Operations Lydia Knyvett Operations Lydia Knyvett

Joint Venture Agreement

Fox Marble, the AIM listed marble production company with operations in Kosovo and the Balkans, announces that it has signed a joint venture agreement with Al Bab Al Mumtaz Group in the United Arab Emirates…

Fox Marble Holdings plc
(“Fox Marble” or the “Company”)

Fox Marble, the AIM listed marble production company with operations in Kosovo and the Balkans, announces that it has signed a joint venture agreement with Al Bab Al Mumtaz Group in the United Arab Emirates.

Al Bab Al Mumtaz Group is a wholesaler of flooring solutions to customers in the UAE and MENA region with turnover in the region of AED 100m (circa €23 million) and has 27 retail outlets across the UAE, the Sultanate of Oman and Rwanda. Al Bab Al Mumtaz Group operate three warehouses in Sajaa, UAE all of which can accommodate over 200,000 sqm of materials at any given time.

Al Bab Al Mumtaz Group was established in 2006 by Ibrahim Kutty. The company supplies a wide variety of marble, granites, ceramic, vinyl, carpet parquet and other natural stones from sources from all over the world.

Under the agreement it is anticipated that Fox Marble will supply Al Bab Al Mumtaz Group with marble tiles and slabs processed in its factory in Kosovo, for sale via its range of outlets in the region. The arrangement is expected to generate revenue in the region of AED 2m (€0.50m) in its first year of operation of 2022 and AED 4m (€0.95m) in 2023.

Chris Gilbert, CEO, commented:

“This agreement is the product of long-term efforts to develop relationships within this region. We look forward to a successful and productive relationship for both our companies, providing a solid footing for Fox Marble products in the region. “

This announcement contains inside information for the purposes of Regulation 11 of the Market Abuse (amendment) (EU exit) Regulations 2019/310. The Directors of the Company are responsible for the release of this announcement.

Ends

For more information on Fox Marble please visit www.foxmarble.net or contact:

Fox Marble Holdings plc

Chris Gilbert, Chief Executive Officer

Tel: +44 (0)20 7380 0999

Fiona Hadfield, Finance Director

Tel: +44 (0)20 7380 0999

Quatro PR

Gary Pleasants

Tel: +44 (0)207 566 7963/+44 (0)7966 487 739

Mark Herbert

Tel: +44 (0)7770 381608

Brandon Hill (Joint Broker)

Oliver Stansfield

Tel:  +44 (0)20 3463 5000

Allenby Capital (Joint Broker)

Nick Naylor/Nick Athanas/Liz Kirchner (Corporate Finance)

Amrit Nahal (Sales and Corporate Broking)

Tel:  +44 (0)20 3394 2973

Cairn Financial Advisers (Nomad)

Sandy Jamieson/Liam Murray/Ludovico Lazzaretti

Tel: +44 (0)20 7213 0880

Notes to Editors

Fox Marble (AIM: FOX) is a marble production, processing and distribution company with operations in Kosovo and the Balkans.

Its marble products, which include Alexandrian Blue, Alexandrian White, Breccia Paradisea, Etruscan gold and Grigio Argent, are gaining sales globally to wholesale companies and directly to luxury residential properties. In the UK these include St George’s Homes and Capital and Counties Plc’s Lillie Square development. In Sydney, Australia, Rosso Cait, Alexandrian White and Breccia Paradisea have been used in what is expected to be Australia’s most expensive residential property. These sales serve to demonstrate the desirability of Fox Marble’s premium marble products as the stone of choice in some of the most prestigious and expensive residential developments around the world.

Caution regarding forward looking statements

Certain statements in this announcement, are, or may be deemed to be, forward looking statements. Forward looking statements are identified by their use of terms and phrases such as ''believe'', ''could'', "should" ''envisage'', ''estimate'', ''intend'', ''may'', ''plan'', ''potentially'', "expect", ''will'' or the negative of those, variations or comparable expressions, including references to assumptions. These forward looking statements are not based on historical facts but rather on the Directors' current expectations and assumptions regarding the Company's future growth, results of operations, performance, future capital and other expenditures (including the amount, nature and sources of funding thereof), competitive advantages, business prospects and opportunities. Such forward looking statements reflect the Directors' current beliefs and assumptions and are based on information currently available to the Directors

Read More
Operations Lydia Knyvett Operations Lydia Knyvett

New Contract

Fox Marble, the AIM listed marble production company with operations in Kosovo and the Balkans, announces that it has signed a new contract to provide processed marble to a project in Kosovo…

Fox Marble Holdings plc
(“Fox Marble” or the “Company”)

Fox Marble, the AIM listed marble production company with operations in Kosovo and the Balkans, announces that it has signed a new contract to provide processed marble to a project in Kosovo.

Fox Marble will provide Alexandrian Blue and Alexandrian White marble from its quarry in Macedonia, which will be processed at Fox Marble’s factory in Lipjan in Kosovo. The value of the contract is expected to be in the region of €100k and will be supplied during the end of 2021 and 2022.

Chris Gilbert, CEO, commented

“This contract to supply our material is a testament to the ongoing work of our staff and team in Kosovo, and further bolsters our order book for the remainder of 2021 and 2022.”

This announcement contains inside information for the purposes of Regulation 11 of the Market Abuse (amendment) (EU exit) Regulations 2019/310. The Directors of the Company are responsible for the release of this announcement.

Ends

For more information on Fox Marble please visit www.foxmarble.net or contact:

Fox Marble Holdings plc

Chris Gilbert, Chief Executive Officer

Tel: +44 (0)20 7380 0999

Fiona Hadfield, Finance Director

Tel: +44 (0)20 7380 0999

Quatro PR

Gary Pleasants

Tel: +44 (0)207 566 7963/+44 (0)7966 487 739

Mark Herbert

Tel: +44 (0)7770 381608

Brandon Hill (Joint Broker)

Oliver Stansfield

Tel: +44 (0)20 3463 5000

Allenby Capital (Joint Broker)

Nick Naylor/Nick Athanas/Liz Kirchner (Corporate Finance)

Amrit Nahal (Sales and Corporate Broking)

Tel: +44 (0)20 3394 2973

Cairn Financial Advisers (Nomad)

Sandy Jamieson/Liam Murray/Ludovico Lazzaretti

Tel: +44 (0)20 7213 0880

Notes to Editors

Fox Marble (AIM: FOX) is a marble production, processing and distribution company with operations in Kosovo and the Balkans.

Its marble products, which include Alexandrian Blue, Alexandrian White, Breccia Paradisea, Etruscan gold and Grigio Argent, are gaining sales globally to wholesale companies and directly to luxury residential properties. In the UK these include St George’s Homes and Capital and Counties Plc’s Lillie Square development. In Sydney, Australia, Rosso Cait, Alexandrian White and Breccia Paradisea have been used in what is expected to be Australia’s most expensive residential property. These sales serve to demonstrate the desirability of Fox Marble’s premium marble products as the stone of choice in some of the most prestigious and expensive residential developments around the world.

Caution regarding forward looking statements

Certain statements in this announcement, are, or may be deemed to be, forward looking statements. Forward looking statements are identified by their use of terms and phrases such as ''believe'', ''could'', "should" ''envisage'', ''estimate'', ''intend'', ''may'', ''plan'', ''potentially'', "expect", ''will'' or the negative of those, variations or comparable expressions, including references to assumptions. These forward looking statements are not based on historical facts but rather on the Directors' current expectations and assumptions regarding the Company's future growth, results of operations, performance, future capital and other expenditures (including the amount, nature and sources of funding thereof), competitive advantages, business prospects and opportunities. Such forward looking statements reflect the Directors' current beliefs and assumptions and are based on information currently available to the Directors

Read More
Operations, Shares, Sales, Arbitration Lydia Knyvett Operations, Shares, Sales, Arbitration Lydia Knyvett

Operating Update, Issue of Equity and Notice of Results

Fox Marble, the AIM listed company focused on marble quarrying and finishing in Kosovo and the Balkans region, is pleased to provide the following operational update ahead of the publication of its preliminary results for the year ended 31 December 2020 which are anticipated to be notified in May 2021…

Fox Marble Holdings plc
("Fox Marble" or the "Company")

 

Fox Marble, the AIM listed company focused on marble quarrying and finishing in Kosovo and the Balkans region, is pleased to provide the following operational update ahead of the publication of its preliminary results for the year ended 31 December 2020 which are anticipated to be notified in May 2021.

Highlights

·         Sales for the year ended 31 December 2020 of €0.7 million (2019 - €1.4million).

·         Sales of processed marble increased to €0.6 million from €0.2 million in 2019 reflecting the success of winning large contracts to the Kosovo market.  Sales of block marble fell to €0.1 million from €1.2 million in 2019 as a result of Covid-19 restrictions.          

·         Production for the year ended 31 December 2020 of 6,060 tonnes (2019 – 14,515 tonnes) due to planned stoppages as a result of Covid-19.

·         Processing volumes increased 300% through the factory, as a result of increased demand for material, as well as process improvements made.

·         Fundraising completed raising £1.0 million in December 2020 together with litigation funding committed of £0.5 million to fund arbitration case.  Dentons Europe CS LLP engaged as counsel in December 2020.  

Sales

Sales of processed marble have increased to €0.6 million from €0.2 million in 2019, of which €0.45 million occurred in H2 2020.  A number of new contracts were signed for processing services and processed marble which formed the backbone of sales through the end of 2020 and are expected to continue into 2021. 

·         The Suhareka square in Kosovo contract, announced on 14 April 2020, to supply up to 20,000 square metres of paving.  Material already specified and contracted under the first two stages of the project has a total value in excess of €400,000, and once all 20,000 square metres have been supplied the project is expected to be worth in excess of €750,000, as announced on 13 May 2020.   Fox Marble has supplied over 10,000 sqm of material since June 2020.

·         A contract to supply 20,000 square metres of cut and finished paving tiles for installation in the town square for the Municipality of Poduyeva in Kosovo, announced on 30 July 2020. Fox Marble began supplying material for this project in August 2020 and has supplied over 4,000 square metres of material to date. The Company received confirmation of Phase II of the project in January 2021, and the total value of this contract is around €700,000 over 2020 and 2021, as announced on 30 July 2020 and a further update announcement released by the Company on 4 February 2021. 

·         A contract to supply 35,000 square metres of cut and polished tiles to CC Apartments LLC, announced on 23 June 2020.  CC Apartments LLC is engaged in developing several prestigious projects including apartments in Kosovo, as well as Albania and surrounding countries.   Fox Marble will be processing blocks of a range of marble from its own quarries for this project and supplying this material from its factory in Kosovo over the course of 2021 starting next month.  The total value of the contract is in excess of €700,000.

Sales of block marble have fallen significantly in 2020 from €1.2 million in 2019 to €0.1 million in 2020 due to the impact of COVID-19 on block marble sales.  From January 2020, COVID-19’s impact on the Chinese market had an immediate effect. As the pandemic spread, global travel restrictions severely impeded the international trade in blocks. As travel restrictions lift in 2021, the Company expects to see growth in block sales.

Quarry Production

The Group elected to significantly scale back quarry production in order to keep operational cash flow neutral in the face of the fall in demand for block marble caused by COVID-19.  As a result, production fell from 14,515 tonnes in 2019 to 6,060 tonnes in 2020.   Production at Prilep was re-started in August 2020, though production levels continued to be closely monitored.  The Prilep quarry continues to supply block material to the factory in Kosovo.

