K-Bro Linen Q2 2024 Earnings Report

K-Bro Linen EPS Results

• Actual EPS: C$0.59
• Consensus EPS: C$0.51
• Beat/Miss: Beat by +C$0.08
• One Year Ago EPS: N/A

K-Bro Linen Revenue Results

• Actual Revenue: $93.47 million
• Expected Revenue: $88.57 million
• Beat/Miss: Beat by +$4.90 million
• YoY Revenue Growth: N/A

K-Bro Linen Announcement Details

• Quarter: Q2 2024
• Date: 8/6/2024
• Time: N/A
• Conference Call Date: Wednesday, August 7, 2024
• Conference Call Time: 9:00AM ET

K-Bro Linen (TSE:KBL) Inc is a healthcare and hospitality laundry and linen processor in Canada. It operates in major cities across Canada, and has two distribution centers, providing management services and laundry processing of hospitality, healthcare, and specialty linens. The company provides vital products and services that help people heal, travel, live, and play. It helps hospitals and extended care centers care for the young, old, and vulnerable in environmentally responsible ways. It operates through two divisions, which are the Canadian division and the United Kingdom division.

K-Bro Linen Q2 2024 Earnings Call Transcript

Key Takeaways

• Record Q2 2024 results with $93 million in revenue and $18.8 million of adjusted EBITDA, marking a 15.8% revenue increase and 25.2% adjusted EBITDA growth year-over-year.
• Acquisitions of Shortridge in the U.K. and Centimeters in Montreal enhance geographic reach in hospitality and healthcare, with an active M&A pipeline for further growth.
• Hospitality revenue surged 28.9% driven by travel recovery and price increases, while healthcare revenue rose 5.5%, reflecting strong segment momentum.
• Solid balance sheet and liquidity with nearly $36.5 million undrawn on the revolving credit facility and a debt/EBITDA ratio under 2.5x, supporting disciplined acquisition strategy.
• Approximately $70 million in existing contracts are up for renewal this year, with over half already renewed and positive discussions ongoing for the remainder.

Presentation

[Operator]

Good morning, ladies and gentlemen, and welcome to the K-Bro Linen Systems Inc.'s Second Quarter 2024 Results Conference Call. At this time, all lines are in a listen-only mode. Following the presentation, we will conduct a question-and-answer session. If at any time during this call you need assistance, please press star zero for the operator. This call is being recorded on August 7, 2024. I will now let's turn the conference over to Kristie Plaquin. Please go ahead.

[Kristie Plaquin, Head of Investor Relations at K-Bro Linen Systems Inc.]

Thank you, operator, and good morning, everyone. Thank you for joining us today, and welcome to our second quarter results conference call. On the line with me today is Linda McCurdy, President and Chief Executive Officer. Following our remarks today, we will open it up for questions. Before we begin, I'd like to remind everyone that statements made during our prepared remarks or in the question-and-answer portion of the conference call with reference to management's expectations or our predictions of the future are forward-looking statements. All statements made today, which are not statements of historical fact, are considered to be forward-looking statements. Certain material factors or assumptions were applied in drawing a conclusion or making a forecast or projection as reflected in the forward-looking information. Investors are also cautioned not to place undue reliance on these statements. Actual results could differ materially from those anticipated.

[Kristie Plaquin, Head of Investor Relations at K-Bro Linen Systems Inc.]

Risk factors that could affect the results are detailed in the corporation's public filings. I'll now turn the call over to our CEO, Linda McCurdy, who will provide her insights and remarks on the quarter. Linda?

[Linda McCurdy, CEO at K-Bro Linen Systems Inc.]

Thank you, Kristie. Good morning, everyone, and thank you for joining us today to review our 2024 second quarter results. I will focus on the main highlights of our second quarter, and Kristie will provide more details of our financial performance and balance sheet. I'm delighted with our record second quarter results and continued momentum in both the healthcare and hospitality segments. In terms of highlights, we reported Q2 2024 revenue of CAD 93 million and adjusted EBITDA of CAD 18 million for the quarter. Since the start of the year, we announced 2 acquisitions, Shortridge in the U.K. and CM in Montreal. We're excited about our organic growth prospects and potential future M&A. As we actively pursue these growth opportunities, we will continue to incur certain non-recurring or one-time transaction, transition, and financing costs.

