Final Results

Premier Management Holdings PLC 27 July 2004 For release at 07.00 on 27 July 2004 PREMIER MANAGEMENT HOLDINGS PLC Statement of results for the period ended 31 January 2004 Key points • £5.5m Bond restructured into £2.5m interest-free loan repayable over 14 years, placing the Group on a more secure financial footing for future growth. • Turnover £1.2m for 9 months (2003: £2.1m for 12 months). • Pre-exceptional, pre-amortisation operating profit of £157,000 for 9 months (2003: £510,000 loss for 12 months). • Licensed agents include 5 in UK, 2 in Turkey and 1 in Hungary. Other new co-operation agreements allow the Group to gain exposure to markets in France, Greece, Denmark, Croatia, Sweden and North America with negligible cost. • Outcome for the current year remains uncertain, although trading so far in the summer window has been promising. Steady trading experienced outside of the windows in Nationwide League player deals and in manager deals. Chairman Barry Gold said today, 'Our objective of stabilising the business has been achieved. We have associations in most of the major territories, and are representing an increasing number of managers and clubs. We are better positioned to grow, with minimal extra cost, our two additional target areas of acting for clubs and for managers. Going forward there is no bond interest to pay, no substantial goodwill amortisation to charge, nor significant player investment write-downs to face. As result the Board views the future prospects of the Group with a higher degree of optimism than at any time over the past two years.' Further enquiries: Barry Gold (Premier Management) - 01227 366 992 Richard Evans (Brewin Dolphin Securities) - 0161 214 5553 Chairman's statement The accounts your Board are reporting on cover a nine-month period ended 31 January 2004. We have changed our year end from 30 April so as to coincide with the close of one of the two Premiership football transfer windows. In early 2004 we agreed terms with our bond holder, which are reflected in these accounts, whereby the £5.5 million bond, repayable by August 2004 was converted into a £2.5 million interest-free loan repayable over 14 years. This debt restructuring, when taken in conjunction with the significant overhead reductions we have achieved over the past year, mean that your company now has a sustainable cost-base from which we can move forward with financial stability. As part of the restructuring process we were successful in the raising of new share capital to further improve the Company's finances. In the nine-month reporting period turnover was £1,242,000 (2003: £2,136,000 for 12 months) and operating profit, before exceptional items and amortisation, was £157,000 (2003: £510,000 loss for 12 months). These numbers show an improved trading performance in our underlying core business in a difficult market. Since the start of the current financial year further overhead cuts have been made and with the write-downs described below and the restructuring of the bond future profitability should be significantly easier to achieve. In view of changes in the football market over the past year or so, we have decided to write down the majority of our investments in player registrations and in the carrying value of our subsidiary companies, neither of which have any impact on our cash flow or future trading. In coming to a new arrangement with the bondholder, we have also benefited from an exceptional credit to our profit and loss account. The net effect of these exceptional items has been a charge against profit in excess of £1 million. Your Board hopes that these provisions may well prove to be over conservative, but it will ensure that future accounts are both easier to follow and more representative of what is actually happening in the business, day-to-day. We now have five licensed agents in this country, two in Turkey and one in Hungary. Hungary continues to perform above our expectations but Turkey, although still cash generative, is struggling from the effects of remaining outside the European Union, the new limitations on the number of foreign players at clubs and a widespread lack of cash at football clubs. Overheads in the UK have been reduced still further and the elimination of the bond and the consequent winding up of our Jersey subsidiary will lead to more savings. Further opportunities to minimise costs will be taken as they arise including establishing co-operations with other agents, which are a low cost way of attracting new players to the Group. In pursuit of this strategy agreements have been reached with agents in France Greece, Denmark, Croatia, Sweden and North America since we last reported. Such arrangements cost us nothing and so offer only upside. We are positioning ourselves as the 'manager's manager' as we already represent several in the Premiership, the Nationwide and abroad. This has been a good market for us, as has representing clubs on transfers and contract renegotiations, where we perform a role akin to a part-time Director of Football, on a retainer basis. The outcome for the current year remains uncertain, although trading so far in the summer window has been promising and we hope that there is much more business to do whilst the window remains open. We have experienced steady trading outside of the windows in manager and Nationwide League player deals, which we expect to continue .. The player transfer/new contract market remains competitive and volatile, and whilst we have done our share of deals our other areas of business help to provide a broader range of income streams and which to date have served to