Cervenillë quarry was the first of our sites opened in November 2012.  It is open across three separate locations (Cervenillë A, B & C) from which red (Rosso Cait), red tinged grey (Flora) light and darker grey (Grigio Argento) marble can be accessed.   The quarry was re-opened in September 2020 to address the demand for Argento Grigio from existing and future processed marble contracts.

The Syriganë quarry in Kosovo – sources of Breccia marbles, is in good condition, with machinery on site and ready for deployment.  At present we do not have quarry teams on site, as we have a significant reserve of stock of materials, however the quarries can be staffed at short notice. 

The foundation of a successful and growing natural stone company is its reserves base. Fox Marble's strategy is to seek to grow this over the medium term, should the appropriate opportunities be available and subject to detailed drilling and exploration. Opening new quarries over the medium term will provide the opportunity to increase both block sales and processed marble from the factory. The Company continues to keep new sites for development under review.

Factory

Fox Marble’s processing facility is a 5,400 square metre double skinned steel factory for the cutting and processing of blocks into polished slabs and tiles which was erected on a 10-hectare site that the Company acquired in Lipjan in 2013, close to Pristina airport in Kosovo.

In June 2020, the Company announced that it had acquired two additional automatic CNC cutting machines to be installed in its factory in Kosovo.   The two machines were manufactured by Simec Srl and Garcia Ramos SA and with the existing Gravellona Machine Marmo CNC machine have doubled the capacity to cut tiles.  The machines have been installed and are now fully operational.

The machines, and procedural improvements implemented have helped drive an increase in processing volumes 300% from 2019 to 2020. We continue to examine ways to increase levels of production and operating efficiency through 2021.

Dispute and Arbitration Claim

Fox Marble has engaged the services of Dentons Europe CS LLP (“Dentons”) to act on the Company’s behalf in its circa €195 million claim against the Republic of Kosovo (“the Arbitration”). Dentons have agreed a fee arrangement which enables Fox Marble to bring the Arbitration through to its conclusion.

To complement this arrangement with Dentons, the Company announced on 16 December 2020 that it had secured firm commitments of £0.5 million (“Litigation Fund”) in the form of litigation funding from private investors.

This funding, plus a pre-agreed return on investment, will only be repaid if the Arbitration proceedings are successful.

The Company also conducted a placing raising £1.05 million before expenses, which along with the Litigation Fund and the fee arrangement with Dentons are collectively expected to cover all costs throughout the Arbitration process and has allowed Fox Marble to commence preparations for the formal proceedings against the Republic of Kosovo.

Issue of shares

The Company has issued a total of 5,000,000 new ordinary shares in the Company to five individuals in lieu of cash payments.  The issue of shares reflects the contributions made to the Company by these individuals.

Application will be made for 5,000,000 ordinary shares issued to be admitted to trading on AIM, which is expected to occur on or around 19 February 2021 at 8.00am (“Admission”) and will rank equally in all respects with the Company's existing ordinary shares.

Total Voting Rights

In accordance with Rule 5.6.1 of the Disclosure and Transparency Rules (“DTRs”), the Company’s issued share capital following Admission will consist of 378,872,214 ordinary shares of 1 pence each. The Company does not hold any ordinary shares in treasury. Therefore, the total number of voting rights in the Company following Admission is 378,872,214.

The above figure of 378,872,214 may be used by shareholders in the Company as the denominator for the calculations by which they will determine if they are required to notify their interest in, or a change to their interest in, the share capital of the Company under the DTRs.

Chris Gilbert, CEO of Fox Marble, commented:

“2020 was a year dominated by the impact of COVID-19, both on the market in which Fox Marble operates and directly on Fox Marble’s operations. Despite a turbulent year, the Company has made significant progress in several areas. Sales of processed marble have increased significantly, driven by the large contracts signed in 2020 within Kosovo, supported by targeted capital expenditure and a focus on process improvements. Funding has been secured for our Arbitration case, and we can now expect to see progress on this matter. While the block marble market was very disappointing in 2020, we are starting to see some green shoots of recovery and are confident that 2021 will see a gradual return to normal sales volumes.”

This announcement contains inside information for the purposes of Regulation 11 of the Market Abuse (amendment) (EU exit) Regulations 2019/310. The Directors of the Company take responsibility for this announcement.

For more information on Fox Marble please visit www.foxmarble.net or contact:

Fox Marble Holdings plc

Chris Gilbert, Chief Executive Officer
Tel: +44 (0) 20 7380 0999

Fiona Hadfield, Finance Director
Tel: +44 (0) 20 7380 0999

Brandon Hill Capital (Joint Broker)

Oliver Stansfield
Tel: +44 (0) 20 3463 5000

Allenby Capital (Joint Broker)

Nick Naylor/Nick Athanas/Liz Kirchner (Corporate Finance)
Amrit Nahal (Sales and Corporate Broking)
Tel: +44 (0) 20 3394 2973

Cairn Financial Advisers LLP (Nomad)

Liam Murray / Sandy Jamieson
Tel: +44 (0) 20 7213 0880

Notes to Editors

Fox Marble (AIM: FOX), is a marble production, processing and distribution company in Kosovo and the Balkans region.  

Its marble products, which includes Alexandrian Blue, Alexandrian White, Breccia Paradisea, Etruscan gold and Grigio Argento and are gaining sales globally both to international wholesale companies as well as being supplied directly into luxury residential properties. In the UK these include among others St George’s Homes and Capital and Counties Plc’s Lillie Square development. In Sydney, Australia Rosso Cait, Alexandrian White and Breccia Paradisea marble have been used in what is expected to be Australia’s most expensive residential property. These sales serve to demonstrate the desirability of Fox’s premium marble products as the stone of choice in some of the most prestigious and expensive residential developments around the world. 

Caution regarding forward looking statements

Certain statements in this announcement, are, or may be deemed to be, forward looking statements. Forward looking statements are identified by their use of terms and phrases such as ''believe'', ''could'', "should" ''envisage'', ''estimate'', ''intend'', ''may'', ''plan'', ''potentially'', "expect", ''will'' or the negative of those, variations or comparable expressions, including references to assumptions. These forward looking statements are not based on historical facts but rather on the Directors' current expectations and assumptions regarding the Company's future growth, results of operations, performance, future capital and other expenditures (including the amount, nature and sources of funding thereof), competitive advantages, business prospects and opportunities. Such forward looking statements reflect the Directors' current beliefs and assumptions and are based on information currently available to the Directors.

Read More
Operations, Sales Lydia Knyvett Operations, Sales Lydia Knyvett

New order - Phase II of Poduyeva announced

Fox Marble, the AIM listed company focused on marble quarrying and processing in Kosovo and the Balkans region is pleased to announce that it has received a new order for the supply of cut and polished paving tiles as part of Phase II of the contract for the Municipality of Poduyeva in Kosovo (the “Project”)…

Fox Marble Holdings plc
("Fox Marble" or the "Company")

 

Fox Marble, the AIM listed company focused on marble quarrying and processing in Kosovo and the Balkans region is pleased to announce that it has received a new order for the supply of cut and polished paving tiles as part of Phase II of the contract for the Municipality of Poduyeva in Kosovo (the “Project”).

Phase II consists of the delivery of 6,600 square metres of processed material.  The Company will supply the block marble from its quarries before cutting and finishing in its factory in Kosovo. Work is expected to commence on the project in March 2020 and is expected to generate circa €250,000 to the Company.

This is the second order with respect to Poduyeva for Fox Marble.  Fox Marble began supplying material under the Poduyeva contract, details of which were previously announced on 30 July 2020, and has supplied 4,000 square metres of material to date.  The total contract is expected to be for approximately 20,000 sqm of material.

Chris Gilbert, CEO, commented

“This new order to supply paving tiles to the Poduyeva Municipality is a testament to the value of our stone, the quality of our processed material and the efficiency with which we have supplied the stone for Phase I of the development in this town square.

We continue to be the leading provider of dimension stone within Kosovo.  Our marble comes from our quarries in Kosovo and North Macedonia and we look forward to reopening our quarries following the winter shutdown.

We are proud of our workforce who have contributed so fully to improving the rate of production in our factory allowing us to fulfil these substantial contracts within our existing operating setup.  I look forward to updating the market on additional contracts, which we expect will be formalised in the current quarter.”

This announcement contains inside information for the purposes of Regulation 11 of the Market Abuse (amendment) (EU exit) Regulations 2019/310. The Directors of the Company take responsibility for this announcement.

 

For more information on Fox Marble please visit www.foxmarble.net or contact:

Fox Marble Holdings plc
Chris Gilbert, Chief Executive Officer
Tel: +44 (0) 20 7380 0999
Fiona Hadfield, Finance Director
Tel: +44 (0) 20 7380 0999 

Brandon Hill Capital (Joint Broker)
Oliver Stansfield
Tel: +44 (0) 20 3463 5000

Allenby Capital (Joint Broker)
Nick Naylor/Nick Athanas/Liz Kirchner (Corporate Finance)
Amrit Nahal (Sales and Corporate Broking)
Tel: +44 (0) 20 3394 2973

Cairn Financial Advisers LLP (Nomad)
Liam Murray / Sandy Jamieson
Tel: +44 (0) 20 7213 0880

Notes to Editors

Fox Marble (AIM: FOX), is a marble production, processing and distribution company in Kosovo and the Balkans region.  

Its marble products, which includes Alexandrian Blue, Alexandrian White, Breccia Paradisea, Etruscan gold and Grigio Argento and are gaining sales globally both to international wholesale companies as well as being supplied directly into luxury residential properties. In the UK these include among others St George’s Homes and Capital and Counties Plc’s Lillie Square development. In Sydney, Australia Rosso Cait, Alexandrian White and Breccia Paradisea marble have been used in what is expected to be Australia’s most expensive residential property. These sales serve to demonstrate the desirability of Fox’s premium marble products as the stone of choice in some of the most prestigious and expensive residential developments around the world. 

Read More
Operations Lydia Knyvett Operations Lydia Knyvett

Recommencing operations in the Cervenille quarry

Fox Marble, the AIM listed company focused on marble quarrying and processing in Kosovo and the Balkans region, is pleased to announce that it is recommencing operations in its Cervenille quarry in Kosovo…

Fox Marble Holdings plc
("Fox Marble" or the "Company")

Fox Marble, the AIM listed company focused on marble quarrying and processing in Kosovo and the Balkans region, is pleased to announce that it is recommencing operations in its Cervenille quarry in Kosovo.

The Cervenille quarry was originally developed and became operational in 2013 and was reopened last week due to increasing demand for material.  This quarry contains Grigio Argento (warm grey with gold veins) as well as Flora (grey red) and Rosso Cait (red) marble. 

Fox Marble has seen significant demand for Grigio Argento. This material has been used within high end projects such as the St Georges Homes project at Chelsea Creek in London and is currently being supplied to recently announced municipal projects at Suhareka and Podujeva in Kosovo.  The current range of orders that Fox Marble is fulfilling is utilising significant quantities of this material, and as such the Company has restarted operations at the quarry.  This will ensure sufficient stocks of block material for existing and future projects as well as the winter shut down of the quarry.

Chris Gilbert, CEO, commented:

"Through recent marketing efforts we have been seeing increasing demand for our Grigio Argento marble.  We have recommenced our operations in Cervenille to fulfil the appetite for this material. This will allow us to continue to service existing contracts for projects and allow us to continue to grow sales at the factory."

