Interim Management Statement

RNS Number : 3916Q

Future PLC

03 August 2010

 



3 August 2010

Future plc

Interim Management Statement

Future plc, the international special-interest media group, today publishes its Interim Management Statement for the nine-month period ended 30 June 2010. 

Outlook for the year ending 30 September 2010

The Board expects that the Group's results for the full year to 30 September 2010 will be in line with market expectations. 

Trading summary for the nine months ended 30 June 2010*

Since reporting its interim results on 20 May 2010, trading has continued in line with the Board's expectations.

·     Revenue trends continue to encourage: Q3 revenue up 2%

·     Group revenue down 3% year to date against -5% in H1

·     All costs under control, mitigating revenue reduction

·     Focus on debt reduction continues with net debt down 32% year-on-year

Stevie Spring, Future plc Chief Executive said:

"We've seen a continuation in the trading patterns that we reported at half-year, with revenues stabilising year-on-year, and some more positive trends in advertising. We continue to maintain flexibility in managing our portfolios.  That flexibility will serve us well as we navigate through the continued uncertainty of the macro-economic environment and overall we remain confident that we are as well-positioned as we can be for the future." 

Business update

In the UK (which comprises 70% of Group revenue), revenue for the nine months was down 1%.  Advertising has continued to improve strongly quarter-by-quarter, while circulation revenue remains soft, as expected.  Circulation weakness is driven primarily by Games (19% of UK revenue) which continues to experience a tough market and difficult comparatives.  Elsewhere in the portfolio, notably music, sports, technology and crafts, we've seen stronger performances. 

In the US (which comprises 30% of Group revenue), we've continued to make good progress towards returning this business to profitability. Revenue for the nine months was down 7%, as expected, partly reflecting our stated strategy of publishing many fewer specials. As at half-year, both advertising and circulation remain challenging, but customer publishing revenue continues to show strong growth.

Financial position

The Group is strongly cash generative, with a healthy balance sheet.  Net debt at 30 June 2010 was £16.1m (1.28 times bank EBITDA), down 32% year-on-year. The Group continues to operate within all bank covenants.

Next trading update

Future will provide a pre-close trading update on 28 September 2010 and will announce its Annual Results (for the year to 30 September 2010) on 24 November 2010.

*Unless otherwise stated all percentage changes shown are with the corresponding period in the prior year and are expressed in constant currency.

Enquiries:

Future plc

Stevie Spring, Chief Executive                                      Tel: [phone]

John Bowman, Group Finance Director                       Tel: [phone]

Vicky Bacon, Head of Group Communications          Tel: [phone]

Financial Dynamics:
Charles Palmer, Nicola Biles                                          Tel: [phone]

About Future: Future plc is an international special-interest media group that is listed on the London Stock Exchange (symbol FUTR).  Founded in 1985 with one magazine, today we have operations in the UK, US and Australia creating over 180 special-interest publications, websites and events for people who are passionate about their interests.  We hold strong market positions in games, film, music, technology, cycling, automotive and crafts.  Our biggest-selling magazines include T3, Total Film, Digital Camera, Fast Car, Classic Rock, Guitar World, Official Xbox Magazine, Official PlayStation Magazine, Nintendo Power, Maximum PC and MacLife.  Our websites include gamesradar.com, bikeradar.com, techradar.com, photoradar.com and musicradar.com.  Future sells more than three million magazines each month; we attract more than 27 million unique visitors to our websites; and we host 27 annual live events that attract hundreds of thousands of enthusiasts.  In addition, Future exports, syndicates or licenses its publications to 90 countries internationally, making us the UK's number one exporter and licensor of monthly magazines.

 

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