Best Of The Best plummets on profit warning as raffle demand drops

(Alliance News) - Best Of The Best PLC on Friday warned that full-year sales and profit are set ...

Alliance News 13 August, 2021 | 10:21AM
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(Alliance News) - Best Of The Best PLC on Friday warned that full-year sales and profit are set to plunge as marketing costs rise and customer demand falls with the easing of lockdown restrictions.

Shares were down 47% to 811.00 pence in London on Friday morning, giving the company a market capitalisation of GBP78 million.

London-based Best Of The Best runs weekly online raffle competitions, advertised on social media, to win cars and other lifestyle prizes.

Sales in the 15 weeks ended Sunday are down 15% from the previous 15-week period ended April 30, the company said.

As a result, profit in the current financial year, which ends April 30, 2022, is expected to fall 57%. In financial 2021, the company made GBP14.1 million in pretax profit on GBP45.7 million in revenue.

The company grew rapidly in the pandemic as it ramped up social media advertising and customer sign-ups. It also started a formal sale process last year on takeover interest, which ended without a deal. Shares more than quadrupled in 2020, before doubling again to a closing high of 3,440.00p in March this year.

But customers are now spending less because of "their newfound freedoms, the distractions of major sporting events and ability to travel," Best Of The Best said.

That has combined with a sharp rise in the cost of social media advertising, which makes up two thirds of the company's marketing spend. The cost per thousand impressions "increased by up to 60% compared to previous levels". The firm decided not to increase marketing spend as planned, meaning it signed up fewer new customers.

"We are hopeful that the cost of acquiring new players will normalise before too long and our flexible model means we are able to adjust to a higher cost of new player acquisition if necessary," Best Of The Best said.

"We remain focused on our growth strategy which together with new initiatives, the ongoing engagement of our large and loyal database, and a return to more normal patterns of customer behaviour should allow for profitability to increase and for margins to recover.

The company added that it has a strong balance sheet, with cash in excess of GBP6 million as of Thursday.

By Ivan Edwards; ivanedwards@alliancenews.com

Copyright 2021 Alliance News Limited. All Rights Reserved.

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