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SHP - Shoprite Holdings - Unaudited Interim Results For the 6 Months Ended

Release Date: 18/02/2009 08:30
Code(s): SHP
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SHP - Shoprite Holdings - Unaudited Interim Results For the 6 Months Ended 31 December 2008 and dividend declaration SHOPRITE HOLDINGS LIMITED (Reg. No. 1936/007721/06) (ISIN: ZAE000012084) (JSE Share code: SHP) (NSX Share code: SRH) (LuSE Share code: SHOPRITE) ("the Group") UNAUDITED INTERIM RESULTS FOR THE 6 MONTHS ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2008 Key information - Trading profit was up 38,2% to R1,409 billion. - Turnover increased 27,3% - from R23,260 billion to R29,604 billion. - Non-RSA supermarkets achieved 54,3% sales growth. - Diluted headline earnings per share rose 43,3% to 184,0 cents. - Dividend per share declared 70,0 cents (2008: 49,0c) an increase of 42.9%. Whitey Basson, chief executive, commented: Despite difficult trading conditions brought about by the global economic slowdown, all the divisions of Shoprite Holdings posted first-rate results for the six months to end December 2008, comfortably exceeding food inflation levels. This was achieved notwithstanding the sacrifice of approximately R170 million to support consumers trying to cope with higher food inflation. Locally the low-price positioning of all three of its supermarket chains continued to attract growing numbers of increasingly price-sensitive consumers across the income spectrum. To assist struggling shoppers, savings brought about by falling fuel prices were rapidly passed on to consumers. Continued support led to an increase of 1,6% in local market share to 30,4% on a like-for-like basis. The Group`s non-RSA supermarket operations again produced pleasing results growing turnover by more than 54% in rand terms on the back of a weaker local currency. By further sacrificing gross margin to build turnover on the one hand and managing the cost base efficiently on the other, a trading margin of 4,8% was achieved in the business as a whole. 17 February 2009 Enquiries: Shoprite Holdings Limited Tel: 021 980 4000 Whitey Basson, chief executive Carel Goosen, deputy managing director De Kock Communications Tel: 021 422 2690 Ben de Kock Cell: 076 390 7725 OPERATING ENVIRONMENT Factors that dominated the market in the first six months of 2008 - high interest rates, soaring financing and debt-servicing costs as well as rampant food inflation - became even more pronounced in the last six months of the year while the gloom of the global financial crisis started to cast a larger shadow over the local economy. The disposable income of many consumers was curtailed, especially at the higher end of the market with its greater exposure to the effects of the present economic slump. At the same time job insecurity became a reality. A certain resilience nevertheless remained in especially the lower end of the market where it was sustained by the government`s wide-ranging support for low-income earners and its investment in infrastructure. This resilience was clearly in evidence in the December sales of the Group`s various businesses. COMMENTS ON THE RESULTS Income statement Total turnover Total turnover increased by 27,3% from R23,260 billion to R29,604 billion, due to the excellent performance from all the divisions. The growth considerably exceeded internal food inflation, which averaged 16,9% for the review period compared to 9,2% in the corresponding six months. Gross profit To compete successfully in the vigorously contested South African market, the Group`s supermarket brands sacrificed gross margin of approximately R170 million for turnover growth. As a result, the gross margin reduced from 20,0% to 19,5%. Expenses The cost base was managed well. In November a historic agreement was reached with the South African Commercial Catering and Allied Workers Union (Saccawu) to make a once-off additional payment over and above employees` normal Christmas bonus to address prevailing economic circumstances. Trading margin The trading margin of 4,8% was a factor of the strong growth in turnover against a much slower increase in expenditure and subsequent growth in trading profit of 38.2%. Interest received and finance costs The increase of 24,5% in net interest received resulted mainly from the stronger cash flow generated by higher turnover. Exchange rate gains The exchange rate gains of R26,3 million (2008: R7,1 million) was purely a factor of the relative