Some good news this morning from them, it looks like 2004 will be a excellent year for them and the shares increased by 13%
Is this the start of another upward trend for them??

Keith - dont know if more contracts are going to be announced etc. The problem with this share is that it is not liquid and big falls and big rises are common. Overall if you want to hold for long term this is ok. Some comments from citywire:


Chelford is worth a look.

827 words
23 April 2004
Citywire
English
(c) 2004 Citywire.co.uk. All Rights Reserved.

S & P code for assoc. stock..: E:CHRCHR

Chelford, the AIM-listed supply chain software company, has kept its head beneath the parapet for the past couple of years but it is emerging as a force to be reckoned with.

At its annual general meeting yesterday the company said the first quarter to March has got the year off to a strong start and was significantly ahead of the first quarter of 2003. The company has signed some 'significant contracts' with new customers, including Cotton Traders and Fox's Confectionery and already has contracted revenues covering more than 88% of its costs for the current year. The company was formed when SSI, a privately-owned software company, reversed into cash shell Chelford in August 2000. The original business provided its own ERP (enterprise resource planning) software to small and medium-sized businesses, particularly in the process manufacturing sectors such as food, chemicals and pharmaceuticals.

In December 2002 Chelford (CHR) acquired a business from UK company Notability, which sells software from German giant SAP for the wholesale distribution sector in general, and which has developed specific vertical industry applications within that.

Chief executive Trevor Lewis told Citywire that SAP has been trying, 'unsuccessfully' to tap into the mid market, and has now changed tack, partnering with companies like Chelford that already have experience in the sector. The market for this sort of software in companies with turnover of between ;10 million and ;150 million is extremely fragmented, Lewis said, as demonstrated by the fact that the company was SAP's number one reseller in the UK on turnover of just ;2.2 million in that division.

Cotton Traders was the biggest deal signed in the first quarter and is important to Chelford because not only is the business in its core wholesale and distribution market through its mail order business, but it also has 29 retail stores, giving Chelford a good opportunity to move into the retail sector.

The company has developed some 'cut down' versions of SAP for specific sectors including healthcare, fashion and grocery, and these have become SAP 'certified solutions'.

Lewis said SAP is looking to grow by at least 50% in the next few years in the smaller companies market. Another big opportunity for Chelford is that SAP has to date not sold direct to any company with turnover of less than ;1 billion. With companies like Chelford selling only up to about ;150 million businesses, the ;150-800 million market has been under served. SAP is now turning to value added resellers (VARs) like Chelford to support them in addressing this market segment, and Lewis reckons this will present a 'huge extension to our market opportunity.'

Results for the year to December published last month show a turn-round to profitability in the second half of the year the SAP business was loss-making when Chelford bought it. Turnover was up 35% to ;9.9 million with profit before tax, goodwill and reorganisation costs of ;434,000 and losses after goodwill and reorganisation of ;373,000 down from ;1 million last time. The company generated cash in the second half leaving it with net cash at year-end f ;1.4 million.House broker Arbuthnot is looking for turnover of ;11 million this year with profits of ;900,000 and earnings per share of 0.14p rising to ;13.5 million, profit of ;1.5 million and 0.21p of earnings per share next year.

However apart from the fact that the company was ahead of expectations in the first quarter, Lewis said the company is now ready to look for acquisitions to help it scale up more rapidly.

He believes there are a lot of small companies with legacy software that cannot afford to invest in new product, but which have a good customer base.

The company has proven itself so far with the acquisition of Notability's business, which it has turned around and improved quite dramatically.

Shares have already had a good run this year having started at around 0.77p. Today they are up 13.6% or 0.03p to 2.5p, valuing the business at ;16.5 million.

Citywire Verdict:

Chelford is a well established, serious software and services company with a deep knowledge and experience of supply chain software.

It, like so many others, has had a tough time in the past couple of years, but it has emerged in a strong position, with strong recurring revenues, profits, cash and no debt.

The SAP relationship could well launch the company into bigger and better things and a well judged acquisition or two would certainly help.