[Linda McCurdy, CEO at K-Bro Linen Systems Inc.]

In this context, we believe adjusted EBITDA before non-recurring or one-time costs will assist investors to assess our performance on a consistent basis as it's an indication of our capacity to generate income from operations. EBITDA before adjusting items was CAD 16.6 million for the quarter. Overall, consolidated revenue increased 15.8% compared to Q2 2023, with healthcare revenue having increased by 5.5% and hospitality revenue by 28.9%. Healthcare revenues represented approximately 51% of consolidated revenue, which is lower compared to approximately 56% in 2023, due to the acquisition of Shortridge and strong activity in the hospitality segment. We're excited to welcome Shortridge and CM to the K-Bro family. On April 30, we acquired Shortridge, a high-quality hospitality laundry provider based in the Northwest of England.

[Linda McCurdy, CEO at K-Bro Linen Systems Inc.]

Shortridge further diversifies our U.K. customer base while positioning our combined U.K. business for more growth as we look to extend K-Bro's geographic reach further south into the U.K.. On June twenty-first, we acquired CM, a high-quality operator serving top-tier healthcare customers in Montreal. CM expands K-Bro's healthcare customer base, increases healthcare volumes, adds additional healthcare capacity, and supports significant future growth opportunities. We're pleased with the early contributions of our acquisitions and see a positive outlook for K-Bro. We're excited about our organic growth prospects and potential future M&A. We remain well-positioned from a balance sheet and liquidity perspective and will continue to be disciplined as we evaluate acquisitions. I'll now turn the call over to Kristie to discuss our detailed financial results for the quarter, after which I'll return to talk about our outlook. Kristie, over to you.

[Kristie Plaquin, Head of Investor Relations at K-Bro Linen Systems Inc.]

Thank you, Linda. The information we are discussing today is also highlighted in our 2024 second quarter earnings press release, issued yesterday, and detailed supplemental financial information can be found on our investor's relations website. As a result of the acquisition of Shortridge in April 2024, price increases implemented and the acquisitions of Paranet and Villeray, consolidated hospitality revenue for the three months ended June 30, 2024, increased by 28.9% over the comparable 2023 period, and the corporation saw a 5.5% increase in consolidated healthcare revenue for an overall increase in consolidated revenue of 15.8%. As Linda mentioned, when reporting adjusted EBITDA, we have revised our adjusting items to reflect certain non-recurring or one-time transaction, transition, and financing costs related to our growth opportunities.

[Kristie Plaquin, Head of Investor Relations at K-Bro Linen Systems Inc.]

We believe adjusted EBITDA before non-recurring or one-time costs will assist investors to assess our performance on a consistent basis. Details of the calculations and adjustments can be found in our MD&A under the section terminology. Consolidated adjusted EBITDA increased in the second quarter to CAD 18.2 million, or by 25.2% compared to CAD 14.6 million in 2023. Adjusted EBITDA margin increased by 1.4% to 19.5% from 18.1%. Adjusting items include nonrecurring transaction, transition, and syndication and structural financing costs. Consolidated EBITDA increased in the quarter to CAD 16.6 million, or by 14.3% compared to CAD 14.5 million in 2023. Consolidated EBITDA margin decreased to 17.7% in 2024 from 18% in 2023.

[Kristie Plaquin, Head of Investor Relations at K-Bro Linen Systems Inc.]

For the Canadian division, Q2 adjusted EBITDA margin increased to 18.9% in 2024 from 18.2% in 2023. Without adjusting items, the EBITDA margin in the second quarter decreased to 17% in 2024 from 18.1% in 2023. The decrease in margin is primarily related to nonrecurring items, which include transaction, transition, and syndication, and structural financing costs. For the U.K. division, Q2 adjusted EBITDA margin increased to 20.8% in 2024 from 17.6% in 2023. Without adjusting items, in the second quarter, the EBITDA margin increased to 19.4% in 2024 from 17.6% in 2023.

