PROFILE

Premier Fishing and Brands Ltd (Premier or the Premier Group) has been in existence since 1952 and has four operating divisions, two subsidiary companies and a number of joint-venture operations. Premier is a vertically integrated group which specialises in the harvesting, processing and marketing of fish and fish-related products.

Premier and its subsidiaries hold medium to long-term fishing rights in west coast rock lobster, south coast rock lobster, small pelagics (anchovy and sardine), hake deep-sea trawl, longline and squid. In addition, Premier owns an abalone farm and invests in organic agriculture through the Seagro range of products.

The Premier Group is the largest black-owned and controlled fishing company in South Africa and aims to:

• implement innovative procedures within the value chain to increase efficiency in line with environmental best practices, thereby reducing their carbon footprint;
• invest in reliable technology which allows the Company to reduce mortalities of live lobster kept for the export market, therefore assisting in obtaining the best market price;
• develop all its employees;
• assist small businesses to grow and achieve their full potential; and
• ultimately deliver sustainable returns to all stakeholders.

2019 OPERATIONAL PERFORMANCE

The Premier Group delivered a satisfactory performance for the year, with revenue increasing by 17% from R491m to R575m.

The 2019 financial year incorporated twelve months of results, relating to the Talhado Fishing Enterprises (Pt) Ltd (“Talhado”), as compared to only a portion of the period in the prior year, (namely from 9 May 2018 to 31 August 2018), due to IFRS 3 reporting principles.

Cash generated from operations for the period increased to R124m, compared to R91m in the prior year. Property, plant and equipment increased by 31% from R310m to R408m. EBITA increased by 3% to R112 from R109m.

A final dividend of 10 cents per share was declared to shareholders which equates to a total dividend off 22 cents for the 2019 financial year compared to 25 cents per share in 2018.

VISION 2020 VISION – PREMIER’S CONTRIBUTION

Following the strategic planning session held in 2015, which entailed an analysis of the business with the primary objective of having focused and aligned efforts across the business to deliver on its long-term goals, a five-year strategic plan to the year 2020 was implemented. The strategic plan has clear deliverables, strategic actions for each strategic lever, as well as specific time frames

Below is the high-level outline of their Vision 2020 Vision strategic goals:

• Expansion of the abalone farm and capital expenditure to improve production and revenue
• Drive an efficient cost base
• Construct/acquire a processing facility
• Acquire a canning facility
• Product diversification to further penetrate foreign markets which includes the procurement of fish species for local and international markets and enhanced marketing capacity
• Continuous growth of outside quota holders
• Increase enterprise development initiatives
• Acquire another fishing business
• Acquire another fishing business
• Further explore green energy alternatives with the emphasis on the efficient use of water and electricity

2019 Achievements:

• Obtained a level 1 B-BBEE rating
• Obtained synergies from their acquisition of the Talhado Group in the prior year
• Increased their stock holding to 161 tons, compared to 144 ton in the prior year
• Continued to produce spat at an average monthly production of 200 000 animals per month

PROSPECTS AND FUTURE OUTLOOK

Premier is well positioned for growth over the next two years to further unlock shareholder value. The following prospects have been identified in reaching their Vision 2020 Vision:

• Continue to explore innovative fishing and production techniques
• Increase partnerships with outside quota holders
• Product diversification to further penetrate foreign markets
• Acquisition of additional fishing companies as part of the Vision 2020 Vision strategy as agreed
• Additional production capacity created as part of the abalone farm expansion project
• A fully functional canning facility to be constructed at the abalone farm
• New jobs to be created as part of the abalone farm expansion project

MARKET PRESENCE

Premier has operations in Cape Town, Overberg region, Saldanha Bay, Hout Bay, Eastern Cape, Humansdorp, the USA, Asia and Europe

PRODUCTS AND BRANDS

Through its various business activities, Premier offers the following products and services: sales, marketing and production of west coast rock lobster, south coast rock lobster, abalone, small pelagics, longline hake, squid and Seagro (organic fertiliser).

Detailed information about Premier’s business model, stakeholders, risks and governance is available in the responsible investments report and on the website