Accuma Group PLC
25 January 2006
Press Release 25 January 2006
Accuma Group plc
PLACING/TRADING UPDATE/EGM NOTICE
Accuma Group Plc ('Accuma', the 'Company' or the 'Group'), a leading provider of
personal debt advice specialising in Individual Voluntary Arrangements ('IVAs'),
announces that it has conditionally raised £5 million for the Group (before
expenses) ('Placing') and conditionally arranged a vendor placing of 3.5 million
existing ordinary shares by certain of the directors ('Vendor Placing') to
satisfy demand from institutional investors and increase the free float.
All of the 2.5 million new ordinary shares and 3.5 million existing ordinary
shares have been placed at a price of £2.00 per share. The new ordinary shares
are expected to be admitted to trading on AiM on 20 February 2006.
The net proceeds of the Placing receivable by the Group are expected to be
approximately £4.75 million which will be used to provide working capital and
enable the Group to:
• accelerate the increases in the number of IVA's the Group is handling;
• explore new marketing and sales channels to broaden the Group's routes to
market; and
• make further investment in infrastructure and continue to refine its
internal systems in order to PDF1maximise efficiency.
In addition the Company has conditionally placed 3.5 million existing ordinary
shares at a price of £2.00 per share. Charles Howson (Chief Executive), Robert
Benjamin (Marketing Director) and Nicola Roberts (Executive Director), the '
Vendors' are selling, respectively, 2,865,000, 575,000 and 60,000 shares to
satisfy demand from institutional investors and to increase the free float, and
hence liquidity, of the shares. The Vendors will, following the Vendor Placing,
retain an interest in an aggregate of 8,372,938 ordinary shares in the Group
representing 33.46 per cent. of the Company's then issued share Capital
The Placing and the Vendor Placing are conditional on each other and require
shareholder approval. Holders of Ordinary Shares will be asked to approve the
Placing at an Extraordinary General Meeting to be held on 17 February 2006 at
12.00hrs at the offices of Memery Crystal, 44 Southampton Buildings, London WC2A
1AP.
In addition the Group today releases a trading update ahead of its interim
results which are expected to be announced on 30 March 2006.
Trading Highlights
• Threefold growth in the number of IVA cases handled year on year
• Group now trading profitably and future contracted revenue more than doubled
to £11.1m.
• Full year results expected to comfortably meet market expectations
• Wilson Phillips acquisition performing ahead of expectations and on target
to be fully integrated within the first half of 2006
• IVA capacity more than doubled as a result of the new head office facility
and the appointment of additional Insolvency Practitioners ('IPs') and
support staff.
Charles Howson, Accuma's Chief Executive commented:
'The Placing will provide the Group with the ability to fully capitalise on our
achievements to date and I have been encouraged by the strong institutional
demand from both existing and new institutional investors. The new head office
and the appointment of further IPs will provide the springboard to take the
Group to the next stage of its development.
2005 was both a busy and successful year for Accuma as we have positioned
ourselves in the top tier of personal insolvency specialists. The Group operates
in a market that continues to experience significant growth and we are delighted
that we have continued to outpace the market and increase our market share.
Recent enquiry levels have exceeded our previous expectations and our investment
in infrastructure and operational resources over the past few months means that
we are well positioned to deal with this increased demand.
The Board remain confident of comfortably meeting market expectations for the
full year.'
Wilson Phillips
Accuma acquired Wilson Phillips Limited ('Wilson Phillips') at the end of August
2005 and the Group is pleased to announce that its integration into the Group is
proceeding very well. Wilson Phillips is benefiting considerably from being part
of the Accuma Group and will be relocated to larger modern premises at the end
of February 2006. This will enable us to recruit additional staff and increase
our capacity.
Capacity increased
The Group now employs six licensed IPs, four having been appointed since
flotation. In addition two further IPs will start working for the Group within
the first quarter of 2006. The Group now has the capacity to deal with 350 IVA
cases a month and following the appointment of the two further IPs the Group's
IPs will be able to deal with over 500 IVA cases a month. This together with
further operational appointments made in the period will not only allow the
Group to meet market expectations for 2006 but will allow our growth to be
accelerated going forwards. The total number of employees now stands at 129.
On 25 November 2005 the Group moved its head office to City Tower, Piccadilly
Plaza, Manchester. The new head office facility is over 18,000 square feet and
the Group now has sufficient office space for over 300 employees without it
incurring a material increase in office costs.
New IVA case numbers
Accuma's run rate has increased significantly over the past year as shown below:
New IVAs Monthly Case Run Rate
2004 2005
3 months to March 20 37
3 months to June 31 84
3 months to September 50 126
3 months to December 47 186
The above figures show a threefold increase in our case run rate year on year
and a fourfold increase in the last quarter.
The Group is now profitable and has increased its future contracted revenue from
£5.4m at the end of July 2005 to £11.1m at the end of December 2005. This
revenue will have a significant positive effect on the profitability of the
Group as supervisory fees have an average 80% gross profit margin.
Market continues strong growth
The IVA market continues to grow at a significant pace with 2005 year on year
growth expected to show a near doubling of the 10,752 IVAs registered in 2004.
With nearly 2,500 IVAs registered in November 2005 alone, it is predicted that
2006 will see this growth continue.
Consumer debt now stands at £1.14 trillion. £192 billion of which is unsecured
with £56 billion outstanding on credit cards. Unsecured debt is forecast to
increase to over £200 billion in 2006 with a further 5-7% annual growth over the
next five years.
Recent commentary would support the forecast growth in consumer credit and the
IVA market. A You Gov poll in July 2005 reported that nearly 80% of an average
family's take home pay is required to meet living expenses.
The Bank of England's Financial Stability Review (June 05) indicated that
household debt averages 150% of annual net income (up from 100% in 1998) and
that it is likely that debt will continue to increase more rapidly than income
over the next few years.
For further information:
Accuma Group plc
Charles Howson, Chief Executive Tel: +44 (0) 0161 235 6408
charles.howson@accumagroup.com www.accumagroup.com
Daniel Stewart & Company Plc
Tom Jenkins / Lindsay Mair / Marc Young Tel: +44 (0) 20 7776 6550
tom.jenkins@danielstewart.co.uk
Media enquiries:
Abchurch
Chris Lane / Sarah Hollins Tel: +44 (0) 20 7398 7700
chris.lane@abchurch-group.com www.abchurch-group.com
This information is provided by RNS
The company news service from the London Stock Exchange
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