The directors present the strategic report for the year ended 31 December 2024.

In October 2024 the entire issued share capital of AB Outsourcing Ltd was acquired by Icebox Belgium Holdings Srl.  This acquisition presents great opportunities for ABO / Arctic Hayes Ltd to continue to achieve solid growth in the UK and European heating and plumbing marketplace, offering synergistic buying power and complimentary product ranges from the wider Diversitech Group organisation.

AB Outsourcing Ltd has continued to act as a parent holding company to Arctic Hayes Ltd. Arctic Hayes Ltd supplies tools and consumables to the heating and plumbing industry and is the market leader in the supply of pipe freeze products, together with being one of the leading manufacturers of gas and brazing products. We supply over 450 products under 12 product categories to over 4500 heating and plumbing branches in the UK. With an extensive distribution network we have a great reputation for product development and customer service and the directors feel it is this that sets us apart from the rest of the industry.

The Directors are pleased with the performance of the business throughout the year despite some difficult economic conditions. We have continued to make further commercial gains and won a two year contract with a major national account to supply heating products. We extended our contract with a major contractor for a further two and a half years to supply a full range of products across the UK. We also signed an exclusive distribution agreement with Trappex to supply their products within the UK and Ireland. The launch of our pipe freeze project was slightly delayed and only went to market in the final quarter of 2024.

The Directors are very pleased with the growth in profitability of the business. Our balance sheet continues to remain strong at £7.51m (2023: £6.35m) which places the business in a stable position for the future

The company uses various financial instruments including forward currency contracts, bank funding and trade credit that arise directly from its operations. The main purpose of these financial instruments is to raise finance for the company's operations. The existence of these financial instruments exposes the company to a number of financial risks, which are described in more detail below. The directors review and agree policies for managing these risks. These policies have remained unchanged from previous years.

Liquidity risk

The company seeks to manage financial risk by ensuring liquidity is available to meet foreseeable needs and to invest cash assets safely and profitably.

Interest rate risk

The company finances its operations through a combination of retained profits and bank borrowing. The company exposure to interest rate fluctuations on its borrowings is managed by the use of both fixed and floating facilities.

Foreign currency risk

The company's principal foreign currency exposures arose from trading with overseas companies. Group policy permits but does not demand that these exposures may be hedged in order to fix the cost in sterling.

Credit risk

The principal credit risk arises from the group's trade debtors. All customers who wish to trade on credit terms are subject to credit verification procedures. Trade debtors are monitored on an ongoing basis and provision is made for doubtful debts where necessary.

Future developments

The directors will continue to monitor profit margins, and sales growth in the forthcoming year. The group's growth strategy is based around strong customer partnerships, new product development and export sales growth.

On behalf of the board

The directors present their annual report and financial statements for the year ended 31 December 2024.

The principal activity of the company continued to be that of the provision of heating and plumbing supplies.

The results for the year are set out on page 8.

Ordinary dividends were paid amounting to £218,362. The directors do not recommend payment of a final dividend.

The directors who held office during the year and up to the date of signature of the financial statements were as follows:

The auditors, Taylor Dawson Plumb Limited, will be proposed for re-appointment at the forthcoming Annual General Meeting.

The directors are responsible for preparing the annual report and the financial statements in accordance with applicable law and regulations.

Company law requires the directors to prepare financial statements for each financial year. Under that law the directors have elected to prepare the financial statements in accordance with United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice (United Kingdom Accounting Standards and applicable law). Under company law, the directors must not approve the financial statements unless they are satisfied that they give a true and fair view of the state of affairs of the company and of the profit or loss of the company for that period.

In preparing these financial statements, the directors are required to:

• select suitable accounting policies and then apply them consistently;

• make judgements and accounting estimates that are reasonable and prudent; and

• prepare the financial statements on the going concern basis unless it is inappropriate to presume that the company will continue in business.

The directors are responsible for keeping adequate accounting records that are sufficient to show and explain the company’s transactions and disclose with reasonable accuracy at any time the financial position of the company and enable them to ensure that the financial statements comply with the Companies Act 2006. They are also responsible for safeguarding the assets of the company and hence for taking reasonable steps for the prevention and detection of fraud and other irregularities.

