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BLTG Blancco Technology Group Plc

225.00
0.00 (0.00%)
Last Updated: 01:00:00
Delayed by 15 minutes
Share Name Share Symbol Market Type Share ISIN Share Description
Blancco Technology Group Plc LSE:BLTG London Ordinary Share GB00B06GNN57 ORD 2P
  Price Change % Change Share Price Bid Price Offer Price High Price Low Price Open Price Shares Traded Last Trade
  0.00 0.00% 225.00 222.00 228.00 0.00 01:00:00
Industry Sector Turnover Profit EPS - Basic PE Ratio Market Cap
0 0 N/A 0

Blancco Technology Group PLC Interim Results (3479C)

22/02/2022 7:00am

UK Regulatory


Blancco Technology (LSE:BLTG)
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RNS Number : 3479C

Blancco Technology Group PLC

22 February 2022

22 February 2022

Blancco Technology Group plc

Interim results for the six months ended 31 December 2021

Sustainability and Governance tailwinds continue to drive strong growth

Channel partnerships demonstrate ability to drive meaningful expansion

Blancco Technology Group plc (AIM: BLTG, "Blancco", the "Company" or the "Group"), the industry standard in data erasure and mobile lifecycle solutions, is pleased to announce its unaudited interim results for the six months ended 31 December 2021 .

FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS

 
 GBPm unless otherwise stated      H1 FY22   H1 FY21   Change 
 Revenue                              19.7      17.4      13% 
                                  --------  --------  ------- 
 Gross Profit                         19.1      16.2      18% 
                                  --------  --------  ------- 
 Adjusted EBITDA*                      6.4       5.3      21% 
                                  --------  --------  ------- 
 Adjusted Operating Profit*            4.0       2.9      36% 
                                  --------  --------  ------- 
 Operating Profit                      1.9       0.7     168% 
                                  --------  --------  ------- 
 Profit before taxation                1.8       0.5     249% 
                                  --------  --------  ------- 
 Adjusted Operating Cash Flow**        4.7       5.4    (14%) 
                                  --------  --------  ------- 
 Cash generated from continuing 
  operations                           4.6       5.0     (8%) 
                                  --------  --------  ------- 
 Diluted Earnings per share          1.94p     1.08p      80% 
                                  --------  --------  ------- 
 Net Cash                             10.2       8.2 
                                  --------  --------  ------- 
 
   --       Strong revenue growth of 20% when adjusted for constant exchange rates ("CER"): 

o IT Asset Disposition ("ITAD") revenue increased by 33% (CER +40%) to GBP6.9 million (H1 FY 2021: GBP5.2 million), driven by pent-up demand unwinding as businesses returned to offices

o Enterprise revenue increased by 11% (CER +17%) to GBP7.1 million (H1 FY 2021: GBP6.4 million)

o Mobile revenue fell slightly (CER +7%) to GBP5.7 million (H1 FY 2021: GBP5.8 million)

   --       Good constant currency growth in each of our three geographies: 

o North America revenue increased by 19% (CER +25%) to GBP5.8 million (H1 FY 2021: GBP4.9 million)

o APAC revenue in line with prior period (CER +9%) at GBP6.2 million (H1 FY 2021: GBP6.2 million)

o EMEA revenue increased by 22% (CER +28%) to GBP7.7 million (H1 FY 2021: GBP6.3 million)

-- Net cash balances of GBP10.2 million (31 December 2020: GBP8.2 million), despite GBP1.5 million outflow relating to shares purchased for the Employee Benefit Trust

-- Gross margins increased to 97% (H1 FY 2021: 93%) driven by internal product development and subsequent decrease in the requirement for a significant number of third-party licences

-- Adjusted operating margin of 20% (H1 FY 2021: 17%), led to an increase in Adjusted Operating Profit to GBP4.0 million (H1 FY2021: GBP2.9 million). Operating Profit grew to GBP1.9 million (H1 FY21: GBP0.7 million)

-- Adjusted EBITDA increased to GBP6.4 million (H1 FY 2021: GBP5.3 million). EBITDA grew to GBP5.7 million (H1 FY21: GBP4.6 million)

OPERATIONAL HIGHLIGHTS

-- Revenue generated from channel partners continues to grow strongly with channel revenue growing by 33% to GBP4.0 million (H1 FY 2021: GBP3.0 million) and now representing 57% (H1 FY 2021: 47%) of Enterprise revenue

-- Sustainability pressures on companies are driving growth in both Enterprise and ITAD revenues

   --      Release of pent-up demand drives exceptional growth in ITAD during the period 

-- Temporary slowdown in Mobile caused by widely publicised supply shortages of new handsets resulting in transitory impact on second-hand market. Blancco's market share continued to increase and the long-term growth trends in this market remain strong

CURRENT TRADING AND OUTLOOK

   --        Pipeline and early Q3 sales activity provide confidence for continued growth in H2 

