% of salary and to 150% for the 
CFO and COO.

Performance 
Measures

For the LTIP, for threshold performance, 25% of award will vest. 

Straight-line vesting applies between threshold and maximum vesting.

These limits do not include the value of shares subject to any approved option granted as part of an LTIP award.

Stretching performance targets are set each year reflecting the business priorities that underpin longer term Group strategy. 

The base LTIP award will normally be measured using the following:

•  Three year cumulative EPS growth – 60%
•  Three year revenue growth – 40%.

The Remuneration Committee retains the discretion to alter the weighting of measures and to apply alternative measure in 
future years. The outperformance multiplier will be measured against relative TSR of the FTSE SmallCAP index.

STRATEGIC REPORTGOVERNANCEFINANCIAL STATEMENTS64 
Xaar plc Annual Report and Financial Statements 2016
Governance

Governance continued

DIRECTORS’ REMUNERATION REPORT CONTINUED

Malus, clawback and underpin provisions
The Remuneration Committee has the right to:

•  Reduce any LTIP awards which have not yet vested (i.e. a malus provision) if an act or omission contributes to a material misstatement of the 

Group’s financial statements or results in material loss or reputational damage for the Company

•  Recover cash or shares which have been paid or transferred (i.e. a clawback provision) if an act or omission contributes to a material misstatement 

of the Group’s financial statements or results in material loss or reputational damage for the Company, for a period up to two years following 
determination of the vesting outcome

•  Apply an underpin to LTIP vesting and bonus achievement and to flex the weighting of performance measure in the event of early vesting  

as a result of change of control.

Chairman and Non-Executive Directors
The table below sets out an overview of the remuneration of Non-Executive Directors.

Alignment with strategy/purpose

Approach of the Company

Chairman and Non-Executive  
Directors’ fees
Provide an appropriate reward 
to attract and retain Directors 
of the calibre required for  
the business.

The remuneration of the Chairman of the Board is set by the Remuneration Committee and the Chief 
Executive Officer. Fees are set at a level which reflects the skills, knowledge, and experience of the 
individual, whilst taking into account appropriate market data.

The fee is set as a fixed annual fee and may be paid wholly or partly in cash or Company shares.

The Chairman and the Chief Executive Officer are responsible for deciding Non-Executive Directors’ fees. 
Fees are set taking into account several factors, including the size and complexity of the business, fees  
paid to Non-Executive Directors of UK listed companies of a similar size and complexity, and the expected 
time commitment and contribution for the role.

The fees are set as a fixed annual fee and may be paid wholly or partly in cash or Company shares. Overall 
fees paid to Directors will remain within the limit stated in our Articles of Association. This was updated from 
£200,000 to £300,000 at the AGM in 2016. 

Non-Executive Directors do not participate in any incentive scheme.

Directors may be eligible to benefits such as the use of secretarial support, travel costs or other benefits  
that may be appropriate.

Explanation of performance metrics chosen
The annual bonus is assessed against financial targets which are determined by the Remuneration Committee, typically Group adjusted profit before 
tax excluding any impact of IAS 38 and revenue growth. This incentivises Executive Directors to focus on delivering the key financial goals of the 
Company. These targets therefore ensure that the interests of the Executive Directors are aligned with those of the shareholders.

For the LTIP, long term performance measures are chosen by the Remuneration Committee to provide a robust and transparent basis on which 
to measure Xaar’s performance over the longer term and to provide alignment with Xaar’s business strategy. EPS, Revenue growth and TSR are 
deemed to be the key measure of success of the execution of our long term strategy.

The Remuneration Committee retains the discretion to adjust the performance targets and measures where it considers it appropriate to do so  
(for example, to reflect changes in the structure of the business and to assess performance on a fair and consistent basis from year to year),  
and has exercised its discretion in this area of leaver provisions as described under CFO transition and the inclusion of its acquisition, 
EPS in the bonus scheme for 2016.

Awards may be adjusted in the event of a variation of capital in accordance with the scheme rules.

Pay policy for other employees
The Company values its wider workforce and aims to provide a remuneration package that is market competitive, complies with any statutory 
requirements, and is applied fairly and equitably across the wider employee population. Where remuneration is not determined by statutory regulation, 
the key principles of the compensation philosophy are as follows:

•  We remunerate people in a manner that allows for stability of the business and the opportunity for sustainable long term growth
•  We seek to remunerate fairly and consistently for each role with due regard to the marketplace, internal consistency and the Company’s ability to pay
•  The Company operates HMRC approved SIP and SAYE and invites all employees to participate, therefore encouraging wider workforce 

share ownership.

65 
Xaar plc
Annual Report and Financial Statements 2016   

Illustrations of application of remuneration policy
The charts below set out an illustration of the remuneration policy, as subject to approval at the 2017 AGM, in line with the policy above and include 
base salary, pension, benefits and incentives. The charts provide an illustration of the proportion of total remuneration made up of each component 
of the policy and the value of each component.

For these purposes base salary reflects the salary at 1 January 2017 and any anticipated increases in July 2017. Bonus is based on anticipated base 
salary as at 31 December 2017. Benefits are calculated as 12% of average salary for 2017. Pension is based on the policy set out in the policy table. 
LTIP awards are based on a base salary level pre 1 July 2017, and are calculated as set out in the policy on pages 60 to 63. 

Three scenarios have been illustrated for each Executive Director.

Minimum performance

•  No bonus pay-out
•  No vesting under the LTIP.

Performance at mid point 

•  62.5% of salary pay-out under the annual bonus for the CEO, 50% for the CFO and COO
•  Shares equivalent to 75% of salary vesting under the LTIP for the CEO, 50% for the CFO and COO.

Maximum performance

•  125% of salary pay-out under the annual bonus for the CEO, 100% for the CFO and COO
•  Shares equivalent to 300% of salary vesting under the LTIP for the CEO, 150% for the CFO and COO.

As required by the regulations, the scenarios do not include any share price growth assumptions or take into account any dividends that may  
be paid.

Chief Executive – Doug Edwards, total remuneration £’000 

Minimum

100%

£402k

On-Target

47%

25% 28%

£854k

Maximum

23%

24%

53%

£1,779k

0

500,000

1,000,000

1,500,000

2,000,000

CFO & COO – Lily Liu & Ted Wiggans, total remuneration £’000 

Base salary, benefits and pension

Minimum

100%

£281k

On-Target

54%

23%23%

£511k

Maximum

33%

27%

40%

£856k

0

500,000

1,000,000

1,500,000

2,000,000

 Base salary, benefits and pension.

Annual bonus.

LTIP Award (Performance share awards only).

LTIP

Annual bonus

Base salary, benefits and pension

LTIP

Annual bonus

STRATEGIC REPORTGOVERNANCEFINANCIAL STATEMENTS66 
Xaar plc Annual Report and Financial Statements 2016
Governance

Governance continued

DIRECTORS’ REMUNERATION REPORT CONTINUED

Approach to recruitment remuneration
When appointing a new Executive Director, whether with an internal or external candidate, the Remuneration Committee will typically seek to use  
the policy detailed in the table on pages 60 to 63 to determine the Executive Director’s on-going remuneration package.

To facilitate the appointment of candidates of the appropriate calibre required to implement the Group’s strategy, the Remuneration Committee 
also retains the discretion to include any other remuneration component or award which is outside the policy. The Remuneration Committee does 
not intend to use this discretion to make a non-performance related incentive payment (for example, a ‘golden hello’). In determining appropriate 
remuneration, the Remuneration Committee will take into consideration all relevant factors (including the quantum and nature of remuneration) 
to ensure that the arrangements are in the best interests of the Company and its shareholders. This may, for example, include (but is not limited 
to) the following circumstances:

•  An interim appointment being made to fill an Executive Director role on a short term basis
•  Exceptional circumstances require that the Chairman or a Non-Executive Director takes on an executive function on a short term basis
•  An Executive Director is recruited at a time in the year when it would be inappropriate to provide a bonus or long term incentive award for that year 
as there would not be sufficient time to assess performance. The quantum in respect of the months employed during the year may be transferred 
to the subsequent year so that reward is provided on a fair and appropriate basis

•  The executive received benefits at his previous employer which the Remuneration Committee considers it appropriate to offer.

The Remuneration Committee may also alter the performance measures, performance period and vesting period of the annual bonus or long term 
incentive, subject to the rules of the scheme, if the Remuneration Committee determines that the circumstances of the recruitment merit such 
alteration. The rationale will be clearly explained.

In determining appropriate remuneration arrangements on hiring a new Executive Director, the Remuneration Committee will take into account 
relevant factors such as the calibre of the individual, local market practice, the existing remuneration arrangements for other executives and the 
business circumstances. It will seek to ensure that arrangements are in the best interests of both the Company and its shareholders and seek 
not to pay more than is appropriate.

The Remuneration Committee may make an award or payment to ‘buy-out’ remuneration arrangements forfeited on leaving a previous employer. 
In doing so the Remuneration Committee will take account of relevant factors regarding the forfeited arrangements which may include the form of 
any forfeited awards (e.g. cash or shares), any performance conditions attached to these awards (and the likelihood of meeting those conditions), 
and the time over which they would have vested. It will generally seek to structure buy-out awards and payments on a comparable basis to 
remuneration arrangements forfeited. These awards or payments are excluded from the maximum level of variable pay referred to below; however, 
the Remuneration Committee’s intention is that the value awarded or paid would be no higher than the expected value of the forfeited arrangements.

Appropriate costs and support will be covered if the recruitment requires the relocation of the individual. All buy-out awards and payments will 
normally be liable to forfeiture or ‘clawback’ on early departure. For Executive Directors, early departure is typically defined as being within the first 
two years of employment although the Remuneration Committee has the ability to amend this definition in appropriate circumstances.

The maximum level of variable pay which may be awarded to new Executive Directors, excluding buy-out arrangements, would normally be in line 
with the maximum level of variable pay that may be awarded under the annual bonus plan and LTIP, but in any event the Remuneration Committee 
would not make an award of annual variable pay above 425% of salary. The Remuneration Committee may determine that such awards will be 
forfeited if performance or continued employment conditions are not met and it is deemed appropriate to do so.

Any share awards referred to in this section will be granted as far as possible under the Company’s existing share plans. If necessary, and subject  
to the limits referred to above, in order to facilitate the awards mentioned above, the committee may rely on exemption 9.4.2. of the Listing Rules 
which allows for the grant of awards to facilitate, in exceptional circumstances, the recruitment of a Director.

Where a position is fulfilled internally, any on-going remuneration obligations or outstanding variable pay elements shall be allowed to continue 
according to the original terms.

Fees payable to a newly-appointed Chairman or Non-Executive Director will be in line with the fee policy in place at the time of appointment.

67 
Xaar plc
Annual Report and Financial Statements 2016   

Service contracts 
Executive Directors
It is the Group’s policy that Executive Directors should have contracts with an indefinite term, providing for one year’s notice.

Doug Edwards
Alex Bevis
Ted Wiggans
Lily Liu

Date of contract1

Date of appointment

Notice from the Company

Notice from Director

5 January 2015
12 December 2013
4 December 2013
23 January 2017

5 January 2015
14 February 2011
10 January 2011
2 May 2017

12 months
12 months
12 months
12 months

12 months
12 months
12 months
12 months

1  The dates of contract above refer to the dates of the latest service agreements for each of the Directors.

Non-Executive Directors
All Non-Executive Directors are appointed for an initial three-year term with provision for two further three-year terms, subject to satisfactory 
performance.

Robin Williams (Chairman)
Margaret Rice-Jones
Chris Morgan
Andrew Herbert

Date of letter of appointment

Date of appointment

Unexpired term of contract  
on 31 December 2016

27 September 2016
3 June 2015
2 December 2015
15 April 2016

1 October 2016
1 August 2015
4 January 2016
1 June 2016

33 months
19 months
24 months
31 months

All Directors offer themselves for annual re-election at each AGM in accordance with the UK Corporate Governance Code. Letters of appointment 
are available for inspection at the registered office address of the Company.

STRATEGIC REPORTGOVERNANCEFINANCIAL STATEMENTS 
68 
Xaar plc Annual Report and Financial Statements 2016
Governance

Governance continued

DIRECTORS’ REMUNERATION REPORT CONTINUED

Payments for loss of office 
The principles on which the determination of payments for loss of office will be approached is set out below. Where the Remuneration Committee 
retains discretion, as outlined below, it will be used to provide flexibility in certain situations, taking into account the particular circumstance of the 
Director’s departure and recent performance of the Company.

Notice period on termination by 
employing company

Twelve months. The Committee has the discretion to determine what proportion of the notice period will 
be utilised in active service.

Termination payment

Severance payments are limited to no more than one year’s salary plus benefits in kind (including 
company car or car allowance and private health insurance) and pension contributions (which may 
include salary supplements). 

Benefits provided in connection with termination of employment may also include, but are not limited to, 
outplacement and legal fees.

Annual Bonus

Termination with cause.

No bonus paid.

Not applicable.

Reason for cessation

Calculation of vesting/payment

Timing of vesting

Resignation or retirement.

Redundancy, disability, illness, 
injury, death or any other 
reason as determined by the 
Remuneration Committee.

No bonus is normally paid unless 
the Committee in its absolute 
discretion (and on a case-by-case 
basis) determines otherwise.

Typically bonus amounts will be 
determined by reference to the 
applicable performance targets, 
pro-rated for time served in 
relation to the performance period.

Normal payment date.

Normal payment date unless 
Remuneration Committee decides 
it should be earlier.

LTIP

Termination with cause.

Lapse.

Not applicable.

Resignation or Retirement.

Normally lapse but with 
Remuneration Committee 
discretion to determine otherwise.

Normal vesting date.

Redundancy, disability, illness, 
injury, death or any other 
reason as determined by the 
Remuneration Committee.

Pro rated to proportion of period 
worked during vesting period. 

Remuneration Committee can 
decide not to pro rate.

Normal vesting unless 
Remuneration Committee 
decides it should be a cessation 
of employment.

Death.

Discretion to disapply 
performance conditions.

Date of cessation – unless 
Remuneration Committee decides 
normal vesting date.

SIP and SAYE

Governed by the HMRC approved plan rules and which cover certain lever provisions.

69 
Xaar plc
Annual Report and Financial Statements 2016   

Non-Executive Directors
Under the terms of their engagement, the notice period to be given by the Non-Executive Directors on the Company is six months and the Company 
is obliged to give the same length of notice. Discretion is retained to terminate with or without due notice or paying any payment in lieu of notice 
dependent on what is considered to be in the best interests of the Company in the particular circumstances.

Statement of consideration of employment conditions elsewhere in the Company
Salary, benefits and performance related reward provided to employees is taken into account when setting policy for Executive Directors’ 
remuneration (although employees are not formally consulted in relation to the setting of the policy). This includes consideration of:

•  Salary increases for the general employee population
•  Company-wide benefit (including pension) offerings
•  Overall spend and participation levels in the annual bonus and LTIP
•  Relevant ad-hoc information.

Existing contractual arrangements
The Remuneration Committee reserves the right to make any remuneration payments and payments for loss of office notwithstanding that they 
are not in line with the policy set out below where the terms of the payment were agreed: 

(i)  before the policy came into effect, or 
(ii) at a time when the relevant individual was not a Director of the Company and, in the opinion of the Remuneration Committee, the payment 

was not in consideration for the individual becoming a Director of the Company.

For these purposes ‘payments’ includes the Remuneration Committee satisfying awards of variable remuneration and, in relation to an award 
over shares, the terms of the payment are ‘agreed’ at the time the award is granted.

The Remuneration Committee may make minor changes to this policy, which do not have a material advantage to Directors, to aid in its operation  
or implementation without seeking shareholder approval but taking into account the interests of shareholders.

Statement of consideration of shareholder views
In the interests of ensuring on-going and transparent dialogue with shareholders, the Remuneration Committee consulted major shareholders 
over its base salaries and proposed new three year policy outlined in this report. 

Approval
This Report was approved by the Board on 22 March 2017 and signed on its behalf by:

Margaret Rice-Jones
Remuneration Committee Chair

STRATEGIC REPORTGOVERNANCEFINANCIAL STATEMENTS 
70 
Xaar plc Annual Report and Financial Statements 2016
Governance

Governance continued

DIRECTORS’ RESPONSIBILITIES STATEMENT

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 
financial statements for each financial year. 
Under that law the Directors are required 
to prepare the Group financial statements 
in accordance with International Financial 
Reporting Standards (‘IFRSs’) as adopted by 
the European Union and Article 4 of the IAS 
Regulation and have also chosen to prepare 
the parent company financial statements in 
accordance with Financial Reporting Standard 
101 Reduced Disclosure Framework. Under 
Company law the Directors must not approve 
the accounts unless they are satisfied that they 
give a true and fair view of the state of affairs 
of the Company and of the profit or loss of the 
Company for that period.

In preparing the parent Company financial 
statements, the Directors are required to:

•  Select suitable accounting policies  
and then apply them consistently

•  Make judgments and accounting estimates 

that are reasonable and prudent

•  State whether Financial Reporting Standard 
101 Reduced Disclosure Framework has 
been followed, subject to any material 
departures disclosed and explained  
in the financial statements

•  Prepare the financial statements on the going 
concern basis unless it is inappropriate to 
presume that the Company will continue 
in business. 

In preparing the Group financial statements, 
International Accounting Standard 1 requires 
that Directors:

•  Properly select and apply accounting policies
•  Present information, including accounting 

policies, in a manner that provides  
relevant, reliable, comparable and 
understandable information

•  Provide additional disclosures when 

compliance with the specific requirements 
in IFRSs are insufficient to enable users 
to understand the impact of particular 
transactions, other events and conditions 
on the entity’s financial position and 
financial performance

•  Make an assessment of the Company’s 
ability to continue as a going concern.

The Directors are responsible for keeping 
adequate accounting records that are 
sufficient to show and explain the Company’s 
transactions and disclose with reasonable 
accuracy at any time the financial position 
of the Company and enable them to ensure 
that the financial statements comply with the 
Companies Act 2006. They are also responsible 
for safeguarding the assets of the Company 
and hence for taking reasonable steps for  
the prevention and detection of 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 United Kingdom 
governing the preparation and dissemination 
of financial statements may differ from 
legislation in other jurisdictions.

Responsibility statement
We confirm that to the best of our knowledge:

•  The financial statements, prepared in 
accordance with the relevant financial 
reporting framework, give a true and fair view 
of the assets, liabilities, financial position 
and profit or loss of the Company and the 
undertakings included in the consolidation 
taken as a whole

•  The Strategic Report includes a fair review 

of the development and performance of the 
business and the position of the Company 
and the undertakings included in the 
consolidation taken as a whole, together 
with a description of the principal risks 
and uncertainties that they face

•  The Annual Report and financial statements, 
taken as a whole, are fair, balanced and 
understandable and provide the information 
necessary for shareholders to assess the 
Company’s performance, business model 
and strategy. 

This responsibility statement was approved 
by the Board of Directors and is signed on 
its behalf by:

Doug Edwards 
Chief Executive Officer

Alex Bevis
Chief Financial Officer and Company Secretary

22 March 2017

71 
Xaar plc
Annual Report and Financial Statements 2016   

Independent auditor’s report to the members of Xaar plc

Opinion on financial  
statements of Xaar plc

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	2016	and	of	the	group’s	profit	for	the	year	then	ended;

•	 the	group	financial	statements	have	been	properly	prepared	in	accordance	with	International	Financial	Reporting	

Standards	(IFRSs)	as	adopted	by	the	European	Union;

•	 the	parent	company	financial	statements	have	been	properly	prepared	in	accordance	with	United	Kingdom	

Generally	Accepted	Accounting	Practice,	including	FRS	101	“Reduced	Disclosure	Framework”;	and

•	 the	financial	statements	have	been	prepared	in	accordance	with	the	requirements	of	the	Companies	Act	2006	

and,	as	regards	the	group	financial	statements,	Article	4	of	the	IAS	Regulation.

The	financial	statements	that	we	have	audited	comprise:
•	 the	Consolidated	Income	Statement;
•	 the	Consolidated	Statement	of	Comprehensive	Income;	
•	 the	Consolidated	Statement	of	Financial	Position;	
•	 the	Consolidated	Statement	of	Changes	in	Equity;
•	 the	Consolidated	Statement	of	Cash	Flows;	
•	 the	related	Consolidated	notes	1	to	35;
•	 the	Parent	Company	Statement	of	Financial	Position;
•	 the	Parent	Company	Statement	of	Changes	in	Equity;	and	
•	 the	related	Parent	Company	notes	1	to	9.	

The	financial	reporting	framework	that	has	been	applied	in	the	preparation	of	the	group	financial	statements	is	
applicable	law	and	IFRSs	as	adopted	by	the	European	Union.	The	financial	reporting	framework	that	has	been	
applied	in	the	preparation	of	the	parent	company	financial	statements	is	applicable	law	and	United	Kingdom	
Accounting	Standards	(United	Kingdom	Generally	Accepted	Accounting	Practice),	including	FRS	101	“Reduced	
Disclosure	Framework”.

Summary of our audit approach

Key risks

The	key	risks	that	we	identified	in	the	current	year	were:

•	 Customer	rebates
•	 Capitalisation	of	internally	generated	intangible	assets	
•	 Acquisition	fair	value	accounting

Materiality

Scoping

Within	this	report,	any	new	risks	are	identified	with	:	and	any	risks	which	are	the	same	as	the	prior	year	
identified	with	=.

The	materiality	that	we	used	in	the	current	year	was	£1.3	million	which	was	determined	based	on	a	blended	
measure	using	a	combination	of	profit	and	asset	benchmarks.

The	scope	of	our	audit	was	driven	by	our	risk	assessment	and	understanding	of	the	business.	This	consisted	of	
two	components	subjected	to	full	scope	audits,	three	components	subjected	to	specific	audit	procedures	and	
six	components	subjected	to	analytical	procedures	at	Group	level.

Significant changes in our 
approach

In	the	current	year	we	identified	a	new	key	risk,	acquisition	fair	value	accounting	in	response	to	the	acquisition	
made	by	the	group	in	the	year.	

There	have	been	no	other	significant	changes	in	our	approach	in	the	current	year.	

STRATEGIC REPORTGOVERNANCEFINANCIAL STATEMENTS72 
Xaar plc Annual Report and Financial Statements 2016
Financial Statements

Independent auditor’s report to the members of Xaar plc continued

Going concern and the 
directors’ assessment of 
the principal risks that 
would threaten the solvency 
or liquidity of the Group 

As	required	by	the	Listing	Rules	we	have	reviewed	the	directors’	statement	regarding	the	appropriateness	of	the	
going	concern	basis	of	accounting	contained	within	note	3	to	the	financial	statements	and	the	directors’	statement	
on	the	longer-term	viability	of	the	group	contained	within	the	Directors’	report	on	page	38.

We	are	required	to	state	whether	we	have	anything	material	to	add	or	draw	attention	to	in	relation	to:

•	 the	directors’	confirmation	on	page	38	that	they	have	carried	out	a	robust	assessment	of	the	principal	risks	facing	

the	group,	including	those	that	would	threaten	its	business	model,	future	performance,	solvency	or	liquidity;
•	 the	disclosures	on	page	23-26	that	describe	those	risks	and	explain	how	they	are	being	managed	or	mitigated;
•	 the	directors’	statement	in	note	3	to	the	financial	statements	about	whether	they	considered	it	appropriate	
to	adopt	the	going	concern	basis	of	accounting	in	preparing	them	and	their	identification	of	any	material	
uncertainties	to	the	group’s	ability	to	continue	to	do	so	over	a	period	of	at	least	twelve	months	from	the	date	of	
approval	of	the	financial	statements;	and

•	 the	directors’	explanation	on	page	38	as	to	how	they	have	assessed	the	prospects	of	the	group,	over	what	period	
they	have	done	so	and	why	they	consider	that	period	to	be	appropriate,	and	their	statement	as	to	whether	they	
have	a	reasonable	expectation	that	the	group	will	be	able	to	continue	in	operation	and	meet	its	liabilities	as	they	
fall	due	over	the	period	of	their	assessment,	including	any	related	disclosures	drawing	attention	to	any	necessary	
qualifications	or	assumptions.

We	confirm	that	we	have	nothing	material	to	add	or	draw	attention	to	in	respect	of	these	matters.

We	agreed	with	the	directors’	adoption	of	the	going	concern	basis	of	accounting	and	we	did	not	identify	
any	such	material	uncertainties.	However,	because	not	all	future	events	or	conditions	can	be	predicted,	this	
statement	is	not	a	guarantee	as	to	the	group’s	ability	to	continue	as	a	going	concern.

Independence

We	are	required	to	comply	with	the	Financial	Reporting	Council’s	Ethical	Standards	for	Auditors	and	confirm	that	
we	are	independent	of	the	group	and	we	have	fulfilled	our	other	ethical	responsibilities	in	accordance	with	those	
standards.	

We	confirm	that	we	are	independent	of	the	group	and	we	have	fulfilled	our	other	ethical	responsibilities	in	
accordance	with	those	standards.	We	also	confirm	we	have	not	provided	any	of	the	prohibited	non-audit	
services	referred	to	in	those	standards.

Our assessment of risks of material misstatement
The	assessed	risks	of	material	misstatement	described	below	are	those	that	had	the	greatest	effect	on	our	audit	strategy,	the	allocation	 
of	resources	in	the	audit	and	directing	the	efforts	of	the	engagement	team.

In	2015	our	report	included	provisions	and	recoverability	of	property,	plant	and	equipment	in	relation	to	termination	of	operations	as	a	key	risk	due	
to	the	planned	closure	of	the	Group’s	manufacturing	facility	in	Sweden	in	2016.	This	risk	is	not	included	in	our	2016	report	after	the	substantial	
completion	of	the	planned	closure.	

In	2015	our	report	included	inventory	valuation	as	a	key	risk	due	to	the	judgemental	nature	of	determining	the	costs	used	in	the	inventory	standard	
costing	model,	with	reference	to	normal	level	of	production.	This	risk	is	not	included	in	our	2016	report,	because	the	Group	uses	an	established	
process	in	inventory	valuation	and	we	have	not	identified	any	significant	production	issues	which	have	arisen	during	the	year	impacting	the	normal	
level	of	production.

73 
Xaar plc
Annual Report and Financial Statements 2016   

Risk description

Our response and observation

Customer rebates =
The	Group	has	volume	price	agreements	with	a	number	of	its	
significant	customers.

We	consider	there	to	be	a	key	risk	with	respect	to	the	
accounting	for	commercial	sales	agreements	with	Xaar’s	
significant	customers.	This	is	due	to	the	degree	of	judgment	
and	estimation	involved	in	predicting	sales	volumes	which	
drives	the	accounting	for	commercial	sales	agreements	and	
the	associated	revenue	in	line	with	IAS	18	and	the	Group’s	
accounting	policy.	This	is	also	the	fraud	risk	we	have	identified	
with	respect	to	revenue	recognition.	

The	accounting	policy	is	disclosed	in	note	3	to	the	financial	
statements.

How the scope of our audit responded to the risk	When	auditing	customer	
rebates	we	considered	the	Group’s	revenue	recognition	policy,	per	International	
Accounting	Standard	18	‘Revenue’	(IAS	18),	to	assess	whether	the	revenue	
recognition	policy	is	compliant	and	whether	the	policy	has	been	applied	
consistently	through	the	year.

We	performed	testing	over	all	significant	commercial	sales	agreements	that	
Xaar	has	with	its	major	customers	by	reviewing	the	terms	and	conditions	
of	sales,	assessing	the	accounting	treatment	and	reconciling	to	amounts	
recognised	in	the	financial	statements;	also	assessing	compliance	with	IAS	18.

