Interim Results

Telecom Plus PLC 14 December 2004 TELECOM plus PLC 14 December 2004 Interim results for the six months ended 30 September 2004 Telecom plus PLC, the UK's leading low-cost integrated multi-utility (gas, electricity, telephony, internet), announces interim results for the six months ended 30 September 2004. Financial and business highlights: • Profit before tax up 31% to £6.4 m (2003: £4.9m) • Turnover up 15% to £42.8m (2003: £37.2m) • Interim dividend up 11% to 5p (2003: 4.5p) • New mobile and broadband services launched Peter Nutting, Chairman, said: 'We are a highly focused business and expect to see continuing organic growth by providing more utility services to a growing customer base. Our unique business model gives us a strong competitive edge over our much larger competitors, and despite the short-term losses within our gas business, we face the future with great confidence.' For press enquiries, please contact: Charles Wigoder Neil Boom Telecom plus PLC Gresham PR Ltd. 020 8955 5000 020 7404 9000 TELECOM plus PLC CHAIRMAN'S STATEMENT I am pleased to report that profits before tax in the six months to the end of September 2004 have increased by 31% to £6.4m (2003: £4.9m) on a 15% increase in turnover to £42.8m (2003: £37.2m). This has been achieved despite losses within our domestic gas supply business and greater competition in fixed line telephony. Although gas continues to present us with a margin problem in the short-term as I explain below, the directors have decided to pay an increased interim dividend of 5p per share (2003: 4.5p), having taken into consideration the continuing strong cash flow and our confidence in the future growth of the business. This interim dividend will be paid on 31st January 2005 to shareholders on the register on 7th January 2005. My previous statement to shareholders reported on the progress we had made towards becoming the UK's first low cost fully integrated multi-utility. Our turnover from supplying gas and electricity is becoming increasingly significant, reflecting the higher average household spend on energy compared with telecommunications. Our continuing low cost of acquiring customers, combined with our integrated billing and administration systems, give us a strong competitive advantage and should enable us to maintain our position as the UK's cheapest gas and electricity supplier whilst earning a satisfactory return for our shareholders in the medium term. However, rapid growth in energy turnover from a low base has presented some short-term challenges. In my previous statement I warned that margins in our gas supply business were under considerable pressure. Since then, the wholesale cost of gas has continued to rise, with particularly high volatility during a period when we were changing shippers and thus unable to hedge forward our requirements. In addition, as a new energy supplier growing our market share during a period of rising prices, we face an innate disadvantage due to the lower average commodity cost being paid by our competitors as a result of their historic hedging activities. The result is an anticipated loss approaching £4 million within our gas business during the second half of the current financial year, based on current market prices, in addition to losses of around £450,000 which we incurred in this area of our business during the period under review. We have now begun to hedge forward our requirements to protect against future volatility in the wholesale market and our strategy will be to maintain a hedging profile broadly in line with the industry. Nevertheless we anticipate continuing losses in our gas business in the 12 months to the end of March 2006, after which we expect to see the benefits from the substantial gas supply business we will have created. An examination of overhead costs within our main competitors suggests that in the medium term we could expect gross margins within our energy business of around 12% whilst retaining a competitive pricing proposition for our customers. By contrast (benefiting from our investment in Oxford Power Holdings) we had hedged forward the majority of our electricity requirements in a similar rising market and I am pleased to report that our electricity business is providing an acceptable return. In telephony I am also delighted that we have been able to increase our margins despite the price reductions we have made for some types of calls. A record attendance of Distributors (around 50% higher than last year) were present on 17 October 2004 for our annual Express Day, where we launched a number of new initiatives. This included enhancements to our Home Phone service, extremely