-- Operating margins anticipated to slightly reduce in the short term due to wage inflation and a return to more normalised levels of travel expenditure

   --        Recent and upcoming product launches support further growth in each division: 

o Enterprise: launch of Sustainability Dashboard to give customers easy access to sustainability and carbon reduction metrics

o ITAD: increased addressable market with new capability to erase Google Chromebook devices

o Mobile: new Xcelerate product to target mid-tier mobile processors

-- Strong structural tailwinds look set to continue for the long-term, giving confidence for sustainable growth and progress towards our ambition of becoming a global software leader in the data security market

Matt Jones, Chief Executive, said:

"We're delighted to report such a strong set of results. Our performance is driven by our best in class data erasure and diagnostics solutions and our alignment with attractive, structurally growing markets which position us well to keep delivering value to all of our stakeholders.

"Our end-of-life IT Asset Disposition business ("ITAD") has seen particularly strong growth in the period owing to pent-up demand being released as companies returned to their offices. Whilst this was a one-off factor, we believe that the increasing pressure on companies to act in an environmentally sustainable way regarding the recycling of IT hardware will continue to drive growth, both in our ITAD business and across our data management solutions for Enterprises.

"Blancco is well placed to benefit from the increased focus on data security and sustainability. Continued product innovation in each of our three divisions will further increase our addressable markets and I am excited by the opportunities ahead of us."

*Adjusted profit measures are stated after excluding expenses relating to share option schemes, exceptional costs & incomes and the amortisation of acquired intangible assets

** Adjusted operating cash flow is operating cash flow excluding taxation, interest payments & receipts and exceptional payments

Presentation and webcast:

A virtual results briefing for analysts will be held today, 22 February 2022 at 3.00pm GMT, via a live webcast and conference call facility.

If you would like to join the webcast or conference call, please contact Buchanan at blancco@buchanan.uk.com .

S

For further information:

 
 Blancco Technology Group plc                         Via Buchanan 
 Matt Jones, Chief Executive Officer 
 Adam Moloney, Chief Financial Officer 
 
 
   Peel Hunt (Nominated Advisor & Joint Broker) 
                                                   +44 (0) 20 7418 
 Edward Knight / Paul Gillam / James Smith                    8900 
 
                                                   +44 (0) 20 7597 
 Investec Bank plc (Joint Broker)                             5970 
 Patrick Robb / Sara Hale / Nick Prowting 
 
                                                   +44 (0) 20 7466 
 Buchanan Communications Limited                              5000 
 Chris Lane / Stephanie Whitmore / Jack Devoy 
  blancco@buchanan.uk.com 
 

About Blancco

Blancco Technology Group plc is a leading global provider of mobile lifecycle solutions and secure data erasure solutions. For more information, please visit www.blancco.com.

CHIEF EXECUTIVE'S REPORT

Business overview

The first six months of the 2021/22 financial year have seen ongoing revenue and profit growth alongside good levels of cash generation. This follows a similarly prosperous trading period for the prior six months and is a result of the global trends of sustainability and governance which are driving increased demand for Blancco's market leading solutions.

It has never been acceptable to dispose of IT equipment which is storing sensitive data without taking precautions to protect that data, but the importance of this to businesses has been elevated in recent years by increasing data protection laws being introduced globally with the risk of extremely high financial penalties being imposed on organisations which have not taken appropriate steps to protect sensitive data. Performing tasks such as formatting a hard drive, or a factory reset on a device, can make it more difficult to recover data, but the data almost always still resides on the device. There are only two secure options available to companies which are disposing of data bearing equipment:

1) Ensure that the equipment is physically shredded into very small fragments such that no data is recoverable and then send this material to landfill. This means that the potentially valuable raw materials used to manufacture the device are lost and not available for recycling. It also often means that harmful chemicals contained in such material are released into the soil.

2) Use a secure data erasure solution to permanently erase all data stored on the device. The device is then able to be reused or recycled. This method is usually more cost effective, and more auditable, than the shredding option. Blancco is currently one of the few software companies to offer this kind of fully certifiable data erasure solution to businesses and governments.

Whilst it seems obvious that secure data erasure is the most preferable choice, the reality is that the vast majority of IT equipment is still shredded and sent to landfill at the end of its first life. Companies are however gradually behaving in a more sustainable and responsible manner and looking at how they can reduce waste as well as minimise their carbon footprint. This necessitates diverting more equipment away from landfill and towards data erasure.

Blancco is the global market leader in data erasure software solutions. Blancco has an unrivalled patent portfolio supported by an extensive list of global security accreditations which verify that Blancco's solutions ensure that all data is permanently erased.

Enterprise

Blancco's Enterprise solutions ensure that data is permanently erased from all devices that may store it in large organisations. These companies have the largest inventory of IT equipment storing the largest quantity of data. These companies are also subject to increasing data protection regulations around the world from which failure to comply could result in huge fines based on their global turnover.