This announcement contains inside information for the purposes of Article 7 of EU Regulation 596/2014

For more information on Fox Marble please visit www.foxmarble.net or contact:

Fox Marble Holdings plc
Chris Gilbert, Chief Executive Officer
Fiona Hadfield, Finance Director
Tel: +44 (0) 20 7380 0999

Allenby Capital (Joint Broker)
Nick Naylor/Nick Athanas/Liz Kirchner (Corporate Finance)
Amrit Nahal (Sales) 
Tel: +44 (0) 20 3394 2973

Brandon Hill Capital (Joint Broker)
Oliver Stansfield
Tel: +44 (0) 20 3463 5000

Cairn Financial Advisers LLP (Nomad)
Liam Murray/Sandy Jamieson
Tel: +44 (0) 20 7213 0880

Notes to Editors

Fox Marble (AIM: FOX), is a marble production, processing and distribution company in Kosovo and the Balkans region.  

Its marble products, which includes Alexandrian Blue, Alexandrian White, Breccia Paradisea, Etruscan gold and Grigio Argento and are gaining sales globally both to international wholesale companies as well as being supplied directly into luxury residential properties. In the UK these include among others St George's Homes and Capital and Counties Plc's Lillie Square development. In Sydney, Australia Rosso Cait, Alexandrian White and Breccia Paradisea marble have been used in what is expected to be Australia's most expensive residential property. These sales serve to demonstrate the desirability of Fox's premium marble products as the stone of choice in some of the most prestigious and expensive residential developments around the world. 

Read More
Operations Lydia Knyvett Operations Lydia Knyvett

New equipment for our factory in Kosovo

Fox Marble, the AIM listed company focused on marble quarrying and processing in Kosovo and the Balkans region is pleased to announce that it has acquired two additional automatic CNC cutting machines to be installed in its factory in Kosovo…

Fox Marble Holdings plc
("Fox Marble" or the "Company")

Fox Marble, the AIM listed company focused on marble quarrying and processing in Kosovo and the Balkans region is pleased to announce that it has acquired two additional automatic CNC cutting machines to be installed in its factory in Kosovo.

The two machines are manufactured by Simec Srl and Garcia Ramos SA and with the existing Gravellona Machine Marmo CNC machine will double the capacity to cut tiles when fully commissioned in the next few weeks.

Chris Gilbert, CEO, commented

"This additional capacity will enhance our processing capabilities at the factory and the rate of processing.  This will allow Fox Marble to continue to tender for new contracts while fulfilling the existing large projects that were previously announced.  This further confirms Fox Marble's position as the leading provider of dimension stone within Kosovo and region developing new business by providing high quality locally sourced marble."

This announcement contains inside information for the purposes of Article 7 of EU Regulation 596/2014

For more information on Fox Marble please visit www.foxmarble.net or contact:

Fox Marble Holdings plc
Chris Gilbert, Chief Executive Officer
Fiona Hadfield, Finance Director
Tel: +44 (0) 20 7380 0999

Brandon Hill Capital (Joint Broker)
Oliver Stansfield
Tel: +44 (0) 20 3463 5000

Allenby Capital (Joint Broker)
Amrit Nahal/Nick Naylor
Tel: +44 (0) 20 3394 2973

Cairn Financial Advisers LLP (Nomad)
Liam Murray / Sandy Jamieson
Tel: +44 (0) 20 7213 0880

Notes to Editors

Fox Marble (AIM: FOX), is a marble production, processing and distribution company in Kosovo and the Balkans region.  

Its marble products, which includes Alexandrian Blue, Alexandrian White, Breccia Paradisea, Etruscan gold and Grigio Argento and are gaining sales globally both to international wholesale companies as well as being supplied directly into luxury residential properties. In the UK these include among others St George's Homes and Capital and Counties Plc's Lillie Square development. In Sydney, Australia Rosso Cait, Alexandrian White and Breccia Paradisea marble have been used in what is expected to be Australia's most expensive residential property. These sales serve to demonstrate the desirability of Fox's premium marble products as the stone of choice in some of the most prestigious and expensive residential developments around the world.

Read More
Sales, Operations Lydia Knyvett Sales, Operations Lydia Knyvett

Contract Update

Fox Marble, the AIM listed company focused on marble quarrying and processing in Kosovo and the Balkans region is pleased to announce that it has commenced processing the contract announced on 14 April 2020 to supply up to 20,000 square metres of paving for Suhareka town square, Kosovo.  Fox Marble is now processing the paving slabs in order to supply its material in time for its customer to start the installation as soon as the current lockdown provisions in Kosovo are eased…

Fox Marble Holdings plc
("Fox Marble" or the "Company")

Fox Marble, the AIM listed company focused on marble quarrying and processing in Kosovo and the Balkans region is pleased to announce that it has commenced processing the contract announced on 14 April 2020 to supply up to 20,000 square metres of paving for Suhareka town square, Kosovo.  Fox Marble is now processing the paving slabs in order to supply its material in time for its customer to start the installation as soon as the current lockdown provisions in Kosovo are eased.

The material for this contract will be supplied from Fox Marble’s factory in Kosovo, with the first 8,000 square metres to be delivered by 30 September 2020.  The stone will be processed from existing blocks of Grigio Argento, Flora and Alexandrian white, already extracted and awaiting processing.

Material already specified and contracted under the first two stages of the project has a total value in excess of €400,000 and, once all 20,000 square metres has been supplied, the project is expected to be worth in excess of €750,000. 

Chris Gilbert, CEO, commented

“This contract to supply a local municipality to pave a large open public space confirms Fox Marble’s position as a leading provider of dimension stone within Kosovo and the Balkans wider region.  Our factory is able to proceed with this order as a designated industrial facility and we anticipate further similar sales in the near future.”

This announcement contains inside information for the purposes of Article 7 of EU Regulation 596/2014

For more information on Fox Marble please visit www.foxmarble.net or contact:

Fox Marble Holdings plc
Chris Gilbert, Chief Executive Officer
Fiona Hadfield, Finance Director
Tel: +44 (0) 20 7380 0999

Brandon Hill Capital (Joint Broker)
Oliver Stansfield Tel: +44 (0) 20 3463 5000

Optiva Securities (Joint Broker)
Christian Dennis/Jeremy King
Tel:+44 (0) 20 3137 1902

Cairn Financial Advisers LLP  (Nomad)  
Liam Murray/ Sandy Jamieson 
Tel: +44 (0) 20 7213 0880

Notes to Editors

Fox Marble (AIM: FOX), is a marble production, processing and distribution company in Kosovo and the Balkans region.

Its marble products, which includes Alexandrian Blue, Alexandrian White, Breccia Paradisea, Etruscan gold and Grigio Argento and are gaining sales globally both to international wholesale companies as well as being supplied directly into luxury residential properties. In the UK these include among others St George’s Homes and Capital and Counties Plc’s Lillie Square development. In Sydney, Australia Rosso Cait, Alexandrian White
and Breccia Paradisea marble have been used in what is expected to be Australia’s most expensive residential property. These sales serve to demonstrate the desirability of Fox’s premium marble products
as the stone of choice in some of the most prestigious and expensive residential developments around the world.

Caution regarding forward looking statements

Certain statements in this announcement, are, or may be deemed to be, forward looking statements. Forward looking statements are identified by their use of terms and phrases such as ''believe'', ''could'', "should" ''envisage'', ''estimate'', ''intend'', ''may'', ''plan'', ''potentially'', "expect", ''will'' or the negative of those, variations or comparable expressions, including references to assumptions. These forward looking statements are not based on historical facts but rather on the Directors' current expectations and assumptions regarding the Company's future growth, results of operations, performance, future capital and other expenditures (including the amount, nature and sources of funding thereof), competitive advantages, business prospects and opportunities. Such forward looking statements reflect the Directors' current beliefs and assumptions and are based on information currently available to the Directors.

Read More
Operations Lydia Knyvett Operations Lydia Knyvett

Covid-19 Update

The spread of Coronavirus (COVID-19) continues to have a significant impact across industries worldwide, including the marble extraction and processing market,  given the international travel and working restrictions now in place in many countries…

Fox Marble Holdings plc
("Fox Marble" or the "Company")

The spread of Coronavirus (COVID-19) continues to have a significant impact across industries worldwide, including the marble extraction and processing market,  given the international travel and working restrictions now in place in many countries.

The Board’s highest priority is the continued wellbeing of its employees, customers and stakeholders both in the UK and Kosovo.  Given the continued uncertainty on the potential impact and duration of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Board has now taken preemptive steps not only to ensure the well-being of those affected, but also to best position the Company for future operations.  

Kosovo Operations

In line with many other nations, Kosovo has introduced a number of measures to try and curb the further spread of COVID-19, including travel restrictions, school closures and closures of non-essential shops and venues. All flights into Kosovo have been cancelled since 16 March 2020, whilst land borders are also closed to non-Kosovo citizens. On 23 March 2020 all private businesses, apart from of some designated sectors, were also ordered to close.  

Under the current legislation Fox Marble’s operations are permitted to continue, as it falls within a designated sector. The Company will continue to operate the factory, though it will scale back operations to specific projects.  This will allow the implementation of extra distancing procedures to protect our workforce, as well as to take into account the impact of COVID-19 on the Company’s customers.  Existing and committed projects will be completed, though timelines will be closely managed in co-ordination with our clients.  The level of operations at the factory will be assessed every two weeks.

Fox Marble’s factory has, over the first quarter of this year, developed a strong order book of projects for the local Kosovan market and we hope to return to a higher rate of production as soon as conditions permit. 

Macedonia Operations
In the operating update released on 10 March 2020 the Company noted the impact of the COVID-19 on the sale of block marble.  Demand has fallen as a result of travel restrictions placed on China, the principal buyers of the Company’s block marble, since January 2020.  The spread of the virus into Europe and the resulting impact on cross border travel and trade has magnified this effect. The Company has elected to significantly scale back production at the quarry in order to keep operational cash flow neutral until the international block marble market returns to normality. The Company is well positioned to ramp up operations as and when it is feasible to do so.

The Board will continue to closely monitor the situation and working capital will continue to be tightly managed. Whilst operations are temporarily suspended, the Company will seek to eliminate all unnecessary expenditure and the Board will not take any salary or fees until operations resume.  Head Office staff in London are on government furlough, as we work to retain our hard working and committed team.

Chris Gilbert, CEO, commented

“Our focus during the rapidly evolving situations is the wellbeing of our workforce, customers and stakeholders.  During this time of heightened uncertainty, we are strictly managing our cash flow.  We hope to be able to resume full operations in both the factory and quarries soon and resume the projects within our order book.”

This announcement contains inside information for the purposes of Article 7 of EU Regulation 596/2014.

For more information on Fox Marble please visit www.foxmarble.net or contact:  

Fox Marble Holdings plc   
Chris Gilbert, Chief Executive Officer
Fiona Hadfield, Finance Director 
Tel: +44 (0) 20 7380 0999

Brandon Hill Capital (Joint Broker)
Oliver Stansfield
Tel: +44 (0) 20 3463 5000

Optiva Securities (Joint Broker)
Christian Dennis / Jeremy King
Tel:+44 (0) 20 3137 1902
 
Cairn Financial Advisers LLP (Nomad)
Liam Murray /  Sandy Jamieson / Ludovico Lazzaretti 
Tel: +44 (0) 20 7213 0880

Notes to Editors

Fox Marble (AIM: FOX), is a marble production, processing and distribution company in Kosovo and the Balkans region.  

