365 Corporation PLC
6 July 2000
Thursday 6 July 2000
AGM July 2000 - Chairman's Statement
At the Annual General Meeting of 365 Corporation plc today at 12.00 noon, Ian
Martin made the following Chairman's statement:
'This has been a very important year for 365 Corporation. Our results for the
year ended 31 March 2000 were fully in line with indications given at the time
of the flotation in December, and highlight the outstanding growth for the
year across the Group. Our successful flotation also gave us the financial
flexibility to maintain our strong growth, as well as increasing the ongoing
participation by key employees in the ownership of the business.
In the full year to 31 March 2000, group turnover was £22.4 million compared
to £2.6m for the 8 months to 31 March 1999 and gross profits were £9.8
million. Total unique users grew to 1.75m for March 2000, a five-fold increase
on March 1999.
I am pleased to report that 365 continues to trade strongly in both the
Consumer and Business sectors. Last week, we announced our deal with Energis
Communications plc and have also signed direct mobile supply agreements with
both Vodafone and BT Cellnet. Under these agreements, 365 will be able to
offer a full range of Consumer and Business mobile services, including
handsets, WAP telephones and competitive air-time packages. The introduction
of consumer mobile services is part of a broad Consumer Telecoms strategy and
builds on the three year deal with Energis.
We have noted the recent uncertainty over the outlook for companies in the
internet and technology sectors during the first half of this year. We believe
that those companies with strong business plans and strong balance sheets to
support those plans, will emerge as the clear leaders in the digital
revolution that we are now witnessing. 365 is one of these companies.
We believe that 365 should continue to invest aggressively in growth in order
to maximise long-term profitability and shareholder value. We are well-
financed, as evidenced by the £52.6 million of cash and liquid resources at
year end, and have sufficient cash to execute this business plan.
Our Consumer Division now operates over 29 web sites worldwide - in English,
French, Spanish, German and Italian. In particular, Euro2000 was a great
success for 365 during the first quarter, both in terms of the large numbers
of users visiting our sites and the related advertising and sponsorship
revenues that were generated. We also completed the acquisition of Teletalk
in April to strengthen our position as the UK's leading provider of audiotext
and companionship services. In April 2000 unique users stood at 1.81m and
during the quarter our internet users and related revenues have continued to
show strong growth.
Our Business Division has continued to grow strongly during the first quarter
and we are actively seeking additional acquisitions in the SME communications
sector. In particular, our mobile service offerings have been well received,
and the recent announcement of our partnership with Energis is indicative of
our belief in the importance and growth of data services to the business
market.
We continue to see substantial opportunities for the growth of our business
and look forward to the remainder of the year with confidence.'
Enquiries:
365 Corporation plc
Ian A Martin, Chairman Tel: 020 8576 6011
Dan Thompson, Chief Executive Officer Tel: 020 7505 7800
Martin Turner, Finance Director
www.365corp.com
Financial Dynamics Tel: 020 7831 3113
Giles Sanderson
Fiona Meiklejohn
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