Tandem Share Discussion Threads

[supreme mo] 03/9/2010 20:22

Well done GG and Davidosh, outstanding news today. Totally agree - one of the best scripted rns' I have seen as well.

Amazingly, the company is probably performing the same as last year and year before but a bit of positivity (and stock shortage gg ;-)) can cause a price to rise so rapidly..

Still long - (6k in friends name and 1600 in my name!!) - long story!

Happy to hold.

Apologies I haven't posted for a bit - had a bit of bad health. will try my best to make the presentation on tuesday!

[deswalker] 03/9/2010 11:34

David,

No. Missed this at 65p and have been cursing ever since :)

Des

[davidosh] 03/9/2010 11:27

The numbers are growing and the update today gave a further nudge (I wonder if a representative from Jupiter will make the effort ?) ...


I am keeping a running list for the investor presentation at the offices of Grant Thornton, 30 Finsbury Square, London EC2P 2YU at 10.00am on Tuesday 7 September 2010. Those wishing to attend are asked to also email our Nominated Adviser ([e-mail]) or telephone [phone] to confirm attendance.

greengiant
marben100
davidosh
skegbyhouse
supreme mo
devymaster (TMF)
grahamty
DaveBrickles (Stockopedia)
Ed Croft
Cornelia (TMF)
Elwyn (TMF)
asagi
taylormade (TMF)
Blackjack (TMF)
campmar (TMF)
meict
lcairns1
Evaluate
PhilipH
Hargreaves Hale
BillM
JohnB
SteveC

Any more interested from here ?

[davidosh] 03/9/2010 11:09

DesWalker...It would be great if you can make the meeting on Tuesday.

[greengiant] 03/9/2010 11:01

or email me

[greengiant] 03/9/2010 11:00

desWalker, if you are at the meeting on Tuesday we can talk then

gg

[deswalker] 03/9/2010 10:55

gg - some words re RNSM pls

[greengiant] 03/9/2010 10:44

Just been out for a ride on my new CB Cape Wrath. Great Bike, makes the mountains seem like hills.

Most of the credit here goes to DD who has been tireless in his pursuit.

But - A word of praise to the Board who have taken on board the comments made by shareholders and have produced one of the best scripted RNS's that I have ever read. Now the next step is to ensure profitable growth. In the meantime it may interest some of you of the goings on at RNSM, and it should be no surprise for you to know that I have been in dialogue with FW to remove the existing executive team. Now that is where my attention turns.

gg

[davidosh] 03/9/2010 10:13

We prefer companies that are well run but keep very quiet about it !! LOL

Ideally no broker coverage and solid balance sheets. Minimal activity and dozey institutional holders. If anyone wants to recommend any more that may be of interest ?

[amt] 03/9/2010 09:45

Perhaps you guys could now turn your attention to ULT now you have got the TND share price up.

[isis] 03/9/2010 09:07

Well done GG et al. It's great to see shareholder pressure get things done - It's a shame that our Institutions who hold the majority of shares do not do likewise.
Their apathy to most Companies is pathetic yet they are taking all the money.

[kramch] 03/9/2010 09:01

Amazing new approach to shareholders, one of the most detailed RNSs I have seen. (I just hope they aren't giving hostages to fortune with "well ahead of ..expectations")

Well done to DD, GG and all, this may well become a future text-book example of how private investors using share boards can effect change.

Sorry I can't be there on Tues, but will be trying to prise some answers out of the board at the Quintain AGM. K

(edit; apol's scurbs, I was writing my post, so didn't see yours, K)

[scburbs] 03/9/2010 08:45

GG/Davidosh et al,

Great work so far, a big pat on the back is due to you as much as TND. If this pans out as you hope and expect then this should be a great inspiration/case study to many in what can be achieved by private investors working together.

[greengiant] 03/9/2010 08:40

davidosh,

Have you ever seen me do anything but smile?

I suppose these sentences give some clarity over why the increased expectations

"Although national retailers continue with a cautious buying strategy, reaction to the launches of their Autumn/Winter catalogues has been very encouraging with increased orders placed within the last fortnight."

Key words - "last fortnight"

"Despite the fears that Toy Story merchandise would saturate the market for Autumn/Winter 2010 following the movie release, revenue from our licensed properties, including Ben 10 wheeled toys, is likely to exceed our earlier expectation."

Fear over the effect of Toy Story (which HTI tell me is doing exceptionally well anyway)

The question still needs to be answered - Will FY 2010/11 be up, down or the same as Full Year 2009/10

gg

[davidosh] 03/9/2010 08:34

scburbs stated;

'However, bizarrely it appears that the first broker note was wrong! My only grumble would be the lack of clarity in "well ahead of market expectations"? Hang on a minute haven't you just used the broker to massively manage down market expectations? Is this well ahead of last years results, ahead of everyone's original expectations or ahead of a broker note which has had a very short life and not proved to be accurate (either that or TND have turned things around astonishingly quickly!)? '


I must admit the management guidance for the very first broker note and forecast for many many years does seem to have been handled poorly especially with the first half five months done when it was issued but things can change very quickly as the outlook statement clearly says !! I doubt that will have got the Brokerlink relationship off to a very good start.

As for your comment re bonuses ....lol

'Perhaps they are thinking of calculating (or justifying the continuation of) their bonuses off this outperformance against this bizarre broker note! (maybe that is too cynical on my part).'


Just reading back through the comments here on the BB suggests greengiant is now very focussed on performance and shareholder returns. I do not think broker forecasts will be used for bonus delivery if he has anything to say about the matter. However this is a new Tandem and we are all communicating together so I doubt there will be any embarrassing or awkward developments from here. If a bonus is to be paid it will be because shareholders have big smiles on their faces and want to reward those who put them there...

