Profit warnings double amid Brexit uncertainty

TWELVE profit warnings were issued by listed companies in the Midlands in the last quarter – double the number in the same period last year.

New research from financial services firm EY said the warnings came from a wide variety of sectors, with many companies citing uncertainty over Brexit as one of the causes.

The Profit Warnings Report said the number for Q2 2019 was the highest since Q2 2008 and half of all these latest warnings issued were by businesses with a turnover under £200 million.

The warnings were made across ten sectors including construction, automotive, general retail and support services and the number was

down from 15 in the first quarter of this year.

The West Midlands region fared better than its counterpart in the East, with warnings falling from ten in Q1 to four while they rose from two to eight in the East Midlands.

In the UK overall, 69 profit warnings were issued between April and June this year - up 19 per cent yearon-year - which EY said represented the highest second quarter total since 2008.

Dan Hurd, EY’s head of restructuring in the Midlands, said: “There is now clear evidence that prolonged Brexit uncertainty has created a hiatus in business activity, with companies struggling to forecast and plan.

“And the economic impact is spreading, affecting a broad range of sectors. Slowing global growth and trade and geopolitical tensions add a further unpredictable dimension to the second half of 2019.

“In the Midlands, it’s a bit of a mixed bag, with some positive movements from the last quarter.

“However, it is worrying that we

Dan Hurd EY

are seeing an increase in the number of sub-£200 million turnover businesses issuing profit warnings, which may reflect a desire to hold off on investment decisions until there is more certainty over what a postBrexit Britain will look like.

“In the short to medium term, I would expect to see businesses continuing to look closely at their structures to see where greater cost efficiencies can be found.”

EY said, in the past year, 14 FTSE sectors recorded Brexit-related profit warnings, five of which were added in the second quarter of 2019.

Those sectors with the greatest exposure to falling confidence and the costs of planning for no-deal disruption, such as financial services and travel and leisure, have felt the greatest impact, according to the firm’s research.

Prolonged Brexit uncertainty has created a hiatus in business activity