Final Results - Replacement

Close Brothers Venture Cap Tst PLC 18 June 2001 Close Brothers Venture Capital Trust PLC Results to 31 March 2001 The issuer advises that the following amendment has been made to the 'Final Results' announcement released on 15 June 2001 at 16:14 RNS Number 3638F. The record date shown in the 'Results and Dividend' section of the announcement should read '29 June 2001' and not '27 June 2001' as previously stated. All other details remain unchanged. The full corrected version is shown below. CHAIRMAN'S STATEMENT Introduction The year has been another successful one for Close Brothers Venture Capital Trust, seeing a continued uplift in the aggregate value of investments, supplementing a strong level of dividends. The Ordinary Shares have exceeded their minimum performance target of a total return of 125 pence per share (comprising net asset value and dividends) by a margin of 11.75p per share while the C Share portfolio, now converted to Ordinary shares, has reached its target level one year earlier than hoped for in the prospectus. Total dividends paid or declared in respect of the Ordinary Shares during the five years since launch now amount to 34.8 pence, averaging almost 7 pence per annum, while holders of the now converted 'C' shares have received 23.25 pence, averaging 5.8 pence per annum. A total of £6.27 million was invested in qualifying unquoted companies during the year while net capital profits of £1.53 million were realised on qualifying investments with a cost of £5.50 million. At 31 March 2001 a further £4.50 million was scheduled for investment in subsequent years which brings the total invested or scheduled for investment at cost to £35.12 million in 17 separate investee companies.. Dividends paid and proposed for the year include the 1.25 pence payable out of capital profits and amount to 7.5 pence per share compared to last years 8.55 pence (including 2.55 pence out of capital profits) per Ordinary Share and 4.50 pence per C Share. Now that the two classes of share have merged it is your board's intention going forward to pursue, where possible, a progressive dividend policy. Your board would therefore expect that the current total pay out of 7.5 pence per share will be built upon in future years by continuing to supplement revenue dividends with dividends paid out of realised capital profits. Net asset value per share at 31 March 2001 was 101.9 pence per share compared to 100.5 pence for each of the Ordinary Shares and 'C' Shares at the previous year end. Review of Investments Our key investment areas continue to be the hotel, residential property development and care home sectors, with other asset-based areas continuing to be reviewed, as characterised by our investment in our Cambridge cinema and our Beaconsfield health and fitness club. In the hotel sector, our Holiday Inn Express hotel at Dartford was disposed of at a profit of £1.7 million, while the Holiday Inn Express in Bristol continues to perform well. The 90 room budget hotel operating under the 'Days Inn' brand at the Mailbox site in the centre of Birmingham opened in April of this year, almost six months later than anticipated. Although the hotel is currently performing in line with expectations, the delay in opening has led to increased finance costs, which in turn has led us to write down the value of the investment. Our partner in our budget hotels is Premier Hotels Limited, which was placed into receivership in March this year. The investment policy pursued by your VCT, whereby investments are in stand alone, independently financed companies, means that there is no direct financial exposure to the fate of the other 50% shareholder. Negotiations are underway to secure a purchaser for Premier Hotels 50% holding in both our Bristol and Birmingham. Meanwhile as regards our other hotel activities, The Hawkwell House hotel in Oxford continues to show a strong performance while, as reported last year, The Rose & Crown Hotel in Tring has now been disposed of, resulting in a loss of approximately £200,000, which was fully provided for. In the residential development sector, which is restricted to 20 per cent. of the portfolio, we currently have five companies established with separate developers. One company, Cathedral Homes VCT, was placed into members voluntary liquidation following the completion of its first residential development; although the development itself was reasonably successful, the time taken to complete the scheme was longer than anticipated and the resulting finance cost paid to Close Brothers Venture Capital Trust means that your company is likely to make a small capital loss. In addition, negotiations are under way for the sale of our holding in Portland Homes (Woodside Green) at a small profit. It is intended