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CALL Cloudcall Group Plc

79.50
0.00 (0.00%)
26 Apr 2024 - Closed
Delayed by 15 minutes
Share Name Share Symbol Market Type Share ISIN Share Description
Cloudcall Group Plc LSE:CALL London Ordinary Share GB00B4XS5145 ORD 20P
  Price Change % Change Share Price Bid Price Offer Price High Price Low Price Open Price Shares Traded Last Trade
  0.00 0.00% 79.50 0.00 01:00:00
Industry Sector Turnover Profit EPS - Basic PE Ratio Market Cap
0 0 N/A 0

Cloudcall Group PLC Interim results for the six months to 30 June 2020 (7920Z)

23/09/2020 7:00am

UK Regulatory


Cloudcall (LSE:CALL)
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TIDMCALL

RNS Number : 7920Z

Cloudcall Group PLC

23 September 2020

23 September 2020

CloudCall Group plc

("CloudCall", the "Company" or the "Group")

Unaudited interim results for the six months to 30 June 2020

RESILIENT FIRST HALF GROWTH DESPITE IMPACT FROM COVID-19

CloudCall (AIM: CALL), a leading cloud-based software business that integrates communications technology into Customer Relationship Management (CRM) platforms, is pleased to announce its unaudited interim results for the six months to 30 June 2020.

Financial highlights:

-- Total H1 revenues up 11% to GBP5.8m (H1 2019: GBP5.2m) with recurring and repeating revenues representing 95% of total revenues*

   --    Recurring revenues climb 20% to GBP5.1m (H1 2019: GBP4.3m) 

o US revenues increased 25% year-on-year, now accounting for 42% of global recurring revenue

   --    Total number of end-users up 19% to 43,815 (H1 2019: 36,936) 
   --    R&D tax credit received during the period of GBP811k (H1 2019: GBPnil received) 

-- Gross cash of GBP8.3m with a further GBP1.5m available via the Group's existing debt facility with Shawbrook Bank

   --    Gross margin increased to 80% (H1 2019: 78%) 
   --    Adjusted EBITDA** loss of GBP1.69m (H1 2019: loss of GBP1.24m) 

Operational highlights:

-- New sales bookings recovering after initial COVID-19 impact with significant new opportunities arising from changes to working practices

-- Net new user growth of 1,528 in H1 despite COVID-19 related losses with user growth recovering to pre-COVID levels in August

-- A record 112 new customer sign-ups in Q2 with recruitment firms making up a significant portion

   --    Average customer size up 5% to 32.1 users (H1 2019: 30.5) 
   --    Phase one of Microsoft Teams integration now complete and released in beta form 

-- Successful launch of CloudCall services in Australia, including a substantial new client win post period end

   --    New partnerships and/or integrations announced with Vincere, Zoho CRM and Informunity 

-- Net retention rate of 85% (H1 2019: 103%) impacted by COVID-19 losses and customer support schemes

   --    Executive management team significantly strengthened to execute the Group's growth strategy 

-- Resilient trading during the period has continued into H2, with performance since the end of the period in line with management expectations

* Recurring revenue is that related to contracted subscription-based products. Repeating revenue is related to pay-as-you-go telephony and SMS revenue which, whilst not directly contracted, has a high degree of visibility and predictability.

** Adjusted EBITDA represents earnings before interest, tax, depreciation, amortisation and share based payment expenses.

For further information, please contact:

 
 CloudCall Group plc                Tel: +44 (0)20 3587 7188 
  Simon Cleaver, Chief Executive 
  Officer 
  Paul Williams, Chief Financial 
  Officer 
 Canaccord Genuity Limited (Nomad   Tel: +44 (0)20 7523 8000 
  and Broker) 
  Simon Bridges 
  Richard Andrews 
 

The information contained within this announcement is deemed to constitute inside information as stipulated under the Market Abuse Regulation (EU) No 596/2014. Upon the publication of this announcement, this inside information is now considered to be in the public domain.

About CloudCall Group Plc

CloudCall is a software and unified communications business that has developed and provides a suite of cloud-based software and communications products and services. CloudCall's products and services are aimed at enabling organisations to leverage their customer data to enable more effective communications and improve performance.

The CloudCall suite of software products allows companies to fully integrate telephony, messaging and contact centre capabilities into their existing customer relationship management (CRM) software, enabling communications to be made, recorded, logged and categorised from within the CRM system with detailed activity reporting and powerful business intelligence capable of being easily generated.

At the end of June 2020, the Company had approximately 170 staff based predominantly in Leicester and London (UK), Boston (US), Minsk (BY) and Sydney (Australia) with approximately 44,000 end-users relying on CloudCall technology to power their daily communications.

Investor Meet Company webinar

The Company will be hosting a live investor presentation relating to the interim results via the Investor Meet Company platform on 23 September 2020 at 13:00 BST.

The Company is committed to ensuring that there are appropriate communication structures for all elements of its shareholder base so that its strategy, business model and performance are clearly understood.

   --    The online presentation is open to all existing and potential shareholders. 

-- Questions can be submitted pre-event via your IMC dashboard or any time during the live presentation via the "Ask a Question" function. Although the Company may not be in a position to answer every question it receives, it will address the most prominent within the confines of information already disclosed to the market. Responses to the Q&A from the live presentation will be published at the earliest opportunity on the Investor Meet Company platform.

-- Investor feedback can also be submitted directly to management post-event to ensure the Company can understand the views of all elements of its shareholder base.

Investors can sign up to Investor Meet Company for free and add to meet CloudCall Group Plc via: https://www.investormeetcompany.com/cloudcall-group-plc/register-investor

Investors who have already registered and added to meet the Company, will be automatically invited.

Chief Executive's review

Introduction and overview

The first half of 2020 has been a period of significant macroeconomic uncertainty and challenge, with the effects from the outbreak of COVID-19 and the resulting lockdown having a considerable impact on businesses operations and sales. In the face of these difficult circumstances, I have been hugely impressed by the resilience of both the Group and its customers and we are now witnessing a clear month-on-month recovery, particularly in the recruitment vertical, as many market participants look for strong communication solutions that help to improve remote worker productivity.

