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There's some big news on a new large contract win for Ocado's OIA about to land. Watch this space...

I think you are misguided on Nick Slater's involvement. No, I don't believe he's selling up, although I'm not close enough to him to know that for sure. What I do know is that he would have paid in excess of £500k for his initial share in BLU - if, as his Twitter account shows, he paid on average .10p per share. so, when the SP plunged to 10% of that price, earlier this year, he took a major hit on his investment.

Over the years, I'm sure he's added to his holding (anyone can look back on the company's RNS's to establish that) and then sold again when the price shot up. That's called top slicing, and he has done well in doing so. However, he has maintained ownership of more than 10% of the share capital, throughout. He is also a fan of Meinhard Benn and had put a lot of faith in his ability to make something of Satoshi. Maybe that's just about to happen; who knows?

What people should also understand is that Nick Slater also ensured the survival of this wretched company by supporting the recent Consolidation. And, of course, since then, he's topped up his holding. Personally, I don't see this as evidence that he's about to sell up again. Far from it. I see it as a significant support for BLU.

Nick Slater has remained loyal to BLU, long after the other significant holder (the much lambasted Duke) sold up and encouraged people to follow him to Tintra and other flops.

Https://www.ajbell.co.uk/articles/latestnews/284093/uk-grocery-sales-hit-festive-christmas-high-inflation-picks

There's a glut of % figures in the article, but when you focus on the GROWTH figures, OCDO/MKS came out on top with 9.6% growth Y-o-Y (Tesco was 5% Sainsburys 3.5% Waitrose 2% Morrisons 0.4% ASDA -5%)

There's a lot of internal chatter suggesting positive news about to hit the market; most likely to coincide with trading updates from both MKS and OCDO.

Over Christmas, Sun Telegraph ran a small (non-story) about increasing numbers of OCDO team going out to support increasing demand for re;imagined technology to be launched into Kroger sites https://www.telegraph.co.uk/business/2024/12/29/ocado-bolsters-number-of-us-staff-dash-for-growth/ Now that the Kroger-Albertsons deal is off, some will speculate that this leaves Kroger free to invest in more CFC's.

Did anyone see this, yesterday? https://www.businesstoday.com.my/2025/01/02/pentamasters-legal-suit-from-ocado-is-due-to-alleged-patent-infringement/ OCDO suing a Malaysian company for patent infringement. Don't underestimate OCDO's legal team; they are some of the best patent legal people in the world, so expect to see more of this case.

The Holland & Barret tie up is interesting, but not sure what value it will bring.

The best story coming from insiders is the technology development from its 6 Rivers business and the impact this will have with existing global customers. Watch this space!

And let's not forget the McKesson CFC being built in Montreal. This is due to go-live mid-2025 and will demonstrate clearly that OCDO is not just a food-focussed technology business.

There are numerous issues here.

First, with less than £40k cash in hand at the end of the last financial year, it was inevitable that they'd need more money during the year. Let's face it, it's been raised on here (and other platforms) since the mammoth SP drop back in March.

Second, the "consolidation" is a term being used to hide the fact that they need the money! AIM doesn't allow them to raise money for cashflow purposes. But, hmmmmm let's see where it goes!

Third, I am disgusted how this is being rushed through over the holiday period, when most people will either be away or have their focus elsewhere. The deadline for the voting is just after the New Year so you'll need to be on to HL to ensure you get your voting rights sorted. (I contacted HL yesterday and they say they will send out info in due course! - by email, thankfully)

It's unclear as to how/when investors can buy additional shares (post consolidation) whether you voted in favour or against

My only hope is that the likes of Nick Slater and Christophe Sebakhi have a better understanding (due to their privileged role as "major shareholders")

The optics are not good....

Just seen on "X" that in today's auction $NABLA sold out in less than 1 minute - proving that demand is very, very strong!

This is significant news for SatoshiPay - because they own 5% of all future tokens. Also, Nabla has the highest base APY rate in the WBTC yield space.

