2024 First Half Pre-Close Trading Update

Webcast and Conference call - The conference call will begin at 8.30am (BST)

You can access the audio webcast via our website. You can also listen via conference call by dialling the numbers below. Quote the password 'BAT trading update' when prompted by the operator.

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A playback facility for the conference call will be available online via www.bat.com.
 

Market share and volume data YTD March 2024 average share growth vs. FY2023 average.

¹ Profitability at category contribution level: Profit from operations before the impact of adjusting items and translational foreign exchange, having allocated costs that are directly attributable to New Categories.

² Leverage refers to the ratio of adjusted net debt to adjusted EBITDA.

Adjusted net debt is not a measure defined by IFRS. Adjusted net debt is total borrowings, including related derivatives, less cash and cash equivalents and current investments held at fair value, excluding the impact of the revaluation of Reynolds American Inc. acquired debt arising as part of the purchase price allocation process.

 Adjusted EBITDA is not a measure defined by IFRS. Adjusted EBITDA is profit for the year before net finance costs/income, taxation on ordinary activities, depreciation, amortisation, impairment costs, the Group’s share of post-tax results of associates and joint ventures, and other adjusting items.

³ To supplement the Group’s results presented in accordance with International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS), the Group’s Management Board, as the chief operating decision maker, reviews certain of its results, including revenue, and adjusted profit from operations, at constant rates of exchange, prior to the impact of businesses sold or held-for-sale in the case of revenue and adjusted profit from operations. Although the Group does not believe that these measures are a substitute for IFRS or other operating measures, the Group does believe that such results excluding the impact of businesses sold or to be held-for-sale provide additional useful information to investors regarding the underlying performance of the business on a comparable basis and in the case of the sale of the Group’s businesses in Russia and Belarus, the impact these businesses had on revenue and profit from operations. Accordingly, the organic volume and financial measures appearing in this document should be read in conjunction with the Group’s results as reported under IFRS and other operating measures.

⁴ Top 8 Combustibles markets: U.S. – Marlin, Germany – NielsenIQ, Japan – CVS, Romania – NielsenIQ, Brazil – Scanntech, Mexico – NielsenIQ, Bangladesh – NielsenIQ, Pakistan – Retail Access. These eight markets cover an estimated c.65% of combustibles industry revenue.

⁵ Based on Vuse estimated value share from reduced-risk^*† products in measured retail for Vapour (i.e., total Vapour category value in retail sales) in the Top 7 Vapour markets.

* Based on the weight of evidence and assuming a complete switch from cigarette smoking. “Reduced-risk” products are not risk free and are addictive.

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

⁶ Top 7 Vapour markets: U.S. – RSD, Canada – Scan Data, UK – NielsenIQ, France – Strator, Germany – NielsenIQ, Poland – NielsenIQ, Spain – Logista RA. These seven markets cover an estimated c.80% of global closed system revenue.

⁷ Poly-usage: Refers to a transitional period for smokers towards complete switching to potentially risk reduced nicotine products during which period such smokers reduce cigarette consumption and choose to consume one or more New Category products.

⁸ Top 9 HP markets: Japan – CVS-BC, South Korea – CVS, Italy – NielsenIQ, Germany – NielsenIQ, Greece – NielsenIQ, Hungary – SZTFH, Poland – NielsenIQ, Romania – NielsenIQ, Czech Republic – NielsenIQ. These nine markets account for c.90% of total industry HP revenue.

⁹ Top 7 Modern Oral markets: U.S. – RSD, Sweden – NielsenIQ, Denmark – NielsenIQ, Norway – NielsenIQ, Switzerland – IMS, UK – NielsenIQ, Poland – NielsenIQ. These seven markets cover an estimated c.70% of total industry Modern Oral revenue

¹⁰ Based on current exchange rates of USD/GBP 1.2732 as at close on 31 May 2024.
 

Share growth refers to volume share for HP and Modern Oral and value share for Vapour.

As used herein, volume share refers to the estimated retail sales volume of the product sold as a proportion of total estimated retail sales volume in that category and value share refers to the estimated retail sales value of the product sold as a proportion of total estimated retail sales value in that category. Please refer to the 2023 Annual Report on Form 20‐F for a full description of these measures, together with a description of other Key Performance Indicators (KPIs), on pages 333 and 334. Industry and global revenue refer to the total industry revenue in the markets in which we are present.

New Categories comprises Heated Products (HP), Vapour and Modern Oral. Our products as sold in the U.S., including Vuse, Velo, Grizzly, Kodiak, and Camel Snus, are subject to Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regulation and no reduced-risk claims will be made as to these products without FDA clearance. 
 