reduce potential debt collection problems. The Group has faced a difficult trading environment over the past two years, but we have come through this period and I am very grateful to our new shareholders who supported us recently and placed us in a position to conclude the restructuring of the bond. My thanks also to all our team, staff and shareholders, for pulling together when the going got tough. The Board hope to be able to reward this support by building a wider ranging business from what is a more secure base. Our objective of stabilising the business has been achieved. We have associations in most of the major territories, and are representing an increasing number of managers and clubs. We are better positioned to grow, with minimal extra cost, our additional target areas of acting for clubs and for managers. Going forward there is no bond interest to pay, no substantial goodwill amortisation to charge, nor significant player investment write-downs to face. As result the Board views the future prospects of the Group with a higher degree of optimism than at any time over the past two years. Barry Gold 27 July 2004 Consolidated profit and loss account for the period ended 31 January 2004 Before 9 months 12 months exceptional Exceptional ended ended items and items and 31 January 30 April amortisation amortisation 2004 2003 (as restated) £'000 £'000 £000 £'000 Turnover 1,242 - 1,242 2,136 Cost of sales (458) - (458) (1,100) Gross profit before exceptional impairment 784 - 784 1,036 Exceptional impairment of investment in - (882) (882) (1,135) footballers Gross profit/(loss) 784 (882) (98) (99) Exceptional administrative expenses - (2,642) (2,642) (1,693) Amortisation of intangible assets - (132) (132) (181) Other administrative expenses (627) - (627) (1,546) Operating profit/(loss) 157 (3,656) (3,499) (3,519) Other interest receivable and similar - - - 27 income Interest payable (127) - (127) (243) Amortisation of finance costs - (248) (248) (198) Exceptional write-back of loan - 2,896 2,896 Profit/(loss) on ordinary activities before 30 (1,008) (978) (3,933) taxation Taxation - - - 209 Profit/(loss) on ordinary activities after 30 (1,008) (978) (3,724) taxation Dividends - - - - Retained profit/(loss) carried forward for 30 (1,008) (978) (3,724) the financial year Earnings/(loss) per share Pence Pence Pence Pence Basic and diluted (loss)/earnings per 0.11 (3.74) (3.63) (14.83) ordinary share The profit and loss has been prepared on the basis that all operations are continuing operations. Statement of total recognised gains and losses for the period ended 31 January 2004 9 months 12 months ended ended 31 January 31 April 2004 2003 (as restated) £000 £'000 Loss for the period (978) (3,724) Prior period adjustment 174 - Total recognised gains and losses since last financial (804) (3,724) statements Consolidated balance sheets as at 31 January 2004 As at As at 31 January 31 April 2004 2003 (as restated) £000 £'000 Fixed Assets Intangible assets 220 3,299 Tangible assets 82 120 Investments - 175 302 3,594 Current assets Debtors 1,069 1,497 Current asset investments 221 1,342 Cash at bank and in hand 151 251 1,441 3,090 Creditors: amounts falling due within one year (1,239) (781) Net current assets 202 2,309 Total assets less current liabilities 504 5,903 Creditors: amounts falling due over one year (1,986) (6,407) Total assets less liabilities (1,482) (504) Capital and reserves Called up share capital 269 269 Share premium account 2,497 2,745 Profit and loss account (4,038) (3,308) Own shares held* (210) (210) Equity shareholders' (deficit)/funds (1,482) (504) * Own shares held represents 1,000,000 ordinary shares of 1p each, held by Premier Management Holdings plc Employee Share Ownership Plan with a nominal value of £10,000 and a share premium of £200,000. Consolidated cash flow statement for the period ended 31 January 2004 9 months 12 months ended ended 31 January 30 April 2004 2003 £'000 £'000 Net cash movement from operating activities 134 (153) Returns on investments and servicing of finance Interest received - 27 Interest paid (127) (243) (127) (216) Taxation paid - (6) Capital expenditure Receipts on disposal of tangible assets 20 15 Payments to acquire tangible assets (4) (13) Payments to acquire investments - (175) - 26 16 (147) Acquisitions and disposals Payments to acquire subsidiary undertakings - (33) Net cash outflow before management of liquid resources and 23 (555) financing Management of liquid resources Short term deposits - 936 Financing Capital element of hire purchase contracts (15) (41) Payment for deferred consideration (37) (421) Payment for negotiating settlement of convertible loan stock (72) - (124) (462) (Decrease) in cash in the period (101) (81) Note: The preliminary financial statement has been prepared on the basis of the Group's normal accounting policies but does not constitute statutory accounts. The comparative figures for the year ended 30 April 2003 have been extracted from statutory accounts for the year then ended. These statutory accounts have been delivered to the Registrar of Companies, the auditors report on which was unqualified and did not contain a statement under section 237(2) or (3) of the Companies Act 1985. It is anticipated that the Group's Annual Report and Accounts for the 9 month period ended 31 January 2004 will be published and posted to shareholders on 30 July 2004. Copies will be made available at the Company's office at 11 Central House, Ongar, Essex CM5 9AA. ENDS This information is provided by RNS The company news service from the London Stock Exchange
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