19. Goodwill

Goodwill amounts to €797 million (30/9/2017: €875 million).

In the Real segment, goodwill of €2 million respectively resulted from the acquisitions of Heim & Büro Versand GmbH as well as wfp2 GmbH & Co. KG. The Real segment is an essential part of the discontinued operations of the hypermarket business.

At the closing date, the breakdown of goodwill among the major cash-generating units was as shown below:

 

 

30/9/2017

 

30/9/2018

 

 

 

WACC

 

 

WACC

 

 

€ million

%

 

€ million

%

METRO Cash & Carry France

 

293

5.8

 

293

5.7

METRO Cash & Carry Germany

 

94

5.4

 

94

5.7

METRO Cash & Carry Poland

 

58

6.6

 

58

6.3

METRO Cash & Carry Spain/Portugal

 

54

7.5

 

54

6.9

METRO Cash & Carry Romania

 

40

7.1

 

40

7.3

METRO Cash & Carry Russia

 

43

7.0

 

39

7.4

METRO Cash & Carry Italy

 

38

7.0

 

38

7.3

Pro à Pro

 

34

5.8

 

34

5.7

METRO Cash & Carry Czech Republic

 

24

6.0

 

24

6.4

Classic Fine Foods

 

23

6.5

 

23

6.0

METRO Cash & Carry Turkey

 

33

8.6

 

20

8.5

METRO Cash & Carry China

 

19

6.5

 

19

6.0

METRO Cash & Carry Ukraine

 

17

11.0

 

16

11.4

METRO Cash & Carry Austria

 

12

5.7

 

12

5.8

METRO Cash & Carry Moldova

 

5

11.2

 

5

11.4

Real Germany

 

60

5.4

 

0

5.7

Others

 

28

 

 

28

 

 

 

875

 

 

797

 

In accordance with  3 in conjunction with IAS 36, goodwill is tested for impairment once a year. This is carried out at the level of a group of cash-generating units. Specifically, this refers to the per country.

In the impairment test, the cumulative carrying amount of the group of cash-generating units is compared with the recoverable amount. The recoverable amount is defined as the less costs to sell, which is calculated from discounted future cash flows and the level 3 input parameters of the fair value hierarchy.

  • The description of the fair value hierarchies is included in no. 41 – carrying amounts and according to measurement categories.

Expected future cash flows are based on a qualified planning process under consideration of intra-group experience as well as macroeconomic data collected by third-party sources. As a rule, the detailed planning period comprises 3 years. In individual cases, it may be extended by up to 2 years for units currently in a transformation process with a planning period of 5 years. As in the , the growth rates considered at the end of the detailed planning period are generally 1.0%, with the exception of the group of the cash-generating unit Real Germany, for which a growth rate of 0.5% is assumed, as in the previous year. The capitalisation rate as the weighted average (WACC) is determined using the capital asset pricing model. In the process, an individual peer group is assumed for all groups of cash-generating units operating in the same business segment. Capitalisation interest rates are determined on the assumption of a basic interest rate of 1.25% (30/9/2017: 1.25%) and a market risk premium of 7.00% (30/9/2017: 6.50%) in Germany as well as a beta factor of 1.03 (30/9/2017: 1.06). Country-specific risk premiums based on the respective country are applied to the equity cost of capital and to the debt cost of capital. The capitalisation rates after taxes determined individually for each group of cash-generating units range from 5.7 to 11.4% (30/9/2017: 5.4% to 11.2%).

The mandatory annual impairment test carried out by METRO as of 30 September 2018 resulted in the following assumptions regarding the development of sales, and the EBIT margin targeted for valuation purposes during the detailed planning period, with the EBIT margin reflecting the ratio of to net sales.

 

 

Sales

 

EBIT

 

EBIT margin

 

Detailed planning period (years)

METRO Cash & Carry France

 

Slight growth

 

Slight growth

 

Slight decline

 

3

METRO Cash & Carry Germany

 

Slight growth

 

Strong growth

 

Strong growth

 

5

METRO Cash & Carry Poland

 

Slight growth

 

Solid growth

 

Solid growth

 

3

METRO Cash & Carry Spain/Portugal

 

Slight growth

 

Strong growth

 

Strong growth

 

3

METRO Cash & Carry Russia

 

Slight growth

 

Slight decline

 

Slight decline

 

3

METRO Cash & Carry Romania

 

Substantial growth

 

Substantial growth

 

Slight growth

 

3

Classic Fine Foods

 

Substantial growth

 

Strong growth

 

Substantial growth

 

5

Pro à Pro

 

Substantial growth

 

Strong growth

 

Strong growth

 

5

As of 30 June 2018, the mandatory annual confirmed the impairment of all capitalised goodwill, with the exception of goodwill of €64 million allocated to Real Germany, which were completely depreciated due to the business development.

