LSRG.L Regulatory News (LSRG)

10 Nov 2008 08:35



NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION, DIRECTLY OR INDIRECTLY, IN OR INTO THE UNITED STATES, AUSTRALIA, CANADA OR JAPAN

For immediate release

LSR Group Reports Summary Sales for the 9 months of 2008

LSR Group, one of the leading real estate developers and building materials producers in Russia (LSE: LSRG, MICEX, RTS: LSRG), today announces its sales results for the 9 months of 2008.REAL ESTATE DEVELOPMENT AND CONSTRUCTION

Elite Residential Real Estate

In the 9 months of 2008 LSR Group signed the new sales contracts with the buyers for 26 th m2 of net sellable area worth US$ 278m, 158% more than in the 9 months of 2007, in elite residential houses in St Petersburg.

14 th m2 of net sellable area in the completed projects were transferred to the customers. The decrease of the volumes transferred to customers against the previous year was determined by the construction schedule.

In the 1st quarter of 2008 the company completed the development of the second and third phases of elite residential complex "Dom u Morya" ("Seaside House") of net sellable area of 11 th m2.

Mass Market Residential Real Estate

In the 9 months of 2008 LSR Group signed the new sales contracts with the buyers for 137 th m2 of net sellable area (including 8 th m2 in Yekaterinburg by the development company ZAO Nova Stroy acquired by LSR Group and consolidated starting from 1 September 2008) worth US$ 434m, 132% more than in the 9 months of 2007, in mass market residential houses.

63 th m2 of net sellable area in the completed projects were transferred to the customers (including 7.4 th m2 in Yekaterinburg by the development company ZAO Nova Story acquired by LSR Group and consolidated starting from 1 September 2008). The decrease of the volumes transferred to customers against the previous year was determined by the construction schedule.

In the 3rd quarter of 2008 the company completed the development of the fifth phase of mass market residential complex "Pulkovsky Posad"of net sellable area of 17 th m2 in St Petersburg and the two residential houses in Yekaterinburg of net sellable area of 13.6 th m2.

Commercial Real Estate

The occupancy rates of LSR Group's three operating office centres Apollo, Gelios and Litera remained unchanged throughout the 9 months of 2008 and stood at 99%.

In the 3rd quarter of 2008 the company completed the development of the three new office buildings of 10.6 th m2 total net lettable area. All the three building are the part of "Paradny Quarter" project. LSR Group sold out one of the buildings of 3.6 th m2 of net lettable area. The amount of the deal has not been disclosed.

Gated Communities and Moscow Real Estate Business Units

In the 9 months of 2008 LSR Group Gated Communities and Moscow Real Estate Business Units signed new contracts with the buyers for sales of real estate worth US$33m.

Prefabricated Panel Construction

In the 9 months of 2008 two prefabricated panel factories of LSR Group built and transferred to the customers in St Petersburg 335 th m2 of panel houses, 50% more than in the 9 months of 2007. Also starting from April 2008 when LSR Group consolidated control over prefabricated panel factory OJSC Betfor Reinforced Concrete Factory in Yekaterinburg, it sold to the customers 50 th m3 of panels for panel housing construction.

BUILDING MATERIALS, AGGREGATES AND CONSTRUCTION SERVICES

Building Materials

In the 9 months of 2008 LSR Group sold 494 th m3 of reinforced concrete products (including 57 th m3 sold in Yekaterinburg) which is 18% more than in the 9 months of 2007.

For aerated concrete the quantity sold was 742 th m3 (incliding 63 th m3 sold in Yekaterinburg), 69% increase against the 9 months of 2007. The increase of sales was driven by high demand, acquisition of the production assets in Yekaterinburg in April 2008 and extra sales via distribution contracts (including those in Ukraine) where LSR Group acted as a dealer of the 3rd party product. The sales volume of 3rd party aerated concrete was 184 th m3 in the 9 months of 2008 (included in the data in the table above). 

The sales volume of the ready-mix concrete was 1,198 th m, 3 % less than in the 9 months of 2007. The decrease of sales was mainly driven by the decline of demand in Moscow in 3rd quarter of 2008.

The sales volume of bricks was 215 mn units which is 2% less than in the 9 months 2007. The decrease of sales of bricks occurred in the 3rd quarter of 2008 and was driven by the delays of the start of the number of new construction projects in residential and commercial real estate segments in St Petersburg and Moscow.

Aggregates

In the 9 months of 2009 LSR Group sold 13.5 mn m3 of sand which is 38% more than in the 9 months of 2007 and over 4 mn m3 of crushed granite which is 32% more than in the 9 months of 2007.

