Final Results
Room Service Group PLC
29 May 2002
For Embargoed Release: 0700 hours, 29th May 2002
ROOM SERVICE GROUP PLC
(formerly The Cube8 Group plc)
FINAL RESULTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2001
Summary
• Reverse takeover of Room Service, the exclusive restaurant food and dry
cleaning delivery business, approved on January 4th 2002
• New board of directors and change of name to Room Service Group plc
• Continuing disposal of Cube8 assets
• Room Service food and drink business performing well with the new dry
cleaning service proving extremely popular
• Expansion options being explored
Alexander Duma, Chairman of Room Service Group plc commented,
'This has been a important period in the development of the company. As a
result of the reverse takeover I expect that shareholder value will be
significantly enhanced as there are good prospects for the new Group.'
Further Information:-
Ronnie Pearl
Managing Director
Room Service Group plc
020 7644 6666
Adam Reynolds/Takki Sulaiman
Hansard Communications
020 7735 9415
CHAIRMAN'S STATEMENT
Your present Board of Directors was appointed after the end of the year covered
by these financial statements. Our appointment followed the completion of the
reverse takeover of the company by Room Service (UK) Limited, which was given
shareholder approval on 4 January 2002.
Last December the then Chief Operating Officer of the Company wrote to you
informing you of the reasons for the reverse takeover - that the investments
within the Group's portfolio were not contributing income to the Group and that
the level of overheads supporting the portfolio was unsustainable. The
accompanying financial statements bear this out.
Review of operations
The principal changes in the group's portfolio during the year were the
acquisition and subsequent part disposal of the online games service
Freeloader.com Limited, the sale of the Blue Carrots internet shopping portal
and the decision to cease development of the Boris Commerce shopping mall
technology. Freeloader was acquired in May 2001 for £600,000 in ordinary
shares. A further £350,000 was invested by way of loans in its development
prior to the decision to sell 61% of the company to its management for a nominal
sum in November 2001. Our remaining 39% stake in the company was sold in April
2002 for £40,000.
Following losses incurred by Blue Carrots of approximately £500,000 during the
year, the business was sold for £693,000 to Affinity Internet Holdings plc
satisfied by a combination of listed shares in that company and unlisted shares
in the Affinity e-commerce division. Continuing uncertainty in the internet
sector has required us to write down these unlisted shares by £100,000 to
£25,000.
During the year, a further £390,000 was invested in the Boris Commerce operation
prior to its closure in September. In addition to the above, Planet Three was
placed into voluntary liquidation last July having contributed trading losses of
approximately £190,000 to the Group.
Additional cash investment in the remaining portfolio, principally in the form
of unsecured loans and advances, totalled approximately £430,000.
Despite efforts to reduce the central unrecovered overheads, the value of these
was in excess of £1.75 million over the year.
In addition to the write off of goodwill on the acquisition of Freeloader of
£617,000, during the year under review, further provisions of approximately £2.7
million have been made against the remaining portfolio to reflect the continuing
downturn in the internet, telecoms and technology markets.
The Future
Following a strategic review of the portfolio my fellow board members and I
decided on a strategy to complete an orderly programme of disposal of the
portfolio. This is not a fire sale and realising maximum value from a diverse
portfolio of mainly unquoted investments will inevitably take some time.
However I hope to be able to report progress on this at the time of our interim
statements. At that time I will also be reporting upon the first six months of
trading of the group's core business of food and drink delivery and dry cleaning
services.
Alexander Duma
Chairman
28 May 2002
CONSOLIDATED PROFIT AND LOSS ACCOUNT
for the year ended 31 December 2001
2001 2000
Total Total
£'000 £'000
Turnover - discontinuing activities 991 1,560
Cost of sales (380) (890)
Gross profit 611 670
Administrative expenses (4,185) (4,284)
Amounts written off investments (2,704) (1,313)
Operating loss - discontinuing activities (6,278) (4,927)
Profit on sale of business 684 -
Share of operating loss of associated undertakings - (205)
Interest receivable and similar income 90 300
Interest payable and similar charges - (2)
Loss on ordinary activities before taxation (5,504) (4,834)
Tax on loss on ordinary activities - (1)
Loss on ordinary activities after taxation (5,504) (4,835)
Minority interest 25 142
Retained loss for the period (5,479) (4,693)
Loss per share (1.39p) (1.66p)
Fully diluted loss per share (1.38p) (1.53p)
The group has no recognised gains or losses other than the loss for the year.
None of the Group's activities are classed as continuing.
BALANCE SHEETS
at 31 December 2001
Group Company
2001 2000 2001 2000
£'000 £'000 £'000 £'000
Fixed assets
Tangible fixed assets 7 343 - -
Investments 75 1,664 75 5,264
Investments in associates - 3 - -
82 2,010 75 5,264
Current assets
Investments 425 - 197 -
Debtors 376 860 457 2,639
Cash at bank and in hand 728 3,996 655 3,748
1,529 4,856 1,309 6,387
Creditors: amounts falling due within one (409) (1,206) (208) (155)
year
Net current assets 1,120 3,650 1,101 6,232
Total assets less current liabilities 1,202 5,660 1,176 11,496
Provisions for liabilities and charges (200) (15) (200) (15)
Net assets 1,002 5,645 976 11,481
Capital and reserves
Called up share capital 4,180 3,530 4,180 3,530
Share premium account 9,371 9,371 9,371 9,371
Profit and loss account (12,527) (7,048) (12,575) (1,420)
Equity shareholders' funds 1,024 5,853 976 1,481
Minority interest (22) (208) - -
Total capital and reserves 1,002 5,645 976 11,481
CONSOLIDATED CASH FLOW STATEMENT
for the year ended 31 December 2001
2001 2000
£'000 £'000 £'000 £'000
Cash outflow from operating activities (2,673) (2,809)
Returns on investments and servicing of
finance
Interest received 90 300
Interest paid - (2)
90 298
Taxation - -
Purchase of tangible fixed assets (36) (327)
Acquisitions
Acquisition of fixed asset investments (651) (2,040)
Acquisition of investments in associates - (716)
Loans and advances to fixed asset investments (98) (130)
Loans and advances to associates (509) (284)
Acquisition of subsidiaries (18) (14)
Net overdraft acquired with subsidiaries - (35)
(1,276) (3,219)
Disposals
Cash balances of discontinued activities (77) -
Sale of business 684 -
Sale of tangible fixed assets 18 -
625 -
Financing
Issue of equity shares - 9,975
(Decrease)/increase in cash in the period (3,268) 3,918
NOTES
1 Earnings per share are calculated on a net basis using the profit on
ordinary activities after taxation and the weighted average number of shares
detailed below.
For fully diluted earnings per share, the weighted average number of shares is
adjusted for the effect of potentially dilutive share options issued under the
Group share option schemes.
2001 2000
£'000 £'000
Basic and diluted losses attributable to ordinary shareholders (5,479) (4,693)
Number Number
Weighted average number of ordinary shares 395,029,879 282,552,595
Diluted share options 2,777,800 24,487,650
Adjusted weighted average number of ordinary shares 397,807,679 307,040,245
Loss per share (1.39p) (1.66p)
Fully diluted loss per share (1.38p) (1.53p)
2. The financial information set out in this document does not constitute
statutory group accounts.
3. The report and accounts for the year to 31 December 2001 will be
posted to shareholders shortly and, after being laid before the Annual General
Meeting, will be delivered to the Registrar of Companies.
4. The Annual General Meeting will be held at 20 Eastbourne Terrace,
London on 17 July 2002 at 11am
This information is provided by RNS
The company news service from the London Stock Exchange