Financial highlights¹

• We achieved strong results, ahead of expectations, with:
  – revenue up 6% to £9,268.8m;
  – profit from operations up 13% to £414.9m;
  – operating profit margin up 7% to 4.5%;
  – adjusted basic earnings per share up 10% to 26.4p.
• The Board is recommending a final dividend of 7.0p per share, bringing the total dividend for the 2009 financial year to 10.75p.
• We have strong foundations for the financial year 2010, provided by continued improvement in product mix, cost saving initiatives and further growth from acquired businesses.
• We are confident we will meet the Board’s expectations for the 2010 financial year.

1. 1The Group statutory results for the financial year ended 30 September 2009 are set out in the Financial Statements. Current year figures have been compared to the unaudited pro forma figures for the 12 months ended 30 September 2008 (see Appendix 1).
2. See Appendix 2 for key.