Large organisations are also under increasing pressure to operate in a sustainable manner, reducing their waste and carbon footprint. The use of secure data erasure solutions enables those companies to meet their data protection requirements whilst supporting sustainability initiatives.

As a result, Blancco has seen sustained double digit growth in its Enterprise division and reported full year results in September 2021 showing that growth had been at 18% per annum over the past three years, despite a challenging macro backdrop. This growth has continued into the new financial year with reported revenue growing by 11% to GBP7.1 million compared to the same period last year (H1 FY 2021: GBP6.4 million). A relatively small proportion of Blancco's revenue is transacted in Sterling, meaning that revenues are subject to foreign exchange fluctuations and this was seen in the period with underlying growth in the Enterprise division, excluding these fluctuations, of 17%.

Access to large Enterprise customers on a global basis is challenging for a company of Blancco's size which has led to increasing initiatives to develop relationships with strategic channel partners that have deeper access to large blue chip organisations. Revenue from channel partners grew by 33% to GBP4.0 million (H1 FY2021: GBP3.0 million) in the period and now represents 57% (H1 FY 2021: 47%) of all Enterprise revenue.

The Group recently commenced a new channel partnership with a global IT consultant. Their clients are challenged by t he landscape for data and device lifecycle management which underwent a fundamental change during the pandemic. Those clients have seen increasing adoption of flexible working models and more individuals accessing and sharing data via personal and public networks and devices. The collaboration between this IT consultant and Blancco offers full global service availability of Blancco's data sanitisation solutions for their back-to-back service support, and implementation is already underway with one of their largest global enterprise clients. The partnership sees the consultant's clients receive access to the full suite of Blancco's Secure Data Erasure ("BSDE") software.

Access to Blancco's BSDE software will simplify the data sanitisation process by allowing our clients to perform secure, enterprise-wide data erasure within their existing IT asset management services. It will also give customers a centralised view of all managed assets from which they can trigger processes like remote erasure. This single-source approach further streamlines and simplifies IT asset management across the organisation globally, giving enterprises the ability to remotely, securely and easily erase devices anytime, anywhere.

To further support the sustainability initiatives of our clients and channel partners, Blancco is adding increased reporting capability for its clients that will ultimately enable them to track the environmental impact of using Blancco's solutions. The Sustainability dashboard is shortly to be added to the existing reporting on the Blancco Management Console and will eventually enable clients to track the numbers of devices that have been erased and recycled. It will also report on the e-waste saving as well as the potential carbon saving from recycling the materials and not incurring the carbon footprint of sending the devices to landfill. This will become important for the Group's clients as they seek to improve the sustainability metrics that they themselves report to their stakeholders.

IT Asset Disposition ("ITAD")

An inability to access customer premises meant there was a slowdown in erasure licences consumed by ITAD customers in the first half of the prior financial year when revenues fell by 7%. However, this was reversed as businesses opened up again during the early months of 2021 with 19% growth in H2 FY2021. This trend has accelerated in H1 FY2022 with revenue growing 33% to GBP6.9 million (H1 FY2021: GBP5.2 million).

Blancco's ITAD customers are reporting a period of increased activity as companies are adjusting to more flexible working schedules and reconfiguring office workspaces, resulting in increased levels of computer equipment being disposed of. However, the longer-term trend is very similar to Enterprise where companies of all sizes are motivated to conduct business in a more sustainable manner, rather than arrange for the physical destruction of assets. As reported in the Group's Full Year results, ITAD revenues had been growing at a rate of 10% per annum over the last three financial years, despite the impact of the pandemic. There is no reason why ITAD revenues can't continue to grow at similar, if not greater levels, in the years ahead.

From a product perspective, the Group's biggest innovation in recent months has been the introduction of the capability to erase Google Chromebook devices. Traditionally, these devices haven't been used by businesses, but we have seen growth of Chromebook use among our corporate customers and have recently introduced this capability to further enhance our position as the clear data erasure market leader for ITAD customers.

Mobile

We continue to see some COVID related impact on the Mobile market with supply shortages slowing the number of new handsets being sold which in turn has temporarily slowed the second-hand market as consumers typically trade in handsets when purchasing new ones. The most recent data published by Gartner showed that global smartphone sales reduced by 6.8% from 366.3 million handsets in Q3 2020 to 342.3 million handsets in Q3 2021. Our Mobile customers are reporting similar trends with some of our larger customers processing 10-20% fewer smartphones than in the comparable period of last year.

Despite the short-term impact of the supply shortages in the Mobile market, Blancco continued to gain market share and although revenue fell slightly to GBP5.7 million (H1 FY2021: GBP5.8 million) in the period, this nonetheless represented growth of 7% when adjusted for foreign currency movements.

The latest research published by IDC shows that the refurbished smartphone market is forecast to grow at a compound annual growth rate of 11.2% per annum to 2024. Its data shows that 225.5 million handsets were shipped in 2020 and this is expected to increase to 351.6 million in 2024. As the market matures, we expect that the proportion of these devices which are securely erased, as opposed to being encrypted by a factory reset, will increase and therefore accelerate the growth of the market in which we operate.

