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Dewhurst Plc

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FY2014 Annual Report · Dewhurst Plc
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2014
1

Annual report and accounts
Running_head
Running_head_Quote

InvestIng In
our Future

Contents

01  Financial highlights
B_head
02  Chairman’s statement
Text_9.5/12
03  Group overview

04  Strategic report

10  Financial review

11  Group five year review

12  Board of directors

13  Report of the directors

16  Consolidated financial statements

19  Notes to the accounts

38  Company financial statements

41  Report of the independent auditor

42  Notice of meeting

43  Group companies

44  Advisers and company information

01

Financial highlights
We have grown sales and profits and achieved a record in 
the key measure of earnings per share.

Group revenue 

Operating profit*  

Earnings per share^ 

Dividends per share 

REvEnuE  £ million

OpERAting pROFit*  £ million

2014 
£(000) 

 2013
£(000)

£46,616 

£43,698

£5,475 

46.22p 

9.00p 

£4,084

11.28p

8.00p

                 37.0 

                                41.5 

                                                                 51.6 

                                       43.7 

                                                 46.6

                       4.9 

                       4.9 

                                             5.6 

4.1 

                                         5.5

EARnings pER shARE^  Pence

                                                                                                   38.85 

                                                                     30.67 

                                                                                                                  42.98 

11.28 

                                                                                                                              46.22

DiviDenD per share  Pence

             6.36 

                  6.69 

                      7.02                                                         12.02† 

                                    8.00 

                                                  9.00

* Operating profit before goodwill write down, amortisation of acquired intangibles and gain on property disposal
†  Includes special dividend of 5p per share  
^  Restated. For more information see pension scheme reporting change detailed in the Financial Review

+7%

+34%

+310%

+13%

2010 

2011 

2012 

2013 

2014

2010 

2011 

2012 

2013 

2014

2010 

2011 

2012 

2013 

2014

2010 

2011 

2012 

2013 

2014

 
 
 
 
 
02

Chairman’s statement
To support our long-term growth we are reinvesting in 
strengthening our team and our flow of new products.

03
#

group overview
Running_head
Running_head_Quote
We are a global supplier of quality components to the lift, 
transport and keypad industries.

what we do
liFt

tRAnspORt

KEypAD

Pushbuttons
Indicators
Auxiliary equipment
Lift control and monitoring systems

Highway products
Parking equipment
Pushbuttons
Indicators and associated products

Banking terminals
Security
Ticketing machines
Petrol pumps

where we are
thE AmERiCAs

25% of Group sales
94 employees 
Canada
Dupar Controls

usA
The Fixture Company

Elevator Research 
Manufacturing Corp.

product areas
Lift

uK & EuROpE

AsiA & AustRAliA

49% of Group sales
215 employees 
united Kingdom
Dewhurst
Thames Valley Control
Traffic Management Products

hungary
Dewhurst (Hungary)

product areas
Lift
Transport
Keypad

26% of Group sales 
56 employees 
hong Kong
Dewhurst (Hong Kong)

Australia
Australian Lift Components
Lift Material Australia
Dual Engraving

product areas
Lift

Transport

DEwhuRst wORlDwiDE

our communication of these issues using a 
variety of different means.

Two new general managers have taken up 
their positions during the year: Dan Robinson 
took over at TMP in April and Mike Canzoneri 
started at ERM in September. We welcome 
them to the Group and wish them success in 
their roles with us.

I am pleased to report that, after a lull in recent 
years, we have taken on several apprentices 
and trainees in the last year.

product investment
We have launched a new version of our solar 
powered traffic bollard and an enhanced 
security ATM keypad during the year. We have 
also been putting considerable investment 
into products that will be launched in the 
near future. A lot of work is going on behind 
the scenes to develop and test these new 
products. In recent years we have increased 
our investment in quality measurement tools 
and testing facilities to improve the reliability of 
products at launch.

Outlook
Currently demand remains stable, but news 
on the economy is variable and volatile. From 
our perspective, Australia seems more buoyant 
than last year and there are some reasonable 
projects scheduled for the coming year. The 
signs in the UK and North America are also 
reasonably positive, whilst elsewhere the 
picture is less certain. However, the UK may 
struggle to maintain its positive momentum if 
the Eurozone returns to recession and there 
is also the political uncertainty of the coming 
general election.

We will continue to aim to generate 
improvements from within our operations, but 
the persistent strength of the pound is likely to 
reduce the benefit of overseas sales.

richard Dewhurst   
Chairman 

Results
I am delighted to report that we have bounced 
back from last year’s disappointing results 
to achieve our second best figures for sales 
and profits and a record for earnings per 
share. Sales were up 7% to £46.6 million 
(2013: £43.7 million), operating profit before 
amortisation of acquired intangibles was  
£5.5 million (2013: £4.1 million before 
goodwill write down) and profit before tax was 
£4.8 million (2013: £2.2 million) up 117%.  
All current and prior year profit figures have 
been reduced this year by up to £0.4 million 
due to a change in the standard for reporting 
pension costs.

The growth in sales was predominantly in the 
UK with all three UK companies recording 
double digit sales increases. We also benefited 
from a good first full year of sales from 
last year’s acquisition of Dual Engraving in 
Perth, Western Australia. All but one of the 
overseas operations registered sales growth in 
local currency, but the strengthening pound 
somewhat reduced the positive impact of the 
local performance.

It has been a demanding year with periodic 
peaks in sales that have challenged our 
production capabilities to the full. However 
the sales and operations teams have risen 
to the challenge and have largely managed 
customers’ requirements. Our employees have 
shown dedication and skill in achieving our 
objectives and I would like to thank them for 
their efforts this year.

We are again proposing a substantial increase 
in the dividend, to move towards our target 
of a maximum 4 times cover on average. This 
year’s proposal is an increase of 1p, giving a 
full year dividend of 9.00p (2013: 8.00p) which 
is 12.5% up on last year.

Operations and people
We have not been looking for acquisition 
opportunities this year. Instead our focus has 
been on trying to improve the effectiveness 
of the operations within the Group. As part 
of those efforts we have been developing our 
range of metrics and working to ensure there 
is a clearer link between our business strategies 
and our employees’ individual objectives and 
contributions. We have also tried to improve 

04

strategic report
Refocusing on operational excellence has helped us return 
to growth this year.

05

Running_head
Running_head_Quote

Business review 
The company and Group principal activity 
in the course of the year continued to be 
the manufacture of electrical components 
and control equipment for industrial and 
commercial capital goods. The Group 
maintained its position as a specialist supplier 
of equipment to lift, transport and keypad 
sectors. A business review of the Group’s 
operations is dealt with below in operating 
highlights and in the Chairman’s Statement  
on page 2.

principal risks and uncertainties
The board is informed at every meeting of 
the principal risks and uncertainties across the 
Group which could have a material impact on 
the Group’s long and short term performance 
and action plans to mitigate these risks. The 
Group’s risk assessment process is designed to 
identify, manage and mitigate business risks. 
Business and operational risks are referred to 
in the business review. Financial risks, being 
currency and credit risk are covered within the 
financial review and the financial instruments 
note (note 26).

Key performance indicators
The directors believe that the key financial 
performance indicators relevant to the Group 
are earnings per share, adjusted operating profit, 
profit before tax and return on equity which 
are stated in the five year review on page 11. 
The key non-financial performance indicators 
relevant to the Group are quality measures and 
on-time deliveries to our customers.

Operating highlights
This year was a pleasing improvement on the 
previous year. Sales at the majority of Group 
Companies have grown which has generated 
an increase in Group profit figures.

In line with the Chairman, I would like to thank 
our staff across all Group Companies for their 
hard work and for the progress we have made 
together.

unitED KingDOm
Dewhurst uK manufacturing
It was encouraging that after a difficult 
period last year, sales recovered strongly 
in 2014, particularly for our lift products. 
The improvement was evenly spread across 
domestic and overseas sales. 

In the UK we have focused on building our 
sales of complete fixtures. Rather than just 
selling loose components, we are aiming to 
sell complete signalisation systems. With these 
we are able to add value in terms of additional 
components and complete some work in 
the factory, such as panel wiring, that would 
normally be carried out on site. 

The market interest in our UniBlade product 
range has led us to significantly extend the 
number of variants to suit different markets 
and installations. As this type of product is 
normally specified at an early stage in the 
design process, it takes some time for orders 
to come to fruition. However it is pleasing 
to see our new UniBlade already installed in 
such prestigious buildings as 122 Leadenhall 
Street (the Cheesegrater) and the new Queens 
Terminal (T2) at Heathrow Airport.

We have continued to work on improving 
processes throughout the year, with particular 
focus on waste. We have extensive moulding 
facilities at Feltham and we were aware that 
an unacceptable proportion of the moulding 
material we purchase was ending up as waste. 
We implemented a project to significantly 
reduce this and through improved planning, 
changes to tooling and product rationalisation 
we have been able to reduce this waste. 

We believe the improvements we have seen 
on the sales side will be sustained and we have 
now increased our investment in young people 
with the addition of two apprentices. We have 
recruited one into our Design Team and the 
other in our Customer Support and Programming 
Team. With the apprentices we have previously 
taken on in manufacturing and accounts we now 
have a group of four. Although this is not a large 
number, it is an appropriate rate of growth for 
our business at this time.

thames valley Controls
Thames Valley Controls enjoyed a very busy year. 
After many years of reduced Local Authority 
spending, it seems that purse strings have 
been loosened for lifts in the last two years. 
TVC have benefitted from this, both with their 
controller products and lift monitoring systems. 
Our online monitoring system, CMS Anywhere, 
has proven to be just what the market needs. 
Lift operations can be simply checked, either 
on the move or from the office. This is essential 
for today’s housing and facilities managers who 

100%

Increase in apprentices 
and trainees.

InvestIng In
our customers

We aim to become part of the customer’s design 
team to help turn their ideas into products that 
fit the functional and the styling requirement.

tailoring designs   We are happy to 
start from existing concepts to tailor 
them to the needs of a specific project. 

industry experts   We work closely 
with designers, engineers, architects, 
consultants and elevator manufacturers 
to assess the requirements on a 
particular project and put forward 
innovative but practical design ideas.

Customer specification   We can also 
work from a customer’s basic concept 
to turn it into a computer model and 
from there into reality.

06

strategic report  continued

07

Running_head
Running_head_Quote

Breakdown of 
employees by region

  Americas

  uK & europe

  Asia & Australia

are required to deliver weekly and monthly 
KPIs to residents on lift performance. As the 
demands on these managers become more and 
more onerous, we believe the opportunities for 
our monitoring products will grow. During the 
year we also released a new, Remote Indicator 
Display (RID), which enables facilities managers 
to display a message on a remote screen simply 
by sending it a SMS text message. This means 
residents can be easily informed about building 
repairs or maintenance works.

On controller development, a great deal of 
time and effort has gone in to perfecting our 
Ethos 2 controller to ensure market leading 
functionality.

Once again we have been able to start the year 
with a strong order book that should continue 
through the coming year.

tmp
We successfully completed our search for a 
new Managing Director at TMP when Dan 
Robinson joined in April. He has since carried 
out a strategic business review that has tailored 
the business to better meet medium term needs.

Regulatory requirements in the UK, with regard 
to road signage, have gone through some 
significant changes in the past twelve months. 
TMP were required to make some design 
changes to its core product to ensure the new 
codes were met. This resulted in the launch 
of a new solar powered bollard, Evo-S, with 
new front and wider side profiles, as well as 
increased light output. Evo-S is fully compliant 
with the latest code requirements and carries 
an all-important CE mark. Since its launch 
mid-way through the year, it has been very well 
received and has enjoyed good sales.

A key element of reboundable, reflective 
bollards is the base: the component which 
allows the bollard to flex and then return to 
its original position. Historically we have used 
a spring mechanism that was developed and 
supplied by a third party. As price competition 
has grown and since this is such an important 
element of the bollard, we made the decision 
to develop our own base. Over the last 
two years we have carried out extensive 
design work and testing on our own base 
design. From 2015, the bollard products we 
manufacture and supply will all use the new 
TMP base which offers improved impact 
performance at lower cost.

It does seem as though spending on road 
infrastructure will gradually increase over the 
coming years, so we believe there are still 
significant opportunities to grow the business 
at TMP. We have added additional design 
resource to facilitate the flow of new products. 

EuROpE
Dewhurst hungary
In this business we are always under pressure 
on margins and this year was no exception. 
Sales grew marginally and we were able 
to implement some overhead reductions, 
which allowed us to improve on last year’s 
performance. 

During the year Dewhurst Hungary worked 
with colleagues in the UK to develop a new 
design of keypad for one of our key customers.   
The new keypad meets the latest Payment 
Card Industry’s Security Standards, which are 
extremely stringent. The upgraded product 
was developed on tight timescales but was 
delivered to market absolutely in line with our 
customers’ requirements.

