India-focused online retailer, Koovs (KOOV) has been shoring up its balance sheet to support the next phase of its growth, supported by two directors.
The group has been making encouraging noises in terms of trading, but operating costs, especially marketing related, have soared which has necessitated tapping investors for funds. A trading update on 11 January 2016 revealed sales growth for the 14 weeks to 3 January 2016 of 210 per cent, albeit from a low base; actual sales only totalled £2.96m.
Executive chairman Lord Waheed Alli, previously ASOS (ASC) chairman between 2000 and 2012, is clearly a firm believer in the group's potential, having supported recent fund raisings with a further £1.9m. Fellow director and significant shareholder Anant Nahata also upped his holding by 9.2m shares this time around, equivalent to £2.3m at the subscription price of 25p. Lord Alli remains the largest holder with 28.7 per cent of the enlarged share capital just ahead of Mr Nahata with 28.6 per cent.
| Buys | |||||||
| Company | Director | Date | No of shares | Price (p) | Value (£) | Holding (shares) | Holding (%) |
| 7digital | Paul McGowan | 29 Jan 16 | 250,000 | 13.25 | 33,125 | 250,000 | 0.231 |
| Arian Silver Corp * | Anthony Williams (ch) | 02 Feb 16 | 1,688,702 | 1.5 | 25,331 | 1,688,702 | 1.485 |
| Arian Silver Corp * | James Crombie | 02 Feb 16 | 416,665 | 1.5 | 6,250 | 566,665 | 0.498 |
| Arian Silver Corp * | Jim Williams (ce) | 02 Feb 16 | 1,000,000 | 1.5 | 15,000 | 1,500,000 | 1.319 |
| Arian Silver Corp * | Tom Bailey | 02 Feb 16 | 1,314,226 | 1.5 | 19,713 | 1,314,226 | 1.156 |
| Avon Rubber | Pim Vervaat | 01 Feb 16 | 1,000 | 816 | 8,160 | 1,000 | 0.003 |
| Babcock International | J Randall | 03 Feb 16 | 1,134 | 880.5 | 9,985 | 4,268 | 0.001 |
| Baillie Gifford Japan Trust | DP Kidd | 29 Jan 16 | 5,000 | 445.35 | 22,268 | 5,000 | 0.006 |
| Bankers Investment Trust ♥ | MWJ Thorne | 01 Feb 16 | 4,000 | 576 | 23,040 | 30,250 | 0.026 |
| Bellway | Denise Jagger | 02 Feb 16 | 250 | 2,734 | 6,835 | 1,250 | 0.001 |
| Coms | Mark Braund (ce) | 28 Jan 16 | 400,000 | 1.29 | 5,160 | 10,638,888 | 0.763 |
| Coms | Spencer Dredge (cfo) | 29 Jan 16 | 768,311 | 1.3 | 9,988 | 1,819,795 | 0.130 |
| Diageo | Alan Stewart | 02 Feb 16 | 1,060 | 1,899 | 20,129 | 2,560 | <0.001 |
| FirstGroup | Wolfhart Hauser (ch) | 28 Jan 16 | 80,000 | 92.91 | 74,328 | 264,558 | 0.022 |
| FirstGroup | Wolfhart Hauser (ch) | 29 Jan 16 | 20,000 | 87.65 | 17,530 | 284,558 | 0.024 |
| FirstGroup | Warwick Brady | 02 Feb 16 | 52,900 | 92.5 | 48,933 | 108,701 | 0.009 |
| Fusionex International | Calvin Chun | 02 Feb 16 | 2,000 | 160 | 3,200 | 8,666 | 0.018 |
| Fusionex International | Robin Taylor | 28 Jan 16 | 9,006 | 120 | 10,807 | 25,669 | 0.054 |
| Gable Holdings | Michael Hirschfield (fd) | 28 Jan 16 | 155,000 | 12.5 | 19,375 | 592,650 | 0.438 |
| Gable Holdings | William Dewsall (ce) | 28 Jan 16 | 200,000 | 12.75 | 25,500 | 25,043,967 | 18.507 |