competitive new mobile tariffs, a clearly refocused brand identity, an exciting new range of broadband services and several incentives aimed at rewarding consistent effort by individual Distributors over the coming year. These announcements were enthusiastically received by those present, and the effectiveness of these changes has already been demonstrated by a noticeable increase in activity. Indeed, over one thousand new Distributors joined the business during the subsequent six weeks. We are a highly focussed business and expect to see continuing organic growth by providing more utility services to a growing customer base. Our unique business model gives us a strong competitive edge over our much larger competitors, and despite the short-term losses within our gas business, we face the future with great confidence. Peter Nutting Chairman 14 December 2004 Consolidated Profit & Loss Account 6 months 6 months Year ended ended ended 30 September 30 September 31 March 2004 2003 2004 (unaudited) (unaudited) (audited) £'000 £'000 £'000 Turnover 42,778 37,206 81,828 Cost of sales (29,423) (24,570) (56,590) Gross profit 13,355 12,636 25,238 Sales and marketing costs (2,854) (3,203) (6,207) Administrative expenses (4,326) (4,688) (8,751) Operating profit 6,175 4,745 10,280 Interest receivable 269 172 372 Interest payable (1) (13) (20) Profit before taxation 6,443 4,904 10,632 Taxation (1,845) (1,651) (3,178) Profit after taxation 4,598 3,253 7,454 Dividends (3,102) (2,765) (6,159) Retained profit 1,496 488 1,295 Basic earnings per ordinary share 7.4p 5.4p 12.2p Diluted earnings per ordinary share 7.3p 5.2p 11.9p Dividend per share 5.0p 4.5p 10.0p Segmental Analysis 6 months 6 months Year ended ended ended 30 September 30 September 31 March 2004 2003 2004 £'000 £'000 £'000 Virtual Network Turnover 41,683 35,584 79,004 Operating costs (34,332) (29,078) (65,234) Operating profit 7,351 6,506 13,770 Distribution Turnover 1,095 1,622 2,824 Operating costs (2,271) (3,383) (6,314) Operating loss (1,176) (1,761) (3,490) Total Turnover 42,778 37,206 81,828 Operating costs (36,603) (32,461) (71,548) Operating profit 6,175 4,745 10,280 Consolidated Balance Sheet As at As at As at 30 September 30 September 31 March 2004 2003 2004 (unaudited) (unaudited) (audited) £'000 £'000 £'000 FIXED ASSETS Intangible assets 3,514 3,970 3,742 Tangible assets 2,203 2,068 1,903 Investments 1,038 1,038 1,038 6,755 7,076 6,683 CURRENT ASSETS Stocks 1,092 866 1,146 Debtors (due within one year) 8,667 7,469 9,164 Debtors (due after one year) 2,799 2,712 2,666 Cash at bank and in hand 13,393 8,299 9,857 25,951 19,346 22,833 CREDITORS Amounts falling due within one year (17,801) (14,611) (16,502) NET CURRENT ASSETS 8,150 4,735 6,331 TOTAL ASSETS LESS CURRENT LIABILITIES 14,905 11,811 13,014 CAPITAL AND RESERVES Called up share capital 3,100 3,048 3,076 Share premium account 6,996 6,257 6,625 Profit and loss account 4,809 2,506 3,313 Shareholders' funds 14,905 11,811 13,014 These unaudited results do not amount to statutory accounts within the meaning of section 240 of the Companies Act 1985. The results for the year ended 31 March 2004 have been extracted from the full statutory accounts for that period, which have been delivered to the Registrar of Companies and on which the auditors gave an unqualified report. Consolidated Cash Flow Statement 6 months 6 months Year ended ended ended 30 September 30 September 31 March 2004 2003 2004 (unaudited) (unaudited) (audited) £'000 £'000 £'000 Reconciliation of operating profit to operating cash flow Operating profit 6,175 4,745 10,280 Goodwill amortisation 228 228 456 Depreciation 259 220 487 (Profit) on disposal of fixed assets (50) - (28) Decrease/(increase) in stocks 54 (276) (556) Decrease/(increase) in debtors 364 635 (1,014) Increase/(decrease) in creditors 1,128 (645) 481 Amortisation of loan stock issue costs 6 12 24 Net cash flow from operating activities 8,164 4,919 10,130 Net cash flow from operating activities 8,164 4,919 10,130 Return on investments and servicing of finance 268 154 346 Capital expenditure (509) (342) (416) Corporation tax paid (1,284) (775) (2,109) Dividends paid (3,394) (1,962) (4,717) Financing 313 249 567 Increase in cash 3,558 2,243 3,801 Reconciliation of net cash flow to movement in net funds Change in net funds resulting from cash flows 3,558 2,243 3,801 Conversion of loan stock 82 198 276 Movement in net funds for the period 3,640 2,441 4,077 Net funds at 31 March 2004 9,753 5,676 5,676 Net funds at 30 September 2004 13,393 8,117 9,753 This information is provided by RNS The company news service from the London Stock Exchange

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