Marks and Spencer
Profitability Ratios
Gross profit margin is calculated by dividing gross profit by revenue. Mark and Spencer’s gross profit for 2021 was £2,911.6 million (Marks & Spencer Financial Statements, 2021,p. 123). Mark and Spencer’s revenue for 2021 was £9,155.7 million (Marks & Spencer Financial Statements, 2021, p. 123). 2,911.6 divided by 9,155.7 equals 0.47, which amounts to gross profit margin of 47%.
Net profit margin is calculated by dividing net profit by revenue. Mark and Spencer’s net profit for 2021 was £ 1,472.7 million (Marks & Spencer Financial Statements, 2021, p. 124). Mark and Spencer’s revenue for 2021 was £9,155.7 million (Marks & Spencer Financial Statements, 2021, p. 123). 1,472.7 divided by 9,155.7 equals 0.16, which amounts to net profit margin of 16%.
Liquidity Ratios
The current ratio is calculated by dividing current assets by current liabilities. Mark and Spencer’s current assets for 2021 were £ 8,637.4 million (Marks & Spencer Financial Statements, 2021, p. 125). Mark and Spencer’s current liabilities for 2021 were £ 2,295.8 million (Marks & Spencer Financial Statements, 2021, p. 125). 8,637.4 divided by 2,295.8 equals 3.76.
Long Term Liquidity Ratios
The interest cover ratio is calculated by dividing net profit before interests and taxes by interest paid. Mark and Spencer’s net profit before interests and taxes for 2021 were £ 50.3 million (Marks & Spencer Financial Statements, 2021, p. 123). Mark and Spencer’s interest paid for 2021 was £ 219.3 million (Marks & Spencer Financial Statements, 2021, p. 123). 50.3 divided by 219.3 equals 0,22.
Investor Ratios
Debt to equity is calculated by dividing total liabilities by total shareholders’ equity. Mark and Spencer’s total liabilities for 2021 was £ 6,351.6 million (Marks & Spencer Financial Statements, 2021, p. 125). Mark and Spencer’s total shareholders’ equity for 2021 was £ 2,285.8 million (Marks & Spencer Financial Statements, 2021, p. 125). 6,351.6 divided by 2,285.8 equals 2.78.
Non-Financial Information
M&S was not ready for the increase in popularity of online sales following lockdowns. As a result, “additional Clothing & Home inventory provisioning was required” (Chairman’s Governance Overview, 2021, p. 80). It may explain why the company has such a high current ratio – it had to increase its debt to ensure the supply of additional provisioning.
At the same time, M&S does intend to use the opportunities created by the pandemic to its advantage. For instance, it intends to establish “an online first culture” (Chairman’s Governance Overview, 2021, p. 28). If the company decided to shift at least some of its physical business to online platforms, it might explain how it managed to achieve such a high gross profit margin.
M&S is committed to reducing greenhouse gas emissions (Chairman’s Governance Overview, 2021, p. 74). However, sustainable textile is more expensive, which forces the company to order a more costly textile. It is also reasonable to suggest that fewer people buy such clothes, which explains why the company has such a low investor cover ratio.
Next
Next is a retailer of clothing, which operates primarily in the United Kingdom. The reason for its choice lies in its financial indicators. Although compared to M&S, Next has lower profits, it is better equipped to service its debt. The corresponding analysis should showcase that the volume of the company’s revenues does not determine its ability to pay off debts consistently.
Profitability Ratios
Next’s gross profit for 2021 was £ 1,247.9 million (Next Financial Statements, 2021, p. 151). Next’s revenue for 2021 was £ 3,284.1 million (Next Financial Statements, 2021, p. 151). 1,247.9 divided by 3,284.1 equals 0.38, which amounts to gross profit margin of 38%.
Next’s net profit for 2021 was £ 112.4 million (Next Financial Statements, 2021, p. 69). Next’s revenue for 2021 was £3,284.1 million (Next Financial Statements, 2021, p. 151). 112.4 divided by 3,284.1 equals 0,03, which amounts to net profit margin of 0.3%.
Liquidity Ratios
Next’s current assets for 2021 were £ 2,288.6 million (Next Financial Statements, 2021, p. 153). Next’s current liabilities for 2021 were £ 1,196.8 million (Next Financial Statements, 2021, p. 153). 2,288.6 divided by 1,196.8 equals 1,91, which is Next’s current ratio.
Long Term Liquidity Ratios
Next’s net profit before interests and taxes for 2021 was £ 342.4 million (Next Financial Statements, 2021, p. 153). Next’s interest paid for 2021 was £ 101.6 million (Next Financial Statements, 2021, p. 155). 342.4 divided by 101.6 equals 3.37, which is Next’s interest cover ratio.
Investor Ratios
Next’s total liabilities for 2021 were £ 2,209.0 million (Next Financial Statements, 2021, p. 64). Next’s total shareholders’ equity for 2021 was £ 836.1 million (Next Financial Statements, 2021, p. 64). 2,209.0 divided by 836.1 equals 2,64, which is Next’s debt to equity ratio.
Non-Financial Information
Next believes that with the pandemic’s end, physical stores will again have a large influx of customers. This is evident from the company’s “Assumptions About the Consumer Economy and Future Lockdowns” (Next Financial Statements, 2021, p. 16). The company’s desire to keep physical stores may also explain its poor net profit margin.
Similarly to M&S, Next is also dedicated to environmental sustainability (Next Financial Statements, 2021, p. 78). In order to comply with this principle the company has to order eco-friendly textile. This tendency may also provide an explanation for low profitability ratios.
Underperformance may also be explained by the company’s attitude regarding the pandemic. Next does not have a goal of shifting to online retailing. Therefore, it did not need to increase its debt to finance technological advancements, which explains Next’s high-interest cover ratio. The company is extremely cautious about the diseases, which is why it has decided to limit the number of daily orders, which naturally decreased the company’s revenues (Next Financial Statements, 2021, p. 79).
Comparison
It should be evident that M&S outperforms Next in every aspect, except for the interest cover ratio, which is 3.37 in the case of Next as opposed to 0.22 in M&S. Overall, M&S demonstrates higher profit and liquidity than Next does. However, it should also be noticed that Next has more capability to pay off its debts judging by its interest cover ratio, while M&S’s ratio indicates that the company is unable to service its debt. Both companies have high debt to equity ratios, indicating that both M&S and Next need to rely on debt to increase their cash flow. It is also apparent that companies’ different strategies regarding online retailing are the reason for such differences in financial indicators. While Next was waiting for the end of the pandemic, M&S chose to shift to online retailing, which is evident in its higher revenues.
Reference List
Chairman’s Governance Overview (2021) Web.
Marks & Spencer Financial Statements (2021) Web.
Next Financial Statements (2021) Web.