We	performed	retrospective	review	of	prior	period	accounting	estimates	
in	relation	to	commercial	sales	agreements	to	assess	the	accuracy	of	
management	estimates.	

Note	2	to	the	financial	statements	provides	details	of	the	
critical	accounting	judgements	and	page	42	provides	the	audit	
committee’s	discussion	on	customer	rebates.

Key observations	Based	on	the	audit	procedures	performed,	we	concur	with	
the	customer	rebates	recognised.	We	also	concluded	that	the	associated	
revenue	was	recognised	in	line	with	the	Group’s	accounting	policy	and	IAS	18.

Capitalisation of internally generated intangible assets =
The	Group	incurred	£22.4	million	on	research	and	development	
costs	in	the	year	ended	31	December	2016	(2015:	£19.9	
million),	representing	an	increase	of	13%	from	2015.

Xaar	management	has	concluded	that	the	only	development	
project	meeting	the	capitalisation	criteria	in	IAS	38	“Intangible	
Assets”	(IAS	38)	is	that	known	as	the	‘P4	platform’	in	relation	to	
which	£10.2	million	development	costs	have	been	capitalised	
during	the	year	(2015:	£8.4	million).	Because	of	the	judgments	
and	the	complexity	of	the	criteria	applied,	we	consider	
there	to	be	a	key	risk	in	relation	to	development	costs	being	
incorrectly	accounted	for	(i.e.	capitalised	or	expensed	through	
the	income	statement).	There	is	also	a	key	risk	in	relation	to	
the	recoverability	of	capitalised	development	costs	from	likely	
future	economic	benefits.	The	accounting	policy	is	disclosed	
in	note	3	to	the	financial	statements.	The	carrying	values	of	the	
capitalised	development	costs	are	disclosed	in	note	14	to	the	
financial	statements.

Note	2	to	the	financial	statements	provides	details	of	the	
critical	accounting	judgements	and	page	42	provides	the	audit	
committee’s	discussion	on	capitalisation	of	internally	generated	
intangible	assets.

How the scope of our audit responded to the risk We audited 
management’s	accounting	treatment	of	development	costs	by	testing	a	
sample	of	research	and	development	project	costs	to	assess	whether	they	are	
accurate	and	appropriately	classified.	We	discussed	the	P4	platform	project	
and	other	research	and	development	(R&D)	projects	with	the	Research	and	
Development	Management,	in	order	for	us	to	assess	whether	the	P4	platform	
project	continues	to	meet	the	development	criteria	and	therefore	requires	
capitalisation,	and	whether	any	other	projects	have	reached	the	development	
phase	and	therefore	require	capitalisation.	

For	the	P4	platform	project	we	made	an	assessment	of	the	technical	feasibility	
and	likelihood	of	future	economic	benefit	by	reference	to	product	test	stage	
classifications	and	agreements	entered	into	with	partners.

Research and development costs capitalised versus expensed 
£m 
25

20

15

10

5

0

12.2

10.2

2016

11.5

8.4

2015

Development Costs Capitalised

Development Costs Expensed

We	obtained	revenue	and	contribution	forecast	for	the	capitalised	development	
project	and	closely	examined	management	estimates	included	in	the	forecast	
with	references	to	industry	statistics	and	historic	performance	of	the	Group’s	
other	products.	Net	present	value	of	the	forecast	contribution	was	also	
compared	to	the	carrying	value	of	the	capitalised	development	costs.

Key observations	Based	on	the	audit	procedures	performed,	we	concur	
that	management	has	appropriately	applied	the	principles	of	IAS	38	and	the	
internally	generated	intangible	asset	is	recoverable.

STRATEGIC REPORTGOVERNANCEFINANCIAL STATEMENTS 
74 
Xaar plc Annual Report and Financial Statements 2016
Financial Statements

Independent auditor’s report to the members of Xaar plc continued

Risk description

Our response and observation

Acquisition fair value accounting :
The	Group	acquired	100%	of	the	issued	share	capital	of	
Engineered	Printing	Solutions	Inc	(EPS)	during	the	year	for	a	
total	consideration	of	£7.8	million.	

The	total	fair	value	of	the	identifiable	net	assets	acquired	was	
£2.0	million,	and	goodwill	recognised	on	this	acquisition	was	
£5.8m.	No	separately	identifiable	intangible	asset	has	been	
recognised.	

The	identification	and	valuation	of	the	separately	identified	
assets	and	liabilities	acquired,	including	separately	identifiable	
intangible	assets,	requires	significant	judgement	and	estimation,	
primarily	around	identification	of	separately	identifiable	intangible	
assets	excluding	goodwill.	

Details	of	the	EPS	acquisition	are	provided	in	the	Strategic	
Review,	on	pages	1	to	29.	Note	3	to	the	financial	statements	
sets	out	the	Group’s	accounting	policy	for	business	
combinations	and	Note	35	to	the	financial	statements	
outlines	details	of	the	acquisition	and	the	key	assumptions	in	
determining	fair	value	of	the	acquired	intangible	assets.

Note	2	to	the	financial	statements	provides	details	of	the	
critical	accounting	judgements	and	page	42	provides	the	audit	
committee’s	discussion	on	the	acquisition	accounting.

How the scope of our audit responded to the risk We	reviewed	
management’s	key	judgements	and	estimates	in	identifying	and	valuing	the	
assets	and	liabilities	acquired	to	assess	whether	they	are	in	line	with	the	
requirements	of	IFRS	3	“Business	Combinations”.	

We	challenged	management	on	their	intangible	asset	identification	and	
performed	procedures	including	analysis	on	historical	customer	trading	
patterns	to	assess	whether	there	are	any	identifiable	intangible	assets	requiring	
recognition	on	acquisition.	

We	audited	the	opening	balance	sheet	of	the	acquired	entity	to	evaluate	
whether	the	fair	value	of	assets	and	liabilities	acquired	is	appropriate.	

We	obtained	cash	flow	forecasts	prepared	by	management	and	challenged	
management	estimates	included	in	the	forecast,	such	as	future	growth	rates.	
The	net	present	value	of	the	forecast	cash	flow	was	compared	to	the	carrying	
value	of	acquisition	goodwill.

In	conjunction	with	our	valuation	specialists	we	estimated	an	appropriate	
discount	rate	with	reference	to	market	data	and	compared	that	to	the	rate	
used	by	management.	

Key observations Based	on	the	audit	procedures	performed,	we	concur	
that	management	has	appropriately	applied	the	principles	of	IFRS	3,	including	
identification	and	fair	valuation	of	tangible	and	intangible	assets	on	acquisition.

These	matters	were	addressed	in	the	context	of	our	audit	of	the	financial	statements	as	a	whole,	and	in	forming	our	opinion	thereon,	and	we	do	not	
provide	a	separate	opinion	on	these	matters.

Our application of materiality
We	define	materiality	as	the	magnitude	of	misstatement	in	the	financial	statements	that	makes	it	probable	that	the	economic	decisions	of	a	
reasonably	knowledgeable	person	would	be	changed	or	influenced.	We	use	materiality	both	in	planning	the	scope	of	our	audit	work	and	in	
evaluating	the	results	of	our	work.

Based	on	our	professional	judgement,	we	determined	materiality	for	the	financial	statements	as	a	whole	as	follows:

Group 
materiality

Basis for 
determining 
materiality

Rationale for 
the benchmark 
applied

£1.3	million	(2015:	£1.0	million).	

We	considered	both	asset	and	profit	bases	in	the	determination	of	materiality.	

Materiality	equates	to	below	2%	of	net	assets	and	7.3%	of	pre-tax	profit.	

This	is	a	change	to	our	approach	in	2015	when	materiality	was	based	on	5%	of	normalised	pre-tax	profit.	The	2015	pre-
tax	profit	has	been	normalised	by	excluding	costs	incurred	in	relation	to	the	planned	closure	of	the	Group’s	manufacturing	
facility	in	Sweden.	The	planned	closure	of	the	Group’s	manufacturing	facility	in	Sweden	is	not	a	recurring	event	and	does	not	
represent	the	underlying	core	business.	There	is	no	normalisation	adjustment	in	the	2016	pre-tax	profit	for	the	purpose	of	our	
materiality	determination.	

In	addition	to	a	profit-based	metric,	we	incorporated	a	net	asset	measure	in	determining	materiality	to	reflect	the	significant	
levels	of	capitalised	research	and	development	costs	incurred	in	recent	years.	

We	agreed	with	the	Audit	Committee	that	we	would	report	to	the	Committee	all	audit	differences	in	excess	of	£0.06	million	(2015:	£0.02	million),	
as	well	as	differences	below	that	threshold	that,	in	our	view,	warranted	reporting	on	qualitative	grounds.	The	change	in	the	reporting	threshold	
has	been	made	following	our	reassessment	of	what	matters	require	communicating.	We	also	report	to	the	Audit	Committee	on	disclosure	matters	
that	we	identified	when	assessing	the	overall	presentation	of	the	financial	statements.

75 
Xaar plc
Annual Report and Financial Statements 2016   

An overview  
of the scope  
of our audit

Our	group	audit	was	scoped	by	obtaining	an	understanding	of	the	group	and	its	environment,	including	group-wide	controls,	
and	assessing	the	risks	of	material	misstatement	at	the	group	level.	

Based	on	that	assessment,	we	focused	our	Group	audit	scope	primarily	on	the	audit	work	at	the	UK	headquarters	in	
Cambridge.	Two	(2015:	five)	components	were	subject	to	a	full	scope	audit	by	the	Group	audit	team:	Xaar	plc	and	Xaar	Jet	
Limited.	Three	(2015:	three)	components	(Engineer	Printing	Solutions	Inc.,	Xaar	Jet	(Overseas)	Limited	and	Xaar	Technology	
Limited)	were	subject	to	specified	audit	procedures	where	the	extent	of	our	testing	was	based	on	our	assessment	of	the	risks	
of	material	misstatement	and	of	the	materiality	of	the	Group’s	operations	at	those	components.	Six	(2015:	one)	components	
(Xaar	Trustee	Limited,	Xaar	America	Inc.,	Xaar	Group	AB,	Xaar	Jet	AB,	Xaar	US	Holdings	Inc.	and	Xaar	ApS)	were	subject	to	
a	review	at	the	Group	level	based	on	our	assessment	of	the	materiality	of	the	Group’s	operations	at	those	components.	The	
same	components	were	subject	to	full	scope	audit	or	specified	audit	procedures	in	2015,	with	the	exceptions	of:	addition	of	
EPS	which	is	a	newly	acquired	component	in	2016	which	is	subject	to	specified	audit	procedures,	exclusion	of	XaarJet	AB	and	
Xaar	Group	AB	which	are	the	components	for	the	manufacturing	facility	in	Sweden	that	closed	in	2016	(these	were	subject	to	
full	scope	audit	in	2015),	Xaar	Digital	Limited	and	Xaar	America	Inc.	All	components	where	our	Group	audit	was	focussed	were	
audited	by	the	Group	team.

The	five	components	subject	either	to	a	full	audit	or	specified	audit	procedures	account	for	93%	(2015:	100%)	of	the	Group’s	
revenue,	93%	(2015:	97%)	of	the	Group’s	profit	before	tax	and	96%	(2015:	100%)	of	the	Group’s	net	assets.	Our	audit	work	for	
each	component	was	executed	at	levels	of	materiality	applicable	to	each	individual	component	which	were	lower	than	Group	
materiality.	The	component	materiality	ranges	between	£0.7	million	to	£1.1	million	(2015:	£0.5	million	to	£0.9	million).

At	the	parent	entity	level	we	also	tested	the	consolidation	process	and	carried	out	analytical	procedures	to	confirm	our	
conclusion	that	there	were	no	significant	risks	of	material	misstatement	of	the	aggregated	financial	information	of	the	remaining	
components	not	subject	to	audit	or	audit	of	specified	account	balances.	

Full audit scope
Specified audit procedures
Review at Group Level

71%
22%
7%

Full audit scope
Specified audit procedures
Review at Group Level

81%
12%
7%

Full audit scope
Specified audit procedures
Review at Group Level

86%
10%
4%

Opinion on 
other matters 
prescribed by 
the Companies 
Act 2006

In	our	opinion,	based	on	the	work	undertaken	in	the	course	of	the	audit:
•	 the	part	of	the	Directors’	Remuneration	Report	to	be	audited	has	been	properly	prepared	in	accordance	with	the	

Companies	Act	2006;	

•	 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;	and

•	 the	Strategic	Report	and	the	Directors’	Report	have	been	prepared	in	accordance	with	applicable	legal	requirements.

In	the	light	of	the	knowledge	and	understanding	of	the	company	and	its	environment	obtained	in	the	course	of	the	audit,	we	
have	not	identified	any	material	misstatements	in	the	Strategic	Report	and	the	Directors’	Report.

Matters on which we are required to report by exception

Adequacy of 
explanations 
received and 
accounting 
records

Under	the	Companies	Act	2006	we	are	required	to	report	to	you	if,	in	our	opinion:

•  we	have	not	received	all	the	information	and	explanations	we	require	for	our	audit;	or
•  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.

We	have	nothing	to	report	in	respect	of	these	matters.

STRATEGIC REPORTGOVERNANCEFINANCIAL STATEMENTS76 
Xaar plc Annual Report and Financial Statements 2016
Financial Statements

Independent auditor’s report to the members of Xaar plc continued

Directors’ 
remuneration

Under	the	Companies	Act	2006	we	are	also	required	to	report	if	in	our	opinion	certain	disclosures	of	directors’	remuneration	
have	not	been	made	or	the	part	of	the	Directors’	Remuneration	Report	to	be	audited	is	not	in	agreement	with	the	accounting	
records	and	returns.

We	have	nothing	to	report	arising	from	these	matters.

Corporate 
governance 
statement

Our duty to 
read other 
information 
in the Annual 
Report

Under	the	Listing	Rules	we	are	also	required	to	review	part	of	the	Corporate	Governance	Statement	relating	to	the	company’s	
compliance	with	certain	provisions	of	the	UK	Corporate	Governance	Code.

We	have	nothing	to	report	arising	from	our	review.

Under	International	Standards	on	Auditing	(UK	and	Ireland),	we	are	required	to	report	to	you	if,	in	our	opinion,	information	in	
the	annual	report	is:

•	 materially	inconsistent	with	the	information	in	the	audited	financial	statements;	or
•	 apparently	materially	incorrect	based	on,	or	materially	inconsistent	with,	our	knowledge	of	the	group	acquired	in	the	course	of	

performing	our	audit;	or

•	 otherwise	misleading.

In	particular,	we	are	required	to	consider	whether	we	have	identified	any	inconsistencies	between	our	knowledge	acquired	
during	the	audit	and	the	directors’	statement	that	they	consider	the	annual	report	is	fair,	balanced	and	understandable	and	
whether	the	annual	report	appropriately	discloses	those	matters	that	we	communicated	to	the	audit	committee	which	we	
consider	should	have	been	disclosed.

We	confirm	that	we	have	not	identified	any	such	inconsistencies	or	misleading	statements.

Respective 
responsibilities 
of Directors 
and auditor

As	explained	more	fully	in	the	Directors’	Responsibilities	Statement,	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).	We	also	comply	with	International	Standard	on	Quality	Control	1	(UK	and	Ireland).	Our	audit	methodology	and	tools	
aim	to	ensure	that	our	quality	control	procedures	are	effective,	understood	and	applied.	Our	quality	controls	and	systems	
include	our	dedicated	professional	standards	review	team	and	independent	partner	reviews.

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.

Scope of 
the audit of 
the financial 
statements 

An	audit	involves	obtaining	evidence	about	the	amounts	and	disclosures	in	the	financial	statements	sufficient	to	give	
reasonable	assurance	that	the	financial	statements	are	free	from	material	misstatement,	whether	caused	by	fraud	or	error.	
This	includes	an	assessment	of:	whether	the	accounting	policies	are	appropriate	to	the	group’s	and	the	parent	company’s	
circumstances	and	have	been	consistently	applied	and	adequately	disclosed;	the	reasonableness	of	significant	accounting	
estimates	made	by	the	directors;	and	the	overall	presentation	of	the	financial	statements.	In	addition,	we	read	all	the	financial	
and	non-financial	information	in	the	annual	report	to	identify	material	inconsistencies	with	the	audited	financial	statements	
and	to	identify	any	information	that	is	apparently	materially	incorrect	based	on,	or	materially	inconsistent	with,	the	knowledge	
acquired	by	us	in	the	course	of	performing	the	audit.	If	we	become	aware	of	any	apparent	material	misstatements	or	
inconsistencies	we	consider	the	implications	for	our	report.

Paul Schofield FCA 
(Senior	Statutory	Auditor)

22	March	2017

For	and	on	behalf	of	Deloitte	LLP
Chartered	Accountants	and	Statutory	Auditor
Cambridge,	United	Kingdom

77 
Xaar plc
Annual Report and Financial Statements 2016   

Consolidated income statement
for the year ended 31 December 2016

Revenue
Cost	of	sales

Gross profit
Research	and	development	expenses
Research	and	development	expenditure	credit
Sales	and	marketing	expenses
General	and	administrative	expenses
Restructuring	and	acquisition	expenses

Operating profit
Investment	income

Profit before tax
Tax

Profit for the year attributable to shareholders

Earnings per share
Basic
Diluted

Notes

5

9

10

7

12
12

2016
£’000

96,178
(51,511)

44,667
(12,211)
605
(7,608)
(6,844)
(1,205)

17,404
449

17,853
(3,052)

2015
£’000

93,472
(48,782)

44,690
(11,548)
818
(5,440)
(9,254)
(6,120)

13,146
426

13,572
(1,043)

14,801

12,529

19.4p
18.9p

16.6p
16.1p

Dividends	paid	in	the	year	amounted	to	£7,328,000	(2015:	£6,925,000).	Further	disclosures	are	given	in	note	11.

All	activities	relate	to	continuing	operations.

Consolidated statement of comprehensive income
for the year ended 31 December 2016

Profit	for	the	year	attributable	to	shareholders

Items	that	may	be	reclassified	subsequently	to	profit	or	loss:
Exchange	differences	on	retranslation	of	net	investment
Tax	Benefit	on	share	option	and	restructuring	gains

Other	comprehensive	income	for	the	year

Total	comprehensive	income	for	the	year

Notes

2016
£’000

2015
£’000

14,801

12,529

28
10

708
434

1,142

(27)
–

(27)

15,943

12,502

STRATEGIC REPORTGOVERNANCEFINANCIAL STATEMENTS 
78 
Xaar plc Annual Report and Financial Statements 2016
Financial Statements

Consolidated statement of financial position
as at 31 December 2016

Non-current assets
Goodwill
Other	intangible	assets
Property,	plant	and	equipment
Receivables

Current assets
Investments

Inventories
Trade	and	other	receivables
Current	tax	asset
Treasury	deposits
Cash	and	cash	equivalents

Total assets
Current liabilities
Trade	and	other	payables
Other	financial	liabilities
Provisions

Net current assets
Non-current liabilities
Deferred	tax	liabilities
Other	financial	liabilities
Total non-current liabilities
Total liabilities
Net assets
Equity
Share capital
Share premium
Own	shares
Other	reserves
Translation	reserve
Retained	earnings
Equity attributable to shareholders
Total equity

Notes

2016
£’000

2015
£’000

13
14
15
19

17

18
19
19
19
19

22
23
24

21
23

25
26
27
29
28
29

5,776
27,363
36,352
1,516
71,007

1,000

13,790
20,340
3,029
–
49,321
87,480
158,487

(14,314)
(69)
(774)
(15,157)
72,323

(2,686)
(188)
(2,874)
(18,031)
140,456

7,778
27,854
(3,642)
11,891
807
95,768
140,456
140,456

–
17,795
31,255
–
49,050

1,000

13,458
11,947
2,805
27,098
42,649
98,957
148,007

(12,405)
(68)
(3,533)
(16,006)
82,951

(1,222)
(241)
(1,463)
(17,469)
130,538

7,764
27,585
(3,796)
11,006
99
87,880
130,538
130,538

The	financial	statements	of	Xaar	plc,	registered	number	3320972,	were	approved	by	the	Board	of	Directors	and	authorised	for	issue	on	 
22	March	2017.

They	were	signed	on	its	behalf	by:

Doug Edwards
Chief	Executive	Officer

Alex Bevis
Chief	Financial	Officer	and	Company	Secretary

79 
Xaar plc
Annual Report and Financial Statements 2016   

Consolidated statement of changes in equity
for the year ended 31 December 2016

Balance	at	1	January	2015

7,664

26,345

(3,796)

Notes

Share
capital
£’000

Share
premium
£’000

Own
shares
£’000

Other
reserves
£’000

9,716

Translation
reserve
£’000

Retained
earnings
£’000

Total 
£’000

126

82,105

122,160	

Profit	for	the	year
Exchange	differences	on	retranslation	
of	net	investment

Total	comprehensive	income	for	
the period
Issue	of	share	capital
Dividends
Tax	on	share	option	gains
Credit	to	equity	for	equity-settled	
share-based	payments

11

–

–

–
100
–
–

–

–

–

–
1,240
–
–

–

–

–

–
–
–
–

–

–

–

–
–
–
–

1,290

Balance at 1 January 2016

7,764

27,585

(3,796)

11,006

Profit	for	the	year
Tax	on	items	taken	directly	to	equity
Exchange	differences	on	retranslation	
of	net	investment

Total comprehensive income for 
the period
Issue	of	share	capital
Dividends
Credit	to	equity	for	equity-settled	
share-based	payments

11

–
–

–

–

14
–

–

–
–

–

–

269
–

–

–
–

–

–

–
–

–
–

–

–

–
–

154

885

–

12,529

12,529

(27)

(27)
–
–
–

–

99

–
–

708

708

–
–

–

–

(27)

12,529
(40)
(6,925)
211

12,502
1,300
(6,925)
211

–

1,290

87,880

130,538 

14,801
434

14,801
434

–

708

15,235

15,943

(2)
(7,328)

281 
(7,328) 

(17)

1,022

Balance at 31 December 2016

7,778

27,854

(3,642)

11,891

807

95,768

140,456

STRATEGIC REPORTGOVERNANCEFINANCIAL STATEMENTS 
 
80 
Xaar plc Annual Report and Financial Statements 2016
Financial Statements

Consolidated cash flow statement
for the year ended 31 December 2016

Net	cash	from	operating	activities	

Investing activities
Investment	income
Acquisition	of	subsidiary,	net	of	cash	acquired
Purchases	of	property,	plant	and	equipment	
Proceeds	on	disposal	of	property,	plant	and	equipment
Expenditure	on	software
Expenditure	on	capitalised	product	development

Net cash used in investing activities

Financing activities
Dividends	paid	
Treasury	amounts	withdrawn/(deposited)
Proceeds	from	the	sale	of	ordinary	share	capital
Proceeds	from	issue	of	ordinary	share	capital

Net cash from/(used in) financing activities

Net increase in cash and cash equivalents
Effect	of	foreign	exchange	rate	changes	on	cash	balances
Cash and cash equivalents at beginning of year

Cash and cash equivalents at end of year

Notes

30

2016
£’000

2015
£’000

13,935

40,384

471
(7,556)
(10,831)
16
(85)
(10,222)

531
–
(3,764)
46
(187)
(8,365)

(28,207)

(11,739)

(7,328)
27,098
137
282

(6,925)
(6,098)
–
1,300

20,189

(11,723)

5,917
755
42,649

49,321

16,922
(236)
25,963

42,649

Cash	and	cash	equivalents	(which	are	presented	as	a	single	class	of	asset	on	the	face	of	the	consolidated	statement	of	financial	position)	comprise	
cash	at	bank	and	other	short	term	highly	liquid	investments	with	a	maturity	of	three	months	or	less.	The	carrying	amount	of	these	assets	is	
approximately	equal	to	their	fair	value.

81 
Xaar plc
Annual Report and Financial Statements 2016   

Notes to the consolidated financial statements 
for the year ended 31 December 2016

1. General information
Xaar	plc	(‘the	Company’)	is	incorporated	in	England	and	Wales	under	the	Companies	Act	2006.	The	address	of	the	registered	office	is	given	 
on	the	inside	back	cover.	The	nature	of	the	Group’s	operations	and	its	principal	activity	is	set	out	in	the	Strategic	Report	starting	on	page	6.

2. Key sources of estimation uncertainty and critical accounting judgements
The	key	assumptions	concerning	the	future	and	other	sources	of	estimation	uncertainty	at	the	balance	sheet	date	that	have	a	significant	risk	 
of	causing	a	material	adjustment	to	the	carrying	amounts	of	assets	and	liabilities	within	the	next	financial	year	are	as	follows:

Asset valuations (estimation uncertainty) 
Throughout	the	year,	management	considers	the	carrying	value	of	both	receivables	and	inventory	balances.	Provisions	against	both	balances	are	
made	on	the	basis	of	past	losses,	current	trading	patterns	and	anticipated	future	events.

Provisions (estimation uncertainty)
Management	regularly	consider	the	potential	liabilities	which	may	arise	from	product	warranty	claims,	commercial	disputes,	restructuring	or	other	
activities	which	may	result	in	future	losses	or	charges.	Management	create	and	maintain	appropriate	financial	provisions	based	on	specific	known	
issues	and	underlying	historical	experience.

Impairment of goodwill (accounting judgement)
The	Group	determines	whether	goodwill	is	impaired	at	least	on	an	annual	basis.	This	requires	an	estimation	of	the	‘value-in-use’	of	the	cash-
generating	units	to	which	the	goodwill	is	allocated.	Estimating	a	value-in-use	amount	requires	management	to	make	an	estimate	of	the	expected	
future	cash	flows	from	the	cash-generating	unit	and	also	to	choose	a	suitable	discount	rate	in	order	to	calculate	the	present	value	of	those	cash	
flows.	The	carrying	amount	of	goodwill	at	31	December	2016	was	£5,776,000	(2015:	£nil).	Further	details	are	given	in	note	13.

Capitalisation of development costs (accounting judgement)
As	described	in	note	3,	the	Group	capitalises	development	expenditure	as	an	intangible	assets	where	the	criteria	under	IAS	38	‘Intangible	 
assets’	is	met.	In	2016,	development	expenditure	incurred	relating	to	Platform	4	was	capitalised,	amounting	to	£10,222,000	(2015:	£8,365,000).	

Statement on sensitivity to valuation methods (accounting judgement)
In	modelling	the	Fair	Value	determination	of	Loans	and	Receivables,	the	Going	Concern	and	Viability	Statement,	the	Group’s	Weighted	Average	Cost	
of	Capital	was	utilised	(WACC).	The	overall	WACC	for	2016	was	5.42%	(2015:	8.25%)	with	the	significant	reduction	during	the	year	being	driven	by	a	
33%	reduction	in	the	share	price	volatility	Beta	calculation	and	reductions	in	both	Equity	and	the	Risk-free	return	rates.	This	has	reduced	the	impact	
of	sensitivity	analysis	on	computations	involving	Fair	Value	estimates.	The	impact	of	the	Fair	Value	estimates	on	acquired	Receivables	was	£38,000	
(see	note	35).

3. Significant accounting policies
Basis of accounting
The	financial	statements	have	been	prepared	in	accordance	with	International	Financial	Reporting	Standards	(‘IFRS’),	as	adopted	for	use	in	the	
European	Union.	Therefore	the	Group	financial	statements	have	been	prepared	in	accordance	with	Article	4	of	the	EU	IAS	regulation.

