19. Goodwill

Goodwill amounts to €785 million (30/9/2018: €797 million).

The acquisition of Restu s.r.o resulted in goodwill of €1 million. The purchase price amounted to €1 million.

The goodwill allocated to METRO Cash & Carry China in the amount of €19 million was reclassified to assets held for sale.

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

 

30/9/2018

30/9/2019

 

 

WACC

 

WACC

 

€ million

%

€ million

%

METRO Cash & Carry France

293

5.7

293

5.0

METRO Cash & Carry Germany

94

5.7

94

4.7

METRO Cash & Carry Poland

58

6.3

57

5.6

METRO Cash & Carry Spain/Portugal

54

6.9

54

5.7

METRO Cash & Carry Russia

39

7.4

42

6.6

METRO Cash & Carry Romania

40

7.3

39

6.2

METRO Cash & Carry Italy

38

7.3

38

6.7

Pro à Pro

34

5.7

34

5.0

Classic Fine Foods

23

6.0

25

5.0

METRO Cash & Carry Czech Republic

24

6.4

24

5.3

Others

100

 

85

 

 

797

 

785

 

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.

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 undergoing a transformation process. Following the detailed planning period, a growth rate of 1% is assumed, as in the . The capitalisation rate as the weighted average () 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. In addition, the capitalisation rates are determined on the basis of an assumed basic interest rate of 0.60% (30/9/2018: 1.25%) and a market risk premium of 7.00% (30/9/2018: 7.00%) in Germany as well as a beta factor of 0.97 (30/9/2018: 1.03). Country-specific risk premiums based on the respective country are applied to the equity cost of capital and to the borrowing costs. The capitalisation rates after taxes determined individually for each group of cash-generating units range from 4.7% to 10.1% (30/9/2018: 5.7% to 11.4%).

The mandatory annual impairment test carried out by METRO as of 30 September 2019 resulted in the following assumptions regarding the development of sales, and the EBIT margin targeted for valuation purposes during the detailed planning period. The EBIT margin hereby reflects the ratio of to net sales.

 

Sales

EBIT

EBIT margin

Detailed planning period (years)

METRO Cash & Carry France

Slight growth

Slight growth

Stable development

3

METRO Cash & Carry Germany

Slight growth

Slight growth

Slight growth

4

METRO Cash & Carry Poland

Slight growth

Slight growth

Stable development

3

METRO Cash & Carry Spain/Portugal

Slight growth

Slight growth

Slight growth

3

METRO Cash & Carry Russia

Slight decline

Noticable decline

Slight decline

3

METRO Cash & Carry Romania

Substantial growth

Slight growth

Slight decline

3

Pro à Pro

Substantial growth

Substantial growth

Substantial growth

4

Classic Fine Foods

Substantial growth

Slight growth

Stable development

4

As of 30 June 2019, the mandatory annual impairment test confirmed the recoverability of all capitalised goodwill. An impairment loss of €3 million was recognised in the course of the year.

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 was raised by 10.0%. The second sensitivity analysis was based on the assumption of a 1 percentage point lower growth rate. In the 3rd 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 METRO Cash & Carry Germany and Classic Fine Foods.

In the goodwill impairment test at METRO Cash & Carry Germany, the less costs to sell exceeded the carrying amount by €122 million. At a growth rate of 0.2% instead of 1%, the fair value less costs to sell would correspond to the carrying amount.

In the goodwill impairment test at Classic Fine Foods, the fair value less costs to sell exceeded the carrying amount by €17 million. Assuming a 0.34 percentage point higher growth rate or a capitalisation rate of 5.31% (rather than 4.97%) or an assumed perpetual EBIT of €12.5 million (rather than €13.6 million), the fair value less costs to sell would correspond to the carrying amount.

€ million

Goodwill

Acquisition or production costs

 

As of 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 | 1/10/2018

841

Currency translation

7

Additions to consolidation group

0

Additions

1

Disposals

0

Reclassifications in accordance with IFRS 5

−19

Transfers

0

As of 30/9/2019

829

Depreciation

 

As of 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 | 1/10/2018

44

Currency translation

−2

Additions, scheduled

0

Additions, impairment

3

Disposals

0

Reclassifications in accordance with IFRS 5

0

Reversals of impairment losses

0

Transfers

0

As of 30/9/2019

44

Carrying amount as of 1/10/2017

875

Carrying amount as of 30/9/2018

797

Carrying amount as of 30/9/2019

785

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
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
Weighted average cost of capital (WACC)
Weighted average (total) cost of capital. The WACC results from the weighted average of the cost rate for equity and debt capital on the capital markets. The weighting is based on the equity and debt capital components of METRO measured at market prices.
Glossary
Rating
In the financial sector, ratings represent the systematic, qualitative measurement 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, this key figure can also be used for international 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, this key figure can also be used for international comparison with other companies.
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