Its marble products, which includes Alexandrian Blue, Alexandrian White, Breccia Paradisea, Etruscan gold and Grigio Argento and are gaining sales globally both to international wholesale companies as well as being supplied directly into luxury residential properties. In the UK these include among others St George’s Homes and Capital and Counties Plc’s Lillie Square development. In Sydney, Australia Rosso Cait, Alexandrian White and Breccia Paradisea marble have been used in what is expected to be Australia’s most expensive residential property. These sales serve to demonstrate the desirability of Fox Marble’s premium marble products as the stone of choice in some of the most prestigious and expensive residential developments around the world. 

Caution regarding forward looking statements
Certain statements in this announcement, are, or may be deemed to be, forward looking statements. Forward looking statements are identified by their use of terms and phrases such as ''believe'', ''could'', "should" ''envisage'', ''estimate'', ''intend'', ''may'', ''plan'', ''potentially'', "expect", ''will'' or the negative of those, variations or comparable expressions, including references to assumptions.
These forward looking statements are not based on historical facts but rather on the Directors' current expectations and assumptions regarding the Company's future growth, results of operations, performance, future capital and other expenditures (including the amount, nature and sources of funding thereof), competitive advantages, business prospects and opportunities. Such forward looking statements reflect the Directors' current beliefs and assumptions and are based on information currently available to the Directors.

Read More
Operations Lydia Knyvett Operations Lydia Knyvett

Operating Update

Highlights

·         Sales for the year ended 31 December 2019 of €1.4 million, (2018 - €1.4 million)

·         Production for the year ended 31 December 2019 of 14,515 tonnes (2018 – 12,561 tonnes) with production in Prilep of 11,547 tonnes (2018 – 5,803 tonnes)

·         Fundraising completed raising £0.7 million in December 2019…

Fox Marble Holdings plc
(“Fox Marble” or the “Company”)

Highlights

·         Sales for the year ended 31 December 2019 of €1.4 million, (2018 - €1.4 million)

·         Production for the year ended 31 December 2019 of 14,515 tonnes (2018 – 12,561 tonnes) with production in Prilep of 11,547 tonnes (2018 – 5,803 tonnes)

·         Fundraising completed raising £0.7 million in December 2019

Operating Update

Fox Marble, the AIM listed company focused on marble quarrying and finishing in Kosovo and the Balkans region, is pleased to provide the following operational update ahead of the publication of its preliminary results for year ended 31 December 2019 which are anticipated to be notified in May 2020.

Sales

Sales for the year ended 2019 were €1.4 million.  The fall in block sales of Illirico Selene following the closure of operations in Maleshevë was offset by increased block sales from the Prilep quarry in Macedonia.  Sales from the factory increased significantly in the final quarter of the year, outpacing the previous three quarters, following the appointment of new factory manager and non-board COO, and we expect this trend to continue into 2020.  Sales of processed marble are expected to form an increasing proportion of sales from 2020 onwards.

The opening of the Company's new showroom in Pristina is a demonstration of Fox Marble's confidence in the market growth potential of the region, both for its own processed products as well as providing cutting and polishing services to third parties.

The Company’s strategic focus for sales over 2020 will be:

·         Factory sales of processed marble to Kosovo and the greater Balkans area

·         Block sales to China and other markets, driven by Fox Marble's Prilep quarry in Macedonia which has significant reserves potential of premium quality Alexandria White and Alexandria Blue marble.

The Coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak will have an impact on block sales throughout the marble industry, as a result of the prominence of China as a buyer of unprocessed marble and the travel restrictions imposed since the start of the year.  We continue to monitor the situation.

The Company continues to tightly manage its working capital.

Quarry Production

The quarry in Prilep in Macedonia, which produces Alexandrian White and Alexandrian Blue marble, has seen production nearly double in the 2019 financial period compared to 2018, a product of both the investment in new machinery at the start of 2019 and the new quarry team installed at the end of 2018.  Production has effectively doubled two years in a row at the quarry (2017 production – 2,285 tonnes) and further growth is expected in the 2020.  The target for 2020 will be to increase marble production by up to 50% compared to 2019 during the year with minimum capital investment.

The Cervenillë and Syrigane quarries in Kosovo – sources respectively of our Argento Grigio, Rosso Cait and Breccia marbles are open, with machinery on site and ready for deployment.  At present quarry teams are not on site, as the Company has a significant reserve of material in stock, however the quarries can be staffed at short notice.  This allows the Company to preserve working capital, whilst using existing stock reserves to provide material for sale from the factory.

Quarry production at the Maleshevë quarry in Kosovo was stopped in July 2019 a result of the ongoing dispute with Green Power Sh.p.k..  The Company has filed civil claims in Kosovo against Green Power Sh.pk for breach of contract and damages, in addition to the wider Arbitration case launched against the Government of Kosovo, as announced in September 2019.

The foundation of a successful and growing natural stone company is its reserves base.  Fox Marble's strategy is to seek to grow its reserves over the medium term, and is actively screening opportunities.  This will provide the opportunity to increase both block sales and processed marble from the factory from the end of 2020 onwards.

Factory

Fox Marble’s processing facility is a 5,400 square metre double skinned steel factory for the cutting and processing of blocks into polished slabs and tiles which was erected on a 10-hectare site that the Company acquired in Lipjan in 2013, close to Pristina airport in Kosovo.  The new factory manager Secondino de Costas, under the direction of our new COO Francisco Espinosa has implemented new processes and improved operations across the factory site.

As announced on 5 December 2019 and 17 February 2020, the Company entered into three new contracts to process material for third parties at the factory. These agreements represent a new revenue stream for the Company, whereby it provides marble cutting and polishing services to other companies quarrying in the wider Balkan region. These agreements have allowed Fox Marble to expand capacity at the factory whilst maximising operating efficiencies and continuing to process its own material for sale.

On the back of increased factory operating efficiency and capacity, the new sales team is delivering increased sales of processed marble driven by a targeted focus on the Kosovo domestic market, as well as entering into long term contracts to process marble for third parties.

Dispute and Arbitration Claim

On 4 September 2019 Fox Marble launched United National Commission on International Trade Law (UNCITRAL) arbitration proceedings, against the Republic of Kosovo for damages in excess of €195 million, as a result of the failure of the State to protect Fox Marble’s rights over the Maleshevë quarry.

The Company believes the Kosovan Government to be in breach of its responsibilities towards the Company as a foreign investor in Kosovo and that this action is in the best interests of its shareholders and employees.

The Company is represented by its legal advisers, Stephenson Harwood LLP, as well as its Kosovan lawyers.

Chris Gilbert, CEO, commented

“In the last year the Company has re focussed its activities and l look forward to seeing the results of this and I am hopeful that we shall see the results of this in 2020 particularly in the sale of processed marble on the back of our developing customer base in the Balkans region. The hard work that our enhanced management team is undertaking will show results this year.”

This announcement contains inside information for the purposes of Article 7 of EU Regulation 596/2014.

For more information on Fox Marble please visit www.foxmarble.net or contact:

Fox Marble Holdings plc
Chris Gilbert, Chief Executive Officer
Fiona Hadfield, Finance Director
Tel: +44 (0) 20 7380 0999

Brandon Hill Capital (Joint Broker)
Oliver Stansfield
Tel: +44 (0) 20 3463 5000

Optiva Securities (Joint Broker)
Christian Dennis / Jeremy King
Tel:+44 (0) 20 3137 1902

Cairn Financial Advisers LLP (Nomad)
Liam Murray / Sandy Jamieson / Ludovico Lazzaretti
Tel: +44 (0) 20 7213 0880

Notes to Editors

Fox Marble (AIM: FOX), is a marble production, processing and distribution company in Kosovo and the Balkans region.  

Its marble products, which includes Alexandrian Blue, Alexandrian White, Breccia Paradisea, Etruscan gold and Grigio Argento and are gaining sales globally both to international wholesale companies as well as being supplied directly into luxury residential properties. In the UK these include among others St George’s Homes and Capital and Counties Plc’s Lillie Square development. In Sydney, Australia Rosso Cait, Alexandrian White and Breccia Paradisea marble have been used in what is expected to be Australia’s most expensive residential property. These sales serve to demonstrate the desirability of Fox Marble’s premium marble products as the stone of choice in some of the most prestigious and expensive residential developments around the world. 

Caution regarding forward looking statements

Certain statements in this announcement, are, or may be deemed to be, forward looking statements. Forward looking statements are identified by their use of terms and phrases such as ''believe'', ''could'', "should" ''envisage'', ''estimate'', ''intend'', ''may'', ''plan'', ''potentially'', "expect", ''will'' or the negative of those, variations or comparable expressions, including references to assumptions. These forward looking statements are not based on historical facts but rather on the Directors' current expectations and assumptions regarding the Company's future growth, results of operations, performance, future capital and other expenditures (including the amount, nature and sources of funding thereof), competitive advantages, business prospects and opportunities. Such forward looking statements reflect the Directors' current beliefs and assumptions and are based on information currently available to the Directors.

Read More
Operations Lydia Knyvett Operations Lydia Knyvett

Strategy Update

Following on from the successful fund raising in December 2019 and building on the non-board appointment of an experienced executive team and new sales force, the Company provides the following update on its strategy…

Fox Marble Holdings plc
(“Fox” or the “Company”)

Following on from the successful fund raising in December 2019 and building on the non-board appointment of an experienced executive team and new sales force, the Company provides the following update on its strategy.

The Company will focus on three legs of strategy over the short to medium term:-

·         Factory sales of processed marble with a focus on growth in sales within Kosovo and the greater Balkans area;

·         Block sales to China and other large block markets; and

·         Growing our marble reserves base and opening new quarries in Kosovo.

Factory sales of processed marble to Kosovo and the greater Balkans area

On the back of increased factory operating efficiency and capacity, the new sales team is delivering increased sales of processed marble driven by a targeted focus on the the Kosovo domestic market, as well as entering into long term contracts to process marble for third parties . The target for 2020 is to continue to increase factory capacity and to grow that year on year over the medium term in line with increased demand in Kosovo and the greater Balkans region. This will be achieved through a combination of increasing shift patterns, continued improvements in operating efficiency and the selective addition of capital efficient factory machinery.

The formal opening of the Company's new showroom and office in Pristina in April 2020 is a demonstration of Fox's confidence in the market growth potential of the region, both for its own processed products as well as providing cutting services to third parties.

Block sales to China & other markets

Initially block sales globally will be driven by Fox's Prilep quarry in Macedonia which has significant reserves potential of premium quality Alexandria White and Alexandria Blue marble.

The target for 2020 will be to increase marble production by up to 50% compared to 2019 during the year with minimum capital investment.  Thereafter, the plan will be to deliver year on year production growth in line with anticipated increased demand for the products over the medium term. Significant reserves growth potentially exists in the quarry with expansion within the  concessions licensed to Fox Marble.

The new sales team has generated increased interest in the products, and discussions with large natural stone companies are ongoing to supply blocks for their project portfolios.

