TIDMSSTY

RNS Number : 9366V

Safestay PLC

15 August 2022

Safestay plc

("Safestay", the "Company" or the "Group")

Final Results for the year Ended 31 December 2021

Safestay (AIM: SSTY), the owner and operator of an international brand of contemporary hostels, is pleased to announce its Final Results for the 12 months to 31 December 2021.

2021 Financial highlights

-- Covid-19 meant the Group's hostels were only open for 44% of 2021 (2020: 43%) and international travel was both restricted and significantly reduced

-- Reflecting this challenging environment, total revenues were GBP6.4 million, an increase on 2020 (2020: GBP4.8 million) but still significantly below 2019

-- Adjusted EBITDA loss of GBP1.0 million (2020 loss: GBP1.9 million). Adjusted EBITDA is earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation with non-recurring items and removes the profit on disposal of the properties

-- EBITDA of GBP7.2 million including profit on property disposals (2020: loss of GBP3.0 million)

   --    Profit before tax of GBP0.7 million (2020: loss of GBP9.9 million) 
   --    Loss per share of 0.93p (2020: loss of 11.88p) 

-- Available cash balances of GBP4.5 million, as at 31 December 2021, to support the ongoing recovery of the Group to pre-covid trading levels

-- Completed the sale of Edinburgh and Barcelona Sea for GBP16.7 million and Safestay used this to reduce HSBC debt on 6 July 2021 by GBP10.2 million decreasing the debt to GBP12.7 million. The Group also has a GBP5.0 million government backed CBILS loan secured for 6 years on 16 December 2020, with repayment commencing 16 April 2022. Overall borrowings including property loans are GBP25 million as at 31 December 2021 (GBP40 million 31 December 2020)

-- The gearing ratio (the ratio of debt to equity and is exclusive of lease liabilities) has decreased from 99% in 2020 to 56% in 2021 following the reduction in loans and property financing of GBP10.2 and GBP4.8 million respectively, plus the GBP3.3 million increase in equity. GBP3.6 million of this increase relates to property revaluations, GBP0.1 million to share based charges and GBP0.2 million to foreign exchange translation

2021 Operational highlights

-- Beginning in April and by the end of July, all 16 hostels had re-opened as restrictions lifted and overall showed improved trading with demand initially focused on domestic customers but also gradually beginning to welcome back international visitors

-- Throughout the portfolio the Company has maintained high levels of hygiene and sanitation to protect both staff and guests

   --    Organic and acquisition capital investment projects were on hold through 2021 

Post-year end - 2022 year to date highlights

-- Completed strategic review of the business and refocused the operational team on returning the business to pre-pandemic revenue levels. This has been achieved through improved marketing and revenue management strategies coupled with returning customer service to pre-pandemic levels

-- Steady start over first 5 months of the year with revenue running at around 81% of pre-pandemic levels in-line with management's expectations

   --    Balance sheet remains strong with sufficient cash to support the business through to recovery 

Larry Lipman, Chairman of the Company, commenting on the results said:

"We are seeing the steady recovery of our market with young travellers and schools once again visiting Europe's major cities. From our perspective, we always believed this would happen and that our hostels would again demonstrate their appeal to our target customers. Occupancy is increasing at an encouraging pace and at strong average bed rates with bookings for the summer ahead of our internal budget plans. We expect momentum to increase as travel returns to normal conditions."

Enquiries:

   Safestay   plc   Tel: +44 (0) 20 8815 1600 

Larry Lipman

   Liberum (Nomad & Joint Broker)        Tel: +44 (0) 20 3100 2000 

Andrew Godber / Edward Thomas / Miquela Bezuidenhoudt

   Novella    Tel: +44 (0) 20 3151 7008 

Tim Robertson / Safia Colebrook

CHAIRMAN'S STATEMENT

Introduction

2021 was another year of significant disruption. The year started with the global travel industry at a near standstill, it wasn't until April our hostels began to re-open, however the year ended with the new Omicron variant appearing, leading to further restrictions to trading, which meant our hostels were only able to open for 44% of the year.

These challenges were reflected in the Company's results for the year. However, unlike 2020, we entered 2021 with a much lower cost base and took the opportunity in the first half of the year to reduce debt and create liquidity with the disposal of our Edinburgh and Barcelona Sea hostels, which placed us in a good financial position to reset and prepare for when we were allowed to trade.

Our 2021 results show an improvement compared to 2020, but given the impact of the global pandemic, neither year reflects the true trading potential of the portfolio, and as such, for comparison, we have provided 2019 comparators to where appropriate.

Through the second half of 2021 the Board took the opportunity to review all strategic options with the business, including the potential for a sale, and whilst bids were received at a significant premium to share price at the time, they were conditional on our largest shareholders supporting an offer which they were not prepared to do as they are strong believers in the longer-term prospects of the Company. Consequently, the management are pleased to now focus solely on supporting the ongoing recovery of the business to pre-Covid levels and beyond.

The first five months of 2022, indicate Group trading is continuing to improve, in line with increasing demand and that bookings for the summer are in-line with management's expectations.

Financial Results

Revenue

Group revenue for the financial year ended 31 December 2021, increased by 33% to GBP6.4 million, although this was still significantly below pre covid levels (2020: GBP4.8m; 2019: GBP18.4 million).

The revenue in 2021 does not include GBP0.9 million (2020: GBP0.8 million) of grants received from governments and local authorities. These are reported separately, in administrative expenses for the GBP0.4 million payroll grants and as exceptional income for the GBP0.5 million other grants. 62% of the revenue came from non-UK properties (2020: 49%). The increase in revenue was in the non-UK properties 68% and the decrease in revenue was in the UK properties 1%.

Room revenue grew by 37% to GBP4.9 million (2020: GBP3.6 million) and food & beverage revenue as well as ancillary revenue were up 48%, to GBP1.3 million (2020: GBP0.9 million). Rental income has reduced to GBP0.2 million (2020: GBP0.4 million) due to the disposal of the Edinburgh hostel.

Historically, management focus has been the sale of beds and drive accommodation revenue, with all other income streams significantly lower. In a bid to maximise the revenue potential beyond beds, we have outsourced, on a revenue share basis, our Madrid food and beverage operations to Casa Suecia, who are steadily investing in the customer proposition and experience. Safestay receives the higher of a minimum guaranteed rent or an agreed % of the food and beverage revenue in return for Casa Suecia receiving the profit from this income stream by managing this part of the operation with its own staff.

Adjusted EBITDA

The Directors consider that an adjusted EBITDA provides a key measure of performance since it removes the impact of the profit on disposal of the properties, which is not a trading activity, along with the benefit of rent concessions received. Adjusted EBITDA for the year to December 2021 was a GBP1.0 million loss (2020: GBP1.9m loss; 2019: GBP6.1 million profit). Adjusted EBITDA represents earnings before interest, tax, depreciation, amortisation, profit on disposal and rent charges in the period.

 
          Adjusted EBITDA is as follows:                    2021           2020 
                                                         GBP'000    As Restated 
                                                                        GBP'000 
         Operating Profit after exceptional expenses       3,393        (7,176) 
            Add back: 
            Depreciation                                   1,434          1,541 
            Right of Use Depreciation                      2,243          2,459 
            Amortisation                                      96            199 
            Actual EBITDA                                  7,166        (2,977) 
            Impairment                                         -          1,491 
            Profit on disposal - Edinburgh               (7,511)              - 
            Loss on disposal - Barcelona Sea                 554              - 
            Exceptional expenses                               -            261 
            Rent concessions                             (1,275)          (904) 
            Share based payment expense                       72            279 
                                                       ---------  ------------- 
         Adjusted EBITDA                                   (994)        (1,850) 
                                                       ---------  ------------- 
 

The exceptional expenses in 2020 totalled GBP0.3 million and included costs in relation to acquisitions made in 2020, and debt fees write off relating to re-financing.

Share-based provision was increased partly due to salary sacrifice being replaced with share options during COVID-19.

Finance Costs

Finance costs in 2021 were GBP2.7 million (2020: GBP2.8 million) as follows:

 
                          2021    2020 
 Lease finance            1,741   1,558 
 Property financing 
  costs                   197     343 
 HSBC debt facility 
  interests               695     625 
 Other finance charges    68      224 
                         ------  ------ 
 Finance costs            2,701   2,750 
 
 

Following the sale of our Edinburgh hostel at the end of June, Safestay reduced its HSBC debt on 6 July 2021 by GBP10.2m reducing bank debt to GBP12.7 million. The Group also has a GBP5.0 million government backed CBILS loan secured for 6 years on 16 December 2020, with repayment commencing 16 April 2022.

In addition, the Company has two government backed loans in Germany (GBP0.2 million) and Austria (GBP0.2 million). Since the introduction of IFRS 16 from 1 January 2019, our hostel leases have been accounted for as lease liabilities. At the lease commencement date, the Group recognises a right-of-use asset and a lease liability on the balance sheet. The rental charge is replaced with interest and depreciation. In 2021, the finance costs include GBP1.7 million of lease interest (2020: GBP1.6 million). The GBP1.28 million (2020: GBP0.9 million) reduction negotiated with our landlords was treated as rent concessions in administrative expenses in full in both the current and prior year.

Earnings per Share

Basic loss per share for the year ended 31 December 2021 was 0.93p (2020: loss 11.88p) based on the weighted number of shares, 64,679,014 (2020: 64,679,014) in issue during the year.

The Group made a GBP0.6 million net loss in 2021 (2020 loss: GBP7.5 million; 2019 loss: GBP1.0 million).

Cash flow, capital expenditure and debt

Net cash generated from operations was (GBP1.3) million (2020: (GBP4.3) million).

The GBP1.6 million increase in income from the hostels resulted in additional operating profit of GBP3.4 million, excluding the profit on disposal, due to the drive to reduce the cost structure. The hostel and the majority of the central teams were furloughed during the lockdowns, and the head office cost structure has been significantly reduced since November 2020 when the directors and senior management agreed to reduce their salary by 40% in return for share options. The rental charge was reduced by GBP2 million via a mix of reduction (GBP1.3 million) and deferments (GBP0.9 million). In addition, all capital expenditure has been restricted from March 2020.

The Group had cash balances of GBP4.5 million at 31 December 2021 (2020: GBP2.1 million).

Following the measures implemented in 2020 to navigate the global pandemic to focus on preserving and managing cash, capital expenditure was restricted through 2021 to essential capital necessary to optimise revenues in our existing portfolio on re-opening, following a sustained period of being mothballed in line with legislative requirements.

Outstanding bank debt as at 31 December 2021 was GBP18 million (2020: GBP28 million). This includes a GBP12.7 million loan with HSBC (2020: GBP22.9 million), minus the GBP0.1 million amortised loan fees (2020: GBP0.3 million), the GBP5.0 million government backed CBILS loan received in December 2020, and the two government backed loans received via our local entities in Germany and Vienna for GBP0.2 million each. The lease liabilities amount to GBP33 million (2020: GBP39 million).

The gearing ratio (exclusive of lease liabilities) has decreased from 99% in 2020 to 56% in 2021 following the reduction in loans and property financing of GBP10.4 and GBP5.2 million respectively, plus the GBP3.3 million increase in Equity.

The HSBC debt covenants were waived until June 2021, and then adjusted and waived covenants are agreed until December 2022.

Net asset value per share increased to 47p (2020: 42p) as a result of an improved net profit position in 2021.

The Directors believe the existing cash and facilities in place, the increase in occupancy forecast and the reduction in the cost base will allow them to continue as a going concern, despite the lingering impact of COVID-19 and travel restrictions. For these reasons, they continue to adopt the going-concern basis in preparing the Company's financial statements.

2020 Qualification Elimination

In 2020 Grant Thornton provided a qualified opinion on the financial statements because they were unable to obtain sufficient appropriate audit evidence to substantiate historic accounting entries on goodwill and reserves in relation to the acquisition of Edinburgh. This qualification became redundant following the sale of Edinburgh in June 2021, as the subsequent accounting treatment for the disposal pushes the final accounting entries through reserves which is consistent with the approach taken in 2020.

Operational Review

Like 2020, 2021 was another unusual year, operating under the restrictions for parts of the year imposed by the pandemic. The hospitality industry was more affected than most and Safestay was no exception.

We entered 2021 with all hostels closed, and at the end of April tentatively started to re-open initially in Edinburgh with all hostels finally open by the end of July. Whilst hostels were allowed to be open, travel, although possible, was restricted and barriers to travel made it hard for customers to move outside of their own country.

Operational procedures were reset and fully adapted to the new safety protocols and standards to keep both customers and employees safe. Week after week, occupancy gradually increased with October and November seeing our hostels return to a positive hostel EBITDA before rent, before Omicron hit in December and a return to further travel restrictions and some countries into lockdown.

The travel restriction had a particular impact on group bookings, with the majority of schools and clubs deferring a return until 2022, but our policy of focusing our marketing activity in the digital space, our own web site investment and booking platforms meant that individual travellers have been attracted to our hostels.

Going into 2022, we are reverting to targeting a revenue split of 40% from a broad range of group bookings, 20% from direct individual bookings and 40% through Online Travel Agencies ('OTAs'). Thereby spreading our revenue generation beyond OTAs to the higher margin direct and group bookings.

Safestay continues to be positioned at the premium end of the hostel market. In 2019, the Group began a renovation programme to maintain these standards. Once the business returns to normal we expect to re-commence this programme which supports our ability to maintain the Company's premium positioning and high guest satisfaction scores.

The Group has a unique network in Europe which provides the opportunity to offer young travellers and groups visiting Europe, accommodation in multiple cities in one packaged deal. In addition, it provides Safestay with a natural hedge against currency and economic volatility.

The Board

Paul Hingston joined the board as CFO and Company secretary on 21 February 2022. Paul has extensive leisure and travel sector experience, most recently he was Group Finance Director for Starboard Hotels Ltd. Peter Harvey decided to step down from the position of Chief Financial Officer and Company Secretary on 21 February 2022 and I would like to thank him, on behalf of the Board, for his contribution through what we trust has been the final stages of the pandemic and the re-opening of our hostel estate. Additionally, Nuno Sacramento resigned from his position as Chief Operating Officer on 17 June 2022.

Outlook

Utilising our unique portfolio, our longer-term strategy remains focused on offering a comfortable and safe stay in beautiful, often iconic buildings that are centrally located, in well-known and popular cities but still with a bed rate representing outstanding value for money. Ultimately, we believe the appeal of our offer combined with the proven appeal of visiting Europe's ancient leading cities will underpin the full recovery of our business. Bookings for the summer period are ahead of our internal budgets and we are looking forward to delivering a much-improved summer trading period.

Larry Lipman

Chairman

12 August 2022

Strategic Report

Principal activity

The principal activity of the Group comprises the operation and development of high-quality traveller accommodation under the Safestay brand in properties that are either owned or occupied on leasehold.

The Business Model

The Safestay business model is to develop and operate a brand of contemporary hostels in the UK and key tourist cities in Europe. The Safestay brand is positioned at the premium end of the hostel spectrum appealing to a broad range of guests. Core elements of the model are:

-- Development: Identifying potential properties in target cities, acquiring the leasehold or freehold in the properties and their contemporary, stylish refurbishment to fit with the brand

-- Operational: Deploying a strong hostel expertise and cost control to achieve best in class operating margins

   --    Brand: Building the Safestay brand value 
   --    Scale: Building the platform to efficiently add further hostels to the Group 
   --    People: Investing in the right people where automation cannot be adopted 

-- Guest experience: Providing a comfortable, safe and enjoyable stay in our hostels for a reasonable price with a focus on customer satisfaction, a strong community experience and repeat stays.

Section 172(1) statement

The directors understand the importance of their section 172 duty and the need to act in a way the directors consider, in good faith, would be most likely to promote the success of the company for the benefit of its members, and in doing so have regard, amongst other matters to:

   --     the likely consequences of any decisions in the long term; 
   --     the interests of employees; 
   --     the need to foster business relationships with suppliers, customers and others; 
   --     the impact of operations on the community and environment; 
   --     the desirability of maintaining a reputation for high standards of business conduct; and 
   --     the need to act fairly as between members of the Company. 