The Blancco solution has always been targeted at the largest mobile processors who process millions of phones per annum. The large processors are primarily concerned with ensuring the most secure erasure takes place and that the handset is processed in the shortest possible time. Blancco's solution uses patented technology which allows us to communicate directly with the firmware of the device and enables handsets to be processed up to 50% quicker than any of our competitors while also processing up to 60 devices simultaneously. Coupled with our experience of operating in the software erasure market and security accreditations, Blancco has a market leading proposition for the large mobile processors.

Mid-tier mobile processors who process fewer handsets, in perhaps the tens or hundreds of thousands of devices, have different priorities and will often look for a cheaper solution where processing time is less of a concern. Blancco has recently launched Blancco Xcelerate which is targeted to compete in this market segment. Blancco Xcelerate is a small piece of hardware which can enable 20 devices to be processed simultaneously but will be priced on a subscription basis which will give certainty to customers on the monthly outflow relating to Blancco licences. This solution competes directly with the major players in this market and will bring Blancco's accredited erasure solution to potential customers who had previously considered it too expensive.

Summary and Outlook

We are delighted with the growth of the business through the 2021 calendar year despite a challenging macro backdrop, with currency adjusted revenue growth of 25% in H2 FY2021 being followed by currency adjusted revenue growth of 20% in this most recent six-month period. This revenue growth has also demonstrated the operational gearing in the business with these results showing gross margins of 97% and adjusted operating margin growing to 20%. Whilst cash grew from GBP10.1 million at 30 June 2021 to GBP10.2 million at 31 December 2021, this was depressed by the GBP1.5 million outflow relating to the purchase of shares into the Employee Benefit Trust to satisfy future vesting of awards under the Company's long term incentive plan.

The Enterprise business has consistently grown at almost 20% per annum and the governance and sustainability growth drivers detailed above should ensure that growth rates of approximately this level will be maintained. The ITAD market has seen a period of very high growth as demonstrated by the currency adjusted growth of 40% that we have seen in this reporting period. Whilst we anticipate this growth to slow when the release of post pandemic pent-up demand is satisfied, similar growth drivers to those for our Enterprise business give us confidence that the growth rate of circa 10% seen in the three previous financial years can be at least maintained if not modestly improved. In Mobile we have continued to gain market share, but supply chain issues have indirectly impacted the growth of our mobile business. Long-term market data suggests a resold handset market that is growing at 11% per annum. The new Blancco Xcelerate product is intended to gain market share in Mobile and we anticipate growth rates to increase from those reported in these results.

We do anticipate an increased cost base as we fill staff vacancies through the second half of the year, with the impact of pay increases and a return to more normal travel patterns also impacting operating margins in the short term. However, with a full sales pipeline of opportunities as we enter the second half of the financial year, we look forward with confidence to another period of growth.

Matt Jones

Chief Executive Officer

CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER'S REPORT

Revenue

Revenue growth in H1 FY22 was 20% excluding the impact of foreign exchange movements which follows on from 25% currency adjusted revenue growth experienced in the second half of the prior financial year. Whilst 2020 was a challenging period due to the pressures of the pandemic, 2021 has seen businesses adjust to managing their remote workforces on a sustainable basis which has led to increased demand for Blancco's data erasure solutions.

 
                                                       Growth   CER Growth 
                                    Six months ended    rate                 Year ended 
                           31 December   31 December                            30 June 
                                  2021          2020                               2021 
======================== 
 
 Revenue (GBP millions)           19.7          17.4     +13%         +20%         36.5 
========================  ============  ============  =======  ===========  =========== 
 Revenue by Geography 
========================  ============  ============  =======  ===========  =========== 
 North America                     5.8           4.9     +19%         +25%         11.2 
 Europe                            7.7           6.3     +22%         +28%         13.4 
 Asia and ROW                      6.2           6.2        -          +9%         11.9 
========================  ============  ============  =======  ===========  =========== 
 Revenue by Market 
  type 
========================  ============  ============  =======  ===========  =========== 
 Enterprise                        7.1           6.4     +11%         +17%         14.1 
 ITAD                              6.9           5.2     +33%         +40%         11.5 
 Mobile                            5.7           5.8      -2%          +7%         10.9 
========================  ============  ============  =======  ===========  =========== 
 

Particularly strong growth has continued in North America where revenue grew by 19% (25% when adjusted for currency movements), following on from the second half of the prior financial year when growth was 49%. The move towards sustainable activity is being led by the largest companies in the world of which many are based in the US.

Europe was the strongest growth region with revenue growing by 22% to GBP7.7 million (CER growth 28%). This reflects the reopening of businesses following the pandemic with Europe experiencing the most severe and lengthy lockdowns. Conversely, Asia only saw constant currency growth of 9% in the period with the region having not been as severely impacted by the pandemic in the comparative period. Asia is particularly affected by Mobile activity where supply shortages of new handsets led to reduced used handset availability.

