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SAFE Safestore Holdings Plc

753.00
1.50 (0.20%)
Last Updated: 16:18:32
Delayed by 15 minutes
Share Name Share Symbol Market Type Share ISIN Share Description
Safestore Holdings Plc LSE:SAFE London Ordinary Share GB00B1N7Z094 ORD 1P
  Price Change % Change Share Price Bid Price Offer Price High Price Low Price Open Price Shares Traded Last Trade
  1.50 0.20% 753.00 752.00 753.00 760.00 743.50 760.00 57,358 16:18:32
Industry Sector Turnover Profit EPS - Basic PE Ratio Market Cap
General Warehousing, Storage 224.2M 200.2M 0.9179 8.20 1.64B

Safestore Holdings plc Annual Report and Accounts and AGM documents (2221O)

05/02/2021 5:30pm

UK Regulatory


Safestore (LSE:SAFE)
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TIDMSAFE

RNS Number : 2221O

Safestore Holdings plc

05 February 2021

Safestore Holdings plc

Annual Report and Accounts and AGM documents

5 February 2021

Safestore Holdings plc ("the Company" or "the Group") Publication of Annual Report and Accounts 2020, Notice of 2021 Annual General Meeting and Proxy Voting Arrangements

Safestore Holdings plc ("the Company") announces, in accordance with Listing Rules 9.6.1 and 9.6.3, that copies of the Annual Report and Accounts 2020, Notice of 2021 Annual General Meeting have been submitted to the Financial Conduct Authority and will shortly be available for inspection on the national storage mechanism at https://data.fca.org.uk/#/nsm/nationalstoragemechanism .

These documents have been posted to those shareholders who have elected to receive hard copy communications or have otherwise been made available to shareholders today.

The Company's 2021 Annual General Meeting will be held at Brittanic House, Stirling Way, Borehamwood, Hertfordshire WD6 2BT at 12 noon on Wednesday, 17 March 2021. Full details of the proposed resolutions are set out in the Notice of Meeting.

The Annual Report and Accounts for the year ended 31 October 2020 is now available for download from the Company's website at:

https://www.safestore.co.uk/corporate/investors/report - and - presentations/

The Notice of 2021 Annual General Meeting is also available for download from the Group's website at:

https://www.safestore.co.uk/corporate/investors/report - and - presentations/

All shareholders are encouraged to complete and submit a proxy appointment online by using our electronic proxy appointment service offered by our Registrar, Link Group, at www.signalshares.com . All votes must be received by 12 noon on 15 March 2021.

Shareholders unable to locate any of the documents on the web page, need help with voting online or require a paper proxy form, please contact our Registrar, Link Group by email to enquiries@linkgroup.co.uk or you may call Link on +44 (0)371 664 0391. Calls are charged at the standard geographic rate and will vary by provider. Calls outside the United Kingdom will be charged at the applicable international rate. Lines are open between 9.00am and 5.30pm Monday to Friday, excluding public holidays in England and Wales.

The information included in the appendix to this announcement has been extracted from the Annual Report and is reproduced here solely for the purpose of complying with Disclosure Guidance and Transparency Rule ("DTR") 6.3.5 on respect of how to make annual financial reports available to the public.

The content of this announcement, including the appendix, should be read in conjunction with the preliminary announcement of annual results, released on 14 January 2021, which is available on the Company's website at:

https://www.safestore.co.uk/corporate/investors/report-and-presentations/

Together these announcements constitute the material required by DTR 6.3.5 to be communicated in full unedited text through a Regulatory Information Service. This material is not a substitute for reading the full Annual Report. Defined terms used in the appendix refer to terms as defined in the Annual Report. Page numbers in the appendix refer to pages in the Annual Report.

For further information, please contact:

Safestore Holdings plc

   Helen Bramall, Company Secretary                                               Tel: 020 8732 1500 

LEI Code : 213800WGA3YSJC1YOH73

Appendix

Statement of Directors' responsibilities

Page 99 of the Annual Report contains the following statement regarding responsibility for the financial statements and the management report included in the Annual Report.

