Final Results for the Year Ended 31 March 2023

Real Good Food PLC

21 September 2023

 

21 September 2023

Real Good Food plc

("RGF" or "the Group")

Final Results for the Year Ended 31 March 2023

Real Good Food plc, (AIM: RGD), the food manufacturing business specialising in cake decoration, today announces its final results for the year ended 31 March 2023.

Overview

Financial highlights

•     Revenue decreased by 19.8% to £32.4 million (2022: £40.4 million) due to macroeconomic headwinds.

•     EBITDA loss of £4.8 million (2022: £0.2 million profit) reflected reduced gross margins and operating leverage.

•     Loss before tax was £9.0 million (2022: £19.0 million loss, including £16.1 million goodwill impairment).

•     Additional £2.5 million revolving credit facility secured from Hilco Private Capital in November 2022 and £0.55 million in short-term shareholder loans (from Downing and Omnicane) on 6 April 2023 to support the Group's radical reform programme.

•    Total net debt increased to £31.2m (2022: £25.5m).

Operational highlights

•     Volumes were about 26% lower year-on-year, the most severe reductions being US sales (32% lower) and sales into Europe (22% lower). The reductions were market driven rather than customer losses.

•     Key input costs continued to rise during the year with costs on average being 30% higher. The impact on the business was partly mitigated with prices to customers being increased, averaging 21% with increases ranging between 5% and 34% (overall in-year impact being 10.6%). Limited availability of key ingredients across the sector also affected performance.

•     The impact of reduced volumes and the lag effect of passing cost increases through to customers reduced gross margins from 39.9% to 33.3%; margins in the current year are better and continue to improve (currently 35.9%).

•     A radical reform programme, which was launched in September 2022 to return the business to profitability, is almost complete and tracking in line with expectations. To date, circa £8.0 million of price resets, efficiency gains and cost savings have been secured for FY24.

•     Evidence based rebranding of Renshaw fondant to "just roll with it" was launched in September 2022, making products more accessible to all customers whilst launching new products and diversifying into complementary products.

Current trading

•     Market conditions remain challenging albeit the self-help improvements made since September 2022 have been transformational.

•     New management in place to continue to drive the radical reform programme.

•     After five months of trading in FY24, demand is higher than last year and despite sales being broadly the same due to cash constraints, EBITDA is better.

•     The Group has recently agreed terms for a 12-month extension of the Hilco loan facility through to 18 November 2024. The facility is being renewed at £2.3m. A further announcement will be made in due course.

•     The Board expects to issue the Group's half year results to 30 September and an update on current trading in December 2023

Mike Holt, Executive Chair commented:

"Market conditions remain challenging; we are however starting to see volumes in some segments beginning to slowly rebuild and we are gradually trading our way into a better place as the busier autumn season kicks in. The radical reform programme we have implemented over the last year has been transformational and, with new management now in place, the Group is well positioned to make further gains, particularly in manufacturing efficiencies, sales, and customer focus. We have recently agreed a loan extension with Hilco which provides a more secure platform to continue our journey to sustainable and satisfactory profitability."

Enquiries:

Real Good Food plc Mike Holt, Executive Chair	Tel: [phone]
Cavendish Capital Markets Ltd (Nomad and Broker) Carl Holmes / Abigail Kelly (Corporate Finance)	Tel: [phone]
MHP (Financial PR)  Reg Hoare / Katie Hunt	Tel: [phone] [e-mail]

Chair's Statement and Business Review

Overview

Trading conditions for the year ended 31 March 2023 were challenging throughout the year due to the perfect storm of rising costs and lower revenues following a brief recovery post-Covid. The war in Ukraine, continuing cross border trading issues with Europe (post Brexit) and significant cost inflation impacted the availability of key ingredients and services, increased costs and, with fears of recession and prolonged austerity for consumers, reduced demand for our products. This resulted in the Group incurring an adjusted EBITDA loss of £4.8 million on revenue of £32.4 million, £8.0 million (19.8%) lower than the previous year.

As announced in October 2022, the Board has put into effect a well-defined plan to radically reform the Group. As part of the radical reform, key functions were systematically re-engineered to improve business processes and create smarter ways of working throughout the business. The recovery plan included significant price resets with customers across all sectors to address market distortions, overhead cost savings and further manufacturing efficiency gains. In total, the price reset delivered a benefit of £0.7 million in FY23 and should deliver circa £3.9 million in FY24. Cost savings of £0.1 million were realised in FY23 and circa £2.1 million has been secured for FY24 (making the total circa £2.6 million when added to savings actioned earlier in FY23) against a plan of £3.0 million; about £0.4 million remains unrealisable whilst the Group continues to be AIM listed. About a third of the manufacturing efficiencies have been actioned to date. The cost of the recovery plan was £1.1 million, including £0.8 million of redundancy payments. As part of the plan, employee numbers decreased by 45% from 318 to 201 and have since reduced to 186 (106 in production related activities and 80 in business support functions).

During FY23, input costs increased by circa 20%. In response, the Group increased selling prices and for most customers also reset prices for certain products to deliver satisfactory margins. On average, prices were increased by 21% of which the in-year effect was 10.6% due to timing, many contracts having set annual pricing dates. Current selling prices are circa 27% higher than they were at the start of FY23. Volumes for the year were about 26% lower than the year ended 31 March 2022, albeit performance during H2 was marginally better. Whilst increased selling prices may have contributed, we believe that the volume reduction is more generally a recessionary response to household incomes being lower in real terms. The Group continues to work collaboratively with customers to win new business, notable examples being a new range (Bake & Create) for B&M, new products for Hobbycraft, Lakeland, Asda and Lidl, and new business following the demise of a competitor (Food Innovations).

Renshaw Rebranding

Following research conducted in 2021, Renshaw's own brand products were rebranded in September 2022 with a new improved recipe providing the functionality that regular users love, whilst making it easier to knead, roll and correct slight imperfections which anyone can make, to ensure a positive experience for every user, including first-time users. The "just roll with it" rebrand has been well received and product range rationalisation has made choosing the right product easier for all users. We are hopeful that this will add sales in more normal market conditions.

Product Launches

In total the business has launched 69 new products into the market, across Retail, Renshaw brand, International and B2B channels.   In 2021 we were first to market with a ready to use on trend drip icings range which has continued to be a focus with retail and international customers this year.  We have expanded all year-round lines of frostings with exciting trending flavours and colours to tap into key occasions to drive consumer interest.  This year we have gained shelf presence within the dessert sector with innovative dessert sauces driving new consumers to purchase our products.  We will continue to review and tap into new and innovative trends to keep customers engaged and excited about what's up and coming within the home baking category and to gain listings within new channels.