This duty underpins the Board's decision-making processes and the Group's strategic direction, with due consideration given to the long-term impact of its decisions on shareholders, employees, customers and wider stakeholders. Practical measures that the Board takes to ensure the interests of these stakeholders are reflected in the Board's decision-making process are as follows:

   --     Customers 

Customer engagement levels is a key performance indicator of our business. We use this customer feedback to continuously improve our product and level of service in the hostels. The Company also directly engages with customers via social media to share information and collect further feedback. This communication channel was used throughout the pandemic to maintain a close connection with our customers when the hostels were closed during the Pandemic.

As a result of engagement with customers, due to the impact of Covid-19, the decision was made that the period in which customers were able to re-book their cancelled stay would be extended. In addition, the bookings were made more flexible and could be transferred to other Safestay hostels, if the hostel they had booked remained closed.

   --    Employees 

Employees are at the heart of the hospitality industry and the directors know that the long-term success of the Company and its ability to continue to extend its unique pan-European hostel network will rely on a strong company culture, employees' wellbeing, and efficient succession planning. Except for the period when meetings are impacted with social distancing measures and travel restrictions, some Board Meetings would take place in hostels to encourage direct contact between the Board and the operational teams. Bi-annual meetings are organised with all managers to share best practice, company information and help build a positive culture amongst the teams.

Social media is used amongst the teams to encourage regular communication across the Group. Weekly team meetings, which all happen remotely via video conferencing systems, have continued to take place with managers during the pandemic to maintain a strong level of engagement amongst the teams and make a smooth transition towards re-opening the hostels when restrictions end.

As a result of Covid-19 the Company engaged with employees to manage the liquidity of the business including the offering of share options in respect of salary replacement.

   --     Suppliers 

Where possible, the Company forms long-term relationships with suppliers, so that the Company and its suppliers have a more certain environment in which to operate. This also applies to landlords of the 12 hostels operated by the Group under lease agreements. The ability of the Company to build strong links with suppliers has been instrumental to successfully negotiating rent reductions and deferments during the pandemic and mitigate the closure of the hostels and the significant loss in income which has resulted.

   --     Shareholders 

In addition to the annual general meeting, the directors hold meetings with institutional shareholders following the release of year end and interim results and remain available for ad hoc meetings throughout the year. In addition, the executive directors have participated in shareholder conferences to present their business and strategy and obtain live and direct feedback from non-institutional shareholders. The Company website includes an investor section where shareholders can find all relevant information and reports.

The Board believes communication with stakeholders helps to shape and adapt the Company's strategy and ultimately contributes to maintaining a high standard of business conduct. The directors will always assess the consequences of any decision over the long term. For example, decisions over whether to acquire or develop new properties follows a rigorous process involving long term financial assessment and commercial study, all in conjunction with the funding capabilities of the Company. Similarly, the Company uses customer satisfaction reports to help allocate the way funds are deployed under an annual capex improvement programme to enhance the experience of customers and ultimately safeguard brand equity.

The Company complies with the UK's Quoted Companies Alliance Corporate Governance code for Small and Mid-Size Quoted Companies (the "QCA Code") and further information is publicised in the investor section of the Company website. https://www.safestay.com/investors/

   --    Engagement with the wider community 

The board ensures that decisions made are responsible and ethical by taking into consideration the wider society external to the organisation. The Group is committed to contributing to the community in which it operates as a business. The Company is using its footprint in each country to encourage local initiatives via the local management and staff.

   --    Anti-bribery 

The Company is committed to the prevention of bribery by those employed and associated with it and is committed to carrying out business fairly, honestly and openly, with zero-tolerance towards bribery. All employees have a responsibility to prevent, detect and report all instances of bribery as stated in our employee handbook.

Review of business and future prospects

Key Metrics

 
                                                 2021      2020      2019 
 Occupancy %                                     35.4%     37.9%     77.3% 
 Average Bed Rate                                GBP19.7   GBP18.3   GBP21.4 
 Room Revenues (GBP'000)                         4,901     3,570     15,115 
 Total Revenues (GBP'000)                        6,423     4,831     18,379 
 Net cash (used in)/generated from operations 
  (GBP'000)                                      (1,323)   (4,347)   5,228 
 Net assets per share                            47p       42p       55p 
 

The occupancy is calculated by dividing the number of beds sold over the period with the number of beds available when the hostels were opened during the same period. It means that in 2020 and 2021 the occupancy was calculated specifically for those days when the hostels were not closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The underlying business generated revenues of GBP6.4 million (2020: GBP4.8 million; 2019: GBP18.4 million).

Operating profit was GBP3.4 million (2020: GBP7.2 million loss) and an underlying adjusted negative EBITDA, as defined in the Chairman's statement, of GBP1.0 million (2020: GBP1.9 million loss) for the year to 31 December 2021. Actual EBITDA profit is GBP7 million (2020: GBP3 million loss) and Profit before Tax is GBP0.7 million (2020: Loss of GBP9.9 million). The business was severely impacted by the pandemic in 2021 and the loss does not reflect the underlying healthy business model which was cash generative in 2019 and was expected to break even in 2020 when the Company hit the critical mass of 18 hostels to absorb the central cost of managing the pan-European platform.

2021 was another challenging year which both impacted the results of the Group and arrested our expansion plan. However, it continued to demonstrate the sustained resilience of the teams in the hostels and head office, and their ability to pivot under exceptional circumstances. It was also comforting to benefit from the support of our bank, landlords and shareholders, reflecting their confidence in the model developed so far, and the value of the Safestay brand.

The Group completed on the disposal of two hostels in 2021 to provide the Company with the necessary funding to meet the short-term and mid-term cash requirement. The Barcelona Sea hostel was sold in February 2021 for a GBP0.7 million consideration, and the Edinburgh hostel was sold for GBP16 million in June 2021. The combination of these disposals and cost saving measures, which have been implemented by management since March 2020, ensuring the Company has sufficient financial liquidity to support the business in its recovery following the pandemic.

The Group is currently not committed to any future acquisition projects or development. However, the Group is hoping to capitalise on this position to seize opportunities and aggregate a fragmented market which will have become even more inclined to consolidate following the COVID-19 period.

Social matters

Safestay provided jobs for over 200 people pre COVID-19. This number did reduce during COVID whilst the hostels were temporarily closed, and most of the staff employed by the Company during this period were on furlough.

The Company operates in 12 different countries and has established local operating entities in each of the countries where our hostels are located. This gives us the ability to hire employees locally and offer them employment contracts and social benefits in full compliance with each relevant jurisdiction. This also includes the relevant level of hospitality training as well as mandatory training courses.

Maintaining a reputation for high standards of business conduct

The Board is mindful that the continued growth and success of the Group is dependent upon maintaining high standards of business conduct, including:

-- The ability to successfully compete within the market, to attract and retain clients, and to service these clients to a high standard;

   --    The ability to attract and retain high quality employees; 

-- The ability to attract investors and to meet their expectations of good governance and sound business conduct;

-- The ability to meet the Group's regulatory obligations, and to meet the expectations of relevant regulatory bodies.

This mindset underpins the formulation of the Group's strategy and is evident throughout the Board's decision-making process.

Ensuring that members of the Company are treated fairly

The Board ensures that the Group's shareholders are treated equally and fairly, regardless of the size of their shareholding or their status as a private or institutional shareholder. The Group provides clear and timely communications to all shareholders in their chosen communication medium, as well as via the Group's website and via a Regulatory News Service. All holders of Ordinary shares are able to vote at general meetings of the Company.

Environment

The Company is mindful of the importance of reducing environmental impact wherever possible and has implemented several initiatives to achieve a sustainable future. The Company intends to continuously review and increase its efforts in this area. As an example, in all Safestay properties, we minimise the use of plastics wherever possible seeking more sustainable alternatives. This enables us to reduce our environmental footprint and helps us build a reputation with our guests as it meets their environmental expectations. We reuse and recycle the plastic we do use. We are also constantly reviewing our CO2 emissions. We are committed to reducing Scope 1 and 2 emissions - for example, in the future, we would like to incorporate water-saving products in our showers to encourage our guests to be mindful of water wastage. We will also look to reduce Scope 3 emissions working only with trusted suppliers.

We have a unique carbon impact tool which we offer to our guests. This gives them the opportunity to test their carbon impact by using an online carbon calculator on our website with the aim to increase the overall awareness and desire to act responsively during their journey.

More information is available on our website at https://www.safestay.com/corporate-social-responsibility/ .

Employee diversity

The Company is committed to diverse representation at all levels. We are mindful that there is still work to be done to achieve these goals and are looking to make significant progress in our recruitment, retention and promotion strategies as we emerge from the pandemic.

The following table reports on the gender diversity of the Group's employees at 31 December 2021:

 
                           Male  Female 
         Directors            5       0 
         Senior Managers      1       3 
 

Employment of disabled people

It is the policy of the Group to employ disabled persons in the job suited to their aptitudes, abilities and qualifications whenever practicable, endeavour to continue to employ those who become disabled whilst in the Group's employment and to provide disabled employees with the same opportunities for promotion, career development and training as those afforded to other employees.

Human rights

The Company is committed to respecting human rights within our business by complying with all relevant laws and regulations. We prohibit any form of discrimination, forced, trafficked or child labour and are committed to safe and healthy working conditions for all individuals, whether employed by the Company directly or by a supplier in our supply chain.

Legal and ethical conduct

The Company has comprehensive measures to meet its statutory requirements across all areas of its operation, and those expected by our customers and employees, as necessary, for the long-term success of the business. Risks in this area can occur from corruption, bribery, and human rights abuses, including discrimination, harassment, and bullying. The Company has training programmes for all employees. We take a zero-tolerance approach to bribery and are committed to acting professionally, fairly and with integrity in all our business dealings and relationships wherever we operate and implementing and enforcing effective procedures to counter bribery as documented in the Company anti bribery policy signed by the directors.

Principal risks and uncertainties

Management has completed a full review of the risks which may arise from within or outside the business and may have an impact on the Company.

COVID-19 was also identified as an emerging risk for the period ending 31 December 2019 as it arose as a post balance sheet event. The Group's operations have a relatively limited impact on the environment, and therefore climate change has not been identified as an emerging risk. No other emerging risks have been identified at this point. There has been no identified change in the principal risks and uncertainties.

The principal risks and uncertainties that could potentially have a material impact on the Group's performance are presented below.

   --    COVID-19 

Although no business can be fully prepared for a worldwide catastrophe, the financial health of Safestay, strength of the underlying business and prompt reaction of management at the start of the crisis in March 2020 have helped to mitigate the impact of this unexpected event, and the lessons learnt will help build stronger processes and policies to combat any similar event in the future.

From an operational perspective, our safety protocols have already been tested during the summer 2020 after the first lockdown and our hostels and teams were ready for the initial re-opening from May 2021, focused on protecting employees and guests against the risk of the COVID-19. The Company website has been updated to inform guests of the new safety protocols and ongoing expectations.

As set out in last year's report we have set out a safety standard that continues to be deployed across all Safestay properties and involves the release of an internal certification to hostels each time they re-open. This is being closely monitored and accessed by our management team to ensure a safe space in public and private areas.

We expect that protocols will be lifted progressively as the restrictions are finally removed, in line with local and international guidance and regulation.

   --    Business risks 

Safestay operates in the hospitality industry which, over the years, has experienced fluctuations in trading performance. Traditionally, the hotel sector's performance has tracked macro-economic trends, feeling the strain during the economic downturn, and becoming more buoyant during recovery. The hostel sector, which leans more heavily on leisure travellers and has a lower price point, has proved more resilient and has delivered more robust cash flows through the economic cycle and has quickly recovered from isolated terror acts which may limit travel in the short term. The hospitality sector in the UK continues to face a number of cost headwinds from the National Living Wage, commodity price inflation, foreign exchange rate fluctuations and the hangovers from the UK's departure from the European Union and the consequences of that. Business rates in the UK had continued to increase until 2020 when full relief was introduced from April 2020 until June 2021 as part of the government support measures.

A proportion of Safestay's business in the UK comes from Europe, including several school groups. In addition, over 60% of the turnover is coming from hostels located in mainland Europe. The business is therefore highly vulnerable to changes in the source market, schools' education, travel policies and any fluctuations arising in the market from the 'Brexit' process and travel restrictions implemented by the governments, or the school governance bodies.

Conversely, this balance between the UK and mainland Europe offers a natural hedging against fluctuations of each local market and currency where Safestay operates.

Post COVID-19 crisis, the demand in Safestay's markets has strengthened, as we expect that the existing supply within the competitor set will temporarily reduce, until the industry expands again. However, provision of new supply will increase again with the opportunity for real estate owners to repurpose and convert existing buildings previously used for retail or offices. Safestay's defence to such threats is the combination of our premium locations and high standard of accommodation and operations. As supply increases, the business's focus on revenue, customer service, and sales and marketing activity is key to protect and grow market share, brand loyalty and reputation.

IT and system risks

Safestay's property management and accounting systems are deployed via SaaS (software as a service). As such the Group is dependent on robust internet connectivity and the resilience of the provider's third-party data centre and back-up protocols to operate. Whilst the arrangement carries risks, these are deemed to be reduced when compared to an in-house option which would lead to higher management overhead costs for the business. Management believes this current arrangement is more suitable to the business needs as well as being more cost effective due to the small size of our business. The other systems used are not deemed to be business critical.

The Company contracts the maintenance of the IT infrastructure with an external provider and has a cloud based back up system to secure all data which are not already covered via other SaaS suppliers. This is a more robust and flexible option compared to an in-house solution.

Expansion and regulatory risks

Accessing expansion opportunities at the right price and in the right locations is, by its nature, an opportunistic exercise. Whilst the leadership team has a track record in securing properties to support business growth, and the fact that the market should offer more real estate opportunities in the coming years, there is no guarantee that future opportunities can be secured, even if it is expected that the market will offer real estate opportunities when emerging from the COVID-19 crisis and existing property owners look for alternatives to office and retail asset classes.

Expansion in new jurisdictions and changes in regulation in countries where Safestay already operates is creating an environment where it is more likely to be in regulatory breach compared to a group which would only trade in one country. Safestay plc is a listed business and as such is bound to a very high level of compliance. The Board is composed of seven experienced non-executive and executive directors who all have a proven experience in hospitality and strong understanding of regulatory and compliance topics. Moreover, the Group works with local law firms in each country where it operates to gain access to the local expertise and guarantee full local compliance, notably via the obtention of relevant licenses. As opposed to other hospitality sectors, such as sharing economy or private rental, the hostel sector is built on strong regulation plus existing fundamentals and trade licences, which makes it less likely to require the introduction of more strict regulations.

Financial risk

The main GBP12.7 million facility with HSBC ends in January 2025. In December 2020, the Group received a GBP5.0 million CBILS (Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme) via HSBC. The CBILS will be repaid at a rate of GBP1.0 million per year from April 2022 until April 2027. The main GBP12.7 million facility is interest only from July 2021 following a GBP10.2 million repayment after the completion of the Edinburgh hostel disposal on 30 June 2021. These loans provide an efficient base from which to grow the business at a reduced 2.95% margin over SONIA for the main facility and 3.99% margin over base rate from year 2 for the CBILS. The CBILS was interest free in the first year.

Any increases in SONIA or base rate will increase the cost of these loans and therefore impact the net profit of the business (a 0.5% change in interest rate would impact the net profit before tax by GBP89,000). Strict financial controls are in place to ensure that monies cannot be expended above the available limits or to breach any banking covenants.

A proportion of Safestay's business comprises group bookings and there is a risk of booking cancellations which will leave the hostel with unforeseen beds to sell at relatively short notice. To offset this risk, all group bookings require a non-refundable deposit of 10% at time of confirmation and staged payments in advance of the group arrivals.

Except for a small number of credit sales for which applied credit limits are verified through external sources, Safestay has a policy of full payment upfront for guests staying which is the norm for hostels. As such there are negligible trade receivable risks.

Approved by the Board of Directors and signed on behalf of the Board.

