The directors present the strategic report for the year ended 31 December 2024.
LIND AG faced a challenging 2024, with profits falling by £3m to a net result of just £600k (before the intragroup waiver). While the aftersales department showed signs of strengthening and overheads remained flat, the sales department experienced one of its most difficult years to date. The rising base rate led to a more than twofold increase in stocking charges, significantly impacting profitability from the outset.
Across the range, EV sales continued to underperform due to weak demand and widespread discounting—most notably on the Taycan, where substantial losses were recorded. In an effort to meet Porsche's annual targets, further discounting was applied, ultimately satisfying the manufacturer but at considerable financial cost.
Despite these pressures, the year did end in profit, albeit far below the levels of success traditionally achieved by Porsche. Toward the end of the year, there were early signs of recovery in the EV segment, with the Macan EV launch at the end of Q1 2024 helping to build some momentum.
Within the year, LIND undertook a strategic review of its intercompany balances and took the decision to waive a significant portion of amounts owed between its companies. This step was designed to strengthen the overall group by reducing debt levels across the group and resulted in the write-off of approximately £6m. The purpose was to create a stronger financial foundation and will significantly enhance the profitability of the entities across the group.
Principal risks and uncertainties
The management of the business and the nature of the company's strategy are subject to several risks and uncertainties. The main risks are set out below, however these are not exhaustive.
Competitive risks
There is a healthy appetite for premium automotive offerings. However, business uncertainty, rapidly changing customer behaviours, and technology has meant an increase in the breadth and intensity of competition. Pressure on margins does provide a clear indicator. Our company will remain focused on delivering the highest levels of customer satisfaction. This will include our commitment to competitive pricing, and investment in ensuring the best possible online/retail/ workshop facilities.
Supplier risks
Our company has established healthy, reliable, and trusted supplier relationships. This includes our manufacturers and franchisors. A key risk is the potential loss of a supplier including a franchise. Maintaining a close relationship including clear communication with all key suppliers does mitigate our risks.
General economy and political risk
The company is not immune to the general economic conditions. Brexit, inflation, growing unemployment, fall- out from a Global pandemic, interest rate and exchange rate fluctuations could have a negative impact on the business.
Regulatory compliance risk
The company is subject to regulatory compliance risk by failing to comply with laws, regulations or codes as set by the Health and Safety Executive, Financial Conduct Authority, and local authorities. Non-compliance can lead to fines and suspension from selling general insurance products.
Management risk
The company is dependent on members of its senior management team and the loss of such individuals could have an adverse effect on the business. Further, failure to attract, develop and retain staff of sufficient calibre could also affect the ability of the business to grow.
Information risk
The company is dependent on the continuous operation of its information technology and computer systems which are vulnerable to damage, system failures, and cyber security threats. Whilst insurance cover is in place, such a disaster could have a detrimental effect on the business.
Financial risk management objectives and policies
In common with other businesses, the company aims to minimise financial risk. The measures used by the directors to manage this risk include the preparation of profit forecasts, regular monitoring of actual performance against these forecasts and ensuring that adequate financing facilities are in place to meet the requirements of the business. Trade debtors are closely monitored to keep the risk of bad debts to a minimum level. Levels of stock are also regularly scrutinised to reduce the risk of slow-moving stocks being held.
The company uses a range of performance measures to monitor business performance. The directors consider that, consistent with the size and non-complex nature of the business, the key performance indicators are those that communicate the financial performance of the business as a whole. These include:
| 2024 | 2023 |
| £ | £ |
Turnover | 128,981,034 | 141,185,215 |
Gross profit | 13,262,027 | 15,327,040 |
Net profit/(loss) before tax | (6,245,207) | 3,655,512 |
Net assets | 3,945,279 | 11,374,511 |
Fixed assets | 11,910,539 | 11,648,616 |
The company also reviews non-financial indicators, particularly those relating to customer satisfaction, manufacturer balanced scorecard performance and changes in employee numbers. Average employee numbers have increased during 2024 to 111 (2023: 108).
