Saturday, December 31, 2016

Uchumi delays results release citing lack of proper records

Julius Kipng’etich, Uchumi chief executive officer. PHOTO | SALATON NJAU
Julius Kipng’etich, Uchumi chief executive officer. PHOTO | SALATON NJAU 
By CHARLES MWANIKI

Listed retailer Uchumi Supermarkets has once again delayed the announcement of its financial results by a month to the end of January, citing problems with getting proper financial information from its closed Uganda and Tanzania operations.

The retailer was due to announce its full year to June 2016 results today, but it now says government restrictions in Uganda and Tanzania combined with logistical challenges at the time of closure mean that it is yet to get a satisfactory picture of the financial standing of the closed subsidiaries.
It is the second postponement of the results announcement by Uchumi this year.
The retailer normally releases its full year financials by October 31, but had sought for and obtained permission from the CMA to delay the announcement by two months due to what it termed a turbulent business environment.
Uchumi Chief Executive Officer Julius Kipng’etich yesterday said the retailer is nearly finished with unravelling the financial records of the subsidiaries, although he did not give a specific date in January when the financial results will be made public.
“We are almost finalising the accounting work. They (Uganda and Tanzania units) operated for only three months of the reporting period and when they closed we did not have the chance to do a proper accounting audit on the ground,” said Mr Kipng’etich.
“At the moment, we are working with the relevant authorities to retrieve the information, in as much it might not be significant from management’s point of view though important for audit, in accordance to the International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS).”
Second firm to delay results
The retailer is the second firm this year to delay the publication of its results, the other being East Africa Portland Cement, which extended its usual reporting date by two weeks in November.
For the half year ended December 2015, Uchumi had announced a pre-tax loss of Sh1 billion widening the negative earnings of Sh262.3 million reported a year earlier.
Uchumi closed down its five outlets in Uganda and six in Tanzania in October 2015, saying they were a drain on resources given they contributed just 4.75 per cent to revenue but accounted for over 25 per cent of the operating costs of the retailer.
cmwaniki@ke.nationmedia.com

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