Growing marble reserves base and the opening of new quarries in Kosovo

The foundation of a successful and growing natural stone company is its reserves base. Fox's strategy is to seek to grow this over the medium term, finding and aiming to open on average at least one new quarry a year in opportunity rich Kosovo. For 2020, two new potential quarries have been identified and commercial discussions are already underway with one licence holder with the aim of opening a new premium quality marble quarry by the second half of 2020, subject to successful drilling of the resource. This will provide the opportunity to increase both block sales and processed marble from the factory from the end of 2020 onwards.

With a strong executive team in place, a new and growing sales force and improved strategy, business planning and performance management being implemented, the Fox Board is optimistic for the future growth potential for the business.

This announcement contains inside information for the purposes of Article 7 of EU Regulation 596/2014.

For more information on Fox Marble Holdings plc please visit www.foxmarble.net or contact:

Fox Marble Holdings plc
Chris Gilbert, Chief Executive Officer
Fiona Hadfield, Finance Director
Tel: +44 (0) 20 7380 0999

Brandon Hill Capital (Joint Broker)
Oliver Stansfield
Tel: +44 (0) 20 3463 5000

Optiva Securities (Joint Broker)
Christian Dennis/Jeremy King
Tel:+44 (0) 20 3137 1902

Cairn Financial Advisers LLP (Nomad)
Liam Murray / Sandy Jamieson / Ludovico Lazzaretti
Tel: +44 (0) 20 7213 0880

Notes to Editors

Fox Marble Holdings plc (AIM: FOX), is a marble production, processing and distribution company in Kosovo and the Balkans region.  

Its marble products, which includes Alexandrian Blue, Alexandrian White, Breccia Paradisea, Etruscan gold and Grigio Argento and are gaining sales globally both to international wholesale companies as well as being supplied directly into luxury residential properties. In the UK these include among others St George’s Homes and Capital and Counties Plc’s Lillie Square development. In Sydney, Australia Rosso Cait, Alexandrian White and Breccia Paradisea marble have been used in what is expected to be Australia’s most expensive residential property. These sales serve to demonstrate the desirability of Fox’s premium marble products as the stone of choice in some of the most prestigious and expensive residential developments around the world. 

Caution regarding forward looking statements

Certain statements in this announcement, are, or may be deemed to be, forward looking statements. Forward looking statements are identified by their use of terms and phrases such as ''believe'', ''could'', "should" ''envisage'', ''estimate'', ''intend'', ''may'', ''plan'', ''potentially'', "expect", ''will'' or the negative of those, variations or comparable expressions, including references to assumptions. These forward looking statements are not based on historical facts but rather on the Directors' current expectations and assumptions regarding the Company's future growth, results of operations, performance, future capital and other expenditures (including the amount, nature and sources of funding thereof), competitive advantages, business prospects and opportunities. Such forward looking statements reflect the Directors' current beliefs and assumptions and are based on information currently available to the Directors.

Read More
Sales, Operations Lydia Knyvett Sales, Operations Lydia Knyvett

Fox Marble signs new agreement for sale of processed marble

Fox Marble, the AIM listed company focused on marble quarrying and processing in Kosovo and the Balkans region announces that it has entered into an agreement with EBA Sh.p.K with the intention to provide processed marble in the form of tiles, stair treads and window lintels…

(“Fox Marble” or the “Company”)
Fox Marble Holdings plc

Fox Marble, the AIM listed company focused on marble quarrying and processing in Kosovo and the Balkans region announces that it has entered into an agreement with EBA Sh.p.K with the intention to provide processed marble in the form of tiles, stair treads and window lintels. 

EBA Sh.p.K is a local architect and construction firm based in Kosovo, and the products are destined for use in construction projects within Kosovo. The material selected for these items is Flora, Alexandrian White and Illirico Bianco. 

The stone will be processed at Fox Marble’s Lipjan factory, from existing blocks of Illirico Bianco, Flora and Alexandrian White. The agreement has no minimum order value, but pricing is based on a minimum volume of 2,000 square metres, which the Company expects to supply over the course of this financial year.

Chris Gilbert, CEO, commented

“This agreement confirms Fox’s position as a trusted provider of processed marble within Kosovo and is a testament to the ability of our factory in Lipjan to supply not only marble slabs, but bespoke finished products for installation directly into building projects.”

This announcement contains inside information for the purposes of Article 7 of EU Regulation 596/2014
For more information on Fox Marble please visit www.foxmarble.net or contact:

Fox Marble Holdings plc
Chris Gilbert, Chief Executive Officer  
Fiona Hadfield, Finance Director
Tel: +44 (0) 20 7380 0999 

Brandon Hill Capital (Joint Broker)
Oliver Stansfield
Tel: +44 (0) 20 3463 5000

Optiva Securities (Joint Broker)
Christian Dennis/Jeremy King
Tel:+44 (0) 20 3137 1902

Cairn Financial Advisers LLP (Nomad)
Liam Murray/Sandy Jamieson 
Tel: +44 (0) 20 7213 0880

Notes to Editors

Fox Marble (AIM: FOX), is a marble production, processing and distribution company in Kosovo and the Balkans region.  

Its marble products, which includes Alexandrian Blue, Alexandrian White, Breccia Paradisea, Etruscan gold and Grigio Argento and are gaining sales globally both to international wholesale companies as well as being supplied directly into luxury residential properties. In the UK these include among others St George’s Homes and Capital and Counties Plc’s Lillie Square development. In Sydney, Australia Rosso Cait, Alexandrian White and Breccia Paradisea marble have been used in what is expected to be Australia’s most expensive residential property. These sales serve to demonstrate the desirability of Fox’s premium marble products as the stone of choice in some of the most prestigious and expensive residential developments around the world. 

Caution regarding forward looking statements

Certain statements in this announcement, are, or may be deemed to be, forward looking statements. Forward looking statements are identified by their use of terms and phrases such as ''believe'', ''could'',
"should" ''envisage'', ''estimate'', ''intend'', ''may'', ''plan'', ''potentially'', "expect", ''will'' or the negative of those,
variations or comparable expressions, including references to assumptions. These forward looking statements are not based on historical facts but rather on the Directors' current expectations and assumptions regarding the Company's future growth, results of operations, performance, future capital and other expenditures (including the amount, nature and sources of funding thereof),
competitive advantages, business prospects and opportunities. Such forward looking statements reflect the Directors' current beliefs and assumptions and are based on information currently available to the Directors.

Read More
Operations Lydia Knyvett Operations Lydia Knyvett

Lipjan block processing factory to double capacity due to strong demand

Fox Marble, the AIM listed company focused on marble quarrying and finishing in Kosovo and the Balkans region, is pleased to announce that as a result of rising client demand the Company’s factory at Lipjan in Kosovo has moved to two daily production shifts…

Fox Marble Holdings plc
(“Fox Marble” or the “Company”)

Fox Marble, the AIM listed company focused on marble quarrying and finishing in Kosovo and the Balkans region, is pleased to announce that as a result of rising client demand the Company’s factory at Lipjan in Kosovo has moved to two daily production shifts.

On 5 December 2019 Fox Marble announced the commencement of a new revenue stream, adding block processing for third parties to the two existing streams of (1) block sales from its Prilep quarry in North Macedonia; (2) sale of processed material from blocks of its own material quarried in Kosovo and Macedonia.

As announced on 5 December 2019, the first contract to process stone is on behalf of Inter Stone LLC was for an initial period of twelve months and is expected to generate over €1m in revenues for the Company, during the first year. This new third party block processing contract means that the factory needs to add an additional daily shift to handle the demand, given the already growing demand for its own processed materials. Further contracts for third party processing are expected to be signed in the near future. No additional capital expenditure has been required.

Chris Gilbert, CEO, commented

“This doubling in capacity was demand driven and demonstrates the validity of our decision to create a new revenue stream. Fox Marble is maximising its factory capacity and increasing operating efficiency, whilst still processing its own marble for sale to our global and wider Balkan markets. The Company can look forward to 2020 with confidence and I will be updating the market shortly with further plans to increase our growth.”

This announcement contains inside information for the purposes of Article 7 of EU Regulation 596/2014

For more information on Fox Marble please visit www.foxmarble.net or contact:

Fox Marble Holdings plc
Chris Gilbert, Chief Executive Officer
Fiona Hadfield, Finance Director
Tel: +44 (0) 20 7380 0999 

Brandon Hill Capital (Joint Broker)
Oliver Stansfield
Tel: +44 (0) 20 3463 5000

Optiva Securities (Joint Broker)
Christian Dennis / Jeremy King
Tel: +44 (0) 20 3981 4173

Cairn Financial Advisers LLP (Nominated Adviser)  
Liam Murray / Sandy Jamieson / Ludovico Lazzaretti
Tel: +44 (0) 20 7213 0880

Woodstock Leasor (Media)
Stuart Leasor
Tel: +44 (0) 7703 537721 

Notes to Editors

Fox Marble (AIM:FOX), is a marble production, processing and distribution company in Kosovo and the Balkans region.  

Its marble products include Alexandrian White, Alexandrian Blue, produced from the Company’s Prilep quarry in Macedonia, and Breccia Paridisea and Rosso Cait and Grigio Argento, produced from its quarries in Kosovo, are gaining traction globally both to international wholesale companies as well as being supplied directly into luxury residential properties.

In the UK these include among others St George’s Homes and Capital and Counties Plc’s Lillie Square development. In Sydney, Australia Rosso Cait, Alexandrian White and Breccia Paradisea marble have been used in what is expected to be Australia’s most expensive residential property. These sales serve to demonstrate the desirability of Fox Marble’s premium marble products as the stone of choice in some of the most prestigious and expensive residential developments around the world. 

Marble demand continues to grow with stable pricing and Fox Marble is capitalising on this growth internationally.

Read More
Operations Lydia Knyvett Operations Lydia Knyvett

New Showroom & Office in Pristine to support anticipated Sales Growth

Fox Marble, the AIM listed company focused on marble quarrying and finishing in Kosovo and the Balkans region is pleased to announce that in January 2020 it will be opening a new large showroom and office in Pristina, Kosovo in which to showcase its materials in a professional and attractive environment…

Fox Marble Holdings plc
(“Fox Marble” or the “Company”)

 

Fox Marble, the AIM listed company focused on marble quarrying and finishing in Kosovo and the Balkans region is pleased to announce that in January 2020 it will be opening a new large showroom and office in Pristina, Kosovo in which to showcase its materials in a professional and attractive environment. This will allow its material to be displayed in large format slab form under proper controlled lighting to present the stone under the best conditions. This initiative is expected to help generate increased levels of sales.

Fox Marble is experiencing a developing local market for its processed material and range of products from cut and polished tiles to stair pieces, door and window lintels to slabs, supporting increased production at the factory.

This will help underpin the 3-year factory expansion plan currently being developed by the recently appointed COO/GM Sales, in conjunction with the anticipated increased demand being generated by a new sales team both domestically and internationally.

It is expected that there is a sufficient stock of block material at Fox Marble’s Kosovo quarry sites to supply the factory for 18 – 24 months, without further quarrying there, in conjunction with the ongoing production growth from its quarry in Prilep, Macedonia.

Chris Gilbert, CEO, commented

“I am pleased this new facility has been opened, which is a demonstration of our confidence in the growth potential of the business, and I expect this to help drive continued sales growth over the coming months and the medium term. I look forward to updating the market on forward strategy in the new year.”

