News And Announcements
Shaftesbury scraps final dividend as almost half of rents waived, due
West End landlord Shaftesbury scrapped its final dividend as it said almost half of rents due for the second half had been waived or were still due amid the Covid-19 crisis.
Character Group 'confident' in weathering Covid storm
Character Group updated the market on its trading for the year just ended on Thursday, reporting that the outcome for the second half had, as expected, been “considerably affected” by the UK lockdown.
Verditek wins first order in valuable Australian mining sector
Clean technology company Verditek has won its first order in the mining sector in Australia, it announced on Thursday, representing what it described as an “important new territory”.
Tekcapital investment Salarius strikes Mexico distribution deal
Intellectual property investment company Tekcapital announced on Thursday that its portfolio company Salarius has signed a partnership agreement with FXM, to lead business-to-business sales and marketing of its ‘MicroSalt’ product in Mexico and Latin America.
Oriole signs diamond drilling contract over Bibemi licelce
West Africa-focussed exploration company Oriole Resources has signed a 3,000 metre diamond drilling contract with Capital, over its Bibemi exploration licence in Cameroon, it announced on Thursday.
Ixico joins Friedreich's Ataxia research consortium
Data analytics company Ixico has entered into a five-year collaboration with the Friedreich's Ataxia Research Alliance (FARA), it announced on Thursday, which it described as a non-profit organization dedicated to the pursuit of scientific research leading to treatments and a cure for Friedreich's Ataxia (FA).
Atalaya Mining begins permitting process for solar plant
Atalaya Mining has started the permitting process to develop a 50MW solar plant at its Proyecto Riotinto, it announced on Thursday, with the full capacity of the solar project to be used for self-consumption.
SmartSpace signs distribution seal in Asia
Smart buildings software company SmartSpace Software has signed a distribution agreement with ESCO, it announced on Thursday, which it described as a “major” audiovisual integrator in east Asia.
OptiBiotix revenue improves fivefold in first half
Life sciences company OptiBiotix Health reported first-half revenue growth to £0. 74m in its first half on Thursday, which was a five times increase in revenues from the first half of 2019.
DFS tumbles into the red but remains upbeat for the current year
DFS Furniture revealed it had swung to an annual loss after Covid-19 temporarily closed its operations – but said the current year had started strongly as consumers, after months spent at home, splashed out on new sofas.
Tesco CEO calls on retailers and governments to reduce food waste
Tesco CEO Dave Lewis said that companies and governments should take advantage of the opportunity the global pandemic has provided to tackle food waste as focus on global supplies increases.
Escape Hunt describes 'encouraging' trading since reopening
Escape rooms operator Escape Hunt described trading at its UK owner-operated sites as “encouraging” on Thursday, since reopening on 12 July.
NWF Group trading in line amid Covid and Brexit uncertainty
Fuel, food and feed distributor NWF Group said on Thursday that trading in its first quarter had been consistent with its own expectations, with net debt reflecting the usual seasonal fluctuations.
Altona to raise £0.5m to fund rare earth elements strategy
Mining exploration company Altona Energy said on Thursday that it is looking to raise up to £0. 5m to fund its new rare earth element strategy.
Go-Ahead profit slightly better than guidance
Go-Ahead predicted profit at its London and international bus division would be little changed as the transport operator reported group profit slightly better than its expectations.
SIG slides into the red but ups guidance for second half
SIG tumbled into the red in the first half of the year, the building products distributor said on Thursday, after the Covid-19 pandemic shuttered the construction industry and dented trade.
Ryanair's O'Leary warns of large job losses due to 'shambolic' UK Covid policy
Britain’s aviation and tourism industries faced massive job losses unless the government provided more support and eased travel restrictions, Ryanair chief Michael O'Leary said on Thursday.
National Express trading 'slightly above' previous guidance
National Express said on Thursday that it had traded “slightly above” its previously guided base case ince the half-year, which had assumed revenue to be around 50% of pre-Covid-19 expectations until the end of August.
Indivior to axe jobs, restructure as it looks to cut costs
Opioid addiction treatment maker Indivior outlined plans on Thursday to reduce costs through job cuts and restructuring, as it looks to support long-term growth ambitions and protect its financial and operational flexibility in response to the pandemic.
Renishaw seeks to quell shareholder unrest over pay
Renishaw has sought to head off shareholder unrest before its annual general meeting by increasing shareholding requirements and capping share bonuses for new executive directors.