So far as each person who was a director at the date of approving this report is aware, there is no relevant audit information of which the company’s auditor is unaware. Additionally, the directors individually have taken all the necessary steps that they ought to have taken as directors in order to make themselves aware of all relevant audit information and to establish that the company’s auditor is aware of that information.

This report has been prepared in accordance with the provisions applicable to companies entitled to the medium-sized companies exemption.

We have audited the financial statements of Arctic Hayes Limited (the 'company') for the year ended 31 December 2024 which comprise the statement of comprehensive income, the balance sheet, the statement of changes in equity and notes to the financial statements, including significant accounting policies. The financial reporting framework that has been applied in their preparation is applicable law and United Kingdom Accounting Standards, including Financial Reporting Standard 102 The Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice).

In our opinion the financial statements:

• give a true and fair view of the state of the company's affairs as at 31 December 2024 and of its profit for the year then ended;

• have been properly prepared in accordance with United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice; and

• have been prepared in accordance with the requirements of the Companies Act 2006.

Basis for opinion

We conducted our audit in accordance with International Standards on Auditing (UK) (ISAs (UK)) and applicable law. Our responsibilities under those standards are further described in the Auditor's responsibilities for the audit of the financial statements section of our report. We are independent of the company in accordance with the ethical requirements that are relevant to our audit of the financial statements in the UK, including the FRC’s Ethical Standard, and we have fulfilled our other ethical responsibilities in accordance with these requirements. We believe that the audit evidence we have obtained is sufficient and appropriate to provide a basis for our opinion.

Conclusions relating to going concern

In auditing the financial statements, we have concluded that the directors' use of the going concern basis of accounting in the preparation of the financial statements is appropriate.

Based on the work we have performed, we have not identified any material uncertainties relating to events or conditions that, individually or collectively, may cast significant doubt on the company's ability to continue as a going concern for a period of at least twelve months from when the financial statements are authorised for issue.

Our responsibilities and the responsibilities of the directors with respect to going concern are described in the relevant sections of this report.

Other information

The other information comprises the information included in the annual report other than the financial statements and our auditor's report thereon. The directors are responsible for the other information contained within the annual report. Our opinion on the financial statements does not cover the other information and, except to the extent otherwise explicitly stated in our report, we do not express any form of assurance conclusion thereon. Our responsibility is to read the other information and, in doing so, consider whether the other information is materially inconsistent with the financial statements or our knowledge obtained in the course of the audit, or otherwise appears to be materially misstated. If we identify such material inconsistencies or apparent material misstatements, we are required to determine whether this gives rise to a material misstatement in the financial statements themselves. If, based on the work we have performed, we conclude that there is a material misstatement of this other information, we are required to report that fact.

We have nothing to report in this regard.

Opinions on other matters prescribed by the Companies Act 2006

In our opinion, based on the work undertaken in the course of our audit:

• the information given in the strategic report and the directors' report for the financial year for which the financial statements are prepared is consistent with the financial statements; and

• the strategic report and the directors' report have been prepared in accordance with applicable legal requirements.

In the light of the knowledge and understanding of the company and its environment obtained in the course of the audit, we have not identified material misstatements in the strategic report or the directors' report.

We have nothing to report in respect of the following matters in relation to which the Companies Act 2006 requires us to report to you if, in our opinion:

• adequate accounting records have not been kept, or returns adequate for our audit have not been received from branches not visited by us; or

• the financial statements are not in agreement with the accounting records and returns; or

• certain disclosures of directors' remuneration specified by law are not made; or

• we have not received all the information and explanations we require for our audit.

As explained more fully in the directors' responsibilities statement, the directors are responsible for the preparation of the financial statements and for being satisfied that they give a true and fair view, and for such internal control as the directors determine is necessary to enable the preparation of financial statements that are free from material misstatement, whether due to fraud or error. In preparing the financial statements, the directors are responsible for assessing the company's ability to continue as a going concern, disclosing, as applicable, matters related to going concern and using the going concern basis of accounting unless the directors either intend to liquidate the company or to cease operations, or have no realistic alternative but to do so.