[Kristie Plaquin, Head of Investor Relations at K-Bro Linen Systems Inc.]

The improvement in EBITDA margin is primarily related to the acquisition of Shortridge in April 2024, delivery and labor cost efficiencies, and the impact of price increases implemented in 2023, offset by certain nonrecurring adjusting items. Net earnings decreased by CAD 0.2 million, or by 3.3%, from CAD 4.7 million in 2023 to CAD 4.5 million in 2024, and net earnings as a percentage of revenue decreased by 0.9% to 4.9% from 5.8% in 2023. The decrease in net earnings is due to increased depreciation and amortization related to Shortridge, Paranet, and Villeray assets acquired, as well as due to nonrecurring transaction, transition, and syndication and structural financing costs.

[Kristie Plaquin, Head of Investor Relations at K-Bro Linen Systems Inc.]

Adjusted net earnings increased by CAD 1.4 million, or by 30%, from CAD 4.8 million in 2023 to CAD 6.2 million in 2024. Wages and benefits in the second quarter of 2024 increased by CAD 4.2 million to CAD 35.2 million, compared to CAD 31 million in the comparative period of 2023, and as a percentage of revenue, decreased by 0.8 percentage points to 37.6%. The decrease as a percentage of revenue is primarily related to the corporation's acquisition targets and the integration of their cost profile. Linen in the second quarter of 2024 increased by CAD 0.8 million to CAD 9.1 million, compared to CAD 8.3 million in the comparative period of 2023, and as a percentage of revenue, decreased by 0.5 percentage points to 9.7%.

[Kristie Plaquin, Head of Investor Relations at K-Bro Linen Systems Inc.]

The decrease as a percentage of revenue is primarily related to the changes in linen mix and a higher hospitality volume process compared to the prior year. Utilities in the second quarter of 2024 increased by CAD 0.7 million to CAD 7 million, compared to CAD 6.3 million in the comparative period of 2023, and as a percentage of revenue, decreased by 0.3 percentage points to 7.5%. The decrease as a percentage of revenue is primarily related to the impact of price increases secured across various markets. Delivery in the second quarter of 2024 increased by CAD 1.5 million to CAD 10.9 million, compared to CAD 9.4 million in the comparative period of 2023, and as a percentage of revenue, remained relatively consistent at 11.6%.

[Kristie Plaquin, Head of Investor Relations at K-Bro Linen Systems Inc.]

Occupancy costs in the second quarter of 2024 increased by CAD 0.3 million to CAD 1.7 million, compared to CAD 1.4 million in the comparative period of 2023, and as a percentage of revenue, remained consistent. Materials and supplies in the second quarter of 2024 increased by CAD 0.6 million to CAD 3.8 million, compared to CAD 3.2 million in the comparative period of 2023, and as a percentage of revenue, remained consistent. Repairs and maintenance in the second quarter of 2024 increased by CAD 1 million to CAD 4.1 million, compared to CAD 3.1 million in the comparative period of 2023, and as a percentage of revenue, increased by 0.6 percentage points to 4.4%. The increase as a percentage of revenue is primarily related to Villeray transition costs and the timing of maintenance activities.

[Kristie Plaquin, Head of Investor Relations at K-Bro Linen Systems Inc.]

Corporate costs in the second quarter of 2024 increased by CAD 1.5 million to CAD 5.2 million, compared to CAD 3.7 million in the comparative period of 2023, and as a percentage of revenue, increased by 1 percentage point to 5.6%. The increase as a percentage of revenue is primarily related to transaction costs, including legal, professional, and consultancy expenditures related to acquisition, as well as the syndication costs for the corporation's credit facility. These costs are non-recurring in nature and are further defined within our MD&A. Now, looking at our capital resources, distributable cash flow for the second quarter of 2024 was CAD 9.7 million, and our payout ratio was 32.7%. The company paid out CAD 0.3 per share in dividends during the quarter, for total consideration of CAD 3.2 million.

