The Group is exposed to a number of risks in the markets it operates across. The Board considers the risks to the business and the adequacy of internal controls with regard to the risks identified at every Board meeting. It formally reviews and documents the principal risks to the business at least annually.
Risk management structure and process
1. Identify risk
The Board has overall responsibility for monitoring the Group’s systems of internal control, for identification of risks and for taking appropriate action to prevent, mitigate or manage those risks. The Board will continually assess and review the business and operating environment to identify any new risks for consideration.
2. Assess risk
A detailed schedule of risks is considered at each Board meeting under the following categories: macro-economic and political, continuity and disruption, trading and product, operational and supplier, accounting and internal controls, legal and regulatory and external investment and performance. These risks are graded against a criteria of likelihood and potential impact in order to identify the key risks impacting the Group (see heat map below).
3. Mitigate risk
The Board seeks to ensure that the Group’s activities do not expose it to significant risk. The Group’s aim is to diversify sufficiently to ensure it is not exposed to risk of concentration in product, market or channel.
4. Update risk register
The risk register is updated at each Board meeting. The Board meets formally at least five times each year.
5. Review and evaluate risks
The Board and senior managers are all responsible for reviewing and evaluating risk. The Executive Directors meet at least monthly to review ongoing trading performance, discuss budgets and forecasts and consider new risks associated with ongoing trading.
Feedback from these meetings regarding changes to existing risks or the emergence of new risks is then provided to the Board.
Principal risks and uncertainties
Risk
Our sales markets around the world have been impacted by inflationary pressures, with rising energy costs and interest rates reducing discretionary consumer spending.
This has created a difficult trading environment in our major sales markets.
Mitigation
The Group sells into more than 80 countries around the world, although the majority of sales are concentrated into three key markets. We continue to monitor the impact of global events in these markets and any material impact on our business.
The Group maintains close relationships with our key customers and suppliers to identify any signs of financial difficulties in order to prevent or limit any potential losses. Customer orders and sales trends in major markets are constantly reviewed to enable early action to be taken in the event of declining sales.
The Group continues to invest in our online and digital capabilities and capacity in order to provide an increasingly direct to consumer element for product fulfilment.
Outlook
The Group will continue to monitor sales trends in our major markets around the world and ensure we respond accordingly to any threats or opportunities.
Risk
The Group faces strong competition in most of the major markets in which we operate. This presents a risk of losing market share, revenue and profit.
Mitigation
The risk is managed by ensuring that high quality and innovative products are brought to market, maintaining strong relationships with key customers and ensuring the Group is aware of local market conditions, trends and industry-specific issues and initiatives. This enables the Group to identify and address any specific matters within the overall business strategy.
We are increasingly working with partners in our key UK and US markets on direct to consumer fulfilment, and ensuring we have the capabilities to meet required service levels.
Outlook
The Group continues to invest in both its strong brands and new product development to provide a point of difference, whilst working closely with key customers to provide a reliable and timely service.
Risk
Skilled senior managers and personnel are essential in order to achieve the strategic objectives of the Group. Failure to recruit and retain key staff would present significant operational difficulties for the Group.
Mitigation
Management seeks to ensure that employees are appropriately remunerated and good performance is recognised and rewarded. Staff are also provided with relevant training for their roles and career progression to improve motivation.
The Group has a clearly defined recruitment policy which ensures that new employees meet the required standard and experience for each position.
Outlook
The Group remains committed to hiring and retaining key personnel in order for the business to achieve our strategic objectives.
Risk
The Group’s purchasing activities could expose it to overreliance in certain key suppliers or markets.
The lingering impact of Covid-19 to supply chains has created significant inflationary cost increases and disruption through additional lead times.
Suppliers may not reflect the Group’s high ethical standards.
Mitigation
The Group both manufactures and sources product from a range of suppliers which reduces the impact of inflation or disruption in one market or supplier.
For the manufacturing processes in the UK, the Group ensures that key raw materials are available from more than one source to ensure continuity and competitive pricing.
For the sourcing process, suppliers are carefully selected to ensure a sufficient breadth in supply base.
The Group also ensures that all intellectual property rights are retained and easily transferable should an alternative supplier be required.
All major suppliers are subject to ethics due diligence.
Outlook
The Group continues to closely monitor global supply chains to ensure our flow of products around the world is not disrupted.
Risk
Financial risk is wide-ranging and covers capital management, credit risk, currency risk and liquidity risk.
The risks presented in these areas include the failure to achieve business goals, potential financial loss caused by default, reduction in profit due to currency fluctuations, insufficient funds to continue trading and going concern threat.
Cyber threats are a key financial risk the Group faces across our global business.
Mitigation
The Group’s approach to risk management and mitigating systems are covered in the financial risk management objectives in note 32 on pages 98 to 100.
The Group remains profitable and has sufficient headroom within current borrowings facilities.
The Board have a detailed and robust budget review process and assess performance, including cash flow and liquidity, as part of regular management information reviews.
Regular currency forecasts are reviewed in order to ensure the Group is not detrimentally impacted by any major exchange rate fluctuations.
We remain vigilant to cyber risks and have a robust framework in place including external audit to ensure our systems are well protected.
Outlook
The Group has significant headroom within ongoing borrowing facilities. The Group also has a strong natural currency hedge and continues to monitor currency fluctuations.