Our objectives are to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements as a whole are free from material misstatement, whether due to fraud or error, and to issue an auditor's report that includes our opinion. Reasonable assurance is a high level of assurance but is not a guarantee that an audit conducted in accordance with ISAs (UK) will always detect a material misstatement when it exists. Misstatements can arise from fraud or error and are considered material if, individually or in the aggregate, they could reasonably be expected to influence the economic decisions of users taken on the basis of these financial statements.

The extent to which our procedures are capable of detecting irregularities, including fraud, is detailed below.

We obtained an understanding of the legal and regulatory frameworks that are applicable to the company and determined that the most significant are those that relate to the application of the Financial Reporting Standard 102 and the Companies Act 2006 together with compliance with UK tax legislation.

In addition, we considered provisions of other laws and regulations that do not have a direct effect on the

financial statements but compliance with which may be fundamental to the company's ability to operate or to avoid a material penalty.

We assessed the risks of material misstatement in respect of irregularities, including fraud and non-compliance with laws and regulations, by considering the following:

• The nature of the industry and the business performance.

• Discussions with Directors and management and consideration of their policies and procedures for identifying non-compliance or detecting and responding to the risks of fraud.

• Communication throughout the audit team to remain alert to indications of non-compliance throughout the audit.

Based on the results of our risk assessment we designed our audit procedures to identify fraud and non compliance with such laws and regulations identified above.

• We reviewed the disclosures in the financial statements and tested to supporting documentation.

• We considered the risk of fraud through management override of controls and, in response, we incorporated testing of manual journals throughout our audit approach and assessed whether judgements made in making accounting estimates were indicative of potential bias.

• We performed analytical procedures to identify any unusual or unexpected trends or relationships that may indicate risks of material misstatement due to fraud.

• We made enquiries into management of any actual and potential litigation and claims.

There are inherent limitations in the audit procedures described above and therefore there is a risk that we

will not detect all irregularities, including those leading to a material misstatement in the financial statements or non-compliance with regulation. Where instances of non-compliance with laws and regulations are not closely linked to events and transactions within the financial statements, then we are less likely to become aware of these. In addition, the risk is increased regarding irregularities occurring due to fraud rather than error, as fraud involves intentional concealment, forgery, omission or misrepresentation.

A further description of our responsibilities is available on the Financial Reporting Council’s website at: https://www.frc.org.uk/auditorsresponsibilities. This description forms part of our auditor's report.

Use of our report

This report is made solely to the company's members, as a body, in accordance with Chapter 3 of Part 16 of the Companies Act 2006. Our audit work has been undertaken so that we might state to the company's members those matters we are required to state to them in an auditor's report and for no other purpose. To the fullest extent permitted by law, we do not accept or assume responsibility to anyone other than the company and the company's members as a body, for our audit work, for this report, or for the opinions we have formed.

The profit and loss account has been prepared on the basis that all operations are continuing operations.

The notes on pages 11 to 22 form part of these financial statements.

The notes on pages 11 to 22 form part of these financial statements.

These financial statements have been prepared in accordance with the provisions relating to medium-sized companies.

The notes on pages 11 to 22 form part of these financial statements.

Arctic Hayes Limited is a private company limited by shares incorporated in England and Wales. The registered office is 9 Millshaw Park Avenue, Leeds, LS11 OLR.

These financial statements have been prepared in accordance with FRS 102 “The Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland” (“FRS 102”) and the requirements of the Companies Act 2006.

The financial statements are prepared in sterling, which is the functional currency of the company. Monetary amounts in these financial statements are rounded to the nearest £.

The financial statements have been prepared under the historical cost convention. The principal accounting policies adopted are set out below.

This company is a qualifying entity for the purposes of FRS 102, being a member of a group where the parent of that group prepares publicly available consolidated financial statements, including this company, which are intended to give a true and fair view of the assets, liabilities, financial position and profit or loss of the group. The company has therefore taken advantage of exemptions from the following disclosure requirements:

• Section 7 ‘Statement of Cash Flows’: Presentation of a statement of cash flow and related notes and disclosures;

• Section 33 ‘Related Party Disclosures’: Compensation for key management personnel.