[davidosh] 03/9/2010 08:10

I think a big pat on the back is due to all the staff and our directors and it is a great feeling to see a detailed update which simply never happened in the past. Shareholders big and small can now feel a part of this company and of course we must take rough and smooth but today is very sweet. A big thanks to greengiant and I must say the very first investor presentation is going to be starting on a high note !

On another note... Rather a shame that the broker note went out with such a downbeat forecast compared to last year. I am sure there will be a new one to follow the interims though....presumably Brokerlink do updates through the year ?

A maiden dividend bonus too...and at the interim stage !!

The share price is now breaking out so who knows what happens next as this is all new teritory for Tandem holders and those thousands still holding a few hundred from years and years ago must really be wondering what has happened !

[scburbs] 03/9/2010 07:57

Excellent trading update importantly in terms of quality of the information as well as performance. Well done to everyone here who has pushed the board in this new direction, even providing a return on investment in the form of a dividend! Whilst I no longer hold I will follow the Tandem story with interest and wish you all good luck.

I had got the impression that the share price had got away with itself given the very poor broker note which in most circumstances would have sent such a small cap crashing and only didn't (IMV) because of those here buying.

However, bizarrely it appears that the first broker note was wrong! My only grumble would be the lack of clarity in "well ahead of market expectations"? Hang on a minute haven't you just used the broker to massively manage down market expectations? Is this well ahead of last years results, ahead of everyone's original expectations or ahead of a broker note which has had a very short life and not proved to be accurate (either that or TND have turned things around astonishingly quickly!)?

Perhaps they are thinking of calculating (or justifying the continuation of) their bonuses off this outperformance against this bizarre broker note! (maybe that is too cynical on my part).

[greengiant] 03/9/2010 07:34

Great trading update. Maybe we are beginning to see the start of a profitable growth strategy. Does beg the question of why the Board released a Broker forecast which showed a 41% decline. The key sentence to me is
"Consequently, the Board currently expects to achieve a result for the year ended 31 January 2011 well ahead of market expectations."

Will this be in line with last year, in excess of last year or the same as last year?

But overall a good statement.

gg

[18bt] 03/9/2010 07:23

Good trading update this morning in advance of the investor meeting on Monday. We een have the prospect of an interim dividend as well as results being much better than market expectations. Perhaps we shall finally see some momentum.

A nice present for a Friday morning, which should finally see me in profit on shares which I first bought when they were EFG in 1993 (plus some top ups over the years). Patience beginning to be rewarded!

Sorry I can't be there on Tuesday due to a board meeting with a company I'm a director of. Ojne word of warning, there is still a tube strike planned, so book one of Boris's bikes early to get to Grant Thornton. They are already in short supply at mainline railway stations.

[greengiant] 02/9/2010 18:24

davidosh,

You are absolutely right. This is about introducing the company and its directors to an audience, part holders and part non holders. It is also to allow those that cannot make the AGM in Birmingham to meet their directors in London.

Yes this is also about where the company has come from but more importantly where the company is going. That to me is the key element.

It has to be believable
It has to be achievable
it has to be measurable.

I don't want to hear any of this, we will only make safe acquisitions nonsense. I want to hear what types of companies they have identified (no names just Company X - Turnover £ym - Sector: Plush). The company has had enough time to identify and rank any targets.

From my point of view, I am resistant to any further share buybacks. Yes there is a long tail of small shareholders left, but to be honest, if they have not yet sold after 3 attempts, then so be it. The marginal cost of having these additional shareholders is minimal and the company should concentrate on turnover and profit growth. It has been stagnant too long.

I am resistant to the company purchasing leashold property to reduce its rent bills and therefore inflate profit - again, turnover and profit growth please.

I am also not too bothered about a dividend - it would be nice but to me, the most important thing here is growth. If the management team is believable then it should be supported, the question will be whether or not this strategy is believable.

By the way, this is wholly consistent with my view that certain elements of the business should be sold off and the money re-invested in the growth elements of the business. In this regard I would like to see Turnover and profitability (operating level) together with what element of central costs (fixed) they incur by business category

Bikes
MV Sports (Sub-divided)
* MV
* Golf
* Hedstrom
* Pot Black

Shares still impossible to come by

gg

[davidosh] 02/9/2010 16:57

We must remember that it is a presentation not a shareholder meeting and there will certainly not be a vote on anything but with nearly 40% of shareholders in the room it would be pretty conclusive if all parties happy or unhappy with the strategy.

[grahamty] 02/9/2010 15:24

dd. Do we know what % of the company we represent ? I will email you directly my holding ( prefer not to be too public) but adds a reasonable number.

It is going to be almost impossible for the company not to say something that we, collectively, take to be positive or negative, overall. I assume they will have to make statement of some sort ?

[davidosh] 02/9/2010 12:45

I am keeping a running list for the investor presentation at the offices of Grant Thornton, 30 Finsbury Square, London EC2P 2YU at 10.00am on Tuesday 7 September 2010. Those wishing to attend are asked to also email our Nominated Adviser ([e-mail]) or telephone [phone] to confirm attendance.

greengiant
marben100
davidosh
skegbyhouse
supreme mo
devymaster (TMF)
grahamty
DaveBrickles (Stockopedia)
Cornelia (TMF)
Elwyn (TMF)
asagi
taylormade (TMF)
Blackjack (TMF)
campmar (TMF)
meict
lcairns1
Evaluate
PhilipH

Any more interested from here ?