The growth of sales was driven by high demand in infrastructure sector and the increase of production capacity: the Sand BU increased capacity by modernization and addition of the equipment to the quarries and started the extraction works in two new deposits; the Crushed Granite BU put into operation the new mobile crushing plant with annual capacity of 600 th m3, the new crushed granite deposit and opened the extra storage and distribution facilities in St Petersburg. Also in August 2008 LSR Group consolidated control over the crushed granite producer in Yekaterinburg which sold 43 th m3 of crushed granite from 1 August to 30 September.

Construction Services

LSR Group increased its sales volume in the construction services segment. The volume of tower cranes services provided in the 9 months of 2008 grew by 20% compared to the same period last year.

___________________________________________________________________________________

Notes: 

The sales volumes in this press release has been rounded to the nearest thousand while percentage changes in them has been calculated using data in units.

LSR Group's functional currency is the Russian Rouble. The financial data in this press-release has been convertered into the US Dollars at the average RUR/US$ exchange rate for 9 months 2008, which is 24.0419.

The sales volumes in Yekaterinburg are included in the tables above starting from the month in which LSR Group consolidated control over the acquired business units in Yekaterinburg in 2008 namely:

- panels for panel housing construction, reinforced concrete products, ready-mix concrete , aerated concrete: starting from 1 April 2008;

-crushed granite: starting from 1 August 2008; 

-real estate development: starting from 1 September 2008.

Notes to Editors: 

OJSC LSR Group is a diversified construction company founded in 1993 and operating in a number of complementary market segments. Its core business areas are building materials, construction and real estate development. The Group includes enterprises for extraction and processing of aggregates, production and transportation of building materials, and housing construction - from mass market large-panel housing to elite property built after designs made by leading domestic and foreign architects. 

LSR Group has operations and offices in a number of cities in the Leningrad region, in St. Petersburg, Moscow, Yekaterinburg, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Ukraine and Germany. LSR Group employs around 18,000 people. 

In 2007, the sales revenues of LSR Group (according to the IFRS-based financial statements) were US$ 1,403 million.

LSR Group is a public company, with its GDRs listed and traded on the London Stock Exchange and its shares listed and traded on MICEX and RTS. 

In 2007, LSR Group was awarded 'The Company of the Year' National Award in the 'Construction' category.

For more details please contact:

Press Service, LSR Group 

+7 (812) 314-1044

press@lsrgroup.ru

www.lsrgroup.ru

Legal disclaimer:

Some of the information in these materials may contain projections or other forward-looking statements regarding future events or the future financial performance of the Company. You can identify forward looking statements by terms such as "expect", "believe", "anticipate", "estimate", "intend", "will", "could," "may" or "might" the negative of such terms or other similar expressions. The Company wishes to caution you that these statements are only predictions and that actual events or results may differ materially.  The Company does not intend to update these statements to reflect events and circumstances occurring after the date hereof or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events. Many factors could cause the actual results to differ materially from those contained in projections or forward-looking statements of the Company, including, among others, general economic conditions, the competitive environment, risks associated with operating in Russia, rapid technological and market change in the industries the Company operates in, as well as many other risks specifically related to the Company and its operations.

Neither these materials nor any copy of it may be taken or transmitted into the United States, Australia, Canada or Japan. These materials do not constitute or form part of any offer or invitation to sell, or any solicitation of any offer to purchase nor shall it (or any part of it) or the fact of its distribution, form the basis of, or be relied on in connection with, any contract therefor. The offer and the distribution of these materials and other information in connection with the listing and offer in certain jurisdictions may be restricted by law and persons into whose possession any document or other information referred to herein comes should inform themselves about and observe any such restriction. Any failure to comply with these restrictions may constitute a violation of the securities laws of any such jurisdiction.

These materials are not an offer for sale of any securities in the United States. Securities may not be offered or sold in the United States absent registration or an exemption from registration under the U.S. Securities Act of 1933. The Company has not registered and does not intend to register any portion of any offering in the United States or to conduct a public offering of any securities in the United States.

This communication is directed only at (i) persons who are outside the United Kingdom or (ii) persons who have professional experience in matters relating to investments falling within Article 19(1) of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (Financial Promotion) Order 2005 (the "Order") and (iii) high net worth entities, and other persons to whom it may lawfully be communicated, falling within Article 49(2) of the Order (all such persons together being referred to as "relevant persons"). Any investment activity to which this communication relates will only be available to and will only be engaged with, relevant persons. Any person who is not a relevant person should not act or rely on this document or any of its contents. 

This communication is distributed in any member state of the European Economic Area which applies Directive 2000/71/EC (this Directive together with any implementing measures in any member state, the "Prospectus Directive") only to those persons who are investment professionals for the purposes of the Prospectus Directive in such member state, and such other persons as this document may be addressed on legal grounds, and no person that is not a relevant person may act or rely on this document or any of its contents.