Wavertree Property

At the beginning of the financial year in May 2022, the Group sold its former Wavertree property. The sale made a small loss but generated net cash proceeds of £0.9 million, £0.3 million of which was spent on creating an Innovation Centre on the Crown Street site next to the main factory. The Wavertree property was purchased in 2015 and housed the Renshaw Academy (until August 2019), the New Product Development team and Renshaw's marketing team.

Cash management

The Group secured an additional £2.5 million in funding on 21 November 2022 from Hilco Private Capital to support its turnround plan and supplement the existing £6.3 million facility with Leumi ABL. The new facility was on a twelve-month term, but we are pleased to report that within the last few days £2.3 million of this has been extended by another year to November 2024. The Group also received a £0.55 million short-term loan from Downing LLP and Omnicane Investors Ltd on 5 April 2023. During H1 of the new financial year (FY24), cash has been tight adding to some of our supply chain issues, but we are pleased to report that near-term projections forecast an improving trend with a reduction in borrowings by the end of the calendar year (Q3/FY24).

Dividend

No dividend is being proposed for the year. The Group is highly leveraged and the Board's focus is on reducing the total level of debt.

Board & Management Changes

In September 2022, Maribeth Keeling who had been appointed as Group Finance Director in July 2019 left the business to pursue other interests. Maribeth was replaced by John Tennant on an interim basis. Gail Lumsden, having served three years as an independent non-executive director, stepped down from the Board to dedicate more time to other non-executive commitments in December 2022. Gail was replaced by Andy Richardson in January 2023. Andy has a wealth of experience across a range of organisations and a strong track record of business transformation and is making valued contributions to the Board. As I did with Gail, Andy and I meet independently of the Board to discuss matters concerning Loan Note Holders and major Shareholders. In August 2022, Anthony Ridgwell stepped down as a non-executive director having served a term of three years.

During October 2023, Joe Beardwood will be joining the Group and will replace John Tennant at the end of December as Group Finance Director.  Like John, Joe has significant Finance Director experience in turnround and private equity situations.

Since year-end, John Tague joined the Group to replace Steve Moon who stepped down as Managing Director of JF Renshaw and Rainbow Dust Colours in July 2023. John has relevant, and highly successful, experience in similar roles at Halo Foods and Seabrook Crisps.

Strategy

The Group's strategy is to maximise value for shareholders by leveraging productive capacity. The Group has a valued heritage, and the strategy is to leverage this with new products and class leading service.

As Renshaw celebrates its 125th Anniversary, the aim is to consolidate its market leading position in the UK, build sales in the USA, accelerate growth in caramels and sauces, and diversify into products that use the same equipment or process know-how. Growth in these areas should counterbalance the gradual decline in fondant icing and marzipan.

Further improvements in profitability, building on the recent and successful radical reform programme noted earlier, will be targeted by additional manufacturing efficiencies. Our Crown Street factory is old but is in reasonable condition and space is becoming available to improve its configuration and workflow.

The Group remains open to divesting parts of its business for the right value at the right time.

Outlook

The successful implementation of our transformation plan has positioned the Group to deliver between £3 million and £4 million in EBITDA annually beyond FY24.

Market conditions remain challenging. We are however starting to see volumes in some segments slowly rebuild. Over the last few months, our trading performance has been affected by our tight cash position, but we are gradually trading our way into a better place as the seasonally busier autumn season kicks in. After five months of trading, demand is higher than last year and despite sales being broadly the same due to cash constraints, EBITDA is better. The radical reforms we have made over the last eight to nine months have been transformational and, with new management now in place, the Group is well positioned to make further gains, particularly in manufacturing efficiencies, sales, and customer focus.

Finally, I would like to thank our employees who have worked hard to overcome various challenges, to ensure that products and customer service continued (and continue) to be delivered and embraced the necessary changes for a sustainable future.

Mike Holt

Executive Chair

Finance Review

Revenue

Group revenue for the 12 months ending 31 March 2023 was £32.4 million (2022: £40.4 million), a decrease of 19.8% on revenue to 31 March 2022. Trading conditions were challenging throughout the year with significant increases in costs, restricted availability of key ingredients, and lower demand due to macroeconomic headwinds and fears of recession and an extended period of austerity.

Profit measure on operations

Gross profit for the Group was £10.8 million (2022: £16.1 million), resulting in a gross profit margin of only 33% compared to 40% in the prior year. This reflects the lag effect of increased prices and costs and the operational leverage from lower volumes.

The operating loss in the year of £7.1 million is reported after depreciation charges of £1.1m and significant items of £1.3m. The significant costs incurred relate to redundancy payments totalling £0.8 million, consultancy costs of £0.3 million associated with the programme of radical reform and the loss on the sale of Wavertree amounting to £0.2 million.

The adjusted EBITDA of the underlying continuing business was a loss of £4.8m.

The items adjusted for are:

Significant Items:                            £1.3m

Depreciation and amortisation:        £1.1m

After finance costs of £1.9 million, this resulted in a loss before tax for the year of £9.9 million (loss 2021: £18.9m).

Cash flow and net debt

The Group secured an additional £2.5 million in funding on 21 November 2022 from Hilco Private Capital to support its turnround plan and supplement the existing £6.3 million facility with Leumi ABL. The new facility was on a twelve-month term, but we are pleased to report that within the last few days £2.3 million of this has been extended by another year to November 2024. The Group also received a £0.55 million short-term loan from Downing LLP and Omnicane Investors Ltd announced on 5 April 2023. During H1 of the new financial year (FY24), cash has been tight adding to some of our supply chain issues, but we are pleased to report that near-term projections forecast an improving trend with a reduction in borrowings by the end of the calendar year (Q3/FY24).

Net debt is a key performance indicator for the Group and increased to £31.243m (2022: £25.480m) over the course of the year which reflected increased borrowings and reduced cash. Net debt is explained in note 9.

12 months to March	2023 £'000s	2022 £'000s
Revenue	32,441	40,431
Gross profit	10,810	16,130
Delivered margin	7,359	12,170
Delivered margin %	22.68%	30.0%
Underlying EBITDA (adjusted)*	(4,757)	227
Operating (loss) before impairment and significant items	(5,814)	(679)
Operating loss after impairment and significant items	(7,100)	(17,089)
Operating loss %	(21.89%)	(42.4%)
Loss before tax	(9,003)	(18,978)

All figures refer to continuing businesses.

*See note 3 for reconciliation

Going Concern

The financial statements are prepared on a going concern basis, which the Directors believe to be appropriate for the reasons set out below.

As described in the Business Review, the current economic environment remains difficult, and losses have led to cash constraints which is impacting current trading. The Directors have prepared financial forecasts for the Group, comprising income statements, balance sheets and cash flows through to March 2025. In assessing the appropriateness of the Group's accounts being prepared on a going concern basis, the Directors have considered short-term constraints, and how to manage through these, and factors likely to affect its planned future performance.

