Softcat files for IPO
Reseller to float on London Stock Exchange next month
Reseller Softcat has announced plans to float on the London Stock Exchange next month.
In a filing published this morning, the Marlow-headquartered company said its admission would happen at some point in November.
Softcat chairman Brian Wallace described the move as a "natural step forward for the business, while retaining its culture and ethos".
The company claims its IPO will boost its brand recognition among customers, partners and disties and will provide a platform to pursue its growth strategy and attract and retain the best staff.
In the year ending 31 July 2015, Softcat's revenues reached £596.1m and adjusted operating profit hit £40.6m, it said in today's filing.
"[The offer] will consist of the sale of shares currently held by the founders of Softcat, senior members of the management team, and certain current and former employees," the filing said.
In a separate Annual Report document filed this morning, Softcat's Wallace hinted at some top-management changes.
"The executive leadership team of any company is critical to its success and our team is renowned for its knowledge of our sector," he said. "We have reshaped the board in readiness for a public market listing in order to achieve the correct balance between executive and non-executive directors, with both Richard Lecoutre and Colin Brown stepping down as directors on 19 March 2015 and 15 October 2015, respectively. Both continue to play key leadership roles.
"On 19 January 2015 we were delighted to appoint Graham Charlton as chief financial officer and he has already made a strong contribution in a very short period of time. We have assembled a strong group of non-executive directors, with Lee Ginsberg joining us on 16 September 2015 as senior independent director and chair of the Audit Committee, and Peter Ventress joining on 1 October 2015 as director and chair of the Remuneration Committee. Both bring a wealth of public company experience to our board and they will provide invaluable counsel at this critical stage in its development."
In a statement, Softcat chief executive Martin Hellawell (pictured) said the company's staff will remain core to Softcat as a business.
"We have successfully grown Softcat with a clear vision and purpose," he said. "Softcat is a people-centric, sales-driven organisation, focused on delivering world-class customer service in the attractive IT infrastructure market. For the last decade we've done just that, delivering a track record of strong financial performance and demonstrated an ability to evolve our customer offerings.
"Our growth model is simple but effective - grow our business with existing customers and win new customers, while continuing to offer a world-class service. By continuing to focus on these key areas, we believe that we can continue to drive the growth of our business and, as a consequence, create shareholder value."