weaker rand vis ' vis the currencies of the main countries in which the Group trades outside South Africa and was not a reflection of operational activities. Dividend declared The board declared an interim dividend of 70,0 cents per ordinary share (2008: 49,0 cents) payable to shareholders on Monday, 16 March 2009. Balance sheet Property, plant and equipment The increase of 26,3% to R5,199 billion was mainly due to the purchase of land and buildings in excess of R450 million in the past 12 months for future store development, as well as refurbishment and new stores opened during the period. Inventories The increase of 39,5% in inventory to R6,489 billion exceeded the growth in turnover. The main reasons were the following: - A net of 55 supermarkets and 26 furniture stores were opened in the past 12 months and had to be provisioned. - Supplier deliveries remained erratic forcing the Group to continue stockpiling certain products to prevent out-of-stock situations and to curtail rampant inflation, thus enabling the Group to maintain an internal rate of inflation lower than the official rate of inflation. - The decline in the world economy and the resultant increase of supplier capacities led to the early delivery of orders by international suppliers, with some deliveries scheduled for January already arriving in December, benefiting low price stability due to the weakening of the rand subsequent to placing orders. Cash and cash equivalents A favourable balance sheet closing date produced a temporary surge in net cash and cash equivalents from R 2,619 billion at December 2007 to R 4,066 billion and should be read together with the increase in trade creditors. OPERATIONAL REVIEW Turnover increased by 27,3% to R29,604 billion while trading profit was boosted by 38,2% to R1,409 billion from R1,020 billion in the corresponding period. This was achieved against a background of tougher trading conditions, lower consumer confidence and declining disposable income as the Group continued to benefit from its positioning as the country`s leading value-provider in food retailing; its promotion of a one-stop shopping experience, extended consumer services and its ongoing investments in infrastructure, IT and supply chain management. Excellent results were achieved by all the divisions in the Group and by almost all departments within each division. The major contributor to turnover and trading profit was obviously its core business of food retailing, but the franchise division as well as the furniture division, the latter despite operating in a highly aggressive discount environment, produced better results than in the previous reporting period. Within South Africa support from an ever- increasing consumer spectrum continued to grow while outside the country`s borders the strong spurt in sales was supported by cheaper exports from South Africa due to the weakening of the rand. Number of outlets Confirmed
new stores JUN 2008 Open Closed DEC 2008 JUN 2010 SUPERMARKETS 636 44 3 677 77 - SHOPRITE 372 13 385 31 - CHECKERS 124 6 1 129 35 - CH HYPER 24 24 - USAVE 116 25 2 139 11 HUNGRY LION 112 10 3 119 12 FURNITURE 236 20 1 255 25 - OK FURNITURE 197 13 1 209 22 - HOUSE & HOME 39 7 46 3 TOTAL OWN STORES 984 74 7 1051 114 - OK FRANCHISE 252 33 4 281 6 - H/LION FRANCHISE 4 1 5 TOTAL FRANCHISE 256 34 4 286 6 TOTAL STORES 1240 108 11 1337 120 COUNTRIES OUTSIDE RSA 16 16 RSA supermarkets The Group`s supermarket operation in South Africa, encompassing the Shoprite, Usave and Checkers brands forms the core of the business and represented 77,6% of total turnover. In the six months the division grew ahead of the market by increasing sales by 24,5% to R22,963 billion. This should be seen against the background of internal food inflation that escalated to 16,9% from 9,2% in the corresponding six months. At the same time the prices of certain staples dropped substantially during the current period thereby assisting lower-income consumers. To strengthen its positioning as the food retailer consistently offering the best value, the Group continued its policy of reducing gross margin to bring down prices while also using savings achieved in other areas - such as lower fuel costs - to further soften prices. This policy attracted increasing numbers of price-conscious consumers so that the total number of customer transactions in the three chains increased by 8,5% (or 314 million transactions) while the value per transaction grew 15,2% or slightly below internal inflation. The Group benefited from higher