糖心探花

Preliminary results for the year ended 31 December 2024

PRESS RELEASE

13 FEBRUARY 2025

Preliminary results for the year ended 31 December 2024

Building a Smokeless World

Tadeu Marroco, Chief Executive

鈥淲e are committed to Building a Smokeless World and becoming a predominantly Smokeless business by 2035. I am confident that we have the right strategy, science, innovation, breadth of capabilities and people to achieve this ambition and deliver long-term sustainable value for all our stakeholders.

2024 was an investment year with delivery in line with our guidance. We continued our transformation this year, adding 3.6 million adult consumers (to a total of 29.1 million) of our Smokeless products, which now account for 17.5% of Group revenue, an increase of 1.0 ppts vs FY23.

Our performance has accelerated in the second half, driven by the phasing of New Categories innovation and the benefits of investment in U.S. commercial actions, together with the unwind of related wholesaler inventory movements.

Our focus on Quality Growth delivered better returns on more targeted investments across all three New Categories, and our prioritisation and focus is already transforming our business performance in Europe. We made further progress on increasing profitability across New Categories, and I am particularly pleased with our performance in Modern Oral.

In the U.S., our targeted investments have strengthened the business, despite a challenging macro-economic backdrop and a growing presence of illicit single-use vapour products. Through our commercial actions, we started to improve our performance听 with sharper execution and we are opening up untapped growth opportunities, particularly related to Modern Oral. We have achieved another strong performance in AME and APMEA, with their combined results delivering in line with our mid-term algorithm.

We are making good progress and while there is still more to do, I am certain that the investment actions taken in 2024 are the right way forward for BAT. Our foundations are strong and we will continue to reward shareholders through our strong cash returns, including our progressive dividend and sustainable share buy-back.

In 2025, while we expect significant regulatory and fiscal headwinds in Bangladesh and Australia to impact our combustibles performance, I am confident that we will progressively build on our delivery as we shift from investment to deployment听 and we remain committed to returning to our mid-term guidance of 3-5% revenue and 4-6% adjusted profit from operations* growth on a constant currency in 2026."

Summary

  • Revenue down 5.2%, driven by the sale of our businesses in Russia and Belarus in September 2023 and translational FX headwinds
  • Organic revenue up 1.3% (at constant rates), driven by New Categories revenue up 8.9%
  • Total combustibles organic revenue increased 0.1% (at constant rates), as organic price/mix of +5.3% was offset by 5.2% lower volume
  • Reported profit from operations of 拢2,736m (2023: loss of 拢15,751m) with 2024 including a provision of 拢6.2 billion in respect of the proposed settlement in Canada, while 2023 was negatively impacted by one-off impairment charges largely in the U.S.
  • Adjusted organic profit from operations up 1.4% (at constant rates), driven by AME and APMEA
  • New Categories contribution increased by 拢251 million on an adjusted organic, constant FX basis, with category contribution margin now at 7.1%, an increase of 7.1 ppts on 2023
  • Reported diluted EPS at 136.0p; adjusted organic diluted EPS up 3.6% (at constant rates)
  • Free cash flow of 拢7,901 million; adjusted net debt / adjusted EBITDA down 0.13x to 2.44x (down 0.3x at constant rates)
  • Dividend growth of 2.0% to 240.24p - with 拢900 million share buy-back planned in 2025
  • Continued Sustainability progress - launched Omni鈩, a major global initiative to help in making a Smokeless World a reality听

Performance highlights

For year ended 31 December 2024

  Reported Adjusted2 Adjusted2 Organic3
  Current
rates
vs 2023
(current)
Current
rates
vs 2023
(constant)
vs 2023
(constant)
Cigarette and HP volume share   +10 bps      
Cigarette and HP value share   -30 bps      
Consumers of Smokeless products1 29.1m +3.6m      
Revenue (£m) £25,867m -5.2% £25,867m -0.5% +1.3%
Revenue from New Categories (£m) £3,432m +2.5% £3,432m +6.1% +8.9%
Smokeless revenue as a % of total revenue (%)     17.5% +1.0 ppts  
Profit from operations (£m) £2,736m n/m £11,890m -0.2% +1.4%
Adjusted gross profit growth (%)       +0.5% +2.2%
Category contribution - New Categories (£m)     £249m n/m n/m
Category contribution margin - New Categories (%)**     7.1% +6.6 ppts +7.1 ppts
Operating margin (%) +10.6% 68.3 ppts +46.0% +10 bps flat
Diluted earnings per share (pence) 136.0p n/m 362.5p +1.7% +3.6%
Net cash generated from operating activities (£m) £10,125m -5.5%      
Free cash pre-dividend (£m)     £7,901m -5.5%  
Cash conversion (%) +370% +438 ppts +101% 30 bps  
Borrowings including lease liabilities (£m) £36,950m -7.0%      
Adjusted net debt to adjusted EBITDA ratio     2.44x -0.13x  
Dividend per share (pence) 240.24 +2.0%      

