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Press releases
| Company |
Code |
Released |
Type |
Headline |
| Charlie's Group Limited |
CHA |
10 Oct, 2007, 15:03 |
ASSET |
Charlie's concludes Australian acquisition |
| Full Text of Announcement |
Charlie's concludes deal for Australian juice-processing
operation
Listed beverage maker Charlie's Group Ltd has completed its
acquisition of the beverage-manufacturing assets of the Australian
Gallard and Mirage Groups ("Gallard"), giving it a
strategic stake in the trans-Tasman juice and beverage market.
The transaction was settled today, and the newly formed Charlie's
Group Australia Pty Ltd, which manages Charlie's Group's
juice-processing and bottling in Australia, will provide the
platform of the expansion of Charlie's in Australia. The total
cost of the acquisition and expansion of the plant at Renmark,
South Australia, is about A$2 million.
Charlie's Group chief executive Stefan Lepionka said the
acquisition would provide a strong foundation for sustainable
growth in the knowledge that a long-term fruit supply was
guaranteed.
"New equipment has been ordered for the Gallard plant, and
installation of equipment has begun. We are also looking to
appoint key staff to assist procurement manager Brad Gallard run
the enlarged operation," he said.
"This is a very exciting moment for Charlie's and we are
confident that the Australian business will improve long-term
growth and lift our gross margin significantly - starting from the
last quarter of this financial year."
Mr Lepionka said the acquisition allowed Charlie's to manufacture
the Charlie's bottled Not from Concentrate (NFC) range close to
the fresh fruit source more cost-effectively on a specialised
plastic bottling line.
"As a result of this, further investment will go into the
Henderson site in Auckland to make it a dedicated glass-filling
production facility only for the current Phoenix Organics range
and the new Charlie's Soda Co glass range."
The new assets acquired allow juicing, processing, and bottling of
fruit juices, Old Fashioned Quenchers and Smoothys at the 125ha
Gallard orchard and factory at Renmark which is in the Riverland
region, one of Australia's premier citrus-growing areas. The
orchard produces an average annual output of 6,000 tonnes of
citrus fruit, including Valencia and Navel oranges, lemons and
limes.
The Gallard family will continue to own and operate the orchard to
exclusively supply Charlie's juicing citrus requirements.
Charlie's Group chairman Ted van Arkel said the acquisition fitted
well with the group's strategy of acquiring assets to enhance
long-term growth and earnings and the acquisition has been
completed smoothly.
"This acquisition sits comfortably with our growth strategy
and we are confident it will strengthen the group and deliver
significant benefits over time," he said.
For further information contact:
Stefan Lepionka (Chief Executive)
09 837 6741
021 930 916
Ted van Arkel (Chairman):
021 302 362
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| Company |
Code |
Released |
Type |
Headline |
| Charlie's Group Limited |
CHA |
9 Oct, 2007, 08:35 |
GENERAL |
Charlie's Soda Co. to put fizz back into soft drinks market |
| Full Text of Announcement |
Charlie's Soda Co. to put fizz back into soft drinks market
09 October 2007
Local beverage maker Charlie's is set to shake up the soft drinks
market with the release of a range of healthy natural fruit sodas
launched under new brand Charlie's Soda Co.
Charlie's Soda Co. was born to meet the increasing demand of
health conscious New Zealanders for quality, natural drinks based
on natural ingredients and recipes. And true to Charlie's brand
heritage, Charlie's Soda Co. drinks have nothing artificial in
them, no added sugar or preservatives. Just pure fruit juice and a
splash of sparkling water. One bottle of Charlie's Soda provides a
full serving of fruit along with the hydration of sparkling water.
Produced to fill the gap in the market between juice and soft
drinks, Charlie's Soda Co. is set to capture a slice of New
Zealand's lucrative soft drinks market, worth an estimated $215
million annually. Health and innovation are two of the major
factors driving growth in New Zealand cold drinks with the top
five growth categories found in either water or juice.
"We wanted a sparkling fruit juice that was health-conscious
and appealed to well informed consumers who pay attention to what
they eat and drink. Our sodas have that Charlie's attitude and are
the healthy alternative to current soft drink offerings. With
inspiration from one of Mrs Ellis' time honoured recipes we have
created a fantastic range of natural fruit sodas with no added
sugar, no additives and no preservatives. We wanted recipes that
harked back to good old-fashioned unadulterated fruit sodas, just
like nature intended," says Ron Curteis, Marketing Manager,
Charlie's.
Group CEO Stefan Lepionka says Charlie's Soda Company was formed
to bring a bit of tradition and nostalgia back to the way we drink
soft drinks.
"Using our expertise in juice we combine that nostalgia and a
high quality natural offering with a bit of Charlie's cheekiness
thrown in. Our ad campaign fronted by Marc (Ellis) is sure to
demonstrate this to our loyal consumers. For a taste visit our
website www.charliessoda.co.nz."
