UK's Retail Sales Damped by Rain in March, Consumer Sentiment Shows Sunnier Picture

0719 GMT - The U.K.'s 0.9% on-month fall in March retail sales, on the face of it worse than consensus, probably isn't as bad as it looks as it was partly due to unusually wet weather, Paul Dales, chief U.K. economist at Capital Economics, says in a note. The 3.2% and 1.7% respective declines on month in department store and clothing sales were reportedly due to it being the U.K.'s wettest March in 40 years, Dales says. Indeed, consumer confidence figures for April, also released Friday, show a much sunnier picture, he says. However, even though the worst of the declines in retail sales are in the past, higher interest rates will still restrain spending this year, Dales adds. (edward.frankl@wsj.com)

COMPANIES NEWS:

Petrofac Extends $252 Mln Bank Facility

Petrofac Ltd. said Friday that it has entered into an agreement to extend $252 million of its banking facilities.

---

Network International Gets $2.65 Bln Takeover Proposal From Brookfield Asset Management

Network International Holdings PLC said Friday that it has received a preliminary, nonbinding proposal regarding a possible cash offer that values the company at around 2.13 billion pounds ($2.65 billion) from Brookfield Asset Management Ltd.

---

Kelso Group Increases Stake in THG

Kelso Group Holdings PLC said Friday that it has acquired further interest in THG PLC.

---

Sureserve Group Agrees to GBP214.1 Mln Private Equity Takeover

Sureserve Group PLC said Friday that it has agreed to a 214.1 million pound ($266.4 million) takeover by Cap10 4NetZero Bidco Ltd., a new company indirectly owned by funds managed and/or advised by private-equity firm Cap10 Partners LLP.

---

Scotgold Resources to Raise GBP1.5 Mln-GBP2.0 Mln via Subscription

Scotgold Resources Ltd. on Friday said it aims to raise between 1.5 million and 2.0 million pounds ($1.9 million-$2.5 million) by share placement to fund the development of its Cononish gold mine in Scotland and provide additional working capital.

---

Thruvision to Report Narrowed FY 2023 Loss as Revenue Rose

Thruvision Group PLC said Friday that its expects to report a rise in revenue and narrowed loss for fiscal 2023 as it delivered a resilient performance despite the challenging economic backdrop.

---

iEnergizer Seeks Shareholder Approval to Cancel AIM Listing

iEnergizer Ltd. said Friday that it is seeking shareholder approval to cancel the trading of its shares on London's junior AIM as the costs of maintaining the listing are disproportionate to the benefits and that it is unlikely to get wider access to capital.

---

Tyman Names Juliette Lowes Interim CFO

Tyman PLC said Friday that in has appointed Juliette Lowes as interim chief financial officer with immediate effect.

---

Angle PLC 2022 Pretax Loss Widened; Reports Strong Growth in 1Q

Angle PLC said Friday that its pretax loss widened 40% in 2022, as operating costs increased, but that it has seen good growth in the first quarter of 2023 and anticipates strong demand.

---

Savannah Energy Appoints Joseph Pagop Noupoue as Chairman-Designate

Savannah Energy PLC said Friday that it has appointed Joseph Pagop Noupoue as chairman-designate with immediate effect.

---

I(X) Net Zero Names Jonathan Carpenter Stearns as CFO

I(X) Net Zero PLC said Friday that it has appointed Jonathan Carpenter Stearns as chief financial officer with immediate effect.

---

Tanfield Group Swung to 2022 Pretax Profit on Cash Settlement

Tanfield Group PLC on Friday posted a swing to pretax profit in 2022 as it received a cash settlement from legal proceedings in the U.K.

MARKET TALK:

Angle PLC Looks Well-Positioned for Growth

0723 GMT - Liquid-biopsy company Angle is well-placed for further growth, fueled by its assay development, Berenberg analysts Odysseas Manesiotis and Sam England write in a research note. "We think management has made significant progress in third-party-platform assay development, which should position it very well in building its pharma services business," the analysts say. Along with its 2022 result, Angle noted strong sales in 1Q, boosted by significant growth in the pharma services and product business. The analysts are also optimistic about the potential of circulating tumor cells as subjects for analysis, while Angle's Parsortix system remains the gold standard for harvesting them for analysis, they say. Berenberg keeps a buy rating on the stock. (christian.moess@wsj.com)


Contact: London NewsPlus, Dow Jones Newswires;

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

04-21-23 0343ET