In this, my first statement as Chair of Volution, I am pleased to report another strong year of progress. The Group has continued to demonstrate the strength of its business model and strategy, achieving revenue growth of 6.6%, an adjusted operating margin of 21.3% with excellent cash generation during the year.

Volution is a business with a strong purpose and one that has an excellent track record of delivering value to all stakeholders. A key differentiator for Volution amongst its peers is the increase of industry regulation designed to make indoor air cleaner and decarbonise buildings. It is this regulation that has continued to be a key driver of Volution's growth this year, particularly in the UK public sector, where improving poor quality housing has become a legal requirement. It will also provide Volution with considerable resilience in a market where current high interest rates have had an adverse impact on new build construction levels and consumer confidence.

Whilst macroeconomic challenges continue, Volution's performance has demonstrated the strength and resilience of its business model, supported by our broad geographic and product diversity.

Strategy

The three strategic pillars of the Group are organic growth, value-adding acquisitions and operational excellence. These strategic pillars, together with a focus on sustainability, provide the platform for the implementation of the Group's purpose, to provide "Healthy Air, Sustainably". Solid progress was made during the year with good organic growth, whilst the acquisition of VMI, based in France, and I-Vent, based in Slovenia and Croatia, has further strengthened the Group's geographic and product diversification. The Group also acquired DVS in New Zealand, which was completed shortly after the year end.

Performance and results

Group revenue increased to £328.0 million (2022: £307.7 million) whilst adjusted operating profit was up 7.7% at £69.9 million (2022: £64.9 million), representing a margin of 21.3% (2022: 21.1%). Reported profit before tax increased to £48.8 million (2022: £47.2 million).

The Group's adjusted earnings per share was 25.8 pence, representing an increase over the prior year of 1.8 pence, up 7.5%. The compound annual growth rate of adjusted earnings per share since IPO in 2014 is 12.7%, demonstrating consistent delivery of double-digit earnings growth over the period. Basic earnings per share for the year was 19.0 pence (2022: 18.1 pence).

Adjusted operating cash flow was £75.7 million (2022: £50.4 million), and we spent £29.7 million, net of cash acquired, on two acquisitions during the year. As a result, net debt  excluding lease liabilities at the year-end remained largely unchanged at £58.1 million (2022: £60.8 million).

Dividends

Recognising our strong performance in the year and our continued confidence in the business, the Board has recommended a final dividend of 5.5 pence per share, giving a total dividend for the financial year of 8.0 pence per share (2022: 7.3 pence per share), an increase of 9.6% on the previous year. This is in line with our ambition to progressively grow dividends each year. The resulting adjusted earnings dividend cover for the year was 3.2x (2022: 3.3x).

Subject to approval by shareholders at the Annual General Meeting on 13 December 2023, the final dividend will be paid on 19 December 2023 to shareholders on the register at 24 November 2023.

Environment, social and governance (ESG) objectives

Volution is committed to high standards of corporate responsibility, sustainability and employee engagement and continues to focus on its contribution to a more sustainable world through its operations, culture and ventilation solutions. The Group aims to give full consideration to the long-term impact of all business operations, which means that, wherever feasible, our products and services are sustainably sourced.

The disclosures in our Sustainability Report, including our TCFD disclosure, have been further developed this year to provide a better understanding of our Scope 3 emissions and the carbon footprint of our products. In addition, the Company has received an improved AA rating from MSCI, following improvements in Volution's decarbonisation initiatives - one of the benchmarks for ESG ratings. We are very proud of our London Stock Exchange Green Economy Mark, first received in 2021.

Our people & culture

As a Board, we understand the importance of building engagement and a good corporate culture. We regularly monitor the company culture and seek opportunities throughout the year to engage with colleagues across the Group. Claire Tiney, our designated Non-Executive Director for workforce engagement, continues to participate in two Group-wide Employee Forum events each year, enabling in-depth insights to be brought to the Board on the views, opinions and focus areas of our people. A Group-wide workforce engagement survey will be launched later this year and as a Board we look forward to the further insights that this will afford us.

