Sealand Capital Galaxy Ltd (LSE:SCGL) is in demand after it snapped up two new distribution contracts in China and expanded its presence on the country's Tmal website.
The contracts are for skin and body care specialist Silllk Aromas Beauty in mainland China and make-up brand Missguided Beauty in mainland China, Hong Kong, and Macau.
Meanwhile it has launched three consumer brands - Living Garden, Inari, and The Gruff Stuff - on Tmall's global direct sales brand station.
Executive chairman Nelson Law said: "We continue to build bridges between Chinese consumers and European merchants of desirable, high quality brands and are very pleased to have added Silllk Aromas Beauty London and Missguided Beauty to our growing range of European brands for which we hold distribution rights."
Law added: "The Tmall Global Super Market is an efficient tool, and a cost effective way to promote brands and products during their incubation period in the Chinese market. It allows for accelerated initial brand building and brand awareness among consumers. The presence of Living Garden, Inari, and The Gruff Stuff on the Tmall Global Super Market will also allow us to engage well known tier one Key Opinion Leaders, otherwise known as influencers, for live stream sales, which will assist in boosting consumer purchases. Tier one Key Opinion Leaders have A-list celebrity profiles in greater China and can significantly augment product sales by association."
Sealand shares are up 3.33% at 0.78p.
2.33pm: ITM powers up on agreement for new factory in Sheffield
ITM Power PLC (AIM:ITM) has agreed a site in Sheffield for its second UK factory.
The energy storage and clean fuel company has bought the site from the University of Sheffield at a cost of £13.4mln, and will spend around £16mln to construct the shell and £20mln-£25mln to fit it out and power it.
The acquisition is subject to the grant of full planning permission for the new factory.
The factory will have a capacity of 1.5 GW per annum and is currently expected to be fully operational by the end of 2023 to complement the existing 1 GW per annum capacity at Bessemer Park.
ITM will also collaborate with the university to develop a plan and apply for funding for a National Hydrogen Research, Innovation and Skills Centre, to be located at the University of Sheffield Innovation District (neighbouring ITM Power's proposed new site).
Chief executive Dr Graham Cooley said: "I am delighted to be working more closely with the University of Sheffield and delighted that our second UK factory site is in Sheffield. Both initiatives will support the local economy through job creation and supply chain support."
The news has seen ITM's shares power up 4.3% to 500p.
12.39pm: John Lewis of Hungerford back in profit as pent up demand boosts kitchen sales
John Lewis of Hungerford PLC (AIM:JLH) has built up a good gain after returning to profit in the year to June.
Despite a loss in the first half and showrooms closed for 18 weeks, the kitchen specialist reported a 41.9% rise in revenues to £7.87mln and a pretax profit of £81,000. This compares to a loss of £885,000 the previous year.
Its kitchen business was behind the bulk of the gains, with consumers spending less on bedrooms, although it believes this area is now picking up.
Its increased online presence also helped to soften the blow of the store closures.
The new financial year has started well in terms of orders. It said despatched sales, forward committed orders and future orders against which a first stage deposit has been taken, stood at £7.4mln, well ahead of the £4.9mln recorded at the same time the previous year.
It said: "We continue to generate record levels of interest, driven in part by gains in market share and also from the 'pent up' demand arising from the first, long lockdown, when focus on improving the home became a customer priority."
The company's shares are up 13.04% at 1.3p.
11.41am: Superyacht specialist GYG scuppered again by German shipyard problem
Shares in GYG PLC (AIM:GYG), which paints, supplies and maintains superyachts, are sinking again.
The company is down 9.48% at 52.5p after it said its full year results would be much lower than its previous expectations.
The problem is "significant operational and financial disruption" caused by the administration of the Nobiskrug shipyard in Germany, where it is waiting for €2.8mln it is owed.
It said: "The Nobiskrug shipyard administration and ongoing contractual discussions remain unresolved. Progress is being made and management is confident of reaching a resolution, however, it is now clear that work is unlikely to restart on these projects in the current financial year. Whilst the projects remain in the group's order book, it is now prudent to assume that the full revenues will be recognised in 2022."
