Welcome to Ransom's IR section

The information on this site has been checked and complies with the requirements laid out in AIM Rule 26.  There are no restrictions on the transfer of Ransom shares.

Ivor Harrison

Chief Executive 

William Ransom & Son plc ('Ransom') is quoted on the Alternative Investment Market of the London Stock Exchange.  William Ransom & Son plc is deemed to be an unquoted Company for tax purposes.  The following is a summary of the major tax benefits of this unquoted status to our investors:

• Ransom shares qualify for business asset taper relief from Capital Gains Tax. If the investor is a higher rate tax payer, this means that after two years the effective Capital Gains Tax charge on any profits from the investment is 10% instead of 40%.
• Shares in Ransom can be transferred by way of gift to someone else without having to pay any Capital Gains Tax.  The capital gain that would have arisen is "held over".  This means that any Capital Gains Tax liability is deffered until the new owners sell the shares.
• An investment in Ransom should be a qualifying investment for Business Property Relief from Inheritance Tax.  This can lead to substantial reductions in death duties payable.

These benefits are not available to companies listed on the main market of the London Stock Exchange.  For further information or explanation consult an appropriately qualified tax specialist. 

Mission Statement

Ransom's objective is to become the UK's leading natural product based consumer healthcare business. Our strategy is to build on our unique combination of botanical and pharmaceutical expertise to acquire, develop and grow a range of consumer healthcare brands. Where we are able to offer our manufacturing, plant extraction and development capabilities to others, we will actively seek their business. We aim to be the supplier for choice in terms of quality, value and ability to deliver in all areas of our activity.

We are committed to developing our employees and enabling them to share in the substantial increase in shareholder value, profitability and sales which our strategy can deliver. Our growth will be achieved without compromising the company's supportive, family culture or its social and environmental responsibility. If there is any further information you need please do not hesitate to contact info@williamransom.com.

Note: This section focuses on information for institutional and private investors - if you are looking for Ransom products or general company contact information please go back to our Home page.

Corporate Social Responsibility

The Company has a long history of Corporate Social Responsibility ('CSR') and receives many inquires from customers, potential employees, local interest groups and investors with regard to its policies and practices in this area. We have an active policy of supporting local groups and charities. A detailed summary of our stance in the key areas of personnel, community and environment is posted below. Through a process in which all employees participated, the Company has defined a set of company values which have been adopted in the Company and which is also introduced, in an appropriate manner, to the businesses which we acquire.

William Ransom & Son plc ('Ransom') is the UK's oldest independent pharmaceutical company. Ransom is a small business employing around 200 people. Our Head Office and Natural Extracts Production facility are still located in the Company's historic base of Hitchin, where the Company was founded, over 160 years ago. The company is one of the town's largest employers and has always striven to maintain stable and secure levels of employment. The company's sense of social responsibility stems from its founders. William Ransom and his son, Francis, were Quakers and local philanthropists. Michael Ransom, the founder's great-grandson, was Chairman until September 2001 and the Ransom family maintains a shareholding and influence in the business. The current Chairman, Tim Dye, is Michael Ransom's son-in-law.

Corporate social responsibility is part of the culture of the business.

People

Ransom is proud of its reputation as a family-orientated caring employer and has maintained its commitment to employees throughout its history. Several generations of families have worked in the company and currently there are many examples of members of the same family working within Ransom. Every year the company supports pensioners who have retired from the company with a Christmas box and an invitation to the Annual Lunch.

The company understands the need to adapt working arrangements to accommodate the personal and domestic commitments of its employees and to help them achieve a healthy work-life balance. A flexible approach has been adopted by the company and sympathetic consideration is given to individual requests for flexible working from which a number of employees benefit.

In addition to compliance with its statutory obligations, the company endeavours to embrace the spirit of developing employment legislation and its duty of care to all its employees. To this end, policies on equal opportunities, discrimination, bullying, stress management, drug and alcohol abuse, internet and email use and disputes resolution have been implemented.

Health and Safety responsibilities at every level are taken very seriously by the company and there is a formal Committee Structure which incorporates a dedicated Health and Safety Advisor and elected Safety Representatives on each of the Company's sites. Ongoing health and safety training is undertaken to maintain awareness of health and safety issues. Preventative care for staff working in areas of potential risk is maintained through out-sourced Occupational Health services and First-Aider training is actively encouraged. The number of First Aiders working on our various sites exceeds the recommended minimum.

The company's excellent record on Lost Time Accidents at work compares favourably with the ABPI figures for the pharmaceutical industry.

