First Property Share News (FPO)

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 F&C ASSET MANAGEMENT PLC (FCAM.LN) said Wednesday it is seeking to stop a commercial property trust it manages from merging with another, in a deal that would create a U.K. real estate company with a portfolio of shops and offices worth GBP1.6 billion. The fund manager said it is working on its own proposals to put to the board of F&C Commercial Property Trust Ltd. (FCPT.LN) as an alternative to a merger with peer UK Commercial Property Trust Ltd. (UKCM.LN) that the two trusts agreed Wednesday. At 1429 GMT, shares in F&C Commercial Property Trust were up 1 pence, or 1.1%, at 92.5 pence. Shares in UK Commercial Property Trust were up 1.25 pence, or 1.6%, at 78.1 pence. ASOS PLC (ASC.LN), an online fashion retailer, said it is in talks with at least two retailers about providing a high-street pick-up and returns service for its customers. The firm said in-store collects and returns could become a reality as early as next year, although Chief Executive Nick Robertson wouldn't say with which retailers Asos is hoping to link up. At 1430 GMT, shares +74.5 pence, or 12%, at 707 pence. HAMWORTHY PLC (HMY.LN) said it has won a contract worth over GBP5 million with Korean shipbuilder Daewoo Shipbuilding and Marine Engineering Co. Ltd., (042660.SE) to supply its exhaust gas cleaning technology to four cargo ships with delivery over the next two years. Joe Oatley, Chief Executive, said this contract was directly related to recent E.U. legislation, designed to reduce nitrous oxide emissions from ship engines and he expects related orders to continue. At 1430 GMT, shares -0.75 pence, or 0.3%, at 292 pence. FIRST PROPERTY GROUP PLC (FPO.LN), a U.K. property fund manager, posted a 28% fall in fiscal 2010 pretax profit but said its earnings are set to grow again as it invests in its new U.K. commercial property fund. The group said it expects the value of assets under management to increase by GBP100 million, or 30%, in the next couple of years. It is also planning to raise funds for Polish property buys on a deal-by-deal basis, Chief Executive Ben Habib said Wednesday, after it found it difficult to raise a pool of funds upfront. At 1431 GMT, shares flat at 16 pence. BRULINES GROUP PLC (BRU.LN), which provides real-time monitoring systems and data management services for the U.K. leisure sector and gasoline forecourts, said it has bought a fuel pump verification firm. Leicestershire, England-based Retail & Forecourt Solutions Ltd. is being acquired in cash and is made up of an initial earn-out of four times earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization, or Ebitda, to July 31. At 1431 GMT, shares +0.5 pence, or 0.4%, at 119 pence. IG GROUP HOLDINGS PLC (IGG.LN), a spread betting firm, said fiscal year profit will be 25% higher on the year following a spike in market volatility during the spring, when traders were grappling with the consequences of an unfolding debt crisis in Europe. At 1432 GMT shares +52.6 pence, or 13%, at 444.8 pence. JD SPORTS FASHION PLC (JD.LN), a U.K. sportswear retailer, said sales in its most recent eight weeks' trading have been boosted by the buildup to the soccer World Cup, which kicks off Friday. At 1432 GMT, shares -1 pence, or 0.1%, at 780 pence. OXUS GOLD PLC (OXS.LN), an Uzbekistan-focused gold miner, said it secured $85 million in financing to fund its Amantaytau project and expand its precious metals operations in Central Asia. The funding is part of a $185 million package agreed with a consortium of Chinese investors including CITIC Construction Co. Ltd. At 1432 GMT shares -0.5 pence, or 6.7%, at 7 pence. HAMPSON INDUSTRIES PLC (HAMP.LN), an aerospace engineering company, said it is cautious about its prospects for the fiscal year as a recovery in demand for its tooling systems and composites is proving to be slower than it anticipated. The company Wednesday reported a swing back to profit for fiscal 2010 despite a 31% sales drop because of heavy charges taken a year earlier. At 1434 GMT shares -4 pence, or 7.6%, at 49 pence. FOCUS SOLUTIONS GROUP PLC (FSG.LN), a financial services software company, said it plans to step up its push in to new markets this year by increasing tie-ups with partners that can re-sell its platform in new geographies. It earlier Wednesday posted a 15% rise in fiscal 2010 pretax profit and said it is witnessing strong improvements in key markets. At 1434 GMT shares -2 pence, or 4.9%, at 39 pence. DJ UK Smaller Cos +0.04% AIM +0.4% By Rachael Gormley, Jason Douglas & Hannah Benjamin, Dow Jones Newswires; +44 (0) 20 7842 9272; uksmallcaps@dowjones.com (END) Dow Jones Newswires June 09, 2010 11:00 ET (15:00 GMT)