The test laboratory in Hungary is now fully 
commissioned and we are carrying out on-
going life tests of all keypad products that we 
manufacture in Hungary.

We continue to focus strongly on quality to 
ensure that the number of rejects, measured 
in parts rejected per million remains below our 
customers’ target. To meet such a stringent 
target requires a great deal of hard work and 
attention to detail and the team in Hungary 
have worked well to achieve these targets. It 
is our intention to apply elements of this best 
practice in quality more widely across Group 
Companies.

nORth AmERiCA
Dupar Controls
The North American economy continued to be 
reasonably buoyant and Dupar Controls took 
advantage of this, growing sales again this year.

Dupar sales are predominantly in Canada but 
the business has a Chicago sales office to cover 
the mid-western United States. After a few 
lean years, this office has grown sales strongly 
over the last twelve months and we will be 
targeting to continue to extend our customer 
base in this area over the coming years.

InvestIng In
our people

We have achieved the Silver level for  
Investors in People (IIP) accreditation at our 
Hounslow operation. We are now working on  
IIP programmes at our other UK sites.

performance monitoring  We ensure 
all staff have access to information  
on the key objectives and performance 
against those objectives for their 
operation.

Customer service   one of the 
key issues is to ensure we correctly 
interpret customers’ requirements, 
so we monitor any errors and seek to 
learn from them.

Apprenticeships   We have taken  
on several apprentices and trainees in 
the year in a variety of roles. 

08

strategic report  continued

09

Running_head
Running_head_Quote

£831k

spent on research and 
development.

The increased sales at Dupar have intensified 
pressure on our production facilities in Ontario. 
In order to boost capacity we have invested 
in a further CNC engraving machine and also 
added a second evening shift. This allowed 
us to meet the additional demand and ensure 
that lead times were not unduly extended.

lift material
Lift Material grew sales throughout the year. 
The EHC product line, which we believed 
would be one of our core lines, performed very 
strongly. We benefitted not only from good 
sales of handrails but also encouraging sales of 
a wide range of escalator spare parts.

Elevator Research & manufacturing (ERm)
At the start of the year we changed the 
management structure in North America to 
foster harmonisation of standards between 
Dupar and ERM. We promoted George 
Foleanu, the General Manager of Dupar 
Controls, to be Vice President of North 
American Operations.

Our aim is to provide a more consistent 
offering from Dupar and ERM, so whether 
a customer purchases a set of fixtures from 
either company, they will get the same 
experience, in terms of service, drawings, 
product design and quality. To achieve this 
ambition we needed one person with the 
correct level of experience and expertise based 
in North America to be responsible for both 
Dupar Controls and ERM. George is the ideal 
person for this role.

We have also had a change of General 
Manager at ERM and we welcome Mike 
Canzoneri to the team.

Like Dupar, ERM benefitted from the improved 
economic situation in the U.S. and sales rose. 
Through the second half of the year, we saw 
some return for the additional investment we 
have put in to ERM on the production side. 
The percentage of deliveries shipped on time 
improved significantly and the backlog was 
eradicated. The challenge now is to ensure this 
higher level of service is continued through 
next year.

AustRAliA & AsiA
Australian lift Components (AlC)
This was a challenging year for ALC. Merging 
two companies is always difficult and it took 
longer for us to iron out all the issues as we 
merged JAS into ALC. These distractions 
coupled with a reduction in sales in the 
first half of the year led to a disappointing 
performance. It was however a year of two 
halves, with their performance dramatically 
improving in the second half of the year. The 
team at ALC have now set the business up 
positively for the coming year.

We have invested in additional training of our 
staff this year on the wide range of products 
we distribute. Customers often have the 
opportunity to buy products direct from the 
manufacturer but they choose to buy from us at 
Lift Material because of the local technical and 
installation support that we can offer them.

Dual Engraving
Dual’s business in Western Australia continued 
to be busy throughout the year and we had a 
number of major projects in Perth where we 
supplied custom lift interiors.

The plan for Perth includes further 
development of the city centre, so there is 
certainly opportunity to grow the business 
over the medium term. To that end we are 
investing more resource into administration 
and manufacturing. This will ensure that we 
are able to boost our capacity to meet the 
available demand. 

Dewhurst hong Kong
Dewhurst Hong Kong has been operational 
for approximately four years and has built up 
an excellent reputation for its products and 
services over this time.

The market in Hong Kong remains quite 
buoyant. We predominantly sell into the local 
housing and infrastructure sectors. There 
is currently a great deal of infrastructure 
investment in Hong Kong, particularly for the 
railways, with a number of extensions to the 
Mass Transit Rail System and the new high-
speed rail link to China.

Having previously only sold Dewhurst products, 
this year Dewhurst Hong Kong took on the 
distribution of Avire safety edges for lifts. Initial 
sales have been very encouraging.

Approved and signed on behalf of the board

David Dewhurst  
Group Managing Director

1 December 2014

InvestIng In
our products

We continue to put significant investment into 
research and development to provide products 
that offer innovation, quality and style.

lift   our mirror blade provides 
clear and stylish indication of the 
lift to board for users of destination 
despatch control systems.

transport   our evo-s illuminated 
bollard achieved its ce certification in 
the year and is being used by a number 
of local authorities and Highways 
authorities.

Keypad   A new version of our Atm 
keypad was launched this year, which 
may look the same to the user, but has 
enhanced security features built in.

 
10

Financial review
Record earnings and strong cash position allow us to 
propose a further significant increase in the dividend.

11

trading results
Dewhurst sales figures were the second 
highest we have reported and much improved 
on last year. We achieved stronger sales across 
all sectors but the main growth areas were the 
UK lift and transport sectors. Whilst the UK 
still faced very tough competition both sectors 
saw Local Authorities return to spending, 
particularly for products that help them 
achieve improvements in their key performance 
indicators. Overall revenue increased by 6.7% 
from £43.7 million to £46.6 million.

Having restructured parts of the business last 
year and looked hard at overheads we were 
well placed to control these costs and benefit 
as revenue returned. As a result operating 
profit before goodwill write down and 
acquired intangible amortisation increased by 
34.1% from £4.1 million to £5.5 million and 
in percentage terms increased from 9.3% to 
11.7% of revenue.

strong cash position
Cash flow was once again very good with 
£3.9 million of cash being generated from 
operations (2013: £2.9 million). Despite 
pension contributions of £1.4 million, 
increased dividends, as well as a small share 
repurchase, the strong trading performance 
meant the group ended the year with cash 
and short-term deposits at £12.9 million, up 
£2.4 million from £10.5 million in 2013. This 
is aligned with the Group’s philosophy of 
maintaining a strong cash position together 
with minimal borrowing.

shareholders’ return

600p

500p

400p

300p

200p

100p

Sept 
2009 

Sept 
2010 

Sept 
2011 

Sept 
2012 

Sept 
2013 

Sept
2014

              Ordinary share price  

          ‘A’ Ordinary share price  

We started and finished the year with no 
borrowing or bank overdraft facility.

pension scheme deficit
A more detailed analysis of the retirement 
benefit fund assets and liabilities movements is 
reported in note 22 under IAS 19, but this year 
has seen the scheme deficit increase by £1.7 
million from £10.5 million to £12.2 million. The 
scheme was closed to future accrual in 2010 
and the company has since paid in £1.4 million 
annually to reduce the deficit. As previously 
reported the movement in the liability discount 
rate, which is used to calculate the net present 
value of future liabilities and is traditionally 
based upon 15 year AA bond yields, tends to 
have the biggest impact on the scheme deficit 
and this year is no different. With a move back 
down from 4.3% to 3.8% this one assumption 
change had approximately a £3.6 million 
negative impact on the scheme position. 

The Group will continue to pay a fixed 
sum of £1.4 million annually to reduce the 
defined benefit pension scheme deficit and 
all recommendations made by the scheme’s 
actuary to eliminate the scheme deficit 
within an agreed timeframe have been fully 
implemented.

pension scheme reporting change
In addition this year, the rule relating to the 
calculation of net costs on the pension scheme 
that are reported through the consolidated 
income statement finance cost section has 
changed. No longer are companies required to 
report the expected return on pension scheme 
assets based upon the long-term rate of return 
expected for equities, bonds, etc. but instead 
are required to use the same rate of return for 
all assets as defined by the liability discount 
rate. This change has no impact on the  
balance sheet deficit but increases the finance 
costs reported through the consolidated 
income statement by £0.4 million as well as 
decreases the actuarial gains / (losses) on the 
defined benefit pension scheme reported 
through the consolidated statement of 
recognised income and expense. We have also 
been required by IAS 19 (revised) to adjust  
the comparatives for earlier years and the  
increase in finance costs is as follows –  
2013: £0.4 million, 2012: £0.1 million,  
2011: £0.3 million and 2010: £0.2 million.

gROup FivE yEAR REviEw

For the year ended 30 September 2014 

2010^ 
£(000) 

2011^ 
£(000) 

2012^ 
£(000) 

2013^ 
£(000) 

2014
£(000)

Revenue 

36,975 

41,487 

51,555 

43,698 

46,616

Adjusted operating profit * 

4,871 

4,880 

5,605 

4,084 

5,475

Operating profit 

4,871 

4,424 

5,660 

2,594 

5,179

Profit before taxation 

4,646 

4,038 

5,314 

2,219 

4,812

As a percentage of total equity 

22.0% 

18.6% 

24.6% 

10.1% 

21.4%

Taxation 

1,339 

1,428 

1,688 

1,307 

866

Profit after taxation 

3,307 

2,610 

3,626 

912 

3,946

Total equity 

21,087 

21,754 

21,564 

21,870 

22,448

Earnings per share, basic and diluted 

38.85p 

30.67p 

42.98p 

11.28p 

46.22p

Dividends per share 

6.36p 

6.69p 

12.02p 

8.00p 

9.00p

  * Operating profit before goodwill write down, amortisation of acquired intangibles and gain on property disposal

^ Restated. For more information see pension scheme reporting change detailed in the Financial Review

Amortisation of acquired intangibles
The A$1.6 million acquired intangibles arising 
from Dual Engraving in 2013 relate to the 
customer list and key relationships present at 
date of acquisition; these are being written 
off over their deemed useful economic life of 
3 years. The amortisation will continue until 
February 2016 when the assets will be fully 
written off. 

treasury policy
The Group seeks to reduce or eliminate 
financial risk to ensure sufficient liquidity is 
available to meet foreseeable needs and to 
invest cash assets safely and profitably.  
The policies and procedures operated are 
regularly reviewed and approved by the board. 
By varying the duration of its fixed and floating 
cash deposits, the Group maximises the return 
on interest earned. 

With over half of profit before tax earned 
and held in foreign currencies, the Group 
continues to hedge internally where possible 
and to consider the need to use derivatives 
in the form of foreign exchange contracts 
to manage its currency risk, as reported in 
note 26. As discussed last year, to reduce the 
impact of currency risk the Group successfully 

switched Dewhurst (Hungary) Kft’s local 
reporting currency from Hungarian Forints 
to Pounds Sterling from 1 October 2013 to 
match its functional currency. Whilst Dewhurst 
(Hungary) Kft still operates in US Dollars as 
well as Pounds Sterling, this change has seen 
a marked reduction in the impact of foreign 
currency fluctuation in 2014.

Dividends
Dividends are accounted for when paid or 
approved by shareholders, and not when 
proposed, therefore the proposed final 
dividend for 2014 has not been accrued at the 
balance sheet date. The total dividend for 2014 
of 9.00p per share is 13% up on 2013 and 
is covered 5.2 times by earnings. Total equity 
improved from £21.9 million to £22.4 million.

Following a share repurchase, there was a 
reduction in the number of allotted shares 
during the year, and these have been fully 
reported in the Directors’ Report on page 13.

Jared sinclair 
Finance Director

1 December 2014

+13% 

shareholders’ annual 
percentage rate of 
return (Apr) over the 
last five years.

  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
12

Board of directors

13

Report of the directors

Richard Dewhurst  BA (Eng Sc), ACMA
Chairman, 58, joined in 1985. Previously 
with Ford Motor Co, Ernst & Whinney Senior 
Management Consultant.

David Dewhurst  BSc (Elec Eng)
Group Managing Director, 53, joined in 1987. 
Previously with Holmes & Marchant plc.

Jared sinclair  BSc, ACA
Finance Director, 44, joined in 1997. Previously 
with Moores Rowland, Chartered Accountants, 
Audit Senior.

Richard young  MBA, BSc, CEng, MIET
Managing Director – Thames Valley Controls, 
58, joined in 1996. Previously with MBM 
Technology Ltd, Director and General Manager.

John Bailey 
Non-executive Director, 44, joined in 2008. 
Previously with Brett Landscaping & Building 
Products, Commercial Director.

peter tett  MA, MSc
Non-executive Director, 75, joined in 2000. 
Previously with Halma plc, Director. 

