Design Group Share News (IGR)

Dow Jones smallcap news is now on Twitter, allowing you to catch up on the news away from your desk. Go to http://twitter.com/DJ_UK_Smallcaps ASOS PLC (ASC.LN), an online fashion retailer, Wednesday posted a 48% jump in first-quarter group revenue, helped by a more than doubling of overseas sales, although it cautioned that it is too soon to know if this level of momentum will continue for the rest of the fiscal year. At 0750 GMT, shares +8 pence, or 0.9%, at 904.5 pence. SILENCE THERAPEUTICS PLC (SLN.LN), a biotechnology company, said it extended a research deal with AstraZeneca PLC (AZN.LN) by another year. The two companies are developing five potential drug candidates focused on respiratory diseases and cancer. If ultimately successful, Silence could earn up to GBP200 million in fees and milestone payments plus royalties on sales of any drugs that make it to market. At 0750 GMT, shares +0.37 pence, or 6.6%, at 6 pence. GREENKO GROUP PLC (GKO.LN), an Indian renewable energy company, said it agreed to buy a hydroelectric power company for EUR26 million. Greenko said it agreed to buy Hemavathi Power & Light Pvt Ltd., the operator of a 24 megawatt power plant on the Hemavathi river in the Indian state of Karnataka. At 0749 GMT, shares flat at 149 pence. THORNTONS PLC (THT.LN), a chocolate retailer, said sales from its stores open more than a year fell 6% in its final quarter, a worsening trend compared with its previous three quarters, and announced it is to axe staff from its head office. At 0749 GMT, shares flat at 81 pence. LXB RETAIL PROPERTIES PLC (LXB.LN), a real estate investor, said it intends to raise GBP40 million in a share sale to make new investments. The company, which invests in out-of-town retail property, said it has invested or agreed to invest 85% of the GBP110 million it raised in an initial public offering late last year but is still seeing further opportunities for acquisitions. At 0749 GMT, shares +5.25 pence, or 6%, at 93.5 pence. TOPPS TILES PLC (TPT.LN), a tile and wood flooring retailer, said the rate of sales decline in its third quarter slowed. Topps Tiles said overall revenue in the 13 weeks to July 3 fell 2.5% on the year, with comparable sales falling 1.2% on the year. At 0749 GMT, shares +1.25 pence, or 2.5%, at 51.25 pence. INTERNATIONAL GREETINGS PLC (IGR.LN), a maker of gift wrap and greetings cards, swung to a small full-year pretax profit and said that although market conditions remain tough, its order book is encouraging and it is well-placed to increase profit. At 0748 GMT, shares +3 pence, or 5.1%, at 62 pence. EMIS GROUP PLC (EMIS.LN), a healthcare IT company, said it expects to benefit from proposed reforms of the U.K.'s state-run National Health Service. EMIS's technology is used by NHS doctors to manage patients' records and the company said the reforms--which include handing control of the bulk of the NHS budget to doctors--will require software that permits physicians to share information quickly and securely. It added Wednesday 2010 trading is in line with its expectations. Revenue for the first six months of the year was GBP29 million, it said. At 0748 GMT, shares -17.5 pence, or 5%, at 335 pence. SOFTWARE RADIO TECHNOLOGY PLC (SRT.LN), a maker of digital devices that identify ships, said it has received more new orders for its Automatic Identification System products worth $2.1 million. At 0747 GMT, shares +1.25 pence, or 5.8%, at 22.75 pence. 1ST DENTAL LABORATORIES PLC (FDT.LN), a maker of dental implants, reported a small swing back to profit for the first six months of its fiscal year despite a fall in revenue caused by the volcanic ash cloud that grounded planes in Europe during the spring. The company added it is "cautiously confident" for the full fiscal year although said demand for privately-funded dental work has fallen in the U.K. as patients resist discretionary spending. Revenue from state-funded dental work is stable, it said. At 0747 GMT, shares -0.12 pence, or 2.7%, at 4.5 pence. DJ UK Smaller Cos +0.1% AIM +0.1% -By Jason Douglas, Hannah Benjamin and Rachael Gormley, Dow Jones Newswires; +44 (0) 20 7842 9272; uksmallcaps@dowjones.com (END) Dow Jones Newswires July 14, 2010 04:30 ET (08:30 GMT)