PLUS news

In an October circular, PLUS flagged up further strong growth in retail trading volumes. During the month, more than 11 billion shares were traded on the PLUS stock exchange, a 238 per cent surge over the same period in 2008.

PLUS says it has attracted ‘a huge increase in volumes’ since it began trading all AIM stocks in late August – for the second successive month, it captured ‘the majority of flow in over 300 AIM stocks’.

On the PLUS-quoted scene, unsurprisingly given recessionary forces, company announcements proved a rather mixed bag. However, a venture issuing more than one positive announcement in November was Sutherland Health, the supplier of patient hygiene and sexual health products to the NHS and other customers.

Not only did Sutherland, chaired by the entrepreneurial John French, deliver maiden interim profits of £7,245, a turnaround from losses of £58,000, on turnover up 14.4 per cent to £469,000, it also said its Condomania division had been added to a framework deal with NHS England for the supply of obstetric and gynaecological sundries and accessories, underscoring management’s confidence in future growth.