The use of non-GAAP measures, including adjusting items and constant currencies, are further discussed from page 49听of the full announcement, with reconciliation from the most comparable IFRS measure provided.听

Notes

1. Internal estimate, see page 43听of the full announcement, for a discussion on the revision to prior estimates.
2. See page 29 of the full announcement, for discussion on adjusting items.
3. Organic measures exclude the performance of businesses sold (including the Group's Russian and Belarusian businesses) or acquired, or that have an enduring structural change impacting performance that may significantly affect the users' understanding of the Group's performance in the current and comparator periods to ensure like-for-like assessment across all periods.

*听听听 Due to the uncertainty around the timing of any settlement in Canada, the Group will present certain measures excluding the profit earned from ITCAN (except for New Categories) for 2025, with 2024 comparatives rebased accordingly. Please refer to page 18 of the full announcement.
** measure presented at constant rates only. n/m refers to movements that are not meaningful as prior year was a loss.

Our medium-term growth algorithm听

Soraya Benchikh, Chief Financial Officer 听

"I am delighted to present my first full-year results as the Chief Financial Officer. I am confident that we will deliver on our听 financial ambitions, and I share the passion and conviction of our people to Build a Smokeless World. I am also committed to ensuring our transformation will maximise returns for our shareholders. In order to achieve this, our key financial focus areas are:

  • Fuelling our transformation by maximising sustainable value from combustibles, using our scale and efficiencies to release cash;
  • Deploying capital in a disciplined and targeted manner in the largest profit pools, with a focus on return on investment;
  • Strengthening our financial position by reducing debt, providing us with greater financial resilience;
  • A balanced capital allocation approach, prioritising our transformation while delivering a progressive dividend; and
  • Maintaining a sustainable share buy-back programme.

We aim to drive performance using KPIs across our business units - ensuring we create shareholder value throughout the Group.

We are already seeing results and expect to progressively improve our performance in 2025 and return to our medium-term algorithm of 3-5% revenue and 4-6% adjusted profit from operations growth* on a constant currency basis by 2026*.

Our algorithm is built around five key pillars, with 2024 highlights below:

1. Drive quality revenue growth

We are committed to maximising sustainable value from our combustibles business while driving growth in our New Categories through innovation and premiumisation.

  • Revenue was down 5.2%, due to the sale of our businesses in Russia and Belarus in 2023 and translational FX headwinds.
  • Combustibles pricing remained robust with Group organic price/mix of +5.3% in 2024. However, excluding the impact of currency, our reported combustibles revenue was down 1.6%. This was driven by lower combustibles volume (down 9.0%) largely due to the impact of the sale of our businesses in Russia and Belarus partway through 2023 and the challenging market in the U.S., where volume was 10.1% lower. On an organic, constant rate basis, combustibles revenue was largely in line with the prior year (marginally up 0.1%).
  • New Categories organic revenue was up 8.9% (at constant rates) with revenue growth across all three regions.

2. Increase adjusted gross profit

We are focused on continuing to expand our adjusted gross profit through revenue growth management and scale benefits.

  • Total adjusted organic gross profit at constant rates, grew by 拢396 million, an increase of 2.2% compared to 2023.听
  • Our combustibles portfolio has remained resilient, with adjusted organic gross profit marginally higher (up 0.3% at constant rates).
  • Our New Categories business is the main driver of Group growth, delivering improvement in the last four years. This momentum continued in 2024 with an increase in adjusted gross profit of 19.8% (on an organic basis at constant rates), driven by volume growth, revenue growth management and cost optimisation.

