Shares in fitness tracking group Fitbug Holdings Plc (LON:FITB) rallied as it halved losses and said its move into the corporate market was gaining traction.
Losses in the six months to June were £1.64mln (£3.22mln) as the company cut back on its retail business to focus on Corporate Wellness though sales also fell to £729,000 (£991,000).
Anna Gudmundson, Fitbug’s new chief executive, said: "Having only brought the new Corporate Wellness offering to market at the end of 2015, it is great to see the company starting to benefit from the new strategy in such a short period of time.
Fertility specialist Concepta PLC (LON:CPT) said it moved its UK lab to a new site at Colworth Park, Bedfordshire, doubling the size of its headquarters.
The switch is in line with its strategy of increasing its “operational capacity and economies of scale” ahead of the launch of its My Lotus fertility test in China in the second half and CE marking of the product next year.
Sweetener group PureCircle Limited (LON:PURE) is building a new processing plant in Malaysia, which has the potential to double the group's stevia leaf extract production.
It will also have a production line specifically for the Zeta Family ingredients, which are for the firm's products like Reb M for fizzy drinks, which have the most sugar-like taste and allow for the biggest calorie reductions.
Chief commercial officer Jason Hecker said: "We are extremely excited about bringing this new plant online because the demand for stevia has increased dramatically over the last six years.
Midatech Pharma Plc (LON:MTPH NASDAQ: MTP) has teamed up with distributor R-Pharm to promote chemotherapy side effect treatment Zuplenz and oral thrush drug Oravig in the US.
R-Pharm will market the Midatech drugs to potential new customers and give additional promotion in existing accounts. Mark Pavoa, R-Pharm US’s chief executive, said: "Zuplenz and Oravig are complementary to our oncology franchise, which includes Ixempra.
Back office software specialist eg Solutions Plc (LON:EGS) said it was confident of meeting market forecasts this year despite a slow start.
Revenues in the six months to July dipped to £2.5mln from £3.6mln, but a number of new contracts were won in the final months of the half and the order book is now worth £16.2mln.
EG’s US partner Aspect has also started to recover after a financial restructuring and picked up three new contracts including one with a leading social network organisation. Reflecting the lower revenues, interim losses rose to £1.51mln (£0.33mln) and cash dipped to £1.7mln from £3.06mln.
Elizabeth Gooch, chief executive, said she was encouraged by the increase in contract wins towards the end of the first half and the strong pipeline of new business.
Field engineer software specialist ServicePower PLC (LON:SVR) said it is back on track after changes to its business model and some order delays meant a dip in first half revenues. Marne Martin, chief executive, said: “Trading is once again in line with management expectations, on the back of a number of new deals signed in the first half of the year.”
CloudTag Inc (LON:CTAG) told investors it has hired Yuval Lange as the company’s new chief business development officer.
The wearable technology firm, which is developing personal monitoring products focused on fitness and health, highlighted that Lange’s appointment is part of a process to build a highly reputable in-house management team.
Shares in Pan African Resources plc (LON:PAF) advanced 4% in early afternoon trade after the South Africa-focused gold miner posted a more than doubling in full-year earnings on the back of record production.
Profit after tax grew 118% to £25.5mln, though in rand terms it was up 160%.
Investors will feel the benefit of Pan African’s success with the final payout earmarked to grow by £6.3mln to £16mln.
The industry has benefited from a rise in the value of the yellow metal of almost US$200 an ounce in the past 12 months, although self-help has been the major driver for the AIM-listed digger.
Landore Resources Ltd (LON:LND) unveiled final drill results from its exciting Bam East gold prospect in Ontario, which further enhanced its potential as a large, low cost open pit mine.
The latest drilling extended the prospect for 500 metres along strike and to a depth of 150 metres, and latest finds show wide zones of near surface mineralisation. The prospect remains open along strike to the east and west and down dip.
Rambler Metals and Mining PLC (LON:RMM, CVE:RAB) is eyeing further production increases in its year to end July 2017 having met or bettered guidance in fiscal 2016.
A move into the higher grade Lower Footwall Zone (LFZ) paid off and the total put through the mill was 241,080 dry metric tonnes - a 12% increase over the 216,000 tonnes milled in the previous year.
Ironridge Resources Limited (LON:IRR) confirmed it is ready to seal the deal for a major new gold discovery in Chad.
Having signed an exclusive option with Tekton Minerals in the summer, the company told investors that the deal was now unconditional.
The plan is to take first mover advantage in Chad where Tekton has secured exploration rights spanning 1,400 square kilometres hosting multiple high priority gold targets – namely those within the Dorothe, Echbara and Am Ouchar licences.
Dekeloil Public Ltd (LON:DKL) has revealed record half yearly palm oil production, turning out some 28,550 tonnes of crude palm oil (CPO) in the six months ended June 30.
It marks DekelOil’s first full half year producing with a new kernel crushing plant, and confirms it is operating in line with the strategy to increase sales and profitability at the Ayenouan palm oil operation in Côte d'Ivoire.
Revenue was up 23.6% to €16mln, from €12.9mln, while earnings rose 34.8% to €3.1mln.