9th July 2024
Naked Wines
plc
("Naked Wines" or
"Company")
CFO Succession
Plan
Following the finalisation of the
Company's new credit facility, announced separately today, Naked
Wines announces that James Crawford has informed the Board of his
intention to step down as Chief Financial Officer and as a Director
of the Company in the autumn of 2024. This timing is consistent
with the two-to-three-year incentive arrangement agreed with James
when he rejoined the Board as CFO in 2022, and reflects his
significant involvement over the past year in strengthening the
financial position of the Company. James will undertake a thorough
transition process including overseeing the conclusion of the audit
and presentation of the FY24 results before leaving the business
during the autumn by which time we expect to have a successor in
place.
The Company has a well advanced
transition plan with the permanent recruitment process already
underway.
Rowan
Gormley, Non-Executive Chairman, said:
"James has been with the Company for over 10 years, as both CFO
and a period as Managing Director of Naked Wines UK. During his
tenure Naked has grown from annual revenues of £40m to £290m in
FY24 and James' leadership and expertise have played a valuable
role in navigating that growth and the subsequent
challenges. On behalf of the Board and
the Company we extend our gratitude to
James for his service and wish him the best in his future
endeavours."
Rodrigo Maza, CEO, said:
"James has made an outstanding contribution to the business and
has been instrumental in setting the platform for success we now
have. His counsel and experience will be missed. I wish him the
very best for the future."
James
Crawford, CFO, commented:
"I'm
incredibly proud of what we have achieved in the decade I've been
at Naked. We've grown the business by an order of magnitude,
overcome some significant challenges, and created an organisation
that I believe can thrive for a long time to come. I rejoined the
board in July 2022 to work through the post-pandemic challenges and
get the business back onto a firm footing. Over the last year we've
reduced the cost base and inventory levels are now dropping.
Today's announcement of our refinancing, which brings additional
liquidity and flexibility for the Company, represents the end of
this chapter and the right time for me to step back from the CFO
role. I remain a committed and passionate supporter of Naked and
will cherish the lifelong friendships made during my tenure. I wish
the Board, Maza and the exceptional management team at Naked all
the best for the journey ahead."
For
further information, please contact:
Naked
Wines plc
Rodrigo Maza, Chief Executive
Officer
James Crawford, Chief Financial
Officer
Catherine Miles / Libby
Bundock
|
IR@nakedwines.com
|
Investec (NOMAD & Joint Broker)
David Flin / Ben Farrow
|
Tel: 0207 597 5970
|
Jefferies (Joint Broker)
Ed Matthews / Harry Le May
|
Tel: 0207 029 8000
|
Instinctif (Financial PR)
Guy Scarborough / Damian
Reece
|
Tel: 07917 178 920 / 07931 598
593
|
About
Naked Wines plc
Naked Wines connects everyday wine
drinkers with the world's best independent winemakers.
Why? Because we think it's a better
deal for everyone. Talented winemakers get the support, funding and
freedom they need to make the best wine they've ever made. The wine
drinkers who support them get much better wine at much better
prices than traditional retail.
It's a unique business model. Naked
Wines customers (who we call Angels) commit to a fixed prepayment
each month which goes towards their next purchase. In turn. Naked
funds the production costs for winemakers, generating savings that
are passed back to its customers. It creates a virtuous circle that
benefits both wine drinker and winemaker.
Our mission is to change the way the
whole wine industry works for the better. In the last reported 12
months we served more than 792,000 Angels in the US, UK and
Australia, making us a leading player in the fast-growing
direct-to-consumer wine market.
Our customers have direct access to
293 of the world's best independent winemakers making over 2,000
quality wines in 22 different countries. We collaborate with some
of the world's best independent winemakers like Matt Parish
(Beringer, Stags' Leap) and eight-time Winemaker of the Year Daryl
Groom (Penfolds Grange).