sales against lower cost increases, due to the majority of costs being fixed. Market share increased by 1,6% to 29,8% (30,4% on a like-for-like basis), the highest growth achieved by any of the South African food retailers. Shrinkage was kept well under control in all three chains. Turnover in non-foods did not grow at the same pace as foods due to more consumer spend directed to food. Shoprite Shoprite, with its 312 local stores accounting for 59,2% of the sales generated by the Group`s supermarket operations in South Africa, increased turnover by 23,3% to R13,600 billion, having opened 11 new stores during the review period. On a like-for-like basis turnover advanced by 20,8%. Positive growth was achieved in all departments of all divisions. Shoprite`s low-price positioning continued to appeal to shoppers in ever-increasing numbers across the income spectrum enabling it to increase its share of the local food market by 0,7% to 16,5% (17,2% on a like-for-like basis).The number of customer transactions increased by 6,2% and the value per transaction by 16,5%. Checkers In the review period the benefits of its more up-market repositioning and its growing appeal to consumers in the LSM 8 - 10 categories were amply demonstrated as turnover jumped 23,6%, its strongest growth since its repositioning and matching for the first time the growth rate of the Group`s core business, Shoprite. Independent market surveys show Checkers was, in fact, the country`s fastest-growing chain during the 6 months under review. It performed particularly well in the last three months of 2008 having added six new stores to bring its total to 149. Turnover reached R8,565 billion as a result of an increase of 9,9% in the number of customer transactions and a growth of 12,8% in the value per transaction. This brought the chain`s market share to 7,3% from 6,7%. Usave This small, primarily hard-grocery chain continued to grow apace both in its footprint and in turnover. Assisted by a net gain of 24 new stores bringing the total to 115, Usave raised turnover by 63,5% albeit off a low base compared to the other two chains. Customer loyalty was reflected in same-store growth of 32,1%. During the six months the number of customer transactions grew by 31,0% and transaction value by 24,8%. In line with Shoprite and Checkers, Usave also sacrificed gross margin to boost turnover. It also increasingly switched to private label products with their higher margins, but lower prices than comparable branded items. Supermarkets outside South Africa The Group`s non-RSA supermarkets again performed satisfactorily and continued to grow despite intense difficulties and long lead times. At the end of the review period it comprised 101 supermarkets trading in 16 countries outside South Africa, predominantly under the Shoprite and Usave banners. Supported by a weaker rand, this business increased total turnover by 54,3% in rand terms and by 50,3% on a like-for-like basis. Lower export prices from South Africa provided the Group with a major price advantage in certain product categories. The non-RSA supermarkets represented 14,1% of the Group`s supermarket sales for the period under review. As in the past the commodity-rich countries on the west coast of Africa delivered the best performance. The Group intends continuing its growth strategy in these countries and negotiations are at an advanced stage for the opening of a number of new outlets. OK Franchise In line with the rest of the Group`s food business, the franchise division performed well, increasing turnover by 28,7% as members, attracted by very competitive prices, rebates and payment conditions, increased the volume of business placed through OK Franchise. Trading profit climbed steeply as the gap widened between turnover growth and overhead costs. During the reporting period 33 new members joined, to bring the total number of franchisees to 281. The division, which over the past two years has greatly stabilised its franchise holder base, exercises rigorous credit control and bad debt provisions remained well within acceptable levels. Furniture The turmoil on international markets, a weaker rand, soaring food inflation and the generally high cost of living placed great strain on the sector for durable and semi-durable goods as consumers struggled to make ends meet. Trading conditions became increasingly difficult as competitors vied to build turnover through increased unit sales, even if it meant doing so at extremely low margins. In these conditions sales