The Directors, who are named on pages 60 and 61, are responsible for preparing the Annual Report and Financial Statements in accordance with applicable law and regulation.

Company law requires the Directors to prepare such financial statements for each financial year. Under that law the Directors are required to prepare the Group financial statements in accordance with International Financial Reporting Standards ("IFRS") as adopted by the European Union and Article 4 of the IAS Regulation and have also chosen to prepare the parent company financial statements in accordance with Financial Reporting Standard 101 'Reduced Disclosure Framework'. Under company law the Directors must not approve the financial statements unless they are satisfied that they give a true and fair view of the state of affairs of the Group and the parent company and of the profit or loss of the Group for that period.

In preparing the parent company financial statements, the Directors are required to:

   --      select suitable accounting policies and then apply them consistently; 
   --      make judgements and accounting estimates that are reasonable and prudent; 

-- state whether Financial Reporting Standard 101 'Reduced Disclosure Framework' has been followed, subject to any material departures disclosed and explained in the financial statements; and

-- prepare the financial statements on the going concern basis unless it is inappropriate to presume that the Company will continue in business.

In preparing the Group financial statements, International Accounting Standard 1 requires that Directors:

   --     properly select and apply accounting policies; 

-- present information, including accounting policies, in a manner that provides relevant, reliable, comparable and understandable information;

-- provide additional disclosures when compliance with the specific requirements in IFRS is insufficient to enable users to understand the impact of particular transactions, other events and conditions on the entity's financial position and financial performance; and

   --     make an assessment of the Group's ability to continue as a going concern. 

The Directors are responsible for keeping adequate accounting records that are sufficient to show and explain the Group's transactions and disclose with reasonable accuracy at any time the financial position of the parent company and the Group and enable them to ensure that the financial statements comply with the Companies Act 2006. They are also responsible for safeguarding the assets of the parent company and the Group and hence for taking reasonable steps for the prevention and detection of fraud and other irregularities.

The Directors are responsible for the maintenance and integrity of the corporate and financial information included on the Group's website at www.safestore.co.uk. Legislation in the United Kingdom governing the preparation and dissemination of financial statements may differ from legislation in other jurisdictions.

Directors' responsibility statement

We confirm that, to the best of our knowledge:

-- the financial statements, prepared in accordance with the relevant financial reporting framework, give a true and fair view of the assets, liabilities, financial position and profit or loss of the Group and the undertakings included in the consolidation taken as a whole;

-- the strategic report includes a fair review of the development and performance of the business and the position of the Group and the undertakings included in the consolidation taken as a whole, together with a description of the principal risks and uncertainties that they face; and

-- the Annual Report and Financial Statements, taken as a whole, is fair, balanced and understandable and provides the information necessary for shareholders to assess the Group's position and performance, business model and strategy.

Principal risks and risk management

Pages 29 to 34 of the Annual Report contain the following statement on principal risks and uncertainties faced by the Group.

Risks are considered at every business level and are assessed, discussed and taken into account when deciding upon future strategy, approving transactions and monitoring performance

Risks and risk management

The Board recognises that effective risk management requires awareness and engagement at all levels of our organisation.

Risk management process

The Board is responsible for determining the nature of the risks the Group faces, and for ensuring that appropriate mitigating actions are in place to manage them in a manner that enables the Group to achieve its strategic objectives.

Effective risk management requires awareness and engagement at all levels of our organisation. It is for this reason that the risk management process is incorporated into the day-to-day management of our business, as well as being reflected in the Group's core processes and controls. The Board has defined the Group's risk appetite and oversees the risk management strategy and the effectiveness of the Group's internal control framework. Risks are considered at every business level and are assessed, discussed and taken into account when deciding upon future strategy, approving transactions and monitoring performance.

Strategic risks are identified, assessed and managed by the Board, with support from the Audit Committee, which in turn is supported by the Risk Committee. Strategic risks are reviewed by the Audit Committee to ensure they are valid and that they represent the key risks associated with the current strategic direction of the Group. Operational risks are identified, assessed and managed by the Risk Committee and Executive Team members, and reported to the Board and the Audit Committee. These risks cover all areas of the business, such as finance, operations, investment, development and corporate risks.

