(MENAFN- GlobeNewsWire - Nasdaq) Management Commentary The financial year 2023/2024 will go down in PRFoods' history as a year full of changes. In the winter of 2023, we exited the rainbow trout farming business located in Saaremaa through the sale of Redstorm OÜ. This exit from fish farming was a necessary step to reduce the Group's debt burden and to focus on and strengthen our core activities. To ensure the supply of local fish, a long-term cooperation agreement has been signed with Redstorm OÜ for the resale and processing of the fish they produce, to meet the needs of the Group's Estonian fish processing unit. The collaboration between the two companies ensures that the Group's production unit in Saaremaa can offer fish products made from rainbow trout farmed in Estonia in its product range.
The year also brought changes to the Group's management structure. In the spring of 2024, we completed changes in the parent company's management. The entire Group has focused on improving the quality of management. Our Group companies support each other, share knowledge and expertise, and strive to create greater synergy to make the Group more efficient and profitable.
We take particular pride in the development of our Saaremaa unit. In 2024, we are entering new export markets, such as Asia and North America. Additionally, at the beginning of 2024, we re-entered the Finnish export market. We are proud and grateful to our sales and production teams in Saaremaa, whose successful efforts have demonstrated strong turnover growth in the Saaremaa unit. We continue our efforts for growth, aiming to make the Saaremaa unit profitable as well. There is still work to be done in building the Saaremaa unit, but we can now see that the chosen strategy is starting to bear fruit.
We also recognize our UK unit, which, despite crises and the volatile situations that accompany them, has maintained a positive profit margin. The Scottish management has shown resilience, upholding the level of the region's most well-known fish brand and their vision for development.
In the new financial year, the focus will be on mitigating liquidity risks stemming from the Group's high debt burden. Although the Group has undergone several restructuring efforts in recent years to improve cash flow, including cost reductions, exiting unprofitable or low value-added businesses, and reducing debt, the Group's debt burden and net debt remain high. We can confirm that the new management team has a clear focus and strategy in place, having learned from past decisions. To ensure the Group's operational sustainability and protect the interests of PRFoods AS investors and all Group employees, the Group's management plans to restructure its debt obligations. The Group's management, together with the management of its subsidiaries, is committed to finding a solution that meets the expectations of all stakeholders. At the same time, the Group will continue its strategy to improve profitability in both Estonia and the UK.
The Group's team is dedicated, crisis-experienced, and results-oriented. We sincerely thank all Group employees for their commitment and our investors for their trust and cooperation.
Going concern
The management draws attention to a significant issue that raises substantial doubt about the Group's ability to continue as a going concern as of the reporting date, which may prevent the Group from realizing its assets and meeting its obligations in the normal course of business.
As of 30.06.2024, the Group's current liabilities amounted to 13,458 thousand euros, exceeding current assets by 9,226 thousand euros. A significant portion of the Group's current liabilities consists of interest-bearing debt obligations totalling 10,899 thousand euros as of 30.06.2024. The most significant portion of current liabilities consists of listed bonds with a carrying amount of 9,417 thousand euros. Given the redemption date of the listed bonds (22.01.2025), the repayment of these bonds is associated with the greatest uncertainty, considering the Group's high debt burden and the fact that, by the time of the bond redemption, the Group does not have sufficient liquid assets to meet the bond's maturity obligations. Therefore, in the management's view, the repayment of short-term interest-bearing liabilities involves significant uncertainty.
To ensure the sustainability of the Group's operations and protect the interest of PRFoods AS investors and all Group employees, the management plans to restructure the liabilities. The restructuring plan will be presented to bondholders within the fourth quarter of this calendar year.
Differences between the Q4 2023/2024 Report and the 12-Month Report
AS PRFoods published its Q4 2023/2024 and 12-month report on 30.08.2024. The net loss for the reporting year presented in the interim report was 2,784 thousand euros. In the audited annual report, the disclosed net loss is 4,673 thousand euros, indicating that the final net loss increased by 68% compared to the net loss presented in the quarterly report. The increase in the net loss is primarily due to an impairment identified in the cash-generating unit in the goodwill impairment test segment (United Kingdom). As a result of the impairment test, the goodwill was assessed to be reduced by 1,897 thousand euros during the reporting year, explaining the difference from the net loss results in the quarterly report. The impairment was not reflected in the quarterly report because, at the time of preparing the quarterly report, the market information necessary to determine the fair value of the UK segment's cash-generating unit had not yet been published. Therefore, the Group's management could not perform the goodwill asset value test.
Key Ratios Of The Group
Consolidated statement of financial position