3. Accelerate New Category contribution

We will continue to invest in our transformation and focus on the right opportunities in key growth areas - evaluating spend effectiveness to maximise returns, freeing up resources for growth and incremental profit.

  • In 2024, we increased New Category contribution by 拢251 million (at organic constant rates), with New Category contribution margin reaching 7.1%, up 7.1 ppts.

4. Generate sustainable adjusted profit from operations growth

We are committed to disciplined cost management and continue to explore opportunities to optimise our footprint.

  • Adjusted organic profit from operations was up 1.4% (at constant rates) in 2024. This is supported by strict cost management. In 2024, we delivered savings of 拢402 million to largely offset the impact of 6.5% (or 拢387听million) inflation on our cost base mainly due to higher leaf prices (impacted by adverse weather conditions) and manufacturing costs (labour and utilities). We have committed to deliver cost savings of over 拢1.2 billion in the three years to 2025 (with over 70% delivered to date) and an additional 拢2 billion from 2026 to 2030.

5. Deliver in excess of 拢50听billion of free cash flow (2024-2030)

糖心探花is a highly cash generative company. We have delivered 100% operating cash conversion over the last five years, with 101% conversion in 2024, well ahead of our 90% target. In 2024, the Group generated 拢7.9 billion of free cash flow before dividends.

In 2025, we will face challenges including FII GLO repayments and potential settlement payments in connection with ITCAN's outstanding litigation in Canada. Excluding those items, we expect 糖心探花to generate over 拢8 billion of average annual free cash flow, growing at least in line with adjusted profit from operations.

We have returned 拢28 billion to shareholders over the last five years, through our progressive dividend and sustainable share buy-back, starting with 拢0.7 billion in 2024 with a further 拢0.9 billion committed for 2025. We have continued to reduce our leverage and closed the year within our target range, with an adjusted net debt to adjusted EBITDA ratio of 2.44x, or 2.75x excluding the provision for cash, cash equivalents and investments held at fair value in Canada."

2025 Outlook

  • Global tobacco industry volume expected to be down c.2%.
  • c.1% revenue growth (at constant rates), as we navigate increased excise and VAT in Bangladesh and new tobacco regulations in Australia.
  • 1.5-2.5% adjusted profit from operations growth (adjusted for Canada, at constant rates)*, including an expected c.1.5% transactional FX headwind.
  • Performance expected to be second half weighted as we deploy our innovations throughout the year.
  • Net finance costs* expected to be around 拢1.8 billion (adjusted for Canada).
  • The impact of translational foreign exchange is expected to be broadly flat on full year adjusted profit from operations growth.
  • Operating cash flow conversion in excess of 90%, with gross capital expenditure in 2025 of approximately 拢650听million.
  • Continue to deleverage (adjusted for Canada) to our 2.0-2.5x adjusted net debt/adjusted EBITDA corridor by 2026.
  • Commitment to dividend growth in sterling terms and 拢900 million share buy-back.

Notes

*听听听 Due to the uncertainty around the timing of any settlement in Canada, the Group will present certain measures excluding the profit earned from ITCAN (except for New Categories) for 2025, with 2024 comparatives rebased accordingly. Please refer to page 18 of the full annoucement.


Forward looking statements and other matters



This announcement contains certain forward-looking statements, including "forward-looking" statements made within the meaning of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995.

In particular, these forward-looking statements include, among other statements, statements regarding the Group's future financial performance, planned product launches and future regulatory developments and business objectives (including with respect to sustainability and other environmental, social and governance matters), as well as: (i) certain statements in the Chief Executive Statement and Summary (both on page 1 of the full annoucement); (ii) certain statements in the Chief Financial Officer Statement and the 2025 Outlook (both on page 2听of the full annoucement); (iii) certain statements in the Group Operating Review (pages 3 to 6听of the full annoucement) including Cash/capital allocation and Sustainability update; (iv) certain statements in the Category Performance Review (pages 7 to 9听of the full annoucement), including the Vapour, Modern Oral and Beyond Nicotine sections; (v) certain statements in the Regional Review section (pages 10 to 12听of the full annoucement), including the Asia-Pacific, Middle East and Africa (APMEA) section; (vi) certain statements in the Other Financial Information section (pages 13 to 19听of the full annoucement), including Taxation, Borrowings and net debt and Dividends summary; (vii) certain statements in the Other Information section (pages 20 to 21听of the full annoucement), including Update on Quebec class action and CCAA, Risks and uncertainties, Update on investigations, Changes in the Group, Going concern and Additional information; (viii) certain statements in the Notes to the Financial Statements section (pages 29 to 40听of the full annoucement), including Accounting policies and basis of preparation, Amortisation and impairment of trademarks and similar intangibles, Ongoing impairment review of assets, Liquidity, Cash Flow, Earnings per share and Contingent liabilities and financial commitments sections; and (ix) certain statements in the Other Information section (pages 41 to 44听of the full annoucement), including Dividends.