Directors' statement of compliance with duty to promote the success of the Company Directors of all UK companies must act in accordance with a set of general duties. These duties are detailed in section 172 of the Companies Act 2006. The directors, both individually and together, consider that they have acted in a way they consider, in good faith, would be most likely to promote the success of the Company for the benefit of its shareholders as a whole, and in doing so have regard (amongst other matters) to:
The likely consequences of any decision in the long term are considered carefully so that the image of Lind is not tarnished through poor or rash decisions. In doing so, Lind can position itself as a premium brand operating with high quality brands also.
The interests of the company's employees are aligned with Lind's goals to make sure every member of the team is a part of the strategy to helps achieve its ambition of delivering excellent customer service whereby customers want to be involved with Lind
The impact of the company's operations on the community and the environment form an integral part of Lind's growth in that ways to reduce our footprint and become carbon neutral are at the forefront of strategy consideration.
The need to act fairly as between members of the company so that between the different entities, Lind's goal congruence remains. By having different dealerships pro-actively operate as a unit rather than independently has allowed synergies to develop, helping boost company performance.
The company has a rigorous process to ensure stakeholders are included in the decision-making process. The directors and employees are all included throughout the year with continuous communication and interactions.
Engagement with suppliers, customers and others
Fostering the company's business relationships with suppliers, customers and others is a key component in the directors' aim to bring sustained long-term growth to the business and shareholder value. This is achieved by:
Suppliers | Engaging closely with suppliers via frequent communications, meetings where appropriate, using fair contract terms, paying promptly and providing safe working conditions.
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Customers | Maintaining close contact throughout the sale process, the provision of transparent sales details, responding to customer requests and implementing changes as a result of customer feedback.
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Others | An ever-evolving family business which continues to excel in how it can make a change for the wider environment. Constantly conscious of its impact on the environment and how it can reduce its footprint is a key component in the transition to neutrality. Ongoing charitable donations are part of Lind's heart in giving back to the community and to help those who need it. |
On behalf of the board
The directors present their annual report and financial statements for the year ended 31 December 2024.
The results for the year are set out on page 10.
Ordinary dividends were paid amounting to £1,200,000. The directors do not recommend payment of a further dividend.
The directors who held office during the year and up to the date of signature of the financial statements were as follows:
The company uses various financial instruments which include bank, financial institution and stock loans, cash and various items such as trade debtors and trade creditors that arise directly from operations. The main purpose of these financial instruments is to raise finance for the company’s operations. Their existence exposes the company to a number of financial risks.
The main risks arising from the company’s financial instruments are liquidity risk, interest rate risk and credit risk. The directors review and agree policies for managing each of these risks which are summarised below.
The company seeks to manage risk by ensuring sufficient liquidity is available to meet foreseeable needs to invest cash assets safely and profitably.
The company's policy throughout the year has been to achieve this objective through the day to day involvement of management in business decisions rather than through setting maximum or minimum liquidity ratios.
The company finances its operations through a mixture of bank and other external borrowings. The company's exposure to interest rate fluctuations on its borrowings is managed by the use of fixed and floating facilities. The balance sheet includes trade debtors and creditors which do not attract interest and are therefore subject to fair value interest rate risk.
The company's principal financial assets are cash and trade debtors. The credit risk associated with cash is limited as the counterparties have high credit ratings assigned by international credit-rating agencies. The principal credit risk therefore arises from its trade debtors.
In order to manage credit risk, the directors set credit limits for customers based on a combination of payment history and third party credit references. Credit limits are reviewed by the finance director on a regular basis in conjunction with debt ageing and collection history.
The audit business of UHY Hacker Young Manchester LLP was acquired by Cooper Parry Group Limited on 30 September 2024. UHY Hacker Young Manchester LLP has resigned as auditor and Cooper Parry Group Limited has been appointed in its place.
The auditor, Cooper Parry Group Limited, is deemed to be reappointed under section 487(2) of the Companies Act 2006.
The energy and carbon reporting of the company is included within the financial statements of Lind Group Holding Company Limited. These consolidated financial statements are available from its registered office, Brook Farm, 5 Oak Green Road, Tonbridge, TN11 0QN.
