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RNS Number : 8032S

Fitbug Holdings PLC

22 March 2016

 

Fitbug Holdings Plc / Epic: FITB.L / Index: AIM / Sector: Leisure

22 March 2016

FITBUG HOLDINGS PLC ('FITBUG' OR 'THE COMPANY')

SUCCESSFUL CUSTOMER ROLLOUT WITH STRATEGIC PARTNER PUNTER SOUTHALL

 

Fitbug Holdings, the AIM quoted technology developer and digital wellness pioneer, is pleased to announce the success of an initial phase with the Company's strategic partner Punter Southall Health & Protection. Between November 2015 and February 2016 Punter Southall Health & Protection rolled out Fitbug's innovative Digital Wellness Solution to four of its clients.  Fitbug and Punter Southall Health & Protection will now look to strengthen their strategic relationship and accelerate the promotion of the offering to more of Punter Southall Health & Protection's client base.

 

Punter Southall Health & Protection is one of the strongest and most innovative health and protection advisers in the UK with 750 corporate clients, 2,700 SME's and 4,500 personal customers. The progression of its relationship with Fitbug confirms the Company's strategy to focus on a B2B digital wellness offering designed to increase employee productivity, wellbeing and engagement through targeted health and wellness programmes.

 

The Directors believe that the success of the initial trial demonstrates the potential opportunity for Fitbug's Digital Wellness Solution, which offers a holistic and preventative approach to wellness as part of a cost-effective corporate wellness package. The package comprises personalised mobile coaching, gamification, and management reporting.  Fitbug's wellness package is focused not only on improving health, but overall wellbeing through mobile technology, with particular emphasis on stress, sleep, nutrition and activity.

 

Fitbug CEO Anna Gudmundson said "Over the last 10 years Fitbug has built a strong technology platform, gathered valuable data, and has learnt how to engage both corporate and individual users to create lifestyle changes. We are now using our technology and expertise in our clear focus on the needs of the B2B market in order to capitalise on what we believe could be a significant commercial opportunity.

 

"Punter Southall Health & Protection is focused on helping clients control costs and improving the health and wellbeing of their employees, and is finding innovative ways to add ROI to their clients.  The missions of both companies are very much aligned. Together the Fitbug and Punter Southall Health & Protection proposition provides excellent value to corporate clients and offers Fitbug an accelerated route to market, fulfilling the Company's strategy to access the B2B market not only directly, through agreements with mid-large corporations, but also via strategic partnerships with insurance brokers / health insurers. We are very excited to grow our relationship with Punter Southall Health & Protection, who are pioneering their industry."

 

John Dean Managing Director of Punter Southall Health & Protection said, "We are looking forward to expanding our partnership with Fitbug, which has been an innovator in digital wellness.  We are increasingly seeing employers implementing wellness initiatives, which help staff to improve their wellbeing and adopt healthier behaviours. This in turn improves the performance of their insurance policies. Given both Fitbug and Punter Southall Health & Protection's expertise in our respective sectors, this proposition is a complimentary fit, and will provide our corporate clients with a unique, innovative and highly personalised health and wellbeing solution."

 

 

**ENDS**

 

For further information visit www.kiqplan.com or www.fitbugholdings.com contact:

 

 

Anna Gudmundson / Donald Stewart	Fitbug Holdings Plc	020 7449 1000
Catherine Leftley / Marc Milmo	Cantor Fitzgerald Europe, Nomad and Joint Broker	020 7894 7000
Claire Louise Noyce / William Lynne / Niall Pearson	Hybridan LLP, Joint Broker	020 3764 2341
Elisabeth Cowell / Charlotte Heap	St Brides Partners Ltd, Public Relations	020 7236 1177

 

 

Notes

About Fitbug®

Fitbug is a leading provider of online health and well-being services which is pioneering an innovative 'Digital Wellness' model to help individuals to improve their lifestyles by making realistic changes to their daily routine. It combines activity tracking devices, which provide an understanding of each user's daily activity achievements, with mobile and web technology, which provides users with personalised weekly activity and nutrition targets, feedback, advice and encouragement to achieve "wellness".  This is centred on four key areas: stress, sleep, nutrition and activity.

