Author: Fiona Craig

Tesco PLC (LSE:TSCO) has kicked off its 2025/26 fiscal year with a solid first-quarter performance, underpinned by rising customer satisfaction and continued expansion of its market presence. The retailer reported a 4.6% increase in like-for-like sales, driven by successful new product introductions and a consistent focus on value and quality.

In the UK, Tesco’s market share climbed to 28.0%, supported by the rollout of more than 350 new own-brand items and strong demand for its premium Finest range, which saw an 18% uplift in sales. The company also reported notable digital growth, with online sales in Ireland surging by 19.8%, highlighting the effectiveness of its omnichannel strategy.

Tesco’s performance underscores its ability to compete effectively in a challenging retail landscape. Shareholder value has been further bolstered by ongoing share buybacks, while favorable technical signals and a compelling dividend yield contribute to a positive investment outlook.

About Tesco PLC

Tesco is one of the UK’s largest and most recognizable retail groups, offering a diverse range of groceries, clothing, and household products. With a strong presence in the UK, Ireland, and Central Europe, Tesco remains committed to delivering quality, affordability, and excellent service across its operations.

Phoenix Copper Limited (LSE:PXC) has entered into a Letter of Intent with a U.S.-based investor for a proposed $75 million corporate copper bond placement. The proceeds are earmarked for the construction of the Empire open-pit mine and the initiation of an underground drilling program—key steps in expanding the company’s operational scope. While the agreement marks a significant milestone in Phoenix’s growth strategy, finalization remains subject to due diligence and completion of legal documentation.

This funding initiative is expected to accelerate development timelines and bolster Phoenix Copper’s strategic positioning in the base and precious metals market.

About Phoenix Copper Limited

Phoenix Copper is a growing exploration and mining company focused on extracting copper, gold, and silver from its U.S.-based assets. Its flagship project, the Empire Mine in Idaho, has a long-standing history of high-grade metal production, including copper, gold, silver, zinc, and tungsten. Since acquiring the property in 2017, Phoenix has substantially increased the open-pit resource and continues to explore additional opportunities across its portfolio of regional projects.

NWF Group plc (LSE:NWF) has issued a trading update for its financial year ending May 2025, highlighting performance that slightly exceeded market forecasts despite cost pressures from rising national insurance contributions and increased living wage obligations. A notable development during the period was the acquisition of Pinnock Brothers, strengthening NWF’s footprint in South-East England and driving an 8% rise in domestic fuel volumes.

Strong showings from the Fuels and Feeds segments helped counterbalance underperformance in the Food division. In response, the company has initiated leadership changes and structural adjustments aimed at turning around the Food business in the upcoming periods. Backed by a solid financial foundation, NWF continues to pursue its growth strategy with a focus on strategic acquisitions.

While the company’s growth-through-acquisition model and attractive valuation offer reasons for optimism, challenges remain. Recent revenue declines and operational headwinds are reflected in mixed technical indicators, suggesting a need for cautious optimism.

About NWF Group plc

NWF Group is a UK-based specialist distribution company, serving the fuels, food, and animal feed sectors. With a clear strategy centered on market consolidation, targeted acquisitions, and continuous operational improvement, the group aims to strengthen its market position and deliver long-term value to stakeholders.

Crest Nicholson Holdings PLC (LSE:CRST) has released its financial results for the six-month period ending April 2025, revealing performance in line with expectations and reaffirming its full-year outlook. The company reported meaningful strides in its strategic agenda, with a continued emphasis on delivering high-quality homes, boosting customer satisfaction, and refining operational efficiency.

Key improvements during the period included stronger sales rates, better gross profit margins, and a reduction in both administrative costs and net debt. The broader housing market is beginning to show signs of recovery, and Crest Nicholson believes it is well-equipped to adapt and thrive in this environment. The company remains focused on its core strategic initiatives and expects to see further gains in the latter half of the year.