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;
state whether applicable UK Accounting Standards have been followed, subject to any material departures disclosed and explained in the financial statements; 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.
We have audited the financial statements of Lind AG 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).
Basis for 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
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.
Extent to which the audit was considered capable of detecting irregularities including fraud
Irregularities, including fraud, are instances of non-compliance with laws and regulations. We design procedures in line with our responsibilities, outlined above, to detect material misstatements in respect of irregularities, including fraud. The extent to which our procedures are capable of detecting irregularities, including fraud, is detailed below.
Identifying and assessing potential risks related to irregularities
In identifying and assessing risks of material misstatement in respect of irregularities, including fraud, we considered the following:
the nature of the industry and sector, control environment and business performance
any matters we identified having obtained and reviewed the company’s documentation of their policies and procedures relating to:
identifying, evaluating and complying with laws and regulations and whether they were aware of any instances of non-compliance,
detecting and responding to the risks of fraud and whether they have knowledge of any actual, suspected or alleged fraud;
the internal controls established to mitigate risks of fraud or non-compliance with laws and regulations; and
the matters discussed among the audit engagement team and involving relevant internal specialists, including tax, and industry specialists regarding how and where fraud might occur in the financial statements and any potential indicators of fraud.
As a result of these procedures, we considered the opportunities and incentives that may exist within the organisation for fraud and identified the greatest potential for fraud in the following areas: valuation of used vehicle stocks and recognition of supplier incentives. In common with all audits under ISAs (UK), we are also required to perform specific procedures to respond to the risk of management override.
We also obtained an understanding of the legal and regulatory frameworks the company operates in, focussing on provisions of those laws and regulations that had a direct effect on the determination of material amounts and disclosures in the financial statements. The key laws and regulations we considered in this context included the UK Companies Act and 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. These included the company's FCA regulatory requirements.
Audit response to risks identified
Our procedures to respond to risks identified included the following:
reviewing the financial statement disclosures and testing to supporting documentation to assess compliance with provisions of relevant laws and regulations described as having a direct effect on the financial statements;
enquiring of management and those charged with governance concerning actual and potential litigation claims;
in addressing the risk of fraud through inappropriate valuation of used vehicle inventory, assessing net realisable value of stock items sold after the year end was above cost or assessing their value with reference to third party data sources if unsold;
in addressing the risk of fraud through inappropriate recording of supplier incentives, ensuring amounts recorded as due were then subsequently acknowledged as such by the supplier;
in assessing the risk of fraud through management override of controls, testing the appropriateness of journal entries and assessing whether judgements made in making accounting estimates are indicative of potential bias.
There are inherent limitations in the audit procedures described above and the further removed non-compliance with laws and regulations is from the events and transactions reflected in the financial statements, the less likely we would become aware of it. Also, the risk of not detecting a material misstatement due to fraud is higher than the risk of not detecting one resulting from error, as fraud may involve deliberate concealment by, for example, forgery or intentional misrepresentations, or through collusion.
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 statement of comprehensive income has been prepared on the basis that all operations are continuing operations.
Lind AG Limited is a private company limited by shares incorporated in England and Wales. The registered office is Brook Farm, 5 Oak Green Road, Tonbridge, Kent, TN11 0QN.
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 £.
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 11 ‘Basic Financial Instruments’: Carrying amounts, interest, income/expense and net gains/losses for each category of financial instrument; basis of determining fair values;
Section 33 ‘Related Party Disclosures’: Compensation for key management personnel.
The financial statements of the company are consolidated in the financial statements of Lind Group Holding Company Limited and these consolidated financial statements may be obtained from Companies House.
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.
Basic financial assets, which include debtors and cash and bank balances, are initially measured at transaction price including transaction costs and are subsequently carried at amortised cost using the effective interest method unless the arrangement constitutes a financing transaction, where the transaction is measured at the present value of the future receipts discounted at a market rate of interest. Financial assets classified as receivable within one year are not amortised.