The	financial	information	has	been	prepared	on	the	basis	of	all	applicable	IFRS,	including	all	International	Accounting	Standards	(‘IAS’),	Standing	
Interpretations	Committee	(‘SIC’)	interpretations	and	International	Financial	Reporting	Interpretations	Committee	(‘IFRIC’)	interpretations	issued	
by	the	International	Accounting	Standards	Board	(‘IASB’)	that	are	applicable	to	the	financial	period,	as	adopted	by	the	European	Union.

The	financial	statements	have	been	prepared	on	the	historical	cost	basis,	except	for	the	revaluation	of	financial	instruments.	The	Group	financial	
statements	are	presented	in	Sterling	and	all	values	are	rounded	to	the	nearest	thousand	pounds	(£’000)	except	when	otherwise	indicated.

The	principal	accounting	policies	adopted	are	set	out	below.

Basis of consolidation
The	consolidated	financial	statements	incorporate	the	financial	statements	of	the	Company	and	entities	controlled	by	the	Company	(‘its	subsidiaries’)	
made	up	to	31	December	each	year.	Control	is	achieved	where	the	Company	has	the	power	to	govern	the	financial	and	operating	policies	of	an	
investee	entity	so	as	to	obtain	benefits	from	its	activities.

The	results	of	subsidiaries	acquired	or	disposed	of	during	the	year	are	included	in	the	consolidated	income	statement	from	the	effective	date	of	
acquisition	or	up	to	the	effective	date	of	disposal,	as	appropriate.	Where	necessary,	adjustments	are	made	to	the	financial	statements	of	subsidiaries	
to	bring	the	accounting	policies	used	in	line	with	those	used	by	the	Group.	

All	intra-group	transactions,	balances,	income	and	expenses	are	eliminated	on	consolidation.	Foreign	exchange	gains	and	losses	arising	on	the	
retranslation	of	trading	balances	with	subsidiaries	with	different	functional	currencies	are	reported	in	the	income	statement.

STRATEGIC REPORTGOVERNANCEFINANCIAL STATEMENTS82 
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Financial Statements

Notes to the consolidated financial statements continued
for the year ended 31 December 2016

3. Significant accounting policies continued
Going concern
The	Group’s	business	activities,	together	with	the	factors	likely	to	affect	its	future	development,	performance	and	position,	are	set	out	in	the	Strategic	
Report.	Notes	19,	20	and	23	include	a	description	of	the	Group’s	objectives;	policies	and	processes	for	managing	its	capital;	its	financial	risk	
management	objectives;	details	of	its	financial	instruments	and	hedging	activities;	and	its	exposure	to	credit	risk	and	liquidity	risk.

The	Group	has	considerable	financial	resources	and	through	a	diverse	customer	base	is	exposed	not	only	to	the	Western	economies	but	also	China,	
India	and	Latin	America.	As	a	consequence,	the	Directors	believe	that	the	Group	is	well	placed	to	manage	its	business	risks	successfully	despite	the	
current	uncertain	economic	outlook.

After	making	enquiries,	the	Directors	have	a	reasonable	expectation	that	the	Group	has	adequate	resources	to	continue	in	operational	existence	 
for	the	foreseeable	future,	based	on	the	Group’s	forecasts	and	projections	for	the	next	four	years,	taking	account	of	reasonably	possible	changes	 
in	trading	performance.	For	this	reason,	we	continue	to	adopt	the	going	concern	basis	in	preparing	the	financial	statements.

Business combinations
The	acquisition	of	subsidiaries	is	accounted	for	using	the	acquisition	method.

Goodwill	arising	on	acquisition	is	recognised	as	an	asset	and	initially	measured	at	cost,	being	the	excess	of	the	cost	of	the	business	combination	
over	the	Group’s	interest	in	the	net	fair	value	of	the	identifiable	assets,	liabilities	and	contingent	liabilities	recognised.	If,	after	reassessment,	the	
Group’s	interest	in	the	net	fair	value	of	the	acquiree’s	identifiable	assets,	liabilities	and	contingent	liabilities	exceeds	the	cost	of	the	business	
combination,	the	excess	is	recognised	immediately	in	the	income	statement.

Goodwill
Goodwill	arising	on	consolidation	is	initially	recognised	as	an	asset	at	cost	and	is	subsequently	measured	at	cost	less	any	accumulated	impairment	
losses.	Goodwill	which	is	recognised	as	an	asset	is	reviewed	for	impairment	at	least	annually.	Any	impairment	is	recognised	immediately	in	the	
income	statement	and	is	not	subsequently	reversed.

For	the	purposes	of	impairment	testing,	goodwill	is	allocated	to	each	of	the	Group’s	cash-generating	units	expected	to	benefit	from	the	synergies	
of	the	combination.	Cash-generating	units	to	which	goodwill	has	been	allocated	are	tested	for	impairment	annually,	or	more	frequently	when	there	
is	an	indication	that	the	unit	may	be	impaired.	If	the	recoverable	amount	of	the	cash-generating	unit	is	less	than	the	carrying	amount	of	the	unit,	the	
impairment	loss	is	allocated	first	to	reduce	the	carrying	amount	of	any	goodwill	allocated	to	the	unit	and	then	to	the	other	assets	of	the	unit	pro	rata	
on	the	basis	of	the	carrying	amount	of	each	asset	in	the	unit.	An	impairment	loss	recognised	for	goodwill	is	not	reversed	in	a	subsequent	period.

On	disposal	of	the	cash-generating	unit,	the	attributable	amount	of	goodwill	is	included	in	the	determination	of	the	profit	or	loss	on	disposal.

Goodwill	arising	on	acquisitions	before	the	date	of	transition	to	IFRS	has	been	retained	at	the	previous	UK	GAAP	amounts	subject	to	being	tested	
for	impairment	at	that	date.	Goodwill	written	off	to	reserves	under	UK	GAAP	prior	to	1998	has	not	been	reinstated	and	is	not	included	in	determining	
any	subsequent	profit	or	loss	on	disposal.

Revenue recognition
Revenue	is	measured	at	the	fair	value	of	the	consideration	received	or	receivable	and	represents	amounts	receivable	for	goods	and	services	
provided	in	the	normal	course	of	business,	net	of	discounts,	VAT	and	other	sales	related	taxes,	but	gross	of	any	tax	withheld.	

Sales	of	goods	are	recognised	when	all	of	the	following	conditions	are	satisfied:

•	 The	Company	has	transferred	to	the	buyer	the	significant	risks	and	rewards	of	ownership	of	the	goods	
•	 The	Company	retains	neither	a	continuing	managerial	involvement	to	the	degree	normally	associated	with	ownership,	nor	effective	 

control	over	goods	sold	

•	 The	amount	of	revenue	can	be	measured	reliably	
•	 It	is	probable	that	the	economic	benefits	associated	with	the	transaction	will	flow	to	the	entity
•	 The	costs	incurred,	or	to	be	incurred,	in	respect	of	the	transaction	can	be	measured	reliably.

For	sales	of	goods	to	a	distributor	with	consignment	stock	arrangements,	revenue	is	recognised	at	the	point	of	sale	by	the	distributor	which	is	when	
the	risks	and	rewards	of	ownership	of	inventory	have	transferred.	For	sales	of	goods	to	distributors	with	standard	credit	terms,	revenue	is	recognised	
at	point	of	shipment.

Development	fees	gained	from	joint	development	agreements	are	treated	as	income	over	the	periods	necessary	to	match	them	with	the	 
related	costs.

Funding	received	for	internally	generated	intangible	assets	is	recognised	on	a	straight-line	basis	to	match	the	amortisation	period	of	the	related	
intangible	fixed	asset.	

Royalties	are	recognised	on	an	accruals	basis	in	accordance	with	the	actual	revenue	trend	in	the	most	recent	quarterly	statements	received	from	
each	licensee.

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Annual Report and Financial Statements 2016   

3. Significant accounting policies continued
Revenue recognition continued
Interest	income	is	accrued	on	a	time	basis,	by	reference	to	the	principal	outstanding	and	at	the	effective	interest	rate	applicable,	which	is	the	rate	
that	discounts	estimated	future	cash	receipts	through	the	expected	life	of	the	financial	asset	to	that	asset’s	net	carrying	amount.	

Printheads	are	sold	to	certain	customers	with	volume	discounts.	Revenue	from	these	sales	is	recorded	based	on	the	contracted	price	less	the	
estimated	volume	discount	based	on	the	anticipated	volume	of	sales.

Leases
Rentals	payable	under	operating	leases	are	charged	to	income	on	a	straight-line	basis	over	the	term	of	the	relevant	lease,	except	where	 
another	more	systematic	basis	is	more	representative	of	the	time	pattern	in	which	the	economic	benefits	from	the	lease	asset	are	consumed.	
Contingent	rentals	arising	under	operating	leases	are	recognised	as	an	expense	in	the	period	in	which	they	are	incurred.

In	the	event	that	lease	incentives	are	received	to	enter	into	operating	leases,	such	incentives	are	recognised	as	a	liability.	The	aggregate	benefit	 
of	incentives	is	recognised	as	a	reduction	of	rental	expense	on	a	straight-line	basis,	except	where	another	systematic	basis	is	more	representative	 
of	the	time	pattern	in	which	economic	benefits	from	the	leased	asset	are	consumed.

Foreign currencies
The	individual	financial	statements	of	each	Group	company	are	presented	in	the	currency	of	the	primary	economic	environment	in	which	it	operates	
(its	functional	currency).	For	the	purpose	of	the	consolidated	financial	statements,	the	results	and	financial	position	of	each	Group	company	are	
expressed	in	Sterling,	which	is	the	functional	currency	of	the	Company	and	the	presentation	currency	for	the	consolidated	financial	statements.	

Exchange	differences	arising	on	the	settlement	of	monetary	assets	and	liabilities,	and	on	the	retranslation	of	monetary	assets	and	liabilities,	are	
included	in	the	income	statement	for	the	period.	

In	order	to	hedge	its	exposure	to	certain	foreign	exchange	risks,	the	Group	may	enter	into	forward	contracts	(see	page	80	for	details	of	the	Group’s	
accounting	policies	in	respect	of	such	derivative	financial	instruments).

For	the	purposes	of	presenting	consolidated	financial	statements,	the	assets	and	liabilities	of	the	Group’s	foreign	operations	are	translated	at	the	
exchange	rates	prevailing	on	the	balance	sheet	date.	Income	and	expense	items	are	translated	at	the	average	exchange	rates	for	the	period.	

Exchange	differences	arising	are	recognised	in	other	comprehensive	income	and	taken	to	the	translation	reserve.	Exchange	differences	on	the	
translation	of	net	investments	are	taken	to	the	translation	reserve	of	the	applicable	entity.

Goodwill	and	fair	value	adjustments	arising	on	the	acquisition	of	a	foreign	entity	are	treated	as	assets	and	liabilities	of	the	foreign	entity	and	translated	
at	the	closing	rate.	The	Group	has	elected	to	treat	goodwill	and	fair	value	adjustments	arising	on	acquisitions	before	the	date	of	transition	to	IFRS	as	
Sterling	denominated	assets	and	liabilities.

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

Government	and	EU	grants	relating	to	research	and	development	are	treated	as	income	over	the	periods	necessary	to	match	them	with	the	 
related	costs.

Operating profit
Operating	profit	is	stated	after	charging	restructuring	costs	but	before	investment	income	and	finance	costs.

Retirement benefit costs
Payments	to	defined	contribution	retirement	benefit	schemes	are	charged	as	an	expense	as	they	fall	due.	Payments	made	to	state	managed	
retirement	benefit	schemes	are	dealt	with	as	payments	to	defined	contribution	schemes	where	the	Group’s	obligations	under	the	schemes	are	
equivalent	to	those	arising	in	a	defined	contribution	retirement	benefit	scheme.

Taxation
The	tax	expense	represents	the	sum	of	the	tax	currently	payable	and	deferred	tax,	including	UK	corporation	tax	and	foreign	tax.

The	tax	currently	payable	is	based	on	taxable	profit	for	the	year.	Taxable	profit	differs	from	net	profit	as	reported	in	the	income	statement	because	 
it	excludes	items	of	income	or	expense	that	are	taxable	or	deductible	in	other	years	and	it	further	excludes	items	that	are	never	taxable	or	deductible.	
The	Group’s	liability	for	current	tax	is	calculated	using	tax	rates	that	have	been	enacted	or	substantively	enacted	by	the	balance	sheet	date.

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	or	from	the	initial	recognition	(other	than	in	a	business	
combination)	of	other	assets	and	liabilities	in	a	transaction	that	affects	neither	the	tax	profit	nor	the	accounting	profit.	

STRATEGIC REPORTGOVERNANCEFINANCIAL STATEMENTS84 
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Financial Statements

Notes to the consolidated financial statements continued
for the year ended 31 December 2016

3. Significant accounting policies continued
Taxation continued
Deferred	tax	liabilities	are	recognised	for	taxable	temporary	differences	arising	on	investments	in	subsidiaries,	except	where	the	Group	is	able	 
to	control	the	reversal	of	the	temporary	difference	and	it	is	probable	that	the	temporary	difference	will	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.	Deferred	
tax	is	charged	or	credited	in	the	income	statement,	except	when	it	relates	to	items	charged	or	credited	directly	to	equity,	in	which	case	the	deferred	
tax	is	also	dealt	with	in	equity.	

To	the	extent	that	the	Group	receives	a	tax	deduction	relating	to	share-based	payment	transactions,	deferred	tax	is	provided	at	the	appropriate	
tax	rate	on	the	difference	in	value	between	the	market	price	of	the	underlying	equity	as	at	the	date	of	the	financial	statements	and	the	exercise	
price	of	the	outstanding	share	options.	As	a	result,	the	deferred	tax	impact	of	share	options	will	not	be	derived	directly	from	the	expense	reported	
in	the	consolidated	income	statement.	The	amount	by	which	the	deductible	difference	exceeds	the	cumulative	charge	to	the	consolidated	income	
statement	is	recorded	in	the	consolidated	statement	of	comprehensive	income.

Deferred	tax	assets	and	liabilities	are	measured	on	an	undiscounted	basis	and	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.

Property, plant and equipment
All	property,	plant	and	equipment	is	shown	at	original	historical	cost	less	accumulated	depreciation	and	any	recognised	impairment	loss.	

Assets	in	the	course	of	construction	for	production	or	administrative	purposes	are	carried	at	cost,	less	any	recognised	impairment	loss.	Depreciation	
of	these	assets,	on	the	same	basis	as	other	assets	in	the	same	class,	commences	when	the	assets	are	ready	for	their	intended	use.

Depreciation	is	charged	so	as	to	write	off	the	cost	or	valuation	of	assets,	less	their	residual	values,	other	than	assets	in	the	course	of	construction,	
over	their	estimated	useful	lives,	using	the	straight-line	method,	on	the	following	bases:	

Leasehold	property	improvements
Plant	and	machinery
Furniture,	fittings	and	equipment

Ten	years	or,	where	shorter,	over	the	term	of	the	relevant	lease
Three	to	ten	years
Three	to	five	years

Assets	held	under	finance	leases	are	depreciated	over	their	expected	useful	lives	on	the	same	basis	as	owned	assets	or,	where	shorter,	over	the	
term	of	the	relevant	lease.

The	gain	or	loss	arising	on	the	disposal	of	an	asset	is	determined	as	the	difference	between	the	sales	proceeds	and	the	carrying	amount	of	the	asset	
and	is	recognised	in	income.	

Internally generated intangible assets – research and development expenditure
Expenditure	on	research	activities	is	recognised	as	an	expense	in	the	period	in	which	it	is	incurred.

In	accordance	with	IAS	38	‘Intangible	assets’	where	a	project	has	entered	the	development	phase	and	is	sufficiently	self-contained	that	the	expected	
future	economic	benefits	can	be	traced	directly	to	the	assets	developed	within	the	project,	it	is	probable	that	the	expected	future	economic	benefits	
that	are	attributable	to	the	asset	will	flow	to	the	entity,	and	the	cost	of	the	asset	can	be	measured	reliably,	the	development	costs	related	to	the	
project	will	be	capitalised	as	an	intangible	asset.

Internally	generated	intangible	assets	are	amortised	on	a	straight-line	basis	over	their	useful	lives.	Where	no	internally	generated	intangible	asset	can	
be	recognised,	development	expenditure	is	recognised	as	an	expense	in	the	period	in	which	it	is	incurred.

Other intangible assets
Costs	incurred	in	maintaining	the	patent	and	trademark	portfolio	are	written	off	to	the	income	statement	as	incurred.	

Payments	in	respect	of	software,	external	product	development	costs	and	licence	rights	acquired	are	capitalised	at	cost	and	amortised	on	a	 
straight-line	basis	over	their	estimated	useful	lives.

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3. Significant accounting policies continued
Impairment of tangible and intangible assets excluding goodwill
At	each	balance	sheet	date,	the	Group	reviews	the	carrying	amounts	of	its	tangible	and	intangible	assets	to	determine	whether	there	is	any	 
indication	that	those	assets	have	suffered	an	impairment	loss.	If	any	such	indication	exists,	the	recoverable	amount	of	the	asset	is	estimated	in	 
order	to	determine	the	extent	of	the	impairment	loss	(if	any).	Where	the	asset	does	not	generate	cash	flows	that	are	independent	from	other	assets,	
the	Group	estimates	the	recoverable	amount	of	the	cash-generating	unit	to	which	the	asset	belongs.	

Recoverable	amount	is	the	higher	of	fair	value	less	costs	to	sell	and	value-in-use.	In	assessing	value-in-use,	the	estimated	future	cash	flows	are	
discounted	to	their	present	value	using	a	pre-tax	discount	rate	that	reflects	current	market	assessments	of	the	time	value	of	money	and	the	risks	
specific	to	the	asset	for	which	the	estimates	of	future	cash	flows	have	not	been	adjusted.

If	the	recoverable	amount	of	an	asset	(or	cash-generating	unit)	is	estimated	to	be	less	than	its	carrying	amount,	the	carrying	amount	of	the	asset	
(cash-generating	unit)	is	reduced	to	its	recoverable	amount.	An	impairment	loss	is	recognised	as	an	expense	immediately.

Where	an	impairment	loss	is	subsequently	reversed,	the	carrying	amount	of	the	asset	(or	cash-generating	unit)	is	increased	to	the	revised	estimate	
of	its	recoverable	amount,	but	so	that	the	increased	carrying	amount	does	not	exceed	the	carrying	amount	that	would	have	been	determined	had	
no	impairment	loss	been	recognised	for	the	asset	(or	cash-generating	unit)	in	prior	years.	A	reversal	of	an	impairment	loss	is	recognised	as	income	
immediately.

Inventories
Inventories	are	stated	at	the	lower	of	cost	and	net	realisable	value.	Cost	is	calculated	using	the	first	in,	first	out	(FIFO)	cost	formula,	by	applying	the	
standard	cost	methodology,	with	costs	including	direct	materials,	direct	labour	costs	and	an	attributable	proportion	of	manufacturing	overheads	
based	on	normal	levels	of	activity	that	have	been	incurred	in	bringing	the	inventories	to	their	present	location	and	condition.	Net	realisable	value	
represents	the	estimated	selling	price	less	all	estimated	costs	of	completion	and	costs	to	be	incurred	in	marketing,	selling	and	distribution.	
Provision	is	made	for	obsolete,	slow-moving	or	defective	items	where	applicable.

Financial instruments
Financial	assets	and	financial	liabilities	are	recognised	on	the	Group’s	balance	sheet	when	the	Group	becomes	a	party	to	the	contractual	provisions	
of	the	instrument.

Trade receivables
Trade	receivables	are	measured	at	initial	recognition	at	fair	value.	Appropriate	allowances	for	estimated	irrecoverable	amounts	are	recognised	in	profit	
or	loss	when	there	is	objective	evidence	that	the	asset	is	impaired.	The	allowance	recognised	is	measured	as	the	difference	between	the	asset’s	
carrying	amount	and	the	present	value	of	estimated	future	cash	flows	discounted	at	the	effective	interest	rate	computed	at	initial	recognition.	

Investments
Investments	are	recognised	and	derecognised	on	a	trade	date	where	a	purchase	or	sale	of	an	investment	is	under	a	contract	whose	terms	require	
delivery	of	the	investment	within	the	time	frame	established	by	the	market	concerned	and	are	initially	measured	at	fair	value,	equating	to	cost,	
including	transaction	costs.	Investments	are	classified	as	available	for	sale,	and	on	the	basis	that	the	investments	have	no	active	market	and	
their	fair	values	cannot	be	reliably	determined	using	valuation	techniques,	the	investments	are	carried	at	cost.

If	there	is	objective	evidence	that	an	impairment	loss	on	an	unquoted	equity	investment	that	is	not	carried	at	fair	value	because	its	fair	value	cannot	
be	reliably	measured,	the	amount	of	the	loss	is	measured	as	the	difference	between	the	asset’s	carrying	amount	and	the	present	value	of	estimated	
future	cash	flows	discounted	at	the	current	market	rate	of	return	for	a	similar	financial	asset.

Bonds	with	fixed	or	determinable	payments	and	fixed	maturity	dates	that	the	Group	has	the	positive	intent	and	ability	to	hold	to	maturity	are	
classified	as	held-to-maturity	investments.	Held-to-maturity	investments	are	measured	at	amortised	cost	using	effective	interest	method	less	 
any	impairment.

Cash and cash equivalents
Cash	and	cash	equivalents	comprise	cash	on	hand	and	demand	deposits	and	other	short	term	highly	liquid	investments	that	are	readily	convertible	
to	a	known	amount	of	cash	within	a	period	of	up	to	three	months	post	balance	sheet	and	are	subject	to	an	insignificant	risk	of	changes	in	value.

Treasury deposits
Treasury	deposits	comprise	demand	deposits	that	are	convertible	to	a	known	amount	of	cash	with	an	original	maturity	of	between	three	months	 
and	twelve	months	and	are	subject	to	an	insignificant	risk	of	changes	in	value.

Financial liabilities and equity
Financial	liabilities	and	equity	instruments	are	classified	according	to	the	substance	of	the	contractual	arrangements	entered	into.	An	equity	instrument	
is	any	contract	that	evidences	a	residual	interest	in	the	assets	of	the	Group	after	deducting	all	of	its	liabilities.	The	accounting	policies	adopted	for	
specific	financial	liabilities	and	equity	instruments	are	set	out	within	the	policy	on	derivative	financial	instruments	and	hedge	accounting	on	page	86.

STRATEGIC REPORTGOVERNANCEFINANCIAL STATEMENTS86 
Xaar plc Annual Report and Financial Statements 2016
Financial Statements

Notes to the consolidated financial statements continued
for the year ended 31 December 2016

3. Significant accounting policies continued
Interest-bearing loans and borrowings
Interest-bearing	loans	and	bank	overdrafts	are	measured	initially	at	fair	value,	net	of	direct	issue	costs.	Finance	charges,	including	premiums	payable	
on	settlement	or	redemption	and	direct	issue	costs,	are	accounted	for	on	an	accrual	basis	in	the	income	statement	using	the	effective	interest	rate	
method	and	are	added	to	the	carrying	amount	of	the	instrument	to	the	extent	that	they	are	not	settled	in	the	period	in	which	they	arise.

Trade payables
Trade	payables	are	measured	at	original	cost.	

Equity instruments
Equity	instruments	issued	by	the	Company	are	recorded	as	the	proceeds	received,	net	of	direct	issue	costs.

Derivative financial instruments and hedge accounting
The	Group’s	activities	expose	it	primarily	to	the	financial	risks	of	changes	in	foreign	currency	exchange	rates	and	interest	rates	and	liquidity	risk.	

The	Group	uses	derivative	financial	instruments	(primarily	foreign	currency	forward	contracts)	to	hedge	its	risks	associated	with	foreign	currency	
fluctuations	relating	to	certain	firm	commitments	and	forecast	transactions.	

The	Group’s	interest	rate	risk	arises	mainly	from	its	funds	invested	in	short	term	bank	deposits.	To	mitigate	these	risks,	limits	have	been	set	
by	the	Board	in	relation	to	maturity	period	and	maximum	deposits	with	any	one	institution.	

In	order	to	mitigate	the	Group’s	liquidity	risks,	the	Group	can	choose	to	fund	significant	fixed	asset	purchases	by	finance	leases	repayable	over	
a	period	of	three	to	five	years	dependent	on	the	individual	asset	being	financed	and	interest-bearing	loans.	

The	use	of	financial	derivatives	is	governed	by	the	Group’s	policies	approved	by	the	Board	of	Directors,	which	provides	written	principles	on	the	 
use	of	financial	derivatives	consistent	with	the	Group’s	risk	management	strategy.	The	Group	does	not	use	derivative	financial	instruments	for	
speculative	purposes.	

Derivative	financial	instruments	are	initially	measured	at	fair	value	on	the	contract	date	and	are	remeasured	to	fair	value	at	subsequent	reporting	dates.	

Changes	in	the	fair	value	of	derivative	financial	instruments	that	are	designated	as	hedges	of	future	cash	flows	and	deemed	to	be	effective	are	
recognised	directly	in	equity	and	the	ineffective	portion	is	recognised	immediately	in	the	income	statement.	If	the	cash	flow	hedge	of	a	firm	
commitment	or	forecast	transaction	results	in	the	recognition	of	an	asset	or	a	liability,	then,	at	the	time	the	asset	or	liability	is	recognised,	the	
associated	gains	or	losses	on	the	derivative	that	had	previously	been	recognised	in	equity	are	included	in	the	initial	measurement	of	the	asset	or	
liability.	For	hedges	that	do	not	result	in	the	recognition	of	an	asset	or	a	liability,	amounts	deferred	in	equity	are	recognised	in	the	income	statement	in	
the	same	period	in	which	the	hedged	item	affects	net	profit	or	loss.	However,	when	the	forecast	transaction	that	is	hedged	results	in	the	recognition	
of	a	non-financial	asset	or	non-financial	liability,	the	gains	and	losses	previously	accumulated	in	equity	are	transferred	from	equity	and	included	 
in	the	initial	measurement	of	the	cost	of	the	non-financial	asset	or	non-financial	liability.

Changes	in	fair	value	of	derivative	financial	instruments	that	do	not	qualify	for	hedge	accounting	are	recognised	in	the	income	statement	
as	they	arise.

Hedge	accounting	is	discontinued	when	the	hedging	instrument	expires	or	is	sold,	terminated,	exercised,	or	no	longer	qualifies	for	hedge	accounting.	
At	that	time,	any	cumulative	gain	or	loss	on	the	hedging	instrument	recognised	in	equity	is	retained	in	equity	until	the	forecast	transaction	occurs.	
If	a	hedged	transaction	is	no	longer	expected	to	occur,	the	net	cumulative	gain	or	loss	recognised	in	equity	is	transferred	to	net	profit	or	loss	for	
the	period.

Derivatives	embedded	in	other	financial	instruments	or	other	host	contracts	are	treated	as	separate	derivatives	when	their	risks	and	characteristics	
are	not	closely	related	to	those	of	host	contracts	and	the	host	contracts	are	not	carried	at	fair	value,	with	gains	or	losses	reported	in	the	 
income	statement.

Provisions
Provisions	are	recognised	when	the	Group	has	a	present	obligation	as	a	result	of	a	past	event	and	it	is	probable	that	the	Group	will	be	required	to	
settle	that	obligation.	Provisions	are	measured	at	the	Directors’	best	estimate	of	the	expenditure	required	to	settle	the	obligation	at	the	balance	sheet	
date	and	are	discounted	where	the	effect	of	the	time	value	of	money	is	material.