The directors present their annual report on the 
affairs of the Group together with the financial 
statements and auditor’s report for the year 
ended 30 September 2014.

Results and dividends
The trading profit for the year, after taxation, 
amounted to £3.9 million (2013: £0.9 million).

A final dividend on the Ordinary and  
‘A’ non-voting ordinary shares of 6.20p per 
share (2013: 5.66p) for the financial  
year ended 30 September 2014 will be 
proposed at the Annual General Meeting 
(AGM) to be held on 3 February 2015.  
If approved, this dividend will be paid on  
19 February 2015 to members on the register 
at 16 January 2015. 

An interim dividend of 2.80p per share  
(2013: 2.34p) was paid on 27 August 2014.

A final dividend on the Ordinary and  
‘A’ non-voting ordinary shares of 5.66p  
per share (2012: 4.68p plus 5.00p special) 
which amounted to £482k (2012: £834k)  
for the financial year ended 30 September 
2013 was approved at the AGM  
held on 4 February 2014 and was paid on  
20 February 2014 to members on the register 
at 17 January 2014.

Directors’ share interests
The table below sets out the names of the persons who were directors 
of the company during the financial year ended 30 September 2014 
together with details of their own and their families’ beneficial interests 
in the shares of the company at that date and corresponding details at 30 
September 2013.

 30 september 2014 

Ordinary 
shares 

‘a’ ordinary 
shares 

 30 September 2013
‘A’ ordinary
shares

Ordinary 
shares 

Mr R M Dewhurst 

492,333 

123,666 

494,333 

123,666

Mr D Dewhurst 

419,595 

69,932 

419,595 

69,932

Mr J C Sinclair 

Mr R Young 

Mr J Bailey 

Mr P Tett 

1,000 

1,000 

1,000 

1,000 

– 

– 

– 

– 

1,000 

1,000 

1,000 

1,000 

–

–

–

–

At 30 September 2014 and 30 September 2013 there were no share 
options allocated to the directors. During the financial year no director 
was materially interested in any contract which was significant to the 
Group’s business. 

Deferred consideration
Dual Engraving Pty Ltd was pleased to report 
sales within the first 12 months were greater 
than A$4.5 million and so, as stipulated in 
the sale and purchase agreement, Dual paid 
the A$0.3 million (£0.2 million) deferred 
consideration.

post balance sheet events
There have been no post balance sheet events 
since the year end.

share repurchases 
On 17 July 2014 the company purchased 
36,500 of its own ‘A’ non-voting ordinary  
10p shares for £104,025. At the time of 
purchase these shares amounted to 0.43% of 
the called up share capital of the company and 
have been cancelled. 

Details of shares purchased have been notified 
to the London Stock Exchange and to the 
Registrar of Companies.

Directors
The members of the board during the year 
were:

Mr R M Dewhurst (chairman)

Mr D Dewhurst (group managing director)

Mr J C Sinclair

Mr R Young

Mr J Bailey (non-executive) 

Mr P Tett (non-executive)

The directors retiring by rotation at this year’s 
Annual General Meeting are Mr R Young and 
Mr P Tett who, being eligible, offer themselves 
for re-election. The unexpired period of  
Mr R Young and Mr P Tett’s service agreement 
is less than one year.

During the year and at the date of approval of 
the accounts, the Group maintained liability 
insurance for all directors.

substantial shareholdings
At 18 November 2014, the company had been 
advised of the following beneficial interests 
in excess of 3% of the ordinary voting share 
capital (other than the holdings shown under 
directors’ share interests).

 
 
 
 
14

Report of the directors  continued

15

Directors’ emoluments
The remuneration of the directors is shown below:

Salary 
  and fees 
  £(000) 

Bonus 

£(000) 

Benefits  
in kind 
£(000) 

Pension 

2014 
Total 

2013
Total

£(000) 

£(000) 

£(000)

executive directors: 

Mr R M Dewhurst 

Mr D Dewhurst 

Mr J C Sinclair 

Mr R Young 

Mr J Bailey (up to 07 April 2013) 

non-executive directors: 

Mr J Bailey (from 08 April 2013) 

Mr P Tett 

Mrs V E Dewhurst 

Fidelity NorthStar Fund  

Mrs B Bruce  

Ms E Dewhurst 

Mr J H Ridley 

  126 

  111 

93 

88 

– 

44 

18 

651,000

200,000

190,208

175,333

138,148

At the same date the register shows interests 
in excess of 3% of the ‘A’ non-voting ordinary 
share capital (other than directors’ holdings) of:

Mrs V E Dewhurst 

W B Nominees Ltd 

Discretionary Unit Fund 

518,000

387,000

350,000

Schweco Nominees Ltd – 16495 Acct  253,526

Vidacos Nominees Ltd 

251,500

TD Direct Investing Nominees Ltd 

225,575

Ms E Dewhurst 

167,416 

Employee involvement
Meetings, chaired by managing directors, 
are held with employee representatives. 
The financial position and prospects of the 
company are discussed together with details of 
investment and changes in facilities which are 
planned by management. Opportunity is given 
at the meetings to question senior executives 
about matters which concern the employees.

health and safety
Regular attention is given to health and safety 
with all reasonable precautions taken to 

85 

71 

22 

84 

– 

– 

– 

4 

3 

– 

– 

– 

– 

– 

– 

– 

9 

9 

– 

– 

– 

215 

185 

124 

181 

– 

44 

18 

189

165

117

128

53

10

17

provide and maintain safe working conditions 
for both employees and visitors alike, which 
comply with statutory requirements and 
appropriate codes of practice. In order to 
minimise the instances of occupational 
accidents and illnesses detailed policies and 
risk improvement programmes are regularly 
updated.

Employment policies
The Group is committed to ensuring that:

 All employees are treated fairly and equally 
irrespective of gender, ethnic origin, religion, 
nationality, marital status, sexuality or disability.

 The working environment is conducive 
to achievement and free from sexual 
harassment and intimidation.

 Full and fair consideration is given to the 
employment of disabled persons, having 
regard to their particular aptitudes and 
abilities. Wherever possible, continuing 
employment is provided for employees 
who become disabled with appropriate 
arrangements for re-training being made 
where necessary.

 The Group has a development policy 
committing it to the training and continuous 
development of its employees to develop 
their full potential and to achieve a more 
flexible and skilled workforce. Dewhurst 

plc, the company, achieved IiP (Investors in 
People) status which was awarded in January 
2002 and has since been successfully  
re-appraised on several occasions.

Research and development
The Group continues to invest in research and 
development programmes for new products 
as well as new processes and technologies to 
improve overall operational effectiveness.

going concern
Positive steps to develop sales and control costs 
have been taken by management to ensure the 
company has adequate resources to continue 
in operational existence for the foreseeable 
future, therefore the directors continue to 
adopt a going concern basis in preparing the 
financial statements.

Auditor
The current directors have taken all the 
steps that they ought to have taken to make 
themselves aware of any information needed 
by the Group’s auditor for the purposes of 
the audit and to establish that the auditor is 
aware of that information. The directors are 
not aware of any relevant audit information of 
which the auditor is unaware.

A resolution will be proposed at the Annual 
General Meeting to re-appoint Chantrey 
Vellacott DFK LLP as auditor and to authorise 
the directors to determine their remuneration.

Directors’ responsibilities statement
The directors are responsible for keeping 
proper accounting records which disclose with 
reasonable accuracy at any time the financial 
position of the company and the Group and 
enable them to ensure that the financial 
statements comply with the Companies 
Act 2006. They are also responsible for 
safeguarding the assets of the company and 
the Group and for taking reasonable steps 
for the prevention and detection of fraud and 
other irregularities.

The directors are responsible for preparing 
the annual report, the strategic report, the 
directors’ report and the financial statements 
in accordance with the Companies Act 2006. 
The directors have prepared the financial 
statements for the Group and the company 
in accordance with International Financial 

Reporting Standards (IFRS) as adopted by the 
European Union.

International Accounting Standard 1 requires 
that financial statements present fairly for each 
financial year the Group’s financial position, 
financial performance and cash flows. This 
requires the faithful representation of the effects 
of transactions, other events and conditions 
in accordance with the definitions and 
recognition criteria for assets, liabilities, income 
and expenses set out in the International 
Accounting Standards Board’s ‘Framework for 
the preparation and presentation of financial 
statements’. In virtually all circumstances, a fair 
presentation will be achieved by compliance 
with all applicable IFRS. A fair presentation also 
requires the directors to:

 consistently select and apply appropriate 
accounting policies; and

 prepare the financial statements on the 
going concern basis unless it is inappropriate 
to presume that the company will continue 
in business; and

 present information, including accounting 
policies, in a manner that provides relevant, 
reliable comparable and understandable 
information; and

 provide additional disclosures when 
compliance with the specific requirements 
in IFRS is insufficient to enable users 
to understand the impact of particular 
transactions, other events and conditions on 
the entity’s financial position and financial 
performance.

Financial statements are published on the 
Group’s website in accordance with legislation in 
the United Kingdom governing the preparation 
and dissemination of financial statements, which 
may vary from legislation in other jurisdictions. 
The maintenance and integrity of the Group’s 
website is the responsibility of the directors. 
The directors’ responsibility also extends to the 
ongoing integrity of the financial statements 
contained therein.

By order of the board

Jared sinclair    
Secretary

1 December 2014

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
16

Consolidated financial statements

17

The notes on pages  
19 to 37 form part 
of these financial 
statements

COnsOliDAtED inCOmE stAtEmEnt

For the year ended 30 September 2014 

Continuing operations

revenue 

Operating costs 

Adjusted operating profit* 

Goodwill write down 

Amortisation of acquired intangibles  

Operating profit 

Finance income 

Finance costs 

profit before taxation 

Taxation  

profit for the financial year 

Attributable to: 

Equity shareholders of the company 

Non-controlling interests 

Notes 

2014 
£(000) 

2013^ 
£(000)

2 

3 

10 

5 

6 

7 

8 

21 

46,616 

43,698

(41,437) 

(41,104)

5,475 

– 

(296) 

5,179 

85 

(452) 

4,812 

(866) 

3,946 

3,930 

16 

3,946 

4,084

(1,266)

(224)

2,594

100

(475)

2,219

(1,307)

912

960

(48)

912

Basic and diluted earnings per share 

9 

46.22p 

11.28p

COnsOliDAtED stAtEmEnt OF RECOgnisED inCOmE AnD ExpEnsE

Notes 

2014 
£(000) 

2013^ 
£(000)

net income/(expense) recognised directly in equity: 

Actuarial gains/(losses) on the defined benefit pension scheme 

22 

(2,570) 

Exchange differences on translation of foreign operations 

Tax on items taken directly to equity 

Net income/(expense) recognised directly in equity in the year 

Profit for the financial year 

Total recognised income and expense for the year 

Attributable to: 

Equity shareholders of the company  

Non-controlling interests 

(669) 

648 

(2,591) 

3,946 

1,355 

1,379 

(24) 

1,355 

444

(947) 

184

(319)

912

593

717

(124) 

593

* Operating profit before goodwill write down and amortisation of acquired intangibles

^ Restated. For more information see pension scheme reporting change detailed in the Financial Review

The notes on pages  
19 to 37 form part 
of these financial 
statements

COnsOliDAtED BAlAnCE shEEt

At 30 September 2014 

non-current assets 

Goodwill 

Other intangibles 

Property, plant and equipment 

Deferred tax asset 

Current assets 

Inventories 

Trade and other receivables 

Current tax assets 

Cash and cash equivalents 

Total assets 

Current liabilities 

Trade and other payables 

Short-term provisions 

non-current liabilities 

Retirement benefit obligation 

Total liabilities 

net assets 

equity 

Share capital 

Share premium account 

Capital redemption reserve 

Translation reserve 

Retained earnings 

Total attributable to equity shareholders of the company 

Non-controlling interests 

Total equity 

Notes 

2014 
£(000) 

2013
£(000)

