Management Consulting Group PLC Pre-close Statement (4606I)
July 03 2013 - 2:00AM
UK Regulatory
TIDMMMC
RNS Number : 4606I
Management Consulting Group PLC
03 July 2013
3 July 2013
Management Consulting Group PLC ("MCG")
Pre-close Statement
Management Consulting Group PLC ('MCG' or 'the Group'), the
international professional services group, today announces a
pre-close statement ahead of the announcement of the Group's
interim results on 1 August 2013.
The outlook for the business remains broadly as reported in our
Preliminary Results statement on 6 March 2013. As expected,
Alexander Proudfoot will report a weak first half performance, but
we are encouraged by the current order book and pipeline in both
Alexander Proudfoot and Kurt Salmon, which at this stage point to a
stronger second half.
As previously reported, Alexander Proudfoot's revenue and profit
performance in the first half of 2013, relative to 2012, will
reflect the impact of a slow start to the year. This is largely a
result of the low level of order input that was seen in the latter
part of 2012 and in the early part of 2013. Alexander Proudfoot's
individual client engagements are usually on a substantial scale,
and as a result there can be an inherent lumpiness in the revenues
of the business from quarter to quarter, and from half year to half
year. So far in 2013 the rate of order intake has been
significantly higher than in the second half of 2012. As a result
the current order book level is more than twice that seen at the
start of 2013, and at a similar level to the same period in 2012.
The order book position and the pipeline of prospects at this stage
of the year across all key geographies should provide a promising
start to the second half of 2013, and point to a significantly
stronger revenue performance over the rest of the year.
Kurt Salmon's operations in North America and Asia continue to
perform well and to make progress in markets which are now showing
some signs of sustained growth. In France, as previously reported,
and as expected, activity levels have continued to be affected by
macroeconomic weakness. We have taken further action to manage our
resource levels in the French business to match expected market
demand, and will continue to monitor this carefully as the year
progresses. Kurt Salmon's operations elsewhere in Europe have made
good progress so far this year. In overall terms, the first half
revenue and profit performance of Kurt Salmon is expected to be
slightly weaker than the previous year. Recent order intake in all
key geographies has been encouraging, and the Kurt Salmon business
has a healthy order book and pipeline of prospects at this stage of
the year. We will continue to focus investment and recruitment on
geographies where there are the best opportunities for growth in
the medium term.
The first half of the year is typically not cash generative as a
result of the timing of the payment of the Group's annual bonuses
from the previous financial year. The level of cash receipts in the
first half of 2013 has also been affected by the relative weakness
of Alexander Proudfoot revenues in this period. As a result net
indebtedness has increased at the 2013 half year compared to the
end of 2012, and more so than the first half of last year. Reported
net debt at the half year is likely to be approximately GBP52m. The
Group continues to focus on operational cash generation to further
reduce net indebtedness over the course of the current financial
year.
On 30 October 2012 MCG announced that it intended to commence a
share buy-back programme to make market purchases of its ordinary
shares of up to GBP5m over the succeeding twelve months. Up to 2
July 2013 the Company had purchased 2.2m of its ordinary shares for
a total consideration of GBP0.6m.
Nick Stagg, Chief Executive, commented:
"As we have previously indicated, our first half performance
will be affected by a slow start to the year in Alexander Proudfoot
and some continuing weakness in the Kurt Salmon business in France.
However, the momentum of order input in Proudfoot has improved
significantly and it appears well placed at this stage for a much
better performance in the second half. We are taking further action
to address the impact of the continuing weak economy in France, and
elsewhere the Kurt Salmon business continues to perform well,
particularly in North America and Asia."
For further information please contact:
Management Consulting Group PLC Tel: +44 20 7710 5000
Nick Stagg, Chief Executive
Chris Povey, Group Finance Director
FTI Consulting (Formerly Financial Tel: +44 20 7831 3113
Dynamics)
Ben Atwell, Susan Stuart
Notes to editors:
Management Consulting Group PLC (MMC.L) provides professional
services across a wide range of industries and sectors.
It comprises two independently managed practices: Alexander
Proudfoot and Kurt Salmon. Alexander Proudfoot develops and
implements operational improvements to its clients to increase
productivity and reduce costs. Kurt Salmon provides consultancy
services to a wide range of industries in both the private and
public sectors. The Group operates worldwide. For further
information, visit www.mcgplc.com.
This information is provided by RNS
The company news service from the London Stock Exchange
END
TSTUGUUAMUPWPGP
Management Consulting (LSE:MMC)
Historical Stock Chart
From Jun 2024 to Jul 2024
Management Consulting (LSE:MMC)
Historical Stock Chart
From Jul 2023 to Jul 2024