LONDON (ShareCast) - Shares in Alphameric rose after the leisure and hospitality solutions provider said it has signed a long term agreement to implement Caterwide, its web based ERP solution, with PizzaExpress.

PizzaExpress will deploy the solution across its 335 UK estate, commencing in August 2008.

“Caterwide enables our customers to gain operational efficiencies, profit improvement and tangible payback on the cost of investment. We are delighted to be working with such a respected and established brand as PizzaExpress,” said Alphameric.

Higher operating costs have pushed Innovation Group, a provider of software and business process outsourcing to the insurance industry, into losses for the half year.

The firm reported a loss of £800,000 for the six months to 31 March compared with a profit of £3.9m a year earlier. Revenue rose 33% to £64.2m, with recurring revenue making 83% of the total.

Operating expenses surged to £28m from £19.8m previously due to increased investment prompted by stronger than expected demand.

Innovation said growth has come both from existing customers and 25 new wins, taking the customer base to over 300 major clients.

The numbers were also hit by the anticipated loss of £1.7m at Nobilas Claims and Fleet Solutions, a global accident claims management business bought from Akzo Nobel last December.

The company has already slashed losses at the unit from around €17m in 2007 to just €3 in the first half of the new financial year. Cost reductions, new contracts and revenue synergies are expected to get generate a profit in 2009.


FTSE TechMARK - Risers
Alphameric (ALM) 20.50p +7.89%
Vernalis (VER) 5.70p +2.70%
Acambis (ACM) 112.25p +2.51%
E2V Technologies (E2V) 274.25p +1.57%
Gresham Computing (GHT) 68.00p +1.49%
Biocompatibles International (BII) 186.00p +1.09%
Domino Printing (DNO) 333.00p +0.91%
Kofax (KFX) 201.00p +0.50%
RM Group (RM.) 206.75p +0.12%
Fidessa (FDSA) 876.50p +0.06%

FTSE TechMARK - Fallers
Innovation Group (TIG) 25.00p -10.71%
Torotrak (TRK) 23.75p -9.52%
NXT (NTX) 16.00p -8.57%
Filtronic (FTC) 170.00p -8.11%
Anite Group (AIE) 44.00p -7.85%
Skyepharma (SKP) 8.76p -7.69%
Elan (ELA) € 15.86 -6.98%
Parity Group (PTY) 29.00p -6.45%
Optos (OPTS) 148.00p -5.58%
Alizyme (AZM) 26.50p -5.36%

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