 

For more information on Fox Marble please visit www.foxmarble.net or contact:

Fox Marble Holdings plc
Chris Gilbert, Chief Executive Officer
Fiona Hadfield, Finance Director
Tel: +44 (0) 20 7380 0999

Brandon Hill Capital (Joint Broker)
Oliver Stansfield
Tel: +44 (0) 20 3463 5000

Optiva Securities (Joint Broker)
Christian Dennis / Jeremy King
Tel: +44 (0) 20 3981 4173

Cairn Financial Advisers LLP (Nomad)
Liam Murray / Sandy Jamieson / Ludovico Lazzaretti
Tel: +44 (0) 20 7213 0880

Notes to Editors

Fox Marble (AIM: FOX), is a marble production, processing and distribution company in Kosovo and the Balkans region.  

Its marble products include Alexandrian White, Alexandrian Blue, produced from the Company’s Prilep quarry in Macedonia, and Breccia Paridisea and Rosso Cait and Grigio Argento, produced from its quarries in Kosovo, are gaining traction globally both to international wholesale companies as well as being supplied directly into luxury residential properties.

In the UK these include among others St George’s Homes and Capital and Counties Plc’s Lillie Square development. In Sydney, Australia Rosso Cait, Alexandrian White and Breccia Paradisea marble have been used in what is expected to be Australia’s most expensive residential property. These sales serve to demonstrate the desirability of Fox’s premium marble products as the stone of choice in some of the most prestigious and expensive residential developments around the world. 

Marble demand continues to grow with stable pricing and Fox is capitalising on this growth internationally.

Read More
Operations, Sales Lydia Knyvett Operations, Sales Lydia Knyvett

Commencement of New Revenue Stream

Fox Marble, the AIM listed company focused on marble quarrying and finishing in Kosovo and the Balkans region is pleased to announce that it is has signed its first contract for the processing of third party blocks, which represents an additional revenue stream for the Company…

Fox Marble Holdings plc
(“Fox Marble” or the “Company”)

Fox Marble, the AIM listed company focused on marble quarrying and finishing in Kosovo and the Balkans region is pleased to announce that it is has signed its first contract for the processing of third party blocks, which represents an additional revenue stream for the Company.

Fox Marble now has three principal sources of revenue from three separate activities, those of block sales from its Prilep quarry in North Macedonia; sale of processed material from blocks of its own material quarried in Kosovo and Macedonia and block processing for third parties.

Under this new third-party agreement, Fox Marble will process stone on behalf of Inter Stone LLC at the Company’s factory at Lipjan in Kosovo.  The contract is for twelve months and it is expected that Fox Marble will continue to process blocks of material each month.  The blocks due to be processed within the first monthly batch of material have been delivered to the factory site and production has begun. The first order under this contract, expected to be fulfilled in December 2019, will generate around €100k in revenues for the Company.  The level of production will be up to a maximum of 1,000 tons per month, depending on the capacity that Fox Marble requires for its production of its own material.  

This arrangement will allow Fox Marble to expand capacity at the factory, driving performance improvements, whilst maximising operating efficiencies. 

This optimisation performance and efficiency comes in part from the adoption of a new flexible multi-shift system and is part of an overall factory improvement programme achieved since the recent appointments of Francisco Espinosa (COO and Head of Sales) and Secundino Costas da Villa (Technical Factory Manager),who bring with them a wealth of natural stone experience.

Working capital continues to be carefully managed as we implement our plans for growth.

Chris Gilbert, CEO, commented

“This new revenue stream will allow Fox Marble to utilise more of its factory capacity and increase operating efficiency, whilst still processing its own marble for sale globally as well as in the wider Balkan market. We look forward to our ongoing partnership with Inter Stone LLC. I look forward to updating the market in the New Year on our strategy and future growth plans.”

 

This announcement contains inside information for the purposes of Article 7 of EU Regulation 596/2014.

For more information on Fox Marble please visit www.foxmarble.net or contact:

Fox Marble Holdings plc
Chris Gilbert, Chief Executive Officer
Fiona Hadfield, Finance Director
Tel: +44 (0) 20 7380 0999

Brandon Hill Capital (Joint Broker)
Oliver Stansfield
Tel: +44 (0) 20 3463 5000

Optiva Securities (Joint Broker)
Christian Dennis / Jeremy King
Tel: +44 (0) 20 3981 4173

Cairn Financial Advisers LLP (Nominated Adviser)
Liam Murray / Sandy Jamieson / Ludovico Lazzaretti
Tel: +44 (0) 20 7213 0880

Notes to Editors

Fox Marble (AIM:FOX), is a marble production, processing and distribution company in Kosovo and the Balkans region.  

Its marble products include Alexandrian White, Alexandrian Blue, produced from the Company’s Prilep quarry in Macedonia, and Breccia Paridisea and Rosso Cait and Grigio Argento, produced from its quarries in Kosovo, are gaining traction globally both to international wholesale companies as well as being supplied directly into luxury residential properties.

In the UK these include among others St George’s Homes and Capital and Counties Plc’s Lillie Square development. In Sydney, Australia Rosso Cait, Alexandrian White and Breccia Paradisea marble have been used in what is expected to be Australia’s most expensive residential property. These sales serve to demonstrate the desirability of Fox Marble’s premium marble products as the stone of choice in some of the most prestigious and expensive residential developments around the world. 

Marble demand continues to grow with stable pricing and Fox Marble is capitalising on this growth internationally.

Read More
Operations Lydia Knyvett Operations Lydia Knyvett

Change of Registered Office

Fox Marble, the AIM listed company focused on marble quarrying and finishing in Kosovo and the Balkans region is pleased to announce that as of today its registered office will move to 160 Camden High Street, London, NW1 0NE…

30 October 2019

Fox Marble Holdings plc
(“Fox Marble” or the “Company”)

 

Fox Marble, the AIM listed company focused on marble quarrying and finishing in Kosovo and the Balkans region is pleased to announce that as of today its registered office will move to 160 Camden High Street, London, NW1 0NE.

For more information on Fox Marble please visit www.foxmarble.net or contact:

Fox Marble Holdings plc
Chris Gilbert, Chief Executive Officer
Fiona Hadfield, Finance Director
Tel: +44 (0) 20 7380 0999

Brandon Hill Capital (Joint Broker)
Oliver Stansfield
Tel: +44 (0) 20 3463 5000

Optiva Securities (Joint Broker)
Christian Dennis / Jeremy King
Tel: +44 (0) 20 3981 4173

Cairn Financial Advisers LLP (Nomad)
Liam Murray / Sandy Jamieson
Tel: +44 (0) 20 7213 0880

Notes to Editors

Fox Marble (AIM:FOX), is a marble production, processing and distribution company in Kosovo and the Balkans region.  

Its marble products include Alexandrian White, Alexandrian Blue, produced from the Company’s Prilep quarry in Macedonia, and Breccia Paridisea and Rosso Cait and Grigio Argento, produced from its quarries in Kosovo, are gaining traction globally both to international wholesale companies as well as being supplied directly into luxury residential properties.

In the UK these include among others St George’s Homes and Capital and Counties Plc’s Lillie Square development. In Sydney, Australia Rosso Cait, Alexandrian White and Breccia Paradisea marble have been used in what is expected to be Australia’s most expensive residential property. These sales serve to demonstrate the desirability of Fox’s premium marble products as the stone of choice in some of the most prestigious and expensive residential developments around the world. 

Marble demand continues to grow with stable pricing and Fox is capitalising on this growth internationally.

Read More
General Meeting, Operations, Sales Lydia Knyvett General Meeting, Operations, Sales Lydia Knyvett

Update and AGM statement

Fox Marble, the AIM listed company focused on marble quarrying and finishing in Kosovo and the Balkans region is pleased to provide the market with an operational and financial update ahead of its Annual General Meeting being held this morning at 11 am at CMS’s offices at 78 Cannon St London EC4N 6AF.  Additionally, the Company provides an update to the announcement dated 4 April 2019 regarding  the conditional acquisition of Green Power Sh.p.k ("Green Power") and Scope Sh.p.k. ("Scope")…

Fox Marble Holdings plc
(“Fox Marble” or the “Company”)

 

Fox Marble, the AIM listed company focused on marble quarrying and finishing in Kosovo and the Balkans region is pleased to provide the market with an operational and financial update ahead of its Annual General Meeting being held this morning at 11 am at CMS’s offices at 78 Cannon St London EC4N 6AF.  Additionally, the Company provides an update to the announcement dated 4 April 2019 regarding  the conditional acquisition of Green Power Sh.p.k ("Green Power") and Scope Sh.p.k. ("Scope").

Sales and Marketing update:

  • As previously announced on 17 June 2019, Fox Marble has received an order for 1,850 tons of Illirico Selene (the silver grey marble) from an existing customer. The order is notable because it consists not only of the higher quality large blocks of stone but also large quantities of small and semi blocks which constitute a lesser grade of block. This has the additional effect of clearing out old stock extracted some years ago and freeing up space in the quarry to further extend the quarrying area and reach additional resources of good quality stone.

  • On 5 June 2019, Fox Marble announced the confirmation of its biggest single order for its prized Alexandrian White marble. This order has been placed by the Swaminarayan Hindu religious order who are building a temple in Abu Dhabi on land donated by the Royal family of the UAE. Construction of this monument is due to commence shortly. Fox Marble will be providing bespoke, cut-to-size marble, varying in size from small blocks to large beams which will be shipped by the temple to India to first be hand carved and then shipped to the temple site. The schedule for the first of these shipments has been received. Fox Marble has received a minimum firm commitment for this material to be supplied during 2019 and 2020. The minimum value of this order will be $2.4m and Fox has received the first good faith deposit of $100,000 by way of confirmation.

Financial:

  • Sales for the period to 30 May 2019 are €791k (2018: €413k) Production for the period to 30 May was 7,532 tonnes (2018: 4,079 tonnes).

  • The cash balance as at 26 June 2019 is €0.8 million.

Updated on on Acquisition of Green Power and Scope:

  • On 4 April 2019 the Company announced the conditional acquisitions of Green Power, the licence holder of the Maleshevë quarry, and Scope, a company through which Fox Marble has entered into two hire purchase agreements (the “Acquisitions”).

  • As previously stated, the Acquisitions are conditional, inter alia, on shareholders approving certain resolutions at the forthcoming Annual General Meeting (“AGM”) of the Company on 26 June 2019, relating to authorities to issue new ordinary shares in the Company (the “Resolutions”).

  • The Company announces that it has now received notification from the legal representatives of Green Power and Scope, challenging the enforceability of the acquisition agreements relating to the proposed Acquisitions.

  • The Company is seeking advice from its legal advisers in respect of these claims, which they believe to be wholly unfounded. An update will be made to the market in due course, and the Company will seek shareholder approval of the Resolutions at the forthcoming AGM.

Other:

  • On 11 June 2019 Fox Marble announced the appointment of Optiva Securities as Joint Broker to the Company with immediate effect.

Chris Gilbert, CEO, commented:

“We have had a positive start for the year with sales developing well, and a number of major contracts being signed.  We look forward to providing a half  year update in July.  A major focus for the year is to expand our sales base beyond our most popular materials, Illirico Selene and Alexandrian White, to encompass all the Fox products, and to further develop our market for material processed at our factory.”

The information communicated in this announcement is inside information for the purposes of Article 7 of Regulation 596/2014.