Impairment expenses were shown in the earnings from discontinued operations.

In addition to the impairment test, 3 sensitivity analyses were conducted for each group of cash-generating units. In the first sensitivity analysis, the interest rate for each group of cash-generating units was raised by 10.0%. The second sensitivity analysis was based on the assumption of a 1 percentage point lower growth rate. In the third sensitivity analysis, a lump sum discount of 10.0% was applied to the assumed perpetual EBIT. These changes did not result in significant impairment for any of the groups of cash-generating units with the exception of Germany and Classic Fine Foods.

In the goodwill impairment test at METRO Wholesale Germany, the fair value less costs to sell exceeded the carrying amount by €56 million. The corresponding amount for Classic Fine Foods was €20 million.

Assuming a 0.34 percentage point higher growth rate or a capitalisation rate of 6.05% (rather than 5.71%) or an assumed perpetual EBIT of €64.8 million (rather than €70.1 million), the fair value less costs to sell of METRO Wholesale Germany would correspond to the carrying amount. For Classic Fine Foods, a 0.49 percentage point higher capitalisation interest rate of 6.47% (rather than 5.98%) would result in a fair value less costs to sell equivalent to the carrying amount.

€ million

 

Goodwill

Acquisition or production costs

 

 

As of 1/10/2016

 

880

Currency translation

 

−1

Additions to consolidation group

 

0

Additions

 

42

Disposals

 

0

Reclassifications in accordance with IFRS 5

 

0

Transfers

 

0

As of 30/9 – 1/10/2017

 

922

Currency translation

 

−21

Additions to consolidation group

 

0

Additions

 

4

Disposals

 

0

Reclassifications in accordance with IFRS 5

 

−64

Transfers

 

0

As of 30/9/2018

 

841

Depreciation

 

 

As of 1/10/2016

 

28

Currency translation

 

−1

Additions, scheduled

 

0

Additions, impairment

 

19

Disposals

 

0

Reclassifications in accordance with IFRS 5

 

0

Reversals of impairment losses

 

0

Transfers

 

0

As of 30/9 – 1/10/2017

 

47

Currency translation

 

−3

Additions, scheduled

 

0

Additions, impairment

 

64

Disposals

 

0

Reclassifications in accordance with IFRS 5

 

−64

Reversals of impairment losses

 

0

Transfers

 

0

As of 30/9/2018

 

44

Carrying amount as of 1/10/2016

 

852

Carrying amount as of 30/9/2017

 

875

Carrying amount as of 30/9/2018

 

797

IFRS (International Financial Reporting Standards)
Internationally applicable rules for financial reporting developed by the IASB. Contrary to the accounting rules under the German Commercial Code, the IFRS emphasise the informational function.
Glossary
Sales line
Part of a retail company that operates outlets or stores with a specific merchandising concept.
Glossary
Fair value
Recognised fair value. Amount that would have been received in return for the disposal of an asset or paid for the assignment of a debt in an ordinary transaction conducted between market participants on the assessment date.
Glossary
Fair value
Recognised fair value. Amount that would have been received in return for the disposal of an asset or paid for the assignment of a debt in an ordinary transaction conducted between market participants on the assessment date.
Glossary
Previous year
Period of 12 months, usually cited as reference for statements in an annual report.
Glossary
Cost of capital
See Weighted Average Cost of Capital (WACC).
Glossary
Rating
In the financial sector, ratings represent the systematic, qualitative assessment of creditworthiness. Ratings are expressed in various grades of creditworthiness. Renowned agencies that issue ratings are Standard & Poor’s, Moody’s and Fitch.
Glossary
EBIT (Earnings Before Interest and Taxes)
Profit or loss before financial result and (income) taxes. Due to its independence from different forms of financing and tax systems, the key figure can also be used internationally for comparison with other companies.
Glossary
EBIT (Earnings Before Interest and Taxes)
Profit or loss before financial result and (income) taxes. Due to its independence from different forms of financing and tax systems, the key figure can also be used internationally for comparison with other companies.
Glossary
Audit
A procedure that assesses an organisation’s processes and structures according to previously formulated standards and guidelines. Audits shed light on the effectiveness of process optimisation measures. If an audit is conducted by an external auditor, the certificate issued after the review can be used as evidence of adherence to standards.
Glossary
Wholesale, METRO Wholesale
The METRO Wholesale segment comprises the METRO Wholesale sales line of METRO AG with more than 769 wholesale stores across 35 countries worldwide. This also includes the delivery business (Food Service Distribution) with companies like METRO delivery service and the delivery specialists Classic Fine Foods, Pro à Pro and Rungis Express.
Glossary