For the early part of H1 2020, trading was as expected but in April and May, with the onset of COVID-19 in the UK and the global lockdown, new customer signups and existing customer call and SMS volumes reduced significantly as businesses adjusted to the challenging economic conditions. Our account managers, onboarding and customer service teams did a superb job dealing with thousands of calls from customers seeking help with working from home, even though they were new to homeworking themselves.

Since May, as homeworking became more established, sales numbers have begun recovering and have steadily improved - largely driven by the recruitment sector. This upturn started with smaller businesses who tend to be more agile. Having managed to organise their staff's homeworking, many looked at their technology stack and realised they had limited tools available to train, assist or monitor the productivity of their newly disbursed workforces.

Whilst there are numerous communications platforms that facilitate remote working, CloudCall's platform is unique as it logs all activities within a company's CRM. It also has 'activity dashboards' that allow managers to visualise their staff's calls in real-time, seeing who's on the phone and to whom. Managers can simply click on any of these calls to listen in, or even 'whisper' training advice to the member of staff without the customer hearing.

This upturn in interest from smaller businesses, meant the Group signed a record 112 new customers in Q2.

By early June, the upturn had accelerated, and we began receiving enquiries from more sizeable organisations, including most of the large opportunities our sales teams were already working with before the pandemic started.

This decline and rebound is reflected in the communications traffic across the platform. In late-March, we saw the volume of call minutes and SMS dropping heavily in the UK as lockdown began, followed by the US in April. In May, metrics for both territories bottomed out and in June, we saw a strong recovery within both the UK and US with the US now back to pre-COVID-19 levels.

Whilst the broader impacts from COVID-19 for the rest of the year in the UK and US remain uncertain, the pandemic will undoubtedly have impacted this year's growth for CloudCall. However, I believe that the fundamentals remain very much intact, with modest growth still anticipated in FY20 despite these headwinds. As full or part-time homeworking becomes the norm, cloud-based communications will be a given and the integration of communications with CRM systems to provide more effective staff monitoring and to improve insight, productivity and the ability to train remote staff will increase exponentially in importance. Cloudcall's offering is already well ahead of many others in the market in terms of both the capabilities and services it can offer its customers and I believe the ongoing structural shifts in the way people work further plays to the Group's strengths.

Revenue, churn, net new users and retention rates

Total revenues for the six-month period were GBP5.8 million, an increase of 11% against H1 2019, with recurring revenue increasing by 20%, to GBP5.1m, when compared to the same period last year. The higher relative increase in recurring revenue compared to total revenue was due to lower non-recurring (NRR) and pay-as-you-go telephony revenues (call minutes and SMS) as a direct consequence of COVID-19 and the related global lockdowns. Both of which started to recover towards the end of the half.

In March and April 2020, as some customers began to furlough or lay-off staff, we received cancellations for some out of contract user accounts. We also received requests for financial relief from some customers who now had excess in contract user accounts. Each request was considered on its own merits and some customers were offered a short-term reduction in monthly fees for these unused accounts.

The reduction in new customer signups and their non-recurring set-up fees, combined with the above, meant that revenues did fall in April and May. However, revenue growth quickly recovered in June and has continued to gain momentum throughout July and August.

In a similar vein, contract cancellations and the reduction in new customer signups led to a fall in overall user numbers in April and May before net user growth recovered in June and July leading to an overall increase in user numbers for the period of 1,528. Since the period end, net new user number growth has accelerated with growth in August returning to pre-COVID levels.

Historically, net retention rates, expressed in recurring revenue terms, have run at over 100%. The temporary relief given to some customers has temporarily depressed this number to 85% for the period. However, net retention rates expressed in terms of the numbers of users - which in effect strips out the effects of the temporary relief schemes - stands at 96% and is probably a clearer and more accurate reflection of the actual renewal rate.

Cash

As a result of the successful fundraise in October 2019, the Group remains in a healthy financial position, with gross cash of GBP8.3m and a further GBP1.5m available to be drawn via the Group's existing debt facility with Shawbrook Bank.

As the COVID-19 events unfolded, the Group proactively sought to reduce its operating cash-burn through a series of actions including voluntary salary reductions. The management team will continue to monitor the situation throughout the remainder of the year, with a view to prudently increasing investment as the improving market conditions persist. However, should the macro environment worsen for any reason, the Group will be ready to take further cost actions as necessary.

Key developments:

Microsoft Teams (Teams) integration

In April this year, working with several customers, we started building an integration with Microsoft Teams. This integration allows customers to search, call and SMS their CRM contacts from within Teams and, as with all CloudCall's products, log all relevant activity within the CRM. Our 'Activity Dashboards' have also been replicated in Teams so managers can assist and monitor remote staff from within the Teams interface.

The recent shift in working practices means there are now over 75 million daily Teams users. Therefore, it's not surprising that most of our large prospects are already using Teams and are, encouragingly, very interested in our integration, to the point that a number are actively engaged in advising on the development and priority of specific features and functionality.

We believe, and Microsoft have confirmed, this approach to integrating Teams with CRMs platforms is unique. They are being supportive of our plans and have been assisting our development team, including holding a 3 day 'hackathon'. Phase one of the development is now complete and was released in beta form in late August to a select number of trial customers, ahead of an anticipated commercial launch in Q4 2020.

Additional CRMs

The Group's differentiation comes from its tight integrations with CRM platforms, and leads from partner CRMs have a higher close ratio. During the period, CloudCall has continued to increase its addressable market by partnering with additional CRMs.

Most recently, new partnerships or new integrations have been announced with Vincere, Zoho CRM and Informunity, a Bitrix24 Gold Partner, which provide access to customer bases with millions of users in diverse industries. These new partnerships, together with Microsoft Dynamics CRM and Salesforce.com provide ample opportunity for the company to scale outside of the staffing and recruitment sector. The Group will continue to develop further integrations in H2 2020 which will be announced as they go live.

