Trading Update

RNS Number : 7390K

Brulines Group PLC

26 April 2010

 



Press Release

26 April 2010

Brulines Group plc

("Brulines" or "the Group")

Trading Update

Brulines Group plc (AIM:BRU), the market leading provider of real time monitoring systems and data management services for the UK leisure sector, provides the following trading update in advance of its preliminary results for the year ended 31 March 2010 which will be announced on 9 June 2009. 

The Board is pleased to report that despite the well documented commercial pressures affecting some of its core market customers, the Group's underlying trading for the full year ended 31 March 2010 is expected to be broadly in line with market expectations.  Trading in the Group's core beer monitoring business over the second half of the financial year, whilst challenging, has remained solid, with good progress made on the commercial development of i-draught TM, the Group's beer quality and EPOS variance monitoring product.  The Group has successfully reduced losses associated with the acquisitions of Vianet and Edensure, both of which are building strong momentum.

The Group has also been evaluating several opportunities to expand its footprint in the forecourt services market and on 6 April 2010 acquired Energy Level Systems Ltd, a provider of fuel management systems, tank gauging and lining solutions, liquefied petroleum gas and forecourt services. This acquisition which is  earnings enhancing from the outset, is another important step in developing a market leading integrated solution for forecourt operators and underlines Brulines' intention to replicate in the forecourt market the Group's success in the leisure sector.   As well as expecting organic growth from this division, the Group will continue to pursue suitable acquisitions in order to achieve this.

Despite the current trading environment, future growth prospects are encouraging and management continues to view the future with confidence. Subject to approval at the Annual General Meeting, the Board anticipates maintaining a progressive dividend policy.

An analyst briefing to be given by James Dickson, Chief Executive, and Mark Foster, Finance Director, will be held at 9.30 am on Wednesday, 9 June 2010 at Abchurch Communications, 125 Old Broad Street, London, EC2N 1AR. 

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Enquiries:

Brulines Group plc
James Dickson, Chief Executive Mark Foster, Finance Director	Tel: [phone]
[e-mail]	www.brulines.com

Cenkos Securities plc
Stephen Keys / Camilla Hume	Tel: [phone]
	www.cenkos.com

Media enquiries:

Abchurch Communications
Sarah Hollins / Joanne Shears / Mark Dixon [e-mail]	Tel: [phone] www.abchurch-group.com

About Brulines

Brulines Group is focused on the provision of real time monitoring systems and data management services for the UK's leisure and petrol forecourt sectors. Since its admission to AIM in 2006, the Group has grown both organically and through a series of strategic acquisitions to give the Group access to key vertical markets. The Group operates two divisions which comprise five key products:

LEISURE DIVISION

Dispense Monitoring (DMS)	The Group's core product, DMS, is widely used by owners and operators within the UK licensed on-trade, especially the tenanted / leased pub sector. Flow meters connected to draught beer dispense lines send data via an on-site communication panel to a secure central database. Liquid volumes by fount, draught wine or post mix are tracked as they are served, thereby helping customers to maximise sales, service and quality as well as managing their costs . DMS is installed in over 22,000 pubs and manages data for more than one in three UK pubs.
i-draught (formerly BQM)	A more recent and rapidly growing product offer is i-draughtTM, an extension of the Group's DMS, which scrutinises the quality of products running through beer lines in a bar; measuring volume, temperature, flow rate and liquid type (e.g. beer, cleaning fluid or water) at the point of dispense. i-draught is the first system to provide effective measurement of true yields on draught products. Actual dispense volumes are compared with till transactions to identify shrinkage from products given away, pilferage and wastage. i-draught measures the precise temperature of every pint as it is dispensed, the time taken to dispense each drink, and automatically identifies the liquid allowing customers to know exactly when lines are cleaned. Wherever they are, customers can stay in control through accessing their information on a secure web site.
Gaming  Machine Data Services	The acquisition of Coin Metrics in May 2007 was a strong strategic fit with Brulines' existing Machine Insite business which already provides gaming machine data management and consultancy services to operators within the pub, club and leisure markets. Customers benefit from state-of-the-art real-time data capture and reporting systems that deliver improved machine profitability and operational security.
Vending  Telemetry	The Group's subsidiary Vianet is a pan-European provider of telemetry solutions and data applications to the vending industry. Vianet provides services for all vending management needs; from operations, sales, field services, national accounts to senior management.

FORECOURT SERVICES DIVISION

UK Petrol Forecourt Data Services

The Group's wholly-owned subsidiary, Edensure, supplies key management information to independent, multi branded owner, and supermarket petrol forecourt operators in the UK which helps reduce loss of fuel and improve profitability. Edensure provides petrol retailers with an unrivalled level of accuracy in the monitoring and management of their wet stock, using the most sophisticated analytical techniques available worldwide.

Headquartered in Stockton-on-Tees, Brulines employs more than 240 people. 

For further information, please visit www.brulines.com

 

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