Safety at work is always central to everything we do, and the Group remains focused on a zero-harm ambition. I am pleased to report good progress in the area of Health and Safety, although we saw a small increase in the reportable accident rate compared to last year, and the Company remains fully committed to further strengthening the health and safety culture across all our businesses.

Our talented people across the global business are at the heart of our continued success and essential in the execution of Group strategy. I am grateful to all Volution colleagues for their commitment and contribution. I would like to welcome our new colleagues from VMI, I-Vent and DVS to the Volution Group.

Board changes

Paul Hollingworth retired as Chairman of the Board on 23 June 2023, having served on the Volution Board for nine years. I was delighted to be appointed as Paul's successor and would like to thank Paul for his leadership and contribution to Volution during his tenure. I would also like to thank my Board colleagues for their assistance in ensuring a smooth and orderly succession process.

As part of the succession process, I stepped down from the role of Audit Chair and, on 23 June 2023, we were pleased to welcome Jonathan Davis to the Board as an Independent Non-Executive Director and Chair of the Audit Committee. With his strong financial and accounting expertise and extensive public company and international experience, I am confident that Jonathan will make a strong contribution to the Board.

Governance

The Group is committed to high levels of corporate governance, in line with its status as a company with a premium listing on the Main Market of the London Stock Exchange and as a member of the FTSE 250. We are fully compliant with the 2018 edition of the UK Corporate Governance Code.

As a Board we are responsible to the Company's shareholders for delivering sustainable shareholder value over the long term through effective management and good governance. As Non-Executive Chairman, my role is to provide strong leadership to enable the Board to operate effectively and collegiately. As a Board, it is our view that open, thorough, and robust discussion around key strategic matters, risks and opportunities faced by the Group is central to reaching our strategic goals, including with regard to our acquisition strategy. We are fortunate to have a diverse range of business experience on the Board, enabling rigorous and productive discussions.

 

Nigel Lingwood

Chairman

4 October 2023

CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER'S REVIEW

Overview

The results we achieved this year are a clear demonstration of Volution's strengths as we benefited from our market leading positions, our wide geographic and end market diversity and our ability to upsell our products supported by industry regulations.  We estimate that almost 70% of Group revenue is focused on the refurbishment, maintenance and improvement market ("RMI"), typically more resilient than new build markets in difficult economic times. Against a backdrop of high inflation, rising interest rates, and a slowdown in activity in some of our end markets, we were still able to achieve organic growth of 5.1%.  Furthermore, our relentless focus on operational excellence, including strong pricing discipline, robust cost control, value engineering initiatives and good factory efficiency enabled us to expand our adjusted operating margin to 21.3%.

Our organic growth was supplemented by our continued focus on acquiring strong local brands with attractive market positions, this activity remains a key tenet of Volution's growth strategy.  During the year we were delighted to acquire two businesses, VMI in France and I-Vent in Slovenia, with a third business, DVS Proven Systems, acquired post year-end.  These acquisitions provide the Group with increased resilience by broadening its geographic reach and giving it access to attractive new markets. They also bring with them innovative low carbon product solutions to further expand our portfolio.

Volution is a leader in the international heating, ventilation and air conditioning market and our purpose is to provide "Healthy Air, Sustainably". Since listing in 2014 we have delivered consistent revenue and profit growth and strong operating cash flow. It is this consistent cash generation which underpins our ability to acquire businesses, which further increases our already broad geographic market, and we maintain an active pipeline of potential targets.

As we continue to grow organically, and complement our market positions with new acquisitions, our management "bench strength" is of critical importance to our success. During the year we further strengthened our team including hiring a new Operations Director, for our UK businesses and commencing a Managing Director search process for our ClimaRad business in the Netherlands. I am pleased to say that we will be holding our fourth Management Development Programme later this year and I know from experience how important this programme is for retaining and enhancing our talent pool.