Australia launch

In March this year, we announced the launch of our services in Australia, together with the opening of a regional sales office in Sydney. This office will provide a launchpad for the expansion of operations into the wider APAC region.

Being able to provide our services in the region significantly strengthens the Group's global footprint and leverages ongoing investment in its platform to service enterprise customers looking for a single global integrated communications provider. The Australian operation has already started to generate revenue for the Group with our first large contract win landing in August.

Market focus

The Group has accelerated its plans to add additional verticals, but the strategy is to open up more markets rather than to pivot away from the staffing and recruitment industry. Numerous commentators have been quick to write off staffing and recruitment as a sector which has been significantly impacted by COVID-19, however, this is not what we are seeing.

Staffing and recruitment firms are well known for being 'first in and first out of a recession' but the COVID-19 pandemic is not a classic recession. There are segments of the economy that are in trouble and are being forced to reduce their workforces, but there are also segments of the economy that are thriving and excited about the opportunity to recruit some of this newly available talent. High quality recruitment companies can thrive in this scenario.

Several recruitment CRM partners are reporting a similar shaped drop-off and recovery as CloudCall has seen. We have access to call volume data, but they have all the recruitment activity data including placements and new searches. The general view is the market was hit hard in the early part of the lockdown, particularly in UK permanent recruitment, but started to recover in May. Like the broader economy, there are winners and losers, but on balance, we believe that the market is back to about 80% of pre COVID-19 levels and continues to improve week-by-week.

They are also reporting that many recruitment agencies are using this time to refresh their technology stack, further illustrating CloudCall's strong opportunity and well-placed market positioning.

Internal strengthening

Since raising funds back in October 2019, the Group has invested significantly in building its' executive management team to bring the experience and skills necessary to execute the plans and fully capitalise on the opportunities for growth into the future. Since joining, James Maloney (CRO), Abigail Wilkinson (CPO) and Paul Clark (CTO) have hit the ground running, and despite having to work remotely from the offset, they have already made significant impacts and improvements to the Group's operations.

People

I would like to take this opportunity to thank our staff and partners for their hard work, during what has undoubtedly been a very challenging few months. I continue to be impressed by how our team have adapted to home working, and the continued high satisfaction ratings for our customer services teams proves that our customers also appreciate this.

Outlook

The Board believes COVID-19 will have long lasting effects on how businesses operate, where the staff are based and what they require from their communications provider. The influx of new customer sign-ups in June, July and August clearly signposts that location flexibility, productivity monitoring and improvement tools and data capture for improved decision making will become must-haves for technology stacks to support new ways of working.

CloudCall, with its call recordings, supervisor tools and expertise in syncing communications with third-party systems has a head start in this area. We're already well placed and have plans to further capitalise on this structural market shift which we look forward to detailing later this year.

The Group has already returned to monthly recurring revenue growth, and if market conditions continue to improve, the Board fully expects the Group to return to its previous levels of growth in due course. As a result of this, and assuming a continuation of the current trends, the Group is now confident that it can expect to deliver modest revenue growth for 2020, which will continue to build in 2021. However, with the continuing uncertainty surrounding the speed of any recovery and the possibility of a second wave of the virus, the Board feels it remains prudent to withhold guidance for 2021 at this stage.

Simon Cleaver

Chief Executive Officer

CloudCall Group plc

23 September 2020

Key performance indicators

 
 Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) 
 KPI                      Link to strategic goals                        6 months     6 months   Growth 
                                                                            to 30        to 30    vs H1 
                                                                         Jun 2020          Jun     2019 
                                                                                          2019 
                         -------------------------------------------  -----------  -----------  ------- 
                          Growth in revenues, and particularly 
                           recurring revenues, demonstrates 
                           effective and targeted new 
                           customer acquisition and greater 
                           upsell and retention within 
                           existing customers. Quality 
                           and focus within service delivery 
                           and customer support, drives 
                           more efficient implementation, 
                           reduces churn and better customer 
                           satisfaction, all of which 
 Revenue                   are revenue enhancing.                        GBP5.81m     GBP5.25m      11% 
                         -------------------------------------------  -----------  -----------  ------- 
                          High gross margins within the 
                           Group's operating units are 
                           indicative of focus on multiple 
                           drivers, including: 
                           - delivering higher value implementation 
                           services 
                           - an effective mix of pre-paid 
                           vs pay-as-you-go telephony 
                           - effective partner management 
                           - effective discount management 
                           - additional chargeable features 
                           and services and 
                           - better procurement from upstream 
 Gross Margin              telecoms partners.                               80.2%        77.6%       3% 
                         -------------------------------------------  -----------  -----------  ------- 
                          Operating losses reduce as 
 Loss from                 revenue growth exceeds the 
  operating                operating cost increases needed 
  activities               to sustain that growth. However, 
  before depreciation,     periods of high investment 
  amortisation             can lead to increasing operating 
  and share-based          losses as costs are incurred 
  payment charges          in pursuit of growth.                       (GBP1.69m)   (GBP1.24m)    (37%) 
                         -------------------------------------------  -----------  -----------  ------- 
                          Losses and ultimately profits 
                           are reflective of policies 
                           focused on revenue growth, 
                           cost of sales efficiencies 
                           and operating expenditure containment. 
                           Depreciation, amortisation, 
                           financing costs, taxation and 
                           other one-time non-operating 
 Net Loss                  costs will also impact bottom-line 
  after Tax                profitability.                              (GBP2.14m)   (GBP1.55m)    (38%) 
                         -------------------------------------------  -----------  -----------  ------- 
 
