Fruitflow®+ Omega-3 launch in Holland & Barrett

RNS Number : 3190S

Provexis PLC

25 June 2018

 

25 June 2018

Provexis plc

Fruitflow®+ Omega-3 to launch in Holland & Barrett

Provexis plc ('Provexis' or the 'Company'), the business that develops, licenses and sells the proprietary, scientifically-proven Fruitflow® heart-health functional food ingredient, is delighted to announce it has secured a retail listing with Holland & Barrett for the Company's Fruitflow®+ Omega-3 dietary supplement product.

Holland & Barrett is Europe's largest health and wellbeing retailer, supplying its customers with a wide range of vitamins, minerals, health supplements, specialist foods and natural beauty products.

It is envisaged that the Company's Fruitflow®+ Omega-3 dietary supplement product will be listed in August 2018 in more than 660 Holland & Barrett stores across the UK and Ireland, together with Holland & Barrett Online, giving Fruitflow® and the Company's Fruitflow®+ Omega-3 dietary supplement product widespread consumer exposure.

Holland & Barrett has an extensive specialist training programme, unparalleled in the health supplement industry, under its own 'Natural Health Academy'. Holland & Barrett staff will be trained to understand and communicate the benefits of Fruitflow®+ Omega-3 to prospective customers in store and online.

Holland & Barrett's loyalty programme, Rewards for Life, has over 10 million members in the UK and is free for customers to join. Holland & Barrett has also recently introduced its personalised Healthbox service, providing nutritionist recommended vitamins and supplements to their customers along with health tips. Holland & Barrett's Rewards for Life programme and their new Healthbox service will facilitate more direct communications with their customers, and both are expected to provide opportunities to highlight the unique benefits of Fruitflow®+ Omega-3.

The product listing in August 2018 will be supported by a number of staff training, consumer marketing and promotional initiatives, to include Holland & Barrett's in house Healthy magazine and their website www.hollandandbarrett.com.

Fruitflow®+ Omega-3 is a two-in-one supplement in an easy to take capsule, supporting healthy blood flow and normal heart function. In May 2009 Fruitflow® was the first technology to be substantiated by the European Food Safety Authority ('EFSA') under the new Article 13(5) for proprietary and emerging science, and in December 2009 the European Commission authorised the health claim 'Helps maintain normal platelet aggregation, which contributes to healthy blood flow'. Omega-3 has a separate, positive European Commission approved health claim, and the product packaging reflects these two claims strongly.

Provexis has a long-term Alliance Agreement with DSM Nutritional Products for Fruitflow®, which has seen the Company collaborate with DSM to develop Fruitflow® in all major global markets through sales as an ingredient to brand owners in the food, beverage and dietary supplement categories.

The Company's Fruitflow®+ Omega-3 dietary supplement business is complementary to its long-term Alliance Agreement with DSM, and it is supported by DSM, reflecting the continued strength of the long term relationship between Provexis and DSM and the shared interest of both companies in seeking to maximise the commercial returns that can be achieved from Fruitflow®. The Company's Fruitflow®+ Omega-3 dietary supplement business is expected to provide the Company with an additional long term income and profit stream, and all of the revenue and costs attributable to this listing with Holland & Barrett will accrue to Provexis.

The Company is currently in the process of having a substantial batch of Fruitflow®+ Omega-3 capsules manufactured, along with some enhanced product packaging which will be better suited to a retail environment, and it is envisaged that the product will be launched in Holland & Barrett in August 2018.

Fruitflow®+ Omega-3 was launched by the Company in June 2016 through the Company's e-commerce website www.fruitflowplus.com.

In June 2017 the Company secured a listing for the product with Amazon.co.uk. Further UK sales channel opportunities are currently being progressed to include listings with some other major UK retailers, and the Company is actively seeking to launch the product online into wider international markets to include North America.

The Company is keen to develop and launch further potential Fruitflow®+ combination product derivatives, to include a Fruitflow®+ nitrates dietary supplement product which would be supported by the Company's strong patent position in this area.

Fruitflow®+ Omega-3 and other Fruitflow®+ derivatives will help to build awareness of Fruitflow® in the consumer healthcare market around the world, across consumers and other potential large brand owner customers for Fruitflow®.

Dawson Buck, Chairman of Provexis, commented:

'I am delighted to announce this listing for Fruitflow®+ Omega-3 with Holland & Barrett, Europe's largest health and wellbeing retailer.

The listing will help raise awareness of the proven benefits of Fruitflow® across a substantial consumer audience, and the company's expanding Fruitflow®+ dietary supplement business is expected to provide the company with an additional long term income and profit stream. We look forward to working with Holland & Barrett to maximise recommendation, trial and repeat purchase of the product.'

A spokesperson for Holland & Barrett commented:

'We are excited to welcome Fruitflow®+ Omega-3 into Holland & Barrett and look forward to explaining its unique benefits to our customers across our extensive retail network, to include our online channels. Holland & Barrett seeks to enhance the well-being of our customers around the world by delivering the highest quality, best value nutritional supplements and wellness products. Fruitflow®+ Omega-3, with its innovative, natural and scientifically proven benefits to cardiovascular health, will be an important addition to our range of Heart and Circulation products.'