Larry Lipman

Chairman

12 August 2022

 
  Consolidated Income Statement  Note                                                2020           2020 
                                              2021           2021             As restated    As restated          2020 
                                        Continuing   Discontinued      2021    Continuing   Discontinued   As restated 
                                        operations     operations     Total    operations     operations         Total 
                                           GBP'000        GBP'000   GBP'000       GBP'000        GBP'000       GBP'000 
  Revenue                         2          5,810            613     6,423         3,375          1,456         4,831 
  Cost of sales                   3        (1,160)          (132)   (1,292)         (658)          (234)         (892) 
                                       -----------  -------------  --------  ------------  -------------  ------------ 
  Gross profit                               4,650            481     5,131         2,717          1,222         3,939 
  Administrative expenses         5        (9,867)          (565)  (10,432)       (9,693)        (1,609)      (11,302) 
                                       -----------  ------------- 
  Operating loss before 
   exceptional 
   items                                   (5,217)           (84)   (5,301)       (6,976)          (387)       (7,363) 
  Exceptional items - other 
   operating income               5          1,737              -     1,737           448              -           448 
  Exceptional items - profit 
   on disposal                    5              -          7,511     7,511             -              -             - 
  Exceptional items - loss 
   on disposal                    5              -          (554)     (554)             -              -             - 
  Exceptional items - costs       5              -              -         -         (261)              -         (261) 
                                       -----------  -------------  --------  ------------  -------------  ------------ 
  Operating profit after 
   exceptional 
   items                                   (3,480)          6,873     3,393       (6,789)          (387)       (7,176) 
  Finance costs                   6        (2,627)           (74)   (2,701)       (2,750)              -       (2,750) 
                                       -----------  -------------  --------  ------------  -------------  ------------ 
  Profit/(loss) before tax                 (6,107)          6,799       692       (9,539)          (387)       (9,926) 
  Tax                             8            218        (1,509)   (1,291)         2,198            205         2,403 
                                       -----------  -------------  --------  ------------  -------------  ------------ 
  Profit/(loss) for the 
   financial 
   year attributable to owners 
   of the parent company                   (5,889)          5,290     (599)       (7,341)          (182)       (7,523) 
                                       ===========  =============  ========  ============  =============  ============ 
 
  Basic profit/(loss) per 
   share                          9                                 (0.93p)                                   (11.63p) 
 
 
 
 
Consolidated Statement of Comprehensive Income               2021          2020 
 Year ended 31 December 2021                              GBP'000   As restated 
                                                                        GBP'000 
 
Profit/(loss) for the year                                  (599)       (7,523) 
Exchange differences on translating foreign operations        169           (4) 
Property revaluation                                        5,039             - 
Deferred tax on property revaluation                      (1,399)         (185) 
  Total comprehensive profit/(loss) for the year 
   attributable to owners of the parent company             3,210       (7,712) 
                                                         ========  ============ 
 
 
Consolidated Statement of Financial Position   Note      2021          2020 
 31 Dec 2021                                                    As restated 
                                                      GBP'000       GBP'000 
Non-current assets 
Property, plant and equipment (including 
 right of use asset)                            11     73,609        89,735 
Intangible assets                               12         18           921 
Goodwill                                        12     12,146        13,569 
Lease assets                                    17        562             - 
Deferred tax asset                              18      1,122         2,159 
                                                     --------  ------------ 
Total non-current assets                               87,457       106,384 
                                                     --------  ------------ 
Current assets 
Stock                                                      35            47 
Trade and other receivables                     13      1,227         1,884 
Lease assets                                    17         78             - 
Current tax asset                                         199           289 
Cash and cash equivalents                       14      4,482         2,125 
                                                     --------  ------------ 
Total current assets                                    6,021         4,345 
                                                     --------  ------------ 
Total assets                                           93,478       110,729 
                                                     --------  ------------ 
Current liabilities 
Borrowings                                      16      (926)         (311) 
Lease liabilities                               17    (1,922)       (1,932) 
Trade and other payables                        15    (2,062)       (2,409) 
Current liabilities                                   (4,910)       (4,652) 
                                                     --------  ------------ 
Non-current liabilities 
Borrowings                                      16   (24,028)      (40,043) 
Lease liabilities                               17   (31,086)      (37,089) 
Trade and other payables due in more than 
 one year                                       15        (7)         (336) 
Deferred tax liabilities                        18    (3,314)       (1,758) 
Total non-current liabilities                        (58,435)      (79,226) 
                                                     --------  ------------ 
Total liabilities                                    (63,345)      (83,878) 
                                                     --------  ------------ 
Net assets                                             30,133        26,851 
                                                     ========  ============ 
Equity 
Share capital                                   19        647           647 
Share premium account                           19     23,904        23,904 
Other components of equity                      19     18,510        14,629 
Retained earnings                                    (12,928)      (12,329) 
                                                     --------  ------------ 
Total equity attributable to owners of the 
 parent company                                        30,133        26,851 
                                                     ========  ============ 
 

Consolidated Statement of Changes in Equity

31 December 2021

 
                                                 As restated 
                                                       Other 
                                          Share   Components  As restated  As restated 
                                Share   premium           of     Retained        Total 
                              Capital   account       Equity     earnings       equity 
                              GBP'000   GBP'000      GBP'000      GBP'000      GBP'000 
                             --------  --------  -----------  -----------  ----------- 
Balance as at 1 January 
 2020 (as restated)               647    23,904       14,531      (4,806)       34,276 
 
Comprehensive income 
Loss for the year                   -         -            -      (7,523)      (7,523) 
Other comprehensive 
 income 
Movement in translation 
 reserve (as restated)              -         -            4            -            4 
Deferred tax on property 
 revaluation (as restated)          -         -        (185)            -        (185) 
                             --------  --------  -----------  -----------  ----------- 
Total comprehensive 
 income                             -         -        (181)      (7,523)      (7,704) 
                             --------  --------  -----------  -----------  ----------- 
Transactions with owners 
Share based payment 
 charge for the period              -         -          279            -          279 
                             --------  --------  -----------  -----------  ----------- 
Balance at 31 December 
 2020 (as restated)               647    23,904       14,629     (12,329)       26,851 
                             --------  --------  -----------  -----------  ----------- 
 
Loss for the year                   -         -            -        (599)        (599) 
Other comprehensive 
 income 
Property revaluation                -         -        5,039            -        5,039 
Deferred tax on property 
 revaluation                        -         -      (1,399)            -      (1,399) 
Movement in translation 
 reserve                            -         -          169            -          169 
                             --------  --------  -----------  -----------  ----------- 
Total comprehensive 
 profit                             -         -        3,809        (599)        3,210 
 
Transactions with owners 
Share based payment 
 charge for the period              -         -           72            -           72 
  Balance at 31 December 
   2021                           647    23,904       18,510     (12,928)       30,133 
                             ========  ========  ===========  ===========  =========== 
 
 
Consolidated Statement of Cash Flows -            Note      2021      2020 
 31 Dec 2021                                             GBP'000   GBP'000 
Operating activities 
Cash generated from operations                     21    (1,272)   (4,228) 
  Income tax received/(paid)                                (51)     (119) 
                                                        --------  -------- 
  Net cash (used in)/generated from operations           (1,323)   (4,347) 
                                                        --------  -------- 
Investing activities 
Purchases of property, plant and equipment                 (307)     (985) 
  Purchases of intangible assets                               -      (36) 
  Acquisitions, net of cash acquired               25          -   (2,003) 
  Payment of deferred consideration                            -     (509) 
  Proceeds on sale of fixed assets                        16,658         - 
                                                        --------  -------- 
  Net cash outflow from investing activities              16,351   (3,533) 
                                                        --------  -------- 
Financing activities 
Proceeds from refinancing transaction                          -     5,681 
Fees relating to financing transaction                         -     (161) 
Proceeds from Coronavirus Business Interruption 
 Loan Scheme                                                   -     5,000 
Bank loans redeemed                                     (10,373)         - 
Principal elements of lease payments                     (1,810)   (2,514) 
Property financing payments                                    -     (331) 
Interest paid                                              (488)     (624) 
Net cash generated from financing activities            (12,671)     7,051 
                                                        --------  -------- 
 
  Cash and cash equivalents at beginning 
   of year                                                 2,125     2,954 
  Net increase /(decrease) in cash and cash 
   equivalents                                             2,357     (829) 
  Cash and cash equivalents at end of year         14      4,482     2,125 
                                                        ========  ======== 
 

Notes to the Consolidated Financial Information

31 December 2021

   1.        Accounting policies for the group FINANCIAL Information 

Safestay plc is listed on the AIM of the London Stock Exchange and was incorporated and is domiciled in the UK.

The Group financial statements have been prepared in accordance with International Accounting Standards in conformity with the requirements of the Company Act 2006.

The financial statements have been presented in sterling, prepared under the historical cost convention, except for the revaluation of freehold properties and right of use assets.

The accounting policies have been applied consistently throughout all periods presented in these financial statements. These accounting policies comply with each IFRS that is mandatory for accounting periods ending on 31 December 2021.

The financial information set out in this Preliminary Announcement does not constitute the Group's statutory financial

statements for the years ended 31 December 2021 or 2020. The financial information has been extracted from the

Group's statutory financial statements for the years ended 31 December 2021 and 2020. The auditors have reported

on the 2021 financial statements; their report was unqualified, did not include references to any matters to which the

auditors drew attention by way of emphasis and did not contain a statement under Section 498(2) or (3) of the

Companies Act 2006.

The former auditors have reported on the 2020 financial statements, their report was qualified for a limitation of

scope relating to a reduction of reserves and drew attention by way of emphasis to a material uncertainty related to

going concern and contained a statement under s498(2) and 498(3).

The statutory accounts for the year ended 31 December 2021 will be filed with the Registrar of Companies following

the Company's Annual General Meeting. The statutory accounts for the year ended 31 December 2020 have been

filed with the Registrar of Companies. New standards and interpretations effective in the year

The Group has adopted the new accounting pronouncements which have become effective this year, and are as follows:

   --    IFRS16 

The Group has adopted the amendment to IFRS 16 which provides lessees with an exemption from assessing whether a COVID-19-related rent concession is a lease modification.

Applying the practical expedient, the Group has recognised the rent concessions as a variable lease payment in accordance with IFRS 16. There is a corresponding adjustment to the lease liability, derecognising the part of the lease liability that has received the concession, with the corresponding adjustment to operating expenses.

Where amounts have been deferred they do not extinguish the lessee's liability or substantially change the consideration of the lease. These have been accounted for as an increase in the accrual for the rent outstanding.

   --    IFRS 3: Business combination - amendment effective 1 January 2021 

IFRS 3 establishes different accounting requirements for a business combination as opposed to the acquisition of an asset or a group of assets that does not constitute a business. Business combinations are accounted for by applying the acquisition method, which, among other things, may give rise to goodwill. In contrast, when accounting for asset acquisitions, the acquirer allocates the transaction price to the individual identifiable assets acquired and liabilities assumed based on their relative fair values and no goodwill is recognised. Therefore, whether an acquired set of activities and assets is a business, is a key consideration in determining how the transaction should be accounted for. The amendments made to the IFRS 3 are set out to clarify the definition of a business. The amendment also adds an optional concentration test that allows a simplified assessment of whether an acquired set of activities and assets is not a business.

Going concern

The Group is reporting an adjusted EBITDA loss of GBP994,000 and net current assets of GBP1,111,000 in 2021 when the business was again severely impacted by the pandemic and the hostels on average have been open for less than 50% of the year. Travel restrictions and local lockdowns continued to impact in some of the countries where the Group operates in Europe into 2022.

However, the Group's strategy to develop and expand the premium hostel offering provided by the Group within the UK and through its European acquisitions had proved successful until February 2020 and despite the Omicron pandemic in December 2021 through to February 2022, the Group has started to generate cash from its operation in the first quarter in 2022 when the travel restrictions were lifted. The travel industry as a whole has been impacted and continues to recover through 2022.

The directors have further reviewed the measures implemented by management to reduce the cash burn of the Group since the start of the outbreak. The monthly fixed cost base was reduced from GBP0.9 million to GBP0.6 million during the first lockdown in the second quarter of 2020, and this continued during the second wave of lockdowns from November 2020. Costs were allowed to come back into the business on a measured basis as the business re-opened in 2021, mindful of the potential for future travel restrictions and lockdown, which has helped navigate the final Omicron variant and associated restrictions. These reductions and the cost consciousness, are the results of the combined impact of the following actions implemented by management during this period:

-- The Group has taken advantage of governmental support schemes in all jurisdictions where they were available, including the job retention scheme in the UK and similar schemes in the other countries where Safestay operates hostels.

-- Variable operational costs in the hostels were mechanically reduced to zero with the absence of revenue, as necessary. The fixed operational costs, exclusive of insurance, rent and property taxes, were reduced to GBP0.15 million during the first lockdown and this continued until the hostels reopened. The Group maintains a minimum level of spend in safety, utilities and maintenance to keep the properties in a good condition whilst they are closed.

-- The Group benefited from business rates reliefs for the 5 hostels operated in the UK since April 2020 through to end of June 2021 and continued with a 66% relief until March 2022. It is also benefiting from the 50% relief in the year to 31 March 2023.

-- The Group continued to liaise with landlords to obtain a GBP1.3 million rent reduction for 2021, with deals being extended in all of the hostels apart from Berlin, Bratislava, Elephant & Castle, Madrid and Vienna. As highlighted in previous reports, in addition, the landlords with rent deferments have agreed for the majority to be after 2022.

-- Operating costs in the head office were reduced by 40% to adjust the team and spend to this unprecedented context. This includes a 40% reduction in salaries for Directors and senior management in exchange for share options since October 2020 through to July 2021.

The Group received GBP16.0 million proceeds from the disposal of the Edinburgh hostel which completed on 30 June 2021. Following completion, the GBP1 million overdraft facility was removed, and GBP10.2 million of HSBC debt was repaid.

Since the start of the Pandemic, management has continuously updated and adjusted the cash forecast for the next months. The most recent forecast prepared in June 2022 assumes as a prudent base case that the hostels revenue will gradually climb through the summer months. Like for like sales for the first 5 months of the year are 80% of pre covid levels. This continues to reflect the expectation of a slow recovery of the tourism market in general outlined in last year's annual report.

The sale of Edinburgh generated enough liquidity, after the GBP10.2m debt repayment, for the business to mitigate the enforced downturn of revenues due to the Pandemic restrictions, and through to time when positive cash inflows are being generated.

The covenants of the debt facility were waived in June 2020, being replaced with adjusted EBITDA targets reflecting revised performances of the hostels since the first lockdown in April 2020. These also apply in June 2022 and have been met. These will then revert to the adjusted and waived covenants that have been agreed until December 2022.

Based on the latest forecast occupancy rates and average spend, the directors have assessed the cash flow of the business against the Group's commitments and obligations and conclude that there are no material uncertainties in terms of the ability to continue for the foreseeable future. For this reason, they continue to adopt the going-concern basis in preparing the Group's financial statements.

Operating segments

Operating segments are reported in a manner consistent with the internal reporting provided to the chief operating decision maker. The chief operating decision makers (CODM), who are responsible for allocating resources and assessing performance of the operating segments, have been identified as the executive directors. Currently the operating segments are the operation of hostel accommodation in the UK and Europe. An additional geographical area has been identified in respect of Spain as disclosed in note 2.

Revenue

To determine whether to recognise revenue, the Group follows a 5-step process in accordance with IFRS 15

   -      Identifying the contract with a customer 
   -      Identifying the performance obligations 
   -      Determining the transaction price 
   -      Allocating the transaction price to the performance obligations 
   -      Recognising revenue when/as performance obligation(s) are satisfied. 

Revenue is stated net of VAT and is gross of travel agency commission with the Group being the principal in all third party booking arrangements. It comprises revenues from overnight hostel accommodation, the sale of ancillary goods and services such as food & beverage and merchandise.

Accommodation and the sale of ancillary goods and services is recognised when provided.

Income from the rent of student accommodation is recognised on a straight-line basis over the academic year to which the rent relates. In accordance with IFRS 16, the group accounts for its subleases as operating leases as they do not transfer substantially all the risks and rewards of ownership to the lessee.

The group recognises income from lease payments from operating leases as income on a straight-line basis over the term of the contract.

The sale of ancillary goods comprises sales of food, beverages, and merchandise.

Deferred income comprises deposits received from customers to guarantee future bookings of accommodation. This is recognised as revenue once the bed has been occupied.

There are no significant judgements or estimations made in calculating and recognising revenue.

Revenue is not materially accrued or deferred between one accounting period and the next.