As previously reported, the wider supply chain difficulties experienced by the industry in recent years have now subsided. In response to these earlier difficulties, Volution took steps to mitigate any disruption, thus ensuring we had excellent product availability for our customers throughout this period. This early action served us, and our customers, well and has resulted in an increase in our competitive advantage. There are numerous examples where we have made local market share gains due to strong customer relationships and apparent gaps in competitor product availability. The local teams are focused on consolidating these opportunities in the year ahead.

Our Markets

Volution's revenues are weighted towards the refurbishment market which now accounts for around two-thirds of sales, with the balance focused on new build applications. Both new build and refurbishment activities are increasingly regulated, with the former seeing an accelerated change as local economies focus more readily on reducing carbon emissions from new buildings.

The rapid rise in interest rates has had an adverse impact on new build construction levels and consumer confidence during the year. Whilst we are seeing lower overall unit construction output in new residential and commercial projects, ever tightening regulations (focusing on lowering carbon emissions) is supporting demand for Volution's innovative and value adding low carbon solutions, where typically the average unit value is significantly higher than the traditional ventilation solution that it replaces.

Demand in the refurbishment market has been supportive during the year, particularly in the UK where we saw demand in public refurbishment RMI benefiting from the heightened awareness of health risks associated with mould and condensation. Private RMI proved very resilient.

We believe that ventilation refurbishment is far less discretionary than other product categories in buildings. Post the pandemic, we have noticed that there is a more pressing need to replace ventilation products, compared to other elements of refurbishment that can be postponed indefinitely. We have also seen the unintended consequences of home occupiers reducing heating temperatures during the winter months in response to higher energy prices. This leads to lower temperatures in the dwelling which propagates the risk of mould and condensation problems with air holding significantly more moisture when cold, than at higher temperatures. This too makes the requirement for ensuring good ventilation more pressing.

To deliver on net zero commitments, Governments must address our buildings which, in Europe, are responsible for around 40% of our energy use and 36% of our carbon emissions. Our technology provides solutions to avoid some of those emissions, and increasing regulation is the key driver. This year we have provided more insight in the Annual Report into the regulatory position in each of our key geographies, covering both air quality and energy efficiency. Our local teams and our trade associations continue to ensure our voices are heard as the regulations provide strong tailwinds supporting the adoption of higher value ventilation solutions.

Results

The Group delivered revenue of £328.0 million (2022: £307.7 million), an increase of 6.6% (6.1% cc), with organic growth of 5.1% (4.6% cc) and inorganic growth from the two acquisitions in the year, as well as the full year effect of the acquisition in the prior year, of 1.5%. Adjusted operating margins increased from 21.1% in the prior year to 21.3%, a strong performance in the face of much higher inflation than in previous years. Reported profit before tax was £48.8 million (2022: £47.2 million), an increase of 3.4%.

Sustainability

Good progress was achieved with our sustainability initiatives. Recycled plastics content in our own production increased substantially in the year to 76.2% of total consumption. A significant proportion of the Group's injection moulding and PVC extrusion production takes place at our Reading facility in the UK and I am proud of the way in which the team developed innovative strategies in the year to increase the utilisation and availability of recycled plastic materials. This is a great example of a cross functional initiative and whilst we still have some way to go to achieve the 90% target by the end of our financial year 2025, the increase from under 60% in 2021 provides a good trajectory towards the target. Utilising recycled materials is also a significant commercial advantage for our customers with many new projects requiring a minimum recycled content in the supply of materials and we are keen to assist in the more circular economy for the supply of products into buildings.

Revenue from our low-carbon products has increased to 70.1% in the year, well ahead of this year's target of 65.6%, and two years ahead of our target of 70% by the end of 2025. We expect the growth in our low carbon product solutions to continue to be ahead of the growth of more traditional products. The recent acquisitions of VMI in France and I-Vent in Slovenia will positively assist our metric in the year ahead as they already have a high concentration of their revenue from low carbon solutions.

