Gfinity PLC (LON:GFIN) has signed a contract with YaLLa Esports, one of the leading esports teams in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA), to expand its RealGaming101 website into the region. The esports media firm said the partnership will see a new Arabic MENA focussed website, RealGaming101.me, launched later this month targeting 93mln engaged gamers in the region.
Equals Group PLC (LON:EQLS), the business-to-business-focused e-banking and payments group, said revenues in the first quarter of 2020 were up 32% year-on-year at £8.3mln. In an update, the company said its business-to-business (B2B) accounted for 67% of the revenues, up from 46% in the same quarter of 2019 and 52% for the whole of 2019. The group said the “robust” first-quarter performance was driven by its international payments operations, where revenue was up 116% year-on-year (YOY) and corporate banking, where revenues were up 30% YOY.
Kromek Group PLC (LON:KMK) announced that it has received a Queen's Award for Enterprise for its contribution to international trade. The supplier of radiation detectors said it was recognised for its “outstanding” growth in overseas sales, up 52% in the three years to April 30, 2019. “It is an honour to receive this prestigious award following a period of significant international growth for Kromek,” chief executive Arnab Basu said in a statement.
MaxCyte Inc (LON:MXCT) said it “remained highly confident” after a strong year operationally and financially, although it recognised the coronavirus lockdown would have some impact on the business. The company, which earns its commercial income from its cell engineering expertise, saw revenues for the year to December 31, 2019, jump by 30% to US$21.6mln.
AdEPT Technology Group PLC (LON:ADT) has highlighted its work delivering solutions that impact around 2.1mln patients in the health sector during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, part of its public sector business that accounts for around 45% of its turnover. The firm said its presence in the sector has accelerated in recent years, and that its provisional data networks support over 30 NHS trusts and many large private hospitals such as Great Ormond Street. At the outset of the coronavirus pandemic, AdEPT said it had seen a “massive rise in requests for help” with a 10-fold increase in support calls in some cases, many from doctors surgeries and primary care facilities, while in a three week period it fielded over 1,500 support requests from NHS sites.
Arkle Resources PLC (LON:ARK) has told investors that it plans to drill at the Stonepark zinc project, in county Limerick, Ireland. The drill programme is slated to start in August, subject to coronavirus (COVID-19) restrictions. It will be operated by partner Group Eleven Resources Corp and Arkle will maintain its 23.44% interest in Stonepark.
Inspiration Healthcare PLC (LON:IHC) has said its work sourcing ventilators for the NHS and health services elsewhere around the world is offsetting any business disruption from the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. Inspiration is part of the UK government’s ventilator challenge consortium and received a £4mln order in March from the NHS. The comments came as the firm posted results for the year to end-January which came in ahead of expectations, helped by the acquisition of manufacturing business Viomedix.
Personal Group Holdings PLC (LON:PGH), the provider of employee services in the UK, has confirmed that its underlying earnings were ahead of expectations in 2019. The group had tipped the wink last month about the better-than-expected performance and revealed Tuesday that its adjusted underlying earnings (EBITDA) clocked in at £11.0mln for 2019, down 4% from £11.4mln the year before but a bit better than investment analysts had been forecasting. Profit before tax rose 3% to £10.5mln from £10.2mln the year before on revenue that jumped 28% to £70.9mln from £55.3mln.
Power Metal Resources PLC (LON:POW) has said the ground position at the Alamo gold project has been significantly expanded, following a staking campaign undertaken by its local partner in the USA. The additional claim areas are being registered with the County and Bureau of Land Management and expanded land position will now cover an area potentially containing a proximal bedrock gold source for the 60 ounces of nugget mineralisation already identified near-surface. Power Metal Resources owns an option over the project, and is currently undertaking due diligence.
Franchise Brand PLC’s (LON:FRAN) plumbing businesses, Metro Rod, Metro Plumb and Willow Pumps, have seen “continuing demand” for a majority of their services, which have been designated as ‘essential’ under the UK government’s pandemic rules. In a trading update released after the close on Monday, the franchise business said it expected the B2B division, which includes Metro Rod, Metro Plumb and Willow, to continue to trade profitably during the coronavirus lockdown, adding that in the first quarter of the year, earnings (EBITDA) for the division were 42% higher year-on-year, while growth in Metro Rod system sales accelerated to 19% from 14%. Meanwhile, the company’s B2C division, which includes its brands ChipsAway, Ovenclean and Barking Mad, was 5% ahead of the prior year in the first quarter, although the company said it had “significantly reduced or eliminate” franchise fees as the pandemic impacted customer demand for the franchisee's products from early March.