Note on Non-GAAP Measures

This announcement contains several forward-looking non-GAAP measures used by management to monitor the Group’s performance. For the non-GAAP information contained in this announcement, no comparable GAAP or IFRS information is available on a forward-looking basis and our forward-looking revenue and other components of the Group’s results, including the revenue generated from combustibles and adjusting items, cannot be estimated with reasonable certainty due to, among other things, the impact of foreign exchange, pricing, volume and adjusting items, which could be significant, being highly variable. As such, no reconciliations for this forward-looking non-GAAP information are available and we are unable to: present revenue before presenting New Category revenue or organic constant currency revenue; or present profit from operations before presenting adjusted profit from operations on an organic basis at constant rates.

One non-GAAP measure which the Group uses and that is contained in this announcement is operating cash conversion, a non-GAAP measure defined as net cash generated from operating activities before the impact of adjusting items and dividends from associates and excluding trade loans to third-parties, pension short fall funding, taxes paid and after net capital expenditure, as a proportion of adjusted profit from operations. This announcement also contains New Category contribution, adjusted EBITDA, adjusted net debt, adjusted net finance costs, adjusted taxation, all of which are before the impact of adjusting items and which are reconciled from profit from operations, borrowings, net finance costs and taxation. The Group also uses adjusted share of post-tax results of associates and joint ventures and adjusted non-controlling interests. In addition, this announcement contains organic revenue, which is a non-GAAP measure that is before the impact of businesses sold or held for sale and is derived from revenue. This announcement also contains organic adjusted profit from operations, which is a non-GAAP measure that is before the impact of adjusting items and the impact of businesses sold or held for sale and is derived from profit from operations.

Adjusting items, as identified in accordance with the Group’s accounting policies, represent certain items of income and expense which the Group considers distinctive based on their size, nature or incidence. These include significant items in, profit from operations, net finance costs, taxation and the Group’s share of the post‐tax results of associates and joint ventures which individually or, if of a similar type, in aggregate, are relevant to an understanding of the Group’s underlying financial performance. Although the Group does not believe that these measures are a substitute for IFRS measures, the Group does believe such results excluding the impact of adjusting items provide additional useful information to investors regarding the underlying performance of the business on a comparable basis.

The Group’s Management Board reviews a number of our IFRS and non‐GAAP measures for the Group and its geographic segments at constant rates of exchange. This allows comparison of the Group’s results, had they been translated at the previous year’s average rates of exchange. The Group does not adjust for the normal transactional gains and losses in operations that are generated by exchange movements. Although the Group does not believe that these measures are a substitute for IFRS measures, the Group does believe that such results excluding the impact of currency fluctuations year‐on‐year provide additional useful information to investors regarding the operating performance on a local currency basis.

The Group’s Management Board regularly reviews the measures used to assess and present the financial performance of the Group and, as relevant, its geographic segments, and believes that these measures provide additional useful information to investors. Certain of our measures are presented based on an adjusted basis and on a constant currency basis. Please refer to the 2023 Annual Report on Form 20‐F for a full description of each measure alongside non-financial measures, pages 333 to 349.
 

Forward looking statements

References in this announcement to ‘BAT’, ‘Group’, ‘we’, ‘us’ and ‘our’ when denoting opinion refer to British American Tobacco p.l.c. (BAT PLC) and when denoting business activity refer to BAT Group operating companies, collectively or individually as the case may be.

This announcement does not constitute an invitation to underwrite, subscribe for, or otherwise acquire or dispose of any BAT PLC shares or other securities. 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. 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. In particular, these forward-looking statements include statements regarding (i) the bullets under “On track to deliver FY guidance; strategic discipline and focused investment driving positive early momentum”, (ii) the Group's expectations for revenue and adjusted profit from operations growth in 2024,  on an organic basis at constant rates, (iii) the Group’s expectations with respect to its investment decisions, (iv) the Group's expectations for New Categories profitability, (v) the Group's expectations for a cash conversion in excess of 90%, (vi) the Group’s expectations for revenue and adjusted operating profit growth, on an organic basis at constant rates by 2026, (vii) the Group's expectations to roll out its products in further markets in 2024, (viii) the Group’s leverage range target and expectations for year-end and (ix) statements under the heading “Technical guidance for full year 2024.”

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 Group 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's New Categories strategy; the impact of supply chain disruptions; adverse litigation and dispute outcomes and the effect of such outcomes on the Group's 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; changes in the market position, businesses, financial condition, results of operations or prospects of the Group; direct and indirect adverse impacts associated with climate change and the move towards a circular economy; and cyber security risks caused by the heightened cyber-threat landscape, and the increased digital interaction with consumers, and changes to regulation.

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 BAT 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.

No statement in this announcement is intended to be a profit forecast and no statement in this announcement should be interpreted to mean that earnings per share of BAT PLC for the current or future financial years would necessarily match or exceed the historical published earnings per share of BAT PLC.

Additional information concerning these and other factors can be found in BAT PLC filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), including the 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.