As noted in the Strategic Report and Business Review, the radical reform of the business has been successful, and the Group expects to be EBITDA positive at similar volume levels to last year. Volumes are expected to be better in FY24, albeit the Group is currently unable to fulfil sales orders in full due to shortages of key ingredients and services because of cash constraints. The Group is slowly working through this and is looking to sell some assets to help boost cash resources. Critical to success is the ability to pass through ongoing cost increases to customers. Price increases have already been agreed with a number of UK Retailers, most international customers and several wholesale and B2B customers with more expected in the next couple of months. The forecasts anticipate cash balances of circa £2 million by 31 December 2024, £3.5 million by 31 December 2025 with average cash balances of about £1 million. Based on current projections, the lowest point next year will be in September 2024, but a collaboration is being sought with the Group's largest customer to more evenly phase deliveries during calendar year 2024, which will alleviate this dip.

In recent months, several key management roles have been refreshed and these are already making a very positive contribution to performance, upskilling, and organisational culture.

The cash flow forecasts reflect the extension of £2.3 million of the £2.5 million loan facility with Hilco Private Capital to 18 November 2024 and continuation of the £6.6 million facility with Leumi ABL

On 6 April 2023, the Group secured a £550,000 short-term loan from Downing LLP and Omnicane Investors Ltd, two of it principal shareholders and loan note holders. Interest rate of 12% annualised is payable on repayment together with a redemption premium. If the loan is repaid before 6 October 2024 a 100% redemption premium is payable if repayment is after 5 October 2024 the redemption premium is 200%.

In July 2023, John Tague was appointed as MD of JF Renshaw and Rainbow Dust Colours replacing Steve Moon. John has significant expertise and a track record of managing successful business transformations.

A 12-month extension has been agreed with Hilco Private Capital to roll-over £2.3 million of the £2.5 million facility dated 18 November 2022.

Pension Scheme

The Group offers a defined contribution scheme for all current employees that is funded monthly. In addition, the Company operates a defined benefit scheme that was closed to new members in 2000. The defined benefit scheme is the Napier Brown Retirement Pension Plan (the Plan). The IAS 19 pension scheme valuation reported a net deficit at 31 March 2023 of £0.7 million (2022: surplus £1.5 million). The Plan assets decreased by £6.0 million to £15.4 million (2022: £21.4 million) and the Plan liabilities are £16.1 million compared to £19.9 million at 31 March 2022.

Dividend

The Directors do not recommend the payment of a final dividend for the year ended 31 March 2023 (2022: nil).

Consolidated Statement of Comprehensive Income

Year ended 31 March 2023

		12 months ended 31 March 2023 £'000s	12 months ended 31 March 2022 £'000s
Revenue		32,441	40,431
Cost of sales		(21,631)	(24,301)
Gross profit		10,810	16,130
Other operating income		7	56
Distribution expenses		(3,458)	(3,960)
Administrative expenses		(13,173)	(12,902)
Operating loss before impairment and significant items		(5,814)	(676)
Impairment charge on goodwill		-	(16,103)
Significant items		(1,286)	(310)
Operating loss after impairment and significant costs		(7,100)	(17,089)
Finance costs		(1,945)	(1,891)
Net finance income		42	2
Loss before tax		(9,003)	(18,978)
Income tax credit		-	(2,384)
Loss from continuing operations		(9,003)	(21,362)
Profit from discontinued operations (assets held for sale)		-	19,986
Net loss		(9,003)	(1,376)
Attributable to:
Owners of the parent		(9,003)	(1,376)
Net loss		(9,003)	(1,376)
Items that will or may be reclassified to profit or loss
Foreign exchange differences on translation of subsidiaries		80	(25)
Items that will not be reclassified to profit or loss
Actuarial losses on defined benefit plan		(2,222)	501
Deferred tax relating to other comprehensive losses		477	527
Other comprehensive loss		(1,665)	1,003
Total comprehensive loss for the year		(10,668)	(373)
Attributable to:
Owners of the parent		(10,668)	(373)
Non-controlling interests		-	-
Total comprehensive loss for the year		(10,668)	(373)

		12 months ended 31 March 2023 £'000s	12 months ended 31 March 2022 £'000s
Basic and diluted loss per share - continuing operations		(9.92)p	(21.46)p
Basic earnings per share - discontinued operations		-	20.07p
Diluted earnings per share - discontinued operations		-	6.23p

Consolidated Statement of Changes in Equity

	Issued Share Capital £'000s	Share Premium Account £'000s	Other Reserves £'000s	Share Option Reserve £'000s	Foreign Exchange Translation Reserve £'000s	Restated Retained Earnings £'000s	Restated Total £'000s	Non-Controlling Interest £'000s	Restated Total Equity £'000s
Restated balance as at 31 March 2022	1,991	3,294	540	-	(85)	(2,302)	3,438	-	3,438
Total comprehensive (loss)/gain for the year
Loss for the year						(9,003)	(9,003)	-	(9,003)
Other comprehensive (loss)/gain for the year					80	(1,745)	(1,665)	-	(1,665)
Total comprehensive (loss)/gain for the year					80	(10,748)	(10,668)	-	(10,668)
Transactions with owners of the Group, recognised directly in equity
Balance as at 31 March 2023	1,991	3,294	540	-	(5)	(13,049)	(7,229)	-	(7,229)

Consolidated Statement of Financial Position

Year ended 31 March 2023

		31 March 2023 £'000s	Restated 31 March 2022 £'000s
NON-CURRENT ASSETS
Goodwill		16,619	16,619
Other intangible assets		-	-
Tangible fixed assets		6,256	6,970
		22,875	23,589
CURRENT ASSETS
Inventories		3,695	4,024
Trade and other receivables		4,711	6,572
Retirement benefit asset			1,497
Cash collateral		50	50
Cash and cash equivalents		93	2,734
		8,549	14,877
Assets classed as held for sale		148	1,078
TOTAL ASSETS		31,572	39,544
CURRENT LIABILITIES
Trade and other payables		6,609	6,950
Borrowings		5,310	4,009
Lease liabilities		46	48
Current tax liability		4	4
		11,969	11,011
Liabilities classed as held for sale		-	-
NON-CURRENT LIABILITIES
Borrowings		25,869	24,293
Lease liabilities		110	155
Deferred tax liabilities		170	647
Retirement benefit obligation		683	-
		26,832	25,095
TOTAL LIABILITIES		38,801	36,106
NET ASSETS		(7,229)	3,438
EQUITY
Share capital		1,991	1,991
Share premium account		3,294	3,294
Other reserves		540	540
Share option reserve		-	-
Foreign exchange translation reserve		(5)	(85)
Retained earnings		(13,049)	(2,302)
EQUITY ATTRIBUTABLE TO OWNERS OF THE PARENT		(7,229)	3,438
TOTAL EQUITY		(7,229)	3,438