The risk management process commences with rigorous risk identification sessions incorporating contributions from functional managers and Executive Team members. The output is reviewed and discussed by the Risk Committee, supported by members of senior management from across the business. The Board, supported by the Risk Committee, identifies and prioritises the top business risks, with a focus on the identification of key strategic, financial and operational risks. The potential impact and likelihood of the risks occurring are determined, key risk mitigations are identified and the current level of risk is assessed against the Board's risk appetite. These top business risks form the basis for the principal risks and uncertainties detailed in the section below.

Principal risks and uncertainties

The principal risks and uncertainties described are considered to have the most significant effect on Safestore's strategic objectives.

The key strategic and operational risks are monitored by the Board and are defined as those which could prevent us from achieving our business goals. Our current strategic and operational risks and key mitigating actions are as follows:

 
Risk                         Current mitigation activities                                Developments since 2019 
---------------------------  -----------------------------------------------------------  ---------------------------- 
Strategy 
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 
The Group develops                                                                        The Covid-19 pandemic has 
 business plans                *    The strategy development process draws on internal    resulted 
 based on a wide                    and external analysis of the self-storage market,     in a significant reduction 
 range of variables.                emerging customer trends and a range of other         in 
 Incorrect assumptions              factors.                                              the economic growth of the 
 about the economic                                                                       UK 
 environment, the                                                                         and Europe in 2020. 
 self-storage market,          *    Continuing focus on yield-management with regular     The implications of Covid-19 
 or changes in the                  review of demand levels and pricing at each           have been thoroughly 
 needs of customers,                individual store.                                     considered 
 or the activities                                                                        with respect to the Group's 
 of customers may                                                                         strategy 
 adversely affect              *    Continuing focus on building the Safestore brand,     is regularly reviewed 
 the returns achieved               acquisitions and development projects.                through 
 by the Group, potentially                                                                the annual planning and 
 resulting in loss                                                                        budgeting 
 of shareholder                *    The portfolio is geographically diversified with      process, and. Covid-19 will 
 value or loss of                   performance monitoring covering the personal and      continue 
 the Group's status                 business customers by segments.                       to be monitored through 
 as the UK's largest                                                                      regular 
 self storage provider.                                                                   and periodic reforecasts and 
                               *    Detailed and comprehensive sensitivity and scenario   scenario analysis during the 
                                    modelling taking into consideration variable          2021 year. 
                                    assumptions.                                          The Group expanded the joint 
                                                                                          venture with Carlyle, which 
                                                                                          acquired 
                               *    Robust cost management.                               Lokabox Self Storage in 
                                                                                          Belgium. 
                                                                                          Lokabox has six stores in 
                                                                                          Belgium. 
                                                                                          The Group continues to earn 
                                                                                          management 
                                                                                          fees and a 20% share of the 
                                                                                          profits 
                                                                                          of the joint venture. 
                                                                                          The acquisition of a stores 
                                                                                          at 
                                                                                          St John's Wood and Chelsea 
                                                                                          together 
                                                                                          with three new store 
                                                                                          openings 
                                                                                          have been fully integrated 
                                                                                          in 
                                                                                          the Group's store portfolio. 
---------------------------  -----------------------------------------------------------  ---------------------------- 
Finance risk 
---------------------------  -----------------------------------------------------------  ---------------------------- 
Lack of funding                                                                           In October 2019, the Group 
 resulting in inability       *    Funding requirements for business plans and the        issued 
 to meet business                  timing for commitments are reviewed regularly as part  a further GBP125 million 
 plans or satisfy                  of the monthly management accounts.                    Sterling 
 liabilities or                                                                           and Euro loan notes, 
 a breach of covenants.                                                                   maturing 
                              *    The Group manages liquidity in accordance with         in seven and ten years. 
                                   Board-approved policies designed to ensure that the    The Group's loan-to-value 
                                   Group has adequate funds for its ongoing needs.        ratio 
                                                                                          ("LTV") has broadly remained 
                                                                                          constant during the year, 
                              *    The Board regularly monitors financial covenant        decreasing 
                                   ratios and headroom.                                   2ppts from 31% to 29%, with 
                                                                                          increased 
                                                                                          debt due to development and 
                              *    All of the Group's banking facilities now run to 30    acquisition 
                                   June 2023. The US Private Placement Notes mature in    activity being partially 
                                   five, seven, eight and ten years.                      offset 
                                                                                          by the valuation increase in 
                                                                                          the store portfolio. 
                                                                                          Following the issue of new 
                                                                                          loan 
                                                                                          notes in October 2019, this 
                                                                                          risk 
                                                                                          remains low and broadly 
                                                                                          unchanged 
                                                                                          from the prior year. 
---------------------------  -----------------------------------------------------------  ---------------------------- 
Treasury risk 
---------------------------  -----------------------------------------------------------  ---------------------------- 
Adverse currency                                                                          Euro denominated borrowings 
 or interest rate              *    Guidelines are set for our exposure to fixed and      continue 
 movements could                    floating interest rates and use of interest rate      to provide an effective, 
 see the cost of                    swaps to manage this risk.                            natural 
 debt rise, or impact                                                                     hedge against the 
 the Sterling value                                                                       Euro-denominated 
 of income flows               *    Foreign currency denominated assets are financed by   net assets of our French and 
 or investments.                    borrowings in the same currency where appropriate.    Spanish businesses. 