Profitability Measures

The Company saw increased profit margins during the period due to several major factors:

-- During the period, the Company launched a solution which reduced the requirement to purchase third party licences when processing mobile handsets. This was previously a large proportion of cost of goods sold and this elimination resulted in overall gross margins increasing from 93% to 97% in the period

-- Whilst Travel & Entertainment returned to a certain extent, particularly in North America, it remains comfortably below pre-pandemic levels. We do anticipate Travel & Entertainment continuing to increase as restrictions are eased but the increasing use of technology will mean that it will not return to pre-pandemic levels

-- As is being reported by businesses globally across all sectors, it is challenging to recruit and retain the best employees which has meant that it is taking longer to fill vacancies than we would normally expect and this does result in cost savings. We anticipate in the second half of the year we will be able to fill many of those roles and will also see the impact of wage inflation come through in operating margins

Adjusted Operating Profit for the period increased by 36% to GBP4.0 million (H1 FY2021: GBP2.9 million). Operating profit for the period was GBP1.9 million (H1 FY2021: GBP0.7 million). Adjusted operating margins in the first six months of the year grew from 17% in the prior year to 20% in first half of FY2022 as a result of the factors listed above. We do anticipate some operating margin reduction in the second half of the year as we continue to look to fill vacancies in headcount and the full six-month impact of pay increases and vacancies filled in the first half come through. We also anticipate Travel & Entertainment returning more significantly in the period from now until 30 June 2022.

 
 
                                                     6 months ended    6 months ended 31 
                                                        31 December             December 
                                                               2021                 2020 
                                                        (unaudited)          (unaudited) 
                                                            GBP'000              GBP'000 
=====================================  ====  ====  ================  =================== 
 Operating profit                                             1,916                  716 
-------------------------------------------------  ----------------  ------------------- 
 Exceptional income                                               -                 (41) 
 Amortisation of acquired intangible 
  assets                                                      1,337                1,460 
 Share-based payments charge                                    699                  767 
-------------------------------------------------  ----------------  ------------------- 
 Adjusted operating profit                                    3,952                2,902 
-------------------------------------------------  ----------------  ------------------- 
 

Adjusted EBITDA for the period grew by 21% to GBP6.4 million (H1 FY 2021: GBP5.3 million), giving an adjusted EBITDA margin of 33% (H1 FY 2021: 30%).

Balance Sheet

Whilst cash grew to GBP10.2 million (31 December 2020: GBP8.2m), this was suppressed by a cash outflow of GBP1.5 million to purchase Blancco shares for the Employee Benefit Trust. The Group experienced a very strong sales period in the second quarter which led to an increased Debtor balance of GBP7.8 million (30 June 2021: GBP6.2 million) and will result in further positive cash generation in the second half of the year.

Adam Moloney

Chief Financial Officer

 
 Consolidated Statement of Comprehensive Income 
  for the six months ended 31 December 2021 
 
                                                          6 months        6 months   Year ended 
                                                             ended           ended 
                                                                                        30 June 
                                                                                           2021 
                                                       31 December     31 December    (audited) 
                                                              2021            2020 
                                                       (unaudited)     (unaudited) 
                                              Note         GBP'000         GBP'000      GBP'000 
=====================================  ===  ======  ==============  ==============  =========== 
 Revenue                                                    19,676          17,417       36,506 
 Cost of sales                                               (588)         (1,262)      (2,807) 
==================================================  ==============  ==============  =========== 
 Gross profit                                               19,088          16,155       33,699 
 Administrative expenses and 
  depreciation                                            (17,172)        (15,439)     (31,925) 
==================================================  ==============  ==============  =========== 
 Operating profit                                            1,916             716        1,774 
--------------------------------------------------  --------------  --------------  ----------- 
 Acquisition costs                                               -               -            - 
 Exceptional income                                              -            (41)        (837) 
 Amortisation of acquired intangible 
  assets                                                     1,337           1,460        2,859 
 Share-based payments charge                                   699             767        1,490 
--------------------------------------------------  --------------  --------------  ----------- 
 Adjusted administrative expenses                         (15,136)        (13,253)     (28,413) 
--------------------------------------------------  --------------  --------------  ----------- 
 Adjusted operating profit                                   3,952           2,902        5,286 
--------------------------------------------------  --------------  --------------  ----------- 
 Finance income                                                  1              51          121 
 Finance costs                                                (85)           (242)        (420) 
==================================================  ==============  ==============  =========== 
 Profit before tax                                           1,832             525        1,475 
 Taxation                                                    (302)             191         (95) 
 Profit for the period                                       1,530             716        1,380 
==================================================  ==============  ==============  =========== 
 Discontinued operations 
 Post tax results from discontinued 
  operations                                                     -             114          331 
==================================================  ==============  ==============  =========== 
 Profit for the period                                       1,530             830        1,711 
==================================================  ==============  ==============  =========== 
 Attributable to: 
 Equity holders of the company                               1,505             822        1,697 
 Non-controlling interests                                      25               8           14 
==================================================  ==============  ==============  =========== 
 Profit for the period                                       1,530             830        1,711 
==================================================  ==============  ==============  =========== 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
   Consolidated Statement of Comprehensive 
   Income 
 for the six months ended 31 December 
  2021 
                                                    6 months           6 months   Year ended 
                                                     ended                ended 
                                                                                     30 June 
                                                     31 December    31 December 
                                                            2021           2020         2021 
                                                     (unaudited)    (unaudited)    (audited) 
                                                         GBP'000        GBP'000      GBP'000 
===========================================  ====  =============  =============  =========== 
 Profit for the period                                     1,530            830        1,711 
 Other comprehensive loss - amounts 
  that may be reclassified to profit 
  or loss in the future: 
 Exchange differences arising 
  on translation of foreign entities                       (995)        (2,718)      (5,862) 
=================================================  =============  =============  =========== 
 Total comprehensive income/(loss) 
  for the period                                             535        (1,888)      (4,151) 
=================================================  =============  =============  =========== 
 Attributable to: 
 Equity holders of the Company                               523        (1,856)      (4,049) 
 Non-controlling interests                                    12           (32)        (102) 
=================================================  =============  =============  =========== 
 Total comprehensive income/(loss) 
  for the period                                             535        (1,888)      (4,151) 
=================================================  =============  =============  =========== 
 