Our Sustainability Committee, comprising of our senior leadership team and our non-executive director, Amanda Mellor, met twice in the year, where we reviewed progress against our published targets and key initiatives for the years ahead.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Strategy

Organic Growth

We delivered organic growth of 5.1% (4.6% cc) driven by increases in both price and volume.

Volution has a long-term target to consistently deliver annual organic growth in the range of 3-5%. We have again delivered organic growth at the top end of the range, despite the more difficult trading environment in the year. As in previous years, our more vertically integrated business model, our intentional approach to holding a higher component inventory and our resulting excellent service levels have helped us to deliver this growth. Across the Group there have been notable market share gains directly attributable to superior service levels.

An acceleration of regulatory support; the impact of higher energy costs; and our strong local brands, managed by local, motivated, and empowered teams, have enabled us to deliver an above market growth performance. Our strapline, "Healthy Air, Sustainably", which we introduced in 2020, resonates strongly across the Group.

Acquisitions

We completed two acquisitions in the year. In April we announced the completion of the acquisition of Ventilairsec (VMI) for an initial consideration of £7.9 million (€9.0 million), net of cash acquired. VMI, based in Nantes, France, designs and manufactures a range of residential ventilation systems focused on a low carbon positive input ventilation technology known as "VMI". The acquisition provides Volution with direct access to the French market, one of the largest ventilation markets in Europe. Our position in France, whilst currently quite small, is eminently scalable in the years ahead. A new managing director was recruited and a successful handover from the owner has already been completed. We are confident that our wider ranging ventilation solutions from across the Group can assist the local team to grow more rapidly in the period ahead.

The VMI acquisition included an earn-out payment of up to €5 million, which will be calculated on the basis of the EBIDTA for the year ended 31 December 2023.

In June 2023 we completed the acquisition of I-Vent for an initial consideration of £21.7 million (€25.2 million), net of cash acquired, with further contingent consideration of up to €15 million based on stretching growth targets for the financial results for the three years up to and including 31 December 2025. I-Vent, based in Slovenia and Croatia, designs, manufactures, and supplies residential ventilation systems, primarily focused on decentralised heat recovery. Similar to the technology in InVENTer, Germany, we see complementarity in the respective ranges and our teams are already working out how we can utilise the increased strength in our product portfolio to optimise our offering.

Post year end we also completed the acquisition of DVS (Proven Systems Ltd) in New Zealand. DVS supplies directly to consumers and installs a range of energy-efficient centralised ventilation systems, incorporating positive input, heat recovery, heat transfer, and heating and cooling solutions. Their products can be installed in both new and existing properties and are sold under the DVS Home Ventilation brand. DVS will be integrated into our Australasian business and provides an additional sales channel to supply low carbon solutions.

Operational excellence

Maintaining our long-term adjusted operating margin at, or above, 20% is an important objective for Volution. In the year we delivered a 20bps margin improvement to 21.3% in the face of significant inflationary pressures across materials, labour, and infrastructure costs. Delivering a consistently strong operating profit margin is the culmination of many smaller initiatives across the entire business. Pricing discipline, long term supply chain partnerships, focus on value engineering and operational efficiency initiatives and good investment in new moulding, extrusion and other plant and equipment in 2023, helped underpin our margin.

People

A key highlight of the year was a full return to normal working practices post the pandemic. Our Group is now truly international, and the ability to freely visit all facilities was a tremendous boost. During the year we held more employee engagement meetings than in our recent past. I am privileged to lead such a diverse and talented organisation and the feedback from the people in our local companies is hugely enriching and invaluable to our decision-making processes.

I was delighted to observe lots of examples of cross border co-operation on so many levels. Our technical and procurement resources are managed functionally and provide Volution with a significant resource to support our local operating companies to outperform their local competitors. Enhancing collaboration across these and other working groups is key to our success.

We also held two group wide employee engagement and communication meetings, also attended by Claire Tiney, Non-Executive Director, and chair of the Remuneration Committee, with specific focus on sustainability at one meeting and product development and innovation at the other.