Failing that, Chelford could find itself an acquisition target. Even at today's price the shares are valued at 17.8 times this year's earnings and just 11.9 times next year's. As a consolidation play Chelford ought to be worth a second look.

Jen 2001 when you mean Chelford shares are illiquid is this because there are few shares not held by major holders or few shares in circulation or another reason such as small nms?

James

Still holding and still very much confident on this star performer of the year so far...Strong Hold in my books at the moment..

Keep posting all...

Jules99..

p.s. Todays news by Chelford is excellent, set to rise much further as private investors starts to take note

everything i read about this company seems to be poitive, surely this can be a very very good investment in the medium to long term

Does anyone know why this one as lost this past week?????? On good results for the first quarter as well!!

No, it seemed to be climbimg up to the 3p level. Just seems to had a bad week????

This share still keeps falling. I cannot find any information on Chelford to indicate why the constant share price fall. Has touched the 1.80p today. Having a hair pulling moment!!!!!!!!!!

goss,
everything was down yesterday. I don't believe that this is to do with the company itself but external market forces and sentiment. Keep in there and we shall be rewarded

Cheers Witchdok

Goss,
the Chelford Website: www.chelfordgroup.com Has all the latest contract win news etc on it. Well worth a look and it shows that progression is being made on a daily basis

Witchdok

Thank you, i'll have a look.

I was tempted to buy back in to these this morning at 1.65p as there was no reason to reduce the sp but missed the boat, but now it's heading south again on some heavy selling, haven't seen this sort of vol for a while - so it looks like the mms have successfully rattled the bigger holders. I wonder why?

Buy price back up to 2.20...i missed them at 1.65p, the market as a whole was down so catch most and you would have made something...

The wessite link is great to check on company progress..thnks for that...

This company has a long way to go...still a seed inthe infancy stage...needs to grow further to attract attention from institutes further...

Been a bit quiet lately...bought some on the cheap, couldn't resist, have faith and it will reward gladly...!

.

picked a few more of these at 1.71p for the long term ...

(grt discount to previous highs of 2.90p..)

Still not picked up despite good results and target price of 4.50

Hello Jen, this is a solid company with great prospects. It just needs to be tipped by a couple of brokers and mentioned in the papers and volume will shoot up.

where did the target of 4.5p come from??

These are up and down like wh$%r*s knickers. Seem to have found a resistance level at about 1.6p. Will have to wait for the run up to inetrims for some upwards momentum. Good time to pile in and earn a fat wad with them being this cheap.

Any views on this? hasnt moved much for ages!!!!

Well its all been quiet on the BBs with this one. Waiting on interims on 14th Sep. Hope to see some interest as we move towards them and get some good news. At least its not fallen through the floor.

Wakey wakey thread. Bit of a fall today for CHR but definately on a rising trend. Cracking interims are on the cards.

4 month high and interims on Tuesday

.

Breakout! Up 11% so far today. Last chance to get in before excellent interims 7am tomorrow.

got a little mention in Times today. said they turned around a 300000 loss to 500000 profit. hope it doesn't hit the skids like it did after results were out in April

Chelford Group plc ('Chelford'), the IT supply chain software, SAP reseller and
services company, announces its unaudited results for the six months to 30 June
2004.


Key points:


Results show that the strong performance achieved in the second half
of last year has continued during 2004 with both operating divisions trading
profitably.

Total turnover increased 29% to 5.6m (H1 2003: 4.3m).

Profit before tax and goodwill amortisation was 501,000 (H1 2003:
loss of 257,000). After providing for goodwill, the profit before tax was
135,000 (H1 2003: loss of 623,000).

Positive cash flow resulted in net cash at 30 June 2004 of 1.7m (31
December 2003: 1.4m; 30 June 2003: 0.7m).

The SSI Division (supply chain software) achieved an operating profit
of 290,000 (H1 2003: 51,000).

The SAP Division (value added reseller of SAP software) achieved an
operating profit (before goodwill) of 193,000 (H1 2003: loss of 324,000).

