LA_FOSSE_ASSOCIATES_LIMIT - Accounts

The directors present the strategic report for the year ended 31 December 2016.

There have not been any significant changes in the company’s principal activity in the year under review.

The directors are not aware, at the date of this report, of any likely major changes in the company’s activities in the next year.

The company continues to expand through growth from hiring and developing quality staff.

The directors expect to increase turnover again in 2017 by 30% on 2016. As shown in the Income Statement on page 6, the company’s turnover has increased in 2016 from the previous year by 50% whilst maintaining similar profit levels despite an significant increase in headcount in 2016.

The company’s net asset value as shown in the Statement of Financial Position on page 7 shows it to be significantly stronger than the previous year.’

The company’s principal financial risks comprise of cash flow (liquidity), foreign exchange, trade creditors/debtors and loss of key clients.

Liquidity risks are managed by ensuring positive cash flow through an effective credit control procedure and the use of an invoice finance facility. Payments to suppliers and employees are regulated and planned in advance to minimize cash flow volatility.

Trade debtors are managed by using external credit agencies to assess the credit worthiness of all debtors prior to carrying out business with them and regular review of their debtor days.

The risk of loss of key clients is minimized by not being reliant on any one client. Regular reviews of client relationships are also carried out by the leadership team.

On behalf of the board

The directors present their annual report and financial statements for the year ended 31 December 2016.

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

The results for the year are set out on page 6.

Ordinary dividends were paid amounting to £1,000,000. The directors do not recommend payment of a final dividend.

The auditor, Arram Berlyn Gardner LLP, is deemed to be reappointed under section 487(2) of the Companies Act 2006.

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;

• •    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.

We have audited the financial statements of La Fosse Associates Limited for the year ended 31 December 2016 set out on pages 6 to 27. The financial reporting framework that has been applied in their preparation is applicable law and United Kingdom Accounting Standards (United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice), including FRS 102 "The Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland".

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.

As explained more fully in the Directors' Responsibilities Statement set out on pages 2 - 3, the directors are responsible for the preparation of the financial statements and for being satisfied that they give a true and fair view. Our responsibility is to audit and express an opinion on the financial statements in accordance with applicable law and International Standards on Auditing (UK and Ireland). Those standards require us to comply with the Auditing Practices Board's Ethical Standards for Auditors.

An audit involves obtaining evidence about the amounts and disclosures in the financial statements sufficient to give reasonable assurance that the financial statements are free from material misstatement, whether caused by fraud or error. This includes an assessment of: whether the accounting policies are appropriate to the company's circumstances and have been consistently applied and adequately disclosed; the reasonableness of significant accounting estimates made by the directors; and the overall presentation of the financial statements. In addition, we read all the financial and non-financial information in the annual report to identify material inconsistencies with the audited financial statements and to identify any information that is apparently materially incorrect based on, or materially inconsistent with, the knowledge acquired by us in the course of performing the audit. If we become aware of any apparent material misstatements or inconsistencies we consider the implications for our report.

In our opinion the financial statements:

• •    give a true and fair view of the state of the company's affairs as at 31 December 2016 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.

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 statementstrue, 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 and the Directors' Report.

We have nothing to report in respect of the following matters where 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.

The income statement has been prepared on the basis that all operations are continuing operations.

La Fosse Associates Limited is a private company limited by shares incorporated in England and Wales. The registered office is 30 City Road, London, EC1Y 2AB. The place of business is 5th Floor, Portland House, Bressenden Place, Westminster, London SW1E 5BH.

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 on the historical cost convention. The principal accounting policies adopted are set out below.

The financial statements present information about the company as an individual undertaking and not about its group. The company has not prepared group accounts as it is exempt from the requirement to do so by section 402 of the Companies Act 2006.

At 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 represents fees earned, excluding VAT, from the placement of permanent candidates in the year and from temporary contractors supplied in the year. Contractor revenue is recongnised by receipt of a client approved timesheet. Contingent placements revenue is recognised on acceptance of the candidate. Executive recruitment fees are recognised as services are provided, typically in three stages, retainer, shortlist and placement fee.

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.

The assets' residual values and useful lives are reviewed, and adjusted, if appropriate, at the end of each reporting period. The effect of any change is accounted for prospectively.

Interests in subsidiaries, associates and jointly controlled entities are initially measured at cost and subsequently measured at cost less any accumulated impairment losses. The investments are assessed for impairment at each reporting date and any impairment losses or reversals of impairment losses are recognised immediately in profit or loss.

A subsidiary is an entity controlled by the company. Control is the power to govern the financial and operating policies of the entity so as to obtain benefits from its activities.

At each reporting period end date, the company reviews the carrying amounts of its tangible and intangible 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.

