Interim Results

Farsight PLC 26 February 2004 FARSIGHT PLC INTERIM RESULTS FOR THE SIX MONTHS TO 30 NOVEMBER 2003 A period of continued reorganisation of business in terms of costs accompanied by a consistent, month by month increase in remote video monitoring revenue. Highlights • Operating loss before goodwill reduced to £331,000 (2002: loss £831,000) • Major contract utilising new e-surveillance software secured with Johnson Workplace Management • New loan facility established Enquiries: Chris Thomas, Chief Executive, Tel: 01733 352 435 Farsight plc Chairman's Statement Introduction I am pleased to present my report for the six months ended 30 November 2003, a period that has seen the continued re-organisation of the business in terms of a reduction in costs and a consistent, month by month increase in remote video monitoring (rvm) revenue. In the annual report for the year ended 31 May 2003, we affirmed that the Group is well placed to take advantage of the market opportunities created by customer security networks increasingly utilising internet protocol (IP) technology. I can confirm that the first stage of the contract with Johnson Workplace Management has been commissioned following a three month planning and mobilisation period. The directors estimate the potential value of this contract to be a minimum of £250,000 over the next two years in terms of consultancy and remote video monitoring. Results and Dividends The loss on ordinary activities before taxation was £501,000 (2002: loss of £978,000) on turnover of £431,000 (2002: £597,000). The loss includes £76,000 of exceptional costs incurred in the business re-organisation, specifically the costs of closure of the old Ninth Floor PLC head office, Winchester House in London. The loss also includes £144,000 of amortised goodwill (2002: £147,000). We are not in a position to recommend a dividend. As at 30 November 2003 the Group had bank borrowings of £98,000. Trading Review Sales revenues from rvm operations continue to grow. The value of our invoiced sales in the second quarter exceeded that of the first quarter by 25%. New client monitoring contracts are growing by between £15,000 and £35,000 per month. This is as a result of the closer working relationships our sales team has developed with a wider CCTV installer base across the U.K. We have now demonstrated our ability to compete for and win a major new consultancy and rvm contract with Johnson Workplace Management that utilises our e-surveillance software. At the core of this suite of software is our capability to provide the customer with a secure and confidential web based information service providing access to live cameras and recordings of events and patrols. This ensures complete transparency of the service provided, and delivers management information on the quality of service provision. Farsight has continued to invest heavily in e-surveillance. This release is scheduled for April 2004 and it is anticipated will begin to generate a new revenue stream for the business as we release for the first time a shrink-wrapped off the shelf version to the markets later in 2004. Research and development expenditure in the last six months totalled £70,000 and over the last eighteen months our subsidiary E Surveillance Limited has incurred £266,000 of development expenditure on the new 'e' surveillance software. All this expenditure has been written off. Overall, the new systems enable Farsight to deliver a significantly improved service to our customers over previous generations of telephony based systems and at the same time offer an unprecedented level of information and transparency on the service and performance delivered by Farsight. The capability to integrate with other systems pulls together the different technologies employed in the overall security operation thereby significantly improving the effectiveness of the operation and the availability of valuable management information. The technology deployed to deliver a reliable and dependable operational service is the use of Microsoft. Net and SQL databases. Farsight is a Microsoft certified partner, and we recognise the value and importance of this technical relationship going forward. We have initiated discussions with companies in the USA and France to establish new strategic channel partners both to distribute e-surveillance and to continue its technical relevance. In particular, we are developing technologies to allow streaming to hand held devices. Costs The cost base of Farsight continued to reduce during the period. The London office at Winchester