 
 KPIs (continued) 
 KPI                  Link to strategic goals                         6 months     6 months    Growth 
                                                                         to 30        to 30     vs H1 
                                                                      Jun 2020          Jun      2019 
                                                                                       2019 
                     --------------------------------------------  -----------  -----------  -------- 
                      In maturing pre-profit SaaS businesses, 
                       cash outflows from operating activities, 
                       (sometimes referred to as cash 
                       burn) reduce as revenues outgrow 
                       operating costs. SaaS companies 
                       tend to see new customer acquisitions 
                       increase cash burn in the short-term 
                       as most customer acquisition costs 
                       are incurred before a new customer 
                       is implemented. Once implemented 
                       and billing, a customer will generate 
                       cash monthly, usually recovering 
                       the initial outflow in a 7-10-month 
                       period. Focus on maximising professional 
                       services income, delivery efficiencies 
                       and billing and credit management 
                       tools helps to reduce operating 
                       cash outflows and shorten working 
                       capital cycles. It should be noted 
 Net Cash              that periods of investment to 
  Absorbed             facilitate further growth will 
  by Operating         temporarily increase cash burn 
  Activities           in the short term.                           (GBP1.33m)   (GBP1.24m)      (7%) 
                     --------------------------------------------  -----------  -----------  -------- 
 Cash and             The Group needs to ensure that                  GBP8.32m     GBP0.82m   GBP7.5m 
  Cash Equivalents     it has sufficient cash reserves 
                       to support its operations through 
                       to break-even at which point it 
                       becomes cash generative and self-funding. 
                       Cash balances need to be considered 
                       in the context of any debt that 
                       may mature during the fiscal period. 
                     --------------------------------------------  -----------  -----------  -------- 
                      User counts are taken at the point 
                       an order is signed, and growth 
                       is indicative of both strong sales 
                       activity into larger new clients, 
                       as well as successful customer 
 No of End             account management driving uplifts 
  Users                from the current customer base.                  43,815       36,936       19% 
                     --------------------------------------------  -----------  -----------  -------- 
                      Strength in new product / feature 
                       development and successful upselling 
                       from within the existing customer 
                       base and to new customers will 
                       drive growth in RRPU, however, 
                       this will be naturally diluted 
                       as larger customers negotiate 
                       better pricing arrangements, and 
                       geographic expansion into the 
                       US will also dilute as VOIP costs 
                       per user are typically lower in 
 Monthly               a more mature market. RRPU in 
  Recurring            H1 2020 was adversely impacted 
  Revenue              by the onset of COVID-19 as some 
  Per User             customers were offered a short-term 
  (RRPU)               reduction in monthly fees.                     GBP25.98     GBP27.40      (5%) 
                     --------------------------------------------  -----------  -----------  -------- 
 
 
 KPIs (continued) 
 KPI              Link to strategic goals                        6 months   6 months   Growth 
                                                                    to 30      to 30    vs H1 
                                                                 Jun 2020        Jun     2019 
                                                                                2019 
                 --------------------------------------------  ----------  ---------  ------- 
                  Net new user growth provides an 
                   indication of sales performance 
                   from both new business and existing 
                   customer accounts, plus reduced 
                   user losses through better retention 
                   and churn management. The onset 
                   of COVID-19 significantly impacted 
                   the Group's ability to obtain 
                   new users in H1 2020 with user 
                   numbers falling in April and May. 
                   However, since May, net new user 
 Avg. New          number growth has quickly recovered 
  Users per        with growth in August returning 
  Month            to pre-COVID levels.                               255        932    (73%) 
                 --------------------------------------------  ----------  ---------  ------- 
                  Increasing average users per customer 
                   shows clearly the impact of the 
                   strategy to increase the average 
                   size of our customers by actively 
                   driving the growth of the customer 
                   base towards larger companies, 
                   offering greater economies of 
                   scale and reduced churn, resulting 
                   in enhanced margins and cost efficiencies 
 Avg. Users        as well as greater opportunities 
  Per Customer     for expansion of revenues.                        32.1       30.5       5% 
                 --------------------------------------------  ----------  ---------  ------- 
 

Key Performance Indicators - Note

The board considers the key performance indicators (KPIs) identified above as key to understanding the performance of the business and reports these KPIs externally as part of its half yearly updates. When calculating its KPIs, the Group considers the receipt of a signed order for a minimum 12-month subscription as a "sale".

Financial review

Revenue

Revenues grew by 11% from GBP5.2m to GBP5.8m in H1 2020

Recurring revenues from subscription-based services grew 20% in H1 2020 compared to the same period last year. The higher relative increase in recurring revenue compared to total revenue was due to lower non-recurring revenue (NRR) and pay-as-you-go telephony revenues (call minutes and SMS) as a direct consequence of COVID-19 and the related global lockdowns. These revenue streams started to recover towards the end of the half with this recovery continuing into July and August. During the period US operations continued to grow strongly generating 42% of the Group's global recurring revenue.

Overall, recurring revenue per user ("RRPU") has reduced by 5% to GBP25.98 compared to the prior period. RRPU has been adversely impacted by the onset of COVID-19 as some customers were offered a short-term reduction in monthly fees. Prior to the onset of COVID-19, RRPU was averaging over GBP28 per month and thus is expected to rebound strongly as customer support is curtailed.

Over the full six-month period, monthly net user growth averaged 245, taking the total number of users to 43,815 (an increase of 19% against H1 2019). The onset of COVID-19 significantly impacted the Group's ability to obtain new users in H1 2020, however, since May, sales numbers have recovered with record new customer sign-ups in Q2. This recovery has been driven predominantly by smaller businesses, however, the group is now receiving enquiries from more sizeable organisations, including most of the large opportunities our sales teams were already working with before the pandemic started.

Gross margin

Gross margin increased from 77.6% for the corresponding period in 2019 to 80.2% in H1 2020

Gross margin increased in H1 2020 mainly due to the higher relative increase in recurring revenue compared to non-recurring revenue streams. Non-recurring revenue from hardware reselling continues to be highly competitive and thus attracts lower margins.

Operating costs (excluding depreciation, amortisation and share-based payments)

Operating costs grew from GBP5.3m in H1 2019 to GBP6.4m in H1 2020

Growth in operating costs of 20% compared to the same period last year is to be viewed in the context of increased investment in sales, marketing, product development and a bolstering of the executive management team. Whilst cost cutting measures were implemented in April as a direct result of COVID-19, the Group entered 2020 with a higher cost base and further planned investment took place in Q1 to support future growth. From the successful fundraise in late 2019, it was clearly signalled that fresh investment would lead to greater operating expenditure and hence widen losses in the short-term as this investment takes time to flow through to increased revenue.