Retention and development of our talented teams is key to our success. Since 2012 we have successfully run three management development programmes across the Group. We are now planning a fourth programme for late October 2023. This current cohort will consist of eighteen high potential managers from all geographic and functional areas of the Group. I am very much looking forward to the programme kick-off, and I also know how excited the participants are to be involved. A look back at the first three management development programmes reveals a retention rate of over 70%.

I believe we have a strong culture of success at Volution, but also a culture where our teams work closely together and have a lot of fun in providing "Healthy Air, Sustainably".

Outlook

Through continued successful execution of our sustainable growth model, we have delivered a strong set of results in a year of significant headwinds. The Group's resilience is underpinned by our strong local brands, our increasingly wide geographic end market diversity and the greater proportion of our revenue generated from the refurbishment market. Exceptional customer service provided by dedicated and committed local teams, and an agile and focused approach to fulfilling customer needs, has delivered another successful year for the Group.

Whilst we are mindful of the impact of higher interest rates on consumer confidence and new build construction, the regulatory changes in our local markets continue to drive demand for our innovative and well-positioned low carbon product technologies. In addition, our three new acquisitions completed in the last six months; our ongoing focus on operational excellence; and the depth of experience and commitment across our local teams provides resilience and gives us confidence of making further progress in the year ahead.

 

 

 

 

 

Ronnie George

Chief Executive Officer

4 October 2023

 

 

 

Regional Review

The UK delivered the standout performance of the year with strong revenue and profit growth. UK revenues increased from £143.7 million to £156.1 million, an 8.6 % increase (8.3% at cc), building on good organic growth delivered in the prior year. The UK saw strong demand in Residential RMI, particularly in the public sector. Alongside this, exceptional customer service, an agile and focused team, and residential market share gains helped deliver this excellent performance. Adjusted operating profit increased from £29.3 million to £35.3 million with a significant increase in the adjusted operating margin at 22.6% up 220 bps from 20.4% in the prior year. The organisational changes made in the prior year bedded in well delivering a more agile and responsive outcome across the business. Revenue growth accelerated in the second half of the year, and we are well placed to deliver further progress in the year ahead. Although high inflation and rises in interest and mortgage rates are stifling new construction activity, Volution's overall market demand continues to be underpinned by regulatory and wider consumer awareness of the importance of indoor air quality.

Residential

Sales in our Residential market sector were £89.7 million (2022: £75.1 million), an impressive organic growth of 19.5%, building on last year's strong organic growth. Moreover, we saw an acceleration of growth in the second half.

 

In residential new build we delivered another year of revenue growth supported by the increasing penetration of energy efficient ventilation technology in new house construction. In June 2022 revisions to Part F and Part L of the Building Regulations provided increasing support for low carbon energy efficient ventilation systems for new house building. Those changes inevitably take time to impact demand for low carbon solutions, as existing construction sites at the time of the regulatory change will continue to be constructed to the original plan. During the year we certainly benefited from these new changes, but we expect to see a greater proportion of new houses being built with more efficient technology in the year ahead. New account wins have assisted us to grow market share and our exceptional levels of customer service and full product availability to customers, at all times, have set us apart from the competition. Whilst we are confident that regulatory changes in 2022, and further changes to the Future Homes Standard planned for 2025 (delivering buildings that are net zero ready) will underpin sales of new technology solutions, the new build market faces significant challenge from the effects of high interest and mortgage rates. Housing starts reduced considerably in the year and will result in fewer completions in the period ahead. This will inevitably result in some moderation of demand for energy efficient ventilation systems. Nevertheless, the medium to long term drivers of demand remain compelling. During the year we made iterative changes to our leading ranges of energy efficient ventilation solutions.  Our UK ventilation brands provide the widest product range and solutions and are well supported by new investment in injection moulding and extrusion capacity to safeguard our excellent levels of customer service and availability.

 

The awareness and understanding of the importance of good quality ventilation in delivering healthy air inside buildings is now widespread. The strong demand we experienced for our refurbishment solutions through the pandemic has continued, which validates our view that ventilation refurbishment is far less discretionary than other types of building refurbishment.