Consolidated Cash Flow Statement

Year ended 31 March 2023

		31 March 2023 £'000s	31 March 2022 £'000s
CASH FLOW FROM OPERATING ACTIVITIES
Adjusted for:
(Loss) before taxation		(9,003)	1,008
Finance and other finance costs		1,903	1,889
Share options reserve credit		-	(3)
Foreign Exchange movement		2	(3)
Goodwill impairment charge		-	16,103
Impairment charge on fixed assets		-	70
Share based payment expense		-	(19,986)
Loss on disposal of property, plant and equipment		159	-
Depreciation of property, plant, and equipment		1,057	1,326
Amortisation of intangibles		-	9
Operating Cash Flow		(5,881)	413
Decrease in inventories		328	(915)
Decrease/(increase) in receivables		1,862	2,606
Pension contributions		-	(8,500)
Decrease in cash collateral		-	165
Increase/(Decrease) in payables		(685)	(2,518)
Cash from operations		(4,731)	(8,749)
Interest paid		(345)	(139)
Interest on leases		(10)	-
Net cash inflow from operating activities		(4,731)	(8,888)
CASH FLOW FROM INVESTING ACTIVITIES
Purchase of property, plant, and equipment		(397)	(844)
Proceeds from sale of investment		931	33,153
Disposal of discontinued business, net of cash disposed of		-	(1,138)
Net cash outflow from investing activities		534	31,171
CASH FLOW USED IN FINANCING ACTIVITIES
Repayment of lease liabilities		(102)	(113)
Repayment / (Inflow) of term loans		(466)	(865)
Interest paid on investor loans			(5,310)
Repayment of investor loans		-	(17,790)
Drawdown on new credit facility		2,582	-
Drawdowns on revolving credit facilities		14,203	36,045
Repayments on revolving credit facilities		(15,034)	(34,571)
Net cash outflow from financing activities		1,475	(22,604)
NET INCREASE / (DECREASE) IN CASH AND CASH EQUIVALENTS		(2,721)	(321)
CASH AND CASH EQUIVALENTS
Cash and cash equivalents at beginning of period		2,734	3,080
Effects of currency translations on cash and cash equivalents		80	(25)
Net movement in cash and cash equivalents		(2,721)	(321)
Cash and cash equivalents at end of period		93	2,734

Notes to the Financial Information

Year ended 31 March 2023

1. Presentation of financial statements

General information

Real Good Food plc is a public limited company incorporated in England and Wales under the Companies Act (registered number 04666282). The Company is domiciled in England and Wales and its registered address is 229 Crown Street, Liverpool L8 7RF. The Company's shares are traded on the Alternative Investment Market (AIM). The principal activity of the company is the manufacture of icings, frostings, marzipan, sauces  and caramels serving the global cake decoration market.

As permitted by section 408 of the Companies Act 2006, the profit and loss account of the company is not presented as part of these financial statements. The Company's total comprehensive loss for the financial year was £4.1m (2022 £45.5m).

Basis of preparation

This financial information is presented on the basis of international accounting standards and have been prepared in accordance with AIM rules and the Companies Act 2006, as applicable to companies reporting under IFRS. The accounts are prepared on a going concern basis.

Any references to discontinued operations throughout this report refers to Brighter Foods Limited.

IFRS standards and interpretations adopted

New standards and amendments which are effective from 1 January 2022, and have been adopted within the Group's accounting policies are:

•     Amendments to IFRS 3 Business combinations - the Conceptual Framework;

•     Amendments to IAS Amendments to IAS 16 - Property, Plant and Equipment, The amendments prohibit deducting the amounts received from selling items produced from the cost of PPE while the asset is being prepared for its intended use;

•     Amendment to IAS 37 - Provisions, Contingent Liabilities and Contingent Assets, The amendments specify that the costs of fulfilment are those that relate directly to the contract, consisting of both: the incremental costs of fulfilling that contract - for example, direct labour and materials; and an allocation of other costs that relate directly to fulfilling contracts - for example, an allocation of the depreciation charge for an item of property, plant and equipment used in fulfilling that contract among others. 

The adoption of the amendments to IFRS 3, IAS 1, IAS16 and IAS37 have not had an impact on the financial statements of the Group.

The Group does not expect any standards issued by the IASB, but not yet effective, to have a material impact on the Group.

2. Revenue

The revenue for the Group for the current year arose from the sale of goods in the following areas:

Cake Decoration

£32.4 million (2022 £40.4m)

Manufactures, sells, and supplies cake decorating products and ingredients for the baking sector.

3. Segment reporting

Business segments

The divisional structure reflects the management teams in place and ensures all aspects of trading activity have the specific focus they need in order to achieve our growth plans.

The Group operates in one main division: Cake Decoration. The Head Office has a finance function that supports the subsidiary as required.

12 months ended 31 March 2023	Cake Decoration £'000s	Head Office and non-trading subsidiaries £'000s	Total Group £'000s
Total revenue	33,804	-	33,804
Intercompany sales	(1,363)	-	(1,363)
External revenue	32,441	-	32,441
Cost of sales	(20,631)	-	(21,631)
Gross profit	10,810	-	10,810
Other operating income	4	3	7
Distribution expenses	(3,458)	-	(3,458)
Administrative expenses	(12,523)	(650)	(13,173)
Operating (loss) / profit before impairment and significant items	(5,167)	(647)	(5,814)
Significant Items	(738)	(548)	(1,286)
Operating (loss)/profit after impairment and significant items	(5,905)	(1,195)	(7,100)
Finance costs	(355)	(1,548)	(1,903)
Other finance costs	-	-	-
(Loss)/profit before tax	(6,260)	(2,743)	(9,003)
Income tax credit/(expense)	-	-	-
(Loss)/profit after tax as per comprehensive statement of income	(6,260)	(2,743)	(9,003)

12 months ended 31 March 2022	Continuing Operations £'000s	Discontinued Operations £'000s	Total Group £'000s
Total revenue	42,545	1,275	43,820
Intercompany sales	(2,114)	-	(2,114)
External revenue	40,431	1,275	41,706
Cost of sales	(24,301)	(1,063)	(25,364)
Gross profit	16,130	212	16,342
Income from Furlough Scheme	-	137	137
Other operating income	56	-	56
Distribution expenses	(3,960)	(47)	(4,007)
Administrative expenses	(12,902)	(403)	(13,305)
Operating (loss) / profit before impairment and significant items	(676)	(101)	(777)
Impairment charge	(16,103)	-	(16,103)
Significant Items	(310)	(229)	(539)
Operating (loss)/profit after impairment and significant items	(17,089)	(330)	(17,419)
Finance costs	(1,891)	-	(1,891)
Other finance costs	2	-	2
(Loss)/profit before tax	(18,978)	(330)	(19,308)
Income tax credit/(expense)	(2,384)	-	(2,384)
Profit on disposal	20,316	-	20,316
(Loss)/profit after tax as per comprehensive statement of income	(1,046)	(330)	(1,376)

Geographical segments

The Group earns revenue from countries outside the United Kingdom, as shown below:

12 months ended 31 March 2023	Group £'000s
UK	23,825
Europe	3,654
USA	3,606
Rest of World	1,356
Total	32,441

The Group has one customer which constitutes over 13% of revenue in the Cake Decoration division.:

12 months ended 31 March 2022	Group £'000s	Discontinued Operations £'000s
UK	26,992	1,275
Europe	5,722	-
USA	6,892	-
Rest of World	825	-
Total	40,431	1,275

For the year ended 31 March 2022  two customers accounted for 10% of revenue.