Government Grants

Monetary resources transferred to the Group by government, government agencies or similar bodies are recognised at fair value, when the Group is certain that the grant will be received. Grants will be recognised in the profit and loss account on a systematic basis, over the same period during which the expenses, for which the grant was intended to compensate, are recognised.

Grants relating to employee costs are disclosed in Staff Costs, note 10 of the accounts. Other grants are disclosed in Exceptional Items shown in note 5 of the accounts.

Exceptional Items

The Group separately discloses on the face of the Income Statement items of income or expense which nature or amount would, without separate disclosure, distort the reporting of the underlying business.

Taxation

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 Group's liability for current tax is calculated using tax rates that have been enacted or substantively enacted by the statement of financial position date.

Deferred tax is the tax expected to be payable or recoverable on differences between the carrying amounts of assets and liabilities in the financial statements and the corresponding tax bases used in the computation of taxable profit and is accounted for using the statement of financial position liability method. Deferred tax liabilities are generally recognised for all taxable temporary differences and deferred tax assets are recognised to the extent that it is probable that taxable profits will be available against which deductible temporary differences can be utilised.

The carrying amount of deferred tax assets are reviewed at each statement of financial position 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 based on tax losses enacted or substantively enacted at the statement of financial position date. Deferred tax is charged or credited in the income statement, except when it relates to items charged or credited in other comprehensive income, in which case the deferred tax is also dealt with in other comprehensive income.

Foreign currency translation

Items included in the financial statements of each of the Group's entities are measured using the currency of the primary economic environment in which the entity operates ('the functional currency'). The consolidated financial statements are presented in Sterling which is the Group's functional currency.

Foreign currency transactions are translated into the functional currency using the exchange rates at the dates of the transactions. Foreign exchange gains and losses resulting from the settlement of such transactions and from the translation of monetary assets and liabilities denominated in foreign currencies are generally recognised in profit and loss.

Foreign exchange gains and losses that relate to borrowings are presented in the statement of profit or loss within finance costs. All other exchange gains and losses are presented in the statement of profit or loss within administrative expenses.

Non-monetary items that are measured at fair-value in a foreign currency are translated using the exchange rates at the date when fair-value was determined. Translation differences on assets or liabilities carried at fair-value are reported as part of the fair-value gain or loss.

The results and financial position of foreign operations that have a functional currency different to the presentation currency are translated into the presentation currency as follows:

-- assets and liabilities for each statement of financial position are translated using the closing rate at the date of that statement of financial position.

-- income and expenses for each statement of profit or loss and statement of comprehensive income are translated at average exchange rates.

   --     All resulting exchange differences are recognised in other comprehensive income. 

Goodwill and fair-value adjustments arising on the acquisition of a foreign operation are treated as the assets and liabilities of the foreign operation and translated at the closing rate.

Business combinations

Acquisitions of subsidiaries and businesses are accounted using the acquisition method. The consideration transferred in a business combination is measured at fair value, which is calculated as the sum of the acquisition-date fair values of assets transferred by the Group, liabilities incurred by the Group to former owners of the acquire and the equity interest issued by the Group in exchange for control of the acquire. Acquisition costs are expensed as incurred.

At the acquisition date, the identifiable assets acquired, and liabilities assumed are recognised at their fair value at the acquisition date.

Deferred Consideration

Deferred payments made in relation to acquisitions of subsidiaries and business are accounted for their discounted value in trade and other payable. Any difference between the discounted value and the cash consideration at the time of the payment, is recognised as an interest charge in the income statement.

Property, plant and equipment

Freehold property and Lease assets are stated at fair value and revalued periodically in accordance with IAS 16 Property Plant and Equipment. Valuation surpluses and deficits arising in the period are included in other comprehensive income. All other property, plant and equipment are recognised at historical cost less depreciation and are depreciated over their useful lives. The applicable useful lives are as follows:

   Fixtures, fittings and equipment                  3-5 years 
   Freehold properties                                           50 years 
   Leasehold properties                                        50 years or term of lease if shorter 

Land is not depreciated.

Leasehold land and buildings relate to Property from financing transactions related to Safestay Elephant and Castle and Safestay Edinburgh Hostel. In 2017, Safestay completed financing transactions on these two properties, raising gross cash proceeds of GBP12.6m. The sale was agreed with an institutional buyer in exchange for 150 year geared ground rent leases. The significant risks and rewards of ownership were retained, and the exercise to repurchase these properties is "almost certain". The contracts took the legal form of the sale and leasebacks. However, the economic substance of the original transactions in 2017 meant that both leases have historically been treated as owned by Safestay. Therefore, the transactions are classified as leasehold land and buildings.

Impairment of property, plant and equipment

At each statement of financial position date, the Group reviews the carrying amounts of its property, plant and equipment 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 to determine the extent of the impairment loss (if any).

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 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 (cash-generating unit) is reduced to its recoverable amount.

An impairment loss is recognised as an expense immediately, unless the relevant asset is carried at a revalued amount, in which case the impairment loss is treated as a revaluation decrease, but a negative revaluation reserve is not created.

For revalued assets, where an impairment loss subsequently reverses, the carrying amount of the asset (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 (cash-generating unit) in prior years. Any remaining balance of the reversal of an impairment loss is recognised in the income statement. For assets carried at cost, any reversals of impairments are recognised in the income statement.

Goodwill

Goodwill represents the future economic benefits arising from a business combination, measured as the excess of the sum of the consideration transferred over the net of the acquisition-date amounts of the identifiable assets acquired and the liabilities assumed. Goodwill is carried at cost less accumulated impairment losses. A review of the carrying value of goodwill is carried out annually.

For the purpose of impairment testing, goodwill acquired in a business combination is allocated to each of the cash-generating units (CGUs), or groups of CGUs, that is expected to benefit from the synergies of the combination. The Directors consider each individual hostel to be a separate cash generating unit for impairment purposes and, as explained in note 12 to the financial statements, each unit or group of units to which the goodwill is allocated represents the lowest level within the entity at which the goodwill is monitored for internal management purposes.

Goodwill impairment reviews are undertaken annually or more frequently if events or changes in circumstances indicate a potential impairment. The carrying value of the CGU containing the goodwill is compared to the recoverable amount, which is the higher of value in use and the fair value less costs of disposal. Any impairment is recognised immediately as an expense and is not subsequently reversed.

Intangible assets

Costs that are directly attributable to a project's development phase, including capitalised internally developed software, are recognised as intangible assets using the cost model, provided they meet all of the following recognised:

-- the development costs can be measured reliably

-- the project is technically and commercially feasible

-- the Group intends to and has sufficient resources to complete the project

-- the Group has the ability to use or sell the software, and

-- the software will generate probable future economic benefits.

Intangible assets acquired in a business combination are recognised at fair value at the acquisition date, which is deemed to be the cost going forward.

The leasehold rights and tenancy subleases relate to intangible assets acquired in a business combination as outlined in note 12.

Assets with a finite useful life are carried at cost less accumulated amortisation. Amortisation is calculated using the straight-line method to allocate the cost of trademarks and licences over their estimated useful lives as set out above.

The following useful lives are applied:

   -      10 years for the life of the interest in the head lease 
   -      13 years for tenancy sublease 
   -      3 years for website development. 

Residual values and useful lives are reviewed at each reporting date.

Assets that are subject to amortisation are reviewed for impairment whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying amount may not be recoverable. An impairment loss is recognised for the amount by which the asset's carrying amount exceeds its recoverable amount. The recoverable amount is the higher of an asset's fair value less costs of disposal and value in use. For the purposes of assessing impairment, assets are grouped at the lowest levels for which there are largely independent cash inflows (CGUs). Prior impairments of non-financial assets (other than goodwill) are reviewed for possible reversal at each reporting date.

Stock

Stock is stated at the lower of cost and net realisable value. Cost is calculated using the weighted average method. Net realisable value represents the estimated selling price.

Financial assets measured at amortised cost

Financial assets held at amortised costs are non-derivative financial assets with fixed or determinable payments which are not quoted in an active market. They are included in current assets, except for maturities greater than 12 months after the balance sheet date. These are classified as non-current assets.

   --    Cash and cash equivalents 

Cash and cash equivalents comprise cash balances, deposits held at call wit h banks and other short-term highly liquid investments with original maturities of three months or less. Bank overdrafts that are repayable on demand and which form an integral part of the Group's cash management are included as a component of cash and cash equivalents for the purpose of the statement of cash flows.

   --    Trade and other receivables 

Trade and other receivables are measured at initial recognition at transaction price plus transaction costs and are subsequently measured at amortised cost using the effective interest rate method. The Group recognises lifetime ECL for trade receivables and amounts due on contracts with customers. The expected credit losses on these financial assets are estimated based on the Group's historical credit loss experience, adjusted for factors that are specific to the debtors. Management have considered the ECL for trade receivables as immaterial given the majority of sale receipts are obtained prior to the stay.

Credit risk

The Group assesses impairment on a forward-looking basis using the expected credit loss method and has applied the simplified approach which permits the use of the lifetime expected loss provision for all trade and other receivables. The Group has no significant history of non-payment; as a result, the expected credit losses on financial assets are not material.

Financial liabilities

The Group classifies its financial liabilities as other financial liabilities. Other financial liabilities are measured at fair value on initial recognition and subsequently measured at amortised cost, using the effective-interest method.

   --    Borrowings 

Borrowings other than bank overdrafts are recognised initially at fair value less attributable transaction costs. Subsequent to initial recognition, borrowings are stated at amortised cost with any difference between the amount initially recognised and redemption value being recognised in the income statement over the period of the borrowings, using the effective interest method.

Where there are extension options, management have made an accounting policy choice that these are loan commitments from the holder of the debt instrument that does not need to be separately accounted for.

Property from financing transactions included the borrowings for Safestay Elephant and Castle and Safestay Edinburgh Hostel. In 2017, Safestay completed financing transactions on these two properties, raising gross cash proceeds of GBP12.6m. The sale was agreed with an institutional buyer in exchange for 150 year geared ground rent leases. The significant risks and rewards of ownership were retained, and the exercise to repurchase these properties is "almost certain". The contracts took the legal form of the sale and leasebacks. However, the economic substance of the original transactions in 2017 meant that both leases have historically been treated as owned by Safestay. Therefore, the transactions are accounted for as financial liabilities.

   --    Loan arrangement fees 

The loan arrangement fees are offset against the loan balance and amortised over the term of the loan to which they relate as part of the effective interest rate calculation.

   --    Trade and other payables 

Trade and other payables are initially measured at fair value and are subsequently measured at amortised cost using the effective interest rate method.

   --    Leases 

The Group has leases for hostels across Europe. With the exception of short-term leases and leases of low-value underlying assets, each lease is reflected on the balance sheet as a right-of-use asset and a lease liability. Leases of property generally have a lease term ranging from 5 years to 19 years.

For any new property asset contracts entered on or after 1 January 2019, the Group considers whether a contract is, or contains a lease. A lease is defined as 'a contract, or part of a contract, that conveys the right to use an asset (the underlying asset) for a period of time in exchange for consideration'. To apply this definition the Group assesses whether the contract meets three key evaluations which are whether:

-- the contract contains an identified asset, which is either explicitly identified in the contract or implicitly specified by being identified at the time the asset is made available to the Group

-- the Group has the right to obtain substantially all of the economic benefits from use of the identified asset throughout the period of use, considering its rights within the defined scope of the contract the Group has the right to direct the use of the identified asset throughout the period of use; and

-- The Group has the right to direct the use of the asset. The Group has this right when it has the decision-making rights that are most relevant to changing how and for what purposes the asset is used. In rare cases where all the decisions about how and for what purpose the asset is used are predetermined, the Group has the right to direct the use of the asset if either:

   -      The Group has the right to operate the asset; or 

- The Group designed the asset in a way that predetermines how and for what purpose it will be used.

Measurement and recognition of leases as a lessee

At lease commencement date, the Group recognises a right-of-use asset and a lease liability on the balance sheet. The right-of-use asset is measured at cost, which is made up of the initial measurement of the lease liability, any initial direct costs incurred by the Group, an estimate of any costs to dismantle and remove the asset at the end of the lease, and any lease payments made in advance of the lease commencement date (net of any incentives received). The Group depreciates the right-of-use assets on a straight-line basis from the lease commencement date to the earlier of the end of the useful life of the right-of-use asset or the end of the lease term. The Group also assesses the right-of-use asset for impairment when such indicators exist.

At the commencement date, the Group measures the lease liability at the present value of the lease payments unpaid at that date, discounted using the interest rate implicit in the lease if that rate is readily available or the Group's incremental borrowing rate.

Lease payments included in the measurement of the lease liability are made up of fixed payments (including in substance fixed), variable payments based on an index or rate, amounts expected to be payable under a residual value guarantee and payments arising from options reasonably certain to be exercised.

The lease liability is measured at amortised cost using the effective interest method. It is remeasured when there is a change in future lease payments arising from a change in an index or rate, or if the Group changes its assessment of whether it will exercise an extension or termination option.

The Group has elected to take the exemption not to recognise right-of-use assets and lease liabilities for short-term lease of machinery that have a lease term of 12 months or less and leases of low-value assets. The Group defines leases of low value assets as being any lease agreement where the total value of payments made across the lease term is less than GBP10,000. The Group recognises the lease payments associated with these leases as an expense on a straight-line basis over the lease.

On the statement of financial position, right-of-use assets have been included in property, plant and equipment and lease liabilities have been included in trade and other payables.

Measurement of the Right-of-use Assets

Right-of-use assets are generally depreciated over the shorter of the asset's useful life and the lease term on a straight-line basis.

The Group as a lessor

As a lessor the Group classifies its leases as either operating or finance leases.

A lease is classified as a finance lease if it transfers substantially all the risks and rewards incidental to ownership of the underlying asset and classified as an operating lease if it does not.

The group accounts for its sub leases as finance leases with reference to the right-of-use asset arising from the head lease. The group has not offset the assets and liabilities of the head lease and sub lease, nor the income and expenditure arising from these contracts. A lease receivable is recognised in the balance sheet in respect of the net investment in the sub lease. The net investment in the sub lease is assessed annually for any indicators of impairment.

Equity

The total equity attributable to the equity holders of the parent comprises the following:

   --    Share Capital 

Share capital represents the nominal value of shares issued.

   --    Retained earnings 

Retained earnings represent undistributed cumulative earnings.

   --    Equity Instruments 

Equity instruments issued by the Group are recorded at the proceeds received, net of direct issue costs.

Other Components of Equity

   --    Share premium account 

Share premium represents amounts subscribed for share capital in excess of nominal value less the related costs of share issues.

   --    Merger reserve 

Merger reserve represents amounts subscribed for share capital in excess of nominal value exchanged for the shares in the acquisition of a subsidiary company.

   --    Revaluation reserve 

Revaluation reserves represent the increase in fair value of freehold property and leasehold assets over the value at which it was previously carried on the balance sheet. Any gain from a revaluation is taken to the revaluation reserve. Where it reverses a previous impairment, the impairment is reversed, but any surplus in excess of the amount of the impairment is added to the revaluation reserve.

   --    Translation Reserve 

Translation Reserve comprises foreign currency translation differences arising from the translation of financial statements of the Group's foreign entities into presentational currency.

   --    Share based payment reserve 

The equity settled share-based payment reserve arises as the expense of issuing share-based payments is recognised over time. The reserve will fall as share options vest and are exercised but the reserve may equally rise or might see any reduction offset, as new potentially dilutive share options are issued. Balances relating to share options that lapse after they vest are transferred to retained fair value of employee services determined by reference to transfer of instruments granted.

The Group has applied the requirements of IFRS 2 Share based payment to share options. The fair value of the share options is determined at the grant date and are expensed on a straight-line basis over the vesting period, based on the Group's estimate of shares that will eventually vest and adjusted for the effect of non-market-based vesting conditions.

Fair value is measured by use of the Black Scholes model. The expected life used in the model has been adjusted, based on management's best estimate, for the effects on non-transferability, exercise restrictions and behavioural considerations.

Dividends

Dividend distributions payable to equity shareholders are included in other liabilities when the dividends have been approved in a general meeting prior to the reporting date.

Critical accounting judgements and key sources of estimation and uncertainty

The fair value of the Group's property is the main area within the financial information where the directors have exercised significant estimates.