Franchise Brands also carried out a share placing at 90p that raised £14mln with directors and senior management putting up £2.07mln. Executive chairman Stephen Hemsley subscribed for £1.35mln worth of shares to take his stake to 23.2%.
Iconic Labs PLC (LON:ICON) has inked a partnership with ad agency M&C Saatchi PLC (LON:SAA) as its coronavirus fact-checking site, Infotagion, hits 2mln readers. The media group said that, under the unpaid partnership, M&C will launch 'Find the Truth. Isolate the Lies', a myth-busting campaign designed to expose lies about coronavirus, through the Infotagion platform.
Iconic Labs PLC (LON:ICON), a multi-divisional new media and technology business, announced that, following the financing and settlement agreement entered into by the company and investor European High Growth Opportunities Securitization Fund, it has received a notice in respect of the exercise by the investor of its conversion rights under the convertible bonds issued in respect of the first tranche drawn down for the aggregate principal amount of £50,000 resulting in the issue to the investor of 555,555,555 new ordinary shares in the company.
Avation PLC (LSE:AVAP) has noted news that Virgin Australia has filed for voluntary administration, though it continues to operate flights. The AIM-quoted plane leasing firm has 13 aircraft with Virgin Australia, though, it described the entry into voluntary administration as a procedural step to enable a sale of the company, or a restructuring and refinancing. “Avation is aware of reports that there are 10 or more interested buyers for Virgin Australia and/or investors,” the company said in a statement. In a separate statement, Avation noted an answer to a question it received from an analyst and highlighted that the majority (about 63%) of its leased fleet operate on domestic or regional routes.
Benchmark Holdings PLC (LON:BMK), the aquaculture genetics, health and nutrition business, has announced that Alex Raeber is stepping down as its chief scientific officer. In a statement, the firm said Raeber will cease to be a director of the company with effect from July 31, 2020. It added that he has decided that as the company is moving from a research & development investment phase into commercial execution, the time is right to move on to pastures new.
Impax Environmental Market PLC (LON:IPX) has highlighted strong recoveries from a number of its investments as the driver of the trust's strong performance in 2019. The sustainable investment specialist pointed especially to Dutch consultant Arcadis and US power group Itron as major contributors, while its solar power investments Xinyi and Sunpower also did well.
Tiziana Life Sciences PLC (LON:TILS) (NASDAQ:TLSA), the US and UK-listed biotechnology company focused on the discovery and development of novel molecules to treat human disease in oncology and immunology, said it has convened a general meeting to consider proposals to take increased authorities to allot shares; consider the replacement of share option awards and to adopt new articles of association. The meeting will be held on Wednesday, May 6, 2020, at 11.00am and, as the firm expects significant restrictions on personal movement to still be in place due to coronavirus (COVID-19, it will be an electronic meeting only.
Cello Health PLC (LON:CLL), the global healthcare-led advisory group, announced that its annual general meeting (AGM) will be held at 12.30pm on Wednesday, May 20 at the offices of Cello Health Consulting, Cello House, West Street, Farnham GU9 7EQ. The group noted that, further to its announcement on April 9, the board has decided that it is prudent to withdraw the recommendation to pay the final dividend of 2.95p per share, so consequently, the dividend resolution referred to in the notice of AGM will not now be put to the meeting. The company also advised that, if the stay at home measures remain in place, the meeting will be a procedural meeting, and attendance will be limited to a bare quorum comprised of two directors who are shareholders. In the light of these measures, shareholders will not be permitted to attend the AGM and are strongly encouraged to vote by proxy on all of the matters of business by appointing the chairman of the meeting as their proxy by submitting form. It said it has also made arrangements for shareholders holding their shares in certificated form to vote electronically. Copies of the notice of AGM, Accompanying Letter and 2019 Accounts are available to view on the company's website.
Advanced Oncotherapy PLC (LON:AVO), the developer of next-generation proton therapy systems for cancer treatment, has announced that further to its announcements of April 9, it has convened a general meeting of shareholders to propose resolutions to enable completion of the proposed share subscription. The meeting will be held at 2.00pm on May 11. 2020, and in light of the current British government restrictions placed on public gatherings in response to the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak it will not be possible for shareholders to attend in person so they are strongly urged to vote by proxy in advance of the deadline with the circular and form of proxy available on the company's website.
Baker Steel Resources Trust Limited (LON:BSRT) said its Annual Audited Financial Report for the year ended December 31, 2019, is available to view on the company's website.