Charlie's Soda Co's natural fruit sodas come in five unique
flavours: Lemon, Clementine, Grapefruit, Cranberry, and the
antioxidant-rich 'super fruit' Pomegranate.
Charlie's Soda Co. is available in supermarkets, convenience
stores and selected cafes nationwide.
Notes to Editors:
- Charlie's Group is a NZX listed New Zealand beverage company
established in 1999 by childhood friends Stefan Lepionka and Marc
Ellis to provide quality, freshly squeezed juice to consumers.
- The company expanded their offerings in between 2005 and 2006
with the introduction of their Not-From-Concentrate Smoothy's and
Old Fashioned Quenchers; and the acquisition of Phoenix Organics.
- Charlie's Soda Co. is the latest in their range of high-quality,
natural juices and beverages.
For further information on Charlie's Soda Co. or to request an
image, please contact:
Stefan Lepionka - (09) 837 6741 or 021 930 916
stefan@charlies.co.nz
Ron Curteis - (09) 837 5792 or (021) 930 919
ron@charlies.co.nz
Louise Paul - (09) 337 7084 or (021) 911 817
louise.paul@sparkactivate.co.nz
www.charliessoda.co.nz
www.charlies.co.nz
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Chairman's
report
| Company |
Code |
Released |
Type |
Headline |
| Charlie's Group Limited |
CHA |
15 Aug, 2007, 09:09 |
FLLYR |
CHARLIE'S REPORTS RECORD EARNINGS |
| Full Text of Announcement |
15 August 2007
Full-Year Review
CHARLIE'S REPORTS RECORD EARNINGS
Listed beverage maker Charlie's Group Ltd today, 15 August 2007,
reported record earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and
amortisation (EBITDA) on the back of record gross group sales.
Key points
- Record EBITDA
- Record gross sales
- Focus on increasing gross margins and containing costs
- Strong export sales in Australia
- New products meeting ready market acceptance
Overview
EBITDA for the year ended 30 June 2007 was $921,000, an increase
of 163% on the previous 12 months. It was earned on record gross
sales of $26.8 million, 55.9% ahead of adjusted sales for the
previous 12 months. NPAT for the year ended 30 June 2007 was
$33,000, compared to a loss of $161,000 in the previous 12
months.
12 months ended 30 June 2007 (Audited)
Gross sales 26,804,000
Operating revenue 24,059,000
EBITDA 921,000
EBIT 92,000
NPAT 33,000
12 months ended 30 June 2006 (Adjusted)
Gross sales 17,195,000
Operating revenue 16,594,000
EBITDA 350,000
EBIT (46,000)
NPAT (161,000)
15 months ended 30 June 2006 (Audited)
Gross sales 19,707,000
Operating revenue 18,563,000
EBITDA 366,000
EBIT (209,000)
NPAT (163,000)
The comparative period includes 12 months' trading from parent
company Charlie's Group Ltd, Charlie's Trading Company Ltd and
Phoenix Organics Group. The previous reporting period, the 15
months to 30 June 2006 -- longer because of a change in balance
date -- included 11.5 months' trading from Charlie's Group, 15
months' trading from Charlie's Trading Co and seven months'
trading from Phoenix Organics Group.
Chairman Ted van Arkel said the group was in a sound financial
position with total assets of $16,980,000 a rise of 2.1%
($357,000) on the previous year end.
Directors recommended no final dividend in keeping with the
"reinvestment for growth" strategy outlined to
shareholders at last November's annual meeting. No interim
dividend was declared for the same reason.
Mr van Arkel said the directors were pleased with the group's
performance but remained fervently committed to continuous
improvement by making key brands work to their ultimate
potential, lifting manufacturing and distribution efficiency and
identifying new market opportunities.
"This means greater investment in key brands, strengthening
the partnership with the group's trade clients and identifying
suitable companies to acquire." he said.
"Our policy, however, is not to acquire companies for the
sake of acquisition. They must not only give us a long-term
earnings stream but also offer a strategic advantage in our
market."
Mr van Arkel said the past year had been extremely busy for the
board and management of Charlie's Group. Directors made several
important decisions in 2006/07, all aimed at enhancing group
performance and laying a platform for growth in the current
year.
Marketing update
Critical to this growth strategy has been increased investment
and focus on marketing. The appointment of a new marketing
manager in November 2006 has led to greater structure and
expansion of the marketing team from one to four people. The
foundations have now been laid and systems put in place to
further capitalise on this investment.
Evidence of this has been the launch of new product offerings
from Charlie's and Phoenix. Charlie's Old Fashioned Quenchers
are the first Charlie's products to be manufactured at our
Henderson plant and have exceeded targets since launch in April.
Three new Hot Beverage offerings have been added to complement
Phoenix Chai in May 2007. Early sell-in has been extremely
positive and we have experienced an overall lift in interest and
sales of the entire Phoenix range.
The inaugural Phoenix Fest in March 2007 signalled the company's
intention to communicate this niche brand to a wider audience.
