Berendsen profit and revenue slip but divi lifted

Berendsen said 2015 pre-tax profit and revenue dropped on the back of adverse currency movements, as the pound strengthened against the currencies in which the group operates in Continental Europe.

For the year to the end of December, statutory pre-tax profit slipped £113.4 from £117m, on revenue of £1.01bn, down 3% from 2014.

Adjusted operating profit, meanwhile, fell 3% to £153.8m.

The company, which provides textile maintenance services, said the negative impact of currency translation reduced revenue and adjusted operating profit by £71.4m and £13.5m respectively compared to last year.

Excluding the impact from currency and the contribution from acquisitions, underlying revenue grew 3% and adjusted operating profit was up 5%.

Chairman Iain Ferguson said: "We are pleased to report good operational progress for the year, in line with our expectations. Last November, we presented our Strategy Update reconfirming significant market opportunities and announcing the move to a revised four Business Line structure to accelerate the pace of delivery.

“During the course of 2016, we will be focused on completing the Business Line structure and on implementing a series of new initiatives designed to capture these growth opportunities. The board expects to achieve a further year of good underlying progress in 2016."

Berendsen said it will pay a final dividend of 21.5p per share, which takes it total dividend to 31.5p, up 5% from the previous year.