Judgements

-- The Group has identified certain costs and income as exceptional in nature in that, without separate disclosure, would distort the reporting of the underlying business. A degree of judgement is required in determining whether certain transactions merit separate presentation to allow shareholders to better understand financial performance in the year, when compared with that of previous years and trends This is set out in note 5.

-- Extension options for leases: In accordance with IFRS 16, when the entity has the option to extend a lease, management uses its judgement to determine whether or not an option would be reasonably certain to be exercised. Management considers all facts and circumstances including their past practice and any cost that will be incurred to change the asset if an option to extend is not taken, to help them determine the lease term. Management generally includes extensions when the option to extend can be unilaterally exercised by the tenant provided the hostel under lease is expected to continue to be profitable for the Group after the extension is exercised.

Estimates

-- The fair-value of the assets and liabilities recognised on the acquisition of an operation or entity is determined using both external valuations and directors' valuations. Details of the fair values are set out in the note 24.

-- Assessment of impairment of goodwill requires estimation of future cash flows, which are uncertain, discounted to present value which also requires estimation by management. The key assumptions used to calculate the value in use (VIU) to test the goodwill for each cash generating units (CGUs) are detailed in note 12. A Pre-tax discount rate of 9.7% (2020: 11.1%) has been calculated using weighted average cost of capital. An assessment was made on the differing risks between countries in which the hostels operate based on country risks. Based on the assessment it was concluded that the differences between discount rates between each CGU is not material. The assets are similar in nature, with all CGUs providing the provision of hostel accommodation and therefore similar cashflows and therefore the risk associated with the assets is considered to be consistent between CGUs. As such one discount rate has been utilised for the purposes of performing an impairment review.

-- As outlined in the accounting policy, the financial statements have been prepared under the historical cost convention except for the revaluation of the freehold properties and lease assets (in respect of Elephant and Castle and Edinburgh Hostel). The Group is required to value property on a sufficiently regular basis by using open market values to ensure that the carrying value does not differ significantly from the fair value. The valuation, performed by qualified valuers is based on market observations and estimates on the selling price in an arms-length transaction, and includes estimates of future income levels and trading potential for each hostel as other factors including location and tenure. See note 11. The Group has used external valuations on freehold properties and leased assets under financing transactions, as outlined in note 11. Based on the market data assessed and internal assessment of each property, management does not consider that the fair value differs materially from the carrying value. Management is confident that the carrying value is deemed reasonable at 31(st) December 2021.

-- The Group has incurred tax losses, and therefore a material deferred tax asset has been recognised as these can be carried forward indefinitely and offset against probable future taxable profits after the market recovers in 2022 and the Group is expected to generate net profits from 2023 under his forecast model.

   2.         Segmental analysis 

An analysis of the Group's revenue from external customers for each major product and service category (excluding revenue from discontinued operations) is as follows:

 
                                        2021      2020 
                                     GBP'000   GBP'000 
         Hostel accommodation          4,901     3,570 
         Food and Beverages sales        725       744 
         Other income                    550       120 
         Rental income                   247       397 
                                    --------  -------- 
         Total Income                  6,423     4,831 
                                    --------  -------- 
         Like-for-like income          5,810     3,375 
                                    ========  ======== 
 

Like-for-like income relates to all turnover less turnover associated with the discontinued operating segments (i.e. Edinburgh and Barcelona Sea hostels).

The group recognises income from lease payments from operating leases as income on a straight-line basis over the term of the contract.

Operating segments are reporting in a manner consistent with the internal reporting provided to the Chief Operating Decision Maker (CODM). The CODMs, who monitor the performance of these operating segments as well as deciding on the allocation of resources to them, have been identified as the executive directors. Currently the operating segments are the operation of hostel accommodation in the UK and Europe.

An additional material geographical area has been identified in respect of Spain to meet the disclosure requirements of IFRS 8 due to its significance to group.

Management considers the like-for-like income only for acquisitions and continuing operations that have been operational 12 consecutive months in the prior year. Due to the ongoing impact of Covid-19, on average our hostels have been open for just 44% of 2021. Different hostels were open for different periods of time throughout the year based on the individual circumstances, responses and policies to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic and as such the period of results is not comparable to the prior period and therefore no changes to geographical areas have been identified.

The Group provides a shared services function to its operating segments and reports these activities separately. Management does not consider there to be any other material reporting segments. Management revisit this at each period end.

The most important measures used to evaluate the performance of the business are revenue and adjusted EBITDA, which is the operating profit after excluding non-cash items such as depreciation and amortisation, and removing non-recurring expenditure which would otherwise distort the cash generating nature of the segment.

Pre-IFRS 16 EBITDA was calculated in the prior period segmental analysis such that the accounts can be understood on a comparable basis and included for information purposes. As this is the second year since transition, pre-IFRS 16 adjusted EBIDTA is not considered in the current year.

 
 2021                                                                               Shared 
                                                   UK         Spain     Europe    services      Total 
                                              GBP'000       GBP'000    GBP'000     GBP'000    GBP'000 
 Revenue                                        2,422         1,363      2,638           0      6,423 
                                         ------------  ------------  ---------  ----------  --------- 
 Profit/(loss) before tax                       6,689       (2,279)    (1,169)     (2,549)        692 
 Add back: Finance costs                          271           618        539       1,273      2,701 
 Add back: Depreciation & Amortisation          1,028         1,076      1,274         395      3,773 
                                         ------------  ------------  ---------  ----------  --------- 
 EBITDA                                         7,988         (585)        644       (881)      7,166 
 Exceptional & Share based payment 
  expense                                     (7,511)           554          -          72    (6,885) 
 Rent concessions                               (595)         (227)      (453)           -    (1,275) 
 Adjusted EBITDA                                (118)         (258)        191       (809)      (994) 
                                         ------------  ------------  ---------  ----------  --------- 
 Total assets                                  34,975        19,144     25,024      14,335     93,478 
                                         ------------  ------------  ---------  ----------  --------- 
 Total liabilities                         (10,731)        (13,432)   (12,461)    (26,721)   (63,345) 
                                         ------------  ------------  ---------  ----------  --------- 
 
 
 2020 
  As restated                                                                 Shared 
                                               UK       Spain     Europe    services      Total 
                                          GBP'000     GBP'000    GBP'000     GBP'000    GBP'000 
 Revenue                                    2,455         835      1,541           -      4,831 
                                     ------------  ----------  ---------  ----------  --------- 
 Profit/(loss) before tax                 (3,156)     (2,986)    (3,280)       (504)    (9,926) 
 Finance costs                                963         460        541         786      2,750 
 Depreciation & Amortisation                1,465       2,309      1,916           -      5,690 
                                     ------------  ----------  ---------  ----------  --------- 
 EBITDA                                     (728)       (217)      (823)         282    (1,486) 
 Exceptional & Share based payment 
  expense                                       -           -          -         541        541 
 Rent concessions                           (495)       (207)      (202)           -      (904) 
                                     ------------  ----------  ---------  ----------  --------- 
 Adjusted EBITDA                          (1,223)       (424)    (1,025)         823    (1,849) 
                                     ------------  ----------  ---------  ----------  --------- 
 Total assets                              57,743      18,857     23,259      10,870    110,729 
                                     ------------  ----------  ---------  ----------  --------- 
 Total liabilities                       (24,550)    (13,207)   (18,044)    (28,077)   (83,878) 
                                     ------------  ----------  ---------  ----------  --------- 
 

The Group's non-current assets (other than financial instruments, investments accounted for using the equity method, deferred tax assets and post-employment benefit assets) are located into the following geographic regions:

 
                        2021       2020 
                     GBP'000    GBP'000 
 UK                   35,862     59,478 
 Spain                18,102     21,976 
 Rest of Europe       23,164     24,088 
 Shared services      10,329        842 
                   ---------  --------- 
 Total                87,457    106,384 
                   ---------  --------- 
 

Non-current assets are allocated based on their physical location.

Revenues from external customers in the Group's domicile, United Kingdom, as well as its major markets, Spain and the Rest of Europe, have been identified on the basis of the customer's geographical location and are disclosed as follows:

 
                       2021       2020 
                    GBP'000    GBP'000 
 UK                   2,422      2,455 
 Spain                1,363        835 
 Rest of Europe       2,638      1,541 
 Total                6,423      4,831 
                  =========  ========= 
 
   3.         COST OF SALES 
 
                                                   2021       2020 
                                                GBP'000    GBP'000 
 Food and drinks                                    341        311 
 Direct room supplies and sales commissions         951        581 
 Total                                            1,292        892 
                                              =========  ========= 
 
   4.         DISCONTINUED OPERATIONS 

The Group completed on the disposal of two hostels in 2021. The Barcelona Sea hostel was sold in February 2021 for a loss of GBP554k and the Edinburgh hostel was sold in June 2021 for a profit of GBP7,511k. The Barcelona Sea hostel was in the operating segment of Spain and the Edinburgh hostel was in the operating segment of UK.

The income statement for the year ended 31 December 2020 has been presentational restated to show the comparative performance of the discontinued hostels.

   5.         administrative expenses 
 
                                               2021          2020 
                                            GBP'000   As restated 
                                                          GBP'000 
           Staff costs (see note 10)          3,331         3,823 
           Legal and professional fees          614           521 
           Property costs                       482           391 
           Depreciation and amortisation      3,773         4,199 
           Impairment of goodwill                 -         1,491 
           Share option expenses                 72           279 
           Other expenses                     2,160           598 
                                           --------  ------------ 
                                             10,432        11,302 
                                           --------  ------------ 
 
 
                                                            2021      2020 
                                                         GBP'000   GBP'000 
           Exceptional items - other operating income 
           Grant income                                      462       448 
           Profit on sale of Edinburgh Hostel              7,511         - 
           Rent concessions                                1,275         - 
                                                        --------  -------- 
                                                           9,248       448 
                                                        ========  ======== 
           Exceptional items - costs 
           Acquisition and Development costs                   -        74 
           Property costs                                      -         4 
           Legal and other                                     -        82 
           Refinance related fees write off                    -       101 
           Loss on sale of Barcelona Sea Hostel              554         - 
                                                        --------  -------- 
                                                             554       261 
                                                        ========  ======== 
 

Exceptional items comprise of expenses and income that, without separate disclosure, would distort the reporting of the underlying business.

The group received GBP448,000 in grant income from national, regional, and local governmental organisations in 2020 to support the business. This does not include grants relating to employee costs which are disclosed in Staff Costs (Note 10).

In the year 2021 property with a net book value of GBP14.03m (2020: Nil) was disposed of in the year. The total consideration received from this disposal was GBP16.66m (2020: GBPNil) with the profit on disposal of GBP7.96m (2020: GBPNil). The other main component of the profit is the release of the lease liability of GBP6.56 m, less the cost of investment of GBP0.4m, the Edinburgh sublease GBP0.5m and the Barcelona SEA lease intangible of GBP0.2m.

   6.         FINANCE COSTS 
 
                                                                 2021      2020 
                                                              GBP'000   GBP'000 
           Interest on bank overdrafts and loans                  695       625 
           Amortised loan arrangement fees                         68        92 
           Other interest costs                                     -        75 
           Interest expense for lease arrangements (note 
            17)                                                 1,741     1,558 
           Property financing costs                               197       343 
           Unwinding of discount on deferred consideration          -        57 
                                                             --------  -------- 
                                                                2,701     2,750 
                                                             --------  -------- 
 

Included within borrowings is GBP5.0 million CBILS (Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme) obtained via HSBC. The government provide lenders with a guarantee on each loan. This was secured for 6 years on 16(th) December 2020, which is interest free for the first year increasing to 3.99% + base rate from year 2.

   7.         LOSS FOR THE FINANCIAL YEAR 
 
                                                         2021      2020 
                                                      GBP'000   GBP'000 
Loss for the financial period is arrived at after 
 charging: 
Depreciation on owned assets                            1,434     1,541 
Depreciation of assets under lease liabilities          2,243     2,459 
Amortisation of intangible assets                          96       199 
Impairment of goodwill                                      -     1,491 
CLA Evelyn Partners Limited Auditor's remuneration 
 for audit services                                       119         - 
Grant Thornton UK LLP Auditor's remuneration for 
 audit services                                             -        92 
Fees payable to Grant Thornton UK LLP as auditors 
 and its associates for other services                      -         5 
                                                     --------  -------- 
 

Amounts payable in respect of both audit and non-audit services are set out below:

 
                                                                         2021      2020 
                                                                      GBP'000   GBP'000 
           Fees payable to Company's auditors for the audit 
            of the Parent Company and consolidated financial 
            statements: 
           CLA Evelyn Partners Limited audit of the Group 
            and Company's annual accounts                                  90         - 
           CLA Evelyn Partners Limited audit of the subsidiaries' 
            annual accounts                                                29         - 
           Grant Thornton UK LLP audit of the Group and Company's 
            annual accounts                                                 -        70 
           Grant Thornton UK LLP audit of the subsidiaries' 
            annual accounts                                                 -        22 
                                                                          119        92 
 
           Fees payable to the Company's auditors and its                2021      2020 
            associates for other services:                            GBP'000   GBP'000 
           Grant Thornton UK LLP Tax advice services                        -         5 
                                                                            -         5 
                                                                    =========  ======== 
 

The audit fees disclosed in 2021 represent the fees payable for the audit for the period ended 31 December 2021 and the non-audit fees are those incurred in the period.

   8.         Tax 

In the Spring Budget 2020, the UK Government announced that from 1 April 2020 the corporation tax rate would remain at 19% (rather than reducing to 17%, as previously enacted). This new law was substantively enacted on 17 March 2020. Deferred taxes at the balance sheet date have been measured using these enacted tax rates and reflected in these financial statements.

 
                                                                  2021          2020 
                                                               GBP'000   As Restated 
                                                                             GBP'000 
           Current tax 
           Corporation tax on profits for the year                 103             - 
           Adjustments for corporation tax on prior periods      (123)         (271) 
           Other local taxes                                       116             - 
           Total current tax                                        96         (271) 
           Deferred tax                                            724       (1,682) 
           Adjustments for deferred tax in prior periods           559         (450) 
           Effect of increased tax rate on opening balance        (88) 
                                                              --------  ------------ 
           Total tax charge                                      1,291       (2,403) 
                                                              ========  ============ 
 

The charge for the year can be reconciled to the loss per the consolidated income statement as follows:

 
                                                                   2021          2020 
                                                                GBP'000   As Restated 
                                                                              GBP'000 
           Profit/(loss) before tax                                 692       (9,926) 
                                                               ========  ============ 
 
           Tax at the standard UK corporation tax rate of 
            19% (2020: 19%)                                         131       (1,886) 
           Fixed asset differences                                   54             - 
           Adjustment for tax rate differences in foreign 
            jurisdictions                                         (154)         (167) 
           Adjustments for tax on prior periods                   (122)         (750) 
           Other tax adjustments, reliefs and transfers             193             - 
           Remeasurement of deferred tax for changes in tax 
            rates                                                 (148)             - 
           Deferred tax not recognised                            1,155             - 
           Factors affecting charge for the period 
           Non-deductible items and other timing differences    (1,300)           344 
           Chargeable gains/(losses)                              1,482             - 
           Depreciation in excess of capital allowances               -            56 
Group tax charge                                                  1,291       (2,403) 
                                                               ========  ============ 
 

The Group has a deferred tax liability of GBP3.326m as disclosed in note 18 related to the potential future gain on property revaluations.

Included within current tax are adjustments for corporation tax on prior periods of GBP122k and relates to Group losses.

   9.         Profit/(LOSS) per share 

The calculation of the basic and diluted loss per share is based on the following data:

 
                                                             2021           2020 
                                                          GBP'000    As restated 
                                                                         GBP'000 
  Profit/(Loss) for the period attributable to equity 
   holders of the Company                                   (599)        (7,523) 
                                                        =========  ============= 
 
 
                                                                  2021      2020 
  Weighted average number of ordinary shares (000s) 
   for the purposes of basic loss earnings per share            64,679    64,679 
         Effect of dilutive potential ordinary shares (000s)     4,537     4,250 
                                                               -------  -------- 
  Weighted average number of ordinary shares (000s) 
   for the purposes of diluted profit/(loss) per share          69,216    68,929 
                                                               -------  -------- 
 
  Basic profit/(loss) per share                                (0.93p)  (11.63p) 
                                                               -------  -------- 
 

The total number of shares in issue as at 31 December 2021 was 64,679,014.

