Final Results

Farsight PLC 30 November 2004 FARSIGHT PLC PRELIMINARY RESULTS FOR THE YEAR TO 31 MAY 2004 Farsight plc Chairman's Statement Introduction I am pleased to report that during the year ended 31 May 2004, Farsight's business has continued to move forward with increasing sales revenues which together with lower costs has resulted in an improved financial result for the year. In addition, Farsight has improved its levels of customer service and has continued its research and development into its e-surveillance software. Over the past two years I have consistently reported that Farsight was reorganising its business around its core remote CCTV monitoring activity and that the costs of the business were being reduced in line with revenue. I am pleased to report that this reorganisation is now largely completed and that the Company is now in a position to move forward more positively. Sales growth has proven slower than anticipated partly due to the delayed roll out of broadband services in the UK. However, the provision of broadband services in the UK is now rapidly expanding and I am pleased to announce that Farsight will formally launch its e-surveillance software as a licensed product for the security market in January 2005 at IIPSEC. This launch will be supported by an advertising campaign in the securities industry press. Results for the year Turnover on continuing activities increased by 16.1 per cent. year on year to £777,000 (2003: £669,000). The operating loss on all operations was £1,375,000 (2003: loss £2,818,000). This loss is stated after charging £289,000 of amortised goodwill and making a £596,000 provision in respect of the impairment value of goodwill. The operating loss on continued operations was reduced to £1,378,000 (2003: loss £1,795,000). No dividend is recommended. Funding At the EGM held in December 2003, all resolutions including those in relation to the approval of a £750,000 conditional secured convertible loan facility from a 'concert party' of investors were approved by shareholders. During the 2004 financial year the Company drew down £450,000 of this facility. Subsequent to the 2004 balance sheet date the remaining balance of this facility amounting to £300,000 has been drawn down by the Company. Details of further financial support agreed with the 'concert party' investors is set out in Note 2 to the financial statements. The directors are satisfied that sufficient funds are available to the Company to see Farsight plc return to a net cash generating position. Trading review and current activity In my interim statement I announced the commencement of a major contract in the facilities management sector. This contract has progressed well with the consulting phase nearly completed. In the next phase Farsight expects to commence monitoring a large number of sites across the UK using its e-surveillance technology. Our sales operation is continuing to steadily win new monitoring business and this will provide an increasingly solid base upon which the business can be moved forward. Other new niche sales opportunities are currently being developed, in particular what we call our 'Buildsecure' monitoring service which provides a level of 24 hour per day surveillance of construction sites across the UK. New contracts have been won with some of the UK's largest construction companies, and we believe this will prove to be an important new revenue stream over the next 2-3 years. We continue to invest in our operations centre, 'The Observatory' in Peterborough. During the year we made the decision to invest ahead of revenue generation in the capacity and skills of Farsight's monitoring operation; we have been operating two parallel systems; one operation utilising standard telephony based CCTV technology, the other operating on the new broadband compatible, e-surveillance technology. In February 2004, e-surveillance software was loaded onto our servers in Peterborough and we recruited a new team of monitoring professionals, trained them in the use of the software, and launched a new service to our customers whereby all monitoring was conducted via the internet utilising broadband connectivity. We estimate that we have sufficient installed capacity to handle at least two years growth in monitoring connections, circa £750,000 in revenue terms. The company achieved an important milestone in obtaining official Microsoft certification for the e-surveillance software. To date, the e-surveillance software has only been used for managed services but in the past six months the development team have completed the necessary packaging and documentation to allow the sales launch of a licensed product for the wider retail security market in January 2005. In preparation for this launch, and to provide a web based resource for our service customers, Farsight has developed a second web site for e-surveillance customers, whether a purchaser of the software package or a CCTV monitored site using our e-surveillance broadband service. We live in an age where security issues are becoming an increasing factor in both our lives at work and at home. Farsight's focus over the past two years has been on the development of a broadband enabled monitoring service to corporate clients and some high net worth individuals. Whilst these users will continue to be the prime users of monitored CCTV, the opportunity now presents itself for Farsight to sell into the public sector and to continue to seek a low cost, reliable service that can be offered to the retail, mass market. Farsight will therefore continue to invest in the e-surveillance software with a focus on allowing an increasing number of multiple users and integration of our customers' networks. Conclusion I stated last year that Farsight plc is well placed to take advantage of the market opportunity presented by security networks looking to increasingly utilise IP/broadband technology. Farsight continues to grow the monitored CCTV services business, and in 2005 will launch a shrink wrapped e-surveillance software product that will create a new revenue stream for the Company. I am confident that the difficult period of restructuring and cost cutting is drawing to completion, and that the business has been put on a firm foundation to allow Farsight to profit from the