"Nabla Finance has completed three previous funding rounds, starting with a $6 million fully diluted valuation (FDV), followed by $10 million, and most recently, $20 million in May 2024, collectively raising over $750,000. Today's public token sale was set at $6 million FDV, with a target of raising $300,000"

I’m still unsure as to whether the last few days of activity here was JUST a frenzy of day trading “Pumping & Dumping” or whether there’s a more genuine interest from new holders. Either way, it has given a number of LTH’s (including the down-trodden Slug) the opportunity to cash in while the SP was at a relative “high”. Good luck to them. And, well done those who traded profitably over the past 48-72 hours.

However, what this activity has also done, is brought this stock to the attention of some new names; some have invested, while others have just thrown in their warnings to keep away; using acronyms such as “pos” and “fubar” (explanations available on Google!).

I still hold. Why? Well, despite being so deep underwater I could be part of the NATO submarine force, I still believe that SatoshiPay’s technology has yet to have its time in the spotlight. We’re entering a new phase of crypto and blockchain development; demand has not peaked (IMHO) and Trump’s recent election victory has been the touch paper for growing demand.

SatoshiPay’s recent website re-work could be just a token gesture to maintain interest in its activities, but I sense there’s something else happening, which will bring major benefits to BLU as a 27% investor in SPay.

Did anyone see Zak’s Trader Cafe from yesterday (3 Dec)? If not, have a look. He also puts a positive spin on the recent activity in this stock. https://zakstraderscafe.com/bulletin-board-heroes-december-4-2/10362/

Boyo, let me correct you. Firstly, Hatfield has never been an OSP CFC. It has never had any robots on the grid, because there was no grid in the shed. It was first generation CFC with high levels of manual handling. And, by the way. with the forthcoming hikes in minimum wage and 'ers NI it was very prescient of ORL to vacate that site. Secondly, Ocado Retail are currently operating at about 80% capacity in their CFCs. While there are no new CFCs on the horizon, the proposed way to meet the increasing demand is to use another of Ocado's amazing technologies - the OGRP (On Grid Robotic Pick), As you probably know these are robotic arms which can pick orders 24 hours a day. By introducing more and more of these onto the CFC grids, ORL are able to increase capacity without the inherent drag on labour costs. These benefits are already filtering down the line at Luton CFC, which was the first UK CFC to have OGRP fitted at the outset. Other CFCs are having OGRP retro-fitted. This will unquestionably improve Ocado (and ORL) profitability.

Seems that CFO Stephen Daintith (ex Rolls Royce and Daily Mail) is getting his way with further cost cutting. Another 100 posts have gone following latest "re-organisation" I'm hearing. This follows last year's dramatic headcount slash when about 400 posts went. Setting aside the human cost, this is a clear sign the company is preparing to give the market some well-earned good news this year. Return to profitability is now in sight, especially with more international sites now going live (and paying OSP fee income).

Clearly, the signs are not good here. Why would anyone want to invest in a business whose sp has crumpled; dropping 90% in the last 6 months? Why would anyone invest in a business whose investee companies show little sign of positive activity, let alone becoming the next "unicorn"? Why would anyone invest in a business whose CEO still uses a personal gmail account to communicate with investors? There's much to dislike and fear about the future as an investor in BLU but I don't see TF throwing in the towel just yet. While BLU still owns shares in trading businesses, I think it will be tedious and expensive to unravel.

Do I feel trapped here? Yes, sure I do.

But, there is still a glimmer of hope that SatoshiPay and its Pendulum investment will come good. Why the optimism? Well, firstly Pendulum as a crypto has been bought into quite heavily, in the last 6 weeks. Although its down in value over 12 months (-30%) it is growing faster than many of its competitors, over the past 3 months. On the flip side, and as TF mentioned in the recent RNS, the danger lies in any further investment required to launch Vortex. Is this a bridge too far? Will it mean the BLU shareholding of SatoshiPay (currently 27%) gets diluted to oblivion? Who knows?

I've pretty much written off my holding here, so any upside from here on in will be a bonus.

In any event I shall be watching closely the Pendulum progress and could even add to my holding if I see positive developments

Curious to know: has anyone actually contacted Tony Fabrizi by email or phone? Either recently, or in the last 12 months? If so, what response did you get?

Slug - The other interesting dimension to the RNS is Derek Lew's involvement. He's not listed as a major shareholder in Guild (at least not above 3%) so it begs the question - if the DCB acquisition is completed - as to whether DL will want to focus his attention on BLU; to try and regain some of the lost value in his 211million (4%) shareholding in BLU. As you say, it may also help Dynasty's valuation, though quite what that will do to BLU's sp is anyone's guess.