Recoverable amount is the higher of fair value less costs to sell and value in use. In assessing value in use, the estimated future cash flows are discounted to their present value using a pre-tax discount rate that reflects current market assessments of the time value of money and the risks specific to the asset for which the estimates of future cash flows have not been adjusted.

If the recoverable amount of an asset (or cash-generating unit) is estimated to be less than its carrying amount, the carrying amount of the asset (or cash-generating unit) is reduced to its recoverable amount. An impairment loss is recognised immediately in profit or loss.

Recognised impairment losses are reversed if, and only if, the reasons for the impairment loss have ceased to apply. Where an impairment loss subsequently reverses, the carrying amount of the asset (or cash-generating unit) is increased to the revised estimate of its recoverable amount, but so that the increased carrying amount does not exceed the carrying amount that would have been determined had no impairment loss been recognised for the asset (or cash-generating unit) in prior years. A reversal of an impairment loss is recognised immediately in profit or loss.

Cash and cash equivalents are basic financial assets and include cash in hand, deposits held at call with banks, other short-term liquid investments with original maturities of three months or less, and bank overdrafts. Bank overdrafts are shown within borrowings in current liabilities.

The company has elected to apply the provisions of Section 11 ‘Basic Financial Instruments’ and Section 12 ‘Other Financial Instruments Issues’ of FRS 102 to all of its financial instruments.

Financial instruments are recognised in the company's statement of financial position when the company becomes party to the contractual provisions of the instrument.

Financial assets and liabilities are offset, with the net amounts presented in the financial statements, when there is a legally enforceable right to set off the recognised amounts and there is an intention to settle on a net basis or to realise the asset and settle the liability simultaneously.

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.

Other financial assets, including investments in equity instruments which are not subsidiaries, associates or joint ventures, are initially measured at fair value, which is normally the transaction price. Such assets are subsequently carried at fair value and the changes in fair value are recognised in profit or loss, except that investments in equity instruments that are not publicly traded and whose fair values cannot be measured reliably are measured at cost less impairment.

Financial assets, other than those held at fair value through profit and loss, are assessed for indicators of impairment at each reporting end date.

Financial assets are impaired where there is objective evidence that, as a result of one or more events that occurred after the initial recognition of the financial asset, the estimated future cash flows have been affected. If an asset is impaired, the impairment loss is the difference between the carrying amount and the present value of the estimated cash flows discounted at the asset’s original effective interest rate. The impairment loss is recognised in profit or loss.

If there is a decrease in the impairment loss arising from an event occurring after the impairment was recognised, the impairment is reversed. The reversal is such that the current carrying amount does not exceed what the carrying amount would have been, had the impairment not previously been recognised. The impairment reversal is recognised in profit or loss.

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 receipts 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.

Derivatives, including interest rate swaps and forward foreign exchange contracts, are not basic financial instruments. Derivatives are initially recognised at fair value on the date a derivative contract is entered into and are subsequently re-measured at their fair value. Changes in the fair value of derivatives are recognised in profit or loss in finance costs or finance income as appropriate, unless hedge accounting is applied and the hedge is a cash flow hedge.

Debt instruments that do not meet the conditions in FRS 102 paragraph 11.9 are subsequently measured at fair value through profit or loss. Debt instruments may be designated as being measured at fair value though profit or loss to eliminate or reduce an accounting mismatch or if the instruments are measured and their performance evaluated on a fair value basis in accordance with a documented risk management or investment strategy.

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 direct issue 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 income statement 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 carrying amount of deferred tax assets is reviewed at each reporting end date and reduced to the extent that it is no longer probable that sufficient taxable profits will be available to allow all or part of the asset to be recovered. Deferred tax is calculated at the tax rates that are expected to apply in the period when the liability is settled or the asset is realised. Deferred tax is charged or credited in the income statement, except when it relates to items charged or credited directly to equity, in which case the deferred tax is also dealt with in equity. Deferred tax assets and liabilities are offset when the company has a legally enforceable right to offset current tax assets and liabilities and the deferred tax assets and liabilities relate to taxes levied by the same tax authority.

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.

Equity-settled share-based payments are measured at fair value at the date of grant by reference to the fair value of the equity instruments granted using the Black-Scholes option pricing model. The fair value determined at the grant date is expensed on a straight-line basis over the vesting period, based on the estimate of shares that will eventually vest. A corresponding adjustment is made to equity.

When the terms and conditions of equity-settled share-based payments at the time they were granted are subsequently modified, the fair value of the share-based payment under the original terms and conditions and under the modified terms and conditions are both determined at the date of the modification. Any excess of the modified fair value over the original fair value is recognised over the remaining vesting period in addition to the grant date fair value of the original share-based payment. The share-based payment expense is not adjusted if the modified fair value is less than the original fair value.

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 statement of financial position as a finance lease obligation. Lease payments are treated as consisting of capital and interest elements. The interest is charged to the income statement 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 income 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 lease 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 are included in the income statement for the period.

