Annual Report 2020

29. POST BALANCE SHEET EVENTS

As outlined in the Group’s viability statement on page 20, COVID-19 is having a material impact on the Group’s business and the Group has accounted for this as an adjusting event in the current year’s financial statements. Post year end COVID-19 continues to have an impact on the Group’s financial statements. In response to this, the Group has implemented a series of measures to reduce operating costs, maximise available cash flow, and maintain and strengthen the Group’s liquidity position.

In March 2020, the Group completed the successful issue of approximately €140 million of new US Private Placement (‘USPP’) notes. The unsecured notes have maturities of 10 and 12 years and diversify the Group’s sources of debt finance. The Group’s Euro term loan included a mandatory prepayment clause from the issuance of any Debt Capital Market instruments. A waiver of the prepayment was successfully negotiated post year end in addition to a waiver of a July 2020 repayment which now becomes payable with the last instalment in July 2021. The Group also received a waiver on its debt covenants from its lending group for FY2021, to be replaced by a minimum liquidity covenant and monthly gross debt cap.

The Group has also received confirmation from the Bank of England that it is eligible to issue commercial paper under the COVID-19 Corporate Financing Facility (‘CCFF’’) scheme. The Group had not drawn down on this facility as at 3 June 2020.

Post year end, the Group announced to the market, the decision of the Board to not declare a final dividend for the current financial year. While the Board recognises the importance of dividend income to shareholders it felt, given absolute focus on cash conservation, that it would be neither appropriate, nor prudent, to declare a final dividend for the current financial year.

There are no other events affecting the Group that have occurred since the year end which would require disclosure or amendment of the financial statements.