 
 
 
 Earnings per share 
 Continuing Operations: 
  Basic                        2   2.01 p   0.96 p   1.84 p 
 Diluted                      2    1.94 p   0.93 p   1.78 p 
 Discontinued Operations: 
 Basic                        2         -   0.15 p   0.45 p 
 Diluted                      2         -   0.15 p   0.43 p 
 Total Group: 
 Basic                        2    2.01 p   1.11 p   2.29 p 
 Diluted                      2    1.94 p   1.08 p   2.21 p 
 
 
 
   Condensed Consolidated Balance 
   Sheet 
 as at 31 December 2021 
                                            31 December    31 December      30 June 
                                                   2021           2020         2021 
                                            (unaudited)    (unaudited)    (audited) 
                                                GBP'000        GBP'000      GBP'000 
==================================  ====  =============  =============  =========== 
 Assets 
 Non-current assets 
 Goodwill                                        47,555         50,101       48,199 
 Other intangible assets                         17,928         21,423       19,369 
 Property, plant and equipment                    2,449          2,366        2,249 
 Deferred tax assets                                 99          1,008          119 
                                                 68,031         74,898       69,936 
 =======================================  =============  =============  =========== 
 Current assets 
 Inventory                                          166             73          110 
 Trade and other receivables                      7,820          6,251        6,204 
 Current tax asset                                  579            439          469 
 Cash                                            10,205          8,241       10,071 
                                                 18,770         15,004       16,854 
 =======================================  =============  =============  =========== 
 Total assets                                    86,801         89,902       86,790 
========================================  =============  =============  =========== 
 
 Current liabilities 
 Trade and other payables                       (7,867)        (7,868)      (7,767) 
 Contingent consideration                             -          (319)            - 
 Current tax liability                            (380)          (288)        (336) 
 Provisions                                           -          (166)            - 
                                                (8,247)        (8,641)      (8,103) 
 Non-current liabilities 
 Other payables                                 (1,268)        (1,258)      (1,131) 
 Deferred tax                                   (2,766)        (3,572)      (2,655) 
 Provisions                                           -           (52)            - 
==================================  ====  =============  =============  =========== 
                                                (4,034)        (4,882)      (3,786) 
 =======================================  =============  =============  =========== 
 Total liabilities                             (12,281)       (13,523)     (11,889) 
========================================  =============  =============  =========== 
 
 Net assets                                      74,520         76,379       74,901 
========================================  =============  =============  =========== 
 
 
 
 Equity 
 Called up share capital               1,513    1,512    1,512 
 Share premium account                21,103   21,103   21,103 
 Merger reserve                        5,861    5,861    5,861 
 Capital redemption reserve              417      417      417 
 Translation reserve                   (792)    3,258      190 
 Retained earnings                    45,843   43,595   45,255 
===================================  =======  =======  ======= 
 Total equity attributable to 
  equity holders of the Company       73,945   75,746   74,338 
 Non-Controlling interest reserve        575      633      563 
===================================  =======  =======  ======= 
 Total equity                         74,520   76,379   74,901 
===================================  =======  =======  ======= 
 
 
 Condensed Consolidated Statement 
  of Changes in Equity 
 for the six months ended 31 
  December 2021 
 