Operating costs for the period can be further analysed as follows:

 
                               Six months ended          Six months ended 
                             30 June 2020 (GBP'000)    30 June 2019 (GBP'000) 
 Sales & marketing 
  expenses                           1,754                     1,509 
                           ------------------------  ------------------------ 
 Administrative expenses             3,641                     3,135 
                           ------------------------  ------------------------ 
 Research & development 
  expenses*                           957                       668 
                           ------------------------  ------------------------ 
 Total                               6,352                     5,312 
                           ------------------------  ------------------------ 
 

Whilst operating costs have increased during the period, it should be noted that planned spend has been offset by the receipt of COVID related government support within both the UK and US. The Group utilised the UK government furlough scheme with 11 employees furloughed in March and $431k of grant funding was received from the US treasury via the Paycheck Protection Program in May. This support funding has been offset against salary costs during the period. All furloughed employees have now returned to work.

*Research and development expenditure is shown in the financial statements net of the amount qualifying for re-classification to the balance sheet under IAS 38 (Capitalisation of Software Development Costs). In H1 2020 this amounted to GBP750k (H1 2019: GBP700k).

Losses from operating activities before depreciation, amortisation and share-based payments were (GBP1.69m), up 37% from (GBP1.24m) in H1 2019.

Research and development costs

Development costs capitalised in H1 2020 GBP0.75m (H1 2019: GBP0.7m)

The Group is committed to developing relevant new products, services and features to ensure that current and future customers can benefit from an exceptional value-adding experience. To that end, the Group continues to invest in product development and continued to adopt the accounting treatment set out in IAS 38 (Intangible Assets) for the ongoing capitalisation of research and development costs through H1 2020. Further to the adoption of IAS 38, the Group confirms that, as a result of new products coming into service since the adoption of the policy, IAS 38 related amortisation charged in H1 2020 was GBP240k (H1 2019: GBP95k).

Debt and financing expenses

The Group had outstanding debt as at 30 June 2020 of GBP3m (H1 2019: GBP1.6m) and a net financing expense of GBP114k (H1 2019: GBP112k).

The Group's credit facility with Shawbrook Bank was opened on 9 September 2019 with GBP1m of debt currently drawn down and a further GBP1.5m available. Interest is charged at 9% plus the higher of either LIBOR or 0.5% per annum.

Other borrowings constitute the Group's lease liabilities accounted for in accordance with IFRS 16. Lease additions during the period resulted in the recognition of a lease liability of GBP775k and a right of use asset of GBP835k.

Cash and working capital

The Group had GBP8.3m cash at the end of the period (H1 2019: GBP0.8m).

The Group's balance sheet includes an R&D tax credit receivable of GBP0.45m (H1 2019: GBP0.92m) with GBP0.81m received from HMRC during the period (H1 2019: GBPnil).

Share capital

Total issued share capital at the period-end comprised 38,768,429 ordinary shares of 20 pence each.

During the half year period, the Company received new capital amounting to GBP10k in relation to exercised share options, resulting in the issue of 12,590 ordinary shares.

Earnings per share and dividends

Loss per share for the half year period was 5.5 pence (H1 2019: 5.9 pence).

Going concern

Whilst the current trading environment is difficult to forecast given the continuing impact of COVID-19 and the uncertainty surrounding future lockdowns or restrictions, the Directors confirm that, based on current trading performance and projections, they have a reasonable expectation that the Group has adequate resources to continue in operational existence for the foreseeable future. For this reason, they continue to adopt the going concern basis in preparing the financial statements. Please see Note 2 on page 20 for further details.

By order of the board

 
 
    Simon Cleaver                Paul Williams 
    Chief Executive Officer      Chief Financial Officer 
 

Consolidated Statement of Comprehensive Income

For the 6 months ended 30 June 2020

 
                                                    Unaudited       Unaudited               Audited 
                                                   Six months      Six months            Year ended 
                                                     ended 30        ended 30           31 December 
                                                    June 2020       June 2019                  2019 
                                       Notes           GBP000          GBP000                GBP000 
 
 
 Revenue                                                5,807           5,245                11,396 
 Cost of sales                                        (1,149)         (1,173)               (2,406) 
                                              ---------------  --------------  -------------------- 
 Gross profit                                           4,658           4,072                 8,990 
 Operating costs                                      (6,352)         (5,312)              (11,146) 
                                              ---------------  --------------  -------------------- 
 Loss from operating activities 
  before depreciation, amortisation 
  and share-based payment 
  charges                                             (1,694)         (1,240)               (2,156) 
 Depreciation and amortisation                          (671)           (366)                 (930) 
 Share-based payment charges                            (161)           (116)                 (171) 
 Exceptional items                                          -               -                 (145) 
                                              ---------------  --------------  -------------------- 
 Operating loss                                       (2,526)         (1,722)               (3,402) 
 Financing expense                                      (114)           (112)                 (274) 
                                              ---------------  --------------  -------------------- 
 Loss before tax                                      (2,640)         (1,834)               (3,676) 
 Taxation                                3                497             280                   731 
                                              ---------------  --------------  -------------------- 
 Loss for the year attributable 
  to owners of the parent                             (2,143)         (1,554)               (2,945) 
 
 Other comprehensive income 
 Exchange differences on 
  translation of foreign 
  operations                                             (65)             (5)                  (65) 
 
 Other comprehensive income                              (65)             (5)                  (65) 
 
 Total comprehensive income 
  for the year attributable 
  to owners of the parent                             (2,208)         (1,559)               (2,880) 
                                              ---------------  --------------  -------------------- 
 
 Loss per share                          5              Pence           Pence                 Pence 
 Basic and fully diluted 
  loss per share                                        (5.5)           (5.9)                (10.3) 
------------------------------------  ------  ---------------  --------------  -------------------- 
 

