Record Free Cash Flow
Generated $160 million of free cash flow pre-dividends in 2025 — described as more than the free cash flow delivered in the prior 10 years combined — reflecting high margins, low capital intensity and timing benefits from the OrthoLite acquisition.
Revenue Resilience and Market Outperformance
Group revenue of $1.46 billion was flat on an organic constant exchange rate (CER) basis, outperforming core apparel and footwear end markets which the company estimates were down low- to mid-single digits for the full year.
Margin Expansion and Profitability
EBIT of $290 million, up 3% on an organic CER basis; group EBIT margin expanded by 80 basis points to 19.8%, driven by pricing discipline, favorable mix (premium and sustainable products), productivity and strategic project savings.
Divisional Outperformance — Apparel
Apparel revenue of $769 million, up 1% CER; EBIT increased 4% on a CER basis to $156 million and EBIT margin rose 60 basis points to 20.2%, supported by premium/recycled thread mix, pricing discipline and operational agility in China.
Divisional Resilience — Footwear
Footwear revenue $440 million, down 2% organic CER but outperformed a core footwear market estimated down ~4–5%; division grew estimated organic market share to ~30%, delivered EBIT of $105 million (flat organically) and improved margin by 40 basis points to 23.9%.
Performance Materials Improvements and Adjacency Growth
Performance Materials revenue $256 million flat on an organic CER basis with a H2 return to growth (+2%); target adjacencies performed strongly — Safety Fabrics +40% and composite tapes for energy +21% — with divisional EBIT up 10% to $29 million and margin to 11.3% (Q4 exit 11.8%).
Strategic M&A — OrthoLite Acquisition
Completed acquisition of OrthoLite (enterprise value $770 million) in October 2025; OrthoLite contributed ~$11 million operating profit in two months and delivered full-year profit in line with expectations. Identified $20 million of joint cost synergies by 2028 with $5 million expected in 2026 and material cross-selling/innovation opportunities.
Organic Adjacencies and Addressable Market Expansion
Target organic adjacencies added 1 percentage point to group growth in 2025; combined adjacency sales were $45 million in 2025. The addressable market for target adjacencies was increased from $1.3 billion to ~$2 billion, growing >5% p.a.
Sustainability Leadership
Sustainable thread portfolio grew 43% in 2025; EcoVerde recycled thread reached ~$550 million of sales (about 52% penetration of thread sales). Achieved a 30% reduction in Scope 1 and 2 emissions since 2022 (ahead of 2026 target of 22%), zero waste to landfill one year early, and 33% women in top 150 leadership roles (ahead of 30% target).
Upgraded Medium-Term Targets
Management upgraded targets: >5% revenue CAGR through the cycle, group EBIT margin target increased by 200 basis points to 21%–23%, 5-year cumulative free cash flow target raised from $750 million to $1 billion, and continued commitment to a strong double-digit EPS CAGR post M&A/share buybacks.
Dividend and Capital Discipline
Proposed final dividend of $0.0228, resulting in a full-year dividend of $0.0328, up 5% year-over-year. Capital expenditure disciplined at $32 million in 2025 with guidance to $40–45 million in 2026 as investment supports growth.