in House & Home, the furniture division`s more upmarket chain, were initially very muted while OK Furniture, which caters to the middle and lower end of the spectrum, managed to maintain sales volumes comparable to those before the introduction of the National Credit Act in June 2007. However, in the last two months of the reporting period there was a spurt in sales in both the chains and the division ended the period with sales 13,3% higher than in the corresponding period. Trading profit increased by 5,9%. A positive trend emerging is the steady increase in credit sales and the consequent rise in finance income. Due to the division`s dedicated collection policy bad debts remained well within acceptable limits. GROUP PROSPECTS AND OUTLOOK Despite sales continuing to grow in January at the same rate as in the reporting period, the board does not expect this to be maintained for the remaining five months of the financial year. As a result of the global financial meltdown and a slowdown in world trade, reduced exports will lead to job losses which will impact negatively on business. Although retail markets in Africa to date have given little evidence of being troubled by these developments it is bound to happen as the crisis deepens worldwide. As a board we therefore don`t believe the present growth rate is sustainable although we do believe that because of its value positioning the Group is better placed than most to weather the storm and to achieve satisfactory results for the remainder of the financial year. CORPORATE GOVERNANCE The Group is committed to the principles embodied in the Code of Corporate Practice and Conduct in the King Report 2002 ("the Code"). The Group complies with the significant requirements incorporated in the Code and in the Listings Requirements of the JSE Ltd. DIVIDEND NO 120 The board has declared an interim dividend of 70,0 cents (2008: 49,0 cents) per ordinary share, payable to shareholders on Monday, 16 March 2009. The last day to trade cum dividend will be Friday, 6 March 2009. As from Monday, 9 March 2009, all trading of Shoprite Holdings Ltd shares will take place ex dividend. The record date is Friday, 13 March 2009. Share certificates may not be dematerialised or rematerialised between Monday, 9 March 2009 and Friday, 13 March 2009, both days inclusive. ACCOUNTABILITY These condensed consolidated interim results have been prepared in accordance with International Financial Reporting Standards ("IFRS"), IAS 34: Interim Reporting, and Schedule 4 of the South African Companies Act (Act no 61 of 1973), as amended. The accounting policies are consistent with those used in the annual financial statements for the financial period ended June 2008. CONDENSED GROUP INCOME STATEMENT Unaudited Unaudited Audited 6 months 6 months for the % ended ended year ended R`000 change Dec 08 Dec 07 June 08 Sale of merchandise 27.3% 29 603 953 23 259 616 47 651 548 Cost of sales 28.2% (23 847 251) (18 602 366) (38 161 987) Gross profit 23.6% 5 756 702 4 657 250 9 489 561 Other operating income 17.1% 493 045 421 019 982 770 Depreciation and amortisation 34.7% (376 733) (279 661) (596 841) Operating leases 15.9% (610 747) (526 798) (1 122 522) Employee benefits 21.0% (2 227 095) (1 839 937) (3 655 978) Other expenses 15.1% (1 625 780) (1 412 238) (2 800 440) Trading profit 38.2% 1 409 392 1 019 635 2 296 550 Exchange rate gains 272.5% 26 319 7 065 33 187 (Expenditure)/ income of a capital nature 116.9% (9 917) (4 573) 6 756 Operating profit 39.5% 1 425 794 1 022 127 2 336 493 Interest received 17.1% 103 844 88 694 183 915 Finance costs (1.2%) (25 380) (25 679) (59 149) Profit before tax 38.6% 1 504 258 1 085 142 2 461 259 Tax 34.9% (542 235) (401 852) (875 570) Profit for the period 40.8% 962 023 683 290 1 585 689 ATTRIBUTABLE TO: Equity holders of the Company 41.6% 955 185 674 653 1 570 252 Minority interest (20.8%) 6 838 8 637 15 437 962 023 683 290 1 585 689 Earnings per share (cents) 41.6% 188.3 133.0 309.5 Diluted earnings per share (cents) 42.3% 181.9 127.8 298.3 Ordinary dividend per share (cents) 155.0 Final/interim dividend paid 106.0 66.0 49.0 Interim/final dividend declared 70.0 49.0 106.0 Number of weighted average ordinary shares (`000) used for calculation of: earnings per share 507 320 507 320 507 320 :diluted earnings per share 525 106 527 804 526 455 CONDENSED GROUP BALANCE SHEET Unaudited Unaudited Audited R`000 Dec 08 Dec 07 June 08 ASSETS Non-current assets 5 905 919 4 724 238 5 120 964 Property, plant and equipment 5 199 474 4 115 