Capital Reduction

Quadnetics Group PLC 20 January 2003 QUADNETICS GROUP PLC CAPITAL REDUCTION Quadnetics Group plc, a leader in the development, design, integration and control of advanced CCTV and networked video systems has today despatched a circular to its shareholders seeking approval of a proposed reduction of its Share Premium Account, cancellation of its Capital Redemption Reserve, and the cancellation of unissued Deferred Shares in the Company. Reduction of Share Premium Account and Capital Redemption Reserve At 31 May 2002, the Company had accumulated losses on its profit and loss account of approximately £8.2 million. These losses have arisen principally on disposals of the Company's investments in subsidiaries during the last decade. The existence of these losses will prevent the Company from paying dividends to its shareholders out of future profits until those losses have been eliminated. Given the substantial size of the losses there is, in the opinion of the Board, no reasonable prospect of their being eliminated in the short term. However, in the Chairman's statement with the Annual Report on 9 October 2002, it was reported that the Board intended to effect the appropriate restructuring of the Company's reserves to enable dividend payments to be recommenced in the future, when the Directors consider it appropriate. Since 1994, the Company has built up a substantial share premium account through the issue of shares for cash at prices in excess of the nominal value of those shares. At the date of this document, the balance standing to the credit of the share premium account is approximately £6.9 million. In addition, the Company has a balance of approximately £4.2 million on a capital redemption reserve created as a result of a number of purchases of its own shares since 1991, but principally arising from the buy back of Deferred Shares during the year ended 31 May 1998. The Directors consider that the accumulated losses reflected in the Company's profit and loss account represent a permanent loss of capital and they propose that the permanence of this loss should be recognised by eliminating the deficit on the profit and loss account. This would be achieved by the cancellation of the balance standing to the credit of the capital redemption reserve and such reduction in the balance on the share premium account as is necessary to eliminate fully the deficit on the profit and loss account. Eliminating the deficit on the profit and loss account will enable the Company to pay dividends, in due course, out of any future profits credited to that account. Shareholders will be invited to approve this proposal by voting in favour of the special resolution. If this proposed reduction is approved by Shareholders, it will have to be confirmed by the Court before it can become effective. If the special resolution is passed at the Extraordinary General Meeting, application will be made to the Court as soon as possible thereafter for the necessary confirmation. In these circumstances, it is anticipated that confirmation will be obtained from the Court at the beginning of March 2003. Cancellation of unissued Deferred Shares As part of the capital reorganisation of the Company in 1997, each ordinary share of 10p was subdivided into a deferred share of 9p and a new ordinary share of 1p. The new ordinary shares of 1p were then consolidated into ordinary shares of 20p. All 37,475,663 Deferred Shares created by this process were subsequently bought back by the Company, but will remain as authorised but unissued share capital until they are cancelled. The Directors do not see any reason to retain this class of share and are therefore proposing to cancel all of the Deferred Shares. An ordinary resolution shall therefore be proposed at the EGM in order to effect this cancellation. As the Deferred Shares are unissued, this cancellation shall not be subject to the confirmation of the Court. Extraordinary General Meeting An Extraordinary General Meeting of the Company is to be held at the offices of Brewin Dolphin Securities Limited, 5 Giltspur Street, London EC1A 9BD at 10.30 a.m. on 12 February 2003. At this meeting, resolutions will be proposed to: 1. Approve the reduction of the Share Premium Account and cancellation of Capital Redemption Reserve; and 2. Approve the cancellation of the unissued Deferred Shares. Recommendation The Board believes that both (i) the proposed reduction of share premium account and cancellation of capital redemption reserve; and (ii) the proposed cancellation of the Deferred Shares, described in the Circular are in the best interests of the Company and the Shareholders. Accordingly, the Board recommends Shareholders to vote in favour of the Resolutions to be proposed at the Extraordinary General Meeting, as they intend to do in respect of their own beneficial holdings of 3,500,441 Shares, representing approximately 54.4 per cent. of the existing issued share capital of the Company. - ends - For further information please contact: Quadnetics Group plc Russ Singleton, Chief Executive 01527 850 080 Nigel Poultney, Finance Director 01527 850 080 Brewin Dolphin Securities Neil Baldwin 0113 241 0126 Media enquiries: Bankside Consultants Limited Peter Curtain/Ariane Vacher 0207 444 4140 Quadnetics Group plc - Background Quadnetics Group plc is a leader in the development, design, integration and control of advanced Closed Circuit Television (CCTV) systems and related control and networking products. The two operating subsidiaries are Quadrant Video Systems plc and Synectic Systems Limited. The company is listed on the Alternative Investment Market (AIM) of the London Stock Exchange having completed an extensive restructuring in 2001. This information is provided by RNS The company news service from the London Stock Exchange

Companies

Synectics (SNX)
UK 100