10 

11 

12 

19 

14 

15 

16 

17 

18 

22 

20 

21 

21 

21 

21 

21 

3,129 

463 

8,665 

2,086 

3,173

836

9,240

1,709

14,343 

14,958

4,501 

9,199 

26 

12,928 

26,654 

40,997 

5,398 

959 

6,357 

12,192 

18,549 

22,448 

847 

157 

290 

929 

19,590 

21,813 

635 

4,557

8,556

20

10,506

23,639

38,597

5,445

752

6,197

10,530

16,727

21,870

851

157

286

1,425

18,540

21,259

611

22,448 

21,870

The financial statements were approved by the board of directors and authorised for issue on 1 December 
2014 and were signed on its behalf by:

richard Dewhurst  Chairman            
Jared sinclair  Finance Director

Company Registration Number: 160314

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
   
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
18

Consolidated financial statements  continued

19

notes to the accounts

The notes on pages  
19 to 37 form part 
of these financial 
statements

COnsOliDAtED CAsh FlOw stAtEmEnt

For the year ended 30 September 2014 

Cash flows from operating activities 

Operating profit 

Goodwill write down 

Depreciation and amortisation 

Additional contributions to pension scheme 

Exchange adjustments 

(Profit)/loss on disposal of property, plant and equipment 

(Increase)/decrease in inventories 

(Increase)/decrease in trade and other receivables 

Increase/(decrease) in trade and other payables 

Increase/(decrease) in provisions 

Cash generated from operations 

Interest paid 

Tax paid 

net cash from operating activities 

Cash flows from investing activities 

Acquisition of business and assets 

Proceeds from sale of property, plant and equipment 

Purchase of property, plant and equipment 

Development costs capitalised 

Interest received 

Notes 

2014 
£(000) 

2013
£(000)

5,179 

– 

1,194 

2,594

1,266

1,198

(1,360) 

(1,356)

(57) 

(21) 

35

75

4,935 

3,812

56 

(643) 

(47) 

207 

415

(135)

(308)

30

4,508 

3,814

– 

(605) 

3,903 

(1)

(869)

2,944

27 

(112) 

(1,716)

47 

(408) 

(70) 

85 

22

(587)

(112)

100

net cash generated from/(used in) investing activities  

(458) 

(2,293)

Cash flows from financing activities 

Dividends paid 

Purchase of own shares 

net cash used in financing activities 

(720) 

(104) 

(824) 

(1,023)

–

(1,023)

net increase/(decrease) in cash and cash equivalents   

2,621 

(372)

Cash and cash equivalents at beginning of year 

16 

10,506 

11,101

Exchange adjustments on cash and cash equivalents 

(199) 

(223)

Cash and cash equivalents at end of year 

16 

12,928 

10,506

nOtE 1   ACCOunting pOliCiEs

Basis of preparation 
Dewhurst plc prepares its consolidated and 
company financial statements on a going concern 
basis and in accordance with International 
Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) adopted by 
the European Union (EU). The Group and company 
financial statements have been prepared in 
accordance with those parts of the Companies Act 
2006 that are applicable to companies adopting 
IFRS. The company is registered and incorporated 
in the United Kingdom; and quoted on AIM.

The principal accounting policies applied in the 
preparation of these financial statements are set 
out below. These policies have been consistently 
applied to the years presented, unless otherwise 
stated. The results have been prepared on the basis 
of all IFRS issued by the International Accounting 
Standards Board currently effective. The directors 
consider the effects of standards issued but not yet 
effective to be immaterial.

The preparation of financial statements in 
conformity with IFRS requires the use of 
judgements, estimates and assumptions that affect 
the reported amounts of assets, liabilities, income 
and expenses. The estimates and associated 
assumptions are based on historical experience 
and various other factors that are believed to be 
reasonable under the circumstances, the results of 
which form the basis of making judgements about 
carrying values of assets and liabilities that are not 
readily apparent from other sources. Actual results 
may differ from these estimates. The estimates 
and underlying assumptions are reviewed on an 
ongoing basis and revisions are recognised in the 
period in which the estimate or assumption is 
revised. The key areas where estimates have been 
used and assumptions applied are in impairment 
testing of goodwill and investments, provisioning, 
taxation and in assessing the defined benefit 
pension scheme liabilities (see notes 10, 13, 18, 19 
and 22 respectively).

The financial statements have been prepared under 
the historical cost convention and are presented in 
Sterling to the nearest thousand (£’000).

Consolidation 
The consolidated financial statements incorporate 
the results of Dewhurst plc and all of its subsidiary 
undertakings made up to 30 September 2014, 
adjusted to eliminate intra-group balances, 
transactions, income and expenses. The Group 
has used the acquisition method of accounting to 
consolidate the results of subsidiary undertakings, 
which are included from the date of acquisition.

Revenue 
Revenue is measured at the fair value of sales of 
goods and services less returns and sales taxes. 
Revenue is recognised on dispatch or on written 
acceptance by customers, whichever is earlier.

Customer loyalty rebates 
The cost of customer loyalty rebates is recognised 
as a cost of sale, with an accrual equal to 
the estimated fair value of the loyalty rebate 
recognised when the original transaction occurs. 
On redemption, the cost of redemption is offset 
against the accrual.

property, plant and equipment 
Property, plant and equipment is stated at cost  
or deemed cost less accumulated depreciation  
and any recognised impairment loss. Depreciation 
is charged so as to write off the cost over the 
assets expected useful life. The depreciation rates 
used are:

Buildings (basic structure) 
1½% – on a declining balance basis

Buildings (fittings)   
5% to 20% – on a straight-line basis

Plant and equipment 
10% to 331/3% – on a straight-line basis

investments in subsidiaries 
In the accounts of the company, investments 
held as non-current assets are stated at cost less 
provision for impairment. 

goodwill 
Goodwill arising on the acquisition of a  
subsidiary undertaking is the difference between 
the fair value of the consideration paid and the 
fair value of the assets and liabilities acquired 
and is recognised as an asset and reviewed for 
impairment at least annually. Any impairment is 
recognised immediately in the income statement 
and is not subsequently reversed. On disposal of a 
subsidiary, the attributable amount of goodwill is 
included in the determination of the profit or  
loss on disposal. Goodwill arising on acquisitions 
before the date of transition to IFRS has been 
retained at the previous UK GAAP amount subject 
to being tested for impairment at that date. 

inventories 
Inventories are stated at the lower of weighted 
average cost and net realisable value. Cost 
represents direct materials, labour and appropriate 
production overheads. The Group provides for all 
inventories where there is more than one year’s 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
20

notes to the accounts  continued

21

usage held and where there is no annual usage. 
Therefore the directors consider the carrying 
amounts are stated at their fair value after 
deduction of appropriate allowances for estimated 
irrecoverable amounts.

taxation 
The tax expense represents the sum of the tax 
currently payable and deferred tax. The tax 
currently payable is based on taxable profit for the 
year. Taxable profit differs from the net  
profit as reported in the income statement because 
it excludes items of income or expense that are 
taxable or deductible in other years and it  
further excludes items that are never taxable or 
deductible. The Group’s liability for current  
tax is calculated using tax rates that have been 
enacted or substantively enacted by the balance 
sheet date.

Deferred tax is the tax expected to be payable or 
recoverable on differences between the carrying 
amounts of assets and liabilities in the financial 
statements and the corresponding tax bases 
used in the computation of taxable profit and is 
accounted for using the balance sheet liability 
method. Deferred tax liabilities are generally 
recognised for all material taxable temporary 
differences and deferred tax assets are only 
recognised to the extent that taxable profits will 
be available against which deductible temporary 
differences can be utilised. A deferred tax asset  
has been recognised in relation to the pension 
scheme deficit.

Deferred tax is calculated at the tax rates that are 
expected to apply in the period when the liability is 
settled or the asset is realised, based upon tax rates 
and laws that have been enacted or substantively 
enacted by the balance sheet date. Deferred tax 
is charged or credited in the income statement, 
except when it relates to items charged or credited 
directly to equity, in which case the deferred tax is 
also dealt with in equity.

Foreign currencies 
Foreign currency transactions of individual 
companies are translated at the rates ruling when 
they occurred. Foreign currency monetary assets 
and liabilities are retranslated at the rates ruling at 
the balance sheet date. Any differences are taken 
to the income statement. 

The results of overseas operations are translated at 
the average rates of exchange during the year and 
their balance sheets translated into Sterling at the 
rates of exchange ruling at the balance sheet date. 
Exchange differences which arise from translation 
of the opening net assets and results of foreign 

subsidiary undertakings and from translating the 
income statement at an average rate are taken 
to reserves. All other differences are taken to the 
income statement.

The treatment of tax charges or credits resulting 
from the exchange differences reported above 
match the accounting treatment and are either 
taken to reserves or to the income statement  
as appropriate.

Research and development 
Development expenditure that satisfies the  
criteria of IAS 38 for recognition as an intangible 
asset is capitalised and then amortised  
on a straight-line basis over its expected useful  
life of up to three years. Expenditure on 
development activities that does not meet  
these criteria along with research activities are 
recognised as an expense in the period in which 
they are incurred.

Operating leases 
Rentals under operating leases are charged  
to the income statement in equal annual amounts 
over the lease term. Benefits received as  
incentives to enter into the agreements are  
also spread on a straight-line basis over the  
lease term. 

Employee benefits 
The Group operates both a defined contribution 
and a defined benefit type pension scheme. 
Contributions in respect of the defined 
contribution schemes are charged to the income 
statement in the year they fall due. The defined 
benefit scheme has been set up under a trust  
deed with its financial assets held separately 
from those of the Group and is controlled by 
the trustees. The pension cost is assessed in 
accordance with the advice of an independent 
qualified actuary to recognise the expected  
cost of providing pensions on a systematic and 
rational basis over the expected remaining service 
lives of employees. 

The liability recognised in the balance sheet in 
respect of the defined benefit pension scheme is 
the present value of the defined benefit obligation 
at the balance sheet date less the fair value of 
scheme assets, together with adjustments for 
unrecognised actuarial gains and losses and past 
service costs. The defined benefit obligation is 
determined by discounting the estimated future 
cash outflows using interest rates of high-quality 
corporate bonds approximating to the terms 
of the related pension liability. As required by 
IAS19 (revised) the comparative recalculation and 
reporting of the expected return on assets have 

been adjusted and restated throughout these 
financial statements. 

Actuarial gains and losses are recognised in full in 
the statement of recognised income and expense. 
Current and past service costs are charged to the 
income statement under pension costs in operating 
expenses. Interest on the pension scheme’s 
liabilities and the expected return on the scheme’s 
assets are recognised within finance costs in the 
income statement.

Dividends 
Dividend distribution to the company’s 
shareholders is recognised in the Group’s financial 
statements in the year in which dividends  
are approved by shareholders or paid, which ever 
is earlier.

Financial instruments 
The Group does not hold or issue derivative 
financial instruments for speculative purposes.

trade receivables and payables 
Trade receivables do not carry any interest and 
trade payables are not interest bearing.  
Receipts and payments occur over a short 
period and are subject to an insignificant risk of 
changes in value. The Group provides for all trade 
receivables that are more than ninety days  
overdue therefore the directors consider the 
carrying amounts are stated at their fair value  
after deduction of appropriate allowances for 
estimated irrecoverable amounts.

Financial liabilities 
Financial liabilities incurred by the Group are 
classified according to the substance of the 
contractual arrangements entered into and 
measured at their amortised cost.

Cash and cash equivalents 
Cash and cash equivalents comprise cash  
on hand and short-term deposits that are readily 
convertible to a known amount of cash and  
are subject to an insignificant risk of changes  
in value.

provisions 
Provisions are recognised for liabilities of  
uncertain timing or amount when there is a 
present legal or constructive obligation that has 
arisen as a result of past events, for which it is 
probable that an outflow of economic benefit will 
be required to settle the obligation and where the 
amount of the obligation can be reliably estimated 
(see notes 15 and 18). 

22

notes to the accounts  continued

23

nOtE 2   sEgmEnt REpORting

For management purposes, the Group reports its primary segmental information by geographical 
destination.

