Interim Results - Pre-tax Profit Up 24%

Treatt PLC 22 May 2000 TREATT PLC INTERIM STATEMENT For the six months ended 31 March 2000 Treatt PLC, the manufacturer and supplier of flavour and fragrance ingredients, primarily from essential oils, announces today its interim results for the six months ended 31 March 2000. SUMMARY * Group turnover increased by 19% to £12,113,000 (1999: £10,207,000) * Profit before tax increased by 24% to £1,227,000 (1999: £987,000) * Earnings per share increased by 24% to 8.8p (1999: 7.1p) * Interim dividend increased by 14% to 2.5p (1999: 2.2p) * Net assets per share increased to £1.44 (1999: £1.31) For further information please contact: Treatt PLC 01284 702500 Hugo Bovill, Managing Director Stephen Ashton, Finance Director GCI Financial 0207 398 0800 Margaret Jervoise/Richard Sunderland TREATT PLC INTERIM STATEMENT For the six months ended 31 March 2000 CHAIRMAN'S STATEMENT The six months to 31 March 2000 have been very satisfactory. Group turnover increased by 19 per cent to £12,113,000 (1999 : £10,207,000). Profit before tax and earnings per share both increased by 24 per cent to £1,227,000 (1999 : £987,000) and 8.8 pence per share (1999 : 7.1 pence per share) respectively. The Board has declared a 14 per cent increased interim dividend of 2.5 pence per share (1999 : 2.2 pence per share) payable on 5 October 2000 to shareholders on the register at close of business on 8 September 2000. Increased sales to all the Group's largest customers accounted for over 90 per cent of the overall rise in sales. The Group continues to win business either as a core supplier due to its extensive range, or through new business with our innovative natural specialities. Florida Treatt saw sales grow over 30 per cent, particularly in natural specialities. Across all the Group's customers order numbers increased by 17 per cent, predominantly in our aroma chemical distribution business. Overall business conditions have certainly been healthier than a year ago, but there is no doubt the Group's sales growth in the last 6 months has increased our global market share. Growth in the United Kingdom was particularly strong as sales increased by £526,000 or 20 per cent. Finally, after several years of low pricing in essential oils we are seeing some upward movement in prices back to historical levels. This is gradually feeding into our selling prices so that our turnover is starting to reflect the volume increases we have achieved over the last few years. I referred in my December 1999 statement to our investment in both new facilities and Information Technology. This will lead to some reorganisation and one-off costs as we put the infrastructure in place to underpin Treatt's future growth and allow continued delivery of shareholder value. In the first half of this financial year these one-off revenue costs totalled a little over £100,000. Based on our current plans we expect the level of one-off revenue costs in the second half of the year to be of the same amount. The Group's balance sheet remains strong. Net assets per share now stand at £1.44 with net cash of £380,000. Based on our current projections the second half of the year should be cash generative. The Future In looking forward to our results for the full year we are conscious that the second half of last year saw exceptional demand from a number of our largest customers. Furthermore, our ongoing capital investment and reorganisation bring, in the short term at least, greater increases in operating costs than would otherwise be the case. As I said in December, these costs will impact on profitability until the full benefits are realised. On the positive side the Group's order books are healthier than a year ago and the return to higher price levels, particularly of orange oil, the orange juice by-product, will be beneficial over the coming months. On balance we still expect to make progress over the year as a whole and that this financial year's results will meet our expectations. This will be a creditable performance through this period of change. Our plans remain to develop Treatt further as a value added global supplier of flavour and fragrance ingredients. We are already a global business with contacts and opportunities greater than many of our larger competitors. Building on this through investing in our distribution capabilities and implementing some of the technologies now available will improve our competitive position through increases in capacity and productivity. Delivering the changes required by our plans will be challenging and involve all our employees. I am very grateful to them for the efforts they have made to date and I am confident they will rise to the challenges ahead. I look forward to the future with confidence. GEOFFREY BOVILL Chairman 19 May 2000 TREATT PLC INTERIM STATEMENT For the six months ended 31 March 2000 GROUP PROFIT AND LOSS ACCOUNT Six months ended Year ended 31 March 31 March 30 September 2000 1999 1999 (Unaudited) (Unaudited) (Audited) Notes £'000 £'000 £'000 Turnover 1 12,113 10,207 22,443 Cost of sales (8,325) (6,984) (15,097) ______ ______ ______ Gross profit 3,788 3,223 7,346 Net operating costs (2,531) (2,215) (4,749) ______ ______ ______ Operating profit 1,257 1,008 2,597 Net interest payable and similar charges (30) (21) (26) ______ ______ ______ Profit on ordinary activities before taxation 1,227 987 2,571 Tax on profit on ordinary activities 5 (338) (271) (707) ______ ______ ______ Profit on ordinary activities after taxation 889 716 1,864 Dividends (251) (222) (716) ______ ______ ______ Transfer to reserves 638 494 1,148 ______ ______ ______ Dividends per ordinary share 2.5p 2.2p 7.1p Earnings per share - Basic 6 8.8p 7.1p 18.5p - Fully diluted 6 8.8p 7.1p 18.4p TREATT PLC INTERIM STATEMENT For the six months ended 31 March 2000 GROUP BALANCE SHEET As at As at As at 31 March 31 March 30 September 2000 1999 1999 (Unaudited) (Unaudited) (Audited) £'000 £'000 £'000 Tangible fixed assets 5,215 4,268 5,117 Current Assets Stocks 8,456 7,211 8,211 Debtors 4,570 3,568 3,692 Cash at bank and in hand 380 2,288 1,689 ______ ______ ______ 13,406 13,067 13,592 Creditors: amounts falling due in one year Bank loans and overdrafts - (88) (710) Other creditors (4,072) (3,384) (4,204) ______ ______ ______ (4,072) (3,472) (4,914) ______ ______ ______ Net current assets 9,334 9,595 8,678 Total assets less current liabilities 14,549 13,863 13,795 Creditors: amounts falling due in more than one year Bank loans - (665) - Deferred Taxation (37) (41) (37) ______ ______ ______ Net assets 14,512 13,157 13,758 ______ ______ ______ Share capital 1,008 1,008 1,008 Share premium account 1,929 1,929 1,929 Profit and loss account 11,575 10,220 10,821 ______ ______ ______ Shareholders' funds 14,512 13,157 13,758 ______ ______ ______ The financial information set out in this document does not constitute statutory accounts within the meaning of the Companies Act 1985. The figures for the year ended 30 September 1999 are an abridged version of the Group's audited financial statements which have been delivered to the Registrar of Companies. These statements received an unqualified audit opinion. The figures for the six months ended 31 March 2000 and 1999 are unaudited. This interim report was approved by the Board on 19 May 2000. TREATT PLC INTERIM STATEMENT For the six months ended 31 March 2000 GROUP CASH FLOW STATEMENT Six months ended Year ended 31 March 31 March 30 September 2000 1999 1999 (Unaudited) (Unaudited) (Audited) Notes £'000 £'000 £'000 Cash inflow from operating activities 2 183 412 2,044 Returns on investments and servicing of finance (30) (21) (26) Taxation (210) (50) (679) Capital expenditure and financial investment (341) (261) (1,361) Equity dividends paid (221) (202) (646) ______ ______ ______ Cash outflow before financing (619) (122) (668) Financing - Repayment of debt 3 (710) (456) (499) ______ ______ ______ Decrease in cash in the period 3 (1,329) (578) (1,167) ______ ______ ______ TREATT PLC INTERIM STATEMENT For the six months ended 31 March 2000 NOTES TO THE INTERIM STATEMENT Six months ended Year ended 31 March 31 March 30 September 2000 1999 1999 (Unaudited) (Unaudited) (Audited) £'000 £'000 £'000 (1) Turnover by destination : United Kingdom 3,159 2,633 5,620 Rest of Europe 3,002 2,532 6,298 The Americas 3,233 2,700 5,383 Rest of the World 2,719 2,342 5,142 ______ ______ ______ 12,113 10,207 22,443 ______ ______ ______ (2) Reconciliation of operating profit to cash inflow from operating activities: Operating profit 1,258 1,008 2,597 Depreciation charges 263 255 505 Net increase in working capital and other items (1,338) (851) (1,058) ______ ______ ______ Cash inflow from operating activities 183 412 2,044 ______ ______ ______ (3) Reconciliation of net cash flow to increase in funds: Decrease in funds in the period (1,329) (578) (1,167) Cash outflow from repayment of bank loans 710 456 499 Exchange and other non-cash movements 20 16 4 ______ ______ ______ Decrease in net funds in the period (599) (106) (664) Net funds at 1 October 1999 979 1,641 1,643 ______ ______ ______ Net funds at 31 March 2000 380 1,535 979 ______ ______ ______ (4) Statement of recognised gains and losses Profit for the period before dividends 890 716 1,864 Currency translation differences on foreign currency net investments 116 80 9 ______ ______ ______ Total recognised gains and losses 1,006 796 1,873 ______ ______ ______ (5) Taxation has been provided at 27.5 per cent (1999 : 27.5 per cent) which is the effective group rate currently anticipated for the financial year ending 30 September 2000. (6) (a) Basic earnings per share for the six months ended 31 March 2000 are based on the weighted average number of shares in issue in the period of 10,077,749 (1999 : 10,077,749) and earnings of £890,000 (1999 : £716,000) being the profit on ordinary activities after taxation. (b) Fully diluted earnings per share for the six months ended 31 March 2000 are based on the weighted average number of shares in issue in the period, adjusted for the effects of all dilutive potential ordinary shares of 10,132,708 (1999 : 10,107,407) and the same earnings as above.

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