Issue of Equity
July 30 2007 - 2:01AM
UK Regulatory
RNS Number:0454B
First Artist Corporation PLC
30 July 2007
Trading Update and Issue of New Shares
Trading Update
First Artist Corporation plc (AIM:FAN), the integrated marketing, sport and
entertainment management group, is pleased to announce that the group continues
to trade in line with management expectations. Particular success has been
achieved by the Group's event management business, The Finishing Touch, which
registered another record profits month in June, driven by continued strong
growth in corporate business and the recently acquired, and now fully
integrated, Yell Communications. Furthermore, the Group's financial advisory
division, Optimal Wealth Management also had a record trading month in June.
Dewynters, the Group's leading entertainment and theatre marketing agency,
continues to make a strong contribution to Group revenues with significant
recent marketing campaigns for hit West End musicals Joseph and The Amazing
Technicolor Dreamcoat and Grease. The quality of service offered by Dewynters
was also recognised through the award of Advertising Agency Production Team of
the Year 2007 at the recent Quality in Print and Media Awards.
Trading within Newman Displays, the cinema and theatre industry's leading front
of house and facia display manufacturing and design company, is very buoyant,
with recent high profile West End premier launches, including the films The
Simpson's, Shrek 3, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix and Spiderman 3,
along with theatre production for Lord of the Rings.
First Artist Sport, the Group's global football player representation division,
is also performing well, helped by the increased revenue gained from the recent
renegotiated television rights contract. The division has completed a number of
high profile player transactions so far this summer including Jonathan Woodgate
from Real Madrid to Middlesbrough, Sully Muntari from Udinese to Portsmouth and
Julien Faubert from Bordeaux to West Ham, with a further number in the pipeline.
Issue of New Shares
First Artist's event management business, The Finishing Touch (Corporate Events)
Limited ("Finishing Touch"), has achieved the second set of financial
performance targets set out for the business under the terms of the acquisition
announced 14th September 2005.
As a result of the agreed performance targets for the year ended 30th April 2007
being exceeded, the second tranche of earn-out consideration has become payable
to the vendors of Finishing Touch. This consideration is to be satisfied by the
issue by the Group to the Finishing Touch vendors (in aggregate) of:
* 43,037 new ordinary shares of 2.5 pence each in the capital of the Group
("New Ordinary Shares") on the basis of an average mid-market price of 109.12
pence per share; and
* #430,374 of interest bearing unsecured loan notes, redeemable six months from
issue.
Application has therefore been made for the admission of the New Ordinary Shares
to trading on the AIM market of the London Stock Exchange. Upon issue, the New
Ordinary Shares will rank pari passu with the Group's existing Ordinary Shares.
It is expected that admission will become effective and that dealings in the New
Ordinary Shares will commence on 2nd August 2007 ("Admission"). Following
Admission, the Group will have in issue an aggregate of 13,108,836 Ordinary
Shares.
Jon Smith, Chief Executive of First Artist Corporation plc, said:
"We are delighted by the continued successful growth of The Finishing
Touch, which has triggered the earn-out consideration announced today. I am also
pleased to note that trade across the Group continues to be strong with two
divisions having record months in June. The evolution of the First Artist Group
as a world class provider of marketing, media and management services across the
entire entertainment spectrum is a compelling business model and is driving our
continued growth. For this reason I am extremely confident about the future for
the Group."
- ends -
Enquiries
First Artist Corporation plc
Jon Smith, Chief Executive
Richard Hughes, Group Managing Director Tel: +44(0) 208 900 1818
Bell Pottinger Corporate & Financial
Ann-Marie Wilkinson / Peter Otero Tel: +44(0) 207 861 3232
Dawnay, Day Corporate Finance Limited
David Floyd Tel: +44(0) 20 7509 4570
This information is provided by RNS
The company news service from the London Stock Exchange
END
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