 

Its "Kiqplan"TM digital health coaching platform is designed to make wearable technology relevant to new audiences and take the "so what?" out of activity tracking by providing structured action plans to help people achieve their wellness goals.

 

The Company is primarily focussed on the B2B market, mainly mid-to-large cap corporations and insurance brokers / health insurers, where significant growth opportunities have been identified, particularly in the UK and US.  An important part of the Company's focus is on building strategic relationships with organisations, which can integrate Fitbug or Kiqplan into their own service/product offerings or resell to their customer base.  For more information, visit www.fitbug.com and www.kiqplan.com.

 

About Punter Southall Health & Protection Background Information

Punter Southall Health & Protection – www.pshp.co.uk – has grown considerably since its launch in 2010 to become one of the most innovative and strongest health, protection and wellness advisers in the UK.

 

It acquired Enrich Reward Limited, the employee benefits consultancy in 2013, and The Private Health Partnership (PHP), the well-established health group with a 25 year successful history, incorporating RedArc and Medical Care Direct, in July 2014.

 

The company has over 160 employees split over three UK sites in Redhill, Surrey, central London and Baildon, Yorkshire. Recent milestones include:

 

•           February 2013: launch of Gladis, a unique online self-service platform used by companies to reduce the widespread risk and cost issues of managing protection insurances for their employees.

 

•           July 2014: launch of Healthsmart, a service that integrates occupational health, absence management and employee benefits to get employees back to work as soon as possible.

 

•           October 2014: Began distributing Havensrock, unique group life assurance products with bespoke solutions for the professional services sector and pension trustees.

 

•           April 2015: Launch of Havensrock Income Protection, which for the first time joined wellness and group income protection in the same product.

 

Punter Southall Health & Protection is a subsidiary of Punter Southall Group, one of the biggest, independently owned entities of its kind in the UK. The group provides actuarial advice, pensions' consultancy, administration, risk consultancy, employee benefits, investment services, and healthcare for pension scheme trustees, employers, private clients, Lloyd's insurers and institutions.

 

 

 

This information is provided by RNS

The company news service from the London Stock Exchange

 

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RNS Number : 6988S

Epistem Holdings plc

21 March 2016

 

RNS Press Release

For release: 21 March 2016

 

Award of Funding for Next Stage of US Department of Defense Programme

 to Develop Genedrive® Biohazard Identification Tests

 

Epistem Holdings Plc (LSE: EHP), the molecular diagnostics, personalised medicine and biotechnology company, announces today that the US Department of Defense has awarded $2.9m in funding for the next phase of Epistem's programme to develop a handheld Genedrive® test for biohazard identification.

 

In August 2015, Epistem announced the first $2.4m phase of the $7.8m programme with the US Department of Defense for the development and manufacture of Genedrive® as a biohazard identification system. The second phase announced today was triggered by successful progress to date and is expected to be largely undertaken during the financial year 2016/17.

 

David Budd, CEO of Epistem, commented "Today's announcement is a recognition of our team's expertise in developing new assays and marks a further important validation of Genedrive®'s potential  as a highly versatile molecular diagnostic system which can be used outside a central lab setting. The US Department of Defense programme funding increases our overall development capability and our ability to develop Genedrive® to realise its full potential."