                                                                                          This risk remains low. 
                                                                                          Mitigation 
                                                                                          of future rate increases is 
                                                                                          provided 
                                                                                          by our interest rate swaps 
                                                                                          and 
                                                                                          fixed interest borrowings, 
                                                                                          so 
                                                                                          the risk of adverse interest 
                                                                                          rate fluctuations remains 
                                                                                          broadly 
                                                                                          unchanged since the prior 
                                                                                          year. 
---------------------------  -----------------------------------------------------------  ---------------------------- 
Property investment and development 
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 
Acquisition and                                                                           Projects are not pursued 
 development of                *    Thorough due diligence is conducted and detailed      when 
 properties that                    analysis is undertaken prior to Board approval for    they fail to meet our 
 fail to meet performance           property investment and development.                  rigorous 
 expectations, overexposure                                                               investment criteria, and 
 to developments                                                                          post-investment 
 within a short                *    Execution of targeted acquisitions and disposals.     reviews indicate that sound 
 timeframe or the                                                                         and 
 inability to find                                                                        appropriate investment 
 and open new stores           *    The Group's overall exposure to developments is       decisions 
 may have an adverse                monitored and controlled, with projects phased to     have been made. 
 impact on the portfolio            avoid over-commitment.                                The capital requirements of 
 valuation, resulting                                                                     development 
 in loss of shareholder                                                                   projects undertaken during 
 value.                        *    The performance of individual properties is           the 
 Corporate transactions             benchmarked against target returns and                year have been carefully 
 may be at risk                     post-investment reviews are undertaken.               forecasted 
 of competition                                                                           and monitored, and we 
 referral or post                                                                         continue 
 transaction legal                                                                        to maintain significant 
 or banking formalities.                                                                  capacity 
                                                                                          within our financing 
                                                                                          arrangements. 
                                                                                          We continue to pursue 
                                                                                          investment 
                                                                                          and development 
                                                                                          opportunities, 
                                                                                          and consider our recent 
                                                                                          track 
                                                                                          record to have been 
                                                                                          successful. 
                                                                                          Therefore, the Board 
                                                                                          considers 
                                                                                          that there has been no 
                                                                                          significant 
                                                                                          change to this risk since 
                                                                                          last 
                                                                                          year. 
---------------------------  -----------------------------------------------------------  ---------------------------- 
Valuation risk 
---------------------------  -----------------------------------------------------------  ---------------------------- 
Value of our properties                                                                   The valuation of the Group's 
 declining as a                *    Independent valuations are conducted regularly by     portfolio has continued to 
 result of external                 experienced, independent, professionally qualified    grow 
 market or internal                 valuers.                                              during the year, reflecting 
 management factors                                                                       both 
 could result in                                                                          valuation gains arising from 
 a breach of borrowing         *    A diversified portfolio which is let to a large       the increasing profitability 
 covenants.                         number of customers helps to mitigate any negative    of our portfolio and 
 In the absence                     impact arising from changing conditions in the        additions 
 of relevant transactional          financial and property markets.                       to our portfolio through 
 evidence, valuations                                                                     corporate 
 can be inherently                                                                        acquisitions and the opening 
 subjective leading            *    Headroom of LTV banking covenants is maintained and   of new development stores. 
 to a degree of                     reviewed.                                             The level of this risk is 
 uncertainty.                                                                             viewed 
                                                                                          as broadly similar to last 
                               *    Current gearing levels provide sizeable headroom on   year. 
                                    our portfolio valuation and mitigate the likelihood 
                                    of covenants being endangered. 
---------------------------  -----------------------------------------------------------  ---------------------------- 
Occupancy risk 
---------------------------  -----------------------------------------------------------  ---------------------------- 
A potential loss                                                                          Covid-19 has resulted in a 
 of income and increased      *    Personal and business customers cover a wide range of  contraction 
 vacancy due to                    segments, sectors and geographic territories with      in economic growth. However, 
 falling demand,                   limited exposure to any single customer.               recent like-for-like 
 oversupply or customer                                                                   occupancy 
 default, which                                                                           trends have been strong and 
 could also adversely         *    Dedicated support for enquiry capture.                 the 
 impact the portfolio                                                                     newly opened stores are 
 valuation.                                                                               performing 
                              *    Weekly monitoring of occupancy levels and close        well. 
                                   management of stores.                                  Growth in our store 
                                                                                          portfolio 
                                                                                          diversifies the potential 
                              *    Management of pricing to stimulate demand, when        impact 
                                   appropriate.                                           of underperformance of an 
                                                                                          individual 
                                                                                          store ; however , with the 
                              *    Monitoring of reasons for customers vacating and exit  Covid-19 
                                   interviews conducted.                                  pandemic the level of this 
                                                                                          risk 
                                                                                          is considered to have 
                              *    Independent feedback facility for customer             increased 
                                   experience.                                            from last year. 
 
