Describe about the Accounting and Finance for 992 Supermarkets.
The report discusses the core operating activities of the Woolworths Limited, and the progress of company against its strategic plans. It also encompasses the discussion about the issues emerging from the chairperson’s report, managing director’s report, and corporate responsibility report. Along with this, it analyzes the key financial ratios of the Woolworths Ltd and evaluates the value creation of the company in terms of “six capital” over the year. Apart from this, it provides some recommendation regarding improving its ratio and removing the issues emerged in the company.
Woolworths Limited is an Australian retail company founded in 1924 with the nominal capital of AUD 44063 (Woolworths limited, 2015). It is ranked the second largest Australian company in terms of revenue. The company reaps the most part of its total profit from the supermarkets and grocery stores in Australia. The Woolworths Ltd. is provided job to around 190000 employees across the Australian economy. The Woolworths Ltd. comprises of supermarkets and petrol, liquor, Big W, master home improvement, Hotels, financial service, Woolworths reward and ezibuy.
Supermarkets and Petrol:
The company owns about 992 supermarkets, 5 Thomas Dux grocery stores, 184 Countdown grocery stores (in New Zealand), and 530 petrol stations’ (IBIS WOrld, 2016).
Endeavour Drinks Group:
Woolworths run its business of liquor online as well as offline. ‘Dan Murphy’s, BWS, Cellarmasters, Langtons and winemarket.com.au.’ are the main channel of the company in selling liquor products (Annual Report, 2015).
BIG W:
The Woolworths limited has approx 186 Big W discount department stores across the Australia (IBIS WOrld, 2016). Hardware, software, health & beauty products, books and stationery, homewares, toys, sports equipment, clothing, recorded media, automotive goods and pet food’ are the main products which are sold under the brand name of Big W stores.
This brand was developed by the company in the year 2011 that retails approx 35,000 products both offline and online (Annual Report, 2015). Paint, kitchens and kitchen appliances, bathroom and plumbing supplies, flooring and tiles, lighting and fans, building supplies and timber, storage and cleaning supplies, decorating materials, electrical and hardware items and gardening and outdoor living products are sold under the master home improvement brand of the company.
Hotels:
The Woolworths Limited also operates around 331 hotels and restaurants across the Australian economy with the majority of its subsidiary, Australian Leisure & Hospitality Group (IBIS WOrld, 2016).
Financial Services:
The Woolworths money comprises of Woolworths Money, which provides the financial services, which includes gift cards, credit cards, reloadable Master Cards and resold insurance products in the Australia (IBIS WOrld, 2016).
Woolworths Rewards:
The company was started the Woolworths Reward in 2007 throughout the Australia that provides the reward in forms of discounts and some other special offers.
Ezibuy:
Ezibuy provides the facility of buying the apparel and homeware online and offline. It is the leading brand of the Woolworths in apparel and homeware catalog market (IBIS WOrld, 2016).
The Woolworths Ltd. is progressing on its strategy priority effectively. The company has determined its priority to be leading organization in food and liquor industry, to increase the wealth of its shareholders, and to keep the record of the Woolworths performance to enter into new businesses (Woolworths Limited, 2015). The company progressed on these priorities. The company had increased net income, increased sales, and market share. The company delivered outstanding services and delighted its customers by providing the quality products at a rational price that provided the saving of $750 to its customers. It smoothens the process of shopping and provides the customers with easy access to stores with the help of e-commerce. It serves more than 2 billion customers per day. The company ran a campaign’ more saving every day’, which gave the drastic reduction in the price by 2.9%. it sprung a campaign’ direct from farmers’ that gives the freshness to the liquor offering of the company that caused the sales and profit of the company to increase.
It developed a shopping center, which was listed separately on the ASX that helped the company in raising the capital of $500 million, which was used in acquiring the 34 new hotels for the hotel division of the company (Annual Report, 2015). This provided the company with the amazing progress on its strategy. The company promoted the online shopping by ezibuy that increased the sales revenue of the company. Apart from this, the company invested in the excellent supply chain that helped mostly the home improvement and Big W division of the company. Along with this, it developed a database system in which it records the customer data, which helps it in tracking the needs and desires of customers.
The chairperson of the Woolworths Mr. Gordon Cairns revealed some issues in its report that the company faced during the year 2015. The issues emerged during the fiscal year 2015 posed an adverse situation against the company that is why the fiscal year 2015 was kept very challenging for the company. From the report, it is found that the company took up some changes in the structure of the company to increase the customer services with a view to providing them greater satisfaction and to increase the profitability of the company. The company builds some crucial changes in the senior management team that affected the hub of talent and skills in the organization (Annual Report, 2015). Because every new people bring some changes in the organization as they want to apply their own approach to the operation of the business. This endangered the issue of establishing the coordination and cooperation among the team members as new people were hired in the management.