[Kristie Plaquin, Head of Investor Relations at K-Bro Linen Systems Inc.]

The corporation had net working capital of CAD 52.5 million at the end of the second quarter of 2024, compared to its working capital position of CAD 41.4 million at December 31, 2023. The increase in working capital is primarily attributable to the acquisitions of Shortridge and CM, as well as the timing of cash receipts from customers. With regards to the credit and liquidity, we have a strong balance sheet and ample undrawn capacity on our syndicated revolving credit facility, with an operating line of CAD 175 million and a further CAD 75 million accordion for growth purposes. At June 30, 2024, after the acquisitions of Shortridge and CM, we had an undrawn balance of close to CAD 36.5 million on our operating line, without taking into account the accordion, reinforcing our strong liquidity.

[Kristie Plaquin, Head of Investor Relations at K-Bro Linen Systems Inc.]

This represents a debt-to-EBITDA ratio, excluding leases, of just under 2.5x. I'll now turn things back over to Linda for additional commentary. Linda?

[Linda McCurdy, CEO at K-Bro Linen Systems Inc.]

Thank you, Kristie. So we're excited by our strong year-to-date performance and see a positive outlook for our business. Over the past year and a half, we've acquired four complementary, high-quality laundry operators. In Canada, we see attractive growth opportunities in Quebec and have added Paranet, Villeray, and CM to our platform. In the U.K., Shortridge expands and diversifies our customer base and positions our combined U.K. business for more growth as we look to extend K-Bro's geographic reach south into the U.K. Both of K-Bro's healthcare and hospitality segments continue to experience steady growth in trends. Healthcare volumes remain steady as hospitals focus on reducing wait times and backlogs. We also see a continued trend from care providers towards reusable products. Hospitality volumes have recovered, and business and international travel have returned. We continue to see strong levels of activity across Canada and the U.K.

[Linda McCurdy, CEO at K-Bro Linen Systems Inc.]

We expect adjusted EBITDA margins to follow historical seasonal trends. Our vision for K-Bro centers around delivering industry-leading service, putting people first, and supporting the communities in which we operate. We're proud of our reputation for looking after the interests of our valued customers and being dependable partners to all stakeholders. Paranet, Villeray, CM, and Shortridge share our values, and we're excited for the potential these acquisitions present for our future. We see a positive outlook and continued momentum in both healthcare and hospitality and attractive growth opportunities. Strategic acquisitions of complementary, high-quality operators continue to be an important contributor to K-Bro's overall growth profile, and we continue to have an active M&A pipeline. We remain well positioned from a balance sheet and liquidity perspective and will continue to be disciplined as we evaluate acquisitions.

[Linda McCurdy, CEO at K-Bro Linen Systems Inc.]

I'll now turn it over to answer any questions you have with regards to the second quarter.

[Operator]

Thank you. Ladies and gentlemen, we will now begin the question-and-answer session. Should you have a question, please press the star followed by the one on your touch tone phone. You will hear a three-tone prompt acknowledging your request. If you would like to withdraw your question, please press star followed by two. If you are using a speakerphone, please lift the handset before pressing any keys. Your first question comes from Derek Lessard at TD Cowen. Please go ahead.

[Derek Lessard, Director at TD Cowen]

Yeah, good morning, Linda and Kristie, and congratulations on a really strong quarter.

[Linda McCurdy, CEO at K-Bro Linen Systems Inc.]

Thank you, and good morning, Derek.

[Derek Lessard, Director at TD Cowen]

Linda, maybe I just want to talk on the your positive outlook and just maybe if you could talk about that in relation to hospitality and, you know, some of the clouds that are gathering on the macro front, particularly as it relates to the consumer and maybe the impact on future travel, particularly the U.S. travel to Europe, which is up, I think, at record highs.