 
                              *    The like-for-like occupancy rate across the portfolio 
                                   has continued to grow due to flexibility offered on 
                                   deals by in-house marketing and the Customer Support 
                                   Centre. 
---------------------------  -----------------------------------------------------------  ---------------------------- 
Real estate investment trust ("REIT") risk 
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 
Failure to comply                                                                         The Group has remained 
 with the REIT legislation    *    Internal monitoring procedures are in place to ensure  compliant 
 could expose the                  that the appropriate rules and legislation are         with all REIT legislation 
 Group to potential                complied with and this is formally reported to the     throughout 
 tax penalties or                  Board.                                                 the year. 
 loss of its REIT                                                                         There has been no 
 status.                                                                                  significant 
                                                                                          change to this risk since 
                                                                                          last 
                                                                                          year. 
---------------------------  -----------------------------------------------------------  ---------------------------- 
Catastrophic event 
---------------------------  -----------------------------------------------------------  ---------------------------- 
Major events mean                                                                         Continuing focus from the 
 that the Group               *    Business continuity plans are in place and tested.     Risk 
 is unable to carry                                                                       Committee, with particular 
 out its business                                                                         attention 
 for a sustained              *    Back-up systems at offsite locations and remote        to specific issues. 
 period; health                    working capabilities.                                  The threat from 
 and safety issues                                                                        cyber-attacks 
 put customers,                                                                           continues to grow. The risk 
 staff or property            *    Reviews and assessments are undertaken periodically    management 
 at risk; or the                   for enhancements to supplement the existing compliant  and mitigation actions have 
 Group suffers a                   aspects of buildings and processes.                    been 
 cyber-attack, hacking                                                                    developed accordingly. 
 or malicious infiltration                                                                The level of risk is 
 of websites. These           *    Monitoring and review by the Health and Safety         considered 
 may result in reputational        Committee.                                             similar to last year. 
 damage, injury 
 or property damage, 
 or customer compensation,    *    Robust operational procedures, including health and 
 causing a loss                    safety policies, and a specific focus on fire 
 of market share                   prevention and safety procedures. 
 and income. 
 