 

 

– Ends –

 

For further details please contact:

Epistem Holdings Plc

David Budd: CEO                                                                                                           +44 (0)161 606 7258

John Rylands: Finance Director

 

Peel Hunt LLP

James Steel                                                                                                                      +44 (0)207 418 8900

Tom Burt

Oliver Jackson

 

Consilium Strategic Communications

Chris Gardner                                                                                                                    +44 (0)203 709 5700

Laura Thornton                                                                         

epistem@consilium-comms.com 

 

 

Notes to Editors

 

Epistem is a personalised medicine and biotechnology company developing innovative molecular diagnostics and biomarkers alongside providing contract research services to drug development companies. Epistem's Genedrive® is a next-generation Point of Care molecular diagnostic system providing a low cost, rapid, versatile, simple to use and robust diagnostics platform for the diagnosis of infectious diseases and for use in patient stratification (genotyping), pathogen detection and other indications. Genedrive® aims to provide a 'gold standard' identification of Tuberculosis & antibiotic resistance. The World Health Organisation (WHO) has publicly recommended that nations incorporate new rapid and molecular tests for Tuberculosis into their disease testing programs. The Genedrive® platform and its first Tuberculosis test is now being prepared for launch in India and the Indian sub-continent. Further details can be found at: www.epistem.co.uk and www.genedrive.com

 

This information is provided by RNS

The company news service from the London Stock Exchange

 

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RNS Number : 8098S

ADVFN PLC

21 March 2016

 

21 March 2016

ADVFN PLC

Agreement with businessagent.com

ADVFN (LSE:AFN) is pleased to announce that it has signed an agreement with crowdfunding aggregator, Business Agent Limited ("businessagent.com") (the "Agreement").  

Pursuant to the Agreement, ADVFN has agreed to introduce businessagent.com  to its users and customers, by providing an exclusive listing on its website and mobile applications for equity and debt crowdfunding aggregation.

businessagent.com will initially spend £15,000 on advertising with ADVFN, but if it raises £2 million in funding, it has committed to spend another £60,000 in advertising. In consideration for this, ADVFN has been granted a 4 per cent. shareholding in businessagent.com, worth £120,000 at the current indicative equity valuation for businessagent.com of £3 million. The agreement is for a minimum of 3 years and shall continue on a month by month basis thereafter.

ADVFN will create a link to businessagent.com on the home page navigation of each of its websites. This will start in the UK, but it is envisaged that as crowdfunding becomes more established amongst ADVFN's overseas territories businessagent.com's services will be extended to those territories as well.

Clem Chambers, CEO of ADVFN said "Crowdfunding is still a new sector and one with great potential, quality is much better than quantity. businessagent.com brings the whole sector into one place".

Sacha Bright, CEO of businessagent.com said " this agreement not only catapults businessagent.com several years into the future in terms of traffic and users, but it is also a climactic event for crowdfunding. ADVFN's  users invest regularly in the main financial markets and this is an opportunity to introduce professional high net worth individuals to equity & debt crowdfunding. The market up to this point has been grown by word of mouth from the high net worth retail investor.

Notes to Editors

businessagent.com lists every equity crowdfunded investment opportunity it can find and collates data on loan based crowdfunding thus enabling visitors to identify lending and investment opportunities all in one place. businessagent.com is also able to introduce companies to alternative loan providers and equity crowdfunding sites to raise capital for their businesses.

businessagent.com has a vision of creating the primary alternative finance market place through aggregation. Its mission is to help businesses get the funding they need and help investors improve their returns from their crowdfunding investments by allowing them to compare investments, see all the opportunities in one place and access data on the whole market so that they can make more informed decisions.

businessagent.com was founded in December 2013 and launched in July 2014. It received its FCA authorisation in September 2015. For the year ended 31 December 2015 businessagent.com made a loss of £164,331.

 

– ends –

Contacts:

Clem Chambers: clemc@advfn.com

Salmaan Khawaja / Jen Clarke / Jamie Barklem: 0207 383 5100

Grant Thornton UK LLP (Nominated Adviser)

 

This information is provided by RNS

The company news service from the London Stock Exchange

 

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Neville Registrars is delighted to welcome Hygea VCT PLC as the newest addtion to its list of client companies.

Hygea VCT provides investors with access to a diversified portfolio of emerging and established MedTech companies qualifying for investment by a VCT.