Reconciliation of operating (loss)/profit to underlying adjusted EBITDA to 31 March 2023	Cake Decoration £'000s	Head Office and non-trading subsidiaries £'000s	Group £'000s
Operating (loss)/profit	(5,905)	(1,195)	(7,100)
Significant items	738	548	1,286
Depreciation	1,057	-	1,057
Underlying adjusted EBITDA	(4,110)	(647)	(4,757)

Reconciliation of operating (loss)/profit to underlying adjusted EBITDA to 31 March 2022	Cake Decoration £'000s	Head Office and non-trading subsidiaries £'000s	Continuing Operations £'000s	Discontinued Operations £'000s	Total Group £'000s
Operating (loss)/profit	(1,666)	405	(1,261)	2,626	1,365
Significant items	763	(966)	(203)	169	(34)
Depreciation	1,614	25	1,639	796	2,435
Amortisation	87	(35)	52	-	52
Underlying adjusted EBITDA	798	(571)	227	3,591	3,818

31 March 2023	Cake Decoration £'000s	Head Office and non-trading subsidiaries £'000s	Group £'000s
Segment assets	14,336	17,237	31,572
Segment liabilities	13,214	25,587	38,801
Net operating assets / (liabilities)	1,122	(8,350)	(7,229)
Non-current asset additions	-	-	-
Depreciation	(1,057)	(4)	(1,061)
31 March 2022	Cake Decoration £'000s	Head Office and non-trading subsidiaries £'000s	Continuing Operations £'000s	Discontinued Operations £'000s	Total Group £'000s
Segment assets	36,017	4,623	40	19,009	74,544
Segment liabilities	11,305	55,449	66,754	4,442	71,196
Net operating assets / (liabilities)	40,875	(52,094)	(11,219)	14,567	3,348
Non-current asset additions	444	-	444	185	629
Depreciation	(1,614)	(25)	(1,639)	(796)	(2,435)
Amortisation	(87)	35	(52)	-	(52)

4. Significant items

	12 months ended 31 March 2023 £'000s	12 months ended 31 March 2022 £'000s
Professional fees in relation to refinancing costs	(349)	(62)
Loss on sale of Wavertree site	(199)
Professional fees in relation to Liverpool factory	-	(90)
Closure of Renshaw US warehouse	(48)	(15)
Management restructuring	(690)	(143)
Significant items - Continuing business	(1,286)	(310)
Continuing business	(1,286)	(310)
Discontinued business	-	(229)
Total significant items	(1,286)	(539)

5. Operating loss

Operating loss for continuing operations

		12 months ended 31 March 2023 £'000s	12 months ended 31 March 2022 £'000s
External Sales		32,411	40,431
Staff Costs		(11,023)	(11,696)
Inventories:
- cost of inventories as an expense (included in cost of sales)		(16,642)	(18,577)
Depreciation of property, plant, and equipment		(1,057)	(1,326)
Amortisation of intangible assets		-	(9)
Significant items		(1,286)	(310)
Impairment charges		-	(16,103)
Research and development expenditure		-	(646)
Impairment of trade receivables		-	(53)
Foreign exchange gains/(losses)		-	3
Other net operating expenses		(9,532)	(8,803)
Total		(39,723)	(57,520)
Operating loss		(7,100)	(17,089)

6. Finance costs

	12 months ended 31 March 2023 £'000s	12 months ended 31 March 2022 £'000s
Interest on bank loans, overdrafts, and investor loans	(1,895)	(1,896)
Interest on Pension scheme	(42)	-
Interest on lease liabilities	(8)	(12)
Finance cost on substantial modification of convertible loan notes**	-	17
	(1,945)	(1,891)
Total	(1,945)	(1,891)

7. Other finance (income)/costs

	12 months ended 31 March 2023 £'000s	12 months ended 31 March 2022 £'000s
Interest on pension scheme liabilities	(546)	(429)
Interest on pension scheme assets	588	431
	42	2

8. Directors' remuneration

	12 months ended 31 March 2023 £'000s	12 months ended 31 March 2022 £'000s
Directors' salaries, benefits, and fees	(484)	(650)
	(484)	(650)

The emoluments of the Directors for the period were as follows:

	Fees/Salaries inc. Er's NIC £'000s	Taxable Benefits £'000s	Bonus £'000s	Pension Contributions £'000s	12 months ended 31 March 2023 £'000s	12 months ended 31 March 2022 £'000s
M J Holt	224	-	63	-	287	281
J M d'Unienville	25	-	-	-	25	25
M Keeling (to 30 September 2022)	88	5	-		93	250
J A Mackenzie	25	-	-	-	25	25
A Ridgwell (to 23 August 2022)	10	-	-	-	10	27
G Lumsden (to 28 February 2023)	34	-	-	-	34	42
A Richardson (from 1 January 2023)	10	-	-	-	11	-
	416	5	63	-	484	650

The current Company Directors disclosed are considered as key management personnel.

9. Notes supporting the cash flow statement

The cash collateral figure for the Group is £0.05 million (FY22: £0.5m). This has been provided to Lloyds Bank plc as security for insurance claims of the Group. This amount is not included in the cash flow.

Group

Real Good Food plc (Group)	Non-current Loans and Borrowings £'000s (Note 23)	Current Loans and Borrowings £'000s (Note 23)	Total £'000s
At 31 March 2021	46,624	2,659	49,283
Cash Flows	(23,100)	899	(22,201)
Non-cash flows
- Interest accruing on loans	1,760	-	1,760
- Waiver of shareholder loans	(540)	_	(540)
Loans and borrowings classified as non-current at March 2021 becoming current before March 2022	(451)	451	-
At 31 March 2022	24,293	4,009	28,302
Cash Flows	374	1,301	1,966
Non-cash flows
- Interest accruing on loans	1,202		1,202
At 31 March 2023	25,869	5,310	31,179

Net Debt

Net debt is a key performance indicator for the Group. It is defined as short term and long-term borrowings less cash. See table below:

		31 March 2023 Group £'000s		31 March 2022 Group £'000s
Short term borrowings		(5,310)		(4,009)
Short term lease liabilities		(46)		(48)
Long term borrowings		(25,896)		(24,293)
Long term lease liabilities		(110)		(155)
Cash		93		2,734
Total Net Debt		(31,243)		(25,771)

Group

	Net cash and current borrowings £'000s	Non-current borrowings £'000s	Net debt £'000s
At 1 April 2021	2,130	46,624	48,754
Cash flow1	(1,617)	(23,100)	(24,717)
Other non-cash movements2	519	1,215	1,734
At 31 March 2022	1,032	24,739	25,771
Cash flow	4,912	566	5,478
Other non-cash movements	(2)	(45)	(47)
At 31 March 2023	5,982	25,301	31,243

10. Earnings per share

Basic earnings per share

Basic earnings per share is calculated on the basis of dividing the loss attributable to ordinary shareholders of the Company by the weighted average number of ordinary shares in issue during the year.