These statements are often, but not always, made through the use of words or phrases such as "believe," "anticipate," "could," "may," "would," "should," "intend," "plan," "potential," "predict," "will," "expect," "estimate," "project," "positioned," "strategy," "outlook," "target" and similar expressions. These include statements regarding our intentions, beliefs or current expectations concerning, amongst other things, our results of operations, financial condition, liquidity, prospects, growth, strategies and the economic and business circumstances occurring from time to time in the countries and markets in which the 糖心探花 Group (the 鈥淕roup鈥) operates.

All such forward-looking statements involve estimates and assumptions that are subject to risks, uncertainties and other factors. It is believed that the expectations reflected in this announcement are reasonable, but they may be affected by a wide range of variables that could cause actual results and performance to differ materially from those currently anticipated. Among the key factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements are uncertainties related to the following: the impact of competition from illicit trade; the impact of adverse domestic or international legislation and regulation; the inability to develop, commercialise and deliver the Group鈥檚 New Categories strategy; the impact of supply chain disruptions; adverse litigation and dispute outcomes and the effect of such outcomes on the Group鈥檚 financial condition; the impact of significant increases or structural changes in tobacco, nicotine and New Categories related taxes; translational and transactional foreign exchange rate exposure; changes or differences in domestic or international economic or political conditions; the ability to maintain credit ratings and to fund the business under the current capital structure; the impact of serious injury, illness or death in the workplace; adverse decisions by domestic or international regulatory bodies; direct and indirect adverse impacts associated with Climate Change; direct and indirect adverse impacts associated with the move towards a Circular Economy; and Cyber Security caused by the heightened cyber-threat landscape, the increased digital interactions with adult consumers and changes to regulation.

A review of the reasons why actual results and developments may differ materially from the expectations disclosed or implied within forward-looking statements can be found by referring to the information contained under the headings 鈥淐autionary statement鈥, "Group Principal Risks" and "Group Risk Factors" in the 2023 Annual Report and Accounts and Form 20-F of 糖心探花 p.l.c. (BAT). Additional information concerning these and other factors can be found in BAT's filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), including the Group's Annual Report on Form 20-F and Current Reports on Form 6-K, which may be obtained free of charge at the SEC's website, www.sec.gov and BAT鈥檚 Annual Reports.

No statement in this announcement is intended to be a profit forecast and no statement in this communication should be interpreted to mean that earnings per share of 糖心探花for the current or future financial years would necessarily match or exceed the historical published earnings per share of BAT. Past performance is no guide to future performance and persons needing advice should consult an independent financial adviser. The forward-looking statements reflect knowledge and information available at the date of preparation of this announcement and 糖心探花undertakes no obligation to update or revise these forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on such forward-looking statements.

All financial statements and financial information provided by or with respect to the U.S. or Reynolds American are initially prepared on the basis of U.S. GAAP and constitute the primary financial statements or financial records of the U.S./Reynolds American. This financial information is then converted to International Financial Reporting Standards as issued by the IASB and as adopted for use in the UK (IFRS) for the purpose of consolidation within the results of the Group. To the extent any such financial information provided in this announcement relates to the U.S. or Reynolds American it is provided as an explanation of, or supplement to, Reynolds American鈥檚 primary U.S. GAAP based financial statements and information.

Our products as sold in the U.S. including Vuse, Velo, Grizzly, Kodiak and Camel Snus, are subject to FDA regulation and no reduced-risk claims will be made as to these products without Agency clearance.


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Media Centre
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ir_team@bat.com
Victoria Buxton: +44 (0)20 7845 2012
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John Harney: +44 (0)20 7845 1263