                              *    Fire risk assessments in stores. 
 
 
                              *    Periodic security review of all systems supported by 
                                   external monitoring and penetration testing. 
 
 
                              *    Limited retention of customer data. 
 
 
                              *    Online colleague training modules. 
---------------------------  -----------------------------------------------------------  ---------------------------- 
Regulatory compliance risk 
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  ---------------------------- 
The regulatory                                                                            The framework of tax 
 landscape for UK              *    Monitoring and review by the Risk Committee.          controls 
 listed companies                                                                         has been reviewed during the 
 is constantly developing                                                                 year, ensuring key tax risks 
 and becoming more             *    Project-specific steering committees to address the   are in line with the Group's 
 demanding, with                    implementation of new regulatory requirements.        obligations. All regulatory 
 new reporting and                                                                        compliance 
 compliance requirements                                                                  risks have been monitored 
 arising frequently.           *    Liaison with relevant authorities and trade           during 
 Non- compliance                    associations.                                         the year. 
 with these regulations                                                                   The level of risk is 
 can lead to penalties,                                                                   considered 
 fines or reputational         *    Where a store is at risk of compulsory purchase,      similar to last year. 
 damage.                            contingency plans are developed. 
 Changes in tax 
 regimes could affect 
 tax costs.                    *    Legal and professional advice. 
 The Group is also 
 subject to the 
 risk of compulsory            *    Online colleague training modules. 
 purchases of property, 
 which could result 
 in a loss of income 
 and impact the 
 portfolio valuation. 
---------------------------  -----------------------------------------------------------  ---------------------------- 
Marketing risk 
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  ---------------------------- 
Our marketing strategy                                                                    We continue to build 
 is critical to               *    Constant measuring and monitoring of our web presence  functional 
 the success of                    and ensuring compliance with rules and regulations.    expertise at Group level in 
 the business. This                                                                       performance 
 includes maintaining                                                                     marketing, organic and local 
 web leadership               *    Market leading website.                                searches and analytics. 
 and our relationship                                                                     The Group marketing forum 
 with Google. A                                                                           continues 
 lack of effective            *    Use of online techniques to drive brand visibility.    to review performance, 
 strategy would                                                                           market 
 result in loss                                                                           developments and our ongoing 
 of income and market         *    Our pricing strategy monitors and adapts to evolving   improvement plan. 
 share and adversely               customer behaviour.                                    We have implemented a new 
 impact the portfolio                                                                     value 
 valuation.                                                                               and quality focused 
                                                                                          performance 
                                                                                          marketing strategy. 
                                                                                          The level of risk is 
                                                                                          considered 
                                                                                          to be slightly reduced from 
                                                                                          last 
                                                                                          year. 
---------------------------  -----------------------------------------------------------  ---------------------------- 
Consequences of the UK's decision to leave 
 the EU ("Brexit") 
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  ---------------------------- 
Whilst the UK has                                                                         Whilst the Group has only 
 now departed the             *    Economic uncertainty is not a new risk for the Group,  limited 
 EU, there is potential            but Brexit increases the likelihood of previously      exposure to the direct risks 
 for economic disruption           recognised risks, and is addressed under the finance   arising from Brexit, it 
 and uncertainty                   risk, treasury risk and valuation risk categories      believes 
 in the short term.                above.                                                 that Brexit increases 
 There is a risk                                                                          economic 
 that this could                                                                          uncertainty, so the level of 
 have an impact               *    Self-storage is a localised industry, with a broad     this risk is considered to 
 on Safestore's                    and diversified customer base, so demand is unlikely   have 
 business.                         to be significantly impacted by Brexit related         slightly increased since 
                                   changes.                                               last 
                                                                                          year. 
 
                              *    The Group's workforce in the UK includes a low 
                                   proportion of employees whose right to work in the UK 
                                   may be impacted by potential Brexit-related 
                                   legislation changes. 
---------------------------  -----------------------------------------------------------  ---------------------------- 
 

Viability statement

The UK Corporate Governance Code requires us to issue a "viability statement" declaring whether we believe Safestore can continue to operate and meet its liabilities, taking into account its current position and principal risks. The overriding aim is to encourage Directors to focus on the longer term and be more actively involved in risk management and internal controls. In assessing viability, the Board considered a number of key factors, including our strategy (see page 6), our business model (see page 12), our risk appetite and our principal risks and uncertainties (see pages 29 to 33 of the strategic report).

