news 9 Shareleague Thames Valley Presented by in association with Business T H E M A G A Z I N E
Interserve, the international support services and construction group based at Twyford, led the way in the region’s share price table in March with a resounding 20% rise.
The group announced it had entered into a conditional agreement with a subsidiary of Rentokil to acquire its facilities service business Initial Facilities for a cash consideration of £250 million. And at the end of the month it announced shareholders had voted in favour of the transaction.
Initial Facilities has operations in the UK, Ireland and Spain, employing some 25,000 people who provide a comprehensive range of facilities services.
During the month Interserve was also awarded a contract with Christie NHS Foundation Trust to design,
construct and co-ordinate a UK high energy Proton Beam Therapy facility. Proton beam therapy is a specialist form of radiotherapy which can very precisely target certain cancers; construction work is planned to start on site in 2016, completing in 2018.
Immedia Group, the Newbury company which supplies bespoke programmes to in-store radio stations, followed a fine performance in February with another 17% share price rise in March.
That increase was matched by Milestone Group, another company in the sub-£50m turnover class. The digital media and technology specialist announced it has expanded the scope of its licence agreement with US-based Spirituality for Kids International to incorporate additional training materials for young people.
Large (over £1 billion) Closing price
INTERSERVE
ASHTEAD GROUP MICRO FOCUS INTL. ELECTROCOMP.
ULTRA ELECTRONICS HDG. SERCO GROUP SHIRE
VODAFONE GROUP
28/02/14 607.50 876.00 783.50 268.90
MORGAN ADVANCED MATERIAL 344.90 SEGRO
356.90
1,925.00 460.50
3,320.00 249.00
Closing price 31/03/14 730.00 951.00 830.50 283.00 358.10 332.00
1,790.00 421.00
2,945.00 220.30
Medium (£250 million to £1 billion) Closing price
COSTAIN GROUP RWS HOLDINGS KOFAX
DE LA RUE
FIDESSA GROUP DAIRY CREST SDL
RPS GROUP
OXFORD INSTRUMENTS GENUS
28/02/14 269.50 962.75 483.50 818.00
2,566.00 531.50 376.50 346.00
1,439.00 1,168.00
KBC ADVANCED TECHS. VISLINK
PINEWOOD SHEPPERTON ECKOH
SINCLAIR PHARMA ACAL
MCBRIDE
NANOCO GROUP ANITE
TISSUE REGENIX GROUP
28/02/14 110.00 43.88
406.50 36.00 31.00
327.63 112.00 120.50 88.50 30.75
Sub £50 million Closing price
IMMEDIA GROUP
MILESTONE GROUP SOPHEON
JOHN LEWIS OF HUNGERFORD HIGHCROFT INVESTMENTS BEZANT RESOURCES ZINCOX RESOURCES EGDON RESOURCES
OXFORD TECHNOLOGY 3 VCT OXFORD TECHNOLOGY VCT
28/02/14 22.50 0.60
85.00 2.50
755.00 10.50 20.63 24.38 65.00 75.00
THE BUSINESS MAGAZINE – THAMES VALLEY – MAY 2014
Closing price 31/03/14 290.00 999.50 495.00 814.50
2,537.00 483.60 341.00 312.60
1,267.00 990.00
Small (£50 million to £250 million) Closing price
Closing price 31/03/14 126.00 49.25
442.50 39.13 33.25
316.00 106.00 108.25 79.25 25.00
Closing price 31/03/14 26.25 0.70
96.00 2.70
800.00 8.37
16.00 18.88 42.50 35.00
Change in share price 20% 9% 6% 5% 4%
-7% -7% -9%
-11% -12%
Change in share price 8% 4% 2% 0%
-1% -9% -9%
-10% -12% -15%
Change in share price 15% 12% 9% 9% 7%
-4% -5%
-10% -10% -19%
Change in share price 17% 17% 13% 8% 6%
-20% -22% -23% -35% -53%
university news
Senior management from Bucks New University including vice chancellor Professor Ruth Farwell (centre) and dance students (front)
Buckinghamshire New University partners with Centroid motion capture
Buckinghamshire New University has launched a partnership with international motion capture company, Centroid, as a recognised industry partner.
The announcement was marked by a visit to Centroid’s headquarters at Shepperton Studios in Surrey by the University’s senior management team, lecturers and students.
Centroid has been responsible for motion capture use in hit box office films including Hugo, Iron Man, Pirates of the Caribbean, and Prometheus.
Stephen Partridge, head of media production at Bucks New University, said: “Centroid will be supporting research we are carrying out around motion analysis in various subjects.
“As well as being extensively used in the entertainment field, motion capture can also be used for a wide range of sport, health, and live performance capture applications.
“During the visit to Shepperton Studios, students were lucky enough to experience what the technology can do first hand.”
Bucks New University has taken delivery of its own motion analysis motion capture system, as used by Centroid, which will be utilised by students in a range of courses including animation, film, TV, and performing arts.
Partridge said the technology was originally used in medical areas so may also be utilised by students in the University’s Faculty of Society & Health, which includes nursing.
Phil Stilgoe, managing director at Centroid, said the partnership was a valuable step in equipping students with industry-standard skills.
He said: “Until recently motion capture pipelines were not taught in universities which meant finding crew who could hit the floor running in a professional environment was almost impossible.
“Fortunately this has begun to change and here at Centroid we feel it's important to pass on the wisdom of our experience to those who want to learn. Centroid was introduced to Bucks New University through a mutual friend at Pinewood Studios.
“After visiting the University’s campus and discussing its courses, development plans and ambitions, we knew this was a university of the future and the right kind of environment to invest our time and expertise as an industry partner.”
Bucks New University BA (Hons) Dance and Fitness and BA (Hons) Dance and Performance students, wearing motion capture suits containing markers to capture their movement, performed a routine when the University’s senior management team visited Centroid, to illustrate the capability of the equipment.
Details: 0800-056-5660
www.bucks.ac.uk advice@bucks.ac.uk
www.businessmag.co.uk
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