It will remain profitable at the EBITDA level this year, it believes, and is confident it can meet its working capital requirements and repay its borrowings as they fall due providing that the Nobiskrug situation is resolved before 31 December 2021, which it expects.
So it believes it will not need to seek additional funding from shareholders.
It took out an emergency loan in July and saw its shares fall sharply, and at the end of October it was also under pressure after shareholder Harwood Capital said it would not be proceeding with a possible offer for the company.
It added: "Despite a disappointing year, the wider business continues to perform well with positive opportunities in both the refit and new build market. Consequently, the outlook for 2022 and beyond is encouraging."
10.36am: James Cropper upbeat after recovery from pandemic
James Cropper plc (AIM:CRPR) is recovering well from the pandemic and is optmistic about the outlook.
The paper, technical fibres and packaging business said revenues rose 47% to £49.8mln in the first half compared to this time last year, while adjusted profits climbed from £1.3mln to £2.3mln.
Fibre sales grew 19%, helped by recovery in the aerospace sector and strong growth in renewable energy. Paper revenues rose 64%, with luxury packaging, publishing, art and photography sectors returning to strength. Meanwhile, Colourform plastic-free packaging won new contracts and saw 22% growth.
With strong growth expected over the full year, the company's shares are up 10.2% at 1350p.
9.44am: Oxford Nanopore boosted by UAE deal
Oxford Nanopore Technologies PLC (LSE:ONT) has upgraded its revenue forecasts after a new contract in the United Arab Emirates.
The company, which specialises in nanopore-based sensing technology, has won a new 36-month contract toprovide devices, consumables including flow cells and kits, and other support services worth around US$68mln.
The contract with G42 Laboratory will generate revenues after the year end. So it is maintaining its guidance of revenues of £105mln-£111mln for its Life Science Research Tools business for 2021.
But it now expects revenues of £135mln- £145mln from the business in 2022, and has raised its forecast for 2023 from £165mln-£175mln to £170mln-£190mln.
The company, which floated at 425p a share in September, is up 6.09% at 578.72p.
9.01am: Renewi heads higher as it lifts full year expectations
Where there's much there's brass, the old saw goes, and recycling specialist Renewi PLC (LSE:RWI) is proving the point.
The waste to product company has increased its expectations for the full year after a strong first half, and believes it will benefit from increased regulation as governments at least make the right noises about carbon reduction targets.
The company said six month revenues rose 11% to €916mln as the recovery from the worst effects of COVID-19 continued, and price for recyclates increased due to higher demand and short term supply constraints.
Underlying profits jumped 229% to €50.4mln compared to the same time in 2020, and were more than double the level achieved in 2019.
Chief executive Otto de Bont said: "We have successfully retained some of the structural cost savings made in response to the COVID-19 pandemic and these, combined with volume recovery and ongoing strong recyclate prices, have contributed to the significant increase in margins and profits.
"Following this strong first half, the board is further increasing its full year expectations, which assume a moderation of recyclate prices in the second half as well as a reduced throughput at ATM [its Netherland site which cleans contaminated soil, water and chemical waste].
"Our business model is essential to enable advanced circular economies to achieve their carbon reduction targets. By recycling more we reduce incineration and assist our customers in reducing their carbon footprint as they replace virgin materials with our high-quality secondary materials.
"We therefore expect to see long-term accretive growth opportunities across our markets as we add more value to the waste we collect and process."
The company's shares have climbed 8.9% to 795p.
Also heading higher is Castillo Copper Ltd (LSE:CCZ, ASX:CCZ).
Its shares are up 7.38% to 2.09p after it gave a positive progress report on its copper operations.
Managing director Simon Paull said: "We are pleased to report that we have made significant advances on several fronts in our copper operations in Queensland and Zambia. Specifically, the team on site at the Arya Prospect have overcome harsh conditions to progress our pioneering drilling campaign forward and we look forward to reporting on the full progress in the coming week."