There are rumblings within the corridors of UK ISP TalkTalk as the company engages in the disassembly and selling off of its various business units. The Telegraph brought this to light, pointing out that this fretful process is largely to rally against the menacing cloud of impending debt deadlines. TalkTalk’s financial predicament has seen numerous plot twists, but the bald fact is that there is a whopping £1.1 billion shrouding the company’s fiscal health.
Darkening the horizon further, debt servicing timelines are closing in on the company. TalkTalk is ensnared in a £330 million revolving credit facility maturing in November of this year and a daunting £685 million debt bound to mature in February 2025. With interest rates escalating, refinancing these debts is looking costly, thus pushing the company to scrutinise its choices meticulously.
There was a glimmer of hope when whispers of a £3 billion takeover by VMO2 were buzzing last year. This could have been TalkTalk’s escape route out of its oppressive financial situation. Unfortunately, this potential lifeline didn’t eventuate.
With no external cavalry to its rescue, TalkTalk has reoriented its efforts inward. Glimpses of a strategic overhaul were seen in March this year, witnessed in the restructuring of the management team. James Smith, ex-Head of Finance at Capricorn Energy and a M&A specialist, took the reins as the new chief financial officer. The company’s consumer and B2B executive position exchanged hands from Jonathan Kini to Adam Dunlop.
Around the same period, there were hints that the B2B division was drawing attention as a potential asset to liquidate. Progress is being made in this direction, with speculations indicating it could rake in £150–200 million. B2B telco titan Daisy Group is believed to be among the bidders for this piece of the business.
Interestingly, there seems to be an inclination towards amplifying the division of TalkTalk’s operations. The cogs in this machinery were set in motion when TalkTalk management conveyed to bondholders a strategy of reining in sales and marketing budgets by a whopping 40%. This is an attempt to fortify the company’s financial status. The dialogues also highlighted a push towards divestments, with the assertion that the company’s fragmented parts could potentially yield more than the entirety.
As part of this strategy, TalkTalk is entangled in the complex process of legally detaching its consumer business to beckon potential buyers or investors. If this untangling of its business threads does materialise, we could witness the metamorphosis of TalkTalk into a purely wholesale enterprise.