[Linda McCurdy, CEO at K-Bro Linen Systems Inc.]

Based on, based on feedback that we have seen from our customers and just in discussions with them, they still seem pretty positive about the outlook for the balance of the year. I would also say that convention and large group travel, which has to be booked, you know, months, if not years in advance, has come back into play. So we haven't seen any significant warning signs to say that we won't finish the year on the hospitality front, you know, in line with what we've seen in Q2, is really the best I can answer that, Derek.

[Derek Lessard, Director at TD Cowen]

Okay. No, that's, that's super helpful. And, and I guess maybe, there is also some industry data that's pointing to the return of business travel. Curious on what you're hearing from the business side of the business travel side.

[Linda McCurdy, CEO at K-Bro Linen Systems Inc.]

You know, it's really hard for us to discern a business traveler from a leisure travel. Some of our markets are more geared to leisure. For example, you know, the U.K., we service Edinburgh, which there is business travel there, but a lot of the Scottish business is leisure travel. In markets like Toronto, we are definitely seeing a pickup in demand from business travel, but it is hard for us to break that down between various travel types.

[Derek Lessard, Director at TD Cowen]

... Okay, that's fair. One last one for me before I requeue. Maybe if you could help us understand, I guess, the relative contribution to growth from pricing versus volume.

[Linda McCurdy, CEO at K-Bro Linen Systems Inc.]

Sure, absolutely. Kristie, do you wanna handle that one?

[Kristie Plaquin, Head of Investor Relations at K-Bro Linen Systems Inc.]

Yeah. Yeah, sure. So I think just overall, on a consolidated basis, Derek, about half of the—just over half would be related to acquisitions and volume, so in the, you know, 60-60% range, and about 40% would be price.

[Derek Lessard, Director at TD Cowen]

Thanks for that. I'll requeue. Thanks, everybody.

[Operator]

Thank you. Next question comes from Michael Glen at Raymond James. Please go ahead.

[Michael Glen, Managing Director at Raymond James]

Hey, good morning. Just following on the last question there, Linda, are you able to indicate what Q2 organic growth was if we peel out the M&A from the quarter?

[Linda McCurdy, CEO at K-Bro Linen Systems Inc.]

It's about 8%. Yeah, about 8% between price and volume, Michael.

[Michael Glen, Managing Director at Raymond James]

Okay, so this would look to be trending above what you had seen historically. Any, like, is this still a rebound in hospitality coming through, or is there a lot of things happening on the healthcare side, pushing that number higher as well?

[Linda McCurdy, CEO at K-Bro Linen Systems Inc.]

I'd say it's about half and half, Michael, between hospitality and healthcare.

[Michael Glen, Managing Director at Raymond James]

Okay. Just on the renewals that you flagged to us earlier in the year, can you give an update on where we sit with the renewals and progress towards that?

[Linda McCurdy, CEO at K-Bro Linen Systems Inc.]

Kristie, do you want to respond to that?

[Kristie Plaquin, Head of Investor Relations at K-Bro Linen Systems Inc.]

Yeah, sure, Linda, thank you. So, what I would say to that is overall, there are still contracts that will come due throughout the balance of the year. In terms of those that have been renewed to date, roughly about half of them, Michael, have been renewed to date.

[Michael Glen, Managing Director at Raymond James]

So, would that, that would be one half of, I think, the number was CAD 67 million or?

[Kristie Plaquin, Head of Investor Relations at K-Bro Linen Systems Inc.]

Correct. Correct.

[Linda McCurdy, CEO at K-Bro Linen Systems Inc.]

Yes.

[Kristie Plaquin, Head of Investor Relations at K-Bro Linen Systems Inc.]

Correct.

[Michael Glen, Managing Director at Raymond James]

Okay.

[Kristie Plaquin, Head of Investor Relations at K-Bro Linen Systems Inc.]

In the CAD 70 million range. Correct.

