JCDecaux announces revenue up 20.8% in 2022 FY Results

At a glance:

• Adjusted revenue up +20.8% to €3,316.5 million

• Adjusted organic revenue up +16.6%

• Adjusted operating margin of €602.9 million, up +42.8%, +€180.7 million yoy

• Adjusted EBIT, before impairment, of €212.0 million, up +1,199.5%, +€195.7 million yoy

• Net income Group share of €132.1 million, +€146.7 million yoy

• Adjusted free cash flow of €43.2 million

• Best in class ESG ratings

• Proposal to AGM not to pay any dividend in 2023

• First quarter 2023 adjusted organic revenue growth expected to be around +2.5%

A report with an unqualified opinion is being issued by the Statutory Auditors.

Commenting on the 2022 results, Jean-Charles Decaux, Chairman of the Executive Board and Co-CEO of JCDecaux, said “Our 2022 Group revenue grew by +20.8%, +16.6% on an organic basis, to reach €3,316.5 million driven by a strong digital revenue growth and a continued strong trading momentum. Our organic revenue growth outside China was +24.1% for the full-year 2022.

Our Digital Out Of Home (DOOH) revenue grew by +41.1% in full-year 2022, +35.2% on an organic basis, to reach a record 31.4% of Group revenue in 2022, while analogue advertising revenue grew double digit organically in 2022. We maintained our focus on the selective roll-out of digital screens in prime locations, as well as on the development of our data capabilities. Programmatic advertising revenues through the VIOOH SSP (supply-side platform), which constitute mostly incremental revenue from innovative, dynamic data-driven campaigns and new advertisers, doubled in 2022 to reach €61.3 million i.e. 5.9% of our digital revenue in full-year 2022 as the DOOH programmatic ecosystem, including Displayce following our strategic alliance announced in July 2022, continued to gain traction.

Our client portfolio remained highly diversified as our top 10 clients represent c.14% of our revenue in 2022. Our number one client category, Fashion/Personal care and Luxury Goods, made up 17% of total revenue and continued to grow strongly at +41% in 2022. Client categories recovering after Covid came back strongly, such as Travel at +54% and Entertainment/Leisure at +31%.

With revenue growing by €571.9m in 2022, our adjusted operating margin has reached €602.9m improving by €180.7m, +42.8% year-on-year, 18.2% of total revenue in 2022, +280bp vs 2021, reflecting our strong operating leverage despite a historically low level of activity in China due to mobility restrictions. Our net result Group share is back to positive territory at €132.1m, an increase of €146.7m year-on-year consistent with the improvement of our operational performance. Our operating cash flows improved by €161.8m to €399.4m, and our free-cash-flow reached €43.2m in 2022 as capex increased notably due to a higher contract gains and renewals activity, including more than half of the payment for the advertising rights of the 15-year contract with Shanghai Metro. Our net debt increased slightly by €50.5m, mainly driven by bolt-on M&A investments, reaching €975.0m at the end of the period with a financial leverage at 1.6x (vs 2.2x at the end of 2021).

Recognised as best-in-class by extra-financial rating institutions (EcoVadis: Platinum, CDP: A-), we continued to strengthen our ESG leading initiatives and commitments in 2022 as we notably unveiled in May 2022 our ambitious 2030 ESG Strategy and we continued to reduce our carbon footprint, which is now at -27% in 2022 vs 2019 (scopes 1, 2 and 3). Our highly positive business model financing public services and public transportation contributes to mitigating climate change. Almost 50% of our 2022 revenues are thus eligible and aligned with the European taxonomy. Today we announce our new Climate Strategy, “committed SBTi”, which includes strong proactive commitments to further optimise our carbon footprint, such as reducing by 2030 scopes 1 and 2 emissions by 60%, scope three emissions by 46% and reaching Net Zero by 2050 (scopes 1, 2 and 3).

As far as Q1 2023 is concerned, we now expect an organic revenue growth rate at around +2.5%, including a double-digit revenue decline in China, where we start seeing an inflection point from March as mobility is returning to normal.

As the most digitised global OOH media company, with our new data-led audience targeting and programmatic solutions, our well-diversified portfolio, our ability to win new contracts, the strength of our balance sheet, the high quality of our teams across the world and our recognised ESG excellence, we believe we are well positioned to benefit from the rebound. We are more than ever confident in the power of our media in an advertising landscape increasingly fragmented and more and more digital and in the role, it will play to drive economic growth as well as positive changes.”

