UK SMALLCAP ROUNDUP: KCOM Reaches Pension Deal With Trustees

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 KCOM GROUP PLC (KCOM.LN), a telecommunications firm, said Friday it has agreed to make pension deficit repayments worth GBP21 million over the next three years, following a deal with pension trustees aiming to provide certainty with regard to its pension funding position. At 1435 GMT, shares -0.75 pence or 1.7% at 44.5 pence. VERNALIS PLC (VER.LN), a drug developer, said it is searching for new drugs to add to its portfolio following the end of one of its most advanced programs. Vernalis and Biogen Idec Inc. (BIIB) said Friday they stopped development of Vernalis' experimental Parkinson's disease medicine vipadenant following a review of toxicology data. It is the company's second setback this year after an experimental medicine for neuropathic pain called indantadol flunked a Phase II trial. At 1434 GMT, shares -2.25 pence or 6.4% at 33 pence. CLAPHAM HOUSE GROUP PLC (CPH.LN) said the recent soccer World Cup tournament had a negative impact on sales in the first quarter of its current fiscal year, as it posted a jump in fiscal 2010 pretax profit. The firm, which runs the Gourmet Burger Kitchen and The Real Greek restaurant chains, said trading improved throughout April and May but the World Cup slowed sales throughout June, as expected. It expects U.K. trading to remain tough this fiscal year, but will scale back the use of promotional offers that dominated dining out during the recession. At 1433 GMT, shares flat at 57 pence. HEALTHCARE LOCUMS PLC (HLO.LN) said Friday it has agreed to buy three specialist nursing and healthcare staffing businesses and has raised GBP11 million through a discounted share placing to help fund two of the buys. Non-executive Chairman Alan Walker said the acquisitions are a "significant step" towards its strategy of expanding into the specialist nursing recruitment market in areas such as midwifery, special care baby units and intensive care where demand is particularly acute. At 1432 GMT, shares -5.75 pence or 3.6% at 154.75 pence. BLUEBAY ASSET MANAGEMENT PLC (BBAY.LN), a fund manager, said it expects fiscal 2010 pretax profit to fall below some market forecasts after assets under management fell 7.2% in the fourth quarter, but it doesn't expect the disruption in the world's financial markets to last. Bluebay's assets under management fell 7.2% in the fourth quarter compared with the previous quarter, as the European sovereign debt crisis spooked investors, but the firm said it sees market expectations of a double-dip recession as "overly pessimistic." At 1432 GMT, shares -6.9 pence or 2.3% at 288.1 pence. MOTHERCARE PLC (MTC.LN), a parenting and children's products retailer, said it is in talks to buy a 25% stake in the company which runs the Mothercare and Early Learning Centre franchises in Australia and New Zealand. At 1432 GMT, shares -8.5 pence or 1.6% at 521.5 pence. SINCLAIR PHARMA PLC (SPH.LN), a U.K. drug maker, said revenue fell about 10% on year in fiscal 2010, and that it is talking to a number of firms about potential product deals. The firm said it is in discussions for a number of deals with its gum disease prevention products Decapinol and Delmopinol and is also actively pursuing opportunities in emerging markets for "multi-country, multi-product deals," without being more specific. At 1431 GMT, shares +1.75 pence or 6.5% at 28.75 pence. SIRIUS REAL ESTATE LTD's (SRE.LN) major shareholder has written to other stakeholders, urging them to back its proposed changes to the board at an upcoming extraordinary general meeting. Weiss Asset Management, whose managed funds currently own around 21% of Sirius, said it believes its proposed directors have the expertise to complement the strengths of the existing asset management team led by Chief Executive Kevin Oppenheim. At 1431 GMT, shares flat at 27 euro cents. D1 OILS PLC (DOO.LN), a biofuels company, urged shareholders to vote against all of the resolutions to overhaul the firm's board of directors at a general meeting. The requisition notice calls for the removal of four of the five directors of D1 Oils and the appointment of Jonathan Saul Sieff and Andrew James Peggie as directors. At 1430 GMT, shares -0.5 pence or 7.7% at 6 pence. DJ UK Smaller Cos -0.2% AIM +0.08% -By Hannah Benjamin, Tommy Stubbington, Rachael Gormley & Jason Douglas, Dow Jones Newswires; +44 (0) 20 7842 9298; uksmallcaps@dowjones.com (END) Dow Jones Newswires July 16, 2010 11:00 ET (15:00 GMT)