| Grainger | Andrew Carr-Locke | 01 Feb 16 | 10,000 | 232.1 | 23,210 | 10,000 | 0.002 |
| Grainger | Helen Gordon (ce) | 01 Feb 16 | 53,786 | 232.4 | 124,999 | 53,786 | 0.013 |
| Hargreave Hale AIM VCT 1 | David Brock | 02 Feb 16 | 13,822 | 73.79 | 10,199 | 29,147 | 0.057 |
| Hunters Property ♥ * | Harry Hill (ce) | 28 Jan 16 | 7,000 | 75 | 5,250 | 75,005 | 0.265 |
| Koovs ♥ * | Anant Nahata | 29 Jan 16 | 9,200,000 | 25 | 2,300,000 | 12,822,283 | 28.568 |
| Koovs ♥ * | Lord Waheed Alli (ch) | 29 Jan 16 | 5,600,000 | 25 | 1,400,000 | 12,899,218 | 28.739 |
| Legal & General | John Stewart (ch) | 01 Feb 16 | 3,189 | 242.718 | 7,740 | 356,556 | 0.006 |
| Legal & General | Rudy Markham | 01 Feb 16 | 1,275 | 242.718 | 3,095 | 266,903 | 0.004 |
| McKay Securities | RS Grainger | 01 Feb 16 | 10,000 | 254.5 | 25,450 | 10,000 | 0.011 |
| Mortgage Advice Bureau | Nathan Imlach | 29 Jan 16 | 419 | 325 | 1,362 | 17,981 | 0.036 |
| Mortgage Advice Bureau | Richard Verdin | 29 Jan 16 | 364 | 325 | 1,183 | 14,051 | 0.028 |
| Northgate | AC Page (ch) | 01 Feb 16 | 5,000 | 332.1 | 16,605 | 10,000 | 0.008 |
| Paragon Group of Companies | Alan Fletcher | 28 Jan 16 | 22,930 | 327.07 | 74,997 | 82,930 | 0.028 |
| Paragon Group of Companies | Alan Fletcher | 28 Jan 16 | 8,782 | 318.8 | 27,997 | 91,712 | 0.031 |
| Paragon Group of Companies | Alan Fletcher | 28 Jan 16 | 5,332 | 318.78 | 16,997 | 97,044 | 0.033 |
| PayPoint | Nicholas Wiles (ch) | 29 Jan 16 | 10,000 | 797 | 79,700 | 35,000 | 0.051 |
| PJSC Lukoil | LA Fedun | 01 Feb 16 | 102 | 3,349.72 | 3,417 | 961,102 | 0.135 |
| Reconstruction Capital II | Mihai Radoi | 28 Jan 16 | 287,500 | 21.75 | 62,531 | 787,500 | 0.788 |
| ReNeuron | John Berriman (ch) | 02 Feb 16 | 318,476 | 3.14 | 10,000 | 1,043,476 | 0.033 |
| SVG Capital ♥ | Lynn Fordham (ce) | 28 Jan 16 | 47,218 | 565 | 266,782 | 531,024 | 0.332 |
| TalkTalk Telecom | Charles Bligh | 02 Feb 16 | 617,978 | 240.92 | 1,488,833 | 617,978 | 0.065 |
| TP | Phil Cartmell (ce) | 01 Feb 16 | 200,000 | 3 | 6,000 | 2,096,720 | 0.496 |
| TP | Simon Kings | 01 Feb 16 | 300,000 | 2.8 | 8,400 | 400,318 | 0.095 |
| Troy Income & Growth Trust | David Garman | 02 Feb 16 | 35,000 | 71.4 | 24,990 | 35,000 | 0.013 |
| Troy Income & Growth Trust ♥ | David Garman | 02 Feb 16 | 35,000 | 71.4 | 24,990 | 70,000 | 0.027 |
| TwentyFour Select Monthly Income Fund | Ian Martin | 29 Jan 16 | 10,000 | 88.4 | 8,840 | 35,000 | 0.024 |
| TyraTech Inc | Alan Reade (ch) | 01 Feb 16 | 250,000 | 2.699 | 6,748 | 14,033,620 | 6.420 |
| Witan Investment Trust | Andrew Bell (ce) | 02 Feb 16 | 5,000 | 734.5 | 36,725 | 125,000 | 0.062 |
| Sells | |||||||
| Company | Director | Date | No of shares | Price (p) | Value (£) | Holding (shares) | Holding (%) |
| Learning Technologies | Jonathan Satchell (ce) | 29 Jan 16 | 1,750,000 | 33 | 577,500 | 105,289,995 | 25.295 |
| Shawbrook | Steve Pateman (ce) | 29 Jan 16 | 30,282 | 300.2 | 90,907 | 560,187 | 0.224 |
| *Placing/tender/open offer ♥Spouse/connected party | |||||||