I'm hearing that the trade shows - over the past 10 months - have proved highly successful. Expect an upbeat trading update. Sounds like as many as 3 new customers have either signed up (or close to signing) for the new OIA technology, following in the footsteps of the recent McKesson deal. This progress, combined with the efforts to squeeze more out of the existing partnerships in NAM, is already moving the business to a positive cashflow position. Nothing will stop that. Its now just a case of "when" not "if". I remain bullish here.

Https://polkadot.polkassembly.io/referenda/748

Wouldn't be surprised if he's got a broker to "hold" them for him, so he can buy them back in the new tax year. He's clearly had a good year with his other investments (eg ORR, SPSY, CSFS ) but he's taking a loss of about £400k on his BLU shares having bought at 0.10p

That must be Nick Slater. Last known holding was 582 million, so must be crystallising the loss for current tax year. Very sad

Since SatoshiPay is the one remaining asset of any value in BLU’s stable, it’s worth looking at the team/s behind SP.

Take a look, for example at Daniel Masters. He is still listed as a Director of SatoshiPay, having invested £566k in the business in 2018 (when the company had a pre-money valuation of £17 million).

Apart from his directorship/shareholding in SatoshiPay, Daniel Masters is a very big player in the wider crypto-asset industry. He’s Exec Chairman of Coinshares ($6 billion assets under management), as well as: director of CommerceBlock; director of Crypto Composite Ltd; and, director of Aventus Systems. Clearly an influential and well-connected “big fish” in the crypto-asset industry.

The question is: As a director of SatoshiPay, how is he guiding their progress, if at all? He’s been on the BoD since April 2019 (ie 5 years so far).

If you listen to this podcast, you’ll hear why he feels the current crypto cycle is different and more sustainable to previous ones, and why he sees crypto assets as a long-term investment (not a surprise since that’s his industry/market, but listen to his rationale). While there’s no mention of SatoshiPay in the interview, his strong grasp of the crypto asset market makes him an ideal person to have on the BoD at SatoshiPay.

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/1284-danny-masters-investing-legend-has-billions-in/id1434060078?i=1000638620950

This is gut-wrenching; a difficult time for many of us on this board. Stories of fellow investors who are 80% or 90% underwater with their holdings shine a light on the misery that we share.

Two things stand out for me.

Firstly, the absence of any guidance from Dynasty should have been a warning. Not only were they short on RNS news but they had no active profile on social media that could have given a hint on their plans/progress. Sadly, I feel the e-sports "industry" is not the unicorn it was once touted to be. The young and aspirational from India are now more likely to invest in Bitcoin than play e-sports methinks.

Secondly, there is no sign of TF putting his money where his mouth is and buying shares in the Company. And that is not good news. If he truly believed in the Company's potential he would be buying up in significant quantities today to show his true commitment. If there's no RNS later (regarding this) then I will view it as another nail in the coffin here. As Nick Slater has repeatedly said, you can tell a good company by the shareholding of existing directors (or words to that effect). And talking of Nick, he still owns >11% equity here so he's sitting on a very significant loss on his investment.

I'm going to let the dust settle and plan accordingly.

Let's see if TF buys any shares.

SatoshiPay ... it's over to you now

Last week's news about the Kroger/Albertsons merger falling apart may be manna from heaven for OCDO

Kroger have been focusing extensively on this merger and have taken their eye off the ball in terms of organic growth through their partnership with OCDO. This means that if the merger fails, Kroger will be forced to re-think its strategy for growing its online business (which is its fastest growing stream) and divert investment away from the Albertsons merger into its partnership with OCDO.

This dispute between MKS and OCDO has been going on since January 2023. It is NOT news. Key investors and the wider market have been updated by the OCDO BoD on a regular basis. The media are playing out this story because (a) it involves one of UK's high street darlings (MKS) and (b) there is a groupthink (cult?) which likes to put down any progressive UK technology business (OCDO) regardless of its qualities and potential.

Do not be persuaded that this "legal Action" is anything more than a misplaced story from someone in MKS who will likely be reprimanded for leaking internal docs/memos.