Implications of IFRS 16 on retailers

Implications of IFRS 16 on retailers

In the latest of a series of videos highlighting emerging accounting issues for different industries, Aletta Boshoff, National Leader of BDO IFRS Advisory, provides an overview of the effect of IFRS 16 Leases on the retail industry.

The video provides a summary of the key areas of change within the standard, and their impact on the financial statements of entities upon its adoption for periods beginning on or after 1 January 2019. The old finance and operating lease model from the existing IAS 17 has been replaced for lessees.

Retailers, who often lease many properties to use as retail spaces would, in particular, be impacted by this change because currently these leases of properties are not included as liabilities in the financial statements of retailers. Going forward, the retailers would now recognise these leases as a right-of-use asset and a corresponding lease liability in the statement of financial position. It should be noted that the right-of-use asset is a non-current asset, whereas the liability would be split into a current and a non-current portion.

Aletta discusses the impact of adopting IFRS 16 on the statements of financial position, profit or loss and cash flows, including:

  • IFRS 16 resulting in larger interest expense being taken through the statement of profit or loss at the start of the lease period
  • That the reduction in the lease liability recognised would not match the depreciation profile of the right-of-use asset
  • A portion of the lease liability will be classified as current, resulting in a reduction in the current ratio
  • The cash flow nature of lease payments changes from operating to financing (amounts paid that are attributed to interest are a policy choice).

Furthermore, Aletta also explains the potential changes and effects to other financial measurements such as KPIs, EBITDA and covenant requirements.

As always, BDO are here to help. If you require assistance in assessing how the new accounting standards impact your company, or have any questions about the video or its content, please contact Aletta Boshoff or your local IFRS Advisory expert.