Following the adoptions of IFRS 11 from January 1st, 2014 and IFRS 16 from January 1st, 2019, and in compliance with the AMF’s instructions, the operating data presented below are adjusted:

• to include our pro-rata share in companies under joint control, regarding IFRS 11,
• to exclude the impact of IFRS 16 on our core business lease agreements (lease agreements of locations for advertising structures excluding real estate and vehicle rental contracts).

Please refer to the paragraph “Adjusted data” in this release for the definition of adjusted data and reconciliation with IFRS.
The values shown in the tables are generally expressed in millions of euros. The sum of the rounded amounts or variations calculations may differ, albeit to an insignificant extent, from the reported values.

ADJUSTED REVENUE
As reported on January 26th, 2023, adjusted revenue increased by +20.8%, +16.6% on an organic basis, to €3,316.5 million compared to €2,744.6 million in 2021.

By activity, Transport and Street Furniture rebounded the most followed by Billboard.

All geographies performed strongly with a double-digit revenue growth in 2022 except Asia-Pacific as China was impacted by historically low mobility levels.

ADJUSTED OPERATING MARGIN
For 2022, our adjusted operating margin has significantly improved by €180.7 million to reach €602.9 million (vs €422.3 million in 2021), a +42.8% increase year-on-year reflecting a strong operating leverage due to a tight control over our cost base growing at a slower pace than our revenue growth despite the negative impact from the decrease of revenue in China year-on-year. The adjusted operating margin as a percentage of revenue was 18.2% in 2022, +280bp above prior year.

The adjusted operating margin as a percentage of revenue by business segment:

ADJUSTED EBIT
In 2022, adjusted EBIT before impairment charge improved by €195.7 million to €212.0 million. As a percentage of revenue, this represented a 580bp increase to 6.4%, from +0.6%. Excluding the positive impact from the accounting revaluation of our stake in Interstate JCDecaux adjusted EBIT before impairment charge for 2022 reached 5.1% as a percentage of revenue.  

The net impairment charge on tangible and intangible assets, rights-of-use assets and joint ventures of €19.1 million in 2022 is mainly related to assets in China, reflecting the historically low level of activity due to mobility restrictions in this geography.

Adjusted EBIT, after impairment charge, has improved by €184.3 million from €8.7 million in 2021 to €193.0 million in 2022.

NET FINANCIAL INCOME / (LOSS)⁽³⁾
In 2022, interest expenses on IFRS 16 leases were quite stable at -€84.1 million compared to -€82.2 million in 2021, the mechanical reduction of the IFRS 16 lease liability related to the contract life progression being compensated by the additions coming from new contracts, contracts extended and contracts renewed.

In 2022, excluding IFRS 16, other net financial income / (loss) was -€55.0 million compared to -€42.8 million in 2021, a variation of -€12.2 million mainly due the impact of currency hedges and the increase in financial interests from the €500 million bond issued in February 2022.

EQUITY AFFILIATES
In 2022, the share of net profit from equity affiliates was €8.6 million, a decrease of €40.0 million mainly due to an impairment charge on our investment in Clear Media, reflecting the historically low level of activity due to mobility restrictions in this geography.  

NET INCOME GROUP SHARE
In 2022, net income Group share turned positive as it increased by €146.7 million to €132.1 million compared to -€14.5 million in 2021, which mainly came from the improvement in our operational performance, the net positive impact from the accounting revaluation of our stake in Interstate JCDecaux being partly offset by the net negative impact of the impairment charges over the period.

ADJUSTED CAPITAL EXPENDITURE
In 2022, adjusted net capex (acquisition of property, plant and equipment and intangible assets, net of disposals of assets) at €349.9 million increased by €192.4 million, +68.2% year-on-year, mainly driven by the pick-up in tenders in 2022 following Covid delays including €84.9 million of payment for advertising rights related to the renewal and extension of our long-term partnership with Shanghai Metro. Excluding this specific payment, the capex-to-sales ratio amounted to 8%, consistent with the average ratio over the last ten years.

ADJUSTED FREE CASH FLOW
In 2022, operating cash flows reached +€399.4 million, improving by +€161.8 million compared to 2021, mainly driven by the improving operating margin. Changes in our working capital had almost no impact on the cash-flow generation during the period (-€6.4 million) despite the strong increase in revenue thanks to an ongoing tight management over cash collection and payments. After capital expenditure, adjusted free cash flow amounted to €43.2 million.