159 4 502 928 Available-for-sale investments 51 798 27 894 37 548 Loans and receivables 7 325 47 402 4 056 Deferred tax assets 317 142 232 510 248 614 Intangible assets 320 080 297 024 319 825 Fixed escalation operating lease accrual 10 100 4 249 7 993 Current assets 12 874 310 9 299 360 9 733 319 Inventories 6 489 063 4 650 266 4 707 394 Other current assets 2 115 686 1 898 381 1 718 427 Assets classified as held for sale 109 548 24 981 107 389 Loans and receivables 67 146 3 898 43 468 Cash and cash equivalents 4 092 867 2 721 834 3 156 641 Total assets 18 780 229 14 023 598 14 854 283 EQUITY AND LIABILITIES Total equity 5 036 537 3 982 153 4 818 838 Capital and reserves attributable to equity holders 4 976 780 3 926 022 4 758 656 Minority interest 59 757 56 131 60 182 Non-current liabilities 989 391 753 145 841 031 Borrowings 23 898 2 498 12 762 Deferred tax liabilities 13 193 12 642 16 241 Provisions 425 718 292 414 316 600 Fixed escalation operating lease accrual 418 479 445 591 439 762 Other non-current liabilities 108 103 - 55 666 Current liabilities 12 754 301 9 288 300 9 194 414 Other current liabilities 12 680 741 9 137 637 9 060 941 Provisions 46 851 47 394 112 682 Bank overdraft 26 709 103 269 20 791 Total liabilities 13 743 692 10 041 445 10 035 445 Total equity and liabilities 18 780 229 14 023 598 14 854 283 RECONCILIATION OF HEADLINE EARNINGS Unaudited Unaudited Audited 6 months 6 months for the % ended ended year ended R`000 change Dec 08 Dec 07 June 08 Net profit attributable to shareholders 955 185 674 653 1 570 252 Expenditure/(income) of a capital nature 9 917 4 573 (6 756) Loss/(profit) on disposal of property 9 607 711 (2 234) Loss on disposal and scrapping of plant, equipment and intangible assets 647 3 600 9 250 Insurance claims received for buildings - - (21 689) Impairment of property, plant and equipment and assets held for sale - - 6 091 Impairment of goodwill - - 2 336 (Profit)/loss on other investing activities (337) 262 (510) Tax effect on items of a capital nature 962 (1 335) 8 735 Headline earnings 966 064 677 891 1 572 231 Earnings per share (cents) 41.6% 188.3 133.0 309.5 Diluted earnings per share (cents) 42.3% 181.9 127.8 298.3 Headline earnings per share (cents) 42.5% 190.4 133.6 309.9 Diluted headline earnings per share (cents) 43.3% 184.0 128.4 298.6 Ordinary dividend per share (cents) 155.0 Final/interim dividend paid 106.0 66.0 49.0 Interim/final dividend declared 70.0 49.0 106.0 CONDENSED GROUP CASH FLOW STATEMENT Unaudited Unaudited Audited 6 months 6 months for the ended ended year ended R`000 Notes Dec 08 Dec 07 June 08 Cash generated by operations 2 763 057 1 756 497 3 286 747 Operating profit 1 425 794 1 022 127 2 336 493 Less: investment income (4 199) (5 594) (27 760) Non-cash items 1 482 825 335 813 709 744 Cash settled share options (97 460) (93 138) (128 615) Changes in working capital 2 956 097 497 289 396 885 Net interest received 82 434 67 658 146 182 Dividends received 229 951 6 344 Dividends paid (544 187) (335 742) (587 789) Tax paid (406 642) (412 051) (616 141) Cash flows from operating activities 1 894 891 1 077 313 2 235 343 Cash flows utilised by investing activities (1 019 288) (443 100) (1 167 589) Purchase of property, plant and equipment and intangible assets (1 039 336) (644 383) (1 436 195) Proceeds on disposal of assets held for sale, property, plant and equipment and intangible assets 45 386 204 921 262 565 Acquisition of operations - (5 909) (5 909) Other investment activities (25 338) 2 271 11 950 Cash flows from financing activities 999 - 20 497 Other financing activities 999 - 20 497 Movement in cash and cash equivalents 876 602 634 213 1 088 251 Effect of exchange rate movements on cash and cash equivalents 53 706 (3 350) 59 897 Net movement in cash and cash equivalents 930 308 630 863 1 148 148 Unaudited Unaudited Audited 6 months 6 months for the
ended ended year ended R`000 Dec 08 Dec 07 June 08 CASH FLOW INFORMATION 1. Non-cash items Depreciation on property, plant and equipment 356 684 282 092 597 786 Amortisation of intangible assets 35 334 11 258 29 002 Net fair value losses/ (gains) on financial instruments 7 500 (1 967) (5 612) Exchange rate gains (26 319) (7 065) (33 187) (Profit)/loss on disposal of property and assets held for sale (3 744) 711 (2 234) Loss on disposal and scrapping of plant, equipment and intangible assets 647 3 600 9 250 Impairment of property, plant and equipment - - 6 091 (Profit)/loss on other investing activities (337) 262 - Impairment of goodwill - - 2 336 Movement in provisions 49 687 5 933 86 030 Movement in cash-settled share-based payment accrual 88 758 45 724 59 835 Insurance claims received for buildings - - (21 689) Movement in fixed escalation operating lease accrual (25 385) (4 735) (17 864) 482 825 335 813 709 744