	12 months ended 31 March 2023 Group		12 months ended 31 March 2022 Group
(Loss)/profit after tax attributable to ordinary shareholders (£'000s)	(9,003)		(21,362)
Weighted average number of shares in issue for basic EPS ('000s)	99,564		99,564
Employee share options ('000s)	-		-
Convertible loan notes ('000s)	246,291		220,980
Weighted average number of shares in issue for diluted EPS ('000s)	345,855		320,544
Basic and diluted (loss)/earnings per share	(9.04)p		(21.46)p

The total loss per share for 2023 is (2.85)p for continuing and discontinued operations (2022 continuing and discontinued loss per share: (6.66)p).

The weighted average number of shares in issue for the year was 99,564,430 and no options outstanding.
There were also 8,806,571 convertible loan notes outstanding, of which the weighted average number of shares was 246,290,606. Therefore, the weighted average number of dilutive potential ordinary shares is 345,855,036

11. Goodwill

Goodwill acquired on business combinations is allocated at acquisition to the cash generating units that are expected to benefit from that business combination (2022: Impairment charge of £16.1m). The carrying amount of goodwill has been allocated as follows:

	Group £'000s
Cost
At 1 April 2022	16,619
Impairment	-
At 31 March 2023	16,619

Assumptions:

The Group tests goodwill annually for impairment, or more frequently if there are indications that goodwill may be impaired. The recoverable amount of any cash generating unit is determined based on the higher of fair value less costs of disposal and value-in-use calculations. The cash flows used in the value-in-use calculation are EBITDA (adjusted) performance less capital expenditure based on the latest Board-approved forecasts in respect of the following three years.

Long-term growth rate assumptions:

For the purposes of impairment testing, the cash flows are extrapolated over 5 years with a terminal value applied to the fifth year. The terminal value is calculated using the fifth year forecasted EBITDA (adjusted) performance and applying a 0% growth rate due to decline in market.

Discount rate assumptions:

The discount rate applied to the cash flows is 15% (2022: 10%). This rate is in line with the Company's actual weighted average cost of capital of 14.37% which takes account of the increased risk of being listed on AIM rather than the main market. It is representative of businesses operating within the food sector.

Impairment charge:

The impairment review did not result in an impairment of the goodwill held for Cake Decoration (2022: £16.1mil). Cake Decoration is a core division for the Group and is currently in turnaround. The investments made in manufacturing capability in recent years have not yet started to deliver the returns that could be expected, for example, and the Board believes that the current valuation, reflected here, necessarily, and materially underplays the potential value of this division. Plans to improve the strategic positioning, service delivery and commercial performance of this business are also in progress.

Sensitivity analysis:

An illustration of the sensitivity to reasonable possible changes in the discount rate assumption or the long-term growth rate are shown below:

•     An increase of 5% in the Group's weighted average cost of capital of 15% to 20% would not cause an impairment.

12. Borrowings and capital management

	31 March 2023 Group £'000s	31 March 2023 Company £'000s	31 March 2022 Group £'000s	31 March 2022 Company £'000s
Secured borrowings at amortised cost
Bank term loans	719	-	1,476	-
Revolving credit facilities	5,310	-	3,267	-
Leases	156	-	203	-
Investor loans*	7,725	7,725	7,256	7,256
Convertible loan notes**	17,425	17,425	16,103	16,103
Government grants	-	-	-	-
	31,335	25,151	28,505	23,559
Borrowings due for settlement within 12 months	6,029	-	4,009	-
Lease liabilities due for settlement within 12 months	46	-	48	-
Borrowings due for settlement after 12 months	25,150	25,151	24,293	23,559
Lease liabilities due for settlement after 12 months	110	-	155	-
Total	31,335	25,151	28,505	23,559

*               The investor loans shown consists of £4.7 million principal amount, £2.3 million accrued interest up to 31 March 2023 and redemption premiums of £0.7 million

**             Convertible loan notes shown at 31 March 2023 consist of £8.8 million investment (2021: £8.8 million), £8.6 million accrued interest (2022: £7.5 million),

All existing shareholder loans are due to be paid in May 2024

All existing shareholder loans are due to be paid in May 2024.

Convertible loan notes

In May 2018, the Company secured further funding from each of its major shareholders totalling £8.8 million. NB Holdings Ltd and Omnicane Investors Ltd each providing £3.4 million, and funds managed by Downing LLP provided £1.9 million. This instrument has since, with shareholder approval, been replaced with convertible loan notes ("CLN's") of £8.8 million with a conversion price of 5 pence. The loan is repayable in 3 years from the date of issue or can be converted at any time into shares at the holder's option. The loan note holders agreed to amend the repayment date of the loans to May 2024, however the documentation is not yet signed. The instrument accrues interest at a rate of 12 percent per annum accruing daily and will mature and be due for repayment in full on 19 May 2023, unless they are redeemed before that date. The loan note holders have pledged to amend the repayment date to the 19 May 2024; however, the documentation is not yet signed. On that date, unless the convertible loan notes are converted into ordinary shares on the conversion date, a redemption premium fee will be payable. The redemption fee, which stopped accruing from 1 January 2021, will be an amount which, when added to the interest accrued on the relevant notes, provides a total return equal to the amount which would have accrued in respect of such notes from the date of the convertible loan note instrument until and including the date the notes are redeemed in full had the interest rate been 12 per cent per annum. A host loan at amortised cost and an embedded derivative liability, being measured at fair value with changes in value being recorded in profit or loss, have been recognised. At 31 March 2023, the derivative liability was valued at £0.02 million (2022: £0.02 million). The convertible loan notes shown consist of a host loan at amortised cost of £17.4 million, £8.6 million of accrued finance costs. There were no substantial modifications to the loan notes in the period ended 31 March 2023.