Despite these operational improvements, Crest Nicholson is grappling with ongoing financial pressures. Declining revenues and sustained losses continue to impact its overall financial health. While technical indicators suggest a potential upward trend and recent strategic actions point toward growth ambitions and enhanced shareholder value, the company still faces headwinds. Concerns around valuation and limited cash flow continue to temper investor sentiment.

About Crest Nicholson Holdings PLC

Crest Nicholson is a leading residential developer in the UK, specializing in the construction of well-designed, high-quality homes in desirable locations. The company primarily targets the mid-premium housing market, striving to create exceptional living environments while reinforcing its strong reputation in the industry.

Empire Metals Ltd (AIM:EEE, OTCQB:EPMLF) has announced the successful production of a high-purity titanium dioxide (TiO₂) product, achieving an impressive assay result of 99.25% TiO₂.

This breakthrough is part of ongoing efforts to optimize the technical design of the Pitfield project. The high-grade product was developed using concentrates derived from Pitfield through conventional beneficiation, leaching, and refining processes. The final product exhibited undetectable or extremely low impurity levels.

“We have achieved an extraordinary outcome from our recent product development testwork, delivering a high-grade, high-purity TiO₂ product ideal for titanium sponge metal or premium TiO₂ pigment production,” said managing director Shaun Bunn.

He praised the technical team’s rapid progress, emphasizing that this milestone showcases the efficiency of their processing methods and the significant potential value of the product.

Empire is now advancing its product development and testing, leveraging around 70 tonnes of bulk sample material collected earlier this year.

“We are poised to scale up testwork significantly, creating a variety of product samples for potential downstream end-users,” Bunn added.

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Sundae Bar Plc (LSE: SBAR) has officially launched a live beta version of its AI agent marketplace, introducing its first trio of AI agents: Lucy HR Agent, AROK, and Marketing Mark. These agents demonstrate the platform’s innovative approach to automating key business functions such as recruitment, cryptocurrency trading, and marketing content generation. The marketplace is designed to empower businesses by providing autonomous AI tools capable of handling complex tasks independently. With the AI agent sector expected to experience rapid growth, Sundae Bar is well-positioned to expand its platform offerings and increase adoption among forward-thinking users.

About Sundae Bar Plc

Previously known as Kondor AI, Sundae Bar Plc focuses on building a comprehensive marketplace for AI Agents. After acquiring Ora Technology and listing on AIM, the company is dedicated to creating a scalable, secure, and user-friendly platform where AI developers can build, customize, manage, and monetize their agents. The marketplace also offers businesses and individuals a trusted environment to discover, evaluate, and deploy AI agents tailored to their needs.

Unite Students (LSE:UTG) has announced the sale of nine assets comprising 3,656 student beds to Lone Star Funds for £212 million. This move aligns with the company’s strategic plan to concentrate on universities ranked in the high and mid tiers, aiming for sustainable rental growth. The deal, expected to close by August 2025, will enable Unite to reinvest capital into its core markets and meet shareholder redemption requests, while maintaining its full-year earnings guidance.

Unite Group plc’s outlook remains positive, supported by strong financial results, ongoing strategic initiatives, and favorable market valuations. The company’s consistent revenue growth and profitability, along with robust partnerships, highlight promising future potential. However, the presence of negative free cash flow presents a liquidity risk that will require careful management.

About Unite Group plc

Unite Students is the UK’s leading owner, operator, and developer of purpose-built student accommodation (PBSA). Managing over 150 properties across 23 university locations, the company provides en-suite rooms and a range of services to approximately 70,000 students. Established in 1991, Unite is a Real Estate Investment Trust (REIT) listed on the London Stock Exchange, dedicated to raising standards in the student housing sector.

Ariana Resources (LSE:AAU) has started the cold commissioning phase of its processing plant at the Tavsan Mine, marking a key milestone in the project’s development. The mine, operated by Zenit Madencilik in collaboration with Proccea Construction and Ozaltin Holding, aims to reach full operational status by July. Recent advancements include connecting the site to the national power grid and securing approval for a solar energy project, which is expected to lower operational expenses and boost environmental sustainability.

