
Chairman’s Statement on Corporate Governance
continued
The Group is reliant on the HSBC
borrowing facility of £14.2 million. Any
failure of a covenant test would render
the borrowing facilities from HSBC to
become repayable on demand, at the
option of the lender, and would put the
going concern assessment at risk.
The directors have also given
consideration to the current
uncertainties in the state of the UK
economy, as well as to cost pressures
that have impacted businesses such as
increases to staffing costs from the rise
in the National Minimum and National
Living Wages, from higher energy costs,
from business rates and from increases
to funding costs due to continuing high
interest base rates.
The directors have also considered
the Company’s working capital
requirements. The Company meets its
day-to-day working capital requirements
through short-term stocking loans,
bank overdraft and revolving-credit
facility, and medium-term revolving
credit facilities and term loans. At the
year-end, the medium-term banking
facilities included a term loan with an
outstanding balance of £4.7 million
(2025: £5.1 million) and a revolving
credit facility of £6.0 million
(2025: £6.0 million) from HSBC, its
primary bankers, with both facilities
next being renewable during the going
concern period in April 2027. The
Company’s bankers recognise the
current difficulties being experienced
by the motor retail sector and remain
very supportive and, subsequent to
the end of the year, this review date
was extended by twelve months to
April 2028. HSBC also make available
a short-term overdraft facility of
£3.5 million (2025: £3.5 million), which
is renewed annually each August. The
Company also has a short-term facility
from Volkswagen Bank of £4.0 million
(2025: £4.0 million), which is renewed
annually each October. The Company
maintains strong relationships with
HSBC and VW Bank and, based on
the discussions to date regarding the
renewal of the facilities, the directors are
of the opinion that there is a reasonable
expectation that all facilities will be
renewed at their scheduled expiry
dates.
At 31 March 2026, the Company held
cash in hand balances of £4.6 million
and had undrawn borrowing facilities of
£6.5 million, all of which are immediately
available.
Information concerning the Company’s
liquidity and financing risk are set out
on page 10 and note 22 to the financial
statements.
The directors have a reasonable
expectation that the Company has
adequate resources and headroom
against the covenant tests to be able to
continue in operational existence for the
foreseeable future and for a period of at
least one year from the date of approval
of the Annual Report. For those
reasons, they have concluded that
there is no material uncertainty and they
continue to adopt the going concern
basis in preparing this Annual Report.
Viability statement
In accordance with provision 31 of the
UK Corporate Governance Code, the
directors have assessed the viability of
the Company over a three-year period
to 31 March 2029 and have concluded
that the Company is viable over that
period. The directors believe this period
to be appropriate as the Company’s
strategic review considered by the
board encompasses this period. In
making their assessment, the directors
have considered the Company’s current
financial position and performance
and its cash flow projections, including
future capital expenditure, in relation to
the availability of finance and funding
facilities, and have considered these
factors in relation to the principal risks
and uncertainties as explained in the
Report of the Directors.
The Company’s primary borrowing
facilities were next scheduled to come
up for periodic review within that
three-year period, in April 2027.
Subsequent to the end of the year, this
review date was extended by twelve
months to April 2028. The Company
has strong relationships with its funding
banks and the directors are satisfied
that these facilities will be renewable at
their current levels and on acceptable
commercial terms.
During the year ended 31 March 2026,
the board carried out a robust
assessment of the emerging and
principal risks facing the Company,
including those that would threaten its
business model, future performance,
solvency or liquidity. The directors
believe that the Company is well
placed to manage its business risks
successfully, having considered the
principal risks and uncertainties.
Accordingly, taking into account the
Company’s current position and subject
to the principal risks faced by the
business, the board has a reasonable
expectation that the Company will be
able to continue in operation and to
meet its liabilities as they fall due in the
period up to 31 March 2029.
Risk management and
internal controls
The board is responsible for
maintaining a sound system of
internal controls, including financial,
operational and compliance controls
and risk management, and reviews
the effectiveness of the system at
least annually in order to safeguard
shareholders’ investment and the
Company’s assets. The system is
designed to manage rather than
eliminate risk and can provide only
reasonable and not absolute assurance
against material misstatement or loss.
The board has completed a robust
assessment of the Company’s
emerging and principal risks, including
a description of its principal risks, the
procedures that are in place to identify
emerging risks, and an explanation of
how these risks are being managed or
mitigated.
The board has reviewed the
effectiveness of the system of internal
control. In particular, it has reviewed and
updated the process for identifying and
evaluating the significant risks affecting
the business and the policies and
procedures by which these risks are
managed.
Management are responsible for
the identification and evaluation of
significant risks applicable to their
areas of business together with the
design and operation of suitable internal
controls. These risks are assessed on
a regular basis and may be associated
with a variety of internal or external
sources, including control breakdowns,
disruption to information systems,
competition, natural catastrophe,
customer or supplier actions and
regulatory requirements. The process
used by the board is to review the
effectiveness of the system of internal
control, including a review of legal
compliance, health and safety and
environmental issues on a six-monthly
26
Caffyns plc Annual Report 2026www.caffyns.co.uk