[Michael Glen, Managing Director at Raymond James]

So roughly half of the CAD 70 million renewed. Okay, and-

[Linda McCurdy, CEO at K-Bro Linen Systems Inc.]

And I'd just... The one thing I would add on that, I would say, you know, of the 50% remaining, I'd say half of that is trending and positive discussions, but the paperwork hasn't been signed, Michael. So it's so-

[Michael Glen, Managing Director at Raymond James]

Okay.

[Linda McCurdy, CEO at K-Bro Linen Systems Inc.]

We're in... And the balance of it comes due at, throughout the balance of the year.

[Michael Glen, Managing Director at Raymond James]

Okay. And any, can you just also provide a comment on your, on the outlook for organic win opportunities or RFPs coming in the next year or two?

[Linda McCurdy, CEO at K-Bro Linen Systems Inc.]

Yeah, I'd say throughout the balance of the year, in 2025, I would say there's large chunks of volume coming up to RFP, you know, I'd say CAD tens of millions in various markets.

[Michael Glen, Managing Director at Raymond James]

Okay. Thank you. I'll jump back in the queue.

[Linda McCurdy, CEO at K-Bro Linen Systems Inc.]

Thanks, Michael.

[Operator]

Thank you. Next question comes from Kyle McPhee at Cormark Securities. Please go ahead.

[Kyle McPhee, Analyst at Cormark Securities]

Hi. First, just a follow-up on the pricing contribution. So all the information you've provided from prior questions indicates pricing was, you know, about 6.5%. Does that? And I think it was similar last quarter as well. Does that type of pricing contribution start to fall now going forward? Have you largely lapped the big round of inflation catch-up pricing gains that became effective throughout last year?

[Linda McCurdy, CEO at K-Bro Linen Systems Inc.]

I would say that's a fair comment, Kyle.

[Kyle McPhee, Analyst at Cormark Securities]

Okay. And then just on... I wanted to talk about Quebec. So regarding your most recent acquisition in the province that you announced in June, should we expect revenue to land at typical K-Bro margins? Or any notable differences or margin mix impacts we should be aware of for that deal?

[Linda McCurdy, CEO at K-Bro Linen Systems Inc.]

I think you'll see it fall in line with our historical margin. It would be consistent with our existing margin profile.

[Kyle McPhee, Analyst at Cormark Securities]

Okay. And then higher level on your Quebec plan. You've done a series of acquisitions in the province. The deals landed you with three facilities in the province. Looks like you already made the decision to close one site and consolidate the volume. Will you keep the two remaining sites, or should we expect further facility consolidation in the province?

[Linda McCurdy, CEO at K-Bro Linen Systems Inc.]

I would say that it's a bit premature to comment on that. Our expectation is to maintain the existing facilities. The one you noted was in Granby, and we have transferred the volume. At this point, we expect to keep our remaining facilities and grow the business and add additional volume to our plants.

[Kyle McPhee, Analyst at Cormark Securities]

So is it a significant amount of excess capacity you're leaving yourself with in the province? Like, is Quebec going to be an above average organic volume growth province, leveraging, you know, your now much bigger position in the province?

[Linda McCurdy, CEO at K-Bro Linen Systems Inc.]

One of, you know, our vision was to expand capacity in the market for that reason exactly. It's a large market where we were, we didn't have the capacity, so I would expect there to be, it to be a significant area of growth.

[Kyle McPhee, Analyst at Cormark Securities]

... Got it. Okay. And then last one. Nice to see you're now adjusting for the true one-time items in your results with the detailed breakdown. I've seen one-time costs will continue as you integrate, you know, the series of acquisitions you've done in Quebec and the U.K.. Can you provide guidance on the level of one-time costs for the rest of this year and next year?

[Linda McCurdy, CEO at K-Bro Linen Systems Inc.]

I would expect it to be just for the remainder of this year, and I mean, a large part of those transition costs were legal and consulting, in terms of PPA, in terms of legal costs associated with negotiating the purchase and sale agreement. The transition costs, I think, will not be overly material as we move forward for the balance of the year.