DIVIDEND
No dividend was paid in 2022 in order to strengthen Group’s liquidity, balance sheet and financial flexibility.
To continue to reinforce our capacity to seize future organic and external bolt-on investment opportunities, we will propose at the Annual General Meeting, which will take place on May 16th, 2023, not to pay any dividend in 2023.

NET DEBT
Net debt amounted to €975.0 million as of December 31st, 2022, a slight increase vs December 31st, 2021, where it stood at €924.5 million, mainly driven by bolt-on M&A activity.

In January 2023, we decided to take advantage of the good market conditions to extend our debt maturity schedule. We secured our financing profile with the issuance of a €600 million bond with a maturity in 2029 and a coupon at 5.00%. Subscribed more than two times and placed with investors of high quality, the success of this new issuance demonstrates both the quality of JCDecaux’s signature and the investors’ confidence in the rebound capacity and in the growth potential of the Group.

RIGHT-OF-USE & LEASE LIABILITIES IFRS 16
Right-of-use IFRS 16 as of December 31st, 2022 amounted to €2,725.3 million compared to €2,964.8 million as of December 31st, 2021, a decrease related to the amortisation of rights-of-use and contracts renegotiations partially offset by foreign exchange rate impacts, perimeter impacts, new contracts, contracts extended and contracts renewed.

IFRS 16 lease liabilities decreased from €3,655.8 million as of December 31st, 2021 to €3,412,1 million as of December 31st, 2022. The decrease, mainly related to repayments occurred in 2022 as well as renegotiations and end of contracts, is partially offset by new contracts, extensions and renewals, a positive foreign exchange rates impact and a positive perimeter impact.

ADJUSTED DATA
Under IFRS 11, applicable from January 1st, 2014, companies under joint control are accounted for using the equity method.
Under IFRS 16, applicable from January 1st, 2019, a lease liability for contractual fixed rental payments is recognised on the balance sheet against a right-of-use asset to be depreciated over the lease term. As regards P&L, the fixed rent expense is replaced by the depreciation of the right-of-use in EBIT, below the operating margin, and a lease interest expense on the lease liability in financial result, below EBIT. IFRS 16 has no impact on cash payments, but payment of debt (principal) is booked in funds from financing activities.
However, in order to reflect the business reality of the Group and the readability of our performance, our operating management reports used to monitor the activity, allocate resources and measure performance continue:

• To integrate on a proportional basis operating data of the companies under joint control and;
• To exclude the IFRS 16 impact on our core business (lease agreements of locations for advertising structures excluding real estate and vehicle rental contracts).

As regards the P&L, it concerns all aggregates down to the EBIT. As regards the cash flow statement, it concerns all aggregates down to the free cash flow.
Consequently, pursuant to IFRS 8, Segment Reporting presented in the financial statements complies with the Group’s internal information, and the Group’s external financial communication, therefore, relies on this operating financial information. Financial information and comments are therefore based on “adjusted” data, consistent with historical data, which is reconciled with IFRS financial statements.

In 2022, the impacts of IFRS 11 and IFRS 16 on our adjusted aggregates are:

• -€242.5 million for IFRS 11 on adjusted revenue (-€222.1 million for IFRS 11 in 2021), leaving IFRS revenue at €3,074.0 million (€2,522.5 million in 2021).
• -€60.6 million for IFRS 11 and €780.2 million for IFRS 16 on adjusted operating margin (-€58.9 million for IFRS 11 and €800.5 million for IFRS 16 in 2021) leaving IFRS operating margin at €1,322.5 million (€1,163.9 million in 2021).
• -€45.0 million for IFRS 11 and €114.1 million for IFRS 16 on adjusted EBIT before impairment charge (-€39.5 million for IFRS 11 and €99.5 million for IFRS 16 in 2021) leaving IFRS EBIT before impairment charge at €281.1 million (€76.2 million in 2021).
• -€43.6 million for IFRS 11 and €114.1 million for IFRS 16 on adjusted EBIT after impairment charge (-€39.5 million for IFRS 11 and €99.5 million for IFRS 16 in 2021) leaving IFRS EBIT after impairment charge at €263.4 million (€68.6 million in 2021).
• €8.1 million for IFRS 11 on adjusted capital expenditure (€7.2 million for IFRS 11 in 2021) leaving IFRS capital expenditure at -€341.8 million (-€150.3 million in 2021).
• €12.1 million for IFRS 11 and €702.5 million for IFRS 16 on adjusted free cash flow (-€7.8 million for IFRS 11 and €647.8 million for IFRS 16 in 2021) leaving IFRS free cash flow at €757.8 million (€851.5 million in 2021).