 

Our residential refurbishment category in the UK was the fastest growing area across the entire Group. Our high end, aesthetically attractive, near silent, comprehensively controlled, private refurbishment solutions continued to deliver good growth in the year.

 

Across our Vent-Axia, National Ventilation and Manrose brands, we have strong links to our important professional and retail distribution routes to market. We value our distribution customer relationships very highly and the sales teams worked very hard during the year to help educate and train these outlets on the important aspects of the ventilation industry and our market leading solutions.

 

We have a simple but relentless approach to providing excellent stock availability and customer service, at the centre of which is first class relationships with our suppliers and customers. The Group has the largest UK ventilation sales force supporting customer needs.

 

Public housing refurbishment demand was very strong in the year. On 9 February 2023, the Government tabled amendments to the Social Housing (Regulation) Bill to introduce 'Awaab's Law', which will require all landlords to investigate and fix reported hazards in their homes within a specified time frame, or rehouse tenants where a home cannot be made safe. 'Awaab's Law', was put in place following the death of a young boy who died due to exposure to black mould in his socially managed home which had 'inadequate ventilation". This sad event has further emphasised the importance of refurbishment in this market sector.  As a result, we witnessed a sharp increase in demand for energy efficient ventilation solutions and this delivered accelerated revenue growth in the second half of the year.

 

Volution has been well placed to support these vital refurbishment needs. In the 2022 Annual Report we explained how we were utilising our innovative decentralised heat recovery product solutions from other parts of the Group to support the UK social housing ambition to deliver their 2030 net zero carbon targets. In the year we have been successful in supplying decentralised heat recovery ventilation solutions to projects that require a further step up in their ventilation needs following a more structural refurbishment of the dwelling. Greater air tightness through insulation, an obvious and important upgrade as part of a low carbon refurbishment, then warrants heat recovery ventilation to recover energy and keep fuel bills low. The fuel poverty crisis in the UK resulted in greater mould and condensation risks during the last winter, due to the unintended consequence of turning down heating thermostats to save costs. Colder air temperatures means less moisture can be held in the air; the resultant issue is water droplets forming at lower temperatures which leads to greater condensation and mould. The impact of 'Awaab's Law', the lower property temperatures, and consumers investigating how to solve their condensation problems, resulted in a significant increase in demand for "Positive Input Ventilation" technologies. Utilising our strong relationships with our distribution customers, we were able to ensure that contractors could source the exact products they required to service this strong demand. During the latter part of 2023 we further enhanced our product range and have ensured that our customers are well placed to service the expected strong market demand in the year ahead.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Commercial

Sales in our UK Commercial sector were £30.2 million (2022: £31.0 million), an organic decline of 2.8%. Volution has a relatively small share of the larger commercial ventilation market, albeit with a leading share in the niche area of fan coil ventilation. The year finished strongly, and saw an increase in second half revenue, following a decline in the first half. Excellent progress with our enhanced range of fan coil ventilation enabled us to make good progress with the supply of products to the main market of new London commercial offices. Whilst the commercial office market has generally been more subdued, we are seeing a growing trend and need for more desirable working environments. Employees are demanding brighter, more energy efficient work places and we see a good pipeline of work for both new build and refurbishment needs for fan coil units. During the year we completed key new developments for products that provide commercial heat recovery or commercial heat recycling. This delivered some success in the second half of the year and puts us in a stronger position to gain market share in the year ahead. Our investment in more advanced metal cutting capability at our Dudley facility provides the capacity to support any increase in demand.

Export

Sales in our UK Export sector were £12.1 million (2022: £11.7 million), an organic growth rate of 1.7% at constant currency. Export revenues had declined in the first half of the year, largely due to a significant customer de-stocking exercise, but performed well in the second half, growing at close to 10% on a constant currency basis. Our long-term collaborative relationship with our distributor in Eire delivered another year of growth and given the stronger Irish housing market, we see good underpinning of demand for energy efficient heat recovery solutions in the year ahead.