Consolidated Statement of Financial Position

At 30 June 2020

 
                                            Unaudited    Unaudited        Audited 
                                           Six months   Six months     Year ended 
                                             ended 30        ended    31 December 
                                            June 2020      30 June           2019 
                                                              2019 
                                   Notes       GBP000       GBP000         GBP000 
  Non-current assets 
  Property, plant and equipment                 2,776        1,959          1,854 
  Goodwill                            4           339          339            339 
  Other intangible assets             4         3,502        2,502          2,992 
                                          -----------  -----------  ------------- 
                                                6,617        4,800          5,185 
  Current assets 
  Inventories                                       -            5              - 
  Trade and other receivables                   2,847        1,361          2,760 
  Research and development 
   tax 
   credit receivable                              450          921            760 
  Cash and cash equivalents                     8,319          823         11,101 
                                          -----------  -----------  ------------- 
                                               11,616        3,110         14,621 
  Total assets                                 18,233        7,910         19,806 
                                          -----------  -----------  ------------- 
 
  Current liabilities 
  Borrowings                                    (642)        (335)          (517) 
  Trade and other payables                    (1,980)      (1,119)        (2,162) 
                                          -----------  -----------  ------------- 
                                              (2,622)      (1,454)        (2,679) 
  Non-current liabilities 
  Borrowings                                  (2,383)      (1,225)        (1,862) 
 
  Total liabilities                           (5,005)      (2,679)        (4,541) 
                                          -----------  -----------  ------------- 
 
  Net assets                                   13,228        5,231         15,265 
                                          -----------  -----------  ------------- 
 
  Equity attributable to 
   shareholders 
  Share capital                                 7,754        5,326          7,751 
  Share premium                                77,092       68,174         77,085 
  Translation reserve                            (27)         (32)             38 
  Warrant reserve                                  29           29             29 
  Retained earnings                          (71,620)     (68,266)       (69,638) 
 
  Total equity attributable 
   to shareholders                             13,228        5,231         15,265 
                                          -----------  -----------  ------------- 
 

Consolidated Statement of Changes in Equity

For the six months ended 30 June 2020

 
                                 Share      Share    Translation    Warrant    Retained       Total equity 
                               capital    premium        reserve    reserve    earnings       attributable 
                                          account                                          to shareholders 
                                GBP000     GBP000         GBP000     GBP000      GBP000             GBP000 
 Balance at 1 January 2019       4,836     66,384           (27)         29    (66,828)              4,394 
 Loss for the period                 -          -              -          -     (1,554)            (1,554) 
 Other comprehensive 
 income: 
   Exchange differences on 
    translation 
    of foreign operations            -          -            (5)          -           -                (5) 
                             ---------  ---------  -------------  ---------  ----------  ----------------- 
 Total comprehensive income 
  for the 
  period                             -          -            (5)          -     (1,554)            (1,559) 
 Transactions with owners 
 recognised 
 in equity: 
   Equity settled 
    share-based payments             -          -              -          -         116                116 
   Issue of equity shares          490      1,942              -          -           -              2,432 
   Issue costs of equity 
    shares                           -      (152)              -          -           -              (152) 
 Total transactions with 
  owners recognised 
  in equity                        490      1,790              -          -         116              2,396 
 
 Balance at 30 June 2019         5,326     68,174           (32)         29    (68,266)              5,231 
                             ---------  ---------  -------------  ---------  ----------  ----------------- 
 
 
 
                                  Share      Share   Translation    Warrant    Retained       Total equity 
                                capital    premium       reserve    reserve    earnings       attributable 
                                           account                                         to shareholders 
                                 GBP000     GBP000        GBP000     GBP000      GBP000             GBP000 
 Balance at 1 July 2019           5,326     68,174          (32)         29    (68,266)              5,231 
 Loss for the period                  -          -             -          -     (1,427)            (1,427) 
 Other comprehensive 
 income: 
   Exchange differences on 
    translation 
    of foreign operations             -          -            70          -           -                 70 
                              ---------  ---------  ------------  ---------  ----------  ----------------- 
 Total comprehensive income 
  for the 
  period                              -          -            70          -     (1,427)            (1,357) 
 Transactions with owners 
 recognised 
 in equity: 
   Equity settled 
    share-based payments              -          -             -          -          55                 55 
   Issue of equity shares         2,425      9,693             -          -           -             12,118 
   Issue costs of equity 
    shares                            -      (782)             -          -           -              (782) 
                              ---------  ---------  ------------  ---------  ----------  ----------------- 
 Total transactions with 
  owners recognised 
  in equity                       2,425      8,911             -          -          55             11,391 
 
 Balance at 31 December 2019      7,751     77,085            38         29    (69,638)             15,265 
                              ---------  ---------  ------------  ---------  ----------  ----------------- 
 
 
                                  Share      Share   Translation    Warrant    Retained       Total equity 
                                capital    premium       reserve    reserve    earnings       attributable 
                                           account                                         to shareholders 
                                 GBP000     GBP000        GBP000     GBP000      GBP000             GBP000 
 Balance at 1 January 2020        7,751     77,085            38         29    (69,638)             15,265 
 Loss for the period                  -          -             -          -     (2,143)            (2,143) 
 Other comprehensive 
 income: 
   Exchange differences on 
    translation 
    of foreign operations             -          -          (65)          -           -               (65) 
                              ---------  ---------  ------------  ---------  ----------  ----------------- 
 Total comprehensive income 
  for the 
  period                              -          -          (65)          -     (2,143)            (2,208) 
 Transactions with owners 
 recognised 
 in equity: 
   Equity settled 
    share-based payments              -          -             -          -         161                161 
   Issue of equity shares             3          7             -          -           -                 10 
   Issue costs of equity 
   shares                             -          -             -          -           -                  - 
 Total transactions with 
  owners recognised 
  in equity                           3          7             -          -         161                171 
 
 Balance at 30 June 2020          7,754     77,092          (27)         29    (71,620)             13,228 
                              ---------  ---------  ------------  ---------  ----------  ----------------- 
 