[Kyle McPhee, Analyst at Cormark Securities]

Great. Thank you. That's it for me.

[Linda McCurdy, CEO at K-Bro Linen Systems Inc.]

Thanks, Kyle.

[Operator]

Thank you. The next question comes from Justin Keywood at Stifel. Please go ahead.

[Justin Keywood, Managing Director at Stifel]

Good morning. Thanks for taking my call.

[Linda McCurdy, CEO at K-Bro Linen Systems Inc.]

Morning, Kyle, Justin.

[Justin Keywood, Managing Director at Stifel]

Thanks. Just some follow-ups on the upcoming contract. So if I understand correctly, there's CAD 70 million from existing customers to be renewed, and then there's CAD tens of millions in RFPs, I assume, from competing companies?

[Linda McCurdy, CEO at K-Bro Linen Systems Inc.]

The 70 are our contracts being renewed in this year, of which more than half have been re-signed. The tens of millions CAD of our business that is out there, I would say, is business that will go out to RFP in beyond 2024.

[Justin Keywood, Managing Director at Stifel]

Understood. And the remaining CAD 35 million to be renewed, is that with one or several customers? And what's your confidence in that being renewed without any issue?

[Linda McCurdy, CEO at K-Bro Linen Systems Inc.]

We remain highly confident. I would say it's split between Canada and the U.K.. There's not a large single customer that makes up a meaningful part of the remaining 35, Justin, but we feel very confident in our ability to renew it successfully.

[Justin Keywood, Managing Director at Stifel]

Okay, thank you. And then what about the outlook on wages? We've seen some sizable increases with for companies that have unions in place. Do you feel confident in the margin outlook going into next year?

[Linda McCurdy, CEO at K-Bro Linen Systems Inc.]

I would say that we are... As we continue to move in the back half of the year, some of that pressure has come off. I think we'll see higher than, you know, the 2% range, but we do feel confident in our ability to renew contracts and the lower single digit. Not as low as historically, but we're not anticipating anything in the range of, you know, 5%-10% increases.

[Justin Keywood, Managing Director at Stifel]

Okay. And then just, finally on the comments on potential M&A, if you have any additional color as far as size and transaction or geographic focus. Thank you.

[Linda McCurdy, CEO at K-Bro Linen Systems Inc.]

Remain very focused on Canada and the U.K.. As we've guided, our desire to continue to grow further south in the U.K. is a, is a priority. We're agnostic as to whether it's healthcare or hospitality. Both are our key in our growth strategy. I'd say range is anywhere from the size that we've previously announced in the, you know, CAD 10 million-CAD 25 million. There are some larger ones, but it's hard to predict timing on any of those.

[Justin Keywood, Managing Director at Stifel]

Target multiples? I know Shortridge, the multiple was implied at a bit of the higher end of K-Bro's typical range. Would you anticipate future M&A to be at or below those levels?

[Linda McCurdy, CEO at K-Bro Linen Systems Inc.]

Yes, I would say typical range is, you know, 6x to just over 8x, slightly over 8x, is what our range has historically been.

[Justin Keywood, Managing Director at Stifel]

Thank you for taking my questions.

[Linda McCurdy, CEO at K-Bro Linen Systems Inc.]

You bet.

[Operator]

Thank you, ladies and gentlemen. As a reminder, should you have any questions, please press star one. Next question is a follow-up from Derek Lessard at TD Cowen. Please go ahead.

[Derek Lessard, Director at TD Cowen]

Yeah, just one follow-up and a couple of housekeeping for me. Linda, maybe just on the Shortridge acquisition, could you just talk about how the integration is going, any incremental learning since acquiring them and maybe some opportunities to leverage that capacity there?

[Linda McCurdy, CEO at K-Bro Linen Systems Inc.]

I'd say it's been a relatively smooth acquisition and transition. The existing management team, which we have a very high degree of confidence in, has stayed on. You know, the back of the house integration, which is Kristie’s department, has gone relatively smooth, so they use the same IT platforms as we do, so a lot of that has been simplified. I would say that they continue to work very closely with Fishers to identify opportunities where there could be synergies... and opportunities to bid for and expand our geographic reach. So overall, I would say that it's gone very well. We're pleased with how it's unfolding up till this point.

