ULTRASIS - ONWARDS AND UPWARDS

leaderoffice the full article reads like this , Ultrasis Featured in "Shares" Magazine

Internet shopping looks likely to continue growing exponentially while the footfall count in the traditional high street stores gets lower and lower. The success of companies such as online fashion retailer ASOS (ASC:AIM) shows how much money there is to be made in cyberspace and helps to lay the ghost of the dot.com bubble.

What else is out there? One firm that has been generating news lately is Ultrasis, a computerised healthcare products specialist that launched an online retail service, TheWellnessShop, at the start of November. The new launch sounds tailor-made for health fanatics and hypochondriacs. The site offers customers the chance to 'take maximum control of your own health and well-being', with programmes to treat depression, anxiety, insomnia and stress. No more fronting up to a tired GP and being told there's nothing wrong with you.

Ultrasis chief executive Nigel Brabbins said at the launch that the programmes should be available on the NHS. The long-term Ultrasis share price chart shows a classic tech bubble plunge, from around 73p in March 2000 to less than a penny three years later. This year, the shares spiked to 3.4p in late February following the announcement of NICE's recommendation only to fall back to current levels around 1.48p. In October, the £21.45 million company reported a full-year loss narrowing to £277,000 from £576,000 on sales that were up 37% to £1.24 million and despite what it called 'extremely difficult second-half market conditions'.

Its share price has proved highly sensitive to news flow on government contracts and discussions with the Department of Health. Seasoned investors will be well aware how companies reliant on the public sector can have the rug pulled out from under them and suffer delays. However, Ultrasis has formed a strategic partnership this year with IT and business process service provider Agilisys, which it says will help it take its products to market by targeting the firm's private and public sector client base.

There was some market interest in the shares when the Wellness Shop was launched. In the absence of any independent broker coverage on Ultrasis, this is a long-shot penny share punt on its retail product taking off and justifying the management's confidence. Nowhere does it say not for the faint hearted!!