There is no difference between the diluted loss per share and the basic loss per share presented. Due to the loss incurred in the year, the effect of the share options in issue is anti-dilutive.

   10.       STAFF COSTS 

The average monthly number of employees (including directors) during the period was:

 
                                 2021     2020 
                               Number   Number 
           Hostel operation       176      197 
           Directors                5        5 
                              -------  ------- 
                                  181      202 
                              =======  ======= 
 

The costs incurred in respect of employees (including directors) were:

 
                                       2021      2020 
                                    GBP'000   GBP'000 
           Wages and salaries         2,925     3,288 
           Social security costs        380       499 
           Pension costs                 26        36 
           Total staff costs          3,331     3,823 
                                   ========  ======== 
 

Government grants claimed by the Group under coronavirus job retention schemes across the Group for 2021 total GBP240k (2020: GBP566k).

The remuneration of the directors, who are the key management personnel of the Group, is set out below.

 
                                              2021      2020 
                                           GBP'000   GBP'000 
           Short term employee benefits        332       444 
           Pension                               6        16 
           Share based payment charges          72       257 
                                               410       717 
                                          ========  ======== 
 

Further information about the remuneration of individual directors is provided in the Directors' Remuneration Report.

Details of directors share options is provided in the Directors' Remuneration Report.

   11.       PROPERTY, PLANT AND EQUIPMENT 
 
                                          Freehold     Right of                                  Fixtures, 
                                          land and   use assets   Leasehold      Leasehold        fittings 
                                         buildings    buildings   buildings   improvements   and equipment     Total 
                                           GBP'000      GBP'000     GBP'000        GBP'000         GBP'000   GBP'000 
           Cost or valuation 
           At 1 January 2020                 7,998       37,512      41,126          4,597           3,225    94,458 
           Additions                           362        1,326           -            106             517     2,311 
           Acquired in business 
            combination                          -        3,210           -            711             175     4,096 
           Exchange movements                   51            -           -          (119)              30      (38) 
                                        ----------  ----------- 
           At 31 December 2020               8,411       42,048      41,126          5,295           3,947   100,827 
           Transfers                            73            -           -           (73)               -         - 
           Additions                            32            -           -              -             275       307 
           Disposals                          (17)      (1,610)    (13,402)          (201)           (576)  (15,806) 
           Revaluations                      1,072            -       3,967              -               -     5,039 
           Derecognition of sub-leased 
            asset                                -        (640)           -              -               -     (640) 
           IFRS 16 lease modification            -      (2,891)           -              -               -   (2,891) 
           Exchange movements                 (87)            -           -           (54)            (92)     (233) 
                                        ----------  -----------  ----------  -------------  --------------  -------- 
           At 31 December 2021               9,484       36,907      31,691          4,967           3,554    86,603 
                                        ----------  -----------  ----------  -------------  --------------  -------- 
 
           Depreciation 
           At 1 January 2020                   144        2,425       1,616            695           2,212     7,092 
           Charge for the year                 141        2,459         804            102             494     4,000 
           At 31 December 2020                 285        4,884       2,420            797           2,706    11,092 
           Transfers                             1            -           -            (1)               -         - 
           Charge for the year                 154        2,243         671            254             355     3,677 
           On disposals                        (1)        (261)     (1,094)           (14)           (405)   (1,775) 
           At 31 December 2021                 439        6,866       1,997          1,036           2,656    12,994 
                                        ----------  -----------  ----------  -------------  --------------  -------- 
 
           Net book value: 
           At 31 December 2021               9,045       30,041      29,694          3,931             898    73,609 
                                        ----------  -----------  ----------  -------------  --------------  -------- 
           At 31 December 2020               8,126       37,164      38,706          4,498           1,241    89,735 
                                        ----------  -----------  ----------  -------------  --------------  -------- 
 

Freehold properties

The Freehold values relates to the 3 following hostels:

-- The GBP3.5 million value of the freehold in York is based on the external valuations as at 31 December 2021 prepared by Cushman and Wakefield. The historic cost carrying value is GBP2.4 million which is the acquisition price in 2014.

-- The freehold of the Glasgow property acquired in October 2019 for GBP3.2 million and which has undergone renovation for GBP0.4 million. The GBP4.9 million value of the freehold in Glasgow is based on the external valuations as at 31 December 2021 prepared by Cushman and Wakefield.

-- The hostel in Pisa was acquired in June 2019 for GBP3 million, of which GBP2.1 million for the freehold. The GBP3.5 million value of the freehold in Pisa is based on the external valuations as at 31 December 2021 prepared by Cushman and Wakefield.

Covid-19 rent concessions

The International Accounting Standards Board (IASB) has published 'Covid-19-Related Rent Concessions (Amendment to IFRS 16)' amending the standard to provide lessees with an exemption from assessing whether a COVID-19-related rent concession is a lease modification.

The GBP37.5 million right of use assets all relate to properties operated by the Group as hostels.

 
 
         Right of use assets as at 31 December 2020    42,048 
         Lease disposal (Barcelona Sea)               (1,610) 
         IFRS 16 lease modification                   (2,891) 
         Derecognition of sub-leased asset              (640) 
                                                      ------- 
         Right of use assets as at 2021                36,907 
                                                      ------- 
 

Leasehold, land and buildings

The Group has used external valuations on Elephant & Castle. The London Elephant & Castle leasehold was independently valued on 31 December 2021 at GBP26.8 million. The valuation was performed by Cushman and Wakefield. The Group has accounted for the finance transactions as interest-bearing borrowings secured on the original properties held.

Leasehold improvements

Leasehold improvements comprise the capitalised refurbishment costs incurred by the Group on the leased properties.

Valuation process

Initially market values of the properties were believed to have fallen due to the impact of COVID-19. The directors wanted to show that the values of the properties have recovered post COVID-19 so engaged independent external valuers to determine the market value of all three freehold properties and the long leasehold property. These independent external valuers hold recognised and relevant professional qualifications and have recent experience in the location and category of the properties being valued.

The Group provides information to valuers, including profit and cashflow forecasts along with asset-specific business plans. The valuers use this and other inputs including market transactions for similar properties to produce valuations. These valuations and the assumptions they have made are then discussed and reviewed with the management as well as the directors. Cushman & Wakefield were engaged to value properties now valued at GBP38.7m.

Valuation fees are a fixed amount agreed between the Group and the valuers in advance of the valuation and are not linked to the valuation output.

Valuation methodology

The value is assessed by adopting the income approach to valuation adopting a discounted cashflow approach. Under this approach it is assumed that the property is held for a period of 10 years and the net present value of the earnings during this period are added to the exit value which is discounted to present day values. Adopting an income approach also requires the analysis of comparable transactions in the market to assess the rates of returns investors are prepared to accept at the date of valuation.

The table below provides details of the assumptions used in the valuation of the properties:

 
  Location       Discount    Capitalisation    Inflation    Running Yield 
                  rate        rate              rate 
  Elephant & 
   Castle        8%          6%                2%           3.88% - 7.39% 
               ----------  ----------------  -----------  ---------------- 
  Glasgow        11%         8.5%              2%           5.12% - 10.95% 
               ----------  ----------------  -----------  ---------------- 
  York           10%         8%                2%           6.27% - 9.78% 
               ----------  ----------------  -----------  ---------------- 
  Pisa           11%         8.5%              2%           6.82% - 10.77% 
               ----------  ----------------  -----------  ---------------- 
 
   12.       INTANGIBLE ASSETS AND GOODWILL 
 
                                                       Leasehold 
                                              Website     rights  Goodwill     Total 
                                              GBP'000    GBP'000   GBP'000   GBP'000 
           Cost 
           At 1 January 2020                       98      1,705    12,235    14,038 
           Additions                               36          -       172       208 
           Disposals                                -          -      (94)      (94) 
           Arising in business combination 
            (note 24)                               -          -     2,747     2,747 
           Exchange movements                       -        (8)         -       (8) 
                                             --------  ---------  --------  -------- 
           At 31 December 2020                    134      1,697    15,060    16,891 
           Disposals                                -    (1,697)   (1,423)   (3,120) 
           At 31 December 2021                    134          -    13,637    13,771 
                                             --------  ---------  --------  -------- 
 
           Amortisation and Impairment 
           At 1 January 2020                       53        666         -       719 
           Charge for the period                   39        160         -       199 
           Impairment                               -          -     1,491     1,491 
           Exchange movement                        -        (8)         -       (8) 
                                             --------  ---------  --------  -------- 
           At 31 December 2020                     92        818     1,491     2,401 
           Charge for the period                   24         72         -        96 
           On disposals                             -      (890)         -     (890) 
           At 31 December 2021                    116          -     1,491     1,607 
                                             --------  ---------  --------  -------- 
 
           Net book value: 
           At 31 December 2021                     18          -    12,146    12,164 
                                             ========  =========  ========  ======== 
           At 31 December 2020                     42        879    13,569    14,490 
                                             ========  =========  ========  ======== 
 

Leasehold Rights

The directors identified intangible assets in the following transactions:

- acquisition of the business on Smart City hostel in Edinburgh in 2015 identified an intangible asset in relation the lease with the University of Edinburgh, which terminates in 2027.

- acquisition of the Barcelona Sea property in 2017 identified a sublease agreement with a tenant in-situ for the duration of the head lease. This property has been sold in the year.

Amortisation of leasehold rights is based on a straight-line basis for the term of the lease. Amortisation is taken to the statement of comprehensive income within administrative expenses.

Goodwill

Goodwill arising from business combinations in the year is disclosed in note 25. Goodwill in a business combination is allocated to the cash generating units (CGUs) that are expected to benefit from that business combination. The Group's CGUs have been defined as each operating hostel. This conclusion is consistent with the approach adopted in previous years and with the operational management of the business.

Impairment

Goodwill is not amortised but tested annually for impairment. The recoverable amount of each CGU is determined from value in use (VIU) calculations based on future expected cash flows discounted to present value using an appropriate pre-tax discount rate.

Goodwill carrying values as at the 31 December 2021 are shown below.

 
                                       Goodwill                      Goodwill 
                                 pre-impairment   Impairment         carrying 
 CGU                                    GBP'000      GBP'000    value GBP'000 
 Madrid                                   2,234            -            2,234 
 Paris                                       11            -               11 
 Gothic                                   1,611        (891)              720 
 Lisbon                                   1,365            -            1,365 
 Prague                                     805        (600)              205 
 Barcelona Passeig De Gracia              1,699            -            1,699 
 Vienna                                       5            -                5 
 Brussels                                 1,375            -            1,375 
 Pisa                                       770            -              770 
 Berlin                                   1,015            -            1,015 
 Athens                                   1,210            -            1,210 
 Bratislava                                 917            -              917 
 Warsaw                                     620            -              620 
                                         13,637      (1,491)           12,146 
                               ================  ===========  =============== 
 

The impairment charge was recorded in the year ended 31 December 2020. No impairment has been deemed necessary by management for the year ended 31 December 2021.

The key assumptions used in the VIU calculations for all hostels are based on forecasts approved by management performed for a 5-year period:

-- A Pre-tax discount rate of 9.7% (2020: 11.1%) was calculated using weighted average cost of capital. An assessment was made on the differing risks between countries in which the hostels operate. Based on the assessment it was concluded that the differences between discount rates between each CGU are not material. The assets are similar in nature, with all CGUs providing the provision of hostel accommodation and therefore similar cashflows and therefore the risk associated with the assets is considered to be consistent between CGUs. As such one discount rate has been utilised for the purposes of performing an impairment review.

-- Estimated 2021 average bed rate per property, discounted against 2019 to reflect post covid-19 recovery transaction, and increasing in line with a 2% annual inflation rate in following years.

-- Earnings before interest, tax, depreciation, amortisation, and rent (EBITDAR) margin of 2022, adjusted to reflect the post covid-19 transition, and no hostels have a shortfall between the recoverable value and carrying value.

Sensitivity analysis

Management have reviewed all the properties and do not consider there to be an impairment. Also, the sale of the Edinburgh Hostel has also been agreed for a higher value than book value.

Headroom between the carrying and recoverable value of an asset is dependent upon sensitivities to the following assumptions:

For each of the CGU, a fall in operating margin and occupancy, or an increase in the weighted average cost of capital (WACC) by the following rates of change would result in the carrying value of goodwill falling below its recoverable amount:

 
                               Operating 
 CGU                            margin     Occupancy   WACC 
----------------------------  ----------  ----------  -------- 
 
 Barcelona Gothic              1800bps     1500bps     500bps 
 Barcelona Passeig De Gracia   3200bps     2700bps     900bps 
 Berlin                        1800bps     1200bps     600bps 
 Brussels                      6000bps     5200bps     2700bps 
 Lisbon                        1700bps     1500bps     500bps 
 Madrid                        4800bps     4000bps     1600bps 
 Pisa                          300bps      200bps      100bps 
 Prague                        8500bps     6400bps     3900bps 
 Vienna                        2200bps     1800bps     700bps 
 
 
 

The table above demonstrates the change in assumption required for an impairment to occur.

A change of 1% in the WACC would have an overall impact of GBP4.2m in the recoverable value of the CGU tested.

A change of 1% in the occupancy level would have an overall impact of GBP1.7m in the recoverable value of the CGU tested.

A change of 1% in the Operating margin would have an overall impact of GBP1.2m in the recoverable value of the CGU tested.

   13.       TRADE AND OTHER RECEIVABLES 
 
                                                2021      2020 
                                             GBP'000   GBP'000 
           Trade and other receivables           865     1,653 
           Other debtors                         230        26 
           Prepayments and accrued income        132       205 
                                            --------  -------- 
                                               1,227     1,884 
                                            ========  ======== 
 

Credit risk is the risk that a counterparty does not settle its financial obligation with the Group. At the year end, the Group has assessed the credit risk on amounts due from suppliers, based on historic experience, meaning that the expected lifetime credit loss was immaterial. Cash and cash equivalents are also subject to the impairment requirements of IFRS 9 - the identified impairment loss was immaterial.

   14.       CASH AND CASH EQUIVALENTS 
 
                                           2021      2020 
                                        GBP'000   GBP'000 
           Cash and cash equivalents      4,482     2,125 
                                       ========  ======== 
 

The directors consider that the carrying amount of cash and cash equivalents approximates their fair value. Cash and cash equivalents comprise cash.

   15.       TRADE AND OTHER PAYABLES 
 
                                                 2021          2020 
                                              GBP'000   As restated 
                                                            GBP'000 
           Due in less than one year 
           Trade payables                         640           686 
           Social security and other taxes        107           157 
           Other creditors                        642           563 
           Accruals and deferred income           673         1,003 
                                             --------  ------------ 
                                                2,062         2,409 
           Due in more than one year 
           Other payables                           7           336 
                                             --------  ------------ 
                                                2,069         2,745 
                                             ========  ============ 
 

Accruals and deferred income in 2020 have been restated and reduced by GBP598,000 as explained in note 26.

Payables due in more than one year in 2020 represents remainder of the discounted present value of deferred consideration due in April 2022 in relation to the Barcelona Passeig de Gracia which was acquired for EUR3.0 million (GBP2.7 million) in 2017.

   16.       BORROWINGS 
 
                                                          2021      2020 
                                                       GBP'000   GBP'000 
           At amortised cost 
           Bank Loan                                    18,013    28,380 
           Property financing loans                      7,078    12,240 
           Loan arrangement fees                         (137)     (266) 
                                                      --------  -------- 
                                                        24,954    40,354 
                                                      ========  ======== 
 
           Loans repayable within one year                 926       311 
           Loans repayable after more than one year     24,028    40,043 
                                                      --------  -------- 
                                                        24,954    40,354 
                                                      ========  ======== 
 

Included within borrowings is GBP5.0 million CBILS (Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme) obtained via HSBC. The government provide lenders with a guarantee on each loan, and it may be possible that there is a government grant in the form of the lower rate of interest than would likely have been payable in the absence of the government guarantee. However, in the absence of further information the total amounts are disclosed within finance costs. The loan will be repaid at a rate of GBP1 million per year from April 2022 until April 2027. The interest rate is 3.99% margin over base rate from year 2 onwards and is interest free in the first year.

At 31st December 2021 a HSBC bank loan was secured against the freehold property, York hostel and subsidiary investments. The facility ends in January 2025 and the interest rate is 2.95% margin over SONIA.