Tavsan represents Ariana’s inaugural heap-leach operation in Türkiye and will complement the existing Kiziltepe CIL processing facility, enhancing operational flexibility. The project is on track for its first gold production this summer.

About Ariana Resources

Ariana Resources PLC is an AIM-listed company engaged in mineral exploration and development, with a portfolio centered on gold and copper-gold assets. Its operations span several regions, including active mining in Türkiye and Zimbabwe, alongside exploration projects in Cyprus and Kosovo. The company also holds stakes in various mineral exploration ventures across Africa and Europe.

Mila Resources (LSE:MILA) has reported encouraging outcomes from its initial drilling phase at the Yarrol Gold Project in Queensland. Two additional drill holes have confirmed the presence of gold beyond the historically defined resource area, including zones of high-grade mineralization. These results support the company’s geological model indicating resource continuity at depth and highlight the potential to expand the known mineralized zone.

While Mila Resources continues to face financial pressures, including ongoing losses and cash outflows, the positive drilling outcomes offer a promising avenue for growth. Technical signals point to short-term positive momentum, although challenges persist due to negative earnings and the absence of dividend payments.

About Mila Resources

Mila Resources Plc specializes in gold exploration, primarily focused on advancing its projects within the natural resources sector. Its flagship initiative is the Yarrol Gold Project in Queensland, Australia, where the company aims to grow its resource base and uncover new gold-bearing zones.

London-based online trading firm CMC Markets plc (LSE:CMCX) has released its full-year results for fiscal 2025 (ending March 31, 2025), revealing a slowdown in revenue and profit during the second half of the year (October 2024 to March 2025), following a robust first half.

Leadership Changes at CMC Markets

The company also announced notable changes to its senior management team. David Fineberg, who served as Deputy CEO since 2019, will step down from the Board to assume a newly created role as Global Head of Strategic Partnerships. In this capacity, Fineberg will focus on fostering institutional alliances and accelerating growth through key collaborators like Revolut and blockchain services provider StrikeX.

Laurence Booth, currently Global Head of Capital Markets, will join the Board as an Executive Director starting June 5, 2025. Meanwhile, Matthew Lewis, Head of ANZ and Board Director, will leave the Board but continue to drive expansion in the Australia and New Zealand region, concentrating on stockbroking and digital asset offerings.

Financial Performance Highlights

CMC Markets reported revenues of £162.7 million in the second half of FY2025, marking a second consecutive decline amid growing competition from traditional rivals such as IG Group and Plus500, as well as cryptocurrency exchanges like Crypto.com and Kraken encroaching on retail financial trading.

Net profit also fell for the second half in a row, reaching £26.9 million. For the full fiscal year, the company posted total revenue of £340.1 million and net profit of £62.2 million.

Share Price Movement

Following the announcement, CMC Markets shares dropped roughly 12% at market open. Despite recent volatility, with prices swinging between a high of 349p in late 2024 and a low of 183.4p earlier this year, shares closed at approximately 284.5p, near levels from the previous year.

Strategic Outlook

CMC Markets outlined a forward-looking “three vertical future state” strategy. Alongside its existing Direct-to-Consumer (D2C) brokerage and B2B institutional services, the company plans to embrace the rising influence of Web 3.0, decentralized finance (DeFi), and tokenization as transformative forces in global finance.

To this end, CMC is launching a third strategic business vertical focused on DeFi and Web 3.0 technologies. Key initiatives already underway include 24/7 cryptocurrency trading, enhanced digital asset treasury and payment solutions, and the acquisition of blockchain technology firm StrikeX after the fiscal year-end, which will bolster in-house expertise and infrastructure.

About CMC Markets

CMC Markets Plc operates within the financial technology sector, offering multi-asset trading and investment services. Its platforms serve both retail clients via a Direct-to-Consumer model and institutional clients through Platform Technology as a Service (PTAS), covering both traditional financial markets and emerging decentralized finance ecosystems.