AGM Statement
24 September 2003 - 1:41PM
UK Regulatory
RNS Number:1131Q
Orbis PLC
24 September 2003
Date: 24 September 2003
Contact: John Leach, Chairman
Michael Holmes, Chief Executive
Orbis PLC 01895 465 500
David Bick/Chris Steele
Holborn Public Relations 020 7929 5599
david.bick@holbornpr.co.uk
ORBIS PLC
Annual General Meeting
Extract from the Chairman's Statement
As announced on 20 August, shareholder approval was received for the financial
restructuring and this has now been completed. We have also applied to transfer
the listing of Orbis shares from the Official List to AIM and, subject to
approval of our application, we will be completing the transfer on Friday, 26
September 2003.
The financial restructuring has inevitably made significant demands on the time
of the executive management team during the first months of this financial year,
and also meant that there was some uncertainty regarding the group's financial
position amongst both customers and staff until we announced our preliminary
results and the restructuring proposals at the end of July.
Despite this, considerable progress continues to be made to improve the
efficiency and productivity of our business. In the UK, whilst two significant
contracts were lost during the first quarter, we are now seeing a greater number
either being retained or won and are increasingly involved in long-term
partnering discussions. In addition, the strengthened operating management team
is now actively promoting our additional range of services to both existing and
new customers. In Europe, the senior management team in France has been
strengthened and a new alarm product has been launched.
Overall, trading in the first months of this financial year is in line with our
expectations. As a result of the financial position of the Group being
stabilised following the restructuring, the management team is now able to focus
on delivering results in accordance with its plan for the future.
Finally, now that the financial restructuring is complete, which is the task I
was primarily recruited to undertake, I intend to step down as Chairman and
resign from the board at the end of September. In addition, Maurice Brooks has
informed the board that he also intends to resign his position as a
non-executive director at the end of September, to pursue a more leisurely
retirement. The board is currently recruiting a new non-executive chairman.
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