Further information can be found on the Company's website: http://www.hygeavct.com/

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Neville Registrars is delighted to welcome Yü Group Plc as the newest addtion to its list of client companies.

Started in April 2014, Yü Energy is a Company that has the vision of becoming the UKs most innovative energy supplier.

Further information can be found on the Company's website: https://yuenergy.co.uk/

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RNS Number : 0568S

Mears Group PLC

15 March 2016

 

For Immediate Release

15 March 2016

 

Mears Group PLC

("Mears")

 

Appointment as Preferred Bidder

                                                                     

Mears the provider of support services to the Social Housing and Care sectors in the UK, is pleased to announce that it has been appointed preferred bidder by Devon County Council ('Devon') for the provision of homecare services. The contract is for an initial five year period with an option to extend for a further two years and will be worth over £100m. The Council's decision to award new domiciliary care contracts is a provisional decision subject to normal call-in and procurement standstill procedures. Upon award, this contract would represent the largest care contract that Mears has ever been awarded.

 

The new approach to commissioning local services aims to ensure a more stable supply of care and support and raise morale across the sector by recognising and rewarding care providers and care workers in their vital role.

 
Mears will act as the lead provider partner in four geographic areas across the south of Devon and  will be responsible for organising and delivering personal care services in that area including co-ordinating and supporting other local providers.

Commenting, David Miles, Chief Executive, Mears, said:

 

"We are delighted to have been awarded this significant contract, which reflects our long-term strategy of focussing on opportunities that enable us to attract and retain the best staff and deliver a high quality service to the end users. We congratulate Devon for the stance they have taken."

 

 

For further information, contact:

 

Mears Group PLC            

David Miles, Chief Executive	Tel: +44(0)7778 220 185
Andrew Smith, Finance Director	Tel: +44(0)7712 866 461
Bob Holt, Chairman	Tel: +44(0)7778 798 816
Alan Long, Executive Director	Tel: +44(0)7979 966 453
www.mearsgroup.co.uk
Buchanan
Richard Darby/ Sophie McNulty/ Sophie Cowles	Tel: +44(0)20 7466 5000
www.buchanan.uk.com

 

 

Notes about Mears

Mears is a leading provider to Local Authorities, Registered Social Landlords and the NHS. We deliver repairs and maintenance services and personal care services directly into communities and people's own homes.

 

Increasingly our growth is coming from Housing management services, that help reduce homelessness and more complex and integrated care solutions to the NHS that enable people to stay in their own homes for longer.

 

Mears employs around 18,000 people and provides maintenance and repairs services to circa 15% of the UK social housing stock. Mears also provides care, on a daily basis, to over 30,000 service users.

 

This information is provided by RNS

The company news service from the London Stock Exchange

 

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RNS Number : 9782R

Frenkel Topping Group PLC

14 March 2016

 

 

Frenkel Topping Group plc

("Frenkel Topping" or "the Company")

 

FCA Permissions Received

 

Frenkel Topping (AIM: FEN), a specialist independent financial advisor and asset manager focussed on asset protection for vulnerable clients, announces that the FCA has approved its recent application for a variation of permissions. As a result, the Company is now able to act as a discretionary investment manager with full retail permissions.

 

Richard Fraser, Chief Executive Officer commented: "The Company can now press on and deliver its transformational business plan in line with previous guidance given to the market. We are delighted to be able to now fully implement the new plan."

 

For further information:

 

Frenkel Topping Group plc	www.frenkeltopping.co.uk
Richard Fraser, Chief Executive Officer	Tel: 0161 886 8000
Julie Dean, Chief Financial Officer
Shore Capital	Tel: 020 7408 4090
Patrick Castle/Mark Percy
Walbrook PR Ltd	Tel: 020 7933 8780 or frenkeltopping@walbrookpr.com
Paul McManus	Mob: 07980 541 893
Nick Rome	Mob: 07748 325 236

 

 

About Frenkel Topping: www.frenkeltopping.co.uk

Frenkel Topping provides specialist independent financial advice focussed on asset protection for clients. The specialist independent financial adviser has a market leading position providing advice and fund management services for personal injury trusts and clinical negligence awards and is well placed to provide services to a wider customer base.