Consolidated Cash Flow Statement

For the 6 months ended 30 June 2020

 
                                           Unaudited    Unaudited        Audited 
                                          Six months   Six months     Year ended 
                                            ended 30     ended 30    31 December 
                                           June 2020    June 2019           2019 
                                              GBP000       GBP000         GBP000 
 
 Cash flows from operating 
  activities 
 Loss after tax for the period               (2,143)      (1,554)        (2,945) 
 Adjustments for: 
 Depreciation and amortisation                   671          366            930 
 Unrealised currency translation 
  (gains)/losses                               (191)          (5)             92 
 Financial expenses                              114          112            274 
 Equity settled share-based 
  payment expenses                               161          116            171 
 Taxation                                      (497)        (280)          (731) 
 
 Operating loss before changes 
  in working capital and provisions          (1,885)      (1,245)        (2,209) 
 Decrease/(increase) in trade 
  and other receivables                           41          496          (903) 
 Increase in inventory                             -          (5)              - 
 Increase/(decrease) in trade 
  and other payables                           (289)        (482)            591 
 
 Cash absorbed by operations                 (2,133)      (1,236)        (2,521) 
 Tax received                                    807            -            611 
 
 Net cash absorbed by operating 
  activities                                 (1,326)      (1,236)        (1,910) 
 
 Cash flows from investing 
  activities 
 Acquisition of property, 
  plant and equipment                          (474)        (203)          (449) 
 Development expenditure capitalised           (750)        (700)        (1,433) 
 
 Net cash absorbed by investing 
  activities                                 (1,224)        (903)        (1,882) 
 
 Cash flows from financing 
  activities 
 Repayment of lease liability                  (266)        (198)          (439) 
 Net interest paid                              (36)         (47)          (150) 
 Net proceeds from the issue 
  of share capital                                10        2,280         13,616 
 Proceeds from new loans                         109            -          1,500 
 Repayment of loans                             (80)            -          (527) 
 
 Net cash (absorbed by)/from 
  financing activities                         (263)        2,035         14,000 
 
 Net (decrease)/increase in 
  cash and cash equivalents                  (2,813)        (104)         10,208 
 Cash and cash equivalents 
  at start of period                          11,101          927            927 
 Effect of exchange rate fluctuations 
  on cash held                                    31            -           (34) 
 
 Cash and cash equivalents 
  at end of period                             8,319          823         11,101 
                                         -----------  -----------  ------------- 
 

Consolidated Movement in Net Cash/(Debt)

For the 6 months ended 30 June 2020

 
 
                                                                                 Lease      Exchange and 
                                                  Interest on lease        liabilities    other non-cash  At 30 June 
                    At 1 January 2019  Cash flow        liabilities          taken out         movements        2019 
Group                         GBP'000    GBP'000            GBP'000            GBP'000           GBP'000     GBP'000 
-----------------   -----------------  ---------  -----------------  -----------------  ----------------  ---------- 
Cash and cash 
 equivalents                      927      (104)                  -                  -                 -         823 
Bank loans                          -          -                  -                  -                 -           - 
Lease liabilities             (1,597)        198               (65)              (124)                28     (1,560) 
------------------  -----------------  ---------  -----------------  -----------------  ----------------  ---------- 
Net (debt)/cash at 
 end of period                  (670)         94               (65)              (124)                28       (737) 
------------------  -----------------  ---------  -----------------  -----------------  ----------------  ---------- 
 
 
 
                                                                          Lease      Exchange and 
                    At 30 June             Interest on lease        liabilities    other non-cash     At 31 December 
                          2019  Cash flow        liabilities          taken out         movements               2019 
Group                  GBP'000    GBP'000            GBP'000            GBP'000           GBP'000            GBP'000 
-----------------   ----------  ---------  -----------------  -----------------  ----------------  ----------------- 
Cash and cash 
 equivalents               823     10,312                  -                  -              (34)             11,101 
Bank loans                   -      (973)                  -                  -                 -              (973) 
Lease liabilities      (1,560)        241               (59)                  -              (28)            (1,406) 
------------------  ----------  ---------  -----------------  -----------------  ----------------  ----------------- 
Net cash/(debt) at 
 end of period           (737)      9,580               (59)                  -              (62)              8,722 
------------------  ----------  ---------  -----------------  -----------------  ----------------  ----------------- 
 
 
 
                                                                                 Lease      Exchange and 
                                                  Interest on lease        liabilities    other non-cash  At 30 June 
                    At 1 January 2020  Cash flow        liabilities          taken out         movements        2020 
Group                         GBP'000    GBP'000            GBP'000            GBP'000           GBP'000     GBP'000 
-----------------   -----------------  ---------  -----------------  -----------------  ----------------  ---------- 
Cash and cash 
 equivalents                   11,101    (2,813)                  -                  -                31       8,319 
Bank loans                      (973)       (30)                  -                  -                 -     (1,003) 
Lease liabilities             (1,406)      (509)               (78)                  -              (29)     (2,022) 
------------------  -----------------  ---------  -----------------  -----------------  ----------------  ---------- 
Net cash/(debt) at 
 end of period                  8,722    (3,352)               (78)                  -                 2       5,294 
------------------  -----------------  ---------  -----------------  -----------------  ----------------  ---------- 
 

Notes to the Financial Statement

   1.       Accounting policies and basis for preparation 

The condensed consolidated interim financial information for the six months ended 30 June 2020 has been prepared in accordance with the presentation, recognition and measurement requirements of applicable International Financial Reporting Standards adopted by the European Union ('IFRS') except that the Group has not applied IAS 34, Interim Financial Reporting, which is not mandatory for UK Groups listed on AIM.

The financial information does not include all of the information required for full annual financial statements and should be read in conjunction with the financial statements of the Group for the year ended 31 December 2019 which are prepared in accordance with International Financial Reporting Standards and International Reporting Interpretations Committee pronouncements as adopted by the European Union.

The accounting policies applied in the condensed consolidated interim financial information for the six months ended 30 June 2020 are the same as those applied in the Group's consolidated financial statements as at and for the year ended 31 December 2019.

The Group's 2019 annual report provides full details of significant judgements and estimates used in the application of the Group's accounting policies. There have been no significant changes to these judgements and estimates during the period.