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.

The company evaluates the recoverability of deferred tax assets based on estimates of future earnings. The ability to recover these taxes depends ultimately on the company’s ability to generate taxable earnings over the course of the period for which the deferred tax assets remain deductible. This analysis is based on the estimated reversal of deferred taxes as well as estimates of taxable earnings, which are sourced from internal projections and are updated to reflect the latest trends.

The appropriate classification of tax assets and liabilities depends on a number of factors, including estimates as to the timing and materialisation of deferred tax assets and the forecast tax payment schedule. Actual income tax receipts and payments could differ from the estimates made by the company as a result of changes in tax legislation or unforeseen transactions that could affect tax balances.

Accounting for tangible assets involves the use of estimates and judgements for determining the useful lives over which these are to be depreciated and the existence and amount of any impairment.

Tangible assets are depreciated on a straight line basis over their estimated useful lives and taking into account their expected residual values. When the Company estimates useful lives, various factors are considered including expected technological obsolescence and the expected usage of the asset.

The Directors regularly review these asset lives and change them as necessary to reflect the estimated current remaining lives in light of technological changes, future economic utilisation and physical condition of the assets concerned. A significant change in asset lives can have a significant change on depreciation and amortisation charges for the period.

The company makes an estimate of the recoverable value of trade and other debtors. When assessing impairment of trade and other debtors, management considers factors including the current credit rating of the debtor, the ageing profile of debtors and historical experience.

Provisions are recognised when the Company has a present legal or constructive obligation as a result of past events, it is probable that an outflow of resources will be required to settle the obligation and a reliable estimate of the amount can be made. This obligation may be legal or constructive deriving from regulations, contracts, normal practices or public commitments that lead third parties to reasonably expect that the Company will assume certain responsibilities. The amount of the provision is determined based on the best estimate of the outflow of resources required to settle the obligation, taking into account all available information.

No provision is recognised if the amount of liability cannot be estimated reliably. In this case, the relevant information is disclosed in the notes to the financial statements.

Given the uncertainties inherent in the estimates used to determine the amount of provision, actual outflows of resources may differ from the amounts recognised originally on the basis of the estimates.

An analysis of the company's turnover is as follows:

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

Their aggregate remuneration comprised:

The tax rate for the current period is lower than the prior period due to changes in the UK corporation tax rate which decreased from 21% to 20% from 1 April 2015.

Incorporated within the Finance Bill 2016 were further reductions to the main rate of corporation tax to 19% from 1 April 2017 and 18% from 1 April 2020.

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:

The net carrying value of tangible fixed assets includes the following in respect of assets held under finance leases or hire purchase contracts.

Details of the company's subsidiaries at 31 December 2016 are as follows:

The investments in subsidiaries are all stated at cost.

The aggregate of secured liabilities is £2,001,279 (2015: £nil).

Other borrowings are secured by way of a fixed and floating charge over the assets of the company.

Finance lease payments represent rentals payable by the company for certain items of plant and machinery. Leases include purchase options at the end of the lease period, and no restrictions are placed on the use of the assets. The average lease term is 5 years. All leases are on a fixed repayment basis and no arrangements have been entered into for contingent rental payments.

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.

The company operates an Enterprise Management Incentive share option plan. This is an approved HMRC Scheme and was established in 2010. The Options granted may be exercised only in the event of a Flotation or immediately prior to a Sale or Liquidation.

During the year the company granted a further 1,715,000 options.

The options outstanding at 31 December 2016 had an exercise price ranging from £0.055 to £0.2055, and a remaining contractual life of 3 years.

The estimated fair value of each share option granted in the general employee share plan is 26.23p (2015: 47.82p). Fair value was measured using the Black - Scholes option pricing model.

During the year, the company recognised total share-based payment expenses of £151,239 (2015 - £72,509) which related to equity settled share based payment transactions.

On 6 January 2016, 206,143 Ordinary D shares of 0.1p per share were issued at par.

All the shares rank pari-passu.

There are no restrictions on the distribution of dividends for the Ordinary A and D Shares. The Ordinary C shares hold no rights to dividends.

There are no restrictions on the repayment of capital.

Share premium accounts includes any premiums received on issue of share capital. Any transactions costs associated with the issuing of shares are deducted from the share premium.

Retained earnings represents accumulated comprehensive income for the year and prior periods 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:

The remuneration of key management personnel:

During the year the company entered into the following transactions with related parties:

The following amounts were outstanding at the reporting end date:

No guarantees have been given or received.

At the balance sheet date the company owed the directors £38,163 (2015: £226,420 owed by the directors). Interest is charged on overdrawn loan balances at HMRC approved interest rates.

Simon and Linda La Fosse are considered to be the ultimate controlling parties by virtue of their shareholding in the company.