On 4 July 2016, it was disclosed that Crystal Amber Fund Limited had acquired a disclosable interest of 3 per cent of the issued share capital of Northgate. In September 2012, Crystal Amber invested in Northgate and following successful engagement, exited the position in April 2015. Since then, Northgate’s share price has fallen by approximately 50%. The shares currently trade at a discount to the net asset value as at 30 April 2016 and yield in excess of 5% (based on the proposed final dividend of 10.9p per share).
Last week, Crystal Amber’s investment adviser met with Bob Contreras, Chief Executive of Northgate. Today, Crystal Amber has written to Northgate, setting out its assessment of the company’s prospects together with suggested actions so that stakeholders can better capitalise on the Northgate brand, market positioning, strong cash generation and balance sheet strength. Amongst its proposals, Crystal Amber has requested that Northgate carries out a strategic review to include a potential sale of all or part of the business.
CRS : Crystal Amber asks for sale of Northgate