The financial statements of the company are consolidated in the financial statements of A B Outsourcing Limited. These consolidated financial statements are available from its registered office, 9 Millshaw Park Avenue, Leeds, LS11 0LR.

Atruet the time of approving the financial statements, the directors have a reasonable expectation that the company has adequate resources to continue in operational existence for the foreseeable future. Thus the directors continue to adopt the going concern basis of accounting in preparing the financial statements.

Turnover is recognised at the fair value of the consideration received or receivable for goods provided in the normal course of business, and is shown net of VAT and other sales related taxes. The fair value of consideration takes into account trade discounts, settlement discounts and volume rebates.

The nature, timing of satisfaction of performance obligations and significant payment terms of the company's major sources of revenue are as follows:

Revenue from the sale of goods is recognised when the significant risks and rewards of ownership of the goods have passed to the buyer (usually on dispatch of the goods), the amount of revenue can be measured reliably, it is probable that the economic benefits associated with the transaction will flow to the entity and the costs incurred or to be incurred in respect of the transaction can be measured reliably.

Research expenditure is written off against profits in the year in which it is incurred.

Tangible fixed assets are initially measured at cost and subsequently measured at cost or valuation, net of depreciation and any impairment losses.

Depreciation is recognised so as to write off the cost or valuation of assets less their residual values over their useful lives on the following bases:

The gain or loss arising on the disposal of an asset is determined as the difference between the sale proceeds and the carrying value of the asset, and is credited or charged to profit or loss.

At each reporting period end date, the company reviews the carrying amounts of its tangible assets to determine whether there is any indication that those assets have suffered an impairment loss. If any such indication exists, the recoverable amount of the asset is estimated in order to determine the extent of the impairment loss (if any). Where it is not possible to estimate the recoverable amount of an individual asset, the company estimates the recoverable amount of the cash-generating unit to which the asset belongs.

Stocks are stated at the lower of cost and estimated selling price less costs to complete and sell. Cost comprises direct materials and, where applicable, landed costs necessarily incurred in bringing stock to the location and condition for onward sale.

At each reporting date, an assessment is made for impairment. Any excess of the carrying amount of stocks over its estimated selling price less costs to complete and sell is recognised as an impairment loss in profit or loss. Reversals of impairment losses are also recognised in profit or loss.

Equity instruments issued by the company are recorded at the proceeds received, net of transaction costs. Dividends payable on equity instruments are recognised as liabilities once they are no longer at the discretion of the company.

The tax expense represents the sum of the tax currently payable and deferred tax.

The tax currently payable is based on taxable profit for the year. Taxable profit differs from net profit as reported in the profit and loss account because it excludes items of income or expense that are taxable or deductible in other years and it further excludes items that are never taxable or deductible. The company’s liability for current tax is calculated using tax rates that have been enacted or substantively enacted by the reporting end date.

Deferred tax liabilities are generally recognised for all timing differences and deferred tax assets are recognised to the extent that it is probable that they will be recovered against the reversal of deferred tax liabilities or other future taxable profits. Such assets and liabilities are not recognised if the timing difference arises from goodwill or from the initial recognition of other assets and liabilities in a transaction that affects neither the tax profit nor the accounting profit.

The costs of short-term employee benefits are recognised as a liability and an expense, unless those costs are required to be recognised as part of the cost of stock or fixed assets.

The cost of any unused holiday entitlement is recognised in the period in which the employee’s services are received.

Termination benefits are recognised immediately as an expense when the company is demonstrably committed to terminate the employment of an employee or to provide termination benefits.

Payments to defined contribution retirement benefit schemes are charged as an expense as they fall due.

Leases are classified as finance leases whenever the terms of the lease transfer substantially all the risks and rewards of ownership to the lessees. All other leases are classified as operating leases.

Assets held under finance leases are recognised as assets at the lower of the assets fair value at the date of inception and the present value of the minimum lease payments. The related liability is included in the balance sheet as a finance lease obligation. Lease payments are treated as consisting of capital and interest elements. The interest is charged to profit or loss so as to produce a constant periodic rate of interest on the remaining balance of the liability.

Rentals payable under operating leases, including any lease incentives received, are charged to profit or loss on a straight line basis over the term of the relevant lease except where another more systematic basis is more representative of the time pattern in which economic benefits from the leases asset are consumed.