The geographical analysis by significant regions is as follows: 

United Kingdom 

Europe 

The Americas  

Asia & Australia 

Other  

Inter-company sales 

Finance income/(costs) 

2014 
£(000) 

16,250 

7,635 

12,884 

12,868 

– 

Revenue 
2013 
£(000) 

13,029 

5,690 

13,088 

14,633 

69 

  Operating profit

2014 
£(000) 

1,932 

965 

1,271 

1,011 

– 

2013^
£(000)

(72)

553

1,542

571

–

49,637 

46,509 

5,179 

2,594

(3,021) 

(2,811) 

Consolidated revenue/profit before tax for the year  46,616 

43,698 

United Kingdom 

Europe 

The Americas  

Asia & Australia 

Other  

2014 
£(000) 

Assets 
2013 
£(000) 

16,021 

14,587 

6,277 

9,280 

9,179 

240 

4,663 

8,952 

10,208 

187 

(367) 

4,812 

2014 
£(000) 

9,033 

2,719 

3,874 

2,746 

177 

(375)

2,219

Liabilities
2013
£(000)

7,872

2,040

3,704

2,981

130

Consolidated assets/liabilities for the year 

40,997 

38,597 

18,549 

16,727

United Kingdom 

Europe 

The Americas  

Asia & Australia 

Other  

Total Group 

Capital additions 
2013 
£(000) 

2014 
£(000) 

Depreciation and amortisation 
2013
£(000)

2014 
£(000) 

202 

50 

149 

236 

1 

638 

281 

53 

113 

2,752 

1 

332 

77 

184 

597 

4 

345

70

230

550

3

3,200 

1,194 

1,198

^ Restated. For more information see pension scheme reporting change detailed in the Financial Review

The secondary segmental reporting is by the following business sectors: 

sector 

Lift 

Transport 

Keypad 

Inter-company sales 

Lift 

Transport  

Keypad 

Total Group 

nOtE 3   OpERAting COsts

Movement in inventory provision obsolescence 

Cost of inventories recognised as an expense  

Staff costs (see note 4) 

Depreciation 

Amortisation 

Write down of goodwill 

Foreign exchange differences 

Other operating charges 

Operating costs 

2014 
£(000) 

Revenue 
2013
£(000)

36,577 

34,082

3,093 

9,967 

2,797

9,630

49,637 

46,509

(3,021) 

(2,811)

46,616 

43,698

2014 
£(000) 

Assets 
2013 
£(000) 

  Capital additions 
2013
£(000)

2014 
£(000) 

32,460 

30,933 

1,937 

6,600 

1,669 

5,995 

40,997 

38,597 

530 

50 

58 

638 

2014 
£(000) 

(5) 

21,668 

14,188 

789 

405 

– 

101 

4,291 

3,055

138

7

3,200

2013
£(000)

(35)

20,279

13,692

858

340

1,266

210

4,494

41,437 

41,104

Other operating charges include lease rentals on premises £367k (2013: £393k) and lease rentals on 
motor vehicles £84k (2013: £91k), gain on sale of property, plant and equipment £21k (2013: loss of 
£75k) and auditor’s remuneration detailed below. Expenditure on research and development was £831k 
(2013: £830k).

Auditor’s remuneration:

amounts paid to Chantrey vellacott DFK LLp 
and DFK associates 

2014 
£(000) 

The Group 
2013 
£(000) 

2014 
£(000) 

The Company
2013
£(000)

Statutory audit services 

Pension audit services 

Taxation compliance services 

Other taxation advisory services 

82 

5 

12 

22 

81 

5 

14 

10 

121 

110 

21 

1 

1 

21 

44 

19

1

1

4

25

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
   
 
 
 
   
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
   
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
   
 
 
   
24

notes to the accounts  continued

25

nOtE 4   stAFF COsts AnD inFORmAtiOn REgARDing EmplOyEEs 

Costs during the year were as follows:

Wages and salaries 

Social security costs 

Pension costs (see note 22) 

2014 
£(000) 

The Group 
2013 
£(000) 

12,557 

12,132 

920 

711 

866 

694 

14,188 

13,692 

The average number of employees during the year was:

Office and management 

Manufacturing 

2014 
no. 

164 

201 

365 

The Group 
2013 
No. 

164 

198 

362 

2014 
£(000) 

584 

70 

93 

747 

The Company
2013
£(000)

472

60

70

602

2014 
no. 

The Company
2013
No.

8 

– 

8 

 8

–

8

The executive directors comprise the key management personnel of the Group and company in both the 
current and previous years. 

The total amount of the directors’ remuneration was as follows:

Emoluments –Executive directors 

Emoluments – Non-executive directors 

2014 
£(000) 

687 

62 

749 

2013
£(000)

627

27

654

Four directors became deferred members in the company’s defined benefit pension scheme after the 
scheme closed to future accrual on 30 September 2010.

The emoluments of the directors is reported on page 14 of the directors report and the remuneration 
of the highest paid director during the year was £215k (2013: £189k). The highest paid director, under 
the defined benefit scheme has accrued pension of £122k (2013: £118k) and an accrued lump sum of 
£2,332k (2013: £2,090k).

nOtE 5   FinAnCE inCOmE 

Bank deposit interest 

nOtE 6   FinAnCE COsts

Interest payable on bank overdraft and loans 

Net costs on defined benefit pension scheme 

2014 
£(000) 

85 

2014 
£(000) 

– 

(452) 

(452) 

2013
£(000)

100

2013^
£(000)

(1)

(474)

(475)

^ Restated. For more information see pension scheme reporting change detailed in the Financial Review

nOtE 7   tAx
Current tax 

UK corporation tax at 22.0% (2013: 23.5%) 

Adjustment on prior years tax 

Overseas taxation 

Deferred tax 

Movement in deferred taxation provision 

Tax expense in the income statement 

2014 
£(000) 

8 

(160) 

757 

605 

261 

866 

The tax assessed for the year is different from the standard rate of corporation tax in the UK.  
The differences are explained below:

2014 
£(000) 

profit before tax  

Standard rate of corporation tax in the UK 

Effects of: 

Adjustments in respect of prior years 

Overseas withholding tax 

Deferred tax 

Unrelieved tax losses in the period 

Additional reduction for R&D expenditure 

Expenses not deductible for tax purposes  

IAS19 (revised) pension adjustment 

effective tax rate for the year 

2013
£(000)

7

(43)

849

813

494

1,307

2013^
£(000)

2,219

23.5%

(1.9%)

0.3%

22.3%

15.8%

(7.7%)

2.7%

3.9%

4,812 

22.0% 

(3.3%) 

0.1% 

5.4% 

– 

(6.2%) 

– 

– 

18.0% 

58.9%

nOtE 8   pROFit FOR thE FinAnCiAl yEAR

The Group profit for the year includes £1,459k (2013^: £1,616k) of profit after tax, which has been 
dealt with in the financial statements of the holding company. The company has taken advantage of the 
exemption allowed under section 408 of the Companies Act 2006 and has not presented its own income 
statement in these financial statements.

^ Restated. For more information see pension scheme reporting change detailed in the Financial Review

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
   
 
 
 
 
   
 
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
 
 
 
 
   
 
 
 
 
 
   
 
 
 
 
   
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
   
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
   
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
26

notes to the accounts  continued

27

nOtE 9   EARnings pER shARE AnD DiviDEnD pER shARE

Weighted average number of shares 

For basic and diluted earnings per share 

2014 
no. 

2013
No.

8,504,298 

8,511,398

The calculation of basic and diluted earnings per share is based on the profit for the financial year of 
£3,930,280 and on 8,504,298 Ordinary 10p and ‘A’ non-voting ordinary 10p shares, being the weighted 
average number of shares in issue throughout the financial year.

paid dividends per 10p ordinary share 

2013 final paid of 5.66p (2012: 9.68p) 

2014 interim paid of 2.80p (2013: 2.34p) 

2014 
£(000) 

(482) 

(238) 

(720) 

2013
£(000)

(824)

(199)

(1,023)

The final proposed dividend is based on 3,309,200 Ordinary 10p shares and 5,165,698 ‘A’ non-voting 
ordinary 10p shares, being the latest number of shares in issue. The directors are proposing a final 
dividend of 6.20p (2013: 5.66p) per share, totalling £525k (2013: £482k). This dividend has not been 
accrued at the balance sheet date.

nOtE 10   gOODwill

Cost or valuation: 

At 1 October 

Exchange adjustment 

Additions on acquisition of subsidiaries 

at 30 september 

amortisation and impairment: 

At 1 October 

Exchange adjustment 

Write down 

at 30 september 

net book value: 

at 30 september 

The Group 
2013 
£(000) 

2014 
£(000) 

The Company
2013
£(000)

2014 
£(000) 

9,740 

(312) 

160 

9,588 

6,567 

(108) 

– 

6,459 

9,032 

(577) 

1,285 

9,740 

5,477 

(176) 

1,266 

6,567 

3,129 

3,173 

– 

– 

– 

– 

– 

– 

– 

– 

– 

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

Goodwill is allocated at acquisition to the business units that are expected to benefit from that 
acquisition. The carrying amounts of goodwill have been allocated as follows:

The remaining goodwill relates to three CGUs in Australia, Australian Lift Components Pty Ltd acquired in 
February 2000, Lift Material Australia Pty Ltd acquired in July 2005 and Dual Engraving Pty Ltd acquired in 
February 2013.

Goodwill values have been tested for impairment by comparing them against the value in use of the 
relevant CGUs. The value in use calculations are based on current or projected pre-tax profits, derived 
from current results or 12 month forecasts approved by the board, discounted at 5% per annum to 
calculate their net present value. 

The key assumptions used for the ‘value in use’ calculation for these CGUs are the sales and margin 
projections, the private company price index (PCPI) multiple applied to forecast profits and the discount 
rate. Sales growth is not based upon past experience but on future expectations because of recent 
product development. Margins are in line with past experience, and both the PCPI multiple and discount 
rate are derived from external sources of information and felt to be most appropriate. Based upon these 
key assumptions the goodwill impairment charge that arose during the current year is nil (2013: £667k 
and £599k write down on Traffic Management Products and JAS Engineering Pty Ltd).

The Group 
2013 
£(000) 

2014 
£(000) 

The Company
2013
£(000)

nOtE 11   OthER intAngiBlEs

Development costs 

Cost or valuation: 

At 1 October 

Exchange adjustment 

Additions on acquisition of subsidiaries 

Additions 

Disposal 

2014 
£(000) 

1,563 

(62) 

– 

70 

– 

777 

(114) 

1,031 

111 

(242) 

at 30 september 

1,571 

1,563 

amortisation: 

At 1 October 

Exchange adjustment 

Charge for the year 

Disposal 

at 30 september 

net book value: 

at 30 september 

At 30 September – prior year 

727 

(24) 

405 

– 

1,108 

463 

836 

652 

(23) 

340 

(242) 

727 

836 

125 

– 

– 

– 

– 

– 

– 

– 

– 

– 

– 

– 

– 

– 

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

All amortisation has been charged to the income statement through operating costs and no intangible 
items are held as security.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
   
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
28

notes to the accounts  continued

29

nOtE 12   pROpERty, plAnt AnD EquipmEnt

nOtE 13   invEstmEnts – shAREs in suBsiDiARy unDERtAKings 

  Property 

  £(000) 

Plant and 
equipment 
£(000) 

The Group 
Total 

Property 

£(000) 

£(000) 

Plant and 
equipment 
£(000) 

The Company
Total

£(000)

Cost or valuation: 

At 1 October 2012 

  8,684 

6,254 

14,938 

6,198 

172 

6,370

Exchange adjustment 

(210) 

(224) 

(434) 

Additions on acquisition  
of subsidiaries 

Additions 

Disposals 

– 

14 

– 

185 

574 

185 

588 

(260) 

(260) 

– 

– 

10 

– 

– 

– 

– 

– 

–

–

10

–

At 1 October 2013 

  8,488 

6,529 

15,017 

6,208 

172 

6,380

exchange adjustment 

  (155) 

additions 

Disposals 

33 

– 

(199) 

375 

(98) 

(354) 

408 

(98) 

– 

22 

– 

– 

– 

– 

–

22

–

at 30 september 2014 

  8,366 

6,607 

14,973 

6,230 

172 

6,402

Depreciation:

At 1 October 2012 

Exchange adjustment 

Charge for the year 

Disposals 

At 1 October 2013 

exchange adjustment 

Charge for the year 

Disposals 

779 

(43) 

190 

– 

926 

(44) 

182 

– 

4,490 

5,269 

(144) 

668 

(163) 

(187) 

858 

(163) 

4,851 

5,777 

(142) 

607 

(72) 

(186) 

789 

(72) 

at 30 september 2014 

  1,064 

5,244 

6,308 

190 

– 

119 

– 

309 

– 

121 

– 

430 

12 

– 

37 

– 

49 

– 

35 

– 

84 

202

–

156

–

358

–

156

–

514

net book value: 

at 30 september 2014 

  7,302 

At 30 September 2013 

  7,562 

1,363 

1,678 

8,665 

9,240 

5,800 

5,899 

88 

123 

5,888

6,022

Capital commitments contracted by the Group at 30 September 2014 amounted to £102k (2013: £80k) 
and by the company £58k (2013: £65k). Capital commitments authorised but not contracted by the 
Group at 30 September 2014 amounted to £32k (2013: £Nil) and by the company £Nil (2013: £Nil).

The Company  
Investments (ordinary shares) are: 

Cost 

Provision for impairment 

Investments in subsidiary undertakings are: 

Cost (after provision for impairment): 

Dewhurst UK Manufacturing Ltd 

Thames Valley Controls Ltd 

Traffic Management Products Ltd 

Dewhurst (Hungary) Kft 

Dupar Controls Inc. 

The Fixture Company 

Elevator Research Manufacturing Corp.  