Significant new business wins in the first half year included
Hamworthy KSE, Fox's Confectionery, H & A Prestige Packaging, Firth Rixson,
Petrochem Carless, Shell Global Solutions, Cotton Traders and Weston EU.

1-for-100 share consolidation and capital reorganisation is proposed.


is this 1 for 100 shares consolidation a good thing?

I hold 87.000 what should i do weather the storm ??

that depends on what you paid for them and how long you can leave the money in. are you going to need this money for Christmas? if not stay in to Arpil for finals and should see another increase in sp prior to results

with such a positive result i cant understand why the price hasnt moed upwards,,it actaully fell!!!

Am i being a simpleton in my reasononing here:
when the consolidation takes place the price will be around 1.6-2. in my mind this means that they will appear on the radar screens and may attract demand from the institutions thus leading to price rises.

Any comments??

Keith
What does consolidation mean to current holdings. Do 100 shares become 1
Frodo

yes every 100 shares you now have will be changed to 1 new share, with a corresponding change in the share value

Up 20%. Is this due to news on consolidation?

Up 20%. Is this due to news on consolidation?

any thoughts on this one?

any thoughts on this share??

got a little mention in Shares - said it looks promising

does anyone think that the proposed consolidation will lead to the shares being noticed on the radar of the institutions and lead to greater demand and hence price rise?

i bought this at 2.8p in february.
should i cut my losses and sell or hold for another 6 months?

I'm also holding at a loss, though I did average down to 2.1p. I sold half on the day before the interims at 2.37p.

The full year results will be very good and these will rise during the run in - though may well fall on the day - as so many stocks do. I also think they will be hotly tipped again this year as they were last year

This is a very strong company so I wouldn't contemplate selling at a loss. I will certainly be holding till at least the next results (when I am certain I will be able to sell at a good profit) and if we get a decent fall I will buy more.

Agreed - I'm in at 2.1 myself and am certainly not going to sell when I'd just have to find somewhere else to put this money. Hopes are that following consolidation there will be more institutional interest and at least the spread won't be such a killer. It would be nice if steadied around the 2 and built a head of steam going in to the finals.

fingers crossed then!

shares magazine featured this stock in this weeks issue and described the price as "ridiculous"

ridiculously cheap I hope that was!!!

I think that article will put chelford on quite a few peoples radar. A doubling before the full year results seems very achieveable.

good-hope for some steady upwards movement, maybe even get a bit of a jump tomorrow

does anyone think that the forthcoming consolidation and subsequent price rise will mean that the shares will come to the attention of the institutions and have a positive imact on the price?

It will certainly remove the stigma that Chelford is a penny share company but the main benefit is that the spread will narrow and that will improve liquidity. Many investors are put off investing in panny shares since they need such a huge rise to break even on the spread. There may be a minor fall in price once the consolidation is done but that will be more than compensated by the steady rise afterward in the run toward results. Steady progress is much better for us longer term investors than the trader driven rises and falls we've seen over the past year

Just looking at this share.. can anyone give me a potted
history as to why its a buy... noticed the consilidation
doing my own research but would be interested to hear
from long termers..

hi Bradley.. they have more information on their website www.chelfordgroup.co.uk (off the top of my head) there is quite a lot of info around recent contract wins and history.

I have been holding for around 6 months and see the consolidation as a very positive step. I notice that the spread has reduced from 15/20% to around 5 which should make them much more attractive.

They look to be developing a niche as a SAP player for medium sized business and have won several awards recently.

bloody hell!!!! forgot about the consolidation, thought i was a zillionaire for a minute......
anyone got clues as to todays 20% rise?

Yes my online broker forgot to make the update so I was looking at a huge porfolio for 24 hours. Following the consolidation the value of the group dropped by 10% so I guess that the 20% rise was purely due to some catching up?? anyone else have any firm ideas??