that the proceeds of these two disposals will be re-invested in our other residential development companies. In the care home sector our principal area of investment during the year continues to be homes for people with learning disabilities in East Anglia. The first two of such homes in which we have invested, in Witham in Essex and in Bury St Edmunds continue to perform well, while two further homes, in Thetford in Norfolk and in Ipswich opened during the year. In addition we invested in a further home, Broadoaks VCT Ltd in September 2000. Our two remaining investments in the sector are in homes for the frail and elderly. Of these, the Harnham Croft nursing home in Salisbury continues to be disappointing, with performance particularly hit by high staff costs. The nursing home in Hornchurch, however, is now full and performing in accordance with our original expectations; the value of the home has been written up accordingly. As regards our other areas for investment, the Cambridge Picture House cinema has now been open for 18 months and is performing according to plan, while the health club owned by Odyssey Glory Mill, which opened in April 2001, is performing above expectations. It now has a membership of over 2,500, some eight weeks after opening, and enhanced expectations have led to a substantial increase in its carrying value. Results and Dividend As at 31 March 2001 the net asset value was £39.9 million or 101.9 pence per share, which compares with a net asset value at 31 March 2000 of £39.6 million or 100.5 pence per Ordinary Share and 100.5 pence per C Share. Net income before taxation was £3.2 million (2000: £2.8 million) enabling the board to declare a net final revenue dividend of 3.75 pence per share plus a special capital dividend of 1.25 pence, making 7.5 pence for the full year (2000: revenue dividends of 6.0 pence, plus a special capital dividend of 2.55 pence per Ordinary Share and revenue dividends of 4.50 pence per C Share. During the year a total of 237,000 shares were bought in for cancellation at a cost of £ 216,000. The final dividends for the year ended 31 March 2001 will be paid on 23 July 2001 to shareholders registered on 29 June 2001. Members Resolution in 2002 Under the terms of your Company's articles of association, members will have the opportunity, at the time of the annual general meeting in 2002, and every five years thereafter, to confirm that they wish the Company to continue as a venture capital trust. Given the performance of the Company, and in particular the strong tax free dividend stream it generates, your board hopes that shareholders will vote for the VCT to continue. Nevertheless, your board is conscious of the fact that many shareholders will be disappointed at the discount to net asset value at which the Company's share price trades in the stock market. Accordingly assuming that a majority of shareholders vote to support the continuation of the Company's activities your board is studying ways in which it could provide those shareholders who wish to realise their holdings next year with a limited facility to obtain a price for their shares at a price closer to net asset value. Further details will be given in next year's annual report and accounts. David Watkins Chairman 15 June 2001 AUDITORS' REPORT TO THE MEMBERS OF CLOSE BROTHERS VENTURE CAPITAL TRUST PLC Respective responsibilities of directors and auditors The directors are responsible for preparing the Annual Report, including, as described on page 16, the preparation of the financial statements, which are required to be prepared in accordance with applicable United Kingdom law and accounting standards. Our responsibilities, as independent auditors, are established by statute, the Auditing Practices Board, the UK Listing Authority, and by our profession's ethical guidance. We report to you our opinion as to whether the financial statements give a true and fair view and are properly prepared in accordance with the Companies Act 1985. We also report to you if, in our opinion, the directors' report is not consistent with the financial statements, if the Company has not kept proper accounting records, if we have not received all the information and explanations we require for our audit, or if information specified by law or the Listing Rules regarding directors' remuneration and transactions with the company is not disclosed. We review whether the corporate governance statement on pages 18 and 19 reflects the company's compliance with the seven provisions of the Combined Code specified for our review by the UK Listing Authority, and we report if it does not. We are not required to consider whether the Board's statements on internal control cover all risks and controls, or form an opinion on the effectiveness of the corporate