The financial information included in this document is unaudited and does not comprise statutory accounts within the meaning of section 434 of the Companies Act 2006. The comparative figures for the financial year ended 31 December 2019 are the Group's statutory accounts for that financial year. Those accounts have been reported on by the company's auditor and delivered to the registrar of companies. The report of the auditor was (i) unqualified, (ii) did not include a reference to matters to which the auditor drew attention by way of emphasis without qualifying their report, and (iii) did not contain a statement under section 498 (2) or (3) of the Companies Act 2006.

   2.       Going concern 

The Group made a loss of GBP2,143k in the six months ended 30 June 2020 and, as at 30 June 2020, had cash reserves of GBP8,319k.

The effects of the coronavirus pandemic are being felt on a global scale with governments facing unprecedented challenges and taking the necessary counter measures to combat the spread of infection.

When the scale of the pandemic became clear, the Group implemented a number of cost cutting measures. Cost reductions were focused on both staff and non-staff costs with the Group making use of the UK government's furlough scheme and the US government's Payment Protection Program. These actions have extended the life of existing cash resources whilst still allowing the Group to maintain those investments that will enable it to resume its' strategic growth plans. The management team will continue to monitor the situation with a view to prudently increasing investment as the improving market conditions persist. However, should the macro environment worsen for any reason, the Group will be ready to take further cost actions.

The Directors have prepared detailed cashflow projections covering the period up to December 2022. Such forward looking projections are inevitably subjective and sensitive to changes in the underlying assumptions and the Directors have sensitised these projections accordingly, in particular to factor in a delay in the growth of revenue. These projections indicate that, based on the assumptions underlying the projections, sufficient resources will be available to settle liabilities as they fall due for a period of at least 12 months from the date of releasing this interim financial information.

Whilst acknowledging the uncertain economic environment caused by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the Directors remain confident in their assertion that the current trajectory of the Group's recurring revenue streams, the nature of the product portfolio being conducive to home based working and the strong cash position of GBP8.3m are key factors in demonstrating that the Group has the necessary means to execute its strategy and meet its financial commitments. In addition, the Group will utilise the remaining GBP1.5m credit facility with Shawbrook Bank to bolster cash reserves in the short to medium-term.

For these reasons, the Directors have adopted the going concern basis in preparing the annual financial statements.

   3.       Taxation 

Recognised in the Consolidated Statement of Comprehensive Income

 
                                            Unaudited    Unaudited       Audited 
                                           Six months   Six months    Year ended 
                                                ended        ended   31 December 
                                              30 June      30 June          2019 
                                                 2020         2019        GBP000 
                                               GBP000       GBP000 
 
 Current income tax 
 Overseas income tax charge 
  for the current year                            (4)            -          (10) 
 Current year research and development 
  tax credit                                      450          299           760 
 Adjustments in respect of prior 
  periods                                          51         (19)          (19) 
                                          -----------  -----------  ------------ 
                                                  497          280           731 
 
 Total tax credit recognised 
  in the current period                           497          280           731 
                                          -----------  -----------  ------------ 
 
   4.       Intangible assets 
 
                          Goodwill         Patents   Acquired       Software     Total 
                                      & trademarks        IPR    development 
                                                                       costs 
                           GBP'000         GBP'000    GBP'000        GBP'000   GBP'000 
 Cost 
 Balance at 1 January 
  2019                         339              12      1,448          2,208     4,007 
 Internally developed            -               -          -            700       700 
                         ---------  --------------  ---------  -------------  -------- 
 Balance at 30 
  June 2019                    339              12      1,448          2,908     4,707 
 Internally developed            -               -          -            733       733 
                         ---------  --------------  ---------  -------------  -------- 
 Balance at 31 
  December 2019                339              12      1,448          3,641     5,440 
 Internally developed            -               -          -            750       750 
 Balance at 30 
  June 2020                    339              12      1,448          4,391     6,190 
                         ---------  --------------  ---------  -------------  -------- 
 
 Amortisation 
 Balance at 1 January 
  2019                           -            (12)    (1,448)          (311)   (1,771) 
 Amortisation for 
  the period                     -               -          -           (95)      (95) 
                         ---------  --------------  ---------  -------------  -------- 
 Balance at 30 
  June 2019                      -            (12)    (1,448)          (406)   (1,866) 
 Amortisation for 
  the period                     -               -          -          (243)     (243) 
                         ---------  --------------  ---------  -------------  -------- 
 Balance at 31 
  December 2019                  -            (12)    (1,448)          (649)   (2,109) 
 Amortisation for 
  the period                     -               -          -          (240)     (240) 
 Balance at 30 
  June 2020                      -            (12)    (1,448)          (889)   (2,349) 
                         ---------  --------------  ---------  -------------  -------- 
 
 Net Book Value 
 At 30 June 2019               339               -          -          2,502     2,841 
                         ---------  --------------  ---------  -------------  -------- 
 At 31 December 
  2019                         339               -          -          2,992     3,331 
                         ---------  --------------  ---------  -------------  -------- 
 At 30 June 2020               339               -          -          3,502     3,841 
                         ---------  --------------  ---------  -------------  -------- 
 
   5.       Loss per share 
 
                                          Unaudited        Unaudited           Audited 
                                         Six months       Six months        Year ended 
                                              ended            ended       31 December 
                                            30 June          30 June              2019 
                                               2020             2019 
                                              000's            000's             000's 
 
 Issued ordinary shares at start 
  of period                                  38,756           24,181            24,181 
 
 Shares issued for cash                          12            1,951             4,451 
 
 Weighted average number of 
  ordinary shares                            38,768           26,132            28,632 
                                        -----------      -----------      ------------ 
 
                                             GBP000           GBP000            GBP000 
 
 Loss attributable to ordinary 
  shareholders (GBP000)                     (2,143)          (1,554)           (2,945) 
 
                                              Pence            Pence             Pence 
 Loss per share 
 
 Basic and fully diluted loss 
  per share                                   (5.5)            (5.9)            (10.3) 
 

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