Trading Statement
12 Januar 2004 - 8:00AM
UK Regulatory
RNS Number:0778U
Chelford Group PLC
12 January 2004
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 12 January 2004
Chelford Group plc
PERIOD-END TRADING UPDATE
Chelford Group plc ("Chelford"), the IT supply chain software and services
company, today provides an update on its performance for the year to 31 December
2003.
Chelford has made good progress in 2003, achieving a significant improvement
over the preceding year. The market has remained challenging throughout the year
but is now expected to move forward more strongly in 2004.
The SSI Division has been profitable for the whole year and Chelford SAP
Solutions achieved profitability in the second half of 2003. As a result,
Chelford will have achieved a profit before tax and goodwill amortisation for
2003 as a whole. Moreover, cash flow in the second half was positive and
Chelford has ended the year with net cash of #1.35 million (2002 : #1.07
million).
2004 has started well, with order intake during the closing weeks of 2003 strong
within both the SSI and SAP Solutions divisions. Contracted orders already
account for some 70% of Chelford's operating costs for the coming year.
Trevor Lewis, Chelford's Chief Executive, stated :
"After a challenging 2003, our marketplace appears to be stabilising and the
time needed to convert potential orders into signed contracts is becoming
noticeably shorter. An improved order pipeline within both the SSI and SAP
divisions together with the strong order intake in recent weeks gives us
increased confidence for our 2004 financial year."
Chelford expects to announce its results for the year to 31 December 2003 in
mid-March 2004.
About Chelford
Chelford Group plc is based in Basingstoke, Hampshire, and its shares are quoted
on AIM (stock code: CHR). Chelford has two principal operating divisions. SSI
is a developer and vendor of supply chain solutions based on its Tropos product
suite which is sold mainly to mid-sized corporate customers. Chelford SAP
Solutions is a SAP product value-added reseller and is ranked second in the UK.
For further information, please contact:
Trevor Lewis, Chief Executive 01256-685400
Steve Liebmann, Bankside 020-7444-4163 or 07802-888159
This information is provided by RNS
The company news service from the London Stock Exchange
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