governance procedures or risk and control procedures. We read the other information contained in the Annual Report, including the corporate governance statement, and consider whether it is consistent with the audited financial statements. We consider the implications for our report if we become aware of any apparent misstatements or material inconsistencies with the financial statements. Basis of audit opinion We conducted our audit in accordance with United Kingdom auditing standards issued by the Auditing Practices Board. An audit includes examination, on a test basis, of evidence relevant to the amounts and disclosures in the financial statements. It also includes an assessment of the significant estimates and judgements made by the directors in the preparation of the financial statements, and of whether the accounting policies are appropriate to the circumstances of the company, consistently applied and adequately disclosed. We planned and performed our audit so as to obtain all the information and explanations which we considered necessary in order to provide us with sufficient evidence to give reasonable assurance that the financial statements are free from material misstatement, whether caused by fraud or other irregularity or error. In forming our opinion we also evaluated the overall adequacy of the presentation of information in the financial statements. Opinion In our opinion the financial statements give a true and fair view of the state of affairs of the Company as at 31 March 2001 and of the capital return, revenue return and the total return of the Company for the year then ended and have been properly prepared in accordance with the Companies Act 1985. 15 June 2001 Deloitte & Touche Stonecutter Court Chartered Accountants 1 Stonecutter Street and Registered Auditors London EC4A 4TR Close Brothers Venture Capital Trust PLC Statement of Total Return (incorporating the revenue account) for the year ended 31 March 2001 Year ended 31 March Year ended 31 March 2001 2000 Revenue Capital Total Revenue Capital Total £'000 £'000 £'000 £'000 £'000 £'000 Gains on investments - 1,388 1,388 - 1,972 1,972 Investment income 3,700 - 3,700 3,273 - 3,273 Investment management fees (373) (407) (780) (320) (320) (640) Other expenses (90) (90) (180) (95) (95) (190) Return on ordinary activities 3,237 891 4,128 2,858 1,557 4,415 before tax Tax on ordinary activities (763) 107 (656) (800) 117 (683) Return attributable to 2,474 998 3,472 2,058 1,674 3,732 shareholders Dividends (2,448) (489) (2,937) (2,137) (612) (2,749) Transfer to/(from) reserves 26 509 535 (79) 1,062 983 Return per share (pence) 6.3p 2.5p 8.8p 5.2p 4.2p 9.4p All revenue and capital items in the above statement derive from continuing operations. No operations were acquired or discontinued in the year. Close Brothers Venture Capital Trust PLC Balance Sheet at 31 March 2001 31 March 2001 31 March 2000 £'000 £'000 Fixed asset investments Qualifying: Scheduled for investment 37,147 40,495 less: uninvested (4,500) (8,750) Net investments to date 32,647 31,745 Non-qualifying investments: 2,040 3,295 Total fixed asset investments 34,687 35,040 Current assets Debtors and accrued income 225 315 Short term money market deposits 7,577 6,688 7,802 7,003 Creditors: due within one year (2,552) (2,425) Net current assets 5,250 4,578 Net assets 39,937 39,618 Capital and reserves Called up share capital 19,589 19,707 Special reserve 17,407 17,623 Capital redemption reserve 264 146 Realised capital reserve 503 253 Unrealised capital reserve 1,985 1,726 Profit and Loss account 189 163 Total shareholders' funds 39,937 39,618 Net asset value per share 101.9p 100.5p Signed on behalf of the Board of Directors David Watkins Chairman Close Brothers Venture Capital Trust PLC Cashflow Statement for the year ended 31 March 2001 Year ended Year ended 31 March 2001 31 March 2000 £'000 £'000 Operating activities Investment income received 3,107 2,922 Dividend income received 280 - Deposit interest received 299 267 Other income received 50 - Investment management fees paid (714) (604) Other cash payments (183) (191) Net cash inflow from operating activities 2,839 2,394 Taxation UK corporation tax paid (662) 183 Investing activities Purchase of qualifying investments (6,265) (9,632) Disposals of qualifying investments 6,759 12,530 Disposals of non-qualifying investments 1,215 - Net cash inflow from investing activities 1,709 2,898 Equity dividends paid Revenue dividends paid on ordinary shares (2,174) (1,143) Capital dividends paid on ordinary shares (612) - Net cash inflow before financing 1,100 4,332 Financing Capital restructuring expenses (6) - Redemption of own shares (205) (217) Net cash outflow from financing (211) (217) Increase in cash and cash equivalents 889 4,115
UK 100

Latest directors dealings