Apart from this, the company also changed its strategy with the intention of improving the product delivery to provide the customer with great experience of shopping in the retail store of the company. It approached a model lean retailing which also affected the sales of the company in the fiscal year 2015. Apart from this, Mr. Gordon Cairns stated that the company got its group sales decreased by 0.2 percent in 2015 that was the result of declined sales of fuel and the average price of fuel sales. However, the profitability of the company has increased, the company has faced some issues in meeting its target regarding the market share and cost cutting. The operating cost of the company was slightly increased in the fiscal year 2015 over the previous year.
The Managing Director of the Woolworths Limited acknowledged that even the company gained in 2015 but not significant over the previous year as per the target was decided about. The competition level increased in the market, which posed the stiff situation against the Woolworths. It was faced the competition from the existing as well as the new entrance to the market. The disturbance in the global economy, as well as the declination of the economic activities, was affected the growth of the Woolworths. The sluggish market growth of the economy due to recession affected the growth of the Woolworths.
Along with this, the managing director told that the Woolworths Limited was failed in hedging the effect of the change in interest and exchange rate that was affected its growth and profitability in the global economy (Annual Report, 2015). Apart from this, there are some regulations restricted by the government, which the company has to comply with. These regulations given the cost increased to the operation of the company. It is also found that the company was faced problems in improving the customer experience in the shopping centers and its stores due to its management ineffectiveness. Furthermore, the company does not own the effective distribution system that can provide the merchandise and delivery of products to its customers and stores. It affects the market share and the sales of the company. The company had the risk related to the inability of the company in delivering the products to the customers at the time.
The Woolworths Limited is working under the sustainability strategy since eight-year that it developed to be the leading organization in the retail industry and improve the customer experience in retail stores. The company reached to its targets it decided under its corporate responsibility but failed in achieving the objective of zero waste food to landfill in 2015. It faced issues relating to the human, diversity of culture, environment and operation in accomplishing its corporate responsibilities (Corporate Responsibility, 2015). The company was set up a lean model that was aimed to reduce the food waste to landfill. But, due to the operational inefficiency of the company, the model failed in achieving the objective.
|
Types of Ratio |
Formula |
Calculation of ratio |
|
Current ratio |
Current assets/Current liabilities |
7,660.9/ 9,168.6 = 0.84 |
|
Trade &receivable |
Sales /debtors and receivables |
60868.40/ 885.2 = 68.76 |
|
Trade &receivable |
Sales /debtors and receivables |
60868.40/ 885.2 = 68.76 |
|
Asset turnover |
Sales revenue/Total assets |
60868.40/ 25,336.8 =2.40 |
|
Inventory Turn Over |
Cost of goods sold/Inventory |
44,344.8/ 4,872.2 =9.10 |
|
Gross profit |
Gross profit/Net sales*100 |
16,523.6/60868.40 = 27.15 |
|
Net profit |
Net profit/Net sales*100 |
2137.40/60868.40*100 =3.51 |
|
Return on Equity |
(Net income/Shareholders’ Equity)*100 |
2137.40/11132.00*100 =19.20 |
|
Debt -equity ratio |
Total debts/ shareholders fund |
5,036.20/11132.00 = 0.45 |
Source: Annual Report, (2015)
There is basic six capital defined by the IIRC in its report that these six capital create the value for the company. These six capitals include the financials, Human, Manufacturing, intellectual, social and relationship, and natural (Adams, 2015). These are the base for evaluating the value creation of the company:
Financial provide the information about the financial performance of the company during the year. The above calculated some key financial ratio gives the information about the financial position of the company in 2015. From the above ratio analysis table, it is found that the liquidity position of the company in 2015 was worse because the short-term liability of the company was more than the unavailable current assets with the company. The company was not able to meet its short-term liabilities that could affect its operation (Uechi, 2015). At the same time, the profitability of the company was not good as expected. The gross profit was only 27.15%, which indicates that the cost of the production and operating income was increased that caused the sales revenue to decrease.
Apart from this, the net profit of the company is only 3.51%, which indicate the inefficiency of the company in slashing off its cost of operation. The return on equity is 19.20% that is lower that means the company is providing less return due to less net income of the company (Healy and Palepu, 2012). Apart from this, the asset turnover ratio was 2.40%, which was also lesser that, indicates the improper and ineffective utilization of the resources for increasing the sales revenue. The debtor’s turnover ratio was good with 68.76%, which indicates its efficiency in collecting debts from the market more frequently. Along with this, the debt equity ratio was 0.45% that represents that the company was having lesser debts over its equities.
Overall, it can be said that even the company got profit but the financial strength of the Woolworths was not good during the financial year 2015. The company needs to work on improving its profitability, strengthening its liquidity position and improving the efficiency and effectiveness of the management.