OEM

Third party Sales in our OEM sector were disappointing at £24.1 million (2022: £25.9 million), an organic decline of 8.0% at constant currency.  This was linked to a reduction in customer demand for motorised impellers utilised in products focusing on the new build market.  However we delivered a significant increase in the internal supply of our EC3 motorised impellers in the year with several new initiatives underway to capture more of our internal needs in the year ahead. A huge strength of the Group is the vertical integration of moulding, extrusion, and component supply capability and this has been particularly beneficial in recent years where we have faced supply chain challenges. Our strategic intention is to greater utilise our OEM capability to capture more of the internal demand. This initiative is particularly relevant as we foresee ongoing weakness of demand for motorised impellers due to more subdued end market demand for new construction.

 

Continental Europe

Our Continental Europe revenues increased from £118.4 million to £124.5 million, growth of 4.4% at constant currency, within which organic growth was 0.6% on a constant currency basis. The sector benefited from the acquisition of VMI in April 2023, I-Vent in June 2023 and the full-year effect of the acquisition of ERI in September 2021. Adjusted operating profit was down 4.0% at £28.4 million versus a prior year of £29.6 million. The adjusted operating profit margin declined in the year by 220bps to 22.8%, partly due to the dilutionary impact of the acquisitions, but also due to the changing mix of revenues with both the higher margin Nordic and German market revenues declining at a higher rate than the growth areas such as ERI in North Macedonia.

Central Europe

Sales in the Central Europe region grew 12.7% at constant currency to £75.4 million compared to the prior year of £65.1 million. Organic revenue growth was 5.9% on a constant currency basis, with inorganic growth coming from the acquisition of VMI, I-Vent and the full-year effect of the acquisition of ERI.

Revenues in Germany in the second half of the year were much weaker than the prior year. Unlike the usual 70%/30% Group wide split of revenues between refurbishment and new build, we have a high concentration of German revenue focused on the new build market. New build construction was much weaker in the second half of the year, coupled with inconsistencies around government subsidies supporting low carbon technologies. Germany has been a strong contributor to our organic growth since 2019 and a revenue decline in the year was unusual. In recent months we have refocused our selling efforts on the significant refurbishment opportunities in the market. Germany, alongside every other country is working out how to achieve its net zero carbon targets. Local government is now providing more clarity on subsidies for various low carbon technologies, and we had some good successes towards the end of the year. Strong pricing management, excellent cost controls and some innovative new product solutions enabled us to maintain our local gross margins. Whilst the new build outlook remains fragile, the medium-term dynamic of heat recovery technology demand in Germany, both in new build and increasingly in refurbishment, remains compelling.

In the Netherlands, ClimaRad delivered strong organic growth, accelerating in the second half of the year. Our "total cost of ownership" model is reaping significant dividends as we demonstrate the substantial savings that a ClimaRad decentralised heat recovery system can deliver in a structural refurbishment. The Netherlands market is one of the most progressive in Europe with a focus on decarbonising buildings and an established approach to the future ban of gas boiler installations in the new build market.

This is a hugely supportive change in the market increasing the utilisation of heat pump technology and an increased investment in greater insulation for residential buildings. This positions our decentralised heat recovery technology in ClimaRad very well. The  project orderbook remains strong and we remain confident that we will make further inroads in the market with our compelling solution in the year ahead.