The number of injuries to staff is carefully monitored by the company. Below are the accident statistics for 2006:

• Number of accidents/incidents per 100,000 man-hours worked 1.1
• Reportable accidents= 0
• Average number of days lost per 1000 man-hours worked = 0

The company is committed to the personal and professional development of its employees and supported by a formal training policy and appraisal process, ongoing training needs are met through both in house and external programmes for staff working at every level. During 2006 a total of 32 staff participated in external training programmes. The company also currently operates a development programme for laboratory staff enabling junior staff to achieve a degree qualification through a day release university study programme.

Ransom encourages its employees to become involved in decision-making and to participate in identifying targets and objectives as part of the bonus-setting exercise. The company has established a Staff Consultative Group that meets quarterly to discuss staff issues and this group has made a useful contribution to the shaping of policy and the implementation of change. The company also operates an open door policy on many issues to encourage the contribution of all employees to the development of company policy and procedures.

The company’s commitment to the well-being of all staff is rewarded by low absenteeism. In 2006 average absence was 2.25%, considerably below the national industry average of 3.9% (2005 CIPD annual survey). Staff turnover rates also remain below the national average of 18.3% (2005 CIPD annual survey) at 10% in 2006 and a significant number of Ransom employees have more than 10 years' service with the company.

Community

The company is an integral part of the local community and strives to act accordingly. As one of Hitchin's oldest businesses, the company is well-known to many residents and indeed a number of families have worked in the business for several generations.

Interaction with the local community is continual and takes many forms. The company has established regular links with local interest groups such as the Hitchin Forum and the Hitchin Initiative to which it provides support. Local residents are important to the business and their opinions are sought on such important issues as factory expansion plans and operational practice. This approach has proved beneficial to the company and the community alike and it is our intention to extend it to the locations where we have acquired or developed facilities with a significant number of employees.

School tours and educational visits are encouraged and a number of children visit our operations every year. In 2006, the company also provided work experience for local children. In addition, the company (following a long tradition started by Francis Ransom) provides an annual prize to the London School of Pharmacy for the best 4th year student of Pharmacognosy and Phytotherapy.

Local donations and a range of community projects are also supported by the company where finances allow.

Many of the company's smaller suppliers are local tradesmen. The company has a policy of always paying its suppliers on time.

Environment

Introduction/Background

William Ransom & Son plc's objective is to establish itself as the UK's leading natural product based consumer healthcare business. The company intends to acquire portfolios of suitable brands and to improve and develop them through intensive management and the use of its considerable natural healthcare expertise.

Founded in 1846, the company's principal manufacturing activities are the production of liquid pharmaceuticals and the extraction of plant material for the healthcare, food, beverage and cosmetic industries. Ransom is committed to manufacturing products in an environmentally-conscientious manner. None of its products is tested on animals.

Ransom complies fully with CITES (Convention on the International Trade in Endangered Species), a very relevant standard given the diverse and exotic range of raw materials that we are asked to process.

In June 2006 the natural extracts division was admitted into the Food and Drink Federation's Climate Change Levy Scheme.

It is a stated company policy to reduce the impact of our waste on the environment and one of the ways we aim to do this is to reduce the quantity of waste we produce which cannot be recycled. A highly successful composting scheme has allowed us to recycle all of our waste plant material.

General

Care of the environment is an integral part of overall business management and is given the same priority as other business activities. The company is committed to do all that is reasonably practicable to prevent damage to the environment.

Responsibilities

The Chief Executive and his management team have responsibility for environmental care. Managers and supervisors are responsible for ensuring rules and procedures are complied with. At the same time, it is the responsibility of each employee and of any third party to prevent and or reduce all forms of environmental damage.

Objectives

In all activities the aim of the company is to:

• Comply with statutory requirements and ensure compliance with any relevant national and local legislation and to remain aware of draft, impending or proposed legislation regarding the care of the environment.
• Protect the environment by striving to minimise our contribution to the pollution of land, air and water.
• Use resources effectively and reduce the impact of our waste on the environment.
• Seek to minimise inefficiencies in energy consumption.
• Review periodically its objectives and plans for continuous improvement, as part of the Environmental Management System.
• Maintain adequate records and measurements for inspection and analysis.
• Provide managers and employees with the knowledge and training with which to carry out the objectives.

Support

Where necessary, adequate support shall be given by professionals to enable both operational management and all other personnel to perform their environmental care tasks.

Ethical Investor Statement

• Manufacture or sell alcoholic drinks.
• Manufacture or sell armaments.
• Operate gambling facilities.
• Generate nuclear power.
• Publish or distribute pornographic material.
• Manufacture or sell tobacco products.

Ransom is not involved with animal testing on any of its finished products or ingredients.

February 2007