Benchmark Holdings (AIM: BMK) – positive interim results after a difficult period
Benchmark Holdings represents quite a range of businesses; aquaculture genetics, animal health, technical publishing and sustainability science. Founded in 2000, over the last decade it has built a profitable group of companies all related to sustainable food. The Group is growing in response to a rapidly increasing demand for sustainable food, and in particular for seafood, from both mature and emerging markets. Today it has released its interim results for the six months ended 31st March 2015.
EBITDA from trading activities fell to £1.2m (H1 2014: £15.2m), on revenue of £19.8m (H1 2014: £15.2m). The Group attributed this 30% increase in revenue to the creation of the new Breeding and Genetics division following the acquisition of two new businesses; Stofnfiskur in Iceland and Salmobreed in Norway, in December 2014. Excluding the businesses acquired, sales in the period fell by 38%. This was in part due to the strong comparative period - H1 2014 sales benefitted from the acquisition of Byelice (Salmosan) in Chile. Additionally, in the first half of 2015 the setting up of a direct competitor…