Financial assets are derecognised only when the contractual rights to the cash flows from the asset expire or are settled, or when the company transfers the financial asset and substantially all the risks and rewards of ownership to another entity, or if some significant risks and rewards of ownership are retained but control of the asset has transferred to another party that is able to sell the asset in its entirety to an unrelated third party.
Financial liabilities and equity instruments are classified according to the substance of the contractual arrangements entered into. An equity instrument is any contract that evidences a residual interest in the assets of the company after deducting all of its liabilities.
Basic financial liabilities, including creditors, bank loans, loans from fellow group companies and preference shares that are classified as debt, are initially recognised at transaction price unless the arrangement constitutes a financing transaction, where the debt instrument is measured at the present value of the future payments discounted at a market rate of interest. Financial liabilities classified as payable within one year are not amortised.
Debt instruments are subsequently carried at amortised cost, using the effective interest rate method.
Trade creditors are obligations to pay for goods or services that have been acquired in the ordinary course of business from suppliers. Amounts payable are classified as current liabilities if payment is due within one year or less. If not, they are presented as non-current liabilities. Trade creditors are recognised initially at transaction price and subsequently measured at amortised cost using the effective interest method.
Financial liabilities are derecognised when the company’s contractual obligations expire or are discharged or cancelled.
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.
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.
The following judgements (apart from those involving estimates) have had the most significant effect on amounts recognised in the financial statements.
Consignment vehicles are recognised on the balance sheet when the significant risks and rewards of ownership have passed to the company even though legal title has not yet passed. The corresponding liability is included within creditors: amounts falling due within one year.
The estimates and assumptions which have a significant risk of causing a material adjustment to the carrying amount of assets and liabilities are as follows.
The annual depreciation change for tangible and intangible assets is sensitive to changes in the estimated useful economics lives and residual values of assets. The useful economic lives and residual values are re-assessed annually. They are amended where necessary to reflect current estimates.
Stock valuation is regularly monitored against age profile and market demand. Management use a number of market tools during the appraisal process including CAP valuation guides. The directors maintain oversight of ageing stock profiles and a monthly review of any provision required is performed.
All turnover arose within the United Kingdom.
The average monthly number of persons (including directors) employed by the company during the year was:
Their aggregate remuneration comprised:
In finalising the financial statements for the year ended 31 December 2024, the directors have assessed numerous intragroup loan balances for recovery.
In performing this review, the resultant impact on the statement of comprehensive income is shown as an exceptional item, which increases loss before taxation by £6,790,000.
The actual (credit)/charge for the year can be reconciled to the expected (credit)/charge for the year based on the profit or loss and the standard rate of tax as follows:
Included within freehold land and buildings is land which is not depreciated amounting to £2,306,600 (2023: £1,625,000).
During the period an impairment reversal of £15,397 (2023: loss of £171,289) was recognised against stock.
All vehicle stock is pledged as security for the company's vehicle funding and bank facilities.
Included within vehicle stock are consignment vehicles amounting to £9,692,268 (2023: £8,507,697).
Vehicle funding of £15,429,190 (2023: £13,284,633) included within trade creditors is secured directly over the vehicles to which it relates.
Included within trade creditors is consignment vehicle funding amounting to £9,692,268 (2023: £8,507,697).
The interest rate charged on bank loans totaling £3,064,728 (2023: £3,737,825) was 2.40% over base rate. The loan is repayable in 110 equal monthly instalments and is due to be fully repaid in 2029.
The other borrowing balance is a rolling credit facility with VW for an overdraft of £6,401,988 (2023: £5,450,434).
The following are the major deferred tax liabilities and assets recognised by the company and movements thereon:
Includes all current and prior period retained profits and losses, less dividends paid.
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:
Amounts contracted for but not provided in the financial statements:
The company has taken advantage of the exemption available in FRS102 whereby it has not disclosed transactions with its 100% parent company or fellow subsidiary undertakings.
During the year, the company rented premises from the director's close family under a formal lease agreement and paid rent totalling £625,000 (2023: £625,000).
During the year, the company sold goods for £338,630 (2023: £875,146) to the directors and their immediate family. The company purchased goods for £501,000 (2023: £1,023,602) from the directors and their immediate family.