DODS.L Regulatory News (DODS)

6 Dec 2005 07:01

Huveaux PLC06 December 2005 6 December 2005 HUVEAUX PLC PRE-CLOSE TRADING UPDATE Huveaux PLC, the publishing and media group, today provides the followingpre-close trading update: Huveaux has doubled in size during 2005 through a combination of both organicand acquisition-led growth and trading to date suggests a good out-turn for thecurrent financial year. The Political Division has achieved underlying 11% organic sales growth in the11 month period to 30 November. The controversial programme of reform by the UKGovernment and the EU Parliament continues to drive increased revenueopportunities across the Division's political publications and other mediachannels. The Learning Division has been significantly strengthened with the recentacquisition of the e-learning business, Epic Group PLC, which was completed on22 August. The integration of Epic is progressing well, with sales in line withexpectations and November orders particularly strong in the public sector. Themargins and profits from Epic during the last few months of the year have beenslightly higher than budgeted. The remainder of the Learning Division is tradingin line with expectations. The Professional Division consists principally of the recently acquired JBBSante, a leading publisher of medical magazines in France. This acquisition wascompleted on 5 October, a month later than planned. However, the integration ofJBB is also progressing well and trading is in line with expectations. JBB willdeliver a strong contribution to the Group's profits this year. As previously indicated, the restructuring costs associated with the integrationof both Epic and JBB Sante into the Group will be taken as an exceptional itemand are expected to be within analysts' estimates. Taken as a whole, the Board expects that Huveaux's sales and operating profitfor 2005, before exceptional items, will be in line with analysts' expectations. The Company intends to announce its Preliminary Results for the financial yearending 31 December 2005 in early March 2006. For further information, please contact: Huveaux PLC John van Kuffeler, Executive Chairman 0207 245 0270 Finsbury James Leviton 0207 251 3801Don Hunter Notes for Editors re Huveaux background: Huveaux was formed in 2001 with the objective of building, over the next 10years, a substantial publishing and media group through an appropriate balanceof acquisition-led and organic growth. Huveaux is focussed on the creation anddelivery of customer-critical information across both the public and privatesectors. Since being admitted to AIM in December 2001, the Company has successfullycompleted the acquisition of nine complementary businesses. It is the marketleader in political publishing and e-learning in the UK and one of the leadingmedical publishers in France. The Huveaux Group now consists of three Divisions: Political, Learning andProfessional which comprise a mix of magazines, websites, databases, referencebooks, revision guides, manuals, videos, conferences, seminars and events in theB2B sector. Huveaux has offices in London, Paris and Brussels as well as threeregional UK offices. Huveaux was founded by John van Kuffeler, formerly Chief Executive and nownon-executive Chairman of Provident Financial plc. This information is provided by RNS The company news service from the London Stock Exchange