A	restructuring	provision	is	recognised	when	the	Group	has	developed	a	detailed	formal	plan	for	the	restructuring	and	has	raised	a	valid	expectation	
in	those	affected	that	it	will	carry	out	the	restructuring	by	starting	to	implement	the	plan	or	announcing	its	main	features	to	those	affected	by	it,	and	
the	plan	has	reached	a	stage	where	the	decision	is	unlikely	to	be	reversed.	The	measurement	of	a	restructuring	provision	includes	only	the	direct	
expenditures	arising	from	the	restructuring,	which	are	those	amounts	that	are	both	necessarily	entailed	by	the	restructuring	and	not	associated	
with	the	ongoing	activities	of	the	entity.

87 
Xaar plc
Annual Report and Financial Statements 2016   

3. Significant accounting policies continued
Provisions continued
Provisions	for	the	expected	cost	of	warranty	obligations	under	local	sale	of	goods	legislation	are	recognised	in	the	month	of	sale	of	the	relevant	
products,	at	the	Directors’	best	estimate	of	the	expenditure	required	to	settle	the	Group’s	obligation.

Share-based payments
The	Group	has	applied	the	requirements	of	IFRS	2	‘Share-based	payment’.	In	accordance	with	the	transitional	provisions,	IFRS	2	has	been	applied	
to	all	grants	of	equity	instruments	after	7	November	2002	that	were	unvested	at	1	January	2005.

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

The	fair	value	of	options	issued	under	the	Group’s	Long	Term	Incentive	Plan	is	measured	using	a	stochastic	(Monte	Carlo	binomial)	model	for	grants	
made	between	2007	and	2009	inclusive.	The	fair	value	of	all	other	equity-settled	share-based	payments	is	measured	using	the	Black-Scholes	pricing	
model.	The	expected	life	used	in	these	models	has	been	adjusted,	based	on	management’s	best	estimate,	for	the	effects	of	non-transferability,	
exercise	restrictions	and	behavioural	considerations.

SAYE	share	options	granted	to	employees	are	treated	as	cancelled	when	employees	cease	to	contribute	to	the	scheme.	This	results	in	accelerated	
recognition	of	the	expenses	that	would	have	arisen	over	the	remainder	of	the	original	vesting	period.

Own shares
Own	shares	are	deducted	from	equity.	No	gain	or	loss	is	recognised	in	the	income	statement	on	the	purchase,	sale,	issue	or	cancellation	of	the	
Group’s	own	shares.

New standards and interpretations
At	the	date	of	authorisation	of	these	financial	statements,	the	following	Standards	and	Interpretations	which	have	not	been	applied	in	these	financial	
statements	were	in	issue	but	not	yet	effective	(and	in	some	cases	had	not	yet	been	adopted	by	the	EU):

IFRS	9
IFRS	15
IFRS	16
IAS	7
IAS	12
IFRS	2
IFRIC	Interpretation	22
Annual	Improvements	to	IFRSs	(amendments)

Financial	Instruments
Revenue	from	Contracts	with	Customers
Leases
(amendments)	Disclosure	Initiative
(amendments)	Recognition	of	Deferred	Tax	Assets	for	Unrealised	Losses
Classification	and	measurement	of	Share-based	Payment	Transactions
Foreign	Currency	Transactions	and	Advance	Consideration

The	Directors	do	not	expect	that	the	adoption	of	the	standards	listed	above	will	have	a	material	impact	on	the	financial	statements	of	the	Group	in	
future	periods,	except	as	noted	below:	

•  IFRS	15	may	have	an	impact	on	revenue	recognition	and	related	disclosures
•	 IFRS	16	will	have	a	material	impact	on	the	reported	assets,	liabilities,	income	statement	and	cash	flows	of	the	Group.	Certain	substantial		

disclosures	will	be	required	by	IFRS	16,	that	is	not	currently	required.

Beyond	the	information	above,	it	is	not	practical	or	expedient	to	provide	a	reasonable	estimate	of	the	effect	of	these	standards	until	a	detailed	review	
has	been	completed	and	until	there	is	more	certainty	on	the	adoption	of	IFRS	16	by	the	European	Union.

STRATEGIC REPORTGOVERNANCEFINANCIAL STATEMENTS88 
Xaar plc Annual Report and Financial Statements 2016
Financial Statements

Notes to the consolidated financial statements continued
for the year ended 31 December 2016

4. Reconciliation of adjusted financial measures

Profit	before	tax

Share-based	payment	charges
Exchange	differences	on	intra-group	transactions
Restructuring	and	acquisition	expenses
Research	and	development	expenditure	credit

Adjusted	profit	before	tax

Capitalised	research	and	development	expense

Adjusted	profit	before	tax	excluding	the	impact	of	IAS	38

2016
£’000

2015
£’000

17,853

13,572

969
60
1,205
(605)

1,498
447
6,120
(818)

19,482

20,819

(10,222)

(8,365)	

9,260

12,454

Share-based	payment	charges	include	the	IFRS	2	charge	for	the	period	of	£887,000,	per	note	32	(2015:	£1,290,000)	and	the	charge	relating	to	National	
Insurance	on	the	outstanding	potential	share	option	of	£82,000	(2015:	charge	of	£208,000).	These	costs	were	included	in	the	general	and	administrative	
expenses	in	the	Consolidated	income	statement.

Exchange	differences	relating	to	the	United	States	and	Swedish	operations	represent	exchange	gains	or	losses	recorded	in	the	consolidated	income	
statement	as	a	result	of	operating	in	the	USA	and	Sweden.	These	costs	were	included	in	the	general	and	administrative	expenses	in	the	Consolidated	
income	statement.

Restructuring	and	acquisition	expenses	of	£1,205,000	(2015:	£6,120,000)	relate	to	costs	incurred	and	provisions	made	in	relation	to	a	reorganisation	and	
the	planned	closure	of	the	manufacturing	facility	in	Sweden	in	2016	and	include	acquisition	expenses	and	earn-out	provisions	for	the	acquisition	of	EPS.	

The	research	and	development	expenditure	credit	relates	to	the	corporation	tax	relief	receivable	relating	to	qualifying	research	and	development	
expenditure.	This	item	is	shown	on	the	face	of	the	income	statement.

Adjusted	profit	before	tax	excluding	the	impact	of	IAS	38	(capitalisation	of	development	costs)	is	the	measure	that	is	used	internally	for	setting	and	
comparing	achievement	of	the	annual	bonus	target.

Diluted	earnings	per	share

Share-based	payment	charges
Exchange	differences	relating	to	the	Swedish	operations
Restructuring	and	acquisition	expenses
Tax	effect	of	adjusting	items

Adjusted	diluted	earnings	per	share

This	reconciliation	is	provided	to	enable	a	better	understanding	of	the	Group’s	results.

5. Revenue
An	analysis	of	the	Group’s	revenue	is	as	follows:

Product	sales,	commissions	and	fees
Royalties	

Investment	income

2016
Pence per share

2015
Pence	per	share

18.9p

16.1p

1.2p
0.2p
1.5p
(0.6p)

1.9p
0.6p
7.9p
(2.0p)

21.2p

24.5p

Notes

9

2016
£’000

82,863
13,315

96,178
449

96,627

2015
£’000

87,271
6,201

93,472
426

93,898

Royalty	revenue	includes	a	one-time	contractual	payment	which	took	place	in	H1	2016	and	was	disclosed	as	part	of	the	interim	results	issued	
to	30	June	2016.	A	second	royalty	audit	settlement	was	received	in	H2	2016	and	is	included	in	the	above	amount.	

 
89 
Xaar plc
Annual Report and Financial Statements 2016   

6. Business and geographical segments
Products	and	services	from	which	reportable	segments	derive	their	revenues.

For	management	reporting	purposes,	the	Group’s	operations	are	currently	analysed	according	to	the	two	operating	segments	of	‘product	sales,	
commissions	and	fees’	and	‘royalties’.	These	two	operating	segments	are	the	basis	on	which	the	Group	reports	its	primary	segment	information	and	
on	which	decisions	are	made	by	the	Group’s	Chief	Executive	Officer	and	Board	of	Directors,	and	resources	allocated.	The	Group’s	chief	operating	
decision	maker	is	the	Chief	Executive	Officer.

Segment	information	is	presented	below:

Year ended 31 December 2016

Revenue

Total	segment	revenue

Result
Adjusted	profit	before	tax
Share-based	payment	charges
Exchange	differences	relating	to	the	Swedish	operations
Restructuring	costs
Research	and	development	expenditure	credit

Profit/(loss)	before	tax

Product sales, 
commissions
and fees
£’000

Royalties
£’000

Unallocated
£’000

Consolidated
£’000

82,863

13,315

–

96,178

5,718
–
(60)
(1,205)
605

5,058

13,315
–
–
–
–

13,315

449
(969)
–
–
–

(520)

19,482
(969)
(60)
(1,205)
605 

17,853

Investment	income	is	not	allocated	to	reportable	segments	for	the	purposes	of	reporting	to	the	Group’s	Chief	Executive	Officer	and	Board	of	Directors.

Share-based	payment	charges	include	the	IFRS	2	charge	for	the	period	and	the	charge	relating	to	National	Insurance	on	the	outstanding	potential	
share	option	gains.

Year	ended	31	December	2015

Revenue

Total	segment	revenue

Result
Adjusted	profit	before	tax
Share-based	payment	charges
Exchange	differences	relating	to	the	Swedish	operations
Restructuring	costs
Research	and	development	expenditure	credit

Profit/(loss)	before	tax

Product	sales,	
commissions
and	fees
£’000

Royalties
£’000

Unallocated
£’000

Consolidated
£’000

87,271

6,201

–

93,472	

14,192
–
(447)
(6,120)
818

8,443

6,201
–
–
–
–

6,201

426
(1,498)
–
–
–

20,819
(1,498)
(447)
(6,120)
818

(1,072)

13,572

STRATEGIC REPORTGOVERNANCEFINANCIAL STATEMENTS 
 
 
90 
Xaar plc Annual Report and Financial Statements 2016
Financial Statements

Notes to the consolidated financial statements continued
for the year ended 31 December 2016

6. Business and geographical segments continued
Segment assets

Product	sales,	commissions	and	fees
Royalties	

Total	segment	assets
Investments
Treasury	deposits
Cash	and	cash	equivalents	

Total assets

2016
£’000

106,604
1,562

108,166
1,000
–
49,321

2015
£’000

75,902
1,358

77,260
1,000
27,098
42,649

158,487

148,007

Assets	are	allocated	to	the	segment	which	has	responsibility	for	their	control.	

No	information	is	provided	for	segment	liabilities	as	this	measure	is	not	provided	to	the	chief	operating	decision	maker.

Other segment information

Year ended 31 December 2016

Depreciation and amortisation
Share-based	payment	charges
Capital	expenditure

Year	ended	31	December	2015

Depreciation and amortisation
Share-based	payment	charges
Capital	expenditure

Revenues from major products and services

Product	sales,	commissions	and	fees
Royalties	

Consolidated	revenue	(excluding	investment	income)

Product sales, 
commissions
and fees
£’000

8,638
–
23,148

Product	sales,	
commissions
and	fees
£’000

10,981
–
11,674

Notes

14,	15

14,	15

Notes

14,	15

14,	15

Royalties
£’000

Unallocated
£’000

Consolidated
£’000

–
–
–

–
969
–

8,638 
969 
23,148 

Royalties
£’000

Unallocated
£’000

Consolidated
£’000

–
–
–

–
1,498
–

2016
£’000

82,863
13,315

96,178

10,981
1,498
11,674

2015
£’000

87,271
6,201

93,472

91 
Xaar plc
Annual Report and Financial Statements 2016   

6. Business and geographical segments continued
Geographical information
The	Group	operates	in	three	principal	geographical	areas:	EMEA,	Asia	and	the	Americas.	Revenues	are	attributed	to	geographical	areas	on	the	
basis	of	the	customers’	operating	location.	The	Group’s	revenue	from	external	customers	and	information	about	its	segments	(non-current	assets	
excluding	deferred	tax	assets	and	other	financial	assets)	by	geographical	location	is	detailed	below:

EMEA
Asia
–	China
–	Japan
– Other
The	Americas	(including	USA)

Revenue	from	external	customers

2016
£’000

2015
£’000

41,653

47,113

20,928
14,091
1,385
18,121

96,178

31,346
6,611
1,935
6,467

93,472

Non-current	assets,	being	property,	plant	and	equipment,	goodwill,	other	intangible	assets,	investments,	receivables	and	the	deferred	tax	asset,	
are	attributed	to	the	location	where	they	are	situated.

EMEA
Asia
The	Americas	(including	USA)

Non-current	assets

2015
£’000

48,994
50
6

49,050

2016
£’000

68,257
27
2,723

71,007

Information about major customers
Included	in	revenues	arising	from	product	sales,	commissions	and	fees	are	revenues	of	approximately	£8.2	million	(9%	of	revenues)	(2015:	
£9.1	million,	10%	of	revenues)	which	arose	from	sales	to	the	Group’s	largest	customer.	In	the	year	ended	31	December	2016	revenues	of	
approximately	£6.8	million	(8%	of	revenues)	(2015:	£7.8	million,	10%	of	revenues)	were	included	in	the	product	sales,	commissions	and	fees	
which	arose	from	sales	to	the	Group’s	second	largest	customer.	In	2016,	the	largest	customer	was	the	only	customer	to	exceed	9%	of	revenue	
in	the	period	(2015:	the	largest	customer	exceeded	10%	of	revenue	in	the	period).	Revenue	from	the	top	five	customers	represents	40%	of	
revenues	(2015:	41%).

7. Profit for the year
Profit	for	the	year	has	been	arrived	at	after	charging/(crediting):	

Research	and	development	expenses	(net	of	capitalised	development	costs)*
Grants	towards	research	and	development	including	the	research	and	development	expenditure	credit
Depreciation	of	property,	plant	and	equipment
Amortisation	capitalised	development	costs	(included	in	research	and	development	expenses)
Amortisation	software	(included	in	general	and	administrative	expenses)	
(Profit)/loss	on	disposal	of	property,	plant	and	equipment
Cost	of	inventories	recognised	as	expense
Impairment	of	other	financial	assets
Total	fees	payable	to	the	Company’s	auditor	and	its	associates

*Total	spend	on	research	and	development	in	2016,	including	capitalised	development	costs	included	in	note	14,	was	£22,433,000	(2015:	£19,913,000).

2016
£’000

12,211
(605)
7,851
492
295
(3)
51,511
138
180

2015
£’000

11,548
(878)
10,147
493
341
75
48,782
(90)
165

STRATEGIC REPORTGOVERNANCEFINANCIAL STATEMENTS92 
Xaar plc Annual Report and Financial Statements 2016
Financial Statements

Notes to the consolidated financial statements continued
for the year ended 31 December 2016

7. Profit for the year continued
Auditor’s Remuneration

Fees	payable	to	the	Company’s	auditor	for	the	audit	of	the	Company’s	annual	accounts
Fees	payable	to	the	Company’s	auditor	and	its	associates	for	other	services	to	the	Group
–	The	audit	of	the	Company’s	subsidiaries

Total	audit	fees

–	Interim	review
–	Taxation	compliance	services
–	Recruitment	and	remuneration	services
–	Audit	advisory
–	Other	services

Total	non-audit	fees

2016
£’000

22

104

126

25
9
12
–
8

54

2015
£’000

22

107

129

25
5
1
–
5

36

Total fees payable to the Company’s auditor and its associates

180

165

The	Audit	Committee	has	considered	the	independence	of	the	auditor	in	relation	to	non-audit	services	throughout	the	year.	A	description	of	the	
work	of	the	Audit	Committee	is	set	out	in	the	Corporate	governance	statement	on	pages	42	to	43	and	includes	an	explanation	of	how	the	auditor’s	
objectivity	and	independence	is	safeguarded	when	non-audit	services	are	provided	by	the	auditor.

8. Staff costs
The	average	monthly	number	of	persons	employed	by	the	Group	including	Executive	Directors	was	as	follows:

Research	and	development	
Sales	and	marketing	
Manufacturing	and	engineering	
Business support

Their	aggregate	remuneration	comprised:	

Wages	and	salaries	
Social	security	costs
Pension	costs
Share-based	payments

2016 
Number

2015
Number

127
55
368
76

626

2016
£’000

25,716
3,013
1,357
969

31,055

130
51
382
65

628

2015
£’000

24,169
3,046
1,589
1,498

30,302

Notes

33

Share-based	payment	charges	include	the	IFRS	2	charge	for	the	period	and	the	charge	relating	to	National	Insurance	on	the	outstanding	potential	
share	option	gains.

 
93 
Xaar plc
Annual Report and Financial Statements 2016   

9. Investment income

Interest	receivable	on	cash	and	bank	balances,	and	treasury	deposits
Interest	receivable	on	held-to-maturity	investments

10. Tax

Current	tax	–	UK
Current	tax	–	overseas

Amounts	under/(over)	provided	in	previous	years

Total current income tax

Deferred	tax	–	origination	and	reversal
Adjustment	in	respect	of	prior	years

Total	deferred	tax	charge

Total	tax	expense	for	the	year

2016
£’000

449
–

449

2016
£’000

1,546
180

1,726
4

1,730

608
714

1,322

3,052

2015
£’000

423
3

426

2015
£’000

1,151
385

1,536
(972)

564

316
163

479

1,043

Notes

21

The	blended	standard	rate	of	tax	for	the	year,	based	on	the	UK	standard	rate	of	corporation	tax,	is	20.00%	(2015:	20.25%).	Taxation	for	other	
jurisdictions	is	calculated	at	the	rates	prevailing	in	the	respective	jurisdictions.	

The	Finance	(No	2)	Act	2015,	which	provides	for	reductions	in	the	main	rate	of	corporation	tax	from	20%	to	19%	effective	from	1	April	2017	and	to	
18%	effective	from	1	April	2020,	was	substantively	enacted	on	26	October	2015.	Subsequently,	the	Finance	Act	2016,	which	provides	for	a	further	
reduction	in	the	main	rate	of	corporation	tax	to	17%	effective	from	1	April	2020,	was	substantively	enacted	on	6	September	2016.	These	rate	
reductions	have	been	reflected	in	the	calculation	of	deferred	tax	at	the	balance	sheet	date.

The	closing	deferred	tax	liability	at	31	December	2016	has	been	calculated	at	17%	reflecting	the	tax	rate	at	which	the	deferred	tax	liability	is	
expected	to	be	reversed	in	future	periods.

In	addition	to	the	amount	charges	to	the	income	statement	and	other	comprehensive	income,	the	following	amounts	relating	to	tax	have	been	
recognised	directly	in	equity:

Current tax
Excess	tax	deductions	related	to	share-based	payments	on	exercised	options
Excess	tax	deductions	in	relation	to	restructuring	charges

Deferred tax
Arising	on	transactions	with	equity	participants:
Change	in	estimated	excess	tax	deductions	related	to	share-based	payments

Total	income	tax	recognised	directly	in	equity

2016
£’000

(483)
(13)

(496)

62

  (434)

2015
£’000

–
–

–

–

–

STRATEGIC REPORTGOVERNANCEFINANCIAL STATEMENTS94 
Xaar plc Annual Report and Financial Statements 2016
Financial Statements

Notes to the consolidated financial statements continued
for the year ended 31 December 2016

10. Tax continued
The	charge	for	the	year	can	be	reconciled	to	the	profit	per	the	income	statement	as	follows:

Profit on ordinary activities before tax 

Tax	on	ordinary	activities	at	a	blended	standard	rate	of	20.00%	(2015:	20.25%)
Effect	of:	
Expenses	not	deductible	for	tax	purposes
Effect	of	different	tax	rates	of	subsidiaries	operating	overseas
Enhanced	tax	deduction	for	patent	box
Effect	of	change	in	UK	corporation	tax	rate	on	deferred	tax
Prior	period	adjustments

Total tax expense for the year

The	effective	tax	rate	for	the	year	is	17%	(2015:	8%).	Excluding	the	prior	year	adjustments,	the	effective	tax	rate	would	be	11%.	The	prior	year	
adjustments	relate	primarily	to	the	patent	box	scheme.	

The	prior	year	adjustments	relate	primarily	to	not	claiming	patent	box	scheme	and	the	reversal	of	capital	allowance	previously	claimed.

11. Dividends

Amounts	recognised	as	distributions	to	equity	holders	in	the	year:
Final	dividend	for	the	year	ended	31	December	2015	of	6.3p	(2014:	6.0p)	per	share
Interim	dividend	for	the	year	ended	31	December	2016	of	3.3p	(2015:	3.15p)	per	share

Total	distributions	to	equity	holders	in	the	year

Proposed	final	dividend	for	the	year	ended	31	December	2016	of	6.7p	(2015:	6.3p)	per	share

2016
£’000

4,808
2,520

7,328

5,212

The	proposed	final	dividend	is	subject	to	approval	by	shareholders	at	the	AGM	and	has	not	been	included	as	a	liability	in	these	financial	statements.

12. Earnings per ordinary share – basic and diluted
The	calculation	of	basic	and	diluted	earnings	per	share	is	based	on	the	following	data:

Earnings 
Earnings	for	the	purposes	of	basic	earnings	per	share	being	net	profit	attributable	to	equity	holders	of	the	parent

Number of shares
Weighted	average	number	of	ordinary	shares	for	the	purposes	of	basic	earnings	per	share
Effect	of	dilutive	potential	ordinary	shares:
Share options

2016
£’000

2015
£’000

14,801

12,529

76,246,300

75,572,550

1,994,875

2,215,736

Weighted	average	number	of	ordinary	shares	for	the	purposes	of	diluted	earnings	per	share

78,241,175

77,788,286

2016
£’000

2015
£’000

17,853

13,572

3,571

2,748

163
69
(1,114)
(355)
718

3,052

319
33
(1,174)
(74)
(809)

1,043

2015
£’000

4,535
2,390

6,925

4,891

95 
Xaar plc
Annual Report and Financial Statements 2016   

12. Earnings per ordinary share – basic and diluted continued

Basic
Diluted

2016
Pence per share

2015
Pence	per	share

19.4p
18.9p

16.6p
16.1p

The	weighted	average	number	of	ordinary	shares	for	the	purposes	of	basic	earnings	per	share	is	calculated	after	the	exclusion	of	ordinary	shares	 
in	Xaar	plc	held	by	Xaar	Trustee	Ltd,	the	Xaar	plc	ESOP	trust	and	the	matching	shares	held	in	trust	for	the	Share	Incentive	Plan.

For	2016,	there	were	share	options	granted	over	22,758	shares	that	had	not	been	included	in	the	diluted	earnings	per	share	calculation	because	
they	were	anti-dilutive	at	the	period	end	(2015:	35,678	shares).

The	performance	conditions	for	LTIP	awards	over	1,109,652	shares	(2015:	724,608	shares)	have	not	been	met	in	the	current	financial	period	
or	are	not	expected	to	be	met	in	future	financial	periods,	and	therefore	the	dilutive	effect	of	those	shares	have	not	been	included	in	the	diluted	
earnings	per	share	calculation.

Adjusted earnings per share
This	adjusted	earnings	per	share	information	is	considered	to	provide	a	fairer	representation	of	the	Group’s	trading	performance	year	on	year,	 
as	it	removes	items	which,	in	the	Board’s	opinion,	do	not	reflect	the	underlying	performance	of	the	Group.

The	calculation	of	adjusted	EPS	excluding	share-based	payment	charges,	exchange	differences	relating	to	the	Swedish	operations,	the	gain	or	loss	
on	derivative	financial	instruments,	and	restructuring	costs,	is	based	on	earnings	of:	

Earnings	for	the	purposes	of	basic	earnings	per	share	being	net	profit	attributable	to	equity	holders	of	the	parent

14,801

12,529

2016
£’000

2015
£’000

Share-based	payment	charges
Exchange	differences	relating	to	the	Swedish	operations
Restructuring	costs
Tax	effect	of	adjusting	items

Adjusted	profit	after	tax

Adjusted	profit	after	tax	excluding	the	net	of	tax	impact	of	IAS	38*

The	denominators	used	are	the	same	as	those	detailed	above	for	both	basic	and	diluted	earnings	per	share.	

Adjusted	earnings	per	share	is	earnings	per	share	excluding	the	items	adjusted	for	as	detailed	above:	

Adjusted	basic
Adjusted	diluted

Adjusted	basic	excluding	the	impact	of	IAS	38*

969
60
1,205
(447)

16,588

8,410

1,498
447
6,120
(1,570)

19,024

12,839

2016
Pence per share

2015
Pence	per	share

21.8p
21.2p

11.0p

25.2p
24	5p

17.0p

Adjusted	EPS	is	considered	to	provide	a	fairer	representation	of	the	Group’s	trading	performance	year	on	year.	

*	 Adjusted	profit	after	tax	excluding	the	net	of	tax	impact	of	IAS	38	and	adjusted	basic	EPS	excluding	the	impact	of	IAS	38	(capitalisation	of	development	costs)	are	the	measures	deemed	most	

appropriate	by	the	Remuneration	Committee	to	determine	the	achievement	of	the	performance	conditions	for	the	LTIP	awards	that	are	subject	to	the	EPS	performance	conditions.

STRATEGIC REPORTGOVERNANCEFINANCIAL STATEMENTS96 
Xaar plc Annual Report and Financial Statements 2016
Financial Statements

Notes to the consolidated financial statements continued
for the year ended 31 December 2016

13. Goodwill
The	carrying	amount	of	goodwill	at	31	December	2016	was	£5,776,000	(2015:	£nil).	

Goodwill	acquired	in	a	business	combination	is	allocated,	at	acquisition,	to	the	cash-generating	units	(CGUs)	that	are	expected	to	benefit	from	that	
business	combination.	Goodwill	in	the	year	has	occurred	from	the	acquisition	of	EPS	in	July	2016,	further	details	are	given	in	note	35.	The	carrying	
amount	of	goodwill	had	been	allocated	as	follows:	

Printheads	and	related	products	(a	single	CGU)

Balance	at	the	beginning	of	the	year
Impairment	in	the	year
Goodwill	recognised	in	the	year

Balance	at	the	end	of	the	year

2016
£’000

–
–
5,776

5,776

2015
£’000

720
(720)
– 

–

The	Group	tests	goodwill	annually	for	impairment	or	more	frequently	if	there	are	indications	that	goodwill	might	be	impaired.	Having	performed	
impairment	testing,	no	impairment	has	been	identified	and	therefore	no	impairment	loss	has	been	recognised	in	2016.

The	recoverable	amount	of	the	CGU	is	determined	from	a	value-in-use	calculation.	The	key	assumptions	to	which	the	value-in-use	calculation	is	most	
sensitive	are	those	regarding	the	discount	rates,	growth	rates	and	expected	changes	to	selling	prices	and	direct	costs	during	the	period.

The	Group	prepares	cash	flow	forecasts	derived	from	the	most	recent	financial	forecasts	reviewed	by	management	for	the	next	three	years	and	these	
have	been	used	in	the	value-in-use	calculation.	The	discount	rate	applied	to	the	cash	flow	projections	is	5.4%	(2015:	9%)	and	reflects	management’s	
estimate	of	return	on	capital	employed.	

Sensitivity	analysis	has	been	completed	on	each	key	assumption	in	isolation	and	this	indicates	that	reasonable	changes	in	key	assumptions	on	which	
we	have	based	our	determination	of	the	recoverable	amount	would	not	cause	the	carrying	amount	of	goodwill	to	exceed	its	recoverable	amount.

