Fuller,Smith&Turner PLC
27 September 2001
Thursday 27th September 2001
Fuller, Smith & Turner P.L.C.
Proposed Sale of Broadwalks & Trading Update
The Board of Fuller, Smith & Turner P.L.C. ('Fullers') announces that it has
decided to sell its late night bars and Broadwalks. The performance of these
businesses has not met the Group's expectations and the Board believes that
there are other specialist operators better suited to extract value from this
style of format. Fuller's remains committed to its established target market
but has decided to withdraw from the specialised young persons' niche area in
which Broadwalks and the late bars operate.
In the hotel estate, delayed openings of the Brigstow Hotel in Bristol and the
Chamberlain Hotel in the City have resulted in lost revenues and increased
pre-opening costs. The outlook for hotels is uncertain, but in common with
other hotel groups, the Board anticipates a softening of demand in the second
half.
Taking into account the above factors together with the uncertain outlook
caused by the change in market conditions resulting from the tragic events of
September 11, the Board feels it prudent to reduce expectations for trading
profits for the full year by approximately £2 million.
Fuller's core operations in Managed and Tenanted Inns, Fine Lines, Hotels and
the Beer Company have performed satisfactorily in the first half.
Anthony Fuller, Chairman, commented:
'Whilst market conditions are challenging, Fullers remains well placed to
strengthen further its market position. Financially, gearing remains at a
very low level and 87 per cent of the company's estate is freehold. The
strong balance sheet provides flexibility for us to take advantage of
acquisition opportunities, should suitable situations arise that would
strengthen our core businesses, and to repurchase our shares. Net asset value
per share as at 31 March 2001 was 610p.
Operationally, the Beer Company has strong brands and consistently outperforms
its markets. The Hotel Division has a strong and differentiated offer, and
although the current turmoil will have some short-term adverse effects, the
longer-term prospects for our hotels are good.
Finally, the emphasis on quality throughout the company will stand it in good
stead for the future.'
- Ends -
Fuller Smith & Turner P.L.C.
Michael Turner, 020 8996 2048
Managing Director - Press
Paul Clarke, 020 8996 2048
Finance Director - Analysts
West LB Panmure 020 7020 5102
Erik Anderson
Merlin Financial 020 7606 1244
Paul Downes 07900 244 888 (mobile)
Vanessa Maydon 07802 961 902 (mobile)
*A Private Investor is a recipient of the information who meets all of the conditions set out below, the recipient:
Obtains access to the information in a personal capacity;
Is not required to be regulated or supervised by a body concerned with the regulation or supervision of investment or financial services;
Is not currently registered or qualified as a professional securities trader or investment adviser with any national or state exchange, regulatory authority, professional association or recognised professional body;
Does not currently act in any capacity as an investment adviser, whether or not they have at some time been qualified to do so;
Uses the information solely in relation to the management of their personal funds and not as a trader to the public or for the investment of corporate funds;
Does not distribute, republish or otherwise provide any information or derived works to any third party in any manner or use or process information or derived works for any commercial purposes.
Please note, this site uses cookies. Some of the cookies are essential for parts of the site to operate and have already been set. You may delete and block all cookies from this site, but if you do, parts of the site may not work. To find out more about the cookies used on Investegate and how you can manage them, see our Privacy and Cookie Policy
To continue using Investegate, please confirm that you are a private investor as well as agreeing to our Privacy and Cookie Policy & Terms.