 

For more information on Fox Marble please visit www.foxmarble.net  or contact:

Fox Marble Holdings plc

Chris Gilbert, Chief Executive Officer

Tel: +44 (0) 20 7380 0999

Fiona Hadfield, Finance Director

Tel: +44 (0) 20 7380 0999

Brandon Hill Capital (Joint Broker)

Oliver Stansfield

Optiva Securities (Joint Broker)

Christian Dennis/Jeremy King

Tel: +44 (0) 20 3463 5000

Tel:+44 (0) 20 3137 1903

Cairn Financial Advisers LLP (Nomad)

Liam Murray / Sandy Jamieson

Ludovico Lazzaretti

Tel: +44 (0) 20 7213 0880

Notes to Editors

Fox Marble (AIM: FOX), is a marble production, processing and distribution company in Kosovo and the Balkans region.

Its marble products, which includes Illirico Bianco, Illirico Selene, Grigio Argento and are gaining traction globally both to international wholesale companies as well as being supplied directly into luxury residential properties. In the UK these include among others St George’s Homes and Capital and Counties Plc’s Lillie Square development. In Sydney, Australia Rosso Cait, Alexandrian White and Breccia Paradisea marble have been used in what is expected to be Australia’s most expensive residential property. These sales serve to demonstrate the desirability of Fox’s premium marble products as the stone of choice in some of the most prestigious and expensive residential developments around the world.

Fox Marble holds 40 year mining licences for six separate marble quarries with a maiden JORC resource indicating an in-situ valuation of approximately Euro 16.5 billion. Fox has taken three of the six sites into production (the Drini and Maleshevë quarries, both in Kosovo and from the Prilep Quarry in Macedonia) and continues to increase production. Notably, Fox has access to over 300 million cubic metres (over 1bn tons) of premium quality marble.

Marble demand continues to grow with stable pricing, predominantly driven by the construction and real-estate industries, on which Fox is looking to capitalise.

Read More
Operations, Sales Lydia Knyvett Operations, Sales Lydia Knyvett

Resumption of production in Northern Macedonia and new sales

Fox Marble is pleased to announce the resumption of production after the usual winter shut down in our Prilep quarry in Northern Macedonia. The quarry, which contains white marble marketed as Alexandrian White, is now also producing substantial quantities of Alexandrian Blue from a newly developed section on the east side of the site. The quarry is expected to benefit from the deployment of additional equipment to significantly increase production levels to satisfy growing demand…

5 March 2019

Fox Marble Holdings plc
(“Fox Marble” or the “Company”)

  • Commercial extraction resumed of Alexandrian marble from Prilep Quarry.

  • 400 tonne order of Alexandrian white completed and paid for in February 2019.

  • New equipment deployed in quarry to increase production.

Fox Marble is pleased to announce the resumption of production after the usual winter shut down in our Prilep quarry in Northern Macedonia. The quarry, which contains white marble marketed as Alexandrian White, is now also producing substantial quantities of Alexandrian Blue from a newly developed section on the east side of the site. The quarry is expected to benefit from the deployment of additional equipment to significantly increase production levels to satisfy growing demand.

In February Fox Marble sold, and received payment for, 400 tonnes of Alexandrian White blocks to a new customer.  The customer is shipping these blocks to their facility in Drama in Northern Greece for processing. This customer was responsible for supplying similar material to the Sheik Zayed Grand Mosque in Abu Dhabi and has indicated their intention to purchase additional quantities of this marble on a regular basis throughout the year.

Chris Gilbert, CEO, commented

“This large volume block order to a new customer so early in the year following the winter break is an encouraging sign for the upcoming year. The customer, who has a long history of selling material from the Prilep area throughout the world, has indicated an intent to buy further quantities of this material throughout 2019.  The increase in monthly production at this quarry, following the investment made in equipment and resourcing, gives us the ability to supply more significant orders having developed robust markets for our stone worldwide”.

The information communicated in this announcement is inside information for the purposes of Article 7 of Regulation 596/2014.

 

For more information on Fox Marble please visit www.foxmarble.net or contact:

Fox Marble Holdings plc

Chris Gilbert, Chief Executive Officer

Tel: +44 (0) 20 7380 0999

Fiona Hadfield, Finance Director

Tel: +44 (0) 20 7380 0999

Brandon Hill Capital (Broker)

Oliver Stansfield

Tel: +44 (0) 20 3463 5000

Cairn Financial Advisers LLP (Nomad)

Liam Murray

Tel: +44 (0) 20 7213 0880

Notes to Editors

Fox Marble (AIM:FOX), is a marble production, processing and distribution company in Kosovo and the Balkans region.  

Its marble products, which includes Illirico Bianco, Illirico Selene, Grigio Argento and are gaining traction globally both to international wholesale companies as well as being supplied directly into luxury residential properties. In the UK these include among others St George’s Homes and Capital and Counties Plc’s Lillie Square development. In Sydney, Australia Rosso Cait, Alexandrian White and Breccia Paradisea marble have been used in what is expected to be Australia’s most expensive residential property. These sales serve to demonstrate the desirability of Fox’s premium marble products as the stone of choice in some of the most prestigious and expensive residential developments around the world. 

Fox Marble holds 40 year mining licences for six separate marble quarries with a maiden JORC resource indicating an in-situ valuation of approximately Euro 16.5 billion. Fox has taken three of the six sites into production (the Drini and Maleshevë quarries, both in Kosovo and from the Prilep Quarry in Macedonia) and continues to increase production. Notably, Fox has access to over 300 million cubic metres (over 1bn tons) of premium quality marble.

Marble demand continues to grow with stable pricing, predominantly driven by the construction and real-estate industries, on which Fox is looking to capitalise.

Read More
Operations, Shares Lydia Knyvett Operations, Shares Lydia Knyvett

Operating Update and Issue of Shares

Fox Marble, the AIM listed company focused on marble quarrying and finishing in Kosovo and the Balkans region, is pleased to provide the following operational update ahead of the publication of its preliminary results for year ended 31 December 2018 which are anticipated to be notified in May 2019…

7 February 2019

Fox Marble Holdings plc

(“Fox Marble” or the “Company”)

Operating Update and Issue of Shares

 

·         Unaudited sales for the year ended 31 December 2018 of c. €1.4 million, (2017 – c. €1.2million).

·         Production for the year ended 31 December 2018 of 12,561 tonnes (2017 – 8,811 tonnes) driven by an increase in production in Prilep in the last quarter of the year, not yet reflected in sales. 

·         Fundraising completed raising £2 million with the funds planned to increase capital equipment at the quarries in order to expand production and meet the confirmed demand for material in 2019. 

·         Block order book from existing customers for the year ended 31 December 2019 of around €3 million.

 

Operating Update

Fox Marble, the AIM listed company focused on marble quarrying and finishing in Kosovo and the Balkans region, is pleased to provide the following operational update ahead of the publication of its preliminary results for year ended 31 December 2018 which are anticipated to be notified in May 2019.

 

Sales

 

Unaudited sales for the year ended 2018 were c. €1.4 million, with a further €0.3 million in advances which have not yet been recognised in sales. Whilst sales growth has not been as strong as expected, this has been driven by lower than expected quarry production volumes in Maleshevë.  The demand for our Illirico Selene marble is currently outpacing production. We have seen encouraging signs in the development of our customer base, with a core of recurring block sale customers, with steady and regular demand for our material. We expect these customers to form the backbone of expected revenues in 2019.

·         In 2018, the Company has seen its first significant orders from China. A single Chinese customer has purchased and paid for 894 tonnes of Illirico Selene in three separate shipments.  This customer has confirmed it wishes to take 300 tonnes of this material each month for the next 12 months.

·         Turkey continues to be a consistent market for the Company, with over 1,200 tonnes of material sold in 2018. The customer has confirmed its expected demand in 2019 will be increased to 2,000 tonnes. 

 

·         In January 2019, the Company announced that it had started production of a new material at the Prilep quarry called Alexandrian Blue.  The new material has dense blue grey banding with smaller bands of white which produce a marked blue tone and is akin to the highly desirable Zebrino marble from Northern Italy.  This new material will be quarried alongside Alexandrian White which is already in commercial production at the quarry.  Fox Marble sold, and received payment for, 441 tonnes of Alexandrian Blue extracted in December 2018 to a single customer. Following this order, the Company entered into a sales agreement with this customer to purchase Alexandrian Blue with an expected value in excess of €1 million over the next twelve months. The same customer has confirmed its intention to purchase 3,500 tonnes of Illirico Selene. 

·         In 2018, the Company has established an office in Dubai to service the Gulf Cooperation Council region and has entered into a forward purchase agreement for processed marble including a $500,000 advance. The Company completed two large cut-to-size orders to a client in the UAE at the end of 2018, including the production of 50,000 10 cm x 10 cm tiles, which were secured via our new Dubai office.

 

Quarry Production

 

Our focus has continued to be on the Maleshevë quarry in Kosovo and Prilep quarry in Macedonia.  Total production has increased to 12,561 tonnes, a 42% increase since 2017. 

 

Production at the Maleshevë quarry, which produces the Illirico Bianco and Illirico Selene stone was 7,278 tonnes (2017 – 6,526 tonnes). This was below the Company’s expectations for the year, particularly in relation to the second half of 2018. The Company intends to make a significant investment in capital equipment in order to address the production shortfall and meet demand for these types of stone.  

 

In Prilep, the introduction of a new quarry team at the site in November 2018 increased the total production for the quarry to 5,282 tonnes (2017 - 2,285 tonnes). This 130% increase in production was achieved primarily in the last six weeks of the year, and provides an encouraging outlook for 2019 production at this quarry. The Company is also intending to invest in capital equipment in this quarry.

 

 

Factory

 

2018 was a transformative year for our factory.  With full slab production operational from the end Q3 2017, 2018 was focused on meeting growing demand for cut to size stone in addition to finished slabs.  The Italian Gravellona Machine Marmo Computer Numerical Control (“CNC”) machine was installed in March 2018 and was very quickly producing its first tiles for export.  Since then, cut to size capacity has been increased with the purchase of four bridge saws, two edge polishers, a cylinder (column) milling machine and a dedicated tile polishing line which will become operational in Q1 2019.  Operating processes have been consistently refined and the factory is now operating two full shifts year round.

 

The factory has been showcased as a key example of the benefits of investment in Kosovo and visited by various dignitaries including the Prime Minister of Kosovo, HE Ramush Haradinaj, the British Ambassador, Ruairi O’Connell and the Chairman of the Kosovo All Parties Parliamentary Group from Westminster, Martin Vickers MP.

 

Outlook for 2019

 

The investment in capital equipment is expected to significantly increase production, and allow further development of both major quarries. Currently the Company has confirmed orders from existing customers of approximately 16,000 tonnes of block material with anticipated gross revenue value of around €3 million for the year end 31 December 2019. 

 

Fox Marble does not expect to be significantly impacted by the expected departure of the United Kingdom from the European Union, due to the location of its operations and the majority of its customer base being located outside the European Union. The Board will continue to monitor the situation in order to address and mitigate associated risks as they arise. 

 

 

Issue of shares and convertible loan notes

 

Fox Marble has issued 13,263,161 new ordinary shares in the Company (“New Ordinary Shares”) at 9.5p per share. Gross proceeds of this issue of equity amounts to £1,260,000. The New Ordinary Shares will rank pari passu with the existing ordinary shares.  Admission to AIM of the New Ordinary Shares will occur on or around 12 February 2019.

 

Fox Marble has issued a further £700,000 in Convertible Loan Notes under the same terms as existing Loan Notes issued by the Company. The Convertible Loan Notes will carry an interest rate of 8%, per annum. The Convertible Loan Notes are due for conversion or repayment on 4 February 2022 with a conversion price set at 10.5p.