14. Other intangible assets

Cost
At	1	January	2015
Additions
Transfers

At	1	January	2016
Additions
Acquisitions	
Transfers

At 31 December 2016

Amortisation
At	1	January	2015
Charge	for	the	year

At	1	January	2016
Charge	for	the	year

At 31 December 2016

Carrying amount 
At	31	December	2015

At 31 December 2016

Capitalised
development
costs
£’000

Licences
acquired
£’000

Software
£’000

Total
£’000

14,529
8,365
–

22,894
10,222
–
–

33,116

4,950
493

5,443
492

5,935

17,451

27,181

533
–
–

533
–
84
–

617

533
–

533
–

533

–

84

2,937
197
(10)

3,124
76
–
(27)

3,173

2,439
341

2,780
295

3,075

344

98

17,999
8,562

(10)	

26,551
10,298
84
(27)

36,906

7,922
834

8,756
787

9,543

17,795

27,363

97 
Xaar plc
Annual Report and Financial Statements 2016   

14. Other intangible assets continued
Capitalised	development	costs	relate	to	platform	technology	development	and	other	associated	product	development.	

The	amortisation	period	for	software	is	three	to	five	years.

Licences	acquired	are	amortised	over	their	estimated	useful	lives	which	is	on	average	ten	years.	

At	31	December	2016	the	Group	had	entered	into	contractual	commitments	for	the	acquisition	of	software	amounting	to	£nil	(2015:	£nil).

15. Property, plant and equipment

Cost
At	1	January	2015
Additions
Transfers	
Exchange	movements
Disposals

At	1	January	2016
Additions

Acquisition
Transfers
Exchange	movements
Disposals

Land	and	buildings	
£’000

Leasehold
property
£’000

Plant	and
machinery
£’000

Furniture,
fittings	and
equipment
£’000

Assets in the 
course	of
construction
£’000

–
–
–
–
–

–
1,152

–
–
78
–

13,570
303
(145)
(54)
(40)

13,634
671

387
2
236
(31)

62,751
2,752
717
(229)
(947)

65,044
8,696

613
17
966
–

4,126
29
(14)
(10)
(21)

4,110
78

260
–
57
(13)

2,270
28
(548)
(11)
–

1,739
910

–
8
–
–

Total
£’000

82,717
3,112
10
(304)
(1,008)	

84,527
11,507

1,260
27
1,337
(44)

At 31 December 2016

1,230

14,899

75,336

4,492

2,657

98,614

Depreciation
At	1	January	2015
Charge	for	the	year
Exchange	movements
Disposals

At	1	January	2016

Charge	for	the	year
Exchange	movements

Disposals

At 31 December 2016

Carrying amount

At	31	December	2015

At 31 December 2016

–
–
–
–

–

57
–

–

57

–

1,173

5,895
1,854
(40)
–

7,709

1,435
208

(21)

9,331

5,925

5,568

35,367
7,932
(119)
(863)

42,317

6,080
923

2,916
361
(9)
(22)

3,246

279
38

(9)

49,321

3,553

–
–
–
–

–

–
–

–

–

44,178
10,147
(168)
(885)	

53,272	

7,851
1,169

(30)

62,262

22,727

26,015

864

939

1,739

2,657

31,255

36,352

As	at	31	December	2016	the	Group	had	entered	into	contractual	commitments	for	the	acquisition	of	property,	plant	and	equipment	amounting	
to	£2,295,000	(2015:	£2,471,000).	Following	the	acquisition	of	EPS	by	Xaar,	EPS	acquired	the	freehold	land	and	buildings	previously	leased	from	
Julian	Joffe	the	prior	owner	of	EPS.

STRATEGIC REPORTGOVERNANCEFINANCIAL STATEMENTS98 
Xaar plc Annual Report and Financial Statements 2016
Financial Statements

Notes to the consolidated financial statements continued
for the year ended 31 December 2016

16. Subsidiaries
A	list	of	the	investments	in	subsidiaries,	including	the	name,	country	of	incorporation	and	proportion	of	ownership	interest,	is	given	in	note	9	to	the	
Company’s	separate	financial	statements.	

17. Investments

Held-to-maturity investments
At	the	beginning	and	the	end	of	the	year

2016
£’000

2015
£’000

1,000

1,000

Held-to-maturity	investments	represent	investment	in	bonds	returning	interest	at	3%	per	annum,	which	mature	on	22	November	2018.

There	is	an	option	to	receive	any	or	all	of	the	bonds	on	the	fourth	(21	November	2017)	anniversary	of	the	issue	without	penalty	upon	giving	six	
months’	notice	to	or	from	bondholders.	Therefore,	for	the	year	ended	31	December	2016,	the	investment	is	included	in	current	assets.

18. Inventories

Raw	materials	and	consumables
Work	in	progress
Finished	goods

19. Other financial assets
The	fair	value	of	all	financial	assets	and	financial	liabilities	approximates	their	carrying	value.	

Receivables

Non-current	portion	of	Trade	Receivables

2016
£’000

6,465
2,153
5,172

2015
£’000

3,122
1,285
9,051

13,790

13,458

2016
£’000

1,516

2015
£’000

0

The	non-current	receivable	relates	to	a	last	time	buy	offer	and	has	a	settlement	term	of	36	months.	A	Fair	Value	assessment	was	carried	out,	
however,	due	to	the	immaterial	value	of	the	estimate,	no	adjustment	was	made	in	the	non-current	valuation	of	the	receivable	balance

Trade and other receivables

Amount	receivable	for	the	sale	of	goods
Allowance	for	doubtful	debts

Other debtors
Prepayments

Current	tax	asset

No	amounts	are	expected	to	be	settled	in	more	than	twelve	months.

2016
£’000

15,210
(480)

14,730
3,248
2,362

20,340

2015
£’000

6,985
(342)

6,643
3,967
1,337

11,947

3,029

2,805

 
99 
Xaar plc
Annual Report and Financial Statements 2016   

19. Other financial assets continued
Trade receivables
The	average	credit	period	taken	on	sales	of	goods	is	62	days	(2015:	26	days).	No	interest	is	charged	on	the	receivables	for	the	period	agreed	in	 
the	Requirements	Contract	or,	if	not	specified	or	applicable,	the	first	30	days	from	the	date	of	the	invoice.	Thereafter,	the	Group	reserves	the	right	 
to	charge	interest	at	a	daily	rate	of	the	greater	of	either	3%	per	annum	above	the	base	rate	of	Barclays	Bank	plc	from	time	to	time,	or	the	maximum	
rate	of	interest	allowable	under	the	Late	Payment	of	Commercial	Debts	(Interest)	Act	1998,	on	all	sums	outstanding	until	payment	in	full	is	received.	
The	Group	has	provided	fully	for	all	receivables	over	120	days	because	historical	experience	is	such	that	receivables	that	are	past	due	beyond	120	
days	are	generally	not	recoverable.	Trade	receivables	between	30	days	and	120	days	are	provided	for	based	on	estimated	irrecoverable	amounts	
from	the	sale	of	goods,	determined	by	reference	to	past	default	experience.

The	maximum	exposure	to	credit	risk	is	the	carrying	amount	of	the	financial	assets	as	disclosed	on	page	98.	Before	accepting	any	new	customer,	
the	Group	uses	an	external	credit	scoring	system	to	assess	the	potential	customer’s	credit	quality	and	defines	credit	limits	by	customer.	Credit	limits	
are	reviewed	at	least	once	per	year.	Letters	of	credit	may	be	used.	Credit	insurance	has	typically	been	taken	out	over	the	most	significant	customers.	
Of	the	trade	receivables	balance	at	the	end	of	the	year,	seven	customers	each	represented	greater	than	5%	of	the	total	receivables	balance,	
totalling	£93	million	(2015:	£4.4	million).	The	total	due	from	these	customers	represents	29%	(2015:	31%)	of	the	Group’s	revenue;	there	are	no	
other	customers	who	represent	more	than	5%	of	the	total	balance	of	trade	receivables.

Included	in	the	Group’s	trade	receivables	balance	are	debtors	with	a	carrying	amount	of	£1.6	million	(2015:	£1.1	million)	which	are	past	due	at	the	
reporting	date	for	which	the	Group	has	not	provided	as	there	has	not	been	a	significant	change	in	credit	quality	and	the	amounts	are	still	considered	
recoverable.	Of	these	amounts,	the	Group	is	in	possession	of	letters	of	credit	to	the	value	of	£853,000	(2015:	£1,576,000)	which	had	not	reached	
maturity	as	at	the	reporting	date.	The	Group	does	not	hold	any	other	collateral	over	these	balances.	The	average	age	of	these	receivables	is	83	days	 
(2015:	31	days).

Ageing	of	past	due	but	not	impaired	receivables:

1–30	days	overdue
30–60	days	overdue
60–90	days	overdue
90–120	days	overdue
Over	120	days	overdue

Total

Non	current	receivables
Over	12	Months

Total	receivables	

The	non-current	receivable	relates	to	a	last	time	buy	offer	and	has	a	settlement	term	of	36	months.	A	Fair	Value	assessment	was	carried	out,	
however,	due	to	the	immaterial	value	of	the	estimate,	no	adjustment	was	made	in	the	non-current	valuation	of	the	receivable	balance.	

Movement	in	the	allowance	for	doubtful	debts:

Balance	at	the	beginning	of	the	year
Impairment	losses	increased/(reversed)

Balance	at	the	end	of	the	year

2016
£’000

342
138

480

In	determining	the	recoverability	of	a	trade	receivable,	the	Group	considers	any	change	in	the	credit	quality	of	the	trade	receivable	from	the	date	
credit	was	initially	granted	up	to	the	reporting	date.	The	concentration	of	credit	risk	is	limited	due	to	the	customer	base	being	large	and	unrelated.	
Accordingly,	the	Directors	believe	that	there	is	no	further	credit	provision	required	in	excess	of	the	allowance	for	doubtful	debts.

2016
£’000

537
431
(45)
164
190

2015
£’000

762
324
–
–
2

1,277

1,088

1,516

2,793

–

–

2015
£’000

432
(90)

342

STRATEGIC REPORTGOVERNANCEFINANCIAL STATEMENTS100 
Xaar plc Annual Report and Financial Statements 2016
Financial Statements

Notes to the consolidated financial statements continued
for the year ended 31 December 2016

19. Other financial assets continued
Trade receivables continued
Ageing	of	impaired	trade	receivables:

Current
1–30	days	overdue
30–60	days	overdue
60–90	days	overdue
90–120	days	overdue
Over	120	days	overdue

Total

2016
£’000

222
20
3
–
5
230

480

2015
£’000

160
129
33
–
4
16

342

The	Directors	consider	that	the	carrying	amount	of	trade	and	other	receivables	approximates	their	fair	value.

Treasury deposits
Treasury	deposits	comprise	bank	deposits	with	an	original	maturity	of	between	three	months	and	twelve	months.	The	carrying	amount	of	these	
assets	approximates	their	fair	value.

Treasury	deposits

2016
£’000

–

2015
£’000

27,098

Cash and cash equivalents
Cash	and	cash	equivalents	comprise	cash	held	by	the	Group	and	short	term	bank	deposits	with	an	original	maturity	of	three	months	or	less.	 
The	carrying	amount	of	these	assets	approximates	their	fair	value.	

The	analysis	of	cash	and	short	term	bank	deposits	is	as	follows:

Cash

2016
£’000

2015
£’000

49,321

42,649

The	credit	risk	on	liquid	funds	and	derivative	financial	instruments	is	limited	because	the	counterparties	are	banks	with	high	credit	ratings	assigned	 
by	international	credit	rating	agencies.

20. Financial instruments
Categories of financial instruments
Financial	assets	of	£22,823,000	(2015:	£13,415,000)	are	categorised	as	loans	and	receivables.	Financial	liabilities	of	£15,345,000	(2015:	
£16,247,000)	are	categorised	as	measured	at	amortised	cost.	Derivative	financial	assets	and	liabilities	are	derived	from	quoted	prices	(unaudited)	
in	active	markets	for	identical	assets	and	liabilities.

Financial risk management objectives
The	Group’s	policy	is	to	manage	the	Group’s	financial	risk,	secure	cost	effective	funding	for	the	Group’s	operations	and	to	minimise	the	adverse	
effects	of	fluctuations	in	the	financial	markets	on	the	value	of	the	Group’s	financial	assets	and	liabilities,	on	reported	profitability	and	on	the	cash	flows	
of	the	Group.	

The	Group	finances	its	activities	with	a	combination	of	bank	loans,	finance	leases,	cash	and	fixed	term	deposits	and	forward	contracts	as	deemed	
appropriate.	Other	financial	assets	and	liabilities,	such	as	trade	debtors	and	trade	creditors,	arise	directly	from	the	Group’s	operating	activities.	 
The	Group	also	enters	into	derivative	transactions	–	forward	currency	contracts.	The	purpose	is	to	manage	the	currency	risks	arising	from	the	
Group’s	operations.	It	is	Group	policy	that	no	trading	in	derivatives	shall	be	undertaken.

101 
Xaar plc
Annual Report and Financial Statements 2016   

20. Financial instruments continued
Financial risk management objectives continued
Financial	instruments	give	rise	to	foreign	currency,	interest	rate,	credit	and	liquidity	risk.	The	Group’s	management	of	its	exposure	to	credit	risk	 
is	discussed	in	note	19	and	to	liquidity	risk	is	discussed	in	note	23.

Interest rate risk
The	Group’s	policy	is	to	manage	its	cost	of	borrowing	using	fixed	rate	debt.	Whilst	fixed	rate	interest-bearing	debt	is	not	exposed	to	cash	flow	
interest	rate	risk,	there	is	no	opportunity	for	the	Group	to	enjoy	a	reduction	in	borrowing	costs	in	markets	where	rates	are	falling.	In	addition,	 
the	fair	value	risk	inherent	in	fixed	rate	borrowing	means	that	the	Group	is	exposed	to	unplanned	costs	should	debt	be	restructured	or	repaid	 
early	as	part	of	the	liquidity	management	process.

The	sensitivity	analysis	prepared	below	relates	to	cash	balances,	since	borrowings	are	at	fixed	rates	of	interest.	The	closing	cash	and	cash	
equivalents,	and	treasury	deposits	balance	at	the	year	end	have	been	used	as	the	basis	for	the	calculations.	A	2%	increase	or	decrease	represents	
management’s	assessment	of	the	reasonably	possible	change	in	interest	rates.

If	interest	rates	had	been	2%	higher/lower	and	all	other	variables	were	held	constant,	the	Group’s	profit	for	the	year	ended	31	December	2016	would	
increase	by	£1.4	million	or	decrease	by	£0.5	million	(2015:	increase	by	£1.4	million/decrease	by	£0.4	million).	This	is	mainly	attributable	to	the	Group’s	
exposure	to	interest	rates	on	its	cash	balances.	There	would	be	no	effect	on	equity	reserves.

Foreign currency risk
The	Group	receives	approximately	19%	of	its	revenues	in	US	Dollars	and	10%	of	its	revenue	in	Euros,	which	are	partially	naturally	hedged	by	
supplies	in	these	currencies,	but	the	remainder	requires	conversion	into	Sterling	in	order	to	fund	the	remaining	costs	of	the	UK	offices.	The	Group	
has	a	manufacturing	facility	in	Sweden	which	necessitates	the	need	for	the	Group	to	convert	Sterling	into	Swedish	Kronor	in	order	to	fund	the	
running	costs	of	this	manufacturing	facility.	The	Group	may	enter	into	a	variety	of	derivative	financial	instruments	to	manage	its	exposure	to	foreign	
currency	risk,	including	forward	contracts.

The	Group	is	mainly	exposed	to	foreign	currency	risk	resulting	from	transactions	in	US	Dollars,	Euros	and	Swedish	Kronor.	The	following	table	
demonstrates	the	Group’s	sensitivity	to	a	10%	increase	and	decrease	in	the	Sterling	exchange	rate	against	the	relevant	foreign	currencies	on	the	
Group’s	profit	before	tax	and	equity	(due	to	changes	in	the	fair	value	of	monetary	assets,	liabilities	and	forward	currency	contracts).	10%	represents	
management’s	assessment	of	the	reasonably	possible	movement	in	exchange	rates.	The	sensitivity	analysis	includes	only	outstanding	foreign	
currency	denominated	monetary	items	and	adjusts	their	translation	at	the	period	end	for	a	10%	change	in	foreign	currency	rates.	The	sensitivity	
analysis	includes	inter	company	balances	within	the	Group	where	the	denomination	of	the	balance	is	in	a	currency	other	than	the	functional	
currency	of	the	debtor	or	the	creditor.	A	positive	number	below	indicates	an	increase	in	profit	or	equity.

Effect	of	a	10%	increase	in	relevant	exchange	rate	on:
Profit	or	loss
Other	equity
Effect	of	a	10%	decrease	in	relevant	exchange	rate	on:
Profit	or	loss
Other	equity

Euro
currency	impact

US	Dollar
currency	impact

Swedish	Kronor
currency	impact

2016
£’000

(312)
–

382
–

2015
£’000

(88)
–

108
–

2016
£’000

(637)
113

779
82

2015
£’000

(181)
29

221
(37)

2016
£’000

(73)
376

89
(240)

2015
£’000

(3)
207

3
(254)

Forward foreign exchange contracts
The	Group	utilises	currency	derivatives	to	hedge	significant	future	transactions	and	cash	flows.	The	Group	does	not	currently	designate	its	foreign	
currency	denominated	debt	as	a	hedging	instrument	for	the	purpose	of	hedging	the	translation	of	its	foreign	operations.

At	31	December	2016,	the	Group	had	nil	open	currency	derivative	assets	or	liabilities	(2015:	£nil).

As	at	31	December	2016	the	Group	held	no	outstanding	forward	contracts.

STRATEGIC REPORTGOVERNANCEFINANCIAL STATEMENTS102 
Xaar plc Annual Report and Financial Statements 2016
Financial Statements

Notes to the consolidated financial statements continued
for the year ended 31 December 2016

20. Financial instruments continued
Capital risk management
The	primary	objective	of	the	Group’s	capital	management	is	to	ensure	that	it	maintains	a	strong	credit	rating	and	healthy	capital	ratios	in	order	to	
support	its	business,	maximise	shareholder	value	and	provide	flexibility	for	value	enhancing	investments.	The	Group	manages	its	capital	structure	
and	makes	adjustments	to	it	in	light	of	changes	in	economic	conditions	or	as	a	result	of	corporate	strategy.	To	maintain	or	adjust	the	capital	
structure,	the	Group	may	adjust	the	dividend	payment	to	shareholders,	return	capital	to	shareholders	or	issue	new	shares.	In	addition,	any	potential	
value	enhancing	investments	may	be	funded	through	additional	debt	instruments.	No	changes	were	made	in	the	objectives,	policies	or	processes	
during	the	current	or	prior	year,	except	for	the	proposed	increase	in	final	dividend	for	2016,	as	detailed	in	note	11	on	page	94.

The	Group	monitors	capital	using	a	gearing	ratio,	which	is	determined	as	the	proportion	of	debt	to	equity.	Debt	is	defined	as	long	and	short	term	
borrowings.	Equity	includes	all	capital	and	reserves	of	the	Group	attributable	to	the	equity	holders	of	the	parent.	The	Group’s	policy	for	its	existing	
business	is	to	use	debt	where	appropriate,	whilst	maintaining	the	gearing	ratio	at	a	level	under	10%.	

The	gearing	ratio	at	the	year-end	is	as	follows:

Net debt
Equity
Gearing	ratio

2016
£’000

–
140,456
0%

2015
£’000

–
130,538
0%

The	Group	is	not	subject	to	externally	imposed	capital	requirements.

Credit risk management
Credit	risk	refers	to	the	risk	that	a	counterparty	will	default	on	its	contractual	obligations	resulting	in	financial	loss	to	the	Group.	The	Group	has	
adopted	a	policy	of	only	dealing	with	creditworthy	counterparties	and	obtaining	sufficient	collateral	where	appropriate,	as	a	means	of	mitigating	 
the	risk	of	financial	loss	from	defaults.

Trade	receivables	consist	of	a	large	number	of	customers,	spread	across	different	industries	and	geographical	areas.	Ongoing	credit	evaluation	 
is	performed	on	the	financial	condition	of	accounts	receivable.

The	credit	risk	on	liquid	funds	is	limited	because	the	counterparties	are	banks	with	high	credit	ratings	assigned	by	international	credit	rating	agencies.

21. Deferred tax
The	following	are	the	major	deferred	tax	liabilities	and	assets	recognised	by	the	Group	and	movements	thereon	during	the	current	and	prior	 
reporting	periods:

At	1	January	2015
Charge/(credit)	to	income
Credit	to	equity

At	1	January	2016
Charge/(credit)	to	income
Charge/(credit)	to	equity
Acquisition	of	Subsidiary

At 31 December 2016

Accelerated tax
depreciation
£’000

Share-based
payment
£’000

Untaxed
reserves
£’000

Tax losses
£’000

1,256
974
–

2,230
1,388
–
–

3,618

(739)
135
126

(478)
(80)
62
–

(496)

214
87
–

301
(301)
–
–

–

–
(591)
–

(591)
387
–
–

(204)

Other
temporary
difference
£’000

(114)
(126)
–

(240)
(73)
–
81

(232)

Total
£’000

617
479
126

1,222
1,322
62
81

2,686 

103 
Xaar plc
Annual Report and Financial Statements 2016   

21. Deferred tax continued
Certain	deferred	tax	assets	and	liabilities	have	been	offset.	The	following	is	the	analysis	of	the	deferred	tax	balances	(after	offset)	for	financial	
reporting	purposes:

Deferred	tax	liabilities

2016
£’000

2,686

2015
£’000

1,222

The	deferred	tax	liability	increase	in	2016	was	driven	by	two	major	factors,	namely	a	prior	year	adjustment	due	to	an	election	not	to	claim	a	patent	
box	relief	loss	in	2015,	resulting	in	a	prior	year	adjustment	of	£714,000	and	differences	in	the	treatment	of	R&D	expenditure	claims.	

As	at	31	December	2016,	the	Group	has	unused	capital	losses	of	£1.1	million	(2015:	£1.1	million)	available	for	offset	against	future	gains.	
No	deferred	tax	asset	has	been	recognised	in	respect	of	these	capital	losses	as	it	is	not	considered	probable	that	there	will	be	future	chargeable	
gains	available.	These	losses	may	be	carried	forward	indefinitely.

22. Trade and other payables

Trade	payables	and	accruals

2016
£’000

2015
£’000

14,314 

12,405

Trade	payables	and	accruals	principally	comprise	amounts	outstanding	for	trade	purchases	and	ongoing	costs.	The	average	credit	taken	for	trade	
purchases	is	17	days	(2015:	13	days).

The	Directors	consider	that	the	carrying	amount	of	trade	payables	approximates	to	their	fair	value.

23. Other financial liabilities
Other	financial	liabilities	consist	of	lease	incentives.	

The	borrowings	are	repayable	as	follows:

Within	one	year
In	the	second	year
In	the	third	to	fifth	years	inclusive
Over	five	years

Less:	amount	due	for	settlement	within	twelve	months	(shown	under	current	liabilities)

Amount	due	for	settlement	after	twelve	months

2016
£’000

69
40
86
62

257
(69)

188

2015
£’000

68
68
104
69

309
(68)

241

The	amounts	included	above	are	not	considered	to	be	materially	different	from	the	present	value	of	their	carrying	amounts.

Liquidity risk
The	Group	aims	to	mitigate	liquidity	risk	by	managing	cash	generation	by	its	operations	and	applying	cash	collection	targets	throughout	the	Group.	
Investment	is	carefully	controlled,	with	authorisation	limits	operating	up	to	Group	Board	level	and	cash	payback	periods	applied	as	part	of	the	
investment	appraisal	process.	In	this	way	the	Group	aims	to	maintain	a	good	credit	rating	to	facilitate	fund	raising.

In	its	funding	strategy,	the	Group’s	objective	is	to	maintain	a	balance	between	continuity	of	funding	and	flexibility	through	the	use	of	overdrafts,	bank	
loans,	finance	leases	and	hire	purchase	contracts.	The	Group	manages	liquidity	risk	by	maintaining	adequate	reserves	and	banking	facilities	by	
continually	monitoring	cash	flows	and	matching	the	maturity	profiles	of	financial	assets	and	liabilities.

The	Group	is	inherently	a	net	generator	of	cash	at	the	operating	level.	Excess	cash	used	in	managing	liquidity	is	only	invested	in	financial	instruments	
exposed	to	insignificant	risk	of	changes	in	market	value,	being	placed	on	interest-bearing	deposit	with	maturities	no	more	than	twelve	months	
allowed	per	the	policy.	Short	term	flexibility	is	achieved	by	overdraft	facilities.

STRATEGIC REPORTGOVERNANCEFINANCIAL STATEMENTS104 
Xaar plc Annual Report and Financial Statements 2016
Financial Statements

Notes to the consolidated financial statements continued
for the year ended 31 December 2016

24. Provisions

At	1	January	2015
Additional	provision	in	the	year
Utilisation	of	provision
Release	of	provision

At	1	January	2016
Additional	provision	in	the	year
Utilisation	of	provision
Release	of	provision

At 31 December 2016

Warranty	and	
commercial 
agreements
£’000

Restructuring
£’000

418
432
(203)
(343)

304
81
(159)
(67)

159

7
3,981
(759)
–

3,229
–
(2,614)
–

615

Total
£’000

425
4,413
(962)
	(343)

3,533
81

(2,773)	
(67)	

774 

The	warranty	and	commercial	agreements	provision	represents	management’s	best	estimate	of	the	Group’s	liability	related	to	claims	against	product	
warranties	or	commercial	sales	agreements.	The	timing	of	the	utilisation	of	this	provision	is	uncertain.

The	restructuring	provision	decrease	in	2016	relates	to	the	planned	closure	of	the	manufacturing	facility	in	Sweden.

25. Share capital

Issued	and	fully	paid:
77,776,755	(2015:	77,635,374)	ordinary	shares	of	10.0p	each

The	movement	during	the	year	on	the	Company’s	issued	and	fully	paid	shares	was	as	follows:

2016
£’000

2015
£’000

7,778

7,764

At	beginning	of	year
Exercise	of	share	options

At	end	of	year

The	Company	has	one	class	of	ordinary	shares	which	carry	no	right	to	fixed	income.

2016
Number

2015
Number

77,635,374
141,381

76,642,309
993,065

77,776,755

77,635,374

2016
£’000

7,764
14

7,778

2015
£’000

7,664
100

7,764

105 
Xaar plc
Annual Report and Financial Statements 2016   

25. Share capital continued

Scheme

Xaar plc 2004 Share Option Plan

Xaar plc Share Save Scheme

Xaar plc Share Incentive Plan

Date	of	grant

21	August	08

22	November	10
01	June	11
27	October	11
01	May	12

01	November	12
01	November	13
01	November	14
01	November	15
01	November	16

17	April	13
16	April	14
14	April	16

Number of
shares under
option as at
31 December
2016

1,000

10,000
102,591
–
172,500

Number	of
shares under
option as at
31 December
2015

1,000

29,375
127,841
2,000
205,000

286,091

365,216

–
2,568
486,240
227,980
210,649

35,232
28,446
541,989
247,219
–

927,437

852,886

17,472
20,092
27,335

64,899

19,677
21,875
–

41,552

Subscription
price per
share

108.25p

211.0p
250.0p
243.0p
226.5p

185.0p
616.0p
338.0p
417.0p
407.0p

0.0p
0.0p
0.0p

Total share options outstanding at 31 December

1,278,427

1,259,654

Options	granted	under	the	Xaar	plc	2004	Share	Option	Plan	are	ordinarily	exercisable	within	three	to	ten	years	after	the	date	of	the	grant.	 
The	maximum	value	of	approved	options,	under	the	Xaar	plc	2004	Share	Option	Plan,	which	may	be	granted	to	individual	employees	is	£30,000.	