Anyone got any clues as the the downward slid of the share in recent days?

probably lack of news. just a guess.

yes it all seems quiet-got to hold at 140 though

I have held these shares for 18 months now and they are the most foolish purchase I have ever made (next to CFP that is).
I could go out and purchase a half decent secondhand car for what I am currently down between these two.
At least this post may give someone a good laugh which is more than holding these babies has ever done for me.
Still like warren buffet I aint selling till in profit or dead. LOL LOL and double LOL.
Steve

cant understand it,,its in profit with good prospectd,,its bound to come good soon

Kieth
Nor can I,It doesnt seem to be 'in vouge'at all.
The Director bought at 1.8 (if I recall), Question is we are now entering a support level, do I top up and wait for the rise or watch as it goes through the floor.
Tough one eh?
Regards
Steve

Go on top up-somethings got to push the price up.

seems like the consolidation has back fired spectacularly.price was stable at around 2p, or 2 , if you think about it.now 1.30 or 1.3p.never going to get my money back on these for years.

yes it is a bit of a concern, may as well just hold onto them now and look towards April results

I really cant understand why its not performing,,when there is news its generally pretty good, with both turnover and profits increasing..anybody have any thoughts??

yes - go to the pub

Cannot wait for April results to sell these shares. Hopfully will get back some of my money.

These shared just keep sliding for no reason. Thats one way to throw your money away!!! Not that I bitter about losing money on this stock!!!

why not-it always pisses me off. making money is far more enjoyable, it gives you that warm smug feeling and makes going out and spending a fortune a real pleasure

does anybody have any idea why this is doing much better than it is

not too clear on what the question is their Keith

any ideas why the price isnt moving? company is increasing sales and profits sp whats the problem?

I see, the great mystery of why the company we have invested in is not increasing in value. Simply cannot answer that one-everyting seems to be in our favour but stll getting shafted. Even been a couple of positive announcements out recently. Tuck these away is all I can suggest (not the best of suggestions I agree)and wait for the results. If you can hold on for a while I feel that you'll get your reward.

any good news on the horizon?? or should i just sell and take a 60% loss

whats woken them up today?? no news but price up 16%!!!!

Sure these will come good. Think it is just a question of time. The consolidation should help in the long term.

only 3 months till results so hope for a good run towards them. Then I'm going to stick a stop loss in at my opening level (if they get that far) so if they go back down I can move on. Quite a few of my other ventures seem to be sluggish at the moment but with good prospects-looking at 2006 to really capitalise on them. Would actually like to make some money this year

I m with you pd! i bought at 2.8p, still dont know whats holding them back,,any thoughts??

not really but am going to having a look, see if I can make some stab at what this year could give us. They seemed to win quite a few contracts last year so I want to see some sort of return. There was a good posting/promotion from a company that said they had chosen Chelford for various good reasons a couple of weeks ago on the ADVFN thread. Don't know if you've seen it, always keeps the spirits up anyway

15/12/2004 ~ Roper Rhodes Manages Soaring Growth with SAP

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

One of the UKs fastest growing unquoted companies, Roper Rhodes is to use a SAP Business Suite from Chelford SAP Solutions to manage its business expansion and help deliver future success.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Bath based Roper Rhodes has become one of the UKs leading independent suppliers of bathroom accessories and bathroom furniture. It has grown its turnover from 6m in the late 1990s to 36m today. According to last years Sunday Times Price Waterhouse Profit Track 100 survey, Roper Rhodes was the seventh fastest growing unlisted company in the South West and made the top 100 nationwide with just under 40% annual profit growth.

With over 2,000 retail customers, including Homebase, John Lewis and Jewson, and with a significant company acquisition to broaden its customer base, Roper Rhodes decided in early 2003 that its eight-year old information system was unable to provide the business process management now needed.


Business Processes

With the sort of business expansion and success we have experienced, we had to get a better grip on many more of the business processes, says Roper Rhodes Finance Director, Mark Roper.

Following intensive analysis of three competitive solutions, the Roper Rhodes board selected the Chelford SAP solution in November 2004. Implementation will be completed in two phases March and July 2005.

