Trading update for the three months ended 31 December 2024

Core Viewpoints - PayPoint Group delivered a positive quarter with strong performance from key seasonal businesses, maintaining confidence in meeting FY25 expectations and achieving £100m EBITDA by the end of FY26 [2][3] - The company's resilience, investment in capabilities, and growing opportunities to deliver value-add solutions underpin its confidence in achieving long-term growth targets [3] Shopping Division - Shopping divisional net revenue decreased by 2.0% to £16.1 million, driven by lower consumer spending and a challenging environment for UK consumers [4][11] - PayPoint estate continued to grow, with site growth to 20,092 and enhanced propositions for retailers [4][13] - Card payments net revenue decreased by 5.7% to £7.8 million, with a reduction in the Handepay EVO/Lloyds Cardnet estate to 19,220 as the company transitioned to a new acquirer [13] - Card processed value decreased by 5.9% overall to £1.7 billion, with the Handepay EVO estate down 1.8% and the Lloyds Cardnet estate down 11.4% [13] E-commerce Division - E-commerce divisional net revenue increased strongly by 32.0% to £4.1 million, driven by a 36.8% increase in parcel transactions to 35.8 million [5][12] - Collect+ network increased to 13,930 sites, reflecting strong positioning in Out of Home (OOH) fulfilment and a market shift towards OOH delivery [5][13] - The company is making progress in engaging with Chinese and South Asian marketplaces, with services expected to go live in the final quarter [5] Payments & Banking Division - Payments & Banking divisional net revenue increased by 0.8% to £14.0 million, with underlying net revenue from the MultiPay platform increasing by 4.7% to £1.8 million [6][12] - Local Banking initiatives are progressing, with the first High St bank on track for consumer deposits launch at the end of Q4 FY25 [6] - Over £373 million of consumer deposits have been processed for neobanks through the company's extensive network [6] - The legacy energy sector business remains resilient, with key contract renewals including Scottish Power [6] Love2shop Division - Love2shop divisional net revenue increased by 1.3% to £18.8 million, with billings ahead of last year and a strong pipeline for Q4 FY25 [8][14] - Highstreetvouchers.com billings were 9.2% ahead of plan, with a strategic partnership with InComm Payments delivering an incremental £1.7m of billings [8] - Park Christmas Savings delivered final billings of £162.2m, consistent with the previous year, with early indications for the 2025 prepayments saving season being encouraging [8] Financial Highlights - Group net revenue increased by 1.9% to £53.0 million, driven by strong performances in E-commerce and Love2shop divisions [10] - The Group had net corporate debt of £108.9 million, expected to reduce to below £100 million by 31 March 2025 [15] - An increased interim dividend of 19.4 pence per share was declared, up 2.1% from the prior half year [16] - The Group commenced a three-year share buyback programme, returning at least £20 million to shareholders over the next 12 months [17] Strategic Initiatives - The company is leveraging data and analytics to enhance retailer engagement and identify performance trends in the PayPoint and card merchant networks [4] - New initiatives include the launch of a Merchant App, targeted marketing campaigns, and an AI-driven statement reader to enhance the merchant sales experience [4] - The company is expanding its FMCG pipeline, with consumer brand campaigns planned for the next 6-12 months, and has lent over £16m through its YouLend Business Finance product [4] - The company is working on initiatives with SF Express to enable services in Chinese communities across the UK [5]