UK SMALLCAP ROUNDUP: Intl Personal Finance Eyes Bond Issue

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 INTERNATIONAL PERSONAL FINANCE PLC (IPF.LN), a door-to-door lender, hopes to raise between EUR200 million and EUR300 million on the public bond market in the second half, Finance Director David Broadbent said Thursday, after wider market conditions halted the company's plans in the first half. IPF previously obtained a long-term credit rating of BB+ from Fitch in order to access the public debt markets but Broadbent said market conditions, particularly due to the Greek sovereign debt crisis, prevented this. At 1042 GMT, shares -0.2 pence, or 0.1%, at 203.6 pence. UNIQ PLC (UNIQ.LN), a maker of chilled convenience food and sandwiches, said it could tap shareholders for cash as a near-term fix to tackle its hefty pension deficit so it can make a final payment to its pension fund. While the company's market capitalization is about GBP10 million, it is saddled with a GBP436 million pension deficit. At 1042 GMT, shares +0.5 pence, or 5%, at 10.5 pence. SPORTS DIRECT INTERNATIONAL PLC (SPD.LN) posted a surge in full-year pretax profit as sales were boosted by this summer's soccer World Cup, and said it is targeting underlying earnings of around GBP195 million this fiscal. The firm had its strongest trading day ever when England played the U.S. in the World Cup. At 1043 GMT, shares -2.6 pence, or 2.2%, at 114.5 pence. FAROE PETROLEUM PLC (FPM.LN), an oil and gas explorer, said it struck oil at an exploration well in the Norwegian North Sea. Faroe said an initial analysis of the Maria prospect indicates between 75 million and 155 million barrels of oil equivalent could be recovered. At 1043 GMT, shares +37.25 pence, or 29%, at 166.25 pence. DEVELOPMENT SECURITIES PLC (DSC.LN), a real estate investor, announced a fully underwritten share issue to raise around GBP100.2 million through a placing and rights issue, as it looks to take advantage of several potential development schemes in central London and beyond. At 1044 GMT, shares -14 pence, or 5.1%, at 260 pence. GOLDPLAT PLC (GDP.LN), a gold producer, said authorities in Kenya approved its submission to begin mining operations at Kilimapesa Hill. The company said it is now only waiting for the formality of receiving a mining right number from officials. At 1044 GMT, shares +1 pence, or 12%, at 9.38 pence. KARELIAN DIAMOND RESOURCES PLC (KDR.LN), an Irish diamond explorer, said Rio Tinto PLC (RIO.LN) has agreed to supply it with secret exploration data about Finland in exchange for an option to take a 51% stake in any discovery Karelian makes there. At 1045 GMT, shares +1.2 pence, or more than doubled, at 2.25 pence. RESACA EXPLOITATION INC. (RSOX), a U.S.-based oil and gas company, said a planned merger with peer Cano Petroleum Inc. (CFW) has been called off. Alternative Investment Market-listed Resaca said Cano said it didn't want to go ahead with the deal after more than a year of talks. Resaca Chairman J.P. Bryan said the proposed transaction failed due to long delays with registration statements for the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, difficult equity markets and a failed share sale. At 1045 GMT, London-listed shares -7.5 pence, or 4.1%, at 175 pence. SHANKS GROUP PLC (SKS.LN), a waste management company, said returns from its investment program and improving margins on private finance initiative, or PFI, projects, offset declines in its 2011 fiscal-year first quarter. At 1046 GMT, shares +2 pence, or 2%, at 104 pence. GOINDUSTRY-DOVEBID PLC (GOI.LN), an auction services firm, said it expects to swing to a first-half adjusted pretax profit, as trading is "significantly ahead" of a year earlier due to improved sales from its large corporate clients. At 1046 GMT, shares +1.5 pence, or 2%, at 75 pence. LONDON MINING PLC (LOND.OS), a developer of iron ore and coal mines for the steel industry, said it agreed to cut its stake in the Wadi Sawawin iron ore project in Saudi Arabia in exchange for being released from funding it. At 1046 GMT, London-listed shares +1.5 pence, or 0.6%, at 253.5 pence. JAPAN LEISURE HOTELS LTD. (JPLH.LN), an investor in short-stay "love hotels" in Japan, said 2010 revenue and earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization will be below current market expectations due to aggressive price competition in the market and the closure of one of its hotels for refurbishment for most of the first half. At 1047 GMT, shares -3 pence, or 7.2%, at 38.5 pence. AFRICAN CONSOLIDATED RESOURCES PLC (AFCR.LN), a minerals explorer, said its Blue Rock project in Zimbabwe has been estimated to contain 270,000 troy ounces of gold, taking its total gold resource to more than 1 million ounces. At 1048 GMT, shares +0.5 pence, or 6%, at 8.75 pence. DRAGON OIL PLC (DRS.DB), an oil and gas company, said first-half production at 46,420 barrels of oil a day was below its expectations, but added that it expects to achieve an annual production growth of 10%-15% between 2010 and 2012. At 1049 GMT, London-listed shares -6.5 pence, or 1.5%, at 432 pence. DJ UK Smaller Cos +0.4% AIM flat -By Rachael Gormley, Jason Douglas & Hannah Benjamin, Dow Jones Newswires; +44 (0) 20 7842 9272; uksmallcaps@dowjones.com (END) Dow Jones Newswires July 22, 2010 07:30 ET (11:30 GMT)