We took 18 months to really decide what was best for our business that shows how important the decision is. In the end we chose Chelfords SAP system because of its functionality, feature richness and future proofing vital for our growth prospects.


Control

Roper says: The SAP system is going to help us to control many more areas of the business now much more effectively than we have in the past better stock control, warehouse planning, customer relationship management and purchasing control, in particular. The Chelford SAP solution will also be used to support the companys finance, sales and distribution processes.

He adds: Its also critical for our future plans as we are using SAP as part of a systematic improvement approach were taking to the whole business.


Smartstart

Because Roper Rhodes wanted to exploit the systems benefits quickly, the company selected the SAP All-In-One solution from Chelford, called Smartstart for Household Products. Smartstart offers Chelford customers a way to get their fully integrated, front and back office SAP system straight out-of-the-box, live within weeks of starting a project.

Chelford Managing Director Trevor Lewis says: Its always exciting and flattering for Chelford to be asked to help with a future improvement plan for one of our customers. To win a competitive tender from such a stunningly successful company as Roper Rhodes is a great compliment.
-------------------------------------------------------------

www.roperrhodes.co.uk

more of the same i hope!!
Seems too good to keep chelfords price so low..just dont understand why the share price isnt rising a lot higher

can the price revival be sustained??

yes - all the way to making me money

i bought at 2.8, should i sell and take a loss or hold??

Kieth
I bought at 2.6 and am nowhere near selling yet.
I am actually thinking of topping up
Good company, well run.
This share price is still low for my money.
IMHO
Steve

I agree with your comments but the share price isnt doing anything exciting, and hasnt for a long time

Kieth
I think that this company is dynamic and will appear on lots of fund managers radars when it starts to pay a dividend.
I honestly think that this will be 4p+ by this time next year.
I have a good feeling about the business, I would have sold and took the loss if I didnt.
Good luck whatever you do.
I'm in for a good while yet.
Steve

thanks for this, im sticking with it as well!!

Wakey Wakey...Excellent day and a confirmed Breakout on the cards as it assaults through 300p. Results in a fortnight, looks likethere might be plenty of upside.

Remember Charles Stanley have a buy recommendation and a 450p target here.

Chelford,14-Mar,CharlesStanley,Buy,(price)276.00p,(target)450.00p,Reiteration.

http://www.growthcompany.co.uk/recommendations/25209/chelford.thtml

http://www.thebusinessonline.com/Stories.aspx?StoryId=3EA10661-AF0A-4CC9-B9F6-4D2B76925CA6&page=0

http://www.thisismoney.co.uk/news/columnists/article.html?in_page_id=19&in_article_id=408206&in_author_id=9

Charles-Stanley April2006

CHELFORD GROUP (CHR.L) (*AIM) Strong Buy

The supplier of supply chain and enterprise software produced results to end December broadly in line with our expectations. Revenue advanced by 22% to 14.5m and operating profit by 50% to 1.44m. Earnings per share on a normalised
tax basis came 46% higher at 15.5p; the effective tax rate was a low 10% because of losses released from the holding company. During 2005 Chelford acquired Agility and Shian, which increase the scale and range of services that
the group can provide. Helped by a full years contribution from these two acquisitions, we expect earnings per share growth of 55% in 2006. We continue to recommend the shares as a Strong Buy

Been insignificant volume to push the fall from over 260 - so I can see it moving back to that level as first stop.

Looking at the last available trades history 18k sells to 9k buys - so it wont take much to push this one back up. Especially since we seem to have broken free of that sharp downtrend channel of the last 6 weeks.

Also AGM is due in about 4 weeks time going by their website - and wonder that because it is late this year whether we will see a Trading Update prior to that.

Last years Trading update was 21st July - so maybe they will coincide it with their AGM statement - but reckon that it is likely they will release one early - so it could be due within the matter of a few weeks.

At current price of 240p puts these trading on a prospective PER based on Charles Stanley figures put these on FY06E of 10x and FY07E of 7.9x

Time to buy back in?