Manufacturing:
The Woolworths limited invests large money in buildings, materials, technology, equipments and infrastructure of the company with the great intention of precluding the hurdles in the production process to ensure the capability of the company to meet the customers’ orders timely (Woolworths Limited, 2015).
Human:
The company treat its employees in the organisation as the valuable assets of the company. The company arranges training and development programs, give the rewards to the employees based on their performance, and offer incentives and bonuses that stimulate the performance of the employees (Haniffa et al, 2013). The company is having approx 190000 employees with versed in different aspects of the company that ensures the great customer experiences with services in the stores.
Intellectual:
The company own various brands in the Australia, which caused it to be the second largest company in the Australia (Woolworths Limited, 2015). The company trace out the trends go on in the market and learn it. After that, it reflect its learning into its creativity, building new brands, developing new products and using new process that prove the intellectual of the company (Beattie and Smith, 2013). It used merchandise system to manage the trade and inventory of the company, and online stores to make the easy shopping for customers.
Social and relationship:
The Woolworths Ltd has a close relationship with its stakeholders as it does fair and ethical trade practices. It involves the customers in deciding about the products and services that create the strong relationship between the company and customers (Corporate responsibility, 2015). The company seeks to ensure the reliability, transparency, and fairness in its business processes.
Natural:
The Woolworths uses different natural resources such as land, water, biotic and abiotic assets that help it in achieving its target effectively and efficiently. In addition, it is identified that the Woolworths set up a lean model, which helps it in utilizing the resources optimum, as well as reduce the waste of resources to landfill (Integrating reporting, 2013). Therefore, based on the six-capital analysis of the company, it can be said that the six capitals it using create a great value for the company that is the base of reputation of the company in the economy.
In above report, it has been analyzed that the company is always ready to invest in six capitals above discussed to create the good brand value for it. Therefore, it can be recommended that client can invest in the company. Along with this, even the company is gaining lower profit, but till it provides the higher returns to the shareholders. The company is ranked as the second largest retail company in the Australia. It has the strong relationship with its stakeholders as it follows the ethical values and norms in its trade practices that help it in growing. The debt level of the company over its equity funds is very lower so that it can be preferred for the investment.
Conclusion:
From the above report it can be concluded that the Woolworths always ready to invest in the six capital which includes human, financial, intellectual, social and relationship, natural, and manufacturing, with an intention to create the good value for the company. Along with this, the company progressed well in against of its strategic plans but also faced different issues such zero waste to landfill, change in structure, economic declination, and global crisis. The financial performance is not good, because the profit level of the company is very low and at the same time the, liquidity is lesser in the company.
References:
Adams, C. (2015). Understanding Integrated Reporting: The Concise Guide to Integrated Thinking and the Future of Corporate Reporting. Do Sustainability.
Woolworths limited (2015) Who We Are: Our Brands. Retrieved from https://www.woolworthslimited.com.au/page/Who_We_Are/Our_Brands/
Woolworths limited (2015). Who We Are: Strategy and objective. Retrieved from https://www.woolworthslimited.com.au/page/Who_We_Are/Strategy_and_Objectives/
Woolworths limited (2015). Who We Are: How we were found? Retrieved from https://www.woolworthslimited.com.au/page/Who_We_Are/The_Woolworths_Story/How_We_Were_Founded/
Corporate Responsibility (2015). Woolworth’s corporate responsibility report, 2015. Retrieved from https://woolworthslimited2015.csr-report.com.au/files/Woolworths_CSR_2015.pdf
IBIS World (2016). Woolworths Ltd – Premium Company Report Australia. Retrieved from https://www.ibisworld.com.au/car/default.aspx?entid=7
Beattie, V., & Smith, S. J. (2013). Value creation and business models: Refocusing the intellectual capital debate. The British Accounting Review,45(4), 243-254.
Choo Huang, C., Luther, R., Tayles, M., & Haniffa, R. (2013). Human capital disclosures in developing countries: figureheads and value creators. Journal of Applied Accounting Research, 14(2), 180-196.
Annual Report (2015). Retrieved from https://www.woolworthslimited.com.au/icms_docs/182381_Annual_Report_2015.pdf
Integrating Reporting (2013). Capitals. Retrieved from https://integratedreporting.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/IR-Background-Paper-Capitals.pdf
Uechi, L., Akutsu, T., Stanley, H. E., Marcus, A. J., & Kenett, D. Y. (2015). Sector dominance ratio analysis of financial markets. Physica A: Statistical Mechanics and its Applications, 421, 488-509.
Healy, P. M., & Palepu, K. G. (2012). Business Analysis Valuation: Using Financial Statements. Cengage Learning.
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