| A summary of business operations…. |
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Stagecoach Theatre Arts, incorporated in the UK, was founded in 1988 by Stephanie Manuel and David Sprigg and it now operates the UK's largest network of part-time performing arts schools for young people aged between 4 and 19, with over 38,000 students world-wide.
A brief history of Stagecoach Theatre Arts:
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Founded in 1988 with three schools in Surrey |
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By 1993 the business had grown to 24 managed schools |
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Sale of the first three franchises in 1994 |
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Early Stages, classes for 4 to 6 year olds, launched in 1997 |
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From 1995 to 1999 Stagecoach schools opened in Malta, USA, Germany and Australia |
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In 2000 Stagecoach wins the prestigious Sir Bernard Ingham Trophy for business |
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franchising |
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SportsCoach launched in April 2001 |
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Listed on AIM in December 2001 |
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Acquired 100% USA subsidiary in June 2002 |
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Acquired 90% German subsidiary in July 2003 |
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First USA franchisee in September 2003 |
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First German franchisee in September 2004 |
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First Mini Stages franchisee in September 2004 |
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Launch of Early Sporties in April 2005 |
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Launch of the on-line shop, www.stagecoachshop.co.uk, in 2008 |
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Launch of Stagecoach Greece in April 2008 |
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Stagecoach pays a maiden interim dividend of 0.5 pence per share, final dividend of 2 pence per share |
Stagecoach Theatre Arts teaches children skills for life, such as confidence and communication, through the performing arts. Each "Stagecoach school", operated under franchise by the school principal, runs for 3 hours, typically at a weekend, from rented premises, with three teachers, and up to 45 students. Each week every student is taught one hour of dance, one hour of drama and one hour of singing.
A Summary of the Group’s Results and achievements for the year ended 31st May 2009:
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Profit before tax up 2.7% to £726,000 (2008: £707,000) |
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Franchise network fees up 3.2% to £29.4 million (2008: £28.5 million) |
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Earnings Per Share increased by 3.9% to 5.3p (2008: 5.1p) |
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Dividends of 2.5p per share (2008:2p) |
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