   17.       LEASES 

Lease assets are presented in the statement of financial position as follows:

 
                             2021      2020 
                          GBP'000   GBP'000 
           Current             78         - 
           Non-current        562         - 
           Total              640         - 
                         ========  ======== 
 

The lease asset relates fully to our contract with Casa Suecia where we have outsourced, on a revenue share basis, our Madrid food and beverage operations.

This is a contract where Safestay receives the higher of a minimum guaranteed rent or an agreed % of the food and beverage revenue in return for Casa Suecia receiving the profit from this income stream by managing this part of the operation with its own staff. This arrangement commenced in July 2021 and is for an initial five years.

In our lease asset calculations, we have assumed the net profit of Casa Suecia did not exceed the variable threshold.

 
       31-Dec-21 
                                         Minimum lease receipts due 
                   Within      1 -        2 -        3 -        4 -       After     Total 
                    1 year    2 years    3 years    4 years    5 years    5 years 
                  --------  ---------  ---------  ---------  ---------  ---------  ------ 
 
 Lease receipts      101       151        151        151        154         -        708 
 Finance 
  income            (23)       (19)       (14)       (9)        (3)         -       (68) 
 Net present 
  values             78        132        137        142        151         -        640 
 

Lease liabilities are presented in the statement of financial position as follows:

 
                             2021          2020 
                                    As restated 
                          GBP'000       GBP'000 
           Current          1,922         1,932 
           Non-current     31,086        37,089 
           Total           33,008        39,021 
                         ========  ============ 
 

Lease liabilities have been restated in 2020 and increased by GBP441,000 as explained in note 26.

The International Accounting Standards Board (IASB) has published 'Covid-19-Related Rent Concessions (Amendment to IFRS 16)' amending the standard to provide lessees with an exemption from assessing whether a COVID-19-related rent concession is a lease modification. The impact on the current period was a GBP1.3 million (2020: GBP0.9 million) reduction in lease liability included as rent concessions in administrative expenses in 2021, reflecting the temporary reduction in rent agreed with the landlords in the 12 months ending 31 December 2021.

Total cash outflow for leases for the year ended 31 December 2021 was GBP1.9m (2020: GBP2.5m).

The Group has leases for hostels across Europe. With the exception of short-term leases and leases of low-value underlying assets, each lease is reflected on the balance sheet as a right-of-use asset and a lease liability. Variable lease payments which do not depend on an index or a rate (such as lease payments based on a percentage of Group sales) are excluded from the initial measurement of the lease liability and asset. The Group classifies its right-of-use assets in a consistent manner to its property, plant and equipment (Note 10).

The hostel in London Kensington Holland Park has a term of 50 years. There is no such purchase option in this lease.

Lease payments are generally linked to annual changes in an index (either RPI or CPI). However, the Group has one lease in Lisbon which a portion of the rentals are linked to revenue. The variable portion of the lease in Lisbon is accounted for as a variable rent over the period it relates to.

Each lease generally imposes a restriction that, unless there is a contractual right for the Group to sublet the asset to another party, the right-of-use asset can only be used by the Group. Leases are either non-cancellable or may only be cancelled by incurring a substantive termination fee. Some leases contain an option to purchase the underlying leased asset outright at the end of the lease, or to extend the lease for a further term. The Group is prohibited from selling or pledging the underlying leased assets as security. For leases over hostels or hotels, the Group must keep those properties in a good state of repair and return the properties in good condition at the end of the lease. Further, the Group must insure items of property, plant and equipment and incur maintenance fees on such items in accordance with the lease contracts.

The table below describes the nature of the Group's leasing activities by type of right-of-use asset recognised on balance sheet:

 
  Right-of-use       No of         Range      Average      No of      No of      No of        No of 
       asset       right-of-use      of       remaining    leases      leases     leases      leases 
                      assets      remaining     lease       with        with       with        with 
                      leased        term        term      extension   options    variable   termination 
                                                           options       to      payments     options 
                                                                      purchase    linked 
                                                                                  to an 
                                                                                  index 
   Hostel 
    buildings 
    - Operating                    5 - 17 
    leases              11          years     11 years       10          0          11           0 
                  -------------  ----------  ----------  ----------  ---------  --------- 
  In addition to the above, there is the London Kensington Holland 
  Park lease which ends in 2064. There are no such options as above. 
  Lease liabilities 
  The lease liabilities are secured by the related underlying assets. 
  The undiscounted maturity analysis of lease liabilities at 31 
  December 2021 is as follows: 
            31-Dec-21 
                                                          Minimum lease payments due 
                          Within         1 -           2 -           3 -           4 -          After         Total 
                          1 year       2 years       3 years       4 years       5 years       5 years 
                       -----------  ------------  ------------  ------------  ------------  ------------  ------------ 
 
 Lease payments           3,085         3,070         2,978         3,008         2,859        32,606        47,606 
 Finance 
  charges                (1,163)       (1,092)       (1,020)        (948)         (874)        (9,501)      (14,598) 
 Net present 
  values                  1,922         1,978         1,958         2,060         1,985        23,105        33,008 
 
 
       31-Dec-20 
                                          Minimum lease payments due 
                   Within      1 -        2 -        3 -        4 -       After      Total 
                    1 year    2 years    3 years    4 years    5 years    5 years 
                  --------  ---------  ---------  ---------  ---------  ---------  --------- 
 
 Lease payments     3,466     3,085      3,070      2,978      3,008      47,981     63,588 
 Finance 
  charges          (1,534)   (1,163)    (1,092)    (1,020)     (948)     (18,810)   (24,567) 
 Net present 
  values            1,932     1,922      1,978      1,958      2,060      29,171     39,021 
 

The Group has elected not to recognise a lease liability for short term leases (leases with an expected term of 12 months or less) or for leases of low value assets.

   18.       DEFERRED INCOME TAX 
 
                                                Deferred           Deferred 
                                              tax assets    tax liabilities      Total 
                                                 GBP'000            GBP'000    GBP'000 
 Balance as at 1 January 2020 as restated              -            (1,678)    (1,678) 
 Recognised in the income statement                2,159                105      2,264 
 Recognised in other comprehensive income 
  as restated                                          -              (185)      (185) 
                                            ------------  -----------------  --------- 
 Balance at 31 December 2020 as restated           2,159            (1,758)        401 
 Recognised in the income statement              (1,037)              (157)    (1,194) 
 Recognised in other comprehensive income              -            (1,399)    (1,399) 
                                            ------------  -----------------  --------- 
 Balance at 31 December 2021                       1,122            (3,314)    (2,192) 
                                            ============  =================  ========= 
 

The deferred tax liability in 2020 has been restated and increased by GBP1.758m as explained in note 26.

The Group has recognised deferred tax assets of GBP1.1m (2020: GBP2.2m), which are expected to offset against future profits, in respect of tax losses. This is on the basis that it is probable that profits will arise in the foreseeable future, enabling the assets to be utilised.

   19.       EQUITY 

CALLED UP SHARE CAPITAL

 
                                                                 GBP'000 
         Allotted, issued and fully paid 
         64,679,014 Ordinary Shares of 1p each as at 1 January 
          2021 and 31 December 2021                                  647 
                                                                     647 
                                                                 ======= 
 

At the 31 December 2021, the ordinary shares rank pari passu. There are no changes to the voting rights of the ordinary shares since the balance sheet date.

SHARE PREMIUM

 
                             GBP'000 
 
         At 1 January 2021    23,904 
At 31 December 2021           23,904 
                             ======= 
 

OTHER COMPONENTS OF EQUITY

 
                                                  Share based   As restated 
                                          Merger      payment   Revaluation  Translation 
                                         reserve      reserve       reserve      reserve     Total 
                                         GBP'000      GBP'000       GBP'000      GBP'000   GBP'000 
           Cost 
           At 1 January 2020 as 
            restated                       1,772          159        12,541           59    14,531 
           Share based payment charge          -          279             -            -       279 
           Exchange differences 
            on translating foreign 
            operations                         -            -             -            4         4 
           Deferred tax on property 
            revaluation                        -            -         (185)            -     (185) 
           At 31 December 2020 as 
            restated                       1,772          438        12,356           63    14,629 
                                        --------  -----------  ------------  -----------  -------- 
           Share based payment charge          -           72             -            -        72 
           Property revaluation                -            -         5,039            -     5,039 
           Deferred tax on property 
            revaluation                        -            -       (1,399)            -   (1,399) 
           Exchange differences 
            on translating foreign 
            operations                         -            -             -          169       169 
                                        --------  -----------  ------------  -----------  -------- 
           At 31 December 2021             1,772          510        15,996          232    18,510 
                                        --------  -----------  ------------  -----------  -------- 
 
   20.       SHARE BASED PAYMENTS 

The Group operates a share-based payments scheme for Directors as outlined in the Directors Remuneration Report. Share options were awarded as part of longer-term incentives.

The option holder may only exercise the option if, on the date of exercise, the market value targets are achieved.

609,600 share options were granted in the period (2020: 1,620,400). In addition to those granted to Directors in January 2020, Directors and 2 persons discharging managerial responsibilities were awarded in lieu of a 40% reduction of salary in 2020. In 2021, the Directors and 1 person discharging managerial responsibility have continued to receive share options in lieu of salary up until July 2021.

The average share price target for options issued in 2021 was 15p (2020: 19p).

 
 
 
 
                                                                             Number of share 
                                                                            options outstanding 
                              Exercise price      Period within which           2021        2020 
           Grant date        per share (pence)   options are exercisable 
           2 May 2014              50p            2/5/2017 to 1/5/2024       396,521     396,521 
           12 May 2014             50p           12/5/2017 to 11/5/2024      528,695     528,695 
           21 May 2014             50p           21/5/2017 to 20/5/2024       38,550      38,550 
           14 July 2017            50p           14/7/2020 to 13/7/2027      250,000     250,000 
           21 July 2017            50p           21/7/2020 to 20/7/2027      500,000     500,000 
           11 October 
            2018                   42p          11/10/2021 to 10/10/2028     100,000     100,000 
           1 January 2019          34p          01/01/2022 to 31/12/2028     500,000     500,000 
           29 April 2019           34p          29/04/2022 to 28/04/2029           -     500,000 
           26 June 2019            40p          26/06/2022 to 25/06/2029     100,000     100,000 
           05 Sept 2019            34p          05/09/2022 to 04/09/2029     100,000     100,000 
           02 Jan 2020             33p          02/01/2023 to 01/01/2030     900,000   1,200,000 
           31 Oct 2020              9p          31/10/2021 to 30/10/2028     186,400     186,400 
           30 Nov 2020             16p          30/11/2021 to 29/11/2028     104,900     104,900 
           31 Dec 2020             13p          31/12/2021 to 30/12/2028     129,100     129,100 
           31 January 
            2021                   13p          31/01/2022 to 30/01/2029     129,100           - 
           28 February 
            2021                   14p          28/02/2022 to 27/02/2029     119,900           - 
           31 March 2021           15p          31/03/2022 to 30/03/2029     111,900           - 
           30 April 2021           15p          30/04/2022 to 29/04/2029      75,200           - 
           31 May 2021             17p          31/05/2022 to 30/05/2029      66,400           - 
           30 June 2021            18p          30/06/2022 to 29/06/2029      62,700           - 
           31 July 2021            16p          31/07/2022 to 30/07/2029      44,400           - 
                                                                           4,443,766   4,634,166 
                                                                          ==========  ========== 
 

The share options are exercisable at a price equal to the average quoted market price of the Group's shares on the date of grant. The vesting period is 3 years from the date of grant and the share price must be a minimum of 60p, with the exception of the options issued since 2018 which have a target price of 50p, and the options issued in 2020 in exchange for salary reduction, which have a 1 year vesting period and no target price. The options are forfeited if the employee leaves the Group before the options vest. Details of these share options are summarised in the table below:

 
                                                2021               2021            2020               2020 
                                           Number of           Weighted       Number of           Weighted 
                                       share options   average exercise   share options   average exercise 
                                                                  price                              price 
         Brought forward 1 January         4,634,166              38.0p       3,013,766                44p 
         Forfeited in the period           (800,000)              33.6p               -                  - 
         Issued in the period                609,600              15.0p       1,620,400                28p 
         Outstanding at 31 December        4,443,766              35.9p       4,634,166                38p 
                                      ==============  =================  ==============  ================= 
         Exercisable at end of the 
          period                           2,327,789              42.8p       1,713,766                50p 
                                      ==============  =================  ==============  ================= 
 

No options were exercised in the period.

The fair value of the share options was calculated using the Black Scholes model. There is a charge of GBP72k taken though the income statement (2020: GBP279k).

The inputs are as follows:

 
                                       2021       2020 
Closing price of Safestay Plc         19.5p      16.0p 
Weighted average share price          20.3p      18.8p 
Weighted average exercise price       35.9p      38.0p 
Expected volatility                     35%        40% 
Average vesting period            7.0 years  7.1 years 
Risk free rate                        1.28%      0.50% 
Expected dividend yield               0.00%      0.00% 
 

The expected volatility percentage was derived from the quoted share prices since flotation.

   21.       Notes to the cashflow statement 
 
                                                                   Restated 
                                                             2021      2020 
                                                          GBP'000   GBP'000 
           Profit/(loss) before tax                           693   (9,926) 
           Adjustments for: 
    Depreciation of property, plant and equipment 
     and amortisation and impairment of intangible 
     assets                                                 3,773     5,690 
    Profit on disposal of fixed assets                    (6,957)         - 
    Finance cost                                            2,545     2,693 
    Share based payment charge                                 72       279 
    Exchange movements                                        116       (8) 
    Rent concessions                                      (1,275)     (904) 
           Changes in working capital: 
    Decrease in inventory                                      12        39 
    Decrease/(increase) in trade and other receivables        549     (244) 
    (Decrease) in trade and other payables                  (800)   (1,847) 
                                                         --------  -------- 
           Net cash from operating activities             (1,272)   (4,228) 
                                                         ========  ======== 
 
   22.       RELATED PARTY TRANSACTIONS 

The Group has taken advantage of the exemption contained within IAS 24 - 'Related Party Disclosures' from the requirement to disclose transactions between wholly owned group companies as these have been eliminated on consolidation.

The remuneration of the directors, who are the key management personnel of the Group, is set out below.

 
                                              2021      2020 
                                           GBP'000   GBP'000 
           Short term employee benefits        336       444 
           Pension                               6        16 
           Share based payment charges          72       257 
                                               414       717 
                                          ========  ======== 
 

Further information about the remuneration of individual directors is provided in the Directors' Remuneration Report.

Details of directors share options is provided in the Directors' Remuneration Report and in note 20 of the accounts. The directors share options have been audited.

Safestay Plc has a common directorship with Safeland Plc. In the year, Safestay Plc rented premises from Safeland Plc on non-commercial terms. Total rent paid to Safeland Plc was GBP50,000 (2020:GBPnil).

   23.       FINANCIAL INSTRUMENTS 

Capital management

Total Capital is calculated as equity, as shown in the consolidated statement of financial position, plus debt.

The Board's policy is to maintain a strong capital base with a view to underpinning investor, creditor and market confidence and sustaining the future development of the business. Capital consists of ordinary shares, other capital reserves and retained earnings. To this end, the Board monitors the Group's performance at both a corporate and individual asset level and sets internal guidelines for interest cover and gearing.

The executive directors monitor the Group's current and projected financial position against these guidelines. In order to maintain or adjust the capital structure, the Group may adjust the amount of dividends paid to shareholders, return capital to shareholders, issue new shares or sell assets to reduce debt.

 
                                             2021          2020 
                                          GBP'000   As Restated 
                                                        GBP'000 
           Share capital                      647           647 
           Share premium account           23,904        23,904 
           Retained earnings             (12,928)      (12,329) 
           Merger reserve                   1,772         1,772 
           Share based payment reserve        510           438 
           Revaluation reserve             15,996        12,356 
           Translation reserve                231            63 
           Bank loans                      18,007        28,380 
           Property financing loans         7,078        12,240 
           Lease liabilities               33,008        39,021 
                                         --------  ------------ 
 

The revaluation reserve has been restated in 2020 and reduced by GBP1,758,000 as explained in note 26.

The Group has no externally imposed capital requirements.

