Mondi Group Trading Statement

Press release
11 February, 2013
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As part of the dual listed company structure, Mondi Limited and Mondi plc (together 'Mondi Group') notify both the JSE Limited and the London Stock Exchange of matters required to be disclosed under the Listings Requirements of the JSE and/or the Disclosure and Transparency and Listing Rules of the United Kingdom Listing Authority.

In terms of paragraph 3.4(b) of the Listings Requirements of the JSE Limited, companies are required to publish a trading statement as soon as they become reasonably certain that the financial results for the period to be reported on next will differ by at least 20% from those of the previous corresponding period.

Mondi is currently finalising its results for the year ended 31 December 2012, which will be released on 21 February 2013. As indicated in Mondi’s Interim Management Statement released on 31 October 2012, the Group’s underlying operating profit for the first nine months of 2012 of EUR405 million was below that of the comparable prior year period of EUR490 million. It can now be confirmed that underlying operating profit for the fourth quarter of 2012 is expected to be above that of both the third quarter of 2012 (EUR135 million) and the comparable quarter of the previous year (EUR132 million). Underlying operating profit for the year ended 31 December 2012 is expected to be below that achieved in 2011 (EUR622 million).

Furthermore, in the prior year, the Group recognised a net special item charge after tax of EUR53 million. The equivalent special item charge for the year ended 31 December 2012 is around EUR92 million. A EUR4 million net special item gain was recognised in the first half, with a net charge of circa EUR96 million taken in the second half, mainly related to the previously announced loss on disposal of Aylesford Newsprint (EUR70 million), restructuring and asset impairment costs in the industrial bags sector of Fibre Packaging (EUR21 million) and transaction costs attributable to the acquisition of Nordenia International A.G. (EUR11 million).

Accordingly, Mondi advises that it expects earnings per share (EPS) for the year ended 31 December 2012 to be within the ranges shown below:

  • basic underlying earnings per share (euro cents) 67 to 71 (2011 68.1)
  • basic earnings per share (combined operations) (euro cents) 48 to 52 (2011 66.1)
  • basic headline earnings per share (euro cents) 61 to 65 (2011 69.9)

Mondi has disclosed basic EPS which comprises the total operations of the Group including the discontinued operation in 2011, which contributed 8.6 cents per share in 2011, and the effect of special items.

The disclosure of basic headline EPS is required under the Listings Requirements of the JSE Limited and has been calculated in accordance with Circular 3/2012 as issued by the South African Institute of Chartered Accountants.

Mondi has also disclosed basic underlying EPS, which is defined as basic EPS excluding the impact of special items, as the directors believe this provides a useful additional measure of the Group’s underlying performance.

The above information has neither been reviewed nor audited by Mondi’s auditors.

About Mondi:

Mondi is an international packaging and paper Group, with production operations across 29 countries and revenues of EUR5.7 billion in 2011. The Group's key operations are located in central Europe, Russia and South Africa and as at the end of 2011, Mondi employed 23,400 people.

Mondi is fully integrated across the paper and packaging process, from the growing of wood and the manufacture of pulp and paper (including recycled paper), to the conversion of packaging papers into corrugated packaging, industrial bags and coatings.

The Group is principally involved in the manufacture of packaging paper, converted packaging products and uncoated fine paper.

Mondi has a dual listed company structure, with a primary listing on the JSE Limited for Mondi Limited under the ticker code MND and a premium listing on the London Stock Exchange for Mondi plc, under the ticker code MNDI. The Group has been recognised for its sustainability through its inclusion in the FTSE4Good Global, European and UK Index Series (since 2008) and the JSE's Socially Responsible Investment (SRI) Index since 2007. Mondi was also included in the FTSE350 Carbon Disclosure Leadership Index for the second year.

 

Sponsor in South Africa: UBS South Africa (Pty) Ltd