[Derek Lessard, Director at TD Cowen]

Awesome. Maybe just some housekeeping just on, and for Kristie, like, on your working capital. Any changes to working capital expectations for the year, given the acquisitions?

[Kristie Plaquin, Head of Investor Relations at K-Bro Linen Systems Inc.]

I think we would predominantly have seen that in this quarter, Derek. I don't expect to see any huge investments going forward into the balance of the year.

[Derek Lessard, Director at TD Cowen]

Okay. And the same thing for depreciation. It was higher this quarter. I'm assuming that reflects the recent acquisitions. Should we-

[Kristie Plaquin, Head of Investor Relations at K-Bro Linen Systems Inc.]

Yes.

[Derek Lessard, Director at TD Cowen]

-basically consider this the new run rate?

[Kristie Plaquin, Head of Investor Relations at K-Bro Linen Systems Inc.]

Yes, it'll be slightly higher than that, considering the two new acquisitions weren't fully reflected for the entire quarter, given the timing of when they were purchased, but not materially higher.

[Derek Lessard, Director at TD Cowen]

Okay. And just one last one on the finance expense, which was also higher. Is this the, is this one time, related to the, to M&A as well?

[Kristie Plaquin, Head of Investor Relations at K-Bro Linen Systems Inc.]

Related to M&A, not one time. Just given the higher level of borrowing, interest expense or finance expense will be higher, going forward in correlation to higher debt levels.

[Derek Lessard, Director at TD Cowen]

Got it. Thanks. Thanks, everyone.

[Operator]

Thank you. And the next question comes from Michael Glen at Raymond James. Please go ahead.

[Michael Glen, Managing Director at Raymond James]

Hi, just updated CapEx guidance for this year, and perhaps if you could indicate for 2025 what CapEx might look like as well.

[Linda McCurdy, CEO at K-Bro Linen Systems Inc.]

Christy?

[Kristie Plaquin, Head of Investor Relations at K-Bro Linen Systems Inc.]

Sure. Yeah, sure. So for those for 2024, in line with the guidance that we've included within the MD&A towards the upper end of the guidance, which... And the guidance was up to CAD 17 million. And then in terms of the 2025 outlook, I would say consistent with what we've said in the past, in that, you know, 10 or just under CAD 10 million range.

[Michael Glen, Managing Director at Raymond James]

Okay. So this, for this year, then the CapEx will drop off quite a bit in the back half of the year?

[Kristie Plaquin, Head of Investor Relations at K-Bro Linen Systems Inc.]

Yes.

[Michael Glen, Managing Director at Raymond James]

Versus-

[Kristie Plaquin, Head of Investor Relations at K-Bro Linen Systems Inc.]

Yeah. So, I mean, a large portion of that CapEx, just kind of the change between historical guidance and this year, were one-time projects that we had announced previously related to our acquisitions in Montreal, as well as an investment in the U.K. in one of our plants.

[Michael Glen, Managing Director at Raymond James]

Okay. Okay, thank you.

[Operator]

Thank you. We have no further questions. I will turn the call back over to Linda McCurdy for closing comments.

[Linda McCurdy, CEO at K-Bro Linen Systems Inc.]

Well, thank you everyone for joining today. Enjoy the rest of the summer, and if there's any follow-up, please reach out to Kristie or I.

[Operator]

Ladies and gentlemen, this concludes your conference for today. We thank you for participating, and we ask that you please disconnect your lines.

Participants

Executives

• Kristie Plaquin, Head of Investor Relations
• Linda McCurdy, CEO

Analysts

• Derek Lessard, Director at TD Cowen
• Justin Keywood, Managing Director at Stifel
• Kyle McPhee, Analyst at Cormark Securities
• Michael Glen, Managing Director at Raymond James