 

Proceeds from the issue of shares are intended to be used to fund capital equipment at the Fox Marble’s quarry sites to expand production capabilities to supply increased demand for material in 2019.

 

Chris Gilbert, CEO, commented “Our efforts in marketing our material globally are bearing fruit as we develop our markets in India, China Turkey and Italy.  We have repeat orders from multiple customers, ordering marble principally from our quarries in Prilep in Macedonia and Maleshevë in Kosovo. We have generated significant demand for our product, as such we are increasing our investment in these two quarries to increase our production capacity and grow revenues.  I expect this trend to continue this year and look forward to being able to report that Fox Marble has a stable and growing customer base with increasing revenues across the Group.

 

Our factory is now capable of processing a full range of marble products. We look forward to the sales of processed marble increasingly contributing to the bottom line throughout the year.

 

I expect to be advising the market of further sales as a result of our continuing focus on marketing selling and distributing our highly desirable premium quality stone throughout the world. Our new offices in Dubai and Mumbai will contribute to this momentum going forward.”

 

Total Voting Rights

 

In accordance with Rule 5.6.1 of the Disclosure Rules and Transparency Rules of the Financial Services Authority ("DTRs"), the Company's issued share capital at 12 February 2019 will consist of 231,148,483 ordinary shares of 1 pence each. The Company does not hold any ordinary shares in treasury. Therefore the total number of voting rights in the Company is 231,148,483.

 

The above figure of 231,148,483 may be used by shareholders in the Company as the denominator for the calculations by which they will determine if they are required to notify their interest in, or a change to their interest in, the share capital of the Company under the DTRs.

 

The information communicated in this announcement is inside information for the purposes of Article 7 of Regulation 596/2014.

 

 

For more information on Fox Marble please visit www.foxmarble.net or contact:

 

Fox Marble Holdings plc

 

Chris Gilbert, Chief Executive Officer

Tel: +44 (0) 20 7380 0999

Fiona Hadfield, Finance Director

Tel: +44 (0) 20 7380 0999

 

 

Brandon Hill Capital (Broker)

 

Oliver Stansfield

Tel: +44 (0) 20 3463 5000

Cairn Financial Advisers LLP (Nomad)

 

Liam Murray / Sandy Jamieson

Tel: +44 (0) 20 7213 0880

Notes to Editors

Fox Marble (AIM: FOX), is a marble production, processing and distribution company in Kosovo and the Balkans region.  

Its marble products, which includes Illirico Bianco, Illirico Selene, Grigio Argento and are gaining traction globally both to international wholesale companies as well as being supplied directly into luxury residential properties. In the UK these include among others St George’s Homes and Capital and Counties Plc’s Lillie Square development. In Sydney, Australia Rosso Cait, Alexandrian White and Breccia Paradisea marble have been used in what is expected to be Australia’s most expensive residential property. These sales serve to demonstrate the desirability of Fox’s premium marble products as the stone of choice in some of the most prestigious and expensive residential developments around the world. 

Fox Marble holds 40 year mining licences for six separate marble quarries with a maiden JORC resource indicating an in-situ valuation of approximately Euro 16.5 billion. Fox has taken three of the six sites into production (the Drini and Maleshevë quarries, both in Kosovo and from the Prilep Quarry in Macedonia) and continues to increase production. Notably, Fox has access to over 300 million cubic metres (over 1bn tons) of premium quality marble.

Marble demand continues to grow with stable pricing, predominantly driven by the construction and real-estate industries, on which Fox is looking to capitalise.

Read More
Operations, Sales Lydia Knyvett Operations, Sales Lydia Knyvett

New Material and Order

Fox Marble announces the start of commercial extraction of Alexandrian Blue from our Prilep quarry in Northern Macedonia.  Alexandrian Blue has dense blue grey banding with smaller bands of white which produce a marked blue tone and is akin to the highly desirable Zebrino marble from Northern Italy.   The quarry, which is already producing the highly sought after white marble marketed as Alexandrian White, is now also producing substantial quantities of Alexandrian Blue from a newly developed section on the East side of the quarry…

Fox Marble Holdings plc
(“Fox Marble” or the “Company”)

  • Commercial extraction commenced of Alexandrian Blue marble from Prilep Quarry.

  • 441 tonne order of Alexandrian Blue completed and paid in December 2018.

  • Sales agreement entered into with an indicative value in excess of €1 million.

Fox Marble announces the start of commercial extraction of Alexandrian Blue from our Prilep quarry in Northern Macedonia.  Alexandrian Blue has dense blue grey banding with smaller bands of white which produce a marked blue tone and is akin to the highly desirable Zebrino marble from Northern Italy.   The quarry, which is already producing the highly sought after white marble marketed as Alexandrian White, is now also producing substantial quantities of Alexandrian Blue from a newly developed section on the East side of the quarry.

Fox Marble sold, and received payment for, 441 tonnes of Alexandrian Blue extracted in December 2018 to a single customer. This material compliments the Alexandrian White from the same quarry, as well as the highly popular Illirico Selene from the Maleshevë quarry in Kosovo.

Following this order, the Company entered into a sales agreement with this customer to purchase Alexandrian Blue with an expected value in excess of €1 million over the next twelve months. 

Under this sale and purchase deed the Company agrees to supply a minimum monthly quantity of Alexandrian Blue blocks for a 12 month period, commencing 16 January 2019.  The indicative value of the agreement is dependent upon the company making available sufficient material to the client to meet the minimum monthly commitment.

Fox Marble is now focussing on penetrating the markets in Italy, India, China, Turkey and Dubai where it has established a base with its most popular marbles, the Alexandrian White and Illirico Selene, with material from the Cervenilla quarry including Argento Grey, Rosso Cait and Flora, and Syriganë quarry which contains Breccia Paradisea and Etrusco Dorato. 

Chris Gilbert, CEO, commented

“Orders of our premium material are gaining traction and we expect to see growth in our sales in 2019. This will produce a corresponding increase in our revenues during the year as a result, and l look forward to updating the market accordingly”.

The information communicated in this announcement is inside information for the purposes of Article 7 of Regulation 596/2014.

For more information on Fox Marble please visit www.foxmarble.net or contact:

Fox Marble Holdings plc

Chris Gilbert, Chief Executive Officer

Tel: +44 (0) 20 7380 0999

Fiona Hadfield, Finance Director

Tel: +44 (0) 20 7380 0999

Brandon Hill Capital (Broker)

Oliver Stansfield

Tel: +44 (0) 20 3463 5000

Cairn Financial Advisers LLP (Nomad)

Liam Murray / Sandy Jamieson

Tel: +44 (0) 20 7213 0880

Notes to Editors

Fox Marble (AIM:FOX), is a marble production, processing and distribution company in Kosovo and the Balkans region.  

Its marble products, which includes Illirico Bianco, Illirico Selene, Grigio Argento and are gaining traction globally both to international wholesale companies as well as being supplied directly into luxury residential properties. In the UK these include among others St George’s Homes and Capital and Counties Plc’s Lillie Square development. In Sydney, Australia Rosso Cait, Alexandrian White and Breccia Paradisea marble have been used in what is expected to be Australia’s most expensive residential property. These sales serve to demonstrate the desirability of Fox’s premium marble products as the stone of choice in some of the most prestigious and expensive residential developments around the world. 

Fox Marble holds 40 year mining licences for six separate marble quarries with a maiden JORC resource indicating an in-situ valuation of approximately Euro 16.5 billion. Fox has taken three of the six sites into production (the Drini and Maleshevë quarries, both in Kosovo and from the Prilep Quarry in Macedonia) and continues to increase production. Notably, Fox has access to over 300 million cubic metres (over 1bn tons) of premium quality marble.

Marble demand continues to grow with stable pricing, predominantly driven by the construction and real-estate industries, on which Fox is looking to capitalise.

Read More
Operations Lydia Knyvett Operations Lydia Knyvett

Establishment of new Dubai office

Fox Marble, the AIM listed company focused on marble quarrying and finishing in Kosovo and the Balkans region is pleased to announce the establishment of an office in the United Arab Emirates with the formation of Fox Marble FZC a company based in a free trade zone area in Dubai and confirmation of the first orders via this operation…

11 December 2018

Fox Marble Holdings plc
(“Fox Marble” or the “Company”)

 

Fox Marble, the AIM listed company focused on marble quarrying and finishing in Kosovo and the Balkans region is pleased to announce the establishment of an office in the United Arab Emirates with the formation of Fox Marble FZC a company based in a free trade zone area in Dubai and confirmation of the first orders via this operation.

Deposits have been received for two orders of marble totalling in excess of 1,000 square metres of Alexandrian white. The first order is for 500 square metres of cut to size tiles currently being processed in Fox Marble’s factory in Kosovo and due to be shipped within the next 10 days. The second order is for 450 square metres of slabs of Alexandrian white marble and 50 square metres of slabs in total comprising Illirico Selene, Grigio Argento, Rosso Cait, Breccia Paradisea and Flora which are being shipped to a new customer in Dubai prior to the end of the year

Chris Gilbert, CEO, commented

“Our new office in Dubai is already proving to be effective in establishing our premium material in the region from which orders are currently being processed to large local customers.  It is worth noting that the first order is for an unusual size of tile – being 10cm x 10 cm x 2 cm whose small dimensions involves producing 50,000 pieces for this one order, which thanks to our tile processing equipment we are able to manage with ease.

We expect to see a significant level of business developing in the region as a result, and look forward to updating the market accordingly in the near future”

The information communicated in this announcement is inside information for the purposes of Article 7 of Regulation 596/2014.

 

For more information on Fox Marble please visit www.foxmarble.net or contact:

Fox Marble Holdings plc

Chris Gilbert, Chief Executive Officer

Tel: +44 (0) 20 7380 0999

Fiona Hadfield, Finance Director

Tel: +44 (0) 20 7380 0999

Brandon Hill Capital (Broker)

Oliver Stansfield

Tel: +44 (0) 20 3463 5000

Cairn Financial Advisers LLP (Nomad)

Liam Murray

Jo Turner

Tel: +44 (0) 20 7213 0880

Notes to Editors

Fox Marble (AIM:FOX), is a marble production, processing and distribution company in Kosovo and the Balkans region.  

Its marble products, which includes Illirico Bianco, Illirico Selene, Grigio Argento and are gaining traction globally both to international wholesale companies as well as being supplied directly into luxury residential properties. In the UK these include among others St George’s Homes and Capital and Counties Plc’s Lillie Square development. In Sydney, Australia Rosso Cait, Alexandrian White and Breccia Paradisea marble have been used in what is expected to be Australia’s most expensive residential property. These sales serve to demonstrate the desirability of Fox’s premium marble products as the stone of choice in some of the most prestigious and expensive residential developments around the world. 

Fox Marble holds 40 year mining licences for six separate marble quarries with a maiden JORC resource indicating an in-situ valuation of approximately Euro 16.5 billion. Fox has taken three of the six sites into production (the Drini and Maleshevë quarries, both in Kosovo and from the Prilep Quarry in Macedonia) and continues to increase production. Notably, Fox has access to over 300 million cubic metres (over 1bn tons) of premium quality marble.

Marble demand continues to grow with stable pricing, predominantly driven by the construction and real-estate industries, on which Fox is looking to capitalise.

Read More