Options	under	the	Xaar	plc	Share	Save	Scheme	are	ordinarily	exercisable	between	36	and	42	months	after	the	date	of	the	grant.

Awards	under	the	Xaar	plc	Share	Incentive	Plan	are	ordinarily	exercisable	between	three	and	five	years	after	the	date	of	the	grant.

STRATEGIC REPORTGOVERNANCEFINANCIAL STATEMENTS 
 
 
 
106 
Xaar plc Annual Report and Financial Statements 2016
Financial Statements

Notes to the consolidated financial statements continued
for the year ended 31 December 2016

25. Share capital continued
Long Term Incentive Plan
Performance	Share	Awards	outstanding	under	the	Xaar	plc	2007	Long	Term	Incentive	Plan	are	as	follows:

Date	of	grant

03	May	11
02 April 12
01	May	12
02 April 13
15	May	13
02	April	14
12	May	14
02	April	15
28	September	15
07	December	15
01 April 16
11	May	16
27	May	16
25	August	16
06 September 16
01 December 16

All	awards	under	this	scheme	are	exercisable	within	three	to	ten	years	after	the	date	of	grant.

26. Share premium account

Balance	at	1	January	2015
Premium	arising	on	issue	of	equity	shares

Balance	at	1	January	2016
Premium	arising	on	issue	of	equity	shares

Balance at 31 December 2016

27. Own shares

Balance	as	at	1	January	2016
Transfer	to	share	incentive	plan

Balance at 31 December 2016

Number of
shares under
option as at
31 December
2016

Number	of
shares under
option as at
31 December
2015

14,762
120,834
88,162
–
–
194,636
34,083
547,795
37,896
12,088
484,796
69,838
18,000
69,121
9,150
29,840

20,981
120,834
99,108
393,423
63,131
198,136
34,798
562,950
37,896
12,088
–
–
–
–
–
–

1,731,001

1,543,345

£’000

26,345
1,240	

27,585
	269

27,854 

£’000

(3,796)
154

(3,642) 

107 
Xaar plc
Annual Report and Financial Statements 2016   

27. Own shares continued 
Of	this	balance,	£20,000	(2015:	£20,000)	represents	91,250	ordinary	shares	in	Xaar	plc	held	in	trust	by	Xaar	Trustee	Ltd.	Xaar	Trustee	Ltd	was	
formed	in	1995	to	act	as	Trustee	to	the	Employee	Benefit	Trust	established	in	1995	to	hold	shares	for	the	benefit	of	the	employees	of	the	Company	
and	the	Group.	There	has	been	no	movement	in	the	number	of	shares	held	in	trust	by	Xaar	Trustee	Ltd	during	the	year.

The	remaining	balance	of	£3,622,000	(2015:	£3,776,000)	represents	the	cost	of	1,317,727	(2015:	1,373,703)	shares	in	Xaar	plc	purchased	
in	the	market	at	market	value	and	held	by	the	Xaar	plc	ESOP	trust	to	satisfy	options	granted	under	the	Company’s	share	option	schemes.	

The	market	value	of	own	shares	as	at	31	December	2016	was	£5,636,000	(2015:	£6,153,000).

28. Translation reserve

Balance	at	1	January	2015
Exchange	differences	on	retranslation	of	net	investment

Balance	at	1	January	2016
Exchange	differences	on	retranslation	of	net	investment

Balance at 31 December 2016

£’000

126
(27)	

99	
	708

807 

Exchange	differences	relating	to	the	translation	of	the	net	assets	of	the	Group’s	foreign	operations,	which	relate	to	subsidiaries	only,	from	their	
functional	currency	into	the	parent’s	functional	currency,	being	Sterling,	are	recognised	directly	in	the	translation	reserve.

29. Retained earnings and other reserves

Balance	at	1	January	2015
Net	profit	for	the	year
Share issue related 
to	LTIP	awards
Dividends	paid
Tax	taken	directly	to	equity
Movement	in	valuation	
of	share	options

Balance	at	1	January	2016
Net	profit	for	the	year
Share issue related 
to	LTIP	awards
Own	shares	(acquired)/sold	
in the period
Dividends	paid
Tax	taken	directly	to	equity
Movement	in	valuation	
of	share	options

Notes

11

11

Merger
reserve
£’000

1,105
–

–
–
–

–

1,105
–

–

–
–
–

–

Share-based
payments
£’000

8,126
–

–
–
–

1,290

9,416
–

–

–
–
–

885

Other
reserves
£’000

485
–

–
–
–

–

485
–

–

–
–
–

–

Total other
reserves
£’000

9,716
–

–
–
–

1,290

11,006
–

–

–
–
–

Retained
earnings
£’000

82,105
12,528

(40)
(6,925)
211

Total
£’000

91,821
12,529

(40)
(6,925)
211

–

1,290	

87,880
14,801

98,886
14,801

(2)

(2)

(17)
(7,328)
434

(17)
(7,328)	
434

885

–

885

Balance at 31 December 2016

1,105

10,301

485

11,891

95,768

107,659

The	merger	reserve	and	other	reserves	are	not	distributable.	The	merger	reserve	represents	the	share	premium	account	in	Xaar	Technology	Limited.	
The	share-based	payment	reserve	represents	the	cumulative	charge	made	under	IFRS	2	in	relation	to	share	options	and	LTIP	awards.	Other	reserves	
represent	the	non-distributable	portion	of	the	dividend	received	in	Xaar	plc	from	Xaar	Digital	Limited.

STRATEGIC REPORTGOVERNANCEFINANCIAL STATEMENTS108 
Xaar plc Annual Report and Financial Statements 2016
Financial Statements

Notes to the consolidated financial statements continued
for the year ended 31 December 2016

30. Notes to the cash flow statement

Profit	before	tax
Adjustments	for:
Share-based	payments
Depreciation	of	property,	plant	and	equipment
Amortisation	of	intangible	assets
Impairment	of	goodwill
Research	and	development	expenditure	credit
Investment	income

Foreign	exchange	(gains)/losses
(Profit)/loss	on	disposal	of	property,	plant	and	equipment
(Decrease)/increase	in	provisions

Operating	cash	flows	before	movements	in	working	capital
Decrease	in	inventories
(Increase)/decrease	in	receivables
(Decrease)/increase	in	payables

Cash	generated	by	operations
Income	taxes	(paid)/received

Net	cash	from	operating	activities

31. Operating lease arrangements

Minimum	lease	payments	under	operating	leases	recognised	as	an	expense	in	the	year:
Fixtures,	fittings	and	equipment
Land	and	buildings

2016
£’000

2015
£’000

17,853

13,572

969
7,851
787
–
(605)
(449)

(956)
(3)
(2,759)

22,688
2,841
(8,910)
(2,381)

14,238
(303)

13,935

2016
£’000

104
2,183

2,287

1,498
10,147
834
720
(818)
(426)

149
75
3,108

28,859
6,274
1,469
2,405

39,007
1,377

40,384

2015
£’000

59
2,192

2,251

At	the	balance	sheet	date,	the	Group	had	outstanding	commitments	for	future	minimum	lease	payments	under	non-cancellable	operating	leases,	
which	fall	due	as	follows:

Within	one	year
In	the	second	to	fifth	years	inclusive
After	five	years

Fixtures,	fittings	and	equipment

Land	and	buildings

2016
£’000

96
149
–

245

2015
£’000

50
27
–

77

2016
£’000

1,608
2,842
909

5,359

2015
£’000

2,041
3,050
1,278

6,369

The	operating	leases	in	respect	of	fixtures,	fittings	and	equipment	extend	over	a	period	of	up	to	six	years.

109 
Xaar plc
Annual Report and Financial Statements 2016   

32. Share-based payments
Equity-settled share option scheme
The	Company’s	share	option	schemes	are	open	to	all	employees	of	the	Group.	Options	are	exercisable	at	a	price	equal	to	the	average	quoted	
market	price	of	the	Company’s	shares	on	the	date	of	grant.	The	standard	vesting	period	is	three	years.	

An	option	granted	under	the	Xaar	plc	2004	Share	Option	Plan	before	2011	will	be	exercisable	over	shares	with	a	market	value	at	the	date	of	grant	
not	exceeding	a	person’s	annual	salary	if	at	the	third	anniversary	of	grant	the	EPS	growth	of	the	Company	since	grant	has	exceeded	the	growth	in	
the	Retail	Prices	Index	(RPI)	over	the	same	period	by	at	least	12%.	To	the	extent	that	an	option	relates	to	shares	with	a	market	value	as	at	the	date	 
of	grant	in	excess	of	a	person’s	annual	salary,	the	option	will	be	exercisable	over	all	of	the	excess	shares	if	EPS	growth	over	this	period	has	exceeded	
RPI	growth	by	at	least	15%.	For	EPS	performance	between	these	two	points,	options	will	be	exercisable	over	the	excess	shares	on	a	sliding	scale.	
In	addition,	options	can	only	be	exercised	if	EPS	is	at	least	5.5	pence	for	the	financial	year	preceding	the	third	anniversary	of	grant.	Performance	
may	be	retested	once	only	from	the	date	of	grant	to	the	fourth	or	fifth	anniversary	of	grant	(at	the	discretion	of	the	Remuneration	Committee),	but	the	
original	EPS	growth	targets	will	be	increased	from	12/15%	to	16/20%	and	20/25%	respectively.	The	5.5	pence	target	will	apply	for	the	final	financial	
year	in	the	extended	period.

An	option	granted	under	the	Xaar	plc	2004	Share	Option	Plan	from	2011	onwards	will	be	exercisable	over	shares	with	a	market	value	at	the	date	of	
grant	not	exceeding	a	person’s	annual	salary,	if	at	the	third	anniversary	of	grant,	Xaar	plc	has	achieved	positive	adjusted	profit	before	tax	as	shown	
in	the	consolidated	income	statement	in	the	Company’s	Annual	Report	and	financial	statements	for	any	of	the	three	years	ending	during	the	vesting	
period.	One-third	of	the	shares	subject	to	the	option	granted	rounded	to	the	nearest	whole	share,	will	vest	based	on	the	performance	condition	
being	met	per	year	for	each	of	the	three	years	ending	in	the	vesting	period.	If	the	adjusted	profit	before	tax	as	shown	in	the	consolidated	income	
statement	in	Xaar	plc’s	Annual	Report	and	financial	statements	for	any	relevant	year	is	restated	before	the	option	becomes	exercisable,	the	restated	
figure	shall,	unless	the	Remuneration	Committee	determines	otherwise,	be	applied	in	determining	whether	the	above	targets	are	met.	In	addition,	
options	shall	only	become	exercisable	in	respect	of	any	shares	if	the	committee	in	its	absolute	discretion	determines	that	the	overall	financial	
performance	of	Xaar	plc	over	the	performance	period	is	satisfactory.

The	Xaar	2007	Share	Save	Scheme	provides	an	opportunity	to	all	UK	employees	to	save	a	set	monthly	amount	(up	to	£250	pre	2014,	up	to	£500	
from	2014)	over	three	years	towards	the	exercise	of	a	discounted	share	option,	which	is	granted	at	the	start	of	the	three	years.	

The	Xaar	Share	Incentive	Plan	provides	an	opportunity	for	all	UK	employees	to	buy	shares	from	their	pre-tax	remuneration	up	to	the	limit	permitted	
by	the	relevant	tax	legislation	(£1,500	per	year	for	the	awards	made	in	2013	and	2014)	and	are	awarded	additional	shares	for	free	on	a	matching	
basis;	the	Company	currently	operates	the	plan	on	the	basis	of	a	1:1	match	but	may	award	matching	shares	up	to	the	maximum	ratio	permitted	
by	the	relevant	tax	legislation	(currently	a	2:1	ratio).	

Options	and	awards	under	the	Xaar	2007	Share	Save	Scheme	and	Xaar	Share	Incentive	Plan	are	not	subject	to	performance	conditions.

If	the	options	remain	unexercised	after	a	period	of	ten	years	from	the	date	of	grant,	or	42	months	in	the	case	of	the	Share	Save	Scheme,	or	five	
years	in	the	case	of	the	Share	Incentive	Plan	(being	the	contractual	lives),	the	options	expire.	Save	as	permitted	in	the	share	option	scheme	rules,	
options	lapse	on	an	employee	leaving	the	Group.

Details	of	the	share	options	outstanding	during	the	year	are	as	follows:

Outstanding	at	beginning	of	year
Granted	during	the	year
Lapsed	during	the	year
Exercised	during	the	year

Outstanding	at	the	end	of	the	year

Exercisable	at	the	end	of	the	year

Number
of share
options

1,259,654
243,467
(97,552)
(125,365)

1,280,204

306,131

2016

Weighted
average
exercise
price (£)

3.14
3.57
4.25
2.25

3.14

2.25

Number
of	share
options

1,783,941
248,945
(171,252)
(601,980)

1,259,654

400,448

2015

Weighted
average
exercise
price	(£)

2.70
4.17
3.42
2.16

3.14

2.29

The	weighted	average	share	price	at	the	date	of	exercise	for	share	options	exercised	during	the	period	was	£4.61	(2015:	£4.61).	The	options	
outstanding	at	31	December	2016	had	a	weighted	average	remaining	contractual	life	of	four	years	(2015:	four	years).	In	2016,	options	were	granted	 
on	14	April	and	1	November.	The	aggregate	of	the	estimated	fair	values	of	the	options	granted	on	those	dates	is	£0.58	million.	In	2015,	options	were	
granted	on	1	November.	The	aggregate	of	the	estimated	fair	values	of	the	options	granted	on	those	dates	is	£0.57	million.	

STRATEGIC REPORTGOVERNANCEFINANCIAL STATEMENTS110 
Xaar plc Annual Report and Financial Statements 2016
Financial Statements

Notes to the consolidated financial statements continued
for the year ended 31 December 2016

32. Share-based payments continued
Equity-settled share option scheme continued
The	inputs	into	the	Black-Scholes	model	are	as	follows:

Weighted	average	share	price
Weighted	average	exercise	price
Weighted	average	expected	volatility
Expected	life
Risk-free	rate
Weighted	average	expected	dividends

2016

2015

£5.04
£4.03
51%
3 years
0.33%
0.56%

£5.21
£4.17
55%
3	years
0.64%
0.63%

Expected	volatility	was	determined	by	calculating	the	historical	volatility	of	the	Group’s	share	price	over	periods	ranging	from	the	previous	one	to	
three	years.	The	expected	life	used	in	the	model	has	been	adjusted,	based	on	management’s	best	estimate,	for	the	effects	of	non-transferability,	
exercise	restrictions	and	behavioural	considerations.

Long Term Incentive Plan
The	Company’s	Long	Term	Incentive	Plan	is	open	to	all	employees	of	the	Group.	As	at	31	December	2015	all	unvested	LTIP	share	awards	granted	
before	2015	are	subject	to	the	achievement	of	EPS	performance	conditions,	the	number	of	shares	that	vest	will	depend	on	the	EPS	growth	of	the	
Company	for	the	three	financial	years	of	the	Company	commencing	on	1	January	of	the	year	of	grant,	as	follows:

(1)	 None	of	the	Awards	will	vest	if	the	Company’s	EPS	growth	does	not	exceed	growth	in	the	Retail	Prices	Index	(RPI)	by	at	least	4%	compound	p.a.
(2)	 35%	of	the	Awards	will	vest	if	the	Company’s	EPS	growth	exceeds	growth	in	the	RPI	by	at	least	4%	compound	p.a.
(3)	 All	of	the	Awards	will	vest	if	the	Company’s	EPS	growth	exceeds	growth	in	the	RPI	by	at	least	10%	compound	p.a.
(4)	 Awards	will	vest	on	a	straight-line	basis	for	EPS	growth	in	excess	of	growth	in	the	RPI	of	between	4%	and	10%	compound	p.a.

LTIP	share	awards	granted	in	2015	are	subject	to	the	achievement	of	different	performance	conditions	depending	on	the	level	of	the	employee,	
the	number	of	shares	that	vest	will	depend	on	for	the	three	financial	years	of	the	Company	commencing	on	1	January	of	the	year	of	grant,	and	
are	subject	to	one,	two	or	three	of	the	conditions	as	set	out	below:

(1)	 Absolute	cumulative	EPS	performance	over	the	period,	whereby	25%	of	the	Awards	will	vest	if	the	threshold	target	is	achieved,	below	threshold	

0%	will	vest	and	up	to	a	maximum	of	100%	if	the	maximum	EPS	target	or	higher	is	achieved.

(2)	 TSR	relative	to	FTSE	TechMARK	All	Share	Index,	whereby	25%	of	the	Awards	will	vest	if	the	median	rank	in	the	comparator	group	is	achieved,	

below	median	0%	will	vest	and	up	to	a	maximum	of	100%	if	the	upper	quartile	or	higher	is	achieved.

(3)	 Achievement	of	positive	adjusted	profit	before	tax	as	shown	in	the	consolidated	income	statement	in	the	Company’s	Annual	Report	and	financial	
statements	for	any	of	the	three	years	ending	during	the	vesting	period.	One	third	of	the	shares	subject	to	the	option	granted	rounded	to	the	
nearest	whole	share,	will	vest	based	on	the	performance	condition	being	met	per	year	for	each	of	the	three	years	ending	in	the	vesting	period.	
If	the	adjusted	profit	before	tax	as	shown	in	the	consolidated	income	statement	in	Xaar	plc’s	Annual	Report	and	Financial	Statements	for	any	
relevant	year	is	restated	before	the	option	becomes	exercisable,	the	restated	figure	shall,	unless	the	Remuneration	Committee	determines	
otherwise,	be	applied	in	determining	whether	the	above	targets	are	met.	

In	addition,	options	shall	only	become	exercisable	in	respect	of	any	shares	if	the	committee	in	its	absolute	discretion	determines	that	the	overall	
financial	performance	of	Xaar	plc	over	the	performance	period	is	satisfactory.	All	awards	that	will	vest	will	be	calculated	on	a	straight-line	basis.	

All	awards	made	under	this	scheme	are	exercisable	within	three	to	ten	years	after	the	date	of	grant.	Save	as	permitted	in	the	Long	Term	Incentive	
Plan	rules,	awards	lapse	on	an	employee	leaving	the	Group.

Key	individuals	are	invited	to	participate	in	a	bonus	matching	scheme	where	matching	LTIP	share	awards	are	granted	when	the	employee	invests	
their	bonus	in	Xaar	shares	and	retains	ownership	of	these	shares	for	the	duration	of	the	LTIP	share	award	vesting	period.	The	matching	share	award	
is	a	1:1	match	on	the	pre-tax	value	of	the	bonus	used	to	acquire	bonus	investment	shares.	Matching	LTIP	share	awards	are	subject	to	the	same	
performance	criteria	as	all	other	LTIP	awards.

111 
Xaar plc
Annual Report and Financial Statements 2016   

32. Share-based payments continued
Long Term Incentive Plan continued

Awards	outstanding	at	start	of	year
Granted	during	the	year
Lapsed	during	the	year
Exercised	during	the	year	

Awards	outstanding	at	end	of	year

Exercisable	at	the	end	of	the	year

2016

2015

1,543,345
684,395
(479,574)
(17,165)

1,406,486
717,000
(180,628)
(399,513)

1,731,001

1,543,345

223,758

240,923

In	2016,	Performance	Share	Awards	were	made	on	1	April,	11	May,	27	June,	25	August,	6	September	and	1	December.	The	aggregate	of	the	
estimated	fair	values	of	grants	made	on	those	dates	is	£3.2	million.	In	2015,	Performance	Share	Awards	were	made	on	2	April,	28	September	
and	7	December.	The	aggregate	of	the	estimated	fair	values	of	grants	made	on	those	dates	is	£2.9	million.	

The	estimated	fair	values	for	2010	grants	onwards	were	calculated	using	the	Black-Scholes	model,	whereas	the	estimated	fair	value	of	2009	grants	
were	calculated	using	a	stochastic	(Monte-Carlo	binomial)	model.	The	inputs	into	the	Black-Scholes	model	are	as	follows:

Weighted	average	exercise	price
Weighted	average	expected	volatility

Weighted	average	expected	life
Weighted	average	expected	dividend	yield

2016

£nil
53%

 7 years
0.50%

2015

£nil
56%

7	years
0.54%

The	Group	recognised	total	expenses	of	£887,000	and	£1,290,000	related	to	all	equity-settled	share-based	payment	transactions	in	2016	and	
2015,	respectively.

33. Retirement benefit schemes
Defined contribution schemes
The	UK-based	employees	of	the	Group’s	UK	companies	have	the	option	to	be	members	of	a	defined	contribution	pension	scheme	managed	by	a	
third	party	pension	provider.	For	each	employee	who	is	a	member	of	the	scheme	the	Company	will	contribute	a	fixed	percentage	of	each	employee’s	
salary	to	the	scheme.	The	only	obligation	of	the	Group	with	respect	to	this	scheme	is	to	make	the	specified	contributions.

The	employees	of	the	Group’s	subsidiaries	in	Sweden	are	members	of	a	state	managed	retirement	benefit	scheme	operated	by	the	Government	 
of	Sweden.	The	subsidiaries	are	required	to	contribute	a	specified	percentage	of	payroll	costs	to	the	retirement	benefit	scheme	to	fund	the	benefits.	
The	only	obligation	of	the	Group	with	respect	to	the	retirement	benefit	scheme	is	to	make	the	specified	contributions.

The	total	cost	charged	to	the	income	statement	in	respect	of	these	schemes	during	2016	was	£1,357,000	(2015:	£1,589,000).	As	at	31	December	
2016	contributions	of	£147,000	(2015:	£164,000)	due	in	respect	of	the	current	reporting	period	had	not	been	paid	over	to	the	schemes.

34. Related party transactions
Transactions	between	the	Company	and	its	subsidiaries,	which	are	related	parties,	have	been	eliminated	on	consolidation	and	are	not	disclosed	in	this	note.

Remuneration of key management personnel
The	remuneration	of	the	Directors,	who	are	the	key	management	personnel	of	the	Group,	is	set	out	below	in	aggregate	for	each	of	the	categories	
specified	in	IAS	24	‘Related	Party	Disclosures’.	Further	information	about	the	remuneration	of	individual	Directors	is	provided	in	the	audited	part	 
of	the	Directors’	Remuneration	report	on	page	49.

Short	term	employee	benefits
Post-employment	benefits
Share-based	payments

2016
£’000

1,180
74
(798)

456

2015
£’000

2,557
114
364

3,035

STRATEGIC REPORTGOVERNANCEFINANCIAL STATEMENTS112 
Xaar plc Annual Report and Financial Statements 2016
Financial Statements

Notes to the consolidated financial statements continued
for the year ended 31 December 2016

35. Acquisition of subsidiary
On	1	July	2016,	the	Group	obtained	control	of	Engineered	Printing	Solutions	(“EPS”)	by	acquiring	100%	of	its	issued	share	capital.	EPS,	founded	in	
1985	as	Pad	Print	Machinery	of	Vermont	Inc,	is	a	leading	provider	of	product	printing	equipment	in	North	America.	EPS	was	acquired	as	part	of	the	
Company’s	strategic	vision	to	achieve	£220	million	of	annual	sales	by	2020.

Recognised	amounts	of	identifiable	assets	acquired	and	liabilities	assumed

Other	intangible	assets
Property,	plant	and	equipment
Inventories
Trade	and	other	receivables
Cash	and	cash	equivalents
Trade	and	other	payables
Current	tax	asset
Current	tax	liability
Current	financial	liabilities
Deferred	tax	liability
Non-current	financial	liabilities

Total identifiable assets
Goodwill

Total consideration

Satisfied by:
Cash

Total consideration transferred

Net cash outflow arising on acquisition
Cash	consideration
Less:	cash	and	cash	equivalents	acquired

Total net cash outflow arising on acquisition

£’000

84
1,240
2,876
939
207
(2,335)
36
(236)
(501)
(81)
(242)

1,987
5,776

7,763

7,763

7,763

7,763
(207)

7,556

The	fair	value	of	the	trade	and	other	receivables	includes	trade	receivables	with	a	fair	value	of	£674,000	and	a	gross	contractual	value	of	£712,000.	
The	best	estimate	at	acquisition	date	of	the	contractual	cash	flows	not	to	be	collected	was	£38,000.

The	goodwill	of	£5,776,000	arising	from	the	acquisition	represents	those	characteristics	and	valuable	attributes	of	the	acquired	business	that	cannot	be	
quantified	and	attributed	to	separately	identifiable	assets	in	accounting	terms.	This	goodwill	is	underpinned	by	a	number	of	elements	the	most	significant	
of	which	is	the	well	established,	skilled	and	experienced	management	team,	including	the	founder	Julian	Joffe,	which	will	allow	Xaar	to	accelerate	the	
adoption	of	inkjet	in	the	product	printing	market	and	provide	a	strategic	platform	for	expanding	Xaar’s	footprint	in	North	America.	None	of	the	goodwill	
recognised	is	expected	to	be	deductible	for	income	tax	purposes.

In	addition	to	the	total	consideration,	deferred	consideration	is	due	during	the	following	three	year	period	based	on	revenue	and	profit	performance	over	
that	time.	The	potential	undiscounted	amount	of	all	future	payments	that	the	Company	could	be	required	to	make	under	the	deferred	consideration	
arrangement	is	between	$nil	and	$7.5	million.

Acquisition	related	costs	(included	in	administrative	expenses	in	the	consolidated	income	statement	for	the	period	ended	31	December	2016)	amounted	
to	£399,000.

Separate	to	the	Share	Capital	transaction	set	out	in	the	table	above,	Xaar	US	Holdings	Inc.	injected	equity,	in	the	form	of	cash,	into	EPS.	Part	of	this	
cash	injection	was	then	used	by	EPS	to	acquire	the	freehold	land	and	buildings	previously	leased	from	Julian	Joffe	at	the	market	value	of	£1,220,000.	

EPS	contributed	£6,692,000	revenue	and	£292,000	to	the	Group’s	profit	for	the	period	1	July	2016	to	31	December	2016.	If	the	acquisition	of	EPS	had	
been	completed	on	the	first	day	of	the	financial	year,	Group	revenues	for	the	six	month	period	would	have	been	£49,387,000	and	the	Group’s	profit	
before	tax	would	have	been	£7,697,000.	If	the	acquisition	had	taken	place	at	the	beginning	of	the	reporting	period,	the	Group	Revenue	would	have	
been	£101,049,000	and	the	Group	profit	before	tax	would	have	been	£17,896,000.	

 
 
113 
Xaar plc
Annual Report and Financial Statements 2016   

Company balance sheet
as at 31 December 2016

Fixed assets
Investments	in	subsidiaries

Current assets
Held-to	maturity	investments
Debtors	–	due	within	one	year
Debtors	–	due	after	one	year
Treasury	deposits
Cash	at	bank	and	in	hand

Creditors: amounts falling due within one year

Net current assets

Total assets less current liabilities

Net assets

Capital and reserves
Called	up	share	capital
Share premium account
Other	reserves
Own	shares
Share-based	payment	reserve
Profit	and	loss	account

Equity shareholders’ funds

Notes

3

3
4
4

5

7
7

2016
£’000

15,631

15,631

1,000
87,026
139
–
11,419

2015
£’000

4,445

4,445

1,000
92,082
127
27,122
1

99,584
(33,790)

120,332
(58,749)

65,794

81,425

81,425

7,778
27,854
25,333
(3,622)
2,387
21,695

61,583

66,028

66,028

7,764
27,585
25,333
(3,776)
2,393
6,729

81,425

66,028

Xaar	plc	reported	a	profit	for	the	financial	year	ended	31	December	2016	of	£22,313,000	(2015:	loss	of	£359,000).	

