Langton Capital – 2017-02-06 – 60 seconds on Sales: Are we blinkered to all else?
What gets measured, gets done. Sales & margin need managing together:Getting the balance right: • There’s no single killer measure, don’t behave as though there is • LfL sales growth implies increase at the unit level • Whilst total sales growth is what turns up in terms of cash • And margin matters as giving away a tenner for nine quid has always been easy • Ultimately, ultimately, it’s free cash flow per share that drives value LfL sales growth; the Holy Grail? • This is the area of most focus. And it’s nice to be in growth at the unit level • But it’s not sufficient to live happily ever after. Nor is it even necessarily necessary… • Because total sales (x margin – expenses) matter re cash flow • Co A could have positive LfLs but be shutting shops & have declining margins • Co B meanwhile could have minus 1% LfLs but be adding stores & widening margins • But slavishly jacking margins can also end in disaster. Ask Restaurant Group Keeping It Simple: Sales Sales Increases Good:
Sales Increases Bad:
LfL sales, the major weaknesses: • LfL sales ignore margins (discounting, delivery, marketing etc.) as well as capex & store closures • They drive certain actions. Sales managers may beggar their neighbours (in the firm) to hit target • What gets measured, gets done. Paying footballers to get corners will lead to more corners. • But corners don’t win matches. Goals are what matter. Ask Liverpool vs Hull City, 80% possession & lose 0-2 So what? • Langton has banned the word ‘holistic’. So let’s just say you need a rounded approach • We’ve banned the phrase ‘balanced scorecard’ too • But if it was your business, yes, yours, what would you look for? • You’d look for cash. Free cash. Geld after costs. Everything else is incidental. • We go into more depth on this and other topics in our review, which is found here |
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