Governance Directors’ Report continued
Substantial shareholdings Based on notifications received and on information provided by the Company’s brokers, the Company understands the following shareholders held a beneficial interest of 3% or more of the Company’s issued share capital as at 20 May 2021. % of issued share capital
assessment. In the ordinary course of business, the Board reviews a detailed financial model on a quarterly basis, including forecast market returns. This model allows for different assumptions regarding lease expiries, breaks and incentives. For the purposes of the viability assessment of the Group, the model covers a five-year period and is stress tested under various scenarios. In the context of the Covid-19 pandemic the Board considered a number of scenarios around its impact on the Group’s property portfolio and financial position. These scenarios included different levels of rent collection, occupier defaults, void periods and incentives within the portfolio, and the consequential impact on property costs and loan covenants. All lease events and assumptions were reviewed over the period under the different scenarios and their impact on revenue and cash flow. Future letting activity was assumed to be curtailed during the initial period of the assessment. Forecast movements in capital values were included in these scenarios including their potential impact on the Group’s loan covenants. The Group’s long-term loan facilities are in place throughout the assessment period, while the Board assumed that the Group would continue to have access to its short-term facilities. The Board considered the impact of these scenarios on its ability to continue to pay dividends at different rates over the assessment period. These matters were assessed over the period to 31 March 2026 and will continue to be assessed over five-year rolling periods. The Directors consider that the stress testing performed was sufficiently robust that even under extreme conditions the Company remains viable. Based on their assessment, and in the context of the Group’s business model and strategy, the Directors expect that the Group will be able to continue in operation and meet its liabilities as they fall due over the five-year period to 31 March 2026.
events over the assessment period have been considered on a case-by- case basis to determine the range of most likely outcomes. More details regarding the Group’s business activities, together with the factors affecting performance, investment activities and future development are set out in the Strategic Report. Further information on the financial position of the Group, including its liquidity position, borrowing facilities and debt maturity profile, is set out in the Financial Review and in the consolidated financial statements. Under all of these scenarios the Group has sufficient cash resources to continue its operations, and remain within its loan covenants, for a period of at least 12 months from the date of these financial statements. Based on their assessment and knowledge of the portfolio and market, the Directors have therefore continued to adopt the going concern basis in preparing the financial statements. Viability assessment and statement The UK Corporate Governance Code requires the Board to make a ‘viability statement’ which considers the Company’s current position and principal and emerging risks and uncertainties combined with an assessment of the future prospects for the Company, in order that the Board can state that the Company will be able to continue its operations over the period of their assessment. The Board conducted this review over a five-year timescale, considered to be the most appropriate for long- term investment in commercial property. The assessment has been undertaken taking into account the principal and emerging risks and uncertainties faced by the Group which could impact its investment strategy, future performance, loan covenants and liquidity. The major risks identified were those relating to the Covid-19 pandemic and its potential impact on the UK economy and commercial property market over the period of the
Investec Wealth & Investment Limited Bank of Montreal
14.2
7.3 5.5 5.3 4.7 4.1
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Smith & Williamson Investment Management 3.8 Disclosure of information to auditor The Directors who held office at the date of approval of this Directors’ Report confirm that, so far as they are each aware, there is no relevant audit information of which the Company’s auditor is unaware and each Director has taken all the steps that he or she ought to have taken as a Director to make themselves aware of any relevant audit information and to establish that the Company’s auditor is aware of that information. Auditor KPMG Channel Islands Limited (the ‘Auditor’) has expressed its willingness to continue in office as the Company’s auditor and a resolution proposing its reappointment will be submitted at the Annual General Meeting.
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