The Board is required to assess the Company's viability over a period greater than twelve months, and in keeping with the way that the Board views the development of our business over the long term a period of three years is considered appropriate, and is consistent with the timeframes incorporated into the Group's strategic planning cycle, with the review considering the Group's cash flows, dividend cover, REIT compliance, financial covenants and other key financial performance metrics over the period with no borrowings falling due to be repaid during this three-year outlook period. Our assessment of viability therefore continues to align with this three-year outlook.

The Covid-19 pandemic has resulted in a significant reduction in the economic growth of the UK and Europe in 2020. The implications of Covid-19 have been thoroughly considered with respect to the Group's strategy through the annual planning and budgeting process. Covid-19 will continue to be monitored through regular and periodic reforecasts and scenario analysis over the next 12 months and align with the three-year outlook of this review during the 2021 year.

In assessing viability, the Directors considered the position presented in the budget and three-year plan recently approved by the Board. In the context of the current environment, four plausible sensitivities were applied to the plan, including a stress test scenario. These were based on the potential financial impact of the Group's principal risks and uncertainties and the specific risks associated with the Covid-19 pandemic. These scenarios are differentiated by the impact of lockdowns, demand levels post lockdowns and the level of cost savings. A stress test sensitivity was also performed where we have carried out a reverse stress test to model what would be required to breach ICR and LTV covenants which indicated highly improbable changes would be needed before any issues were to arise.

The impact of these scenarios and sensitivities has been reviewed against the Group's projected cash flow position and financial covenants over the three-year viability period. Should any of these scenarios occur, clear mitigating actions are available to ensure that the Group remains liquid and financially viable.

Such mitigating actions available, but not limited to, are reducing planned capital and marketing spend, pay and recruitment measures, making technology and operating expenditure cuts and utilisation of available headroom on existing debt facilities.

The Audit Committee reviews the output of the viability assessment in advance of final evaluation by the Board. The Directors have also satisfied themselves that they have the evidence necessary to support the statement in terms of the effectiveness of the internal control environment in place to mitigate risk.

Having reviewed the current performance, forecasts, debt servicing requirements, total facilities and risks, the Board has a reasonable expectation that the Group has adequate resources to continue in operation, meets its liabilities as they fall due, retain sufficient available cash across all three years of the assessment period and not breach any covenant under the debt facilities. The Board therefore has a reasonable expectation that the Group will remain commercially viable over the three-year period of assessment.

Notes to editors:

-- Safestore is the UK's largest self-storage group with 159 stores at 31 January 2021 comprising 127 wholly owned stores in the UK (including 71 in London and the South East with the remainder in key metropolitan areas such as Manchester, Birmingham, Glasgow, Edinburgh, Liverpool, Sheffield, Leeds, Newcastle and Bristol) and 28 wholly owned stores in the Paris region and 4 stores in Barcelona. In addition, the Group operates 9 stores in the Netherlands and 6 stores in Belgium under a joint venture agreement with Carlyle.

-- Safestore operates more self-storage sites inside the M25 and in central Paris than any competitor providing more proximity to customers in the wealthiest and densest UK and French markets.

-- Safestore was founded in the UK in 1998. It acquired the French business "Une Pièce en Plus" ("UPP") in 2004 which was founded in 1998 by the current Safestore Group CEO Frederic Vecchioli.

-- Safestore has been listed on the London Stock Exchange since 2007. It entered the FTSE 250 index in October 2015.

   --      The Group provides storage to around 75,000 personal and business customers. 

-- As at 31 January 2021, Safestore had a maximum lettable area ("MLA") of 6.871 million sq ft (excluding the expansion pipeline stores, and the Carlyle Joint Venture ) of which 5.506 million sq ft was occupied.

   --   Safestore employs around 660 people in the UK, Paris and Barcelona. 

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