The	financial	statements	of	Xaar	plc,	registered	number	3320972,	were	approved	by	the	Board	of	Directors	and	authorised	for	issue	on	 
22	March	2017.	They	were	and	signed	on	its	behalf	by:

Doug Edwards
Chief	Executive	Officer

22	March	2017

Alex Bevis
Chief	Financial	Officer	and	Company	Secretary

STRATEGIC REPORTGOVERNANCEFINANCIAL STATEMENTS114 
Xaar plc Annual Report and Financial Statements 2016
Financial Statements

Company statement of changes in equity
for the year ended 31 December 2016

At	1	January	2015	
New	shares	issued
Dividends	paid
Deferred	tax	on	share	based	payments
Loss	for	the	financial	year
Credit	to	equity	for	 
share-based	payments

At	1	January	2016
New	shares	issued
Own	shares	sold	in	the	period
Dividends	paid
Profit	for	the	financial	year
Credit	to	equity	for	 
share-based	payments

Called	up	
share capital
£’000

Share premium
account
£’000

Notes

Own
shares
£’000

Share-based
payments
£’000

Profit	and
loss account
£’000

Other
reserves
£’000

25,333
–
–
–
–

26,345
1,240
–
–
–

(3,776)
–
–
–
–

–

–

–

27,585
269
–
–
–

25,333
–
–
–
–

(3,776)
–
154
–
–

Total
£’000

71,830
1,300
(6,925)
(38)
(359)

14,091
(40)
(6,925)
(38)
(359)

–

220

6,729
(2)
(17)
(7,328)
22,313

66,028
281	
137
(7,328)
22,313	

2,173
–
–
–
–

220

2,393
–
–
–
–

7,664
100
–
–
–

–

7,764
14
–
–
–

6

6

–

–

–

–

(6)

–

(6)	

At 31 December 2016

7,778

27,854

25,333

(3,622)

2,387

21,695

81,425 

The	share	premium	account	and	other	reserves	are	non-distributable.

115 
Xaar plc
Annual Report and Financial Statements 2016   

Notes to the Company financial statements
for the year ended 31 December 2016

1. Significant accounting policies
Basis of accounting
The	separate	financial	statements	of	the	Company	are	presented	as	required	by	the	Companies	Act	2006.	The	Company	meets	the	definition	of	 
a	qualifying	entity	under	FRS	100	(Financial	Reporting	Standard	100)	issued	by	the	Financial	Reporting	Council.	Accordingly,	in	the	year	ended	 
31	December	2015	the	Company	has	decided	to	adopt	FRS	101	and	has	undergone	transition	from	reporting	under	UK	GAAP	to	FRS	101	as	
issued	by	the	Financial	Reporting	Council.	Accordingly,	the	financial	statements	have	therefore	been	prepared	in	accordance	with	FRS	101	(Financial	
Reporting	Standard	101)	‘Reduced	Disclosure	Framework’	as	issued	by	the	Financial	Reporting	Council.	This	transition	is	not	considered	to	 
have	had	a	material	effect	on	the	financial	statements.	The	results	of	Xaar	plc	are	included	in	the	consolidated	financial	statements	of	Xaar	plc.

As	permitted	by	FRS	101,	the	Company	has	taken	advantage	of	the	disclosure	exemptions	available	under	that	standard	in	relation	to	share-based	
payment,	financial	instruments,	capital	management,	presentation	of	comparative	information	in	respect	of	certain	assets,	presentation	of	a	cash	
flow	statement	and	certain	related	party	transactions.

Where	required,	equivalent	disclosures	are	given	in	the	consolidated	financial	statements	of	Xaar	plc.	

The	financial	statements	have	been	prepared	under	the	historical	cost	convention	except	for	the	re	measurement	of	certain	financial	instruments	 
to	fair	value.

The	principal	accounting	policies	adopted	are	the	same	as	those	set	out	in	note	3	of	the	consolidated	financial	statements	except	as	noted	below.	
They	have	all	been	applied	consistently	throughout	the	year	and	the	preceding	year.

Investments
Fixed	asset	investments	in	subsidiaries	are	shown	at	cost	less	provision	for	impairment.	

For	investments	in	subsidiaries	acquired	for	consideration,	including	the	issue	of	shares	qualifying	for	merger	relief,	cost	is	measured	by	reference	 
to	the	nominal	value	only	of	the	shares	issued.	Any	premium	is	ignored.

Bonds	with	fixed	or	determinable	payments	and	fixed	maturity	dates	that	the	Group	has	the	positive	intent	and	ability	to	hold	to	maturity	are	
classified	as	held-to-maturity	investments	and	are	measured	at	amortised	cost	using	effective	interest	method	less	any	impairment.	

Dividends

Dividend	income	is	recognised	when	an	irrevocable	right	to	receive	payment	has	been	established	provided	that	it	is	probable	that	the	economic	
benefits	will	flow	to	the	Company	and	the	amount	of	income	can	be	measured	reliably.

2. Profit for the year
As	permitted	by	section	408	of	the	Companies	Act	2006,	the	Company	has	elected	not	to	present	its	own	profit	and	loss	account	for	the	year.	
Within	the	profit	figure	of	£22,313,000	includes	a	dividend	received	from	XaarJet	Limited	of	£22,500,000.

The	average	number	of	employees	throughout	2016	was	55	(2015:	35).	Staff	costs	amounted	to	£2.8	million	(2015:	£2.5	million).	Information	 
about	the	remuneration	of	Directors	is	provided	in	the	audited	part	of	the	Directors’	Remuneration	report	on	page	49	of	the	consolidated	 
financial	statements.	For	the	remuneration	of	key	management	personnel	of	the	Company	see	note	34	of	the	consolidated	financial	statements.

The	audit	fee	for	the	audit	of	the	Company’s	annual	financial	statements	in	2016	was	£22,000	(2015:	£22,000).	

3. Fixed and current asset investments

Subsidiary undertakings
At	beginning	of	the	year
Additions	in	the	year

At	end	of	the	year

Held-to-maturity investments

At	beginning	and	end	of	the	year

The	investment	held	in	Xaar	Group	AB	was	fully	impaired	in	2014.

2016
£’000

4,445
11,186

15,631

2015
£’000

4,445
–

4,445

1,000

1,000

STRATEGIC REPORTGOVERNANCEFINANCIAL STATEMENTS 
116 
Xaar plc Annual Report and Financial Statements 2016
Financial Statements

Notes to the Company financial statements continued
for the year ended 31 December 2016

3. Fixed asset investments continued
The	recoverable	amount	of	each	investment	is	determined	from	a	value-in-use	calculation.	The	key	assumptions	to	which	the	value-in-use	calculation	 
is	most	sensitive	are	those	regarding	the	discount	rates,	growth	rates	and	expected	changes	to	selling	prices	and	direct	costs	during	the	period.

The	Company	prepares	cash	flow	forecasts	derived	from	the	most	recent	financial	forecasts	reviewed	by	management	for	the	next	three	years	
and	these	have	been	used	in	the	value-in-use	calculation.	The	discount	rate	applied	to	the	cash	flow	projections	is	9%	(2015:	9%)	and	reflects	
management’s	estimate	of	return	on	capital	employed.	

Held-to-maturity	investments	represent	investment	in	bonds	returning	interest	at	3%	per	annum,	which	mature	on	22	November	2018.	There	is	an	
option	to	receive	any	or	all	of	the	bonds	on	the	third	(21	November	2016)	or	fourth	(21	November	2017)	anniversary	of	the	issue	without	penalty	
upon	giving	six	months’	notice	to	or	from	bondholders.	Therefore,	for	the	year	ended	31	December	2015,	the	investment	is	included	in	current	
assets.

4. Debtors

Amounts receivable within one year
Amounts	owed	by	Group	undertakings
Prepayments	and	accrued	income

Amounts receivable after more than one year
Deferred	tax	asset

2016
£’000

2015
£’000

87,012
14

87,026

92,055
27

92,082

139

127

87,165

92,209

The	Finance	(No	2)	Act	2015,	which	provides	for	reductions	in	the	main	rate	of	corporation	tax	from	20%	to	19%	effective	from	1	April	2017	and	to	
18%	effective	from	1	April	2020,	was	substantively	enacted	on	26	October	2015.	Subsequently,	the	Finance	Act	2016,	which	provides	for	a	further	
reduction	in	the	main	rate	of	corporation	tax	to	17%	effective	from	1	April	2020,	was	substantively	enacted	on	6	September	2016.	These	rate	
reductions	have	been	reflected	in	the	calculation	of	deferred	tax	at	the	balance	sheet	date.

5. Creditors

Amounts falling due within one year
Amounts	owed	to	Group	undertakings
Accruals

For	additional	disclosures	relating	to	financial	liabilities,	see	note	23	to	the	consolidated	financial	statements.

6. Dividends

Amounts	recognised	as	distributions	to	equity	holders	in	the	period:
Final	dividend	for	the	year	ended	31	December	2015	of	6.3p	(2014:	6.0p)	per	share
Interim	dividend	for	the	year	ended	31	December	2016	of	3.3p	(2015:	3.15p)	per	share

Total	distributions	to	equity	holders	in	the	period

Proposed	final	dividend	for	the	year	ended	31	December	2016	of	6.7p	(2015:	6.3p)	per	share

2016
£’000

2015
£’000

33,472
318

33,790

58,490
259

58,749

2016
£’000

4,808
2,520

7,328

5,212

2015
£’000

4,535
2,390

6,925

4,891

The	proposed	final	dividend	is	subject	to	approval	by	shareholders	at	the	AGM	and	has	not	been	included	as	a	liability	in	these	financial	statements.

 
 
 
 
 
117 
Xaar plc
Annual Report and Financial Statements 2016   

7. Share capital and share premium account
Full	details	of	movements	in	share	capital	and	the	share	option	schemes,	and	share	premium	are	given	in	notes	25	and	26	to	the	consolidated	
financial	statements.

8. Share-based payments
Equity-settled share option scheme
The	Company’s	share	option	schemes	are	open	to	all	employees	of	the	Company.	Options	are	exercisable	at	a	price	equal	to	the	average	quoted	
market	price	of	the	Company’s	shares	on	the	date	of	grant.	The	vesting	period	is	three	years.	The	vesting	criteria	of	these	options	are	disclosed	in	
note	32	to	the	consolidated	financial	statements.	If	the	options	remain	unexercised	after	a	period	of	ten	years	from	the	date	of	grant,	42	months	in	
the	case	of	the	Share	Save	Scheme,	or	five	years	in	the	case	of	the	Share	Incentive	Plan,	the	options	expire.	Save	as	permitted	in	the	share	option	
scheme	rules,	options	lapse	on	an	employee	leaving	the	Company.

The	weighted	average	share	price	at	the	date	of	exercise	for	share	options	exercised	during	the	period	was	£4.62	(2015:	£4.58).	The	options	
outstanding	at	31	December	2016	had	a	weighted	average	remaining	contractual	life	of	five	years	(2015:	five	years),	and	a	range	of	exercise	
prices	between	0	pence	and	616	pence	(2015:	0	pence	and	616	pence).	

The	performance	conditions	relating	to	the	above	share	options	and	the	exercise	prices	of	options	outstanding	at	the	year-end	are	given	in	note	32	
to	the	consolidated	financial	statements.

Long Term Incentive Plan
The	Company’s	Long	Term	Incentive	Plan	is	open	to	all	employees	of	the	Company.	Vesting	of	Performance	Share	Awards	made	under	this	scheme	
is	conditional	upon	the	achievement	of	performance	conditions.	Full	details	of	the	performance	conditions	are	shown	in	note	32	of	the	consolidated	
financial	statements.	All	awards	made	under	this	scheme	are	exercisable	within	three	to	ten	years	after	the	date	of	grant.	Save	as	permitted	in	the	
Long	Term	Incentive	Plan	rules,	awards	lapse	on	an	employee	leaving	the	Company.

9. Subsidiary undertakings
The	following	entities	are	wholly	owned	subsidiary	undertakings	of	the	Company:

Name

Xaar	Technology	Limited
XaarJet	Limited

XaarJet	(Overseas)	Limited
Xaar	Trustee	Limited1
Xaar	Digital	Limited
Xaar ApS
Xaar Group AB

XaarJet	AB2
Xaar	US	Holding	Inc.

Country	of
incorporation

England
England

England
England
England
Denmark
Sweden

Sweden
USA

Principal	activity

Issued	and	fully	paid	up	share	capital

Research	and	development
Manufacturing,	research	and	
development	and	sales	and	marketing
Sales	and	marketing
Trustee
Treasury
Research	and	development
Holding	company

Manufacturing
Holding	company

4,445,322	ordinary	shares	of	£1	each
2	ordinary	shares	of	£1	each

1	ordinary	£1	share
2	ordinary	shares	of	£1	each
100	ordinary	£1	share
500	ordinary	shares	of	DKK	100	each
1,137,000	ordinary	shares	of	
SEK	0.09	each
1,000	ordinary	shares	of	SEK	100	each
6,000	shares	of	common	stock	
US$1	each

Engineering	Printing	Solution3

USA

Manufacturing	and	sales	and	marketing 100	shares	of	common	stock	

Xaar	Americas	Inc.3

USA

Sales	and	marketing

1	 Xaar	Trustee	Limited	shares	are	held	by	Xaar	Technology	Limited.
2	 XaarJet	AB	shares	are	held	by	Xaar	Group	AB.	
3	 Xaar	Americas	Inc	and	Engineering	Printing	Solutions	are	held	by	Xaar	US	Holdings	Inc.

US$1	each
10,000	shares	of	common	stock	
US$1	each

Proportion	of	
ordinary	share	
capital	held	by	
the	Company

100%
100%

100%
100%
100%
100%
100%

100%
100%

100%

100%

STRATEGIC REPORTGOVERNANCEFINANCIAL STATEMENTS 
118 
Xaar plc Annual Report and Financial Statements 2016
Financial Statements

Five year record

Summarised consolidated results
Results
Adjusted	revenue
Adjusted	gross	profit
Adjusted	profit	before	tax
Adjusted	profit	after	tax

Adjusted	diluted	earnings	per	share
Adjusted	basic	earnings	per	share	excluding	the	impact	of	IAS	38
Dividends	pence	per	share
Assets employed
Net	cash*

*	 Net	cash	is	made	up	of	cash	and	cash	equivalents,	treasury	deposits	less	borrowings.

2016
£’000

2015
£’000

2014
£’000

2013
£’000

2012
£’000

96,178
44,667
19,482 
 16,888 

21.2p
11.0p
10.0p

93,472
44,690
20,819
19,024

24.5p
17.0p
9.45p

109,150
48,602
24,610
20,229

26.4p
17.2p
9.0p

134,134
71,020
41,118
33,102

43.2p
44.9p
8.0p

86,304
40,948
18,386
14,964

20.1p
20.7p
4.0p

 49,321 

69,747

46,963

53,485

28,853

119 
Xaar plc
Annual Report and Financial Statements 2016   

Notice of the Annual General Meeting

Notice	is	hereby	given	that	the	nineteenth	Annual	General	Meeting	(‘AGM’)	of	Xaar	plc	(the	‘Company’)	will	be	held	at	296	Science	Park,	Cambridge,	
CB4	0XR	on	Tuesday	16	May	2017	at	9.30am	for	the	following	purposes:

Ordinary business
To	consider	and,	if	thought	fit,	pass	the	following	resolutions	which	will	be	proposed	as	Ordinary	Resolutions:

1.	 To	receive	the	Company’s	annual	financial	statements	for	the	financial	year	ended	31	December	2016.
2.	 To	reappoint	Deloitte	LLP	as	auditor	to	hold	office	from	the	conclusion	of	this	meeting	until	the	conclusion	of	the	next	general	meeting	

of	the	Company	at	which	financial	statements	are	laid.

3.	 To	authorise	the	Directors	to	determine	the	remuneration	of	the	auditors.
4.	 To	declare	a	final	dividend	for	the	financial	year	ended	31	December	2016	of	6.7p	per	ordinary	share.
5.	 To	re-elect	Doug	Edwards	as	a	Director.	
6.	 To	re-elect	Andrew	Herbert	as	a	Director.
7.	 To	re-elect	Lily	Liu	as	a	Director.
8.	 To	re-elect	Chris	Morgan	as	a	Director.
9.	 To	re-elect	Margaret	Rice-Jones	as	a	Director.
10.	To	re-elect	Ted	Wiggans	as	a	Director.
11.	To	re-elect	Robin	Williams	as	a	Director.
12.	To	approve	the	Directors’	Remuneration	report	(excluding	the	Directors’	remuneration	policy	which	is	set	out	on	pages	58	to	62	of	the	

Annual	Report)	for	the	year	ended	31	December	2016.

Special business
To	consider	and,	if	thought	fit,	pass	the	following	resolutions	which	will	be	proposed	in	the	case	of	Resolutions	13,	15,	17,	18	and	19	as	
Ordinary	Resolutions	and	in	the	case	of	Resolutions	14	and	16	as	Special	Resolutions:

13.	 To	approve	the	Directors’	Remuneration	policy,	the	full	text	of	which	is	contained	in	the	Directors	remuneration	report	for	the	year	ended	

31	December	2016	and	which	is	as	set	out	on	pages	46	to	69	of	the	Annual	Report,	which	will	take	effect	at	the	conclusion	of	this	meeting.

14.	 That	the	Company	be	generally	and	unconditionally	authorised	for	the	purposes	of	section	701	of	the	Companies	Act	2006	(the	‘Act’)	to	

make	one	or	more	market	purchases	(within	the	meaning	of	section	693(4)	of	the	Act)	of	ordinary	shares	of	10p	in	the	capital	of	the	Company	
(ordinary	shares)	provided	that:
•	

the	maximum	aggregate	number	of	ordinary	shares	authorised	to	be	purchased	is	11,594,810	(representing	14.9%	of	the	issued	ordinary	
share	capital);
the	minimum	price	(excluding	expenses)	which	may	be	paid	for	an	ordinary	share	is	the	par	value	of	the	shares;
the	maximum	price	(excluding	expenses)	which	may	be	paid	for	an	ordinary	share	is	an	amount	equal	to	the	higher	of	(i)	105%	of	the	
average	of	the	middle	market	quotations	for	an	ordinary	share	as	derived	from	the	London	Stock	Exchange	Daily	Official	List	for	the	five	
business	days	immediately	preceding	the	day	on	which	that	ordinary	share	is	purchased,	and	(ii)	the	amount	stipulated	by	article	5(1)	
of	the	Buy-back	and	Stabilisation	Regulation	2003;
this	authority	shall	expire	at	the	conclusion	of	the	next	Annual	General	Meeting	of	the	Company,	or,	if	earlier,	at	the	close	of	business	on	
16	August	2018	unless	renewed	before	that	time;	and
the	Company	may	make	a	contract	to	purchase	ordinary	shares	under	this	authority	before	the	expiry	of	the	authority	which	will	or	may	be	
executed	wholly	or	partly	after	the	expiry	of	the	authority,	and	may	make	a	purchase	of	ordinary	shares	in	pursuance	of	any	such	contract.

•	
•	

•	

•	

15.	 That,	in	substitution	for	all	existing	authorities	including	the	authority	conferred	on	the	Directors	by	Article	4	(B)	of	the	Company’s	Articles	of	
Association,	in	accordance	with	section	551	of	the	Act	the	Directors	be	and	they	are	generally	and	unconditionally	authorised	to	exercise	all	
powers	of	the	Company	to	allot	equity	securities	(within	the	meaning	of	section	560	of	the	Act),	or	grant	rights	to	subscribe	for,	or	convert	any	
security	into,	shares	in	the	Company:
(a)	 up	to	an	aggregate	nominal	amount	of	£5,187,834.40	(such	amount	to	be	reduced	by	the	nominal	amount	of	any	equity	securities	allotted	

pursuant	to	the	authority	in	Resolution	15(b))	in	connection	with	a	rights	issue	(as	defined	in	the	Listing	Rules	issued	by	the	Financial	
Conduct	Authority	pursuant	to	Part	VI	of	the	Financial	Services	and	Markets	Act	2000),	to	holders	of	equity	securities,	in	proportion	to	
their	respective	entitlements	to	such	equity	securities,	but	subject	to	such	exclusions	or	other	arrangements	as	the	Directors	may	deem	
necessary	or	expedient	in	relation	to	treasury	shares,	fractional	entitlements,	record	dates,	legal	or	practical	problems	in	or	under	the	laws	
of	any	territory	or	the	requirements	of	any	regulatory	body	or	stock	exchange;	and

(b)	 otherwise	up	to	an	aggregate	nominal	amount	of	£2,593,917.20	(such	amount	to	be	reduced	by	the	nominal	amount	of	any	equity	securities	

allotted	pursuant	to	the	authority	in	Resolution	15(a)),

provided	that	this	authority	shall	expire	on	the	conclusion	of	the	next	Annual	General	Meeting	of	the	Company,	or,	if	earlier,	at	the	close	of	
business	on	16	August	2018,	save	that	the	Company	may	before	such	expiry	make	an	offer	or	agreement	which	would	or	might	require	equity	
securities	to	be	allotted	after	such	expiry	and	the	Directors	may	allot	such	equity	securities	in	pursuance	of	such	an	offer	or	agreement	as	if	the	
authority	conferred	by	this	resolution	had	not	expired.

STRATEGIC REPORTGOVERNANCEFINANCIAL STATEMENTS	
120 
Xaar plc Annual Report and Financial Statements 2016
Financial Statements

Notice of the Annual General Meeting continued

Special business continued
16.	 Subject	to	the	passing	of	Resolution	15	of	the	notice	of	meeting,	that,	in	substitution	for	all	existing	authorities,	including	the	authority	conferred	

on	the	Directors	by	Article	4(c)	of	the	Company’s	Articles	of	Association:
(a)	 the	Directors	be	and	they	are	empowered	pursuant	to	section	570	of	the	Act	to	allot	equity	securities	pursuant	to	the	authority	conferred	by	
Resolution	15(a)	as	if	section	561	of	the	Act	did	not	apply	to	any	such	allotment,	provided	that	this	authority	shall	be	limited	to	the	allotment	
of	equity	securities	in	connection	with	a	rights	issue	(as	defined	in	the	Listing	Rules	issued	by	the	Financial	Conduct	Authority	pursuant	to	
Part	VI	of	the	Financial	Services	and	Markets	Act	2000)	but	subject	to	such	exclusions	or	other	arrangements	as	the	Directors	may	deem	
necessary	or	expedient	in	relation	to	treasury	shares,	fractional	entitlements,	record	dates,	legal	or	practical	problems	in	or	under	the	laws	
of	any	territory	or	the	requirements	of	any	regulatory	body	or	stock	exchange;	and

(b)	 the	Directors	be	and	they	are	empowered	pursuant	to	section	570	of	the	Act	to	allot	equity	securities	for	cash	pursuant	to	the	authority	

conferred	by	Resolution	15(b)	as	if	section	561	of	the	Act	did	not	apply	to	any	such	allotment,	provided	that	this	authority	shall	be	limited	
to	the	allotment	of	equity	securities	(otherwise	than	in	connection	with	any	rights	issue	(as	defined	in	the	Listing	Rules	issued	by	the	
Financial	Conduct	Authority	pursuant	to	Part	VI	of	the	Financial	Services	and	Markets	Act	2000))	having	an	aggregate	nominal	value	
of	up	to	£778,175.10,

provided	that	this	authority	shall	expire	on	the	conclusion	of	the	next	Annual	General	Meeting	of	the	Company,	or,	if	earlier,	at	the	close	of	
business	on	16	August	2018,	save	that	the	Company	may	before	such	expiry	make	an	offer	or	agreement	which	would	or	might	require	equity	
securities	to	be	allotted	after	such	expiry	and	the	Directors	may	allot	equity	securities	in	pursuance	of	such	an	offer	or	agreement	as	if	the	
authority	conferred	by	this	resolution	had	not	expired.

17.	That	the	Xaar	2017	Long	Term	Incentive	Plan,	the	main	features	of	which	are	summarised	in	Appendix	1	to	this	notice,	and	a	copy	of	the	

rules	of	which	is	produced	to	the	meeting	and	initialled	by	the	Chairman	for	the	purposes	of	identification,	be	and	is	hereby	approved	and	the	
Directors	be	hereby	authorised	to	do	all	acts	and	things	which	may	be	necessary	or	desirable	to	carry	the	same	into	effect.

18.	 That	the	Directors	be	hereby	authorised	to	establish	future	share	plans	for	the	benefit	of	employees	outside	the	United	Kingdom	based	on	the	
Xaar	2017	Long	Term	Incentive	Plan,	modified	to	the	extent	necessary	or	desirable	to	take	account	of	non-United	Kingdom	tax,	securities	and	
exchange	control	laws	and	regulations,	provided	that	such	plans	must	operate	within	the	limits	on	individual	or	overall	participation	summarised	
in	Appendix	1	to	this	notice.

19.	 That	the	Xaar	2017	Sharesave	Plan,	the	main	features	of	which	are	summarised	in	Appendix	2	to	this	notice,	and	a	copy	of	the	rules	of	which	is	
produced	to	the	meeting	and	initialled	by	the	Chairman	for	the	purposes	of	identification,	be	and	is	hereby	approved	and	the	Directors	be	hereby	
authorised	to	do	all	acts	and	things	which	may	be	necessary	or	desirable	to	carry	the	same	into	effect	including	to	give	effect	to	the	Xaar	2017	
Sharesave	Plan	as	a	tax-advantaged	plan	under	Schedule	3	to	the	Income	Tax	Earnings	&	Pensions)	Act	2003.

By	order	of	the	Board

Alex Bevis
Company	Secretary

22	March	2017

	
121 
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Annual Report and Financial Statements 2016   

Notes
1.	 A	member	entitled	to	attend	and	vote	at	the	meeting	is	also	entitled	to	appoint	one	or	more	proxies	to	attend	and,	on	a	show	of	hands	or	on	a	
poll,	vote	instead	of	him.	Where	more	than	one	proxy	is	appointed,	each	proxy	must	be	appointed	to	exercise	the	rights	attached	to	a	different	
share	or	shares	held	by	the	appointing	shareholder.	The	proxy	need	not	be	a	member	of	the	Company.

2.	 To	be	effective,	the	instrument	appointing	a	proxy	and	any	authority	under	which	it	is	executed	(or	a	notarially	certified	copy	of	such	authority)	
must	be	deposited	at	the	office	of	the	Company’s	registrars	not	less	than	48	hours	before	the	time	for	holding	the	meeting	or	adjourned	
meeting.	A	form	of	proxy	is	enclosed	with	this	notice.	Completion	and	return	of	the	form	of	proxy	will	not	preclude	ordinary	shareholders	from	
attending	and	voting	in	person.

3.	 Any	person	to	whom	this	notice	is	sent	who	is	a	person	nominated	under	section	146	of	the	Companies	Act	2006	to	enjoy	information	rights	
(a	‘Nominated	Person’)	may,	under	an	agreement	between	him/her	and	the	shareholder	by	whom	he/she	was	nominated,	have	a	right	to	
be	appointed	(or	to	have	someone	else	appointed)	as	a	proxy	for	the	Annual	General	Meeting.	If	a	Nominated	Person	has	no	such	proxy	
appointment	right	or	does	not	wish	to	exercise	it,	he/she	may,	under	any	such	agreement,	have	a	right	to	give	instructions	to	the	shareholder	
as	to	the	exercise	of	voting	rights.

4.	 The	statement	of	the	rights	of	shareholders	in	relation	to	the	appointment	of	proxies	in	paragraphs	1	and	2	above	does	not	apply	to	Nominated	

5.	

