Financial highlights
2% Group underlying sales growth, with 4% International growth and 2% UK decline
International driven by 4% growth in both Europe and North America, 2% growth in Asia Pacific
UK sales excluding Raspberry Pi declined by 1% (flat Q4), with UK profits up 4%
Gross margin stable at 45.9%, benefitting from our value for money strategic initiatives
Group operating margin up 20 basis points to 8.3% with good cost control
Headline profit before tax increased by 7%, or 3% excluding extra trading days and currency
Continued strong cash generation with headline free cash flow up by 4%
Operational highlights
Group eCommerce sales growth of 6%, with Group eCommerce sales share up to 58%
Significant enhancements to our websites, particularly regarding search and browse functionality
Successful launch of DesignSpark Mechanical, our latest free-of-charge design tool for engineers
Sales growth of 4% in Famous For products, comprising electronics and automation and control
Strategy underway to build a consistent global offer across RS and Allied
Successfully rolled out existing SAP-based IT system to South East Asia and Greater China