 

The Company provides a range of wealth management services including bespoke investment portfolios, financial and tax planning. It is focused on increasing its assets under management by growing the number of fee earners who are qualified to provide benefits protection for a variety of needs as the Company adds to its personal injury and clinical negligence specialism.

 

It has a national presence with offices in Manchester, Birmingham, Bristol, Cardiff, London and Leeds and has relationships and infrastructure in place to further grow its reach and target markets.

 

 

 

This information is provided by RNS

The company news service from the London Stock Exchange

 

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RNS Number : 6208R

Avanti Communications Group Plc

11 March 2016

 

AVANTI COMMUNICATIONS GROUP PLC

Contract Win

Avanti Communications signs the first order for HYLAS 4 capacity

 

Avanti Communications Group plc ("Avanti" or "the Group"), a leading provider of satellite data communications services in Europe, the Middle East and Africa announces its first pre-launch contract for capacity on the HYLAS 4 satellite.

 

Avanti will supply Bentley Walker, one of its key existing customers, with capacity on HYLAS 4 across Sub-Saharan Africa in a $1 million + commitment. HYLAS 4 is on-track to be launched in the first quarter of 2017. It is a 28GHz satellite and will complete Avanti's coverage of Europe, Africa and the Middle East.

 

Anthony Walker, Chief Executive Officer at Bentley Walker, commented: "As we continue to expand our territory, we need the most resilient, high quality and flexible satellite network. Avanti's upcoming HYLAS 4 satellite will deliver all three requirements, and will provide us with the full coverage of Sub-Saharan Africa that we need."

 

David Williams, Chief Executive Officer of Avanti, said: "We are seeing strong customer interest in HYLAS 4 as we count down to its launch in a year from now, from both new and existing customers. Bentley Walker is one of our key partners, renowned for its dedication to delivering the best possible services and opening new markets. HYLAS 4's flexibility will help Bentley Walker to address the demands of both niche and mass market users in new geographies as it grows, together with Avanti."

 

 

 

 

 

For further information please contact:

Avanti: Matthew Springett, +44 (0)207 749 6703

Montfort: Nick Miles / James Olley, +44 (0)203 770 7909

Redleaf: Hannah Nicolas, +44 (0)207 382 4734

Cenkos Securities: Max Hartley (Nomad) / Julian Morse, +44 (0)207 397 8900

 

 

 

 

 

Notes to editors

 

About Avanti Communications

Avanti connects people wherever they are – in their homes, businesses, in government and on mobiles. Through the HYLAS satellite fleet and more than 180 partners in 118 countries, the network provides ubiquitous internet service to a quarter of the world's population. Avanti delivers the level of quality and flexibility that the most demanding telecoms customers in the world seek.

 

Avanti is the first mover in high throughput satellite data communications in EMEA. It has rights to orbital slots and Ka-band spectrum in perpetuity that covers an end market of over 1.7bn people.

 

The Group has invested $1.2bn in a network that incorporates satellites, gateway earth stations, datacentres and a fibre ring.

 

Avanti has a unique Cloud based customer interface that is protected by patented technology. The Group has three satellites in orbit and a further two fully funded satellites under construction.

 

Avanti Communications is listed in London on AIM (AVN:LSE).

 

www.avantiplc.com

 

 

About Bentley Walker

Bentley Walker is ranked as the largest supplier and operator of VSAT Networks outside of North America. Comsys independently audited Bentley Walker as having around 45% of the Market in Europe and the Middle East, to date having sold and brought online over 40,000 VSATs.

 

Bentley Walker Ltd and Bentley Telecom are both privately owned Companies, the former started in 1947 by the Late LT Commander C Walker (George Cross DSC, DSO, DFC) RNVR in 1947 and is currently run and owned by Mr. Anthony Walker and Mr. Matthew Walker.