                                                  6 months       6 months         Year 
                                                     ended          ended        ended 
                                               31 December    31 December      30 June 
                                                      2021           2020         2021 
                                               (unaudited)    (unaudited)    (audited) 
                                                   GBP'000        GBP'000      GBP'000 
======================================  ===  =============  =============  =========== 
 Balance at the start of the 
  period                                            74,901         77,350       77,350 
 Total comprehensive income/(loss) 
  for the period                                       535        (1,888)      (4,151) 
 Purchase of Company's own shares                  (1,546)              -            - 
 Issue of shares                                         1              -            - 
 Share based payment charge inclusive 
  of deferred tax                                      629            917        1,702 
===========================================  =============  =============  =========== 
 Balance at the end of the period                   74,520         76,379       74,901 
===========================================  =============  =============  =========== 
 
 
  Consolidated Cash Flow Statement 
   for the six months ended 31 December 
    2021 
                                                    6 months      6 months          Year 
                                                       ended         ended         ended 
                                                 31 December   31 December     30 June 
                                                        2021          2020        2021 
                                                 (unaudited)   (unaudited)     (audited) 
                                                     GBP'000       GBP'000       GBP'000 
  ===========================================   ============  ============  ============ 
   Profit for the period                               1,530           830         1,711 
  ============================================  ============  ============  ============ 
   Adjustments for: 
   Results of discontinued operations                      -         (114)         (331) 
   Net finance charges                                    84           191           299 
   Tax expense/(income)                                  302         (191)            95 
   Loss on disposal of intangible assets                   -             -            66 
   Loss/(profit) on disposal of property, 
    plant and equipment                                    1           (5)           (6) 
   Depreciation on property, plant 
    and equipment                                        554           577         1,129 
   Amortisation of intangible assets                   1,912         1,829         3,753 
   Amortisation of acquired intangible 
    assets                                             1,337         1,460         2,859 
   Share-based payments expense                          699           767         1,490 
  ============================================  ============  ============  ============ 
   Operating cash flow before movement 
    in working capital                                 6,419         5,344        11,065 
  --------------------------------------------  ------------  ------------  ------------ 
   Exceptional income                                      -          (41)         (837) 
  --------------------------------------------  ------------  ------------  ------------ 
   Adjusted EBITDA                                     6,419         5,303        10,228 
  --------------------------------------------  ------------  ------------  ------------ 
   (Increase)/decrease in inventories                   (54)            21          (19) 
   (Increase)/decrease in receivables                (1,715)           642           588 
   Decrease in payables and accruals                    (37)       (1,011)       (1,249) 
   Cash generated from continuing operations           4,613         4,996        10,385 
   Acquisition costs payments                              -           252           252 
   Share-based payments                                   42           155           155 
   Adjusted operating cash flow                        4,655         5,403        10,792 
                                                ------------  ------------ 
   Interest received                                      67            51            54 
   Interest paid                                        (80)          (80)         (113) 
   Other finance costs paid                                -             -         (242) 
   Tax (paid)/received                                 (187)           250           228 
  ============================================  ============  ============  ============ 
   Net cash generated from operating 
    activities - continuing operations                 4,413         5,217        10,312 
   Net cash generated from operating 
    activities - continuing and discontinued 
    operations                                         4,413         5,217        10,312 
  ============================================  ============  ============  ============ 
 
   Cash flows from investing activities 
   Purchase of property, plant and 
    equipment                                           (62)         (126)         (235) 
   Purchase and development of intangible 
    assets                                           (2,189)       (2,600)       (4,876) 
   Acquisition of subsidiaries, net 
    of cash acquired                                       -             -         (319) 
   Net cash used in investing activities 
    - continuing operations                          (2,251)       (2,726)       (5,430) 
   Net cash used in investing activities 
    - continuing and discontinued operations         (2,251)       (2,726)       (5,430) 
  ============================================  ============  ============  ============ 
 
 
    Cash flows from financing activities 
   Payment of the principal portion 
    of lease liabilities                               (373)         (554)         (927) 
   Purchase of Company's own shares                  (1,546)             -             - 
   Issue of shares                                         1             -             - 
   Net cash used in financing activities             (1,918)         (554)         (927) 
   Net cash used in financing activities 
    - continuing and discontinued operations         (1,918)         (554)         (927) 
   Net increase in cash and cash equivalents             244         1,937         3,955 
   Other non-cash movements - exchange 
    rate changes                                       (110)         (415)         (603) 
   Cash and cash equivalents at the 
    beginning of period                               10,071         6,719         6,719 
  ============================================  ============  ============  ============ 
   Cash and cash equivalents at end 
    of period                                         10,205         8,241        10,071 
   Net cash                                           10,205         8,241        10,071 
  ============================================  ============  ============  ============ 
 

Notes to the Half Year Report

For the six months ended 31 December 2021

   1.   Basis of Preparation 

These half yearly results have been prepared on the basis of the accounting policies to be adopted for the year ended 30 June 2022. These are in accordance with the Group's accounting policies as set out in the latest audited annual financial statements for the year ended 30 June 2021.