Features of the Group's borrowings are as follows: The Group's financial instruments comprised cash, leases, a revolving credit facility, investor loans and various items arising directly from its operations, such as trade payables and receivables. The main purpose of these financial instruments is to finance the Group's operations. The main risks from the Group's financial instruments are interest rate risk and liquidity risk. Liquidity risk arises from the Group's management of working capital and the finance charges and principal repayments on its debt instruments. The Group's policy is to ensure that it will always have sufficient cash to allow it to meet its liabilities when they become due. The Group also has some currency exposure in relation to its Euro and US Dollar commodity purchases. However, this is mitigated by matching in part against foreign currency sales. The Board reviews and agrees policies, which have remained substantially unchanged for the year under review, for managing these risks. The Group's policies on the management of interest rate, liquidity and currency exposure risks are set out in the Report of the Directors. During the year ended 31 March 2022, the Group continued with the borrowing facilities in place and secured loans from investors. As at 31 March 2022, the borrowings comprised: {revolving credit facility of £5.45 million with Leumi ABL Limited on a revolving basis with a term of 60 months. This facility is secured against the debtors of JF Renshaw Limited and Rainbow Dust Colours Limited with an interest rate of 2.25% above Sterling Overnight Index Average for Sterling Advances. Because the group retains the risks and rewards of ownership of the underlying debts, these continue to be recognised in these financial statements. {The Group secured facilities against specific plant and machinery with Leumi ABL Limited £2.1 million for 36 months ending August 2022. The facilities interest payable is 2.75% above Sterling Overnight Index Average for Sterling Advances. {The Group secured a £1.3m term loan facility with the term being 60 months. The three major shareholders, NB Holdings Ltd, Omnicane Investors Ltd, and certain funds managed by Downing LLP, supported the business, and provided significant funding to the Group by way of loans.

The loan principals at 31 March 2023 were as follows:

Date	Principal Amount	Method of Funding	Major Shareholder(s)
May 2018	£8.8m	Secured convertible loan notes	NB Holdings Ltd (£3.4m), Omnicane Investors Ltd (£3.4m), Funds managed by Downing LLP (2.0m)
March 2018	£2.3m	Secured loan notes	NB Holdings Ltd (£0.9m), Omnicane Investors Ltd (£0.9m), Funds managed by Downing LLP (£0.6m)
January 2018	£0.3m	Secured loan notes	Funds managed by Downing LLP (£0.3m)
September 2017	£0.8m	Secured loan notes	Funds managed by Downing LLP (£0.8m)
June 2017	£1.3m	Secured loan notes	Funds managed by Downing LLP (£1.3m)
Total	£13.5m

Liquidity risk management

Liquidity risk arises from the Group's management of working capital and the finance charges and principal repayments on its debt instruments. It is the risk that the Group will encounter difficulty in meeting its financial obligations as they fall due.

The Board reviews the Group's liquidity position monthly and monitors its forecast and actual cash flows against maturing profiles of its financial assets and liabilities.

The following table details the Group's maturity profile of its financial liabilities:

	Less than 1 month £'000s	1-3 months £'000s	3 months to 1 year £'000s	1-5 years £'000s	5+ years £'000s	Total £'000s
2023
Trade and other payables	5,247	852	510	-	-	6,609
Investor loans	-	-	-	4,704	-	4,704
Convertible loan notes	-	-	-	8,807	-	8,807
Bank term loans	-	-	-	714	-	714
Revolving credit facilities	-	-	5,310	-	-	5,310
	5,247	852	5,820	14,225	-	26,144
Interest	-	-	-	10,938	-	10,938
Redemption premiums	-	-	-	706	-	706
Total	5,247	852	5,820	25,865	-	37,788

	Less than 1 month £'000s	1-3 months £'000s	3 months to 1 year £'000s	1-5 years £'000s	5+ years £'000s	Total £'000s
2022
Trade and other payables	4,904	1,044	427	195	-	6,570
Investor loans	-	-	-	4,704	-	4,704
Convertible loan notes	-	-	-	8,800	-	8,800
Bank term loans	72	216	163	734	-	1,184
Revolving credit facilities	-	-	3,558	-	-	3,558
Leases	4	8	36	155	-	203
	4,980	1,268	4,184	14,588	-	25,019
Interest	-	-	-	9,349	-	9,349
Redemption premiums	-	-	-	706	-	706
Total	4,980	1,268	4,184	24,643	-	35,074

The profile of the trade payables has been taken as being consistent with the Group's payment terms to suppliers.

Analysis of market risk sensitivity

Currency risks:

The Group is exposed to currency risks on purchases of commodities from USA and Europe. The risk associated with these purchases is mitigated by sales also made to customers in these countries, however, to the extent that these do not cover each other there is a risk of exposure to the Group.

Interest rate risks:

The Group has an exposure to interest rate risk arising from borrowings based upon the Bank of England base rate. However, at the balance sheet date, the Group did not have any outstanding balance on these borrowing facilities, and so the impact of an increase in the applicable interest rates would, all other factors remaining unchanged, not have impacted profits.

13. Pension arrangements

The Group operates a defined contribution scheme for all employees, including provision to comply with auto-enrolment requirements laid down by law. In addition, the Company operates one defined benefits scheme which was closed to new members in 2000 and closed to future accrual with effect from 5 April 2004. The Defined Benefit scheme is a funded arrangement with assets held in a separate trustee-administered fund. Members of the Plan are entitled to retirement benefits based on their final salary at the date of leaving the Plan (or 5 April 2004 if earlier), and length of service. A pension funding agreement has been agreed with the Trustee under which employer contributions to the scheme will total £1.5 million between 1 January 2023 and 30 June 2025. For the purposes of IAS 19 the data provided for the 31 March 2023 actuarial valuation, has been approximately updated to reflect defined benefit obligations on the accounting basis at 31 March 2023. This has resulted in a Liability of 682k.

Present values of defined benefit obligations, fair value of assets and deficit

	31 March 2023 £'000s	31 March 2022 £'000s	31 March 2021 £'000s	31 March 2020 £'000s	31 March 2019 £'000s
Present value of defined benefit obligation	16,123	19,929	21,885	21,750	21,177
Fair value of Plan assets	(15,440)	(21,426)	(14,527)	(13,735)	(13,774)
Deficit in Plan	683	(1,497)	7,358	7,015	7,403
Effect of asset ceiling/IFRIC14	-	-	147	921	-
Gross amount recognised	683	(1,497)	7,505	7,936	7,403
Deferred tax*	-	-	(1,426)	(1,508)	(1,258)
Net liability	683	(1,497)	6,079	6,428	6,145

* Deferred tax rate 2022 at 25%; 2021 and 2020: 19%, and 2017, 2018 & 2019: 17%

Reconciliation of opening and closing balances of the present value of the defined benefit obligations

	31 March  2023 £'000s	31 March 2022 £'000s
Defined benefit obligation at start of period	19,929	21,855
Interest cost	546	429
Actuarial losses / (gains)	(3,482)	(1,536)
Past service cost	-	-
Benefits paid	(871)	(849)
Defined benefit obligation at end of period	16,123	19,929