Australian Lift Components Pty Ltd 

Lift Material Australia Pty Ltd 

JAS Engineering Pty Ltd 

Dual Engraving Pty Ltd 

Dewhurst Australian Property Pty Ltd  

Dewhurst (Hong Kong) Ltd 

2014 
£(000) 

2013
£(000)

11,328 

11,340

(6,938) 

(6,938)

4,390 

4,402

2014 
£(000) 

2013
£(000)

175 

300 

– 

72 

35 

– 

– 

175

300

–

72

35

–

–

1,798 

1,798

85 

– 

85

123

1,827 

1,716

97 

1 

97

1

4,390 

4,402

The company has twelve wholly-owned subsidiaries, Dewhurst UK Manufacturing Ltd, Thames Valley 
Controls Ltd and Traffic Management Products Ltd (TMP), registered and principally operating in England, 
Dewhurst (Hungary) Kft, registered and principally operating in Hungary, Dupar Controls Inc., registered 
and principally operating in Canada, The Fixture Company and Elevator Research Manufacturing Corp. 
(ERM) registered and principally operating in the United States of America, Australian Lift Components 
Pty Ltd, Lift Material Australia Pty Ltd, JAS Engineering Pty Ltd and Dewhurst Australian Property Pty 
Ltd, all registered and principally operating in Australia and Dewhurst (Hong Kong) Ltd registered and 
principally operating in Hong Kong. Dual Engraving Pty Ltd which principally operates in Australia is not 
wholly-owned but instead is 70% owned. All companies have similar principal activities to Dewhurst plc, 
except TMP which operates solely in the transport sector and Dewhurst Australian Property Pty Ltd, which 
operates solely to hold Australian Lift Components Pty Ltd’s property. 

nOtE 14   invEntORiEs

Raw materials and components 

Work-in-progress 

Finished goods and goods for re-sale 

2014 
£(000) 

2,708 

377 

1,416 

4,501 

The Group 
2013 
£(000) 

2,865 

330 

1,362 

4,557 

2014 
£(000) 

The Company
2013
£(000)

– 

– 

– 

– 

–

–

–

–

There is no material difference between the replacement cost of inventories and the amounts stated above.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
   
 
   
 
 
 
 
 
   
   
 
 
 
 
   
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
   
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
30

notes to the accounts  continued

31

nOtE 15   tRADE AnD OthER RECEivABlEs 

nOtE 18   shORt-tERm pROvisiOns

Trade receivables 

Amounts due from subsidiary undertakings 

Other receivables 

Prepayments and accrued income 

2014 
£(000) 

9,052 

– 

15 

132 

The Group 
2013 
£(000) 

8,419 

– 

29 

108 

2014 
£(000) 

– 

The Company
2013
£(000)

–

3,326 

3,869

– 

21 

–

19

9,199 

8,556 

3,347 

3,888

Trade receivables are shown net of provision for impairment. The movements in the provision for 
impairment of receivables were as follows:

At 1 October  

Charge for the year 

Costs recovered / (incurred) 

At 30 September 

2014 
£(000) 

180 

37 

4 

221 

The Group 
2013 
£(000) 

2014 
£(000) 

The Company
2013
£(000)

149 

67 

(36) 

180 

– 

– 

– 

– 

–

–

–

–

At the balance sheet date the ageing analysis of trade receivables, with normal terms being 30 days net 
monthly, not provided for was as follows:

as at 30 september 2014 

As at 30 September 2013 

Total 
£(000) 

9,052 

8,419 

Within 
terms 
£(000) 

6,710 

6,034 

Up to  
1 month 
overdue 
£(000) 

1,782 

1,569 

Up to  
2 months 
overdue 
£(000) 

297 

511 

Over 
2 months
overdue
£(000)

263

305

nOtE 16   CAsh AnD CAsh EquivAlEnts 

Cash 

Short-term deposits 

2014 
£(000) 

9,428 

3,500 

The Group 
2013 
£(000) 

8,006 

2,500 

12,928 

10,506 

2014 
£(000) 

261 

3,500 

3,761 

The Company
2013
£(000)

522

2,500

3,022

nOtE 17   tRADE AnD OthER pAyABlEs 

Trade payables 

Other taxes and social security costs 

Other payables 

Accruals and deferred income 

2014 
£(000) 

2,038 

733 

156 

2,471 

5,398 

The Group 
2013 
£(000) 

2,134 

662 

122 

2,527 

5,445 

2014 
£(000) 

The Company
2013
£(000)

12 

10 

49 

278 

349 

–

13

41

282

336

The directors consider that the carrying amount of trade payables approximates to their fair value.

Warranty provisions 

2014 
£(000) 

959 

The Group 
2013 
£(000) 

752 

2014 
£(000) 

– 

The Company
2013
£(000)

–

Warranties are provided in the normal course of business based on current issues and are costed on an 
assessment of future claims with reference to past claims. The provision is in relation to replacement  
and change-out costs and although it is not possible to estimate the timing of crystallisation of the 
potential liability it is expected that it will be utilised during the coming year. Amounts charged to the 
Group income statement during the year were £297k (2013: £135k). Amounts utilised by the Group in 
the year were £89k (2013: £105k). There were no amounts charged or utilised this year or last year  
by the company.

nOtE 19   DEFERRED tAxAtiOn

Deferred tax asset: 

At 1 October  

Transfer directly (to)/from equity 

Transfer (to)/from income statement 

2014 
£(000) 

1,709 

638 

(261) 

The Group 
2013 
£(000) 

2,037 

166 

(494) 

2014 
£(000) 

2,141 

514 

(312) 

The Company
2013
£(000)

2,684

(14)

(529)

at 30 september  

2,086 

1,709 

2,343 

2,141

Deferred tax at 30 September relates to the following:

2014 
£(000) 

2,438 

137 

(489) 

2,086 

The Group 
2013 
£(000) 

2,211 

121 

2014 
£(000) 

2,438 

(95) 

The Company
2013
£(000)

2,211

(70)

(623) 

1,709 

– 

–

2,343 

2,141

Defined benefit pension scheme 

Provisions 

Exchange differences on translation of  
foreign operations 

Deferred tax asset 

nOtE 20   shARE CApitAl

authorised: 

Shares of 10p each  – 4,500,000 Ordinary 

– 9,000,000 ‘A’ non-voting ordinary 

allotted and fully paid: 

Shares of 10p each  – 3,309,200 (2013: 3,309,200) Ordinary 

– 5,165,698 (2013: 5,202,198) ‘A’ non-voting ordinary 

2014 
£(000) 

450 

900 

2013
£(000)

450

900

1,350 

1,350

2014 
£(000) 

331 

516 

847 

2013
£(000)

331

520

851

The Ordinary shares and the ‘A’ non-voting ordinary shares rank in all respects pari passu except that the 
‘A’ non-voting ordinary shares do not carry the right to receive notices, attend or vote at meetings of the 
company.

 
 
 
 
   
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
   
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
   
 
 
 
 
 
   
   
 
 
   
 
   
   
 
 
 
 
   
 
 
 
 
 
   
 
32

notes to the accounts  continued

33

                                      nOtE 21   ChAngEs in Equity

Share 
capital 

£(000) 

851 

– 

– 

At 1 October 2012 

Shares issued 

Exchange differences on  
translation of foreign  
operations                     

Actuarial gains/(losses) on  
defined benefit pension scheme  – 

Tax on items taken  
directly to equity 

Dividends paid 

Profit for the year^ 

– 

– 

– 

                                                                       The Group  
Non-  
controlling 
interest 
£(000) 

Capital 
redemption 
reserve 
£(000) 

Translation 
reserve 

Retained 
earnings 

£(000) 

£(000) 

Share 
premium 
account 
£(000) 

157 

286 

2,097 

18,173 

– 

– 

– 

– 

– 

– 

– 

– 

– 

– 

– 

– 

– 

(871) 

– 

– 

– 

444 

199 

(14) 

– 

– 

(1,023) 

960 

At 30 September 2013 

851 

157 

286 

1,425 

18,540 

shares issued 

exchange differences on  
translation of foreign  
operations                     

actuarial gains/(losses) on  
defined benefit pension  
scheme 

Tax on items taken  
directly to equity 

– 

– 

– 

– 

share repurchase – nominal  (4) 

share repurchase – cost 

Dividends paid 

profit for the year 

– 

– 

– 

– 

– 

– 

– 

– 

– 

– 

– 

– 

– 

– 

(630) 

– 

– 

– 

– 

4 

– 

– 

– 

– 

(2,570) 

134 

– 

– 

– 

– 

514 

– 

(104) 

(720) 

3,930 

at 30 september 2014 

847 

157 

290 

929 

19,590 

Share 
capital 

£(000) 

851 

– 

– 

– 

– 

– 

– 

Share 
premium 
account 
£(000) 

Capital 
redemption 
reserve 
£(000) 

 The Company
Retained
earnings

£(000)

157 

286 

6,292

– 

– 

– 

– 

– 

– 

– 

– 

– 

– 

– 

– 

–

–

444

(14)

(1,023)

1,616

851 

157 

286 

7,315

– 

– 

– 

– 

(4) 

– 

– 

– 

– 

– 

– 

– 

– 

– 

– 

– 

– 

– 

–

–

– 

(2,570)

– 

4 

– 

– 

– 

514

–

(104)

(720)

1,459

847 

157 

290 

5,894

- 

735 

(76) 

– 

– 

– 

(48) 

611 

48 

(40) 

– 

– 

– 

– 

– 

16 

635 

Included in retained earnings is (£12,620k) (2013: (£10,050k)) being the cumulative actuarial gains or (losses) on the defined benefit 
pension scheme. 

^ Restated. For more information see pension scheme reporting change detailed in the Financial Review

nOtE 22   REtiREmEnt BEnEFit OBligAtiOn

The Group operates pension schemes in the UK, Canada, USA, Australia and Hong Kong, and also 
complies with Hungarian state legislation in relation to retirement provision. During the year the UK 
operated both defined contribution schemes, the assets of which are held in independently administered 
funds, and a defined benefit scheme, the assets of which are held in trustee administered funds. The 
total pension cost for the Group was £711k (2013: £694k), all of which relates to defined contribution 
schemes. The Hungarian, Canadian, USA, Australian and Hong Kong schemes are of the defined 
contribution type and the cost to the Group amounted to £349k (2013: £363k). There was £31k of 
outstanding charges at the balance sheet date in respect of the defined benefit scheme (2013: £22k). 
On 30 September 2010 the company closed the defined benefit scheme to future accrual and offered 
all existing members future pension benefits in a new Group defined contribution scheme. There were 
still contributions during the year of £1,404k into the defined benefit scheme (2013: £1,404k) which will 
be reviewed at the next actuarial valuation of the scheme on 1 June 2015. This method of calculating 
the amount has been agreed with the actuary. The percentage contribution covered the current service 
accruals and the fixed sum is paid to reduce the fund deficit. 

As required under the Welfare Reform and Pensions Act 1999 and Stakeholder Pension Schemes 
Regulations 2000 the Group has offered access to a stakeholder pension scheme to employees in its UK-
based companies.

The pension cost relating to the UK defined benefit scheme is assessed in accordance with the advice of 
qualified actuaries using the new scheme specific funding regime. The latest actuarial valuation of the 
scheme was on 1 June 2012. Generally, it has been assumed that future investment yields would be at 
4.6% per annum (pre-retirement) and 3.1% (post-retirement). 

At the date of the latest actuarial valuation of the UK scheme, the market value of the assets of the 
scheme exceeded £21.1 million and the funding level on the on-going valuation basis was 59%. The 
2012 actuarial valuation takes account of secured pensioners when assessing the assets and liabilities of 
the fund. All the recommendations made by the scheme’s actuary to eliminate the scheme deficit have 
been fully implemented.

iAs 19 Employee benefits
Under IAS 19 a snapshot is taken of the retirement benefit fund assets and liabilities to coincide with the 
company’s financial year-end. Thus movements in equity and bond markets and in discount rates may 
create some volatility in the calculation of the scheme assets and liabilities. The FTSE-100 index stood at 
6,623 at 30 September 2014 (2013: 6,462).

Assumptions
The following actuarial assumptions, updated to 30 September 2014 by the scheme actuary, have been 
used in preparing the disclosures required under IAS 19: 

Retail price index expected to rise by 

Pensionable salaries will increase by 

Deferred pensions and pensions in payment will increase by 

Liabilities discounted at a rate of 

2014 

2.9% 

n/a 

2.9% 

3.8% 

Expected lifetime for a member retiring at the accounting date   – for males 

23.4 yrs 

Future expected lifetime for a member retiring in 20 years’ time – for males 

26.2 yrs 

– for females 

24.5 yrs 

– for females 

26.5 yrs 

2013

3.0%

n/a

3.0%

4.3%

23.2 yrs

24.4 yrs

26.0 yrs

26.4 yrs

   
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
34

notes to the accounts  continued

35

nOtE 22   REtiREmEnt BEnEFit OBligAtiOn  continued

IAS 19 requires the value of annuities purchased in respect of pensioners and widow(er)s to be taken into 
current year calculations.