opportunities on offer in the security market. Our current plan will see the company continue to grow organically, however, the Board now recognises that the opportunity exists to increase the scale of operations via acquisition or merger, and will actively pursue such growth opportunities. A T G Wix, Chairman November 2004 Enquiries: Chris Thomas, Chief Executive 07812 145350 Consolidated Profit and Loss Account for the year ended 31 May 2004 2004 2003 £'000 £'000 Turnover Continuing operations 777 669 Discontinued operations - 358 777 1,027 Cost of sales (628) (1,186) Gross profit/(loss) 149 (159) Net operating expenses (928) (1,366) Exceptional net operating expenses (596) (1,293) Total net operating expenses (1,524) (2,659) Operating loss Continuing operations (1,375) (1,795) Discontinued operations - (1,023) Total operating loss (1,375) (2,818) Profit on sale of discontinued operations - 400 Interest payable and similar charges (53) (41) Interest receivable - 3 Loss on ordinary activities before taxation (1,428) (2,456) Taxation 2 - Retained loss for the year (1,426) (2,456) Loss per ordinary share (0.469)p (0.997)p Fully diluted loss per ordinary share (0.437)p (0.997)p The Group has no gains or losses other than the results for the year, and so no statement of recognised gains or losses has been presented. There is no difference between the loss on ordinary activities before taxation and the retained loss for the year stated above and their historical cost equivalents. Reconciliation of Movements in Group Shareholders' Funds at 31 May 2004 2003 £'000 £'000 Loss for the financial year (1,426) (2,456) Proceeds of share capital issues 32 1,408 Net decrease in shareholders' funds (1,394) (1,048) Opening shareholders' funds 537 1,585 Closing shareholders' (deficit)/funds (857) 537 Balance Sheet at 31 May 2004 2004 2003 £'000 £'000 Fixed assets Intangible assets - 885 Tangible assets 325 408 325 1,293 Current assets Debtors: amounts falling due within one year 231 248 Cash at bank and in hand - 14 231 262 Creditors: amounts falling due within one year (963) (1,003) Net current liabilities (732) (741) Total assets less current liabilities (407) 552 Creditors: amounts falling due after one year Secured convertible loans (450) - Obligations under finance leases - (13) Provisions for liabilities and charges - (2) Net (liabilities)/assets (857) 537 Capital and reserves Called up share capital 7,484 7,452 Share premium account 4,493 4,493 Capital redemption reserve 20 20 Profit and loss account (12,854) (11,428) Equity shareholders' (deficit)/funds (857) 537 Consolidated Cash Flow Statement for the year ended 31 May 2004 2004 2003 £'000 £'000 Net cash (outflow) from operating activities (262) (1,061) Returns on investments and servicing of finance Interest received - 3 Interest element of finance lease payments (41) (40) Interest paid (12) (1) (53) (38) Taxation United Kingdom corporation tax paid - (85) Capital expenditure and financial investment Purchase of tangible fixed assets (50) (12) Proceeds from sale of tangible fixed assets 17 - (33) (12) Acquisition and disposals Net (cash) disposed with subsidiary - (28) - (28) Net cash outflow before management of liquid resources and financing (348) (1,224) Financing Issue of new share capital 32 1,408 Issue of convertible loans 450 - Capital element of finance lease payments (119) (149) Net cash inflow from financing 363 1,259 Increase in cash in the year 15 35 Reconciliation of Operating Loss to Net Cash Flow from Operating Activities 2004 2003 £'000 £'000 Operating loss (1,375) (2,818) Amortisation of intangible fixed assets 289 289 Provision against impairment in value of intangible fixed assets 596 1,174 Depreciation of tangible fixed assets 133 211 Profit on disposal of tangible fixed assets (17) - Decrease in debtors 17 271 Increase/(decrease) in creditors 95 (188) Net cash flow from operating activities (262) (1,061) Notes to the Preliminary Results for the year ended 31 May 2004 1. Loss per ordinary share Basic loss per share (LPS) is calculated by dividing the loss attributable to ordinary shareholders, namely a loss of £1,426,000 (2003: loss £2,456,000) by 304,102,072 ordinary shares (2003: 246,422,277 ordinary shares), being the weighted average number of ordinary shares in issue and ranking for dividend during the year. 2004 2003 Weighted Weighted average average Earnings / number of Earnings / number (loss) shares Per share (loss) of shares Per share £'000 '000 amount (Pence) £'000 '000 amount (Pence) Basic LPS (1,426) 304,102 (0.469) (2,456) 246,422 (0.997) Fully diluted LPS (1,426) 326,602 (0.437) (2,456) 246,422 (0.997) 2. Reconciliation of net cash flow to movement in net debt 2004 2003 £'000 £'000 Movement in cash in year 15 35 Cash (inflow)/outflow from change in debt (331) 149 Change in net debt resulting from cash flows (316) 184 Movement in net debt in the year (316) 184 Net debt at 1 June, 2002 (186) (370) Net debt at 31 May, 2003 (502) (186) 3. Analysis of net debt At 1 June, 2003 Cash Flow At 31 May, 2004 £'000 £'000 £'000 Net cash: Cash at bank and in hand 14 (14) - Overdrafts (66) 29 (37) Debt: (52) 15 (37) Secured convertible loans - (450) (450) Finance leases (134) 119 (15) Total (186) (316) (502) 4. Statutory Accounts The financial information contained in this announcement does not constitute statutory accounts within the meaning of Section 240 of the Companies Act 1985. The figures for the year ended 31 May 2003 have been extracted from the statutory accounts which have been filed with the Register of Companies and which are available on request from the Company Secretary. The auditor's report on those accounts was unqualified and did not contain any statement under section 237(2) or section 237(3) of the Companies Act 1985. The statutory accounts for the financial year ended 31 May 2004 have been approved by the Directors and are available for collection at the Company's registered office or in electronic form on the company's website, www.farsight.co.uk. The auditors' report on these accounts was unqualified and did not contain any statement under section 237(2) or section 237(3) of the Companies Act 1985. This information is provided by RNS The company news service from the London Stock Exchange
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