The festival was a free celebration of all things Phoenix --
organics, music, arts, fashion and food, and was such a success
that we are in planning for Phoenix Fest 08.
Sales update
Further to the announcement by Charlie's on 18 July 2007 of
record sales and the detailed analysis provided in that update,
Charlie's provides additional comments on sales for the period,
as follows:
Grocery channel
The group's retail sales in supermarkets experienced growth well
ahead of the market. In the chilled juice category, Charlie's
retail sales revenue grew at 32.8% in comparison to growth of
the chilled market of 5.6%. Charlie's and Phoenix Organics
ambient juice retail sales revenue grew at 25% (excluding
deletions), while the total ambient market grew at 3.8%.
The grocery sales team performance has been the driver of
success in this channel. A high performance sales team and new
systems were put in place in September 06 resulting in improved
sales execution and visibility of our brands on the supermarket
shelf. Phoenix Organics is sold in 13% more stores than a year
ago and is moving into the mainstream beverage aisle in
supermarkets, following international trends of organic products
becoming more available to everyday consumers.
Route channel
Operating revenue in the route channel grew 17% from the
previous 12 month period. This growth has been driven by
increased distribution across the Group's product range as a
result of the opening of new accounts and the Group's ability to
offer a full premium beverage range to customers. Growth
continues in fridge placements in the New Zealand market with an
overall 47% increase to a total of 824 fridges.
A new route business development team was introduced in the last
few months of the trading period. We expect to see significant
growth in the route channel from this team through leveraging
our product range to provide a total beverage solution to our
customers. The focus for this team is to increase our
distribution of products through developing new customers,
fridge placements, increasing range at existing customers and
improved customer service and in-market activation.
Export channel
The export business continued another strong year of growth with
an increase in operating revenue of to $2.7 million compared
with $2.25 million in the previous 12 months. Export markets
included are Australia, Singapore, Malaysia, Hong Kong, South
Korea, Dubai, Canada, Fiji, Cook Islands (Raratonga), New
Caledonia and Tahiti. New export opportunities and markets are
being pursued continuously as part of the global strategy for
our brands.
Growth of sales in Australia, the group's main export market,
increased 36% compared with the previous 12 months. The strong
performance in Australia was primarily driven by increased
business development activity, a growing customer base and range
within the channel. This included fridge placements in the route
trade more than doubling (up 125%) to 205 fridges at year end.
Negotiations for the introduction of Charlie's and Phoenix
Organics products to Japan are continuing. Progress is being
made, but no final agreement has been reached. The group has
completed Japanese production trials for the Charlie's brand and
is now reviewing options with its partner. The Japanese
government and New Zealand organic certifier, Biogro have
recently come to an agreement that will allow us to commence the
process of certifying Phoenix Organics products to the Japanese
organic standards in order to supply that market.
Operations update
The operations focus in the past year has been to optimise
production and warehousing at the Henderson site and to find a
long-term sustainable solution for manufacture of the Charlie's
NFC range.
In the past 12 months the directors approved capital spending of
$900,000 to upgrade the blend hall, introduce production-line
efficiencies and improve internal warehousing. The actual spend
was $445,000, which encompassed warehouse and glass
production-line upgrades. The balance of this spend has been
redirected toward the recent Gallard Group acquisition in
Australia.
Balance sheet
Trade receivables, trade creditors and inventory have increased
from the prior period reflecting the increase in turnover.
The group's balance sheet remains strong with total assets of
$16.98 million and no term debt, which the Board believes is
appropriately conservative for this current phase of Charlie's
growth.
Summary
Chief Executive Stefan Lepionka said it was extremely pleasing
to report record sales and earnings for the past year since the
Charlie's inception eight years ago.
"This is the result of years of fine-tuning and believing
in our strategy of creating premium brands."
Mr Lepionka noted that the group has made significant investment
in the past 12 months in all areas to support and promote the
Charlie's and Phoenix Organics brands, while launching new
products to increase the group's penetration in the overall
beverage market. This is illustrated in the group's staff
headcount which has increased from 81 people to 100 people over
the 12 months, with 11 of these new employees joining the
company in the second half of the year.
"This has been entirely funded out of operating cash flow
in keeping with our strategy of 're-investment for growth' as
outlined to shareholders last year."
Mr Lepionka said the focus in the current financial year would
be on:
- Product packaging and marketing innovation;
- Expanding carbonated beverage ranges;
- Making products more available through fridge placements and
outlet/geographical expansion in New Zealand and export markets;
- Improving customer service and in-market execution; and
- Achieving profitable sales while containing costs.
"To deliver the earnings and return on investment
shareholders expect, we cannot stand still. Our
"re-investment for growth" strategy continues to
strengthen our brands, and our focus going forward will be on
growing profitable sales on the back of these great
brands."
For further information:
Stefan Lepionka
Chief Executive Officer
021 930 916
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