Reconciliation of opening and closing balances of the fair value of Plan assets

	31 March  2023 £'000s	31 March 2022 £'000s
Fair value of Plan assets at start of period	21,427	14,527
Interest income on Plan assets	588	431
Return on assets less interest income	(5,704)	(1,182)
Contributions paid by the Group	-	8,500
Benefits paid, death-in-service insurance premiums and expenses	(871)	(850)
Fair value of Plan assets at end of period	15,540	21,426
UK equities	-	-
Other investments	15,540	21,426
Total plan assets at end of period	15,540	21,426

Total expense recognised in the Statement of Comprehensive Income within other finance income

	31 March 2023 £'000s	31 March 2022 £'000s
Interest on liabilities	546	429
Interest on assets	(588)	(431)
Interest on effect of asset ceiling / IFRIC 14	-	-
Net interest cost	(42)	(2)
Past service cost	-	-
Total cost	(42)	(2)

Statement of recognised income and expenses

	31 March 2023 £'000s	31 March 2022 £'000s
Actuarial gain/(loss) on the Plan assets	(5,704)	(1,182)
Actuarial gain/(loss) on the Plan liabilities arising from changes in demographic assumptions	(238)	199
Actuarial (loss)/gain on the Plan liabilities arising from changes in financial assumptions	4,481	1,620
Actuarial (loss)/gain experience	(761)	(283)
Change in the effect of the asset ceiling / IFRIC14	-	147
Total amount recognised in Statement of Other Comprehensive Income	(2,222)	501

Assets

	31 March 2023 £'000s	31 March 2022 £'000s	31 March 2021 £'000s
UK equity	-	-	2,408
Absolute return fund	2,575	4,113	1,412
Corporate Bonds	-	-	2,936
Gilts	4,299	3,427	2,769
Multi-Asset Funds	1,716	4,621	4,827
Cash	6,850	9,265	175
Total assets	15,440	21,426	14,527

The investment strategy for the Plan is controlled by the Trustees, in consultation with the Company. None of the fair values of the assets shown above includes any of the Group's own financial instruments or any property occupied by, or other assets used by, the Group. Absolute return funds are invested in a diverse range of assets in order to achieve equity-like returns with reduced volatility. Alternative assets include infrastructure and derivatives.

Assumptions

	31 March 2023 £'000s	31 March 2022 £'000s	31 March 2021 £'000s	31 March 2020 £'000s
Inflation	3.10	3.80	3.40	2.70
Salary increases	-	-	-	-
Rate of discount	4.50	2.80	2.00	2.30
Allowance for pension in payment increases
RPI max 5%	3.10	3.70	3.30	2.70
RPI min 3% max 5%	3.50	3.90	3.60	3.20
Allowance for revaluation of deferred pensions	2.60	3.30	2.70	2.20
Allowance for commutation of pension for cash at retirement	90% of max allowance	90% of max allowance	90% of max allowance	90% of max allowance

The obligations of the Plan have been calculated by projecting forwards the figures from the initial results of the latest valuation as at
31 March 2021 and then making appropriate adjustments for known experience and for differences in assumptions.

The mortality assumptions adopted at 31 March 2023 and 31 March 2022 imply the following life expectancies from age 65:

	31 March 2023	31 March 2022
Male retiring at age 65 in current year	21 years	21 years
Female retiring at age 65 in current year	23 years	23 years
Male retiring at age 65 in 20 years' time	22 years	22 years
Female retiring at age 65 in 20 years' time	25 years	25 years

The weighted-average duration of the defined benefit obligation at 31 March 2022 was 15 years (2021: 15 years).

Historic funding positions

The funding positions applicable at the start of each period are as follows:

	12 months ended 31 March 2023 £'000s	12 months ended 31 March 2022 £'000s	12 months ended 31 March 2021 £'000s	12 months ended 31 March 2020 £'000s	12 months ended 31 March 2019 £'000s
Fair value of assets	15,440	21,426	14,527	13,735	13,774
Defined benefit obligation	(16,122)	(19,929)	(21,885)	(20,750)	(21,177)
Effect of asset ceiling / IFRIC14	(147)	-	(147)	(921)	-
(Deficit) in scheme	(682)	1,497	(7,505)	(7,936)	(7,403)
Experience adjustment on scheme assets	-	-	-	(168)	518
Experience adjustment on scheme liabilities	-	-	-	-	427

Risks

The scheme is exposed to a number of risks, including:

Asset volatility: The Plan's defined benefit obligation is calculated using a discount rate set with reference to corporate bond yields; however, the Plan invests significantly in equities. These assets are expected to outperform corporate bonds in the long-term but provide volatility and risk in the short term.

Changes in bond yields: a decrease in corporate bond yields would increase the Plan's defined benefit obligation; however, this would be partially offset by an increase in the value of the Plan's bond holdings.

Inflation risk: a proportion of the Plan's defined benefit obligation is linked to inflation; therefore, higher inflation will result in a higher defined benefit obligation (subject to the appropriate caps in place). The majority of the Plan's assets are either unaffected by inflation, or only loosely correlated with inflation, therefore an increase in inflation would also increase the deficit.

Life expectancy: if Plan members live longer than expected, the Plan's benefits will need to be paid for longer, increasing the Plan's defined benefit obligation.

The Trustees and Company manage risks in the Plan through the following strategies:

Diversification: In order to counter asset volatility and changes in bond yields, investments are well diversified, such that the failure of any single investment would not have a material impact on the overall level of assets.

Investment Strategy: The Trustees are required to review their investment strategy on a regular basis and consult with the Company on any changes. The Trustees' investment strategy is set out in the Statement of Investment Principles.

Funding positions: The Trustees are required to assess the funding position annually by means of a formal actuarial report which must be shared with the Company.

Sensitivity analysis

The impact to the value of the defined benefit obligation of a reasonably possible change to one actuarial assumption, holding all other assumptions constant, is presented in the table below:

	Reasonably Possible Change	Obligation Increase	Obligation Decrease
Discount Rate	(+/- 0.5%)	6%	6%
RPI Inflation	(+/- 0.5%)	3%	3%
Assumed Life expectancy	(+/-) 1 Year	4%	4%

Small changes to other assumptions, such as the allowance for commutation of pension for cash at retirement, and the proportion of members assumed to be married at retirement, do not have such a significant effect on the obligations of the Plan.

14. Post balance sheet events

On 6 April 2023, the Group secured a £550,000 short-term loan from Downing LLP and Omnicane Investors Ltd, two of it principal shareholders and loan note holders. Interest rate of 12% annualised is payable on repayment together with a redemption premium. If the loan is repaid before 6 October 2024 a 100% redemption premium is payable if repayment is after 5 October 2024 the redemption premium is 200%.

In July 2023, John Tague was appointed as MD of JF Renshaw and Rainbow Dust Colours replacing Steve Moon. John has significant expertise and a track record of managing successful business transformations.

A 12-month extension has been agreed with Hilco Private Capital to roll-over £2.3 million of the £2.5 million facility dated 18 November 2022.

 

END