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For further information please contact:

Provexis plc                                                     Tel:      [phone]

Dawson Buck, Chairman                                 [e-mail]

Ian Ford, Finance Director

Cenkos Securities plc                                      Tel:      [phone]

Camilla Hume

Notes for editors

About Provexis plc

AIM-listed Provexis is focused on the development, licensing and sales of its proprietary, scientifically-proven Fruitflow® heart-health functional food ingredient.

In May 2009, the Company's Fruitflow® technology was the first to be substantiated by the European Food Safety Authority ('EFSA') under the new Article 13(5) for proprietary and emerging science. In December 2009 the European Commission authorised the health claim 'Helps maintain normal platelet aggregation, which contributes to healthy blood flow', which was the first wording to be authorised under Article 13(5).

In June 2010 it was announced that the Company had entered into a long-term Alliance Agreement with DSM Nutritional Products to commercialise Fruitflow®, and in June 2015 the Company confirmed it had agreed significantly enhanced financial terms for its Alliance Agreement with DSM for Fruitflow®.

The Company's Alliance partner DSM Nutritional Products has developed the market actively for the Company's novel, patented Fruitflow® heart-health ingredient in all global markets, with over 50 regional consumer healthcare brands now having been launched by direct customers of DSM, and with a number of further regional brands having been launched through DSM's distributor channels.

An increasing number of further commercial projects have been initiated by DSM with prospective customers, including some prospective customers which are part of global businesses, with good prospects for these projects to be launched as consumer products. Interest in the technology exists in all major global markets.

The Company reported in its interim results on 29 December 2017 that the Company and DSM had seen an encouraging increase in brand awareness and customer interest in Fruitflow® in recent months, with the total projected annual sales value of the prospective sales pipeline for Fruitflow® continuing to increase and standing then at a further new all-time high level.

In June 2016 the Company launched a high quality dietary supplement product containing Fruitflow® and Omega-3 which is being sold from a separate, dedicated website www.fruitflowplus.com on a mail order basis, the product is also available to purchase from Amazon.co.uk.

The Company conducted a Key Opinion Leaders' roundtable event for Fruitflow® in London in 2016, focussed on raising awareness of the importance of blood flow in cardiovascular health, and the effectiveness of dietary antiplatelets. The roundtable was attended by key scientists from Provexis and DSM, along with a number of interested health care professionals with close links to the media. The event was recorded and a video for Fruitflow®+ Omega-3 capsules targeting prospective consumers can be seen here www.youtube.com/watch?v=P3HCSdyupEY&t=48s

The Company and DSM are keen to secure greater medical advocacy for Fruitflow® and the roundtable event forms part of this strategy.

The roundtable event is being supported by a broader consumer PR campaign, and the Company's Fruitflow®+ Omega-3 dietary supplement product has featured in a number of recent articles in the UK national press which can be seen here www.fruitflowplus.com/fruitflow-in-the-media

The Company has been engaged in a two stage collaboration agreement with the University of Oslo to undertake further research into the relationship between Fruitflow® and blood pressure regulation. In December 2016 the Company announced the results from the second stage of the collaboration, a pilot study which indicated that a standard dose of Fruitflow® in powder format significantly lowered average 24-hour systolic blood pressure compared to placebo. Both systolic and diastolic blood pressure were shown to be significantly lower whilst trial subjects were awake, a clinically relevant reduction in blood pressure which is expected to be of interest to a large number of consumers and patients with a wide range of cardiovascular conditions. In September 2017 the results from the blood pressure collaboration were published in the International Journal of Food Sciences and Nutrition.

In April 2017 the Company announced that it had entered into a memorandum of understanding with BY-HEALTH Co., Ltd ('BY-HEALTH') which is intended to result in a research and collaboration agreement with BY-HEALTH for Fruitflow®. The Company also confirmed separately that Provexis and DSM are working with BY-HEALTH to support the planned launch of some Fruitflow® based products in the Chinese market.

BY-HEALTH is a substantial Chinese listed dietary supplement business which is currently valued in excess of £2.5bn.

Provexis was founded in 1999 and is headquartered in Reading, Berkshire.

Provexis shares are traded on the AIM market of the London Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol PXS.

For further information, please visit www.provexis.com

About Holland & Barrett

Holland & Barrett is Europe's largest health and wellness retailer leading the market with a broad range of vitamins, supplements, specialist food, sports nutrition and ethical beauty brands. Established in 1870 it is owned by the Letter One Retail Group (L1 Retail) and currently operates more than 1,150 stores worldwide (including 800 in the UK and Ireland) as well as a rapidly expanding e-commerce business. Holland & Barrett's 4,200 Associates are highly trained in nutrition and supplements, able to advise customers on their individual needs.

 

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