House was closed at the end of August 2003 following a successful termination of our lease. In addition a number of old finance leases came to an end during the period. Funding At the EGM held on 29 December 2003, all resolutions including those in relation to the approval of a £750,000 conditional secured convertible loan facility were approved by shareholders. As a result of this exercise, £750,000 is available to the company the conditions for which the directors believe will be satisfied to enable the company to repay its legacy debts and provide sufficient working capital for the company's present requirements. Conclusion In essence I repeat what was stated last May - Farsight is well placed to take advantage of the market opportunity as security networks increasingly utilise IP technology. Having won a major contract based on our 'e' surveillance software, the challenge is to repeat this success, and talks have commenced with a multinational telecoms group. Remote video monitoring sales grew by 25% in the last quarter to 30 November 2003 and continue with a strong order book for the remainder of this financial year. Costs continue to be cut back, and with a conditional secured loan facility of up to £750,000 in place, the Board anticipates that in 2004 the group will see a positive cash flow from its operations, and a continued improvement in trading performance. This will enable the Board to actively pursue growth opportunities. A T G Wix, Chairman 25 February 2004 Consolidated Profit and Loss Account for the six months ended 30th November 2003 Unaudited Unaudited Audited six months six months year to to 30 Nov to 30 Nov to 31 May 2003 2002 2003 £000's £000's £000's Turnover Continuing operations 431 277 669 Discontinued operations - 320 358 431 597 1,027 Cost of sales (314) (720) (1,186) Gross profit/(loss) 117 (123) (159) Net operating expenses (516) (659) (1,366) Exceptional net operating expenses (76) (196) (1,293) Total net operating expenses (592) (855) (2,659) Operating loss before goodwill (331) (831) (1,355) Goodwill (144) (147) (1,463) Operating loss after goodwill (475) (978) (2,818) Operating loss Continuing operations (475) (856) (1,795) Discontinued operations - (122) (1,023) (475) (978) (2,818) Profit on sale of discontinued operations - - 400 Interest payable and similar charges (26) (2) (41) Interest receivable - 2 3 Loss on ordinary activities before taxation (501) (978) (2,456) Taxation - 50 - Loss on ordinary activities after taxation (501) (928) (2,456) Loss for the financial period (501) (928) (2,456) Loss per ordinary share (0.002p) (0.047p) (0.997p) Fully diluted loss per ordinary share (0.002p) (0.047p) (0.997p) Consolidated Balance Sheet for the six months ended 30th November 2003 Unaudited Unaudited Audited six months six months year to to 30 Nov to 30 Nov 31 May 2003 2002 2003 £000's £000's £000's Fixed assets Intangible assets 741 2,200 885 Tangible assets 365 536 408 1,106 2,736 1,293 Current assets Debtors 279 317 248 Cash at bank and in hand 2 491 14 281 808 262 Creditors: Amounts falling due within one year 1,234 1,420 1,003 Net current assets liabilities (953) (612) (741) Total assets less current liabilities 153 2,124 552 Creditors: Amounts falling due after one year (117) (104) (13) Provisions for liabilities and charges - (2) (2) Net assets 36 2,018 537 Capital and reserves Share capital 7,452 7,402 7,452 Share premium account 4,493 4,496 4,493 Capital redemption reserve 20 20 20 Profit and loss account (deficit) (11,929) (9,900) (11,428) Equity shareholders' funds 36 2,018 537 Notes to the Interim Report for the six months ended 30 November 2003 Basis of preparation The interim accounts were approved by the Board of Directors on 25 February 2004, and are neither audited nor reviewed by the auditors. They do not constitute statutory accounts, but have been prepared on the basis of the accounting policies set out in the annual report and accounts for the year ended 31 May 2003. Information in respect of the year ended 31 May 2003 is derived from the Group's statutory accounts for the year ended 31 May 2003 which have been delivered to the Registrar of Companies. Earnings/(loss) per ordinary share The calculation of basic loss per share is based on a loss of £501,000 (November 2002: loss of £928,000; May 2003: loss of £2,456,000) and a weighted average number of shares of 302,447,072; (November 2002: 197,477,072; May 2003: 246,422,277). This information is provided by RNS The company news service from the London Stock Exchange
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