 

www.bentley-walker.com 

 

This information is provided by RNS

The company news service from the London Stock Exchange

 

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RNS Number : 8896R

Minoan Group PLC

11 March 2016

 

11 March 2016

MINOAN GROUP PLC

 

(the "Group" or "Minoan")

 

Presidential Decree Issued

Minoan Group Plc is pleased to announce that the Presidential Decree ("PD") granting land use approval for its project in Crete (the "Project") has been issued.

The President of the Hellenic Republic of Greece, Mr Prokopios Pavlopoulos has signed the decree and it has been published in the Government Gazette today. The planning rules for the Project are now enshrined in law.

Christopher Egleton, Minoan Chairman, commented:

"The issue of the PD is a transformational event for the Group and means that Minoan is in a position to accelerate discussions related to the development of the Project. Shareholders will be aware that the last opinion of the development value of the Project site was in the order of €100 million (as per the estimate dated 27 June 2011, which was reaffirmed in March 2012) and the Board will now be working to deliver maximum value.

For further information please visit www.minoangroup.com or contact:

Minoan Group Plc
Christopher Egleton	christopher.egleton@minoangroup.com
Duncan Wilson	0141 226 2930
Bill Cole	020 8253 4305
WH Ireland Limited	020 7220 1666
Adrian Hadden/Mark Leonard
Throgmorton Street Capital	020 7071 0808
Forbes Cutler
Morgan Rossiter	020 3195 3240
Richard Morgan Evans/James Rossiter

 

This information is provided by RNS

The company news service from the London Stock Exchange

 

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RNS Number : 5401Q

Flowgroup plc

01 March 2016

 

 

Flowgroup plc

("Flowgroup" or the "Company")

 

Launch of new connected home product range

 

Flowgroup plc (AIM: FLOW), which provides innovative energy technologies, energy supply and energy services, announces that it has launched a range of connected home devices, Flow Home.

 

Flow Home comprises a range of devices including a smart thermostat, smart plugs and an energy consumption monitor. The devices are controlled and monitored through a smart phone app or an online panel and offer customers extra comfort and control as well as savings on energy.

 

Flowgroup's connected home product suite is provided by Fifthplay, a Belgian connected home specialist which is part of Niko Group.  Fifthplay's existing product range provides a readymade solution to enter the connected home market and is already successfully deployed through some large European Utility providers.

 

Flowgroup also has access to Fifthplay's significant technical development capability, which may allow the Company to develop new connected home products in partnership with Fifthplay.

 

Flow Energy, the Company's domestic supply business, will initially offer Flow Home products to its existing energy customer base. Flow Energy will then offer the Flow Home range to non-Flow customers. The products will be available to buy outright or customers can pay over a 12, 24 or 36 month period.

 

Flow Home opens a new revenue stream for the Company. It also has the potential to increase the loyalty of its energy customers by providing an additional value-added service.

 

More information about Flow Home will be available later today on www.flowenergy.uk.com

 

Andrew Beasley, Managing Director of Flow Energy, commented: "Energy customers are now looking for more from their energy supplier. We already provide some of the lowest prices on the market and fantastic service, as evidenced by Flow Energy recently being awarded Recommended Provider status for energy by Which?, the consumer champion. We now have over 150,000 customer fuel accounts and believe that adding a range of connected home products to our offer means that there is now another reason for customers to switch to, and stay with, Flow. We believe the future of energy supply is a broader offer combining home energy with energy-related products and services, and this announcement is positive news for our business."

 

Flowgroup plc		www.flowgroup.uk.com
Andrew Beasley, Managing Director, Flow Energy		Tel: +44 (0)151 348 2100
Walbrook PR Ltd	Tel: +44 (0)20 7933 8780 or flowgroup@walbrookpr.com
Paul McManus (Media Relations)			Mob: 07980 541 893

 

This information is provided by RNS

The company news service from the London Stock Exchange

 

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