Long-term  
rate of return  
expected at 
30 sept 2014 

Fair value at 
30 sept 2014 
£(000) 

Long-term 
rate of return 
expected at 
30 Sept 2013 

Fair value at 
30 Sept 2013 
£(000) 

Fair value at
30 Sept 2012
£(000)

Total fair value of scheme assets 

3.8% 

27,495 

4.3% 

25,341 

22,189

Present value of scheme liabilities 

Scheme deficit 

Related deferred tax asset 

net pension liability 

(39,687) 

(12,192) 

2,438 

(9,754) 

(35,871) 

(34,045)

(10,530) 

(11,856)

2,211 

2,726

(8,319) 

(9,130)

The amounts charged to operating profit in relation to current service costs are £nil (2013 & 2012: £nil).

Amounts charged to other finance costs:

Expected return on pension scheme assets 

2014 
£(000) 

1,090 

2013^ 
£(000) 

888 

2012^
£(000)

977

Interest on pension scheme liabilities 

(1,542) 

(1,362) 

(1,442)

net benefit/(cost) 

(452) 

(474) 

(465)

Amounts recognised in the statement of recognised income and expenses (SoRIE):

Actual return less expected return on pension scheme assets  

Experience gains and losses arising on the scheme liabilities  

Changes in assumptions underlying the present value of  
the scheme liabilities 

actuarial gains/(losses) recognised in sorie 

2014 
£(000) 

542 

(5) 

(3,107) 

(2,570) 

2013^ 
£(000) 

1,707 

(138) 

(1,125) 

444 

2012^
£(000)

898

(159)

(4,230)

(3,491)

The movement in the scheme assets, liabilities and the net deficit are as follows:

Deficit in scheme at 1 October 

(10,530) 

(11,856) 

(9,299)

Movement in the year  Current service cost 

– 

– 

–

2014 
£(000) 

2013^ 
£(000) 

2012^
£(000)

Contributions 

Administration charge 

Other finance costs 

Actuarial gains/(losses) 

1,404 

1,404 

1,404

(44) 

(452) 

(2,570) 

(48) 

(474) 

444 

(5)

(465)

(3,491)

Deficit in scheme at 30 september 

(12,192) 

(10,530) 

(11,856)

^ Restated. For more information see pension scheme reporting change detailed in the Financial Review

History of experience gains and losses:

Difference between the expected and actual  
return on scheme assets  

Percentage of scheme assets 

Experience gains and losses on scheme liabilities 

Percentage of the present value of scheme liabilities 

Total amount recognised in SoRIE 

2014 
£(000) 

542 

2.0% 

(5) 

0.01% 

(2,570) 

2013^ 
£(000) 

2012^
£(000)

1,707 

6.7% 

(138) 

0.4% 

444 

898

4.0%

(159)

0.5%

(3,491)

10.3%

Percentage of the present value of scheme liabilities 

6.5% 

(1.2%) 

^ Restated. For more information see pension scheme reporting change detailed in the Financial Review

nOtE 23   lEAsE COmmitmEnts

Total future minimum lease payments under non-cancellable operating leases for each of the  
following periods: 
                                                                          The Group                                                                                      
2014 
2014 
Other 
Other 

2013 
Other 

 The Company
2013
Other

2014 
Land and  
buildings 
£(000) 

2013 
Land and  
buildings 
£(000) 

Within one year 

Within two to five years 

146 

34 

180 

£(000) 

70 

144 

214 

£(000) 

£(000) 

£(000)

252 

180 

432 

52 

57 

109 

– 

– 

– 

–

–

–

nOtE 24   COntingEnt liABility

On 13 December 2013 AIG Specialty Insurance Company filed a complaint against Dewhurst (Hungary) 
Kft claiming $US7 million in respect of a purported product failure of a component supplied to a third 
party. Dewhurst (Hungary) Kft believes it has a strong defence and intends to defend the claim with the 
utmost vigour.

nOtE 25   RElAtED pARtiEs

The controlling party of the Group is Dewhurst plc. Transactions between the company and its 
subsidiaries, which are related parties to the company, have been eliminated on consolidation. However 
during the year, in the company’s financial statements, there have been the following transactions: 
purchase and sale of goods at arm’s length, group management charges, interest on loans at floating 
rates on a commercial basis and dividend income received. All transactions are settled by cash. Any loans 
given are secured on the assets of the relevant company.

Management charges to subsidiaries 

Rent charges to subsidiaries 

Interest income received 

Dividend income received 

Dividends paid to directors 

Loans and trade receivables due 

2014 
£(000) 

832 

255 

103 

1,955 

94 

3,326 

2013
£(000)

881

255

123

3,339

134

3,869

 
 
   
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
   
   
   
 
 
 
   
   
 
 
 
   
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
   
 
 
 
 
 
 
   
 
 
 
 
 
   
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
36

notes to the accounts  continued

37

nOtE 26   FinAnCiAl instRumEnts

The Group’s policies towards using financial instruments to manage interest rate, liquidity and currency 
exposure risks are explained in the financial review on page 11.

Credit risk
The Group is mainly exposed to credit risk from credit sales. It is Group policy, implemented locally, to 
assess the credit risk of new customers before entering contracts. Such credit ratings, taking into account 
local business practices, are then factored into any contracts.

interest risk
The Group is exposed to interest risk but purely on bank deposits. It is Group policy to maximise the 
return on interest earned whilst taking adequate steps to monitor the viability of the bank and safe 
guarding the assets of the Group.

Foreign exchange contracts
During the year the Group used derivatives to manage credit risk. At the year end Dewhurst plc entered 
into a A$2,870,000 Australian Dollar foreign exchange contract, in the amount of £1,542,294 Sterling, 
the purpose of which is to hedge against Australian Dollar currency fluctuations. The contract was stated 
at its fair value and the Group does not hedge account. This contract matured on 31 October 2014.

Currency and interest rate exposure of financial assets and liabilities
The cash and cash equivalent amount of £12,928k (2013: £10,506k) is made up of cash of £9,428k 
(2013: £8,006k) and short-term deposits of £3,500k (2013: £2,500k). The cash was invested at overnight 
rates based on the relevant national LIBOR. Short-term deposits were on 95 days notice at an average 
yearly rate of 1.35% (2013: 1.98%). Of the cash, £9,080k (2013: £7,026k) is denominated in Sterling 
with the balance of £3,848k (2013: £3,480k) held in foreign currencies. Other financial assets and 
liabilities do not attract interest.

Currency and interest profile   

Sterling 

AUS Dollars 

US Dollars 

CAN Dollars 

Other 

At 30 September 2013 

sterling 

aUs Dollars 

Us Dollars 

Can Dollars 

Other 

Floating 
rate 
assets 
£(000) 

4,526 

1,300 

749 

1,117 

314 

8,006 

5,580 

1,321 

692 

1,673 

162 

Fixed 
rate 
assets 
£(000) 

2,500 

– 

– 

– 

– 

Interest 
free 
assets 
£(000) 

3,740 

1,522 

1,815 

1,213 

129 

The Group 
Interest 
free 
liabilities 
£(000) 

940 

323 

507 

107 

257 

Floating 
rate 
assets 
£(000) 

322 

196 

4 

– 

– 

Fixed 
rate 
assets 
£(000) 

2,500 

– 

– 

– 

– 

2,500 

8,419 

2,134 

522 

2,500 

3,500 

– 

– 

– 

– 

4,115 

1,455 

2,170 

1,149 

163 

9,052 

1,070 

255 

3,500 

390 

333 

159 

86 

– 

6 

– 

– 

– 

– 

– 

– 

2,038 

261 

3,500 

Interest 
free 
assets 
£(000) 

The Company
Interest
free
liabilities
£(000)

– 

– 

– 

– 

– 

– 

– 

– 

– 

– 

– 

– 

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

at 30 september 2014   

 9,428 

3,500 

The only operation that holds material monetary assets and liabilities in currencies other than their 
functional currency is the Hungarian subsidiary Dewhurst (Hungary) Kft, which holds cash denominated in 
Sterling with a balance of £2,496k (2013: £1,927k) and US Dollars with a balance of £198k  
(2013: £536k), trade receivables denominated in Sterling with a balance of £738k (2013: £748k) and 
US Dollars with a balance of £1,243k (2013: £725k) and trade payables denominated in Sterling with a 
balance of £149k (2013: £104k) and US Dollars with a balance of £50k (2013: £86k).

Fair value of financial instruments
Fair value is defined as the amount at which a financial instrument could be exchanged in an arm’s 
length transaction between informed and willing parties, excluding accrued interest, and is calculated by 
reference to market rates discounted to current value. Accordingly, the directors believe that there is no 
material difference between the carrying amount and the fair value of its financial instruments.

Bank facilities
The Group has no undrawn committed bank overdraft facility (2013: no facility). 

nOtE 27   invEstmEnts – shAREs in suBsiDiARy unDERtAKings

Dual Engraving Pty Ltd was pleased to report sales within the first 12 months were greater than  
A$4.5 million and so, as stipulated in the sale and purchase agreement, Dual paid the A$0.3 million  
(£0.2 million) deferred consideration.

Details of the transaction:

Consideration  

Goodwill 

Cash flows 

The net outflow of cash arising from acquisition was as follows: 

Cash consideration, as above 

Proceeds of non-controlling interest (30%) 

net outflow of cash in respect of Dual engraving 

Notes 

Book value 
£(000) 

Fair value
£(000)

10 

160 

160 

160

160

£(000)

160

(48)

112

 
 
 
   
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
38

Company financial statements

39

The notes on pages  
19 to 37 form part 
of these financial 
statements

COmpAny stAtEmEnt OF RECOgnisED inCOmE AnD ExpEnsE

net income/(expense) recognised directly in equity: 

Actuarial gains/(losses) on the defined benefit pension scheme 

Tax on items taken directly to equity 

Net income/(expense) recognised directly in equity in the year 

Profit for the financial year 

Total recognised income and expense for the year 

2014 
£(000) 

2013^
£(000)

(2,570) 

514 

(2,056) 

1,459 

(597) 

444

(14)

430

1,616

2,046

^ Restated. For more information see pension scheme reporting change detailed in the Financial Review

The notes on pages  
19 to 37 form part 
of these financial 
statements

COmpAny BAlAnCE shEEt

At 30 September 2014 

non-current assets 

Property, plant and equipment 

Deferred tax asset 

Investments in subsidiaries 

Current assets 

Trade and other receivables 

Cash and cash equivalents 

Total assets 

Current liabilities 

Trade and other payables 

non-current liabilities 

Retirement benefit obligation 

Total liabilities 

net assets 

equity 

Share capital 

Share premium account 

Capital redemption reserve 

Retained earnings 

Total equity 

Notes 

2014 
£(000) 

2013
£(000) 

12 

19 

13 

15 

16 

17 

22 

20 

21 

21 

21 

5,888 

2,343 

4,390 

6,022

2,141

4,402

12,621 

12,565

3,347 

3,761 

7,108 

3,888

3,022

6,910

19,729 

19,475

349 

349 

12,192 

12,541 

7,188 

847 

157 

290 

5,894 

7,188 

336

336

10,530

10,866

8,609

851

157

286

7,315

8,609

The financial statements were approved by the board of directors and authorised for issue on 1 December 
2014 and were signed on its behalf by:

richard Dewhurst  Chairman            Jared sinclair  Finance Director

Company Registration Number: 160314

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
   
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
40

Company financial statements  continued

41

Report of the independent auditor

The notes on pages  
19 to 37 form part 
of these financial 
statements

COmpAny CAsh FlOw stAtEmEnt

For the year ended 30 September 2014 

Notes 

Cash flows from operating activities 

Operating profit /(loss) 

Depreciation and amortisation 

Additional contributions to pension scheme 

Write-down of investments 

(Increase)/decrease in trade and other receivables 

Increase/(decrease) in trade and other payables 

Cash generated from /(used in) operations 

Income tax paid 

net cash from/(used in) operating activities 

Cash flows from investing activities 

Acquisition of business and assets 

Proceeds from closure of subsidiary undertakings 

Purchase of property, plant and equipment 

Interest received 

Dividends received 

net cash generated from/(used in) investing activities  

Cash flows from financing activities 

Dividends paid 

Purchase of own shares 

net cash used in financing activities 

net increase/(decrease) in cash and cash equivalents   

Cash and cash equivalents at beginning of year 

Cash and cash equivalents at end of year 

16 

16 

27 

(112) 

(1,716)

2014 
£(000) 

122 

156 

2013
£(000)

(894)

156

(1,360) 

(1,356)

– 

850

(1,082) 

(1,244)

541 

13 

22

(216)

(528) 

(1,438)

(4) 

12

(532) 

(1,426)

124 

(22) 

150 

1,955 

2,095 

(720) 

(104) 

(824) 

739 

3,022 

3,761 

–

(10)

181

3,339

1,794

(1,023)

–

(1,023)

(655)

3,677

3,022

independent auditor’s report to the 
members of Dewhurst plc
We have audited the Group and parent 
company financial statements (“the 
financial statements”) of Dewhurst 
plc for the year ended 30 September 
2014, which comprise the consolidated 
income statement, the consolidated 
and parent company balance sheets, 
the consolidated and parent company 
cash flow statements, the consolidated 
and parent company statements of 
recognised income and expense, 
and the related notes. The financial 
reporting framework that has been 
applied in the preparation of the 
financial statements is applicable law 
and International Financial Reporting 
Standards (IFRS) as adopted by the 
European Union.