Significant Accounting Policies

Details of the significant accounting policies and methods adopted, including the criteria for recognition, the basis of measurement and the basis on which income and expenses are recognised, in respect of each class of financial asset, financial liability and equity instruments are disclosed in note 1 to these financial statements and in the tables below:

Categories of financial instruments

At 31 December 2021, the Group held the following financial assets:

 
                                                       2021      2020 
                                                    GBP'000   GBP'000 
           Trade and other receivables (note 13)      1,227     1,679 
           Cash and cash equivalents                  4,482     2,125 
                                                   --------  -------- 
                                                      5,709     3,804 
                                                   ========  ======== 
 

At 31 December 2021, the Group held the following financial liabilities:

 
                                                    2021          2020 
                                                 GBP'000   As restated 
                                                               GBP'000 
           Bank loans (note 16)                   18,007        28,114 
           Property financing loans (note 16)      7,078        12,240 
           Lease liabilities (note 17)            33,008        39,021 
           Trade and other payables (note 15)      2,069         1,386 
                                                  60,162        80,761 
                                                ========  ============ 
 

All financial liabilities are measured at amortised cost.

The carrying amounts of the Group's bank loans and overdrafts, lease obligations and trade and other payables approximate to their fair value.

Financial Liability Movements

 
                                                  Long              Short          Lease 
                                       term borrowings    term borrowings    liabilities      Total 
                                               GBP'000            GBP'000        GBP'000    GBP'000 
 At 1 January 2020 (restated)                   29,638                267         35,904     65,809 
 Cash flows 
 Repayment of lease liabilities                      -                  -        (2,514)    (2,514) 
 Repayment of property finance 
  loans                                          (331)                  -              -      (331) 
 Proceeds received                              10,361                159              -     10,520 
 Loan and refinancing fees                       (174)              (102)              -      (276) 
 Non-cash 
 Reclassification                                  130              (130)              -          - 
 Refinance related fees write 
  off                                               76                 25              -        101 
 New leases and extension                            -                  -          4,536      4,536 
 Imputed interest and amortisation 
  of fees                                          343                 92          1,558      1,993 
 Lease modification                                  -                  -            441        441 
 Rent concessions                                    -                  -          (904)      (904) 
 At 31 December 2020 (restated)                 40,043                311         39,021     79,375 
                                     -----------------  -----------------  -------------  --------- 
 
 At 1 January 2021                              40,043                311         39,021     79,375 
 Cash flows 
 Repayment of lease liabilities                      -                  -        (1,810)    (1,810) 
 Repayment of property finance 
  loans                                        (5,156)                  -              -    (5,156) 
 Repayment of bank loans                      (10,062)              (311)              -   (10,373) 
 Loan and refinancing fees                           -                  -              -          - 
 Non-cash 
 Reclassification                                (926)                926              -          - 
 Government grant                                (156)                  -              -      (156) 
 Lease disposals                                     -                  -        (1,389)    (1,389) 
 Imputed interest and amortisation 
  of fees                                          285                  -          1,471      1,756 
 Lease modification                                  -                  -        (3,010)    (3,010) 
 Rent concessions                                    -                  -        (1,275)    (1,275) 
                                     -----------------  -----------------  -------------  --------- 
 At 31 December 2021                            24,028                926         33,008     57,962 
                                     =================  =================  =============  ========= 
 
 
                                                     2021        2020 
                                                  GBP'000     GBP'000 
 
           Total liabilities                     (57,962)    (78,934) 
           Cash and cash equivalents                4,482       2,125 
                                                 --------  ---------- 
           Net Debt                                53,480      76,809 
                                                 ========  ========== 
 
 
 

Financial risk management

The Group's financial instruments comprise bank loans and overdrafts, Lease liabilities, cash and cash equivalents, and various items within trade and other receivables and payables that arise directly from its operations.

The main risks arising from the financial instruments are interest rate risk and liquidity risk. The board reviews and agrees policies for managing these risks which are detailed below.

Interest rate risk

The Group's interest rate risk arises from long-term borrowings. Borrowings at variable rate expose the Group to cash flow interest rate risk which is partially offset by cash held at variable rates.

Liquidity risk

All of the Group's long-term bank borrowings are secured on the Group's property portfolio. If the value of the portfolio were to fall significantly, the Group risk breaching borrowing covenants. The Board regularly review the Group's gearing levels, cash flow projections and associated headroom and ensure that excess banking facilities are available for future use.

As outlined in going concern note 1, the business has been severely impacted by the travel restrictions and ability to meet its banking covenants as a result of Covid-19. The Group produces an annual cashflow forecasts based on agreed budgets, and as a result of Covid-19 have monitored the cashflow forecasts on a weekly basis.

The business continued to manage its liquidity risk with the renewal of its debt facility with HSBC on the 13(th) January 2020 with a new facility of GBP22.9m for 5 years until 2025. In addition, a GBP5.0m bank CBILs facility was secured for 6 years on 16(th) December 2020, which is interest free for the first year increasing to 3.9% + base rate from year 2.

The business continues to service is debt and make the interest payments as they fall due. There are no off balance sheet financing arrangements or contingent liabilities.

While liquidity remains closely monitored the Sea Hostel was sold February 2021 for a GBP0.7m consideration, and Edinburgh Hostel was sold for GBP16m. The monthly cost base was reduced from GBP0.9 million to GBP0.6 million during the first lockdown. The Sea disposal and sale of Edinburgh would provide sufficient headroom to manage liquidity in the short term, through to the end of December 2022, even if the impact of Covid-19 continued or the hostels remained closed. See note 1 going concern accounting policy.

However, the covenants of the existing debt facility were waived since June 2020. From June 2021 they were adjusted and replaced with adjusted EBITDA targets reflecting the current performances of the hostels since the first lockdown in April 2020. They will revert to the contractual covenants from July 2022 when it is expected that the Group will have enough trading history from the re-opening of the hostels in July 2021 to meet the 12 month historic Interest Cover (ICR) and Loan to Value ratios.

Foreign currency risk

The group is exposed to foreign currency risk from overseas subsidiaries with group transactions carried out in Euros. Exposures to currency exchange rates arise from the Group's overseas sales and purchases, which are primarily denominated in Euros.

This risk is mitigated by each hostel holding a denominated bank account in the country of operation. The group monitors cashflows and considers foreign currency risk when making intra-group transfers.

Foreign transactions are translated into the functional currency at the exchange rate ruling when the transaction is entered. Foreign exchange gains and losses resulting from the settlement of such transactions, and from the translation at year end exchange rates, of monetary assets and liabilities are recognised in the income statement.

Interest rate risk management

The Group is exposed to interest rate risk on its borrowings. The GBP17.7 million main facility has an interest rate of 2.45% above the London inter-bank offer rate (LIBOR). When the GBP10.2 million from the Edinburgh sale proceeds was used to reduce the debt in July 2021, LIBOR was replaced with 2.95% SONIA. The GBP5 million CBILS in interest free in year 1 and has an interest rate of 3.99% above base rate from year 2 until it is fully repaid at the end of year 6. The Group carefully manages its interest rate risk on an ongoing basis.

Interest rate sensitivity

The sensitivity analysis in the paragraph below has been determined based on the exposure to interest rates for all borrowings subject to interest charges at the statement of financial position date. For floating rate liabilities, the analysis is prepared assuming the amount of the liability outstanding at the statement of financial position date was outstanding for the whole year. A 0.25% increase or decrease is used when reporting interest rate risk internally to key management and represents management's assessment of the reasonably possible change in interest rates.

Based on bank borrowings, at 31 December 2021, if interest rates were 0.5% higher or (lower) and all other variables were held constant, the Group's net profit would increase or decrease by GBP89,000 (2020: GBP140,000). This is attributable to the Group's exposure to interest rates on its variable rate borrowings.

Liquidity risk management

Ultimate responsibility for liquidity risk management rests with the Board of directors. The Board manages liquidity risk by regularly reviewing the Group's gearing levels, cash flow projections and associated headroom and ensuring that excess banking facilities are available for future use. All of the Group's long-term bank borrowings are secured on the Group's property portfolio.

Liquidity and interest risk analysis

The following tables detail the Group's remaining contractual maturity for all financial liabilities. The tables have been drawn up based on the undiscounted cash flows of financial liabilities based on the earliest date on which the Group can be required to pay including interest.

 
                                      Less than   1-2 years   3-5 years  Later than   Total 
                                       1 year      GBP'000     GBP'000    5 years      GBP'000 
                                       GBP'000                            GBP'000 
 
  Variable interest rate borrowings       1,379       1,577      16,659           -     19,615 
  Property financing borrowings             191         191         573      10,193     11,148 
  Trade and other payables                1,946           7           -           -      1,953 
  Lease liabilities                       1,922       1,978       6,003      23,105     33,008 
                                          5,438       3,753      23,235      33,298     65,724 
                                      =========  ==========  ==========  ==========  ========= 
 

The above amounts reflect the contractual undiscounted cash flows, which may differ to the carrying values of the liabilities at the reporting date.

The repayment of the GBP5 million CBILS will start in April 2022. The repayment under 1 year relates to the GBP22.9 million debt facility for GBP57,500 per quarter, and the repayment of the government backed loan in Vienna for GBP80,000 per semester. It was however agreed with HSBC that the main debt facility would be interest only from July 2021 after the disposal of Edinburgh which involves a GBP10.0 million debt repayment to HSBC.

   24.       FAIR VALUES OF NON-FINANCIAL ASSETS 

The following table shows the levels within the hierarchy of non-financial assets measured at fair value on a recurring basis:

 
                                 Level 1   Level 2   Level 3     Total 
                                 GBP'000   GBP'000   GBP'000   GBP'000 
           2020 
           Freehold Property           -         -     8,411     8,411 
           Leasehold Property          -         -    41,126    41,126 
                                --------  --------  --------  -------- 
                                       -         -    49,537    49,537 
                                --------  --------  --------  -------- 
           2021 
           Freehold Property           -         -     9,484     9,484 
           Leasehold Property          -         -    31,691    31,691 
                                       -         -    41,175    41,175 
                                --------  --------  --------  -------- 
 

The group's freehold and leasehold property asset is estimated based on appraisals performed by independent, professionally qualified property valuers. The significant inputs and assumptions are developed in close consultation with management. The valuation process and fair value changes are reviewed by the directors at each reporting date.

   25.       Business combinations 

See accounting policy in note 1.

There have been no business combinations in the year ended 31 December 2021.

On 14(th) January 2020, the Group acquired the leasehold of an existing 132 bed hostel in Athens via a newly registered Greek subsidiary of Safestay plc, for a consideration of EUR1.5m paid in full at acquisition.

On 30(th) January 2020, the Group acquired an existing entity registered in Poland which owned the leasehold of a 158 bed hostel in Warsaw. At the same date, the Group acquired an existing entity registered in Slovakia which owned the leasehold of a 124 bed hostel in Bratislava. Both entities were acquired from the same party, Dream Management Group Ltd, for a consideration with EUR0.6m paid at completion and the outstanding amount in November 2020 for EUR0.3m.

 
                                  Athens    Warsaw   Bratislava      2020 
 
 Number of sites purchased                                              3 
 Fair value                      GBP'000   GBP'000      GBP'000   GBP'000 
 Property, plant & equipment       2,092     1,179          825     4,096 
 Intangible assets                     -         -            -         - 
 Current assets                        1       233            -       234 
 Cash                                  -        64            4        68 
 Debt                            (1,964)     (732)        (515)   (3,211) 
 Deferred revenue, trade 
  & other payables                   (9)   (1,351)        (503)   (1,863) 
 Goodwill                          1,210       620          917     2,747 
 Consideration 
 Net cash paid on acquisition      1,330        13          728     2,071 
 Total Consideration               1,330        13          728     2,071 
                                --------  --------  -----------  -------- 
 

Goodwill recognised on each acquisition reflects the future growth of the Group and represent the first stage in establishing a pan-European network of Safestay Hostels. All goodwill acquired has been allocated to a cash generating unit.

The Board reviewed each business on acquisition for its separately identifiable assets:

-- Brand - the hostels were purchased from two selling entities, each with a large portfolio of hostels that are continuing to trade under their original brand names. For this reason, management do not attribute the future earnings to the brands purchased; the key asset purchased is the future potential of each hostel as operated under the Safestay management team, and as an extension of the existing Safestay portfolio.

-- Advanced deposits - each acquisition resulted in the purchase of advanced deposits taken under previous management that would result in potential sales whilst under Safestay control. The Board quantified the value of contracted sales under their original terms of sale and found the contracts to be immaterial at acquisition.

-- Property, plant and equipment - the Board reviewed the asset registers of each entity and performed an impairment of each. The book value of assets was agreed to represent the fair value of each asset class.

-- Intangible assets - the Board reviewed the agreements with customers and found no intangible assets for capitalisation.

The Group incurred acquisition costs of GBP0.1 million on legal fees and due diligence costs. These have been charged to operating exceptional items in the Consolidated Income Statement in 2020.

The acquisitions have contributed the following revenue and operating profits to the Group in the year ended 31 December 2020 from the date of acquisition:

 
                           Athens    Warsaw    Bratislava 
                          --------  --------  ----------- 
                           GBP'000   GBP'000   GBP'000 
       Revenue             115       129       31 
       Operating profit    (179)     (201)     (151) 
 

It is not practicable to identify the related cash flows, revenue and profit on an annualised basis as the months for which the businesses have been controlled by Safestay are not indicative of the annualised figures especially in the context of the Covid-19 pandemic.

The pre-acquisition trading results are not indicative of the trading expectation under Safestay's stewardship; the Group deployed its Property Management System and digital marketing platform and updated internal processes.

   26.       PRIOR YEAR RESTATEMENT 

IFRS 16 Adjustment

Following a review of the IFRS 16 accounting for the year to 31 December 2021, it is noted that the classification between accruals, IFRS lease liability and rent expense in the year to 31 December 2020 was found to be incorrect. This has resulted in an increased lease liability of GBP440,000, a decrease in accruals of GBP598,000 and a decrease in rent (increase in retained earnings brought forward) of GBP158,000.

Overall, the 2020 loss decreased and consequently the 2021 retained earnings brought forward has increased by GBP158,000, plus the net assets has increased by GBP158,000.

Deferred tax liability on the 2019 Safestay (Elephant & Castle) Ltd property revaluation

From a review of the deferred tax balances as at 31 December 2021 it is noted that the deferred tax liability relating to the property revaluation on Safestay (Elephant & Castle) Ltd was erroneously omitted from the liability for the year ended 31 December 2019.

An adjustment has been made to correct this that has reduced the property revaluation reserve by GBP1,758,000 and increased the deferred tax liability by GBP1,758,000. This has reduced net assets by GBP1,758,000 and has no impact on the trading profit in 2019.

   27.       POST REPORTING DATE EVENTS 

On the 14 April 2022 a share option modification was made by the Group on all share options currently active. This has been performed to align the historical share option vesting conditions to more appropriate benchmarks in the current economic climate.

The Group is currently not committed to any future acquisition projects or development.

Following a review of director rewards and incentives, the Remuneration Committee of the Board of Directors ("Directors") has recommended that, given the reduction in the Group's share price, that the existing awards of share options are no longer a reasonable incentive for the Group's management team (the "Management Team") and Directors and should be replaced in order to re-align the option scheme with the current share price. The Board of Directors approved this recommendation.

On 14 April 2022 the Group granted awards of options over a total of 4,020,121 ordinary shares of one (1) penny each in the Grouo ("Ordinary Shares") under the Group's existing share option scheme (the "New Options"). The New Options are exercisable on or after 1 January 2024.

A portion of the New Options have been awarded to replace all existing awards of options previously granted in the same number (the "Old Options") to the current Management Team and Directors, which were cancelled on 14 April 2022. The holders of all of the Old Options have agreed to their termination with immediate effect. Old Options that were previously priced significantly above the current share price have effectively been reissued at the current share price, with Old Options previously priced below the current share price effectively reissued at their previous exercise price.

In addition to the replacement of the Old Options, the New Options also include new share options granted to Paul Hingston, Chief Financial Officer, as part of his employment package following his appointment in February 2022.

It has also been agreed with the Business Growth Fund that Larry Lipman, the Chairman, will waive his 250,000 share options issued on 14 July 2017. He has also agreed that if he exercises any of the remaining share options, he cannot sell these shares for two years.

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