Transactions in currencies other than pounds sterling are recorded at the rates of exchange prevailing at the dates of the transactions. At each reporting end date, monetary assets and liabilities that are denominated in foreign currencies are retranslated at the rates prevailing on the reporting end date.

Gains and losses arising on translation in the period are included in profit or loss.

Debtors and creditors

Debtors and creditors with no stated interest rate and receivable or payable within one year are recorded at transaction price. Any losses arising from impairment are recognised in the profit and loss account in other administrative expenses.

In the application of the company’s accounting policies, the directors are required to make judgements, estimates and assumptions about the carrying amount of assets and liabilities that are not readily apparent from other sources. The estimates and associated assumptions are based on historical experience and other factors that are considered to be relevant. Actual results may differ from these estimates.

The estimates and underlying assumptions are reviewed on an ongoing basis. Revisions to accounting estimates are recognised in the period in which the estimate is revised where the revision affects only that period, or in the period of the revision and future periods where the revision affects both current and future periods.

There have been no judgements (apart from those involving estimates) made in the process of applying the accounting policies that would have had a significant effect on amounts recognised in the financial statements.

The key assumptions concerning the future and other sources of estimation uncertainty at the

reporting date that have a significant risk of causing material adjustment to the carrying amounts of assets and liabilities within the next financial year include:

When calculating the stock provision, management considers the nature and condition of the stock, as well as applying assumptions around anticipated future sales of goods for resale and usage of consumables. The net carrying amount of the stocks is £1,953,215 (2003: £2,456,922).

The average monthly number of persons (including directors) employed by the company during the year was:

Their aggregate remuneration comprised:

The number of directors for whom retirement benefits are accruing under defined contribution schemes amounted to 0 (2023 - 2).

The main rate of corporation tax increased from 19% to 25% from 1 April 2023. The company was therefore subject to a hybrid rate of 23.52% for the year ended 31 December 2023.

The actual charge for the year can be reconciled to the expected charge for the year based on the profit or loss and the standard rate of tax as follows:

Tangible fixed assets includes assets held under finance leases or hire purchase contracts, as follows:

Bank loans and overdrafts due within one year include an ID facility totalling £Nil (2023: £1,404,810) secured against the debtors to which they relate, trade finance loans totalling £Nil (2023: £333,122) and bank loans totalling £Nil (2023: £61,522) secured by way of a fixed and floating charge over all current and future assets of the company.

Bank loans and overdrafts due after more than one year include bank loans totalling £Nil (2023: £14,026) secured by way of a fixed and floating charge over all current and future assets of the company.

Amounts owed under finance leases are secured on the asset to which it relates.

The following are the major deferred tax liabilities and assets recognised by the company and movements thereon:

The deferred tax liability set out above is expected to reverse and relates to accelerated capital allowances that are expected to mature within the same period.

The company operates a defined contribution pension scheme for all qualifying employees. The assets of the scheme are held separately from those of the company in an independently administered fund.

At the balance sheet date, the company was contracted to buy $Nil (2023: $786,769) under forward exchange contracts.

At the reporting end date the company had outstanding commitments for future minimum lease payments under non-cancellable operating leases, which fall due as follows:

The company is a wholly owned subsidiary of A B Outsourcing Limited, a company incorporated in England and Wales. The registered office of A B Outsourcing Limited is 9 Millshaw Park Avenue, Leeds, LS11 0LR.

The largest group in which the results of the company are consolidated is that headed by Icebox Belgium Holdings Srl, a company incorporated in Belgium. The registered office of Icebox Belgium Holdings Srl is Rue de la Royenne 84, Mouscron, 7700, BE. These group accounts are not publicly available.

The smallest group in which the results of the company are consolidated is that headed by A B Outsourcing Limited. Copies of these financial statements can be obtained from Companies House, Crown Way, Cardiff, CF14 3UZ.

The company has taken advantage of the exemption permitted under the terms of Financial Reporting Standard 102 'The Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland', not to disclose related party transactions entered into between two or more members of a group, provided that any company which is a party to the transaction is a wholly owned group company.