Crown Place VCT PLC : Interim Management Statement

Crown Place VCT PLC : Interim Management Statement

Crown Place VCT PLC Interim Management Statement

Introduction
I am pleased to present Crown Place VCT PLC's interim management statement for the period from 1 July 2014 to 13 November 2014 as required by the UK Listing Authority's Disclosure and Transparency Rule 4.3.

Performance and dividends
The Group's unaudited net asset value (NAV), as at 30 September 2014 was £29.7 million or 32.40 pence per share (excluding treasury shares), an increase of 0.36 pence per share or 1.1 per cent. since 30 June 2014. This is a result of an increase in investment valuations and an excess of investment income over expenses.

After accounting for a dividend of 1.25 pence per share to be paid on 28 November 2014 to shareholders on the register as at 7November 2014, the NAV will be 31.15 pence per share.

Share issues and buybacks
During the period from 1 July 2014 to 4 July 2014, the Company issued the following shares from the Albion VCTs Top Up Offers 2013/2014 and the Albion VCTs Prospectus Top Up Offers 2013/2014:

DateNumber of shares issuedIssue price per share (including costs of issue)*Net proceeds £'000
4 July 2014 23,321 31.80 pence 7
4 July 2014 12,538 31.90 pence 4
4 July 2014 101,104 32.10 pence 32
4 July 2014 (Prospectus) 953,781 32.10 pence 297
Total1,090,744 340

*The difference in the issue price per share reflects the "early bird" incentives as explained in the Albion VCT Top Up Offers 2013/2014 investor guide.

The Albion VCT Prospectus Top Up Offers 2013/2014 closed for the Company on 24 September 2014.

A total of 8,913,189 shares were issued under the Albion VCTs Top Up Offers 2013/2014 and the Albion VCTs Prospectus Top Up Offers 2013/2014 raising net proceeds of £2.78 million.

Total shares issued under the Albion VCTs Top Up Offers 2013/2014 and the Albion VCTs Prospectus Top Up Offers 2013/2014Number of shares issuedNet proceeds £'000
31 January 2014 2,707,744 860
5 April 2014 5,114,701 1,583
4 July 2014 1,090,744 340
Total8,913,1892,783

The proceeds of the Offers are being used to provide further resources to the Company at a time when a number of attractive new investment opportunities are being seen.

During the period from 1 July 2014 to 13November 2014, the Company purchased 539,000 shares for £161,000 at an average price of 29.8 pence per share. All of the shares are to be held in treasury.

It remains the Board's policy to buy back shares in the market, subject to the overall constraint that such purchases are in the Company's interest, including the maintenance of sufficient resources for investment in existing and new portfolio companies and the continued payment of dividends to shareholders. It is the Board's intention for such buy-backs to be at around a 5 per cent. discount to net asset value, so far as market conditions and liquidity permit.


Portfolio
The following investments have been made during the period from 1 July 2014 to 13 November 2014:

New investments£000'sActivity
Infinite Ventures (Goathill) Limited 456 Wind turbine project in Scotland
Omprompt Limited 100 Business to business integration software
Total new investments556
Further investments
Chonais Holdings Limited 358 Hydropower project in Scotland
Green Highland Renewables (Ledgowan) Limited 160 Hydropower project in Scotland
Rostima Holdings Limited 99 Provider of labour management software for the marine and aviation industries
Relayware Limited 94 Provider of business collaboration and communication solutions
MyMeds&Me Limited 66 Software for managing pharmaceutical adverse events
Proveca Limited 56 Repositioning of pediatric medicines
Taunton Hospital Limited 48 Owner and operator of a psychiatric hospital 
Cisiv Limited 37 Software and services for non-interventional clinical trials
Mirada Medical Limited 10 Developer of medical imaging software
Blackbay Limited 9 Provider of mobile data solutions
AMS Sciences Limited 6 Provider of metabolism data in clinical and pre-clinical development
Abcodia Limited 5 Validation and discovery of serum biomarkers
DySIS Medical Limited 5 Development, manufacture and sale of medical devices for detection of cervical cancer
Total further investments953 

Disposals and loan stock repayments
The following disposals and loan stock repayments were made during the period from 1 July 2014 to 13 November 2014:

Name£000's 
Tower Bridge Health Club Limited 928 Disposal of investment
House of Dorchester Limited 355 Disposal of investment
Chichester Holdings Limited 116 Loan stock repayment
Radnor House School (Holdings) Limited 105 Loan stock and capitalised interest repayment
The Charnwood Pub Company Limited 69 Final proceeds on disposal
The Dunedin Pub Company VCT Limited 69 Loan stock repayment
Dexela Limited 48 Payment of year 3 earn out
Hilson Moran Holdings Limited 24 Loan stock and redemption premium repayment
Total proceeds1,714  

Helveta Limited went into administration on 18 September 2014. The assets of Helveta Limited were purchased by Elements Software Limited, and the Company received 0.65 per cent. of the ordinary share capital in the new entity, currently valued at nil.

Top ten holdings as at 30 September 2014:

InvestmentCarrying value
£000's
% of net asset valueActivity
Oakland Care Centre Limited 3,078 10.4% Owner and operator of care home for the elderly
Radnor House School (Holdings) Limited 2,908 9.8% Independent school for children ages 7-18
ELE Advanced Technologies Limited 2,288 7.7% Manufacturer of precision engineering components
The Crown Hotel Harrogate Limited 1,926 6.5% Owner and operator of the Crown Hotel, Harrogate
Taunton Hospital Limited 1,288 4.3% Owner and operator of a psychiatric hospital
Lowcosttravelgroup Limited 1,213 4.1% Online travel business
Kensington Health Club Limited 1,021 3.4% Owner and operator of a health and fitness club in West London
Blackbay Limited 908 3.1% Provider of mobile data solutions
Tower Bridge Health Club Limited 864 2.9% Owner and operator of a health and fitness club in central London
Kew Green (Stansted) VCT Limited 799 2.7% Owner and operator of the Holiday Inn Express at Stansted Airport

A full breakdown of the Company's portfolio can be found on the funds website under current portfolio at www.albion-ventures.co.uk/ourfunds/CRWN.htm.

Material events and transactions
Having served on the Board for over 8 years, I will be retiring at today's Annual General Meeting. Richard Huntingford, who has been on the Board since May 2012, will succeed me as Chairman. Richard can be contacted by email at crownchair@albion-ventures.co.uk.

Following a formal and competitive selection process, Penny Freer was appointed to the Board with effect from 31 October 2014.

There have been no further significant events or transactions that the Board is aware of which would have a material impact on the financial position of the Company between 1 July 2014 to 13 November 2014.

Further information
The Company continues to offer a Dividend Reinvestment Scheme to existing shareholders. Details of this Scheme can be found at www.albion-ventures.co.uk/ourfunds/CRWN.htm.

Further information regarding historic and current financial performance and other useful shareholder information can be found on the Fund's website under www.albion-ventures.co.uk/ourfunds/CRWN.htm.

Patrick Crosthwaite, Chairman
pcrosthwaite@albion-ventures.co.uk

13 November 2014
For further information please contact:
Patrick Reeve, Albion Ventures LLP - tel: 020 7601 1850




This announcement is distributed by NASDAQ OMX Corporate Solutions on behalf of NASDAQ OMX Corporate Solutions clients.
The issuer of this announcement warrants that they are solely responsible for the content, accuracy and originality of the information contained therein.
Source: Crown Place VCT PLC via Globenewswire

HUG#1871091
UK 100

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