In Belgium we delivered organic growth, however, the introduction of our new extended range of higher airflow heat recovery systems was delayed until the end of the financial year 2023. Our Econiq range of heat recovery is the culmination of a significant product development investment, and our new application software technology will materially aid commissioning and an improved user experience. Whilst a much later than planned introduction to the market, we are excited about the opportunity to regain lost share in the new financial year.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Nordics

Sales in the Nordics region were £49.1 million (2022: £53.3 million), an organic decline of 5.7% at constant currency compared to the previous year. The Nordics market was especially challenging in the second half of the year with weaker demand and significant customer destocking resulting in a revenue decline. Strong pricing discipline in the Nordics, a moderating of input cost inflation, and the increasing benefits of our new production facility in Växjö, helped us to maintain a strong gross margin performance. Customer de-stocking is largely completed and whilst the local markets, as with all of our markets, are grappling with the higher cost of borrowing, we believe that demand reached its low point in H2 2023. Our Nordic activities are weighted around 65% to refurbishment, which is similar to the rest of the Group, the balance being new build construction. Whilst new build markets are likely to continue to be subdued whilst interest rates remain at elevated levels, we continue to exploit opportunities in refurbishment for higher value adding solutions such as the significant growth in decentralised heat recovery from a low start point. Volution is the European leader for the supply of decentralised heat recovery in residential buildings and this is a key area of focus for the period ahead.

Acquisitions

Energy Recovery Industries ("ERI"), a leading provider of aluminium heat exchanger cells for heat recovery applications delivered another year of strong revenue growth. In line with our original investment plan to increase our manufacturing capacity in North Macedonia and boost efficiency, we have also invested in new equipment during the year enabling us to shorten lead times and deliver efficiency benefits which further enhanced our operating profit margin. The long-term growth drivers for heat recovery ventilation are strong and we plan to make further investments to enhance our manufacturing facility and capacity in the year ahead.

In April 2023 we acquired VMI in France. Whilst a relatively small player in the French market we are delighted to now have a structural presence in this important market. VMI has an experienced and passionate team of ventilation experts and coupled with the access to our wider portfolio of existing and new product developments we see an opportunity to deliver good organic growth in the French market. Specialising in energy efficient positive input ventilation technology, VMI will benefit from enhancing its product range and new customer relationships.

In June 2023 we completed the acquisition of I-Vent, a provider of decentralised heat recovery ventilation systems in Slovenia and Croatia.  The acquisition gives the Group access to fast growing new markets, and I-Vent's innovative Low Carbon product solutions will further enrich our Group's expansive product portfolio, particularly in decentralised heat recovery. Retro-fitting heat recovery into existing residential dwellings is a key strategic focus for the Group across Europe. With the majority of existing revenue arising in Slovenia, the Croatian market position, although much smaller, provides potentially a faster growing opportunity due to our lower market penetration.

 

Australasia

Sales in our Australasia region were £47.4 million, with organic growth of 3.6% at constant currency. Adjusted operating margins improved to 23.9% versus 21.8% in the prior year. Following a period of substantial organic growth in Australia, organic growth rates moderated in the year as expected. Pricing discipline and excellent cost control enabled us to further increase operating profit margins to 23.9% a significant improvement over the prior year.

Simx in New Zealand delivered a good performance.  Revenue has increased beyond the high levels of previous years when demand had been boosted by the Healthy Homes Act. New Zealand has a structural demand for additional new residential construction, however, as with other markets, higher interest and mortgage costs are stifling demand. Similar to the wider group, our revenue focus is predominantly refurbishment led and we continue to see opportunities to introduce more innovative technology to this market.

The post year end acquisition of DVS Proven Systems, completed on 4 August 2023, further strengthens our position in the residential "Smart Vent" market. With DVS Proven Systems' unique consumer focused approach to ventilation in the local market, we see huge potential to increase sales our value-added solutions. Through direct consumer marketing, we are confident that we can encourage greater penetration of both central and de-central heat recovery systems in New Zealand.

In Australia we continue to make good progress and the launch of our Sky Fan DC range of ceiling fans was particularly successful in the year. We launched our Manrose brand into the DIY sector in the year and we plan to extend this range in the coming months. Ventair has been part of the Group since 2019 and we are delighted that over four years after the successful introduction to the Group we have secured a long-term agreement with the founder and other members of the senior team, so we can continue to work together to further grow our market penetration in Australia. Important elements of our success are the key supplier relationships that we have fostered since the business was founded and the increasing strength of the local team, which is well positioned to capitalise on these relationships.