This report is made solely to the 
company’s members, as a body, in 
accordance with Chapter 3 of Part 16 
of the Companies Act 2006. Our audit 
work has been undertaken so that we 
might state to the company’s members 
those matters we are required to state 
to them in an auditor’s report and for 
no other purpose. To the fullest extent 
permitted by law, we do not accept or 
assume responsibility to anyone other 
than the company and the company’s 
members as a body, for our audit work, 
for this report, or for the opinions we 
have formed.

Respective responsibilities of 
directors and auditors
As explained more fully in the directors’ 
responsibilities statement, the directors 
are responsible for the preparation 
of the financial statements and for 
being satisfied that they give a true 
and fair view. Our responsibility is to 
audit and express an opinion on the 
financial statements in accordance 
with applicable law and International 
Standards on Auditing (UK and Ireland). 
Those standards require us to comply 
with the Auditing Practices Board’s 
Ethical Standards for Auditors.

scope of the audit of the financial 
statements
An audit involves obtaining evidence 
about the amounts and disclosures in 
the financial statements sufficient to give 
reasonable assurance that the financial 
statements are free from material 
misstatement, whether caused by fraud 
or error. This includes an assessment 
of: whether the accounting policies 
are appropriate to the Group’s and 
the parent company’s circumstances 
and have been consistently applied 
and adequately disclosed; the 
reasonableness of significant accounting 
estimates made by the directors; 
and the overall presentation of the 
financial statements. In addition, we 
read all the financial and non-financial 
information in the financial statements 
to identify material inconsistencies 
with the audited financial statements 
and to identify any information that is 
apparently materially incorrect based 
on, or materially inconsistent with, 
the knowledge acquired by us in the 
course of performing the audit. If we 
become aware of any apparent material 
misstatements or inconsistencies we 
consider the implications for our report. 

Opinion on financial statements
In our opinion:

  the financial statements give a true and 
fair view of the state of the Group’s 
and of the parent company’s affairs 
as at 30 September 2014 and of the 
Group’s profit for the year then ended;

 the Group financial statements have 
been properly prepared in accordance 
with IFRS as adopted by the European 
Union;

 the parent company financial 
statements have been properly 
prepared in accordance with IFRS as 
adopted by the European Union;

 the financial statements have been 
prepared in accordance with the 
requirements of the Companies Act 
2006.

Opinion on other matter prescribed 
by the Companies Act 2006
In our opinion the information given 
in the directors’ report and strategic 
report for the financial year for which 
the financial statements are prepared is 
consistent with the financial statements.

matters on which we are required to 
report by exception
We have nothing to report in respect of 
the following matters:

Under the ISAs (UK and Ireland), we 
are required to report to you if, in our 
opinion, information in the annual 
report is: 

 materially inconsistent with the 
information in the audited financial 
statements; or 

  apparently materially incorrect based 
on, or materially inconsistent with, our 
knowledge of the Group acquired in 
the course of performing our audit; or 

 is otherwise misleading. 

Under the Companies Act 2006 we 
are required to report to you if, in our 
opinion:

 adequate accounting records 
have not been kept by the parent 
company, or returns adequate for our 
audit have not been received from 
branches not visited by us; or

 the parent company financial 
statements are not in agreement with 
the accounting records and returns; or

 certain disclosures of directors’ 
remuneration specified by law are not 
made; or

 we have not received all the 
information and explanations we 
require for our audit.

paul Fenner  Senior Statutory Auditor

for and on behalf of  
Chantrey vellacott DFK LLp 
Chartered Accountants and  
Statutory Auditor

London, 1 December 2014

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
42

notice of meeting

43

group companies

time fixed for the meeting) shall be entitled to attend 
and vote at the Annual General Meeting in respect of 
such number of shares registered in their name at that 
time. Changes to entries in the register of members 
after that time shall be disregarded in determining the 
rights of any person to attend or vote at the meeting.

5  A copy of the company’s current Articles of 
Association will be available for inspection during 
usual business hours on any weekday (Saturdays, 
Sundays and Public Holidays excluded) at the 
registered office of the company until the date of 
the Annual General Meeting and at the place of 
the meeting for 15 minutes prior to and until the 
termination of the meeting.

Notice is hereby given that the 
ninety fifth Annual General Meeting 
of Dewhurst plc will be held at its 
registered office, Unit 9 Hampton 
Business Park, Hampton Road West, 
Feltham, TW13 6DB on 3 February 
2015 at 11:00 am. The meeting will be 
held in order to consider and, if thought 
fit, pass resolutions 1 to 6 as ordinary 
resolutions.

Ordinary resolutions 
1  To receive and adopt the statement 
of accounts for the year ended  
30 September 2014 and the reports of 
the directors and auditor thereon.

2  To declare and approve a final 
dividend on the Ordinary and  
‘A’ non-voting ordinary shares to 
shareholders on the register of 
members on 16 January 2015.

3  To re-elect as a director Mr R Young, 
who retires by rotation under the 
Articles of Association. 

4  To re-elect as a director Mr P Tett, 
who retires by rotation under the 
Articles of Association.

5  To re-appoint Chantrey Vellacott DFK 
LLP as auditor at a fee to be agreed by 
the directors. 

6  As special business to consider and, if 
thought fit, pass the following ordinary 
resolution: that the company be and is 
hereby generally and unconditionally 
authorised to make market purchases 
(within the meaning of section 693(4) 
of the Companies Act 2006) of up to an 
aggregate of 496,380 Ordinary shares 
and 774,855 ‘A’ non-voting ordinary 
shares of 10p each (representing 15% 
of the issued share capital) in the 
company at a price per share (exclusive 
of expenses) of not less than 10p and 
not more than 105% of the average of 
the middle market quotations for such 
Ordinary and ‘A’ non-voting ordinary 
shares, as derived from the Stock 
Exchange Daily Official List, for the ten 
dealing days immediately preceding the 
day of the purchase; such authority to 
expire at the conclusion of the Annual 

General Meeting to be held in 2016 
save that the company may purchase 
shares at any later date where such 
purchase is pursuant to any contract 
made by the company before the expiry 
of this authority. 

7  To transact any other ordinary 
business of the company. 

By order of the board

Jared sinclair  Secretary

31 December 2014

notes 
1  All Shareholders who wish to attend and vote 
at the meeting must be entered on the company’s 
register of members no later than 11:00 am on 1 
February 2015 (being 48 hours prior to the time fixed 
for the meeting) or, in the case of an adjournment, 
as at 48 hours prior to the time of the adjourned 
meeting. Changes to entries on the register after that 
time will be disregarded in determining the rights of 
any person to attend or vote at the meeting.  
‘a’ non-voting ordinary shares do not carry 
the right to attend or vote at meetings of the 
company.

2  Shareholders entitled to attend and vote at the 
meeting may appoint a proxy or proxies to attend, 
vote and speak on their behalf. A proxy need not be a 
member of the company. Investors who hold their 
shares through a nominee may wish to attend the 
meeting as a proxy, or to arrange for someone else to 
do so for them, in which case they should discuss this 
with their nominee or stockbroker. Shareholders are 
invited to complete and return the enclosed Proxy 
Form. Completion of the Proxy Form will not  
prevent a Shareholder from attending and voting at 
the meeting if subsequently he/she finds that he/she is 
able to do so. To be valid, completed Proxy Forms 
must be received by the Company Secretary at the 
registered office of the company, Dewhurst plc, Unit 9 
Hampton Business Park, Hampton Road West, 
Feltham, TW13 6DB, by fax at +44 (0)20 8744 8206, 
with the scanned Proxy Form by email at  
cosec@dewhurst.co.uk by no later than 48 hours 
before the time appointed for the holding of the 
meeting, or, in the case of an adjournment, as at  
48 hours prior to the time of the adjourned meeting. 

3  Representatives of Shareholders which are 
corporations attending the meeting should produce 
evidence of their appointment by an instrument 
executed in accordance with Section 44 of the 
Companies Act 2006 or signed on behalf of the 
corporation by a duly authorised officer or agent and 
in accordance with article 71 of the company’s Articles 
of Association. 

4  The company, pursuant to Regulation 41 of the 
Uncertificated Securities Regulations 2001, specifies 
that only those holders of Ordinary Shares registered 
in the register of members of the company at 11:00 
am on 1 February 2015 (being 48 hours prior to the 

hEAD OFFiCE 
Dewhurst plc 
Unit 9 Hampton Business Park  
Hampton Road West
Feltham TW13 6DB 
Tel:  020 8744 8200
Fax: 020 8744 8299
cosec@dewhurst.co.uk
www.dewhurst.co.uk

uK suBsiDiARiEs
Dewhurst uK manufacturing ltd
Unit 9 Hampton Business Park  
Hampton Road West
Feltham TW13 6DB 
Tel:  020 8744 8200
Fax: 020 8744 8299
cosec@dewhurst.co.uk
www.dewhurst.co.uk

David Dewhurst
Managing Director

thames valley Controls ltd
Unit 15 Manor Farm Industrial Estate
Flint, Flintshire
Wales CH6 5UY
Tel:  01352 793222
Fax: 01352 793255
info@tvcl.co.uk
www.tvcl.co.uk

richard Young
Managing Director

traffic management products ltd 
Unit 7 Gatwick Distribution Point
Church Road, Lowfield Heath
Crawley
West Sussex RH11 0PJ
Tel:  08456 808066
Fax: 08456 808077
info@traffic-products.co.uk
www.traffic-products.co.uk

Dan robinson
Managing Director

OvERsEAs suBsiDiARiEs
Dewhurst (hungary) Kft
H-2038, Soskut
Hrsz. 3518/8
Hungary
Tel:  00 362 356 0550
Fax: 00 362 356 0559

Laszlo Denk
Managing Director

Dupar Controls inc.
1751 Bishop Street
Cambridge, Ontario
Canada N1T 1N5
Tel:  001 519 624 2510
Fax: 001 519 624 2524
info@dupar.com
www.dupar.com

George Foleanu
General Manager

Elevator Research  
manufacturing Corp.
1417 Elwood Street
Los Angeles
CA 90021 USA
Tel:  001 213 746 1914
Fax: 001 213 749 1355
sales@elevatorresearch.com
www.elevatorresearch.com

Mike Canzoneri
General Manager

Australian lift Components pty ltd
5 Saggartfield Road
Minto
NSW 2566
Australia
Tel:  00 612 9603 0200
Fax: 00 612 9603 2700
info@alc.au.com
www.alc.au.com

Chris Carroll
Managing Director

lift material Australia pty ltd
PO Box 7164
Alexandria, Sydney
NSW 2015
Australia
Tel:  00 612 9310 4288
Fax: 00 612 9698 4990
info@liftmaterial.com
www.liftmaterial.com

Tony pegg
Managing Director

Dual Engraving pty ltd 
Unit 5, 7 Neil Street,
Osborne Park, WA 6017
Australia
Tel:  00 618 9443 3677
Fax: 00 618 9443 3688
garry@dualengraving.com.au
www.dualengraving.com.au

Garry holden
General Manager

Dewhurst (hong Kong) ltd
Unit 19, 7/F, Block A
Hoi Luen Industrial Centre
55 Hoi Yuen Road
Hong Kong
Tel:  00 852 3523 1563
Fax: 00 852 3909 1434
efung@dewhurst.co.uk
www.dewhurst.co.uk

eric Fung
General Manager

OthER OvERsEAs 
REpREsEntAtiOn
The Group maintains overseas 
representation in major countries 
throughout the world

44

Advisers and company information

ADvisERs
Auditor
Chantrey vellacott DFK LLp
Chartered Accountants and Statutory Auditor
Russell Square House
10–12 Russell Square
London WC1B 5LF

Bankers
national Westminster Bank plc
275–277 High Street
Hounslow
Middlesex TW3 1EG

sECREtARy AnD  
REgistERED OFFiCE
Jared sinclair 
Dewhurst plc
Unit 9 Hampton Business Park  
Hampton Road West
Feltham TW13 6DB

Registered No.160314

Registrars 
Capita irG plc
Northern House
Woodsome Park
Fenay Bridge
Huddersfield
West Yorkshire HD8 0LA

nominated adviser  
and broker
Cantor Fitzgerald europe
1 Churchill Place
Canary Wharf
London E14 5RD

solicitors 
Keystone Law
53 Davies Street
London W1K 5JH

Design www.gilldavies.co.uk          

www.dewhurst.co.uk