PART428 May 2009 00:57
says he has actively supported companies in their efforts to delist. ‘The market, when it’s a bull market, is great for a buy and build strategy. But if the market dries up and the shares are so undervalued you can’t use them to make acquisitions because nobody wants the shares, or it’s not easy to issue shares to raise money, then I think you have to consider whether the market is right for you. From our side, we are encouraging people to look at the right strategy.’
For Peter Wilkinson, CEO of IT and communications specialist InTechnology, AIM had served its purpose. ‘We went to market in 2000 when we needed to raise money. We raised it and built the business, generating positive cash flow so there was no need to raise any more.’
In addition to this, the company sold its distribution arm in December 2006. ‘We were comfortable about selling that off as it paid all our debt. Now we’re sitting here debt free, with cash in the bank for a highly cash generative, profitable business,’ says the Yorkshireman, who notes that he owned 60 per cent of the company so gaining shareholder approval wasn’t difficult.
However, Wilkinson also argues that his majority shareholding proved contentious with the City, and that the company was too innovative for the conservative tastes of investors. ‘We felt [our shares] were half the value they should’ve been and we didn’t need to raise any money as we had