2. Changes in working capital Inventories (1 736 324) (956 631) (913 824) Trade and other receivables (401 561) (346 299) (133 276) Trade and other payables 3 093 982 1 800 219 1 443 985 956 097 497 289 396 885 CONDENSED SEGMENT INFORMATION Unaudited Unaudited Audited 6 months 6 months for the
% ended ended year ended R`000 change Dec 08 Dec 07 June 08 SEGMENT REVENUE - by business segment - Supermarkets 28.0% 28 223 917 22 041 909 45 393 380 - Furniture 13.3% 1 380 036 1 217 707 2 258 168 Total segment revenue 27.3% 29 603 953 23 259 616 47 651 548 SEGMENT RESULT* - by business segment - Supermarkets (including unallocated) 43.9% 1 324 962 920 498 2 150 178 - Furniture 5.9% 106 550 100 608 151 799 Total segment result40.2% 1 431 512 1 021 106 2 301 977 *Segment result comprises trading profit plus exchange rate gains less investment income. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION Unaudited Unaudited Audited R`000 Dec 08 Dec 07 June 08 1. Capital commitments 261 063 254 181 327 424 2. Contingent liabilities 34 792 34 093 34 406 3. Net asset value per share (cents) 981 774 938 4. Total number of shares in issue (adjusted for treasury shares) 507 345 507 345 507 345 CONDENSED STATEMENT OF CHANGES IN EQUITY Unaudited Unaudited Audited 6 months 6 months for the ended ended year ended R`000 Dec 08 Dec 07 June 08 Balance at beginning of July 4 818 838 3 688 771 3 688 771 Net fair value profits on available-for-sale investments, net of tax 12 254 3 535 11 995 Net profit for the period 962 023 683 290 1 585 689 Cash settlement of share options (382 843) (38 645) (62 341) Foreign currency translation differences 171 287 (17 871) 182 987 Dividends distributed to shareholders (545 022) (336 927) (588 263) Balance at end of December/ June 5 036 537 3 982 153 4 818 838 By order of the Board CH Wiese JW Basson Chairman Chief executive Cape Town 17 February 2009 DIRECTORATE AND ADMINISTRATION Executive directors JW Basson (chief executive), CG Goosen (deputy managing director), B Harisunker, AE Karp, EL Nel, BR Weyers Non-executive directors CH Wiese (chairman), TRP Hlongwane, JA Louw, JF Malherbe, JG Rademeyer Alternate directors JAL Basson, M Bosman, PC Engelbrecht, JD Wiese Company secretary PG du Preez Registered office Cnr William Dabs and Old Paarl Roads, Brackenfell, 7560, South Africa PO Box 215, Brackenfell, 7561, South Africa ' Telephone: +27 (0)21 980 4000 Facsimile: +27 (0)21 980 4050. Website: www.shopriteholdings.co.za Transfer secretaries South Africa: Computershare Investor Services (Pty) Ltd, PO Box 61051, Marshalltown, 2107, South Africa ' Telephone: +27 (0)11 370 5000 Facsimile: +27 (0)11 688 5248 ' Website: www.computershare.com Namibia: Transfer Secretaries (Pty) Ltd, PO Box 2401, Windhoek, Namibia Telephone: +264 (0)61 227 647 ' Facsimile: +264 (0)61 248 531 Zambia: Lewis Nathan Advocates, PO Box 37268, Lusaka, Zambia Telephone: +260 (0)1 223 174 ' Facsimile: +260 (0)1 229 868 Sponsors South Africa: Nedbank Capital, PO Box 1144, Johannesburg, 2000, South Africa Telephone: +27 (0)11 295 8602 ' Facsimile: +27 (0)11 294 8602 ' Website: www.nedbank.co.za Namibia: Old Mutual Investment Group (Namibia) (Pty) Ltd, PO Box 25549, Windhoek, Namibia Telephone: +264 (0)61 299 3527 ' Facsimile: +264 (0)61 299 3528 Zambia: Lewis Nathan Advocates, PO Box 37268, Lusaka, Zambia Telephone: +260 (0)1 223 174 ' Facsimile: +260 (0)1 229 868 Auditors: PricewaterhouseCoopers Incorporated, PO Box 2799, Cape Town, 8000, South Africa Telephone: +27 (0)21 529 2000 ' Facsimile: +27 (0)21 529 3300 Date: 18/02/2009 08:30:02 Supplied by www.sharenet.co.za Produced by the JSE SENS Department. The SENS service is an information dissemination service administered by the JSE Limited (`JSE`). The JSE does not, whether expressly, tacitly or implicitly, represent, warrant or in any way guarantee the truth, accuracy or completeness of the information published on SENS. The JSE, their officers, employees and agents accept no liability for (or in respect of) any direct, indirect, incidental or consequential loss or damage of any kind or nature, howsoever arising, from the use of SENS or the use of, or reliance on, information disseminated through SENS.

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