All UK adopted International Accounting Standards and interpretations currently endorsed by the UK Endorsement Board, in conformity with the requirements of the Companies Act 2006 and as required to be adopted by AIM listed companies, have been applied. AIM listed companies are not required to comply with IAS 34 'Interim Financial Reporting' and accordingly the Company has taken advantage of this exemption.

The financial information in these half yearly results does not constitute statutory accounts for the six months ended 31 December 2021 and should be read in conjunction with the Group's annual financial statements for the year ended 30 June 2021.

The condensed consolidated half yearly financial statements for the six months to 31 December 2021 have not been audited or reviewed by auditors pursuant to the Auditing Practices Board guidance on Review of Half yearly Financial Information.

These unaudited half yearly results were approved by the Board of Directors on 21 February 2022.

   2.   Earnings per share (EPS) 
 
                                               6 months      6 months 
                                                  ended         ended   Year ended 
                                            31 December   31 December      30 June 
                                                   2021          2020         2021 
                                            (unaudited)   (unaudited)    (audited) 
                                                  Pence         Pence        Pence 
=========================================  ============  ============  =========== 
 Continuing operations 
 Basic earnings per share                        2.01 p        0.96 p       1.84 p 
 Diluted earnings per share                      1.94 p        0.93 p       1.78 p 
 Adjusted earnings per share                     4.23 p        3.44 p       5.77 p 
 Diluted adjusted earnings per 
  share                                          4.08 p        3.34 p       5.58 p 
=========================================  ============  ============  =========== 
 Discontinued operations 
 Basic earnings per share                             -        0.15 p       0.45 p 
 Diluted earnings per share                           -        0.15 p       0.43 p 
 Adjusted earnings per share                          -        0.15 p       0.45 p 
 Diluted adjusted earnings per 
  share                                               -        0.15 p       0.43 p 
=========================================  ============  ============  =========== 
 Total Group 
 Basic earnings per share                        2.01 p        1.11 p       2.29 p 
 Diluted earnings per share                      1.94 p        1.08 p       2.21 p 
 Adjusted earnings per share                     4.23 p        3.59 p       6.22 p 
 Diluted adjusted earnings per 
  share                                          4.08 p        3.49 p       6.01 p 
=========================================  ============  ============  =========== 
 
                                               6 months      6 months 
                                                  ended         ended   Year ended 
                                            31 December   31 December      30 June 
                                                   2021          2020         2021 
                                            (unaudited)   (unaudited)    (audited) 
 Continuing operations                          GBP'000       GBP'000      GBP'000 
=========================================  ============  ============  =========== 
 Profit for the period                            1,530           716        1,380 
 Profit attributable to non-controlling 
  interests                                        (25)           (8)         (14) 
=========================================  ============  ============  =========== 
 Profit attributable to equity 
  holders of the Company                          1,505           708        1,366 
=========================================  ============  ============  =========== 
 
 Reconciliation to adjusted profit: 
 Amortisation of intangible assets                1,337         1,460        2,859 
 Exceptional income                                   -          (41)        (837) 
 Revaluation of contingent consideration              -            62           62 
 Amortisation of bank fees                            4             -            3 
 Share based payments                               699           767        1,490 
 Tax impact of above adjustments                  (387)         (415)        (667) 
=========================================  ============  ============  =========== 
 Adjusted profit for the period                   3,158         2,541        4,276 
=========================================  ============  ============  =========== 
 
 
 Number of shares                      '000s    '000s    '000s 
 Weighted average number of 
  shares                              74,691   73,767   74,104 
 Impact of dilutive share options      2,646    2,381    2,573 
 Diluted                              77,337   76,148   76,677 
===================================  =======  =======  ======= 
 

The dilutive share options are in respect of the shares awarded under the Blancco Performance Share Plan and Sharesave Plan.

   3.   Profit for the period 

Profit for the period for the Group has been arrived at after charging/(crediting):

 
                                                6 months      6 months 
                                                ended 31      ended 31   Year ended 
                                                December      December      30 June 
                                                    2021          2020         2021 
                                             (unaudited)   (unaudited)    (audited) 
                                                 GBP'000       GBP'000      GBP'000 
========================================    ============  ============  =========== 
 Depreciation of property, plant and 
  equipment - owned                                  127           128          247 
 Depreciation of property, plant and 
  equipment - right-of-use asset                     427           449          882 
 Loss on disposal of intangible assets                 -             -           66 
 Loss/(profit) on disposal of property, 
  plant and equipment                                  1           (5)          (6) 
 Amortisation of intangible assets                 3,249         3,289        6,612 
 Expenses related to leases of 
  low-value assets                                    11            12           25 
 Cost of inventories recognised 
  as an expense                                      145           129          377 
 Research & Development expense                      509           458        1,131 
 Staff costs                                       9,572         8,260       17,507 
 Net foreign exchange gain                          (52)         (127)        (316) 
==========================================  ============  ============  =========== 
 

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