Persons.	The	rights	described	in	these	paragraphs	can	only	be	exercised	by	shareholders	of	the	Company.
In	accordance	with	Regulation	41	of	the	Uncertified	Securities	Regulations	2001,	the	Company	specifies	that	only	those	members	entered	on	
the	register	of	members	of	the	Company	as	at	9:30	am	on	14	May	2017	(or	in	the	event	the	meeting	is	adjourned,	on	the	register	of	members	
48	hours	before	the	time	of	any	adjourned	meeting)	shall	be	entitled	to	attend	or	vote	at	the	meeting	in	respect	of	the	number	of	shares	
registered	in	their	name	at	that	time.	Changes	to	entries	on	the	register	of	members	after	9:30	am	on	14	May	2017	(or	in	the	event	the	meeting	
is	adjourned,	on	the	register	of	members	less	than	48	hours	before	the	time	of	any	adjourned	meeting)	shall	be	disregarded	in	determining	the	
rights	of	any	person	to	attend	or	vote	at	the	meeting.

6.	 Copies	of	Directors’	service	agreements,	the	terms	of	appointment	of	Non-Executive	Directors,	the	register	of	Directors’	interests	kept	by	the	
Company	under	section	808	of	the	Companies	Act	2006,	the	Xaar	plc	2004	Share	Option	Plan,	the	Xaar	plc	2007	Share	Save	Plan,	Xaar	plc	
2007	Long	Term	Incentive	Plan,	and	the	Xaar	Share	Incentive	Plan	will	be	available	15	minutes	prior	to	the	commencement	of	the	meeting	and	
will	remain	open	and	accessible	during	the	continuance	of	the	meeting	to	any	person	attending	the	meeting.

7.	 Biographical	details	of	all	Directors	offering	themselves	for	re-appointment	are	set	out	on	pages	30	and	31	of	the	Annual	Report	and	Accounts.
8.	 Shareholders	should	note	that	it	is	possible	that,	pursuant	to	requests	made	by	shareholders	of	the	Company	under	section	527	of	the	

9.	

Companies	Act	2006,	the	Company	may	be	required	to	publish	on	a	website	a	statement	setting	out	any	matter	relating	to:	(i)	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	Annual	General	Meeting;	or	
(ii)	any	circumstance	connected	with	an	auditor	of	the	Company	ceasing	to	hold	office	since	the	previous	meeting	at	which	annual	accounts	
and	reports	were	laid	in	accordance	with	section	437	of	the	Companies	Act	2006.	The	Company	may	not	require	the	shareholders	requesting	
any	such	website	publication	to	pay	its	expenses	in	complying	with	sections	527	or	528	of	the	Companies	Act	2006.	Where	the	Company	is	
required	to	place	a	statement	on	a	website	under	section	527	of	the	Companies	Act	2006,	it	must	forward	the	statement	to	the	Company’s	
auditor	not	later	than	the	time	when	it	makes	the	statement	available	on	the	website.	The	business	which	may	be	dealt	with	at	the	Annual	
General	Meeting	includes	any	statement	that	the	Company	has	been	required	under	section	527	of	the	Companies	Act	2006	to	publish	
on	a	website.
In	order	to	facilitate	voting	by	corporate	representatives	at	the	meeting,	arrangements	will	be	put	in	place	at	the	meeting	so	that:	(i)	if	a	corporate	
shareholder	has	appointed	the	Chairman	of	the	meeting	as	its	corporate	representative	to	vote	on	a	poll	in	accordance	with	the	directions	of	
all	of	the	other	corporate	representatives	for	that	shareholder	at	the	meeting,	then	on	a	poll	those	corporate	representatives	will	give	voting	
directions	to	the	Chairman	and	the	Chairman	will	vote	(or	withhold	a	vote)	as	corporate	representative	in	accordance	with	those	directions;	
and	(ii)	if	more	than	one	corporate	representative	for	the	same	corporate	shareholder	attends	the	meeting	but	the	corporate	shareholder	has	
not	appointed	the	Chairman	of	the	meeting	as	its	corporate	representative,	a	designated	corporate	representative	will	be	nominated,	from	
those	corporate	representatives	who	attend,	who	will	vote	on	a	poll	and	the	other	corporate	representatives	will	give	voting	directions	to	that	
designated	corporate	representative.	Corporate	shareholders	are	referred	to	in	the	guidance	issued	by	the	Institute	of	Chartered	Secretaries	and	
Administrators	on	proxies	and	corporate	representatives	(www.icsa.org.uk)	for	further	details	of	this	procedure.	The	guidance	includes	a	sample	
form	of	appointment	letter	if	the	Chairman	is	being	appointed	as	described	in	(i)	above.

10.	 CREST	members	who	wish	to	appoint	a	proxy	or	proxies	through	the	CREST	electronic	proxy	appointment	service	may	do	so	by	using	the	
procedures	described	in	the	CREST	Manual.	CREST	Personal	Members	or	other	CREST	sponsored	members,	and	those	CREST	members	
who	have	appointed	a	service	provider(s),	should	refer	to	their	CREST	sponsor	or	voting	service	provider(s),	who	will	be	able	to	take	the	
appropriate	action	on	their	behalf.

STRATEGIC REPORTGOVERNANCEFINANCIAL STATEMENTS122 
Xaar plc Annual Report and Financial Statements 2016
Financial Statements

Notice of the Annual General Meeting continued

Notes continued
11.	 In	order	for	a	proxy	appointment	or	instruction	made	using	the	CREST	service	to	be	valid,	the	appropriate	CREST	message	(a	‘CREST	Proxy	

Instruction’)	must	be	properly	authenticated	in	accordance	with	CRESTCo’s	specifications,	and	must	contain	the	information	required	for	such	
instruction,	as	described	in	the	CREST	Manual.	The	message,	regardless	of	whether	it	constitutes	the	appointment	of	a	proxy	or	is	an	amendment	
to	the	instruction	given	to	a	previously	appointed	proxy	must,	in	order	to	be	valid,	be	transmitted	so	as	to	be	received	by	the	issuer’s	agent	
(ID	RA10)	by	9:30	am	on	14	May	2017.	For	this	purpose,	the	time	of	receipt	will	be	taken	to	be	the	time	(as	determined	by	the	timestamp	applied	
to	the	message	by	the	CREST	Application	Host)	from	which	the	issuer’s	agent	is	able	to	retrieve	the	message	by	enquiry	to	CREST	in	the	manner	
prescribed	by	CREST.	After	this	time	any	change	of	instructions	to	proxies	appointed	through	CREST	should	be	communicated	to	the	appointee	
through	other	means.

12.	 CREST	members	and,	where	applicable,	their	CREST	sponsors,	or	voting	service	providers	should	note	that	CRESTCo	does	not	make	available	
special	procedures	in	CREST	for	any	particular	message.	Normal	system	timings	and	limitations	will,	therefore,	apply	in	relation	to	the	input	
of	CREST	Proxy	Instructions.	It	is	the	responsibility	of	the	CREST	member	concerned	to	take	(or,	if	the	CREST	member	is	a	CREST	personal	
member,	or	sponsored	member,	or	has	appointed	a	voting	service	provider,	to	procure	that	his	CREST	sponsor	or	voting	service	provider(s)	
take(s))	such	action	as	shall	be	necessary	to	ensure	that	a	message	is	transmitted	by	means	of	the	CREST	system	by	any	particular	time.	
In	this	connection,	CREST	members	and,	where	applicable,	their	CREST	sponsors	or	voting	system	providers	are	referred,	in	particular,	
to	those	sections	of	the	CREST	Manual	concerning	practical	limitations	of	the	CREST	system	and	timings.

13.	 The	Company	may	treat	as	invalid	a	CREST	Proxy	Instruction	in	the	circumstances	set	out	in	Regulation	35(5)(a)	of	the	Uncertificated	Securities	

Regulations	2001.

14.	 As	at	7.00am	on	22	March	2017	(the	date	of	publication	of	this	Notice),	the	Company’s	issued	share	capital	comprised	77,817,517	ordinary	
shares	of	10p	each.	Each	ordinary	share	carries	the	right	to	one	vote	at	a	general	meeting	of	the	Company,	except	for	the	shares	held	in	
trust	for	the	Xaar	Share	Incentive	Plan	totalling	137,960	shares	and,	therefore,	the	total	number	of	voting	rights	in	the	Company	as	7.00am	
on	22	March	2016	is	77,679,557.	

15.	 Any	member	attending	the	meeting	has	the	right	to	ask	questions.	The	Company	must	answer	any	such	question	relating	to	the	business	being	
dealt	with	at	the	meeting	but	no	such	answer	need	be	given	if:	(a)	to	do	so	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.

16.	 A	copy	of	this	Notice,	and	other	information	required	by	section	311A	of	the	Companies	Act	2006,	can	be	found	at	www.xaar.com.

	
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Annual Report and Financial Statements 2016   

Appendix 1

XAAR 2017 LONG TERM INCENTIVE PLAN

The	Xaar	2017	Long	Term	Incentive	Plan	(the	‘LTIP’)	will	replace	the	existing	Xaar	2007	Long	Term	Incentive	Plan.	The	terms	of	the	LTIP	
are	summarised	below.

Eligibility
Awards	may	be	granted	to	selected	employees	(including	Executive	Directors)	of	Xaar	plc	(the	‘Company’)	and	its	subsidiaries	(together	with	
the	Company,	the	“Group”)	at	the	discretion	of	the	Remuneration	Committee.

Awards
Awards	may	be	granted	as	(a)	a	conditional	right	to	acquire	ordinary	shares	in	the	Company	(‘Shares’)	in	the	future	at	no	cost	or	(b)	an	option	with	an	
exercise	price,	including	a	nil	exercise	price.

Awards	granted	under	the	LTIP	are	personal	to	participants	and,	except	on	death,	may	not	be	transferred.	Awards	will	not	form	part	of	
pensionable	earnings.

Timing of awards
Awards	may	normally	only	be	granted	within	the	six	week	period	beginning	with	the	date	of	the	Company’s	announcement	of	its	results	for	any	
period.	Awards	may	be	granted	outside	these	periods	in	exceptional	circumstances,	as	determined	by	the	Remuneration	Committee.	

No	awards	may	be	granted	more	than	10	years	after	the	date	the	LTIP	is	approved	by	shareholders.	

Source of Shares
Awards	under	the	LTIP	may	be	granted	over	newly	issued	Shares,	Shares	held	in	treasury	or	Shares	purchased	in	the	market.

Individual limits
The	Remuneration	Committee	will	determine	the	value	of	awards	to	be	granted	to	each	participant	in	a	financial	year	up	to	a	maximum	of	300	
per	cent.	of	base	salary	or,	in	exceptional	circumstances	in	the	case	of	recruitment,	such	higher	amount	as	the	Remuneration	Committee	decides	
is	appropriate.

Overall limits
In	any	10-year	period,	not	more	than	10	per	cent.	of	the	issued	share	capital	may	be	issued	under	the	LTIP	and	all	other	employees’	share	plans	
adopted	by	the	Company	and	not	more	than	five	per	cent.	of	the	issued	share	capital	may	be	issued	under	awards	granted	under	the	LTIP	and	
any	other	discretionary	employees’	share	plans	adopted	by	the	Company.	

This	limit	does	not	include	awards	which	have	lapsed	but	will	include	awards	satisfied	with	Shares	transferred	out	of	treasury	for	so	long	as	required	
by	UK	institutional	investor	guidelines.

Performance Condition
The	vesting	of	awards	will	be	subject	to	the	satisfaction	of	performance	conditions	which	will	be	set	by	the	Remuneration	Committee	before	the	
grant	of	an	award.	

For	awards	granted	in	2017,	60%	of	the	award	will	vest	depending	on	the	Company’s	cumulative	earnings	per	Share	(‘EPS’)	over	three	years	
and	40%	will	vest	depending	on	the	Company’s	revenue	growth	over	that	same	three	year	period.	

Vesting of awards and holding period
In	normal	circumstances,	an	award	will	vest	after	a	performance	period	of	three	years,	subject	to	the	achievement	of	satisfactory	levels	of	
performance	up	to	vesting.

Following	vesting	and,	where	applicable,	the	exercise	of	an	option,	Shares	will	be	issued	or	transferred	to	the	participant.	Any	Shares	issued	
following	vesting	of	an	award	or	exercise	of	an	option	will	rank	equally	with	Shares	of	the	same	class	in	issue	on	the	date	of	allotment	except	
in	respect	of	rights	arising	by	reference	to	a	prior	record	date.

Shares	received	on	vesting	of	an	award	or	exercise	of	an	option	may	be	subject	to	a	holding	period	at	the	discretion	of	the	Remuneration	
Committee.	During	the	holding	period,	the	participant	may	not	transfer,	assign	or	otherwise	dispose	of	the	Shares	or	any	interest	in	them	except	
to	fund	any	tax	liabilities,	to	take	up	the	participant’s	entitlements	on	a	rights	issue	or	where	Shares	are	forfeited	as	a	result	of	clawback.

Malus and clawback
The	Remuneration	Committee	may	decide	to	reduce,	including	to	nil,	the	number	of	Shares	in	an	award	(malus)	or	require	the	participant	to	
make	a	repayment	in	respect	of	an	award	(clawback)	where	there	is	a	material	misstatement	of	financial	results	or	where	a	participant’s	actions	
or	omissions	lead	directly	to	a	material	loss	to	the	Group	or	serious	reputational	damage	to	the	Group.

STRATEGIC REPORTGOVERNANCEFINANCIAL STATEMENTS124 
Xaar plc Annual Report and Financial Statements 2016
Financial Statements

Appendix 1 continued

Dividend equivalents
The	Remuneration	Committee	may	decide	at	any	time	before	vesting	that	participants	should	receive	an	additional	benefit	equal	in	value	to	any	
dividends	that	they	would	have	received	during	the	vesting	period,	if	they	had	been	the	holders	of	the	vested	Shares.	The	benefit	can	be	provided	
in	cash	or	in	Shares.	Alternatively,	the	Remuneration	Committee	may	grant	an	award	on	terms	that	the	number	of	Shares	subject	to	the	award	
shall	increase	by	assuming	that	dividends	that	would	have	been	paid	on	those	Shares	during	the	vesting	period	would	have	been	used	to	buy	
further	Shares.

Cash alternative and cash awards
Where	an	award	has	vested	(or,	in	the	case	of	an	option,	has	been	exercised)	the	Remuneration	Committee	may	elect,	instead	of	delivering	Shares,	
to	pay	cash	to	the	participant.	The	amount	to	be	paid	(subject	to	deduction	of	tax	or	similar	liabilities)	shall	be	equal	to	the	market	value	of	the	
Shares	subject	to	the	award.	Alternatively,	cash-settled	awards	can	be	granted	from	the	outset	if	considered	appropriate.

Leaving the Group
If	a	participant’s	employment	ends	in	circumstances	where	he/she	is	a	Good	Leaver,	the	award	will	vest	on	the	normal	vesting	date	to	the	extent	
that	any	performance	condition	has	been	met	over	the	performance	period	and	pro-rated	for	time,	unless	the	Remuneration	Committee	decides	
otherwise.	Alternatively,	the	Remuneration	Committee	may	allow	an	award	to	vest	early,	subject	to	satisfaction	of	the	performance	condition	
up	to	the	date	that	the	participant	leaves.

A	‘Good	Leaver’	is	a	participant	who	ceases	to	be	employed	due	to	ill-health,	injury,	disability,	redundancy,	death,	because	the	company	
or	business	for	which	he	works	is	transferred	out	of	the	Group	or	for	any	other	reason	at	the	discretion	of	the	Remuneration	Committee.

Awards	held	by	a	participant	who	leaves	but	is	not	a	Good	Leaver	will	lapse.

Takeovers and reorganisation
Awards	will	vest	on	a	change	of	control	of	the	Company	to	the	extent	the	performance	condition	has	been	met	up	to	that	time	and,	unless	the	
Remuneration	Committee	decides	otherwise,	will	be	pro-rated	for	time.	Internal	reorganisations	do	not	automatically	trigger	the	early	vesting	of	
awards.

If	any	other	corporate	events	occur	such	as	a	demerger,	delisting	or	special	dividend	which,	in	the	opinion	of	the	Remuneration	Committee,	
may	affect	the	current	or	future	value	of	Shares,	the	Remuneration	Committee	may	allow	awards	to	vest	but	this	will	only	be	to	the	extent	the	
performance	condition	has	been	met	up	to	the	event	in	question	and,	unless	the	Remuneration	Committee	decides	otherwise,	on	a	time	 
pro-rated	basis.

Variation of capital
In	the	event	of	any	variation	in	the	share	capital	of	the	Company,	the	Remuneration	Committee	may	make	such	adjustments	as	it	considers	
appropriate	to	the	number	of	Shares	under	award	and	any	option	exercise	price.

Amendments
The	Remuneration	Committee	can	amend	the	LTIP	in	any	way.	However,	shareholder	approval	will	be	required	to	amend	certain	provisions	to	the	
advantage	of	participants.	These	provisions	relate	to	eligibility,	individual	and	plan	limits,	the	basis	for	determining	a	participant’s	entitlement	to,	
and	the	terms	of,	the	Shares	or	cash	under	award,	the	adjustment	of	awards	on	any	variation	in	the	Company’s	share	capital	and	the	amendment	
powers.

Minor	amendments	can	be	made	without	shareholder	approval	to	benefit	the	administration	of	the	LTIP,	to	take	account	of	a	change	in	legislation	
or	to	obtain	or	maintain	favourable	tax,	exchange	control	or	regulatory	treatment.

125 
Xaar plc
Annual Report and Financial Statements 2016   

Appendix 2

XAAR 2017 SHARESAVE PLAN

The	Xaar	2017	Sharesave	Plan	(‘Sharesave’)	will	replace	the	existing	Sharesave	Scheme.	The	terms	of	the	Sharesave	are	summarised	below.

General
The	Sharesave	is	an	all-employee	share	option	scheme	under	which	eligible	employees	can	acquire	options	over	ordinary	shares	in	the	Company	
on	a	basis	which	is	tax-favoured	in	the	UK	and	at	a	discount	(currently	20%)	to	the	market	value	of	the	Shares	at	the	date	of	grant.	To	exercise	
the	options,	participants	must	save	out	of	contributions	from	their	salary	under	a	three-	or	five-year	HMRC-approved	savings	contract.	Savings	
contributions	are	subject	to	a	statutory	limit,	currently	£500	per	month.	The	Sharesave	will	be	administered	by	the	Board	which	will	determine	
whether	and	when	the	Sharesave	will	operate.	

The	Board	will	determine	whether	the	shares	required	for	the	Sharesave	will	be	newly	issued,	Treasury	shares	or	market	purchased.	Benefits	under	
the	Sharesave	are	not	pensionable,	are	personal	to	the	participant	and	may	not	be	transferred,	assigned,	charged	or	otherwise	encumbered	except	
that,	on	the	death	of	a	participant,	an	option	may	be	transmitted	to	the	participant’s	personal	representatives.

Invitations
If	the	Board	decides	to	operate	the	Sharesave,	invitations	must	be	sent	to	all	eligible	employees	of	each	participating	company	and	Directors	of	
participating	companies	who	are	required	to	work	a	minimum	of	25	hours	per	week.	Employees	are	eligible	provided	they	have	been	employed	for	
any	qualifying	period	(not	exceeding	five	years)	determined	by	the	Board.	The	Board	can	also	include	any	other	employee	or	executive	Director	of	a	
participating	company.	Invitations	will	normally	be	made	within	42	days	of	an	announcement	of	results,	but	may	also	be	made	within	42	days	of	the	
adoption	of	the	Sharesave,	if	the	Board	believes	the	circumstances	are	sufficiently	exceptional	to	justify	Invitations	being	made,	or	the	introduction	
of	a	new	savings	contract.	

The savings contract
To	participate	in	the	Sharesave,	an	eligible	employee	must	enter	into	a	savings	contract	of	three	or	five	years’	duration	and	agree	to	make	
contributions	which	cannot	be	less	than	a	minimum	per	month	set	by	the	Board	(of	between	£5	and	£10)	and	a	maximum	of	£500	per	month	
(or	any	other	maximum	sum	permitted	by	the	legislation	which	confers	tax-favoured	status	on	the	Sharesave	from	time	to	time).	

Grant of options
Employees	who	enter	into	savings	contracts	are	each	granted	an	option	to	acquire	shares	at	the	option	price	using	the	amount	saved,	including	
any	bonus	or	interest	payable	under	the	related	savings	contract.	Options	must	be	granted	within	30	days	(or	42	days	if	the	applications	are	scaled	
down)	of	the	first	day	by	reference	to	which	the	option	price	was	set.	A	participant	is	not	required	to	pay	for	the	grant	of	an	option.	

Limit on the use of shares 
In	any	10	year	period,	not	more	than	10%.	of	the	issued	share	capital	may	be	issued	under	the	Sharesave	and	all	other	employees’	share	plans	
adopted	by	the	Company.	

This	limit	does	not	include	awards	which	have	lapsed	or	been	released	but	will	include	awards	satisfied	with	Shares	transferred	out	of	treasury	
for	so	long	as	required	by	UK	institutional	investor	guidelines.

Exercise of options
An	option	must	normally	be	exercised	(in	whole	or	in	part)	within	six	months	after	the	completion	of	the	related	savings	contract,	provided	the	
participant	remains	a	Director	or	employee	of	a	participating	company,	and	may	only	be	exercised	once.	Shares	must	be	issued	or	transferred	
to	the	participant	within	30	days	of	the	date	of	exercise.

An	option	may	be	exercised	early	if	a	participant	ceases	employment	with	the	Company	or	a	participating	company	due	to	death,	retirement,	
injury,	disability,	redundancy,	a	relevant	transfer	under	the	Transfer	of	Undertaking	(Protection	of	Employment)	Regulations	2006	or	the	sale	of	the	
participant’s	employing	company	or	part	of	a	business	out	of	the	Company’s	Group.	On	death,	an	option	may	be	exercised	by	the	participant’s	
personal	representatives.	Options	may	also	be	exercised	early	in	the	event	of	a	voluntary	winding-up	of	the	Company.	On	cessation	of	employment	
for	other	reasons	or	if	a	participant	ceases	to	pay	contributions	under	the	related	savings	contract,	options	will	normally	lapse.	An	option	may	only	
be	exercised	to	the	extent	of	the	savings	in	the	related	savings	contract	at	the	date	of	exercise	(including	any	related	bonus).

Option price
The	option	price	will	be	determined	by	the	Board	but	must	not	be	less	than	the	higher	of:	

a)	 80%	(or	such	other	percentage	permitted	by	the	relevant	legislation)	of	the	average	of	the	middle	market	quotations	for	a	share	taken	from	the	

daily	official	list	of	the	London	Stock	Exchange	for	the	five	dealing	days	(or	the	middle	market	quotation	for	a	share	for	the	dealing	day)	immediately	
preceding	the	invitation	date	or	the	date	specified	in	the	invitation	or	80%	(or	such	other	percentage	permitted	by	the	relevant	legislation)	of	the	
market	value	at	such	other	time	in	accordance	with	HMRC	guidance	in	the	UK	or	as	may	be	agreed	in	advance	with	HMRC;	and	
in	the	case	of	an	option	to	subscribe	for	shares,	the	nominal	value	of	a	share.

b)	

STRATEGIC REPORTGOVERNANCEFINANCIAL STATEMENTS126 
Xaar plc Annual Report and Financial Statements 2016
Financial Statements

Appendix 2 continued

Takeovers and reorganisation
Options	may	normally	be	exercised	early	if:	

(a)	 any	person	obtains	control	of	the	Company	as	a	result	of	a	general	offer	to	acquire	shares;	
(b)	 a	person	(or	a	group	of	persons	acting	in	concert)	becomes	bound	or	entitled	to	acquire	shares	by	serving	a	notice	under	sections	979-982	

or	983-985	of	the	Companies	Act	2006;	or	

(c)	 a	scheme	of	arrangement	under	section	899	of	the	Companies	Act	2006	(or	a	similar	under	the	laws	of	a	country	outside	the	United	Kingdom)	

is	sanctioned.	

Options	may	be	exercised	up	to	20	days	before	the	relevant	event	or	within	six	months	of	the	event,	or	in	the	case	of	a	section	979	notice	served	
under	the	Companies	Act	2006,	until	the	expiry	of	the	period	during	which	a	person	is	entitled	or	bound	to	acquire	shares,	after	which	time	the	
options	will	lapse.	Alternatively,	with	the	consent	of	the	acquiring	company,	options	may	be	exchanged	for	equivalent	rights	to	acquire	shares	in	the	
acquiring	company.	

In	the	event	of	a	Company	reorganisation	or	merger,	where	the	Shareholders	of	the	acquiring	company	are	substantially	the	same	as	the	Company	
Shareholders	immediately	before	the	change	of	control,	the	Board	may	agree	with	the	acquiring	company	that	options	will	not	be	exercisable	but	
will	be	exchanged	for	equivalent	rights	over	shares	in	the	acquiring	company.

Rights attaching to shares
Shares	issued	to	satisfy	awards	under	the	Sharesave	will	rank	equally	in	all	respects	with	the	shares	in	issue	on	the	date	of	allotment	but	will	not	
rank	for	any	rights	attaching	to	shares	by	reference	to	a	record	date	preceding	the	date	of	allotment.	Where	shares	are	transferred	on	the	exercise	
of	an	option,	option	holders	are	entitled	to	all	rights	attaching	to	the	shares	by	reference	to	a	record	date	on	or	after	the	transfer	date,	but	will	
not	be	entitled	to	rights	before	that	date.

Variation of capital
If	there	is	a	variation	in	the	equity	share	capital	including	a	capitalisation	or	rights	issue,	sub-division,	consolidation	or	reduction,	the	Board	may	
adjust	the	number	of	shares	subject	to	options	and/or	the	option	price,	provided	that	the	total	option	price	(which	must	not	exceed	the	expected	
proceeds	of	the	related	savings	contract	at	the	bonus	date)	and	total	market	value	of	the	shares	under	option	must	remain	substantially	the	same.	

Amendments
The	Board	can	amend	the	Sharesave	in	any	way.	However,	shareholder	approval	will	be	required	to	amend	certain	provisions	to	the	advantage	of	
participants.	These	provisions	relate	to	which	employees	and	Directors	may	participate	in	the	Sharesave;	the	limit	on	the	number	of	shares	which	
may	be	issued	or	transferred	out	of	treasury;	the	maximum	contribution	for	a	participant;	the	basis	for	determining	the	option	price;	any	rights	
attaching	to	options	and	the	shares	or	the	basis	for	determining	a	participant’s	entitlement.

Minor	amendments	can	be	made	without	shareholder	approval	to	benefit	the	administration	of	the	Sharesave,	to	maintain	its	UK	tax-advantaged	
status,	to	comply	with	or	take	account	of	the	provisions	of	any	proposed	or	existing	legislation	or	any	changes	to	that	legislation,	or,	to	obtain	or	
maintain	favourable	tax,	exchange	control	or	regulatory	treatment	of	the	Company,	any	subsidiary	or	any	present	or	future	participant.

Termination
The	Sharesave	may	be	terminated	by	the	Company	at	any	time.	No	options	may	be	granted	under	the	Sharesave	after	the	tenth	anniversary	
of	the	date	of	its	approval	by	Company	shareholders.	

Registered office
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Registered number
3320972

Company Secretary
Alex Bevis

Xaar plc
Annual Report and Financial Statements 2016 

Advisors

Brokers
Jefferies International Limited
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Deloitte LLP
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Solicitors
Mills & Reeve LLP
Botanic House 
100 Hills Road 
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Bankers
Barclays Bank plc
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Capita Asset Services
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