v2 Report - Additional Information Supplement

 

CHA Charlie's Group Limited

 

 

IPOs and Investment Opportunities

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
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

 

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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