Sea lice firm is no longer itching to leave London

BENCHMARK tends to fly under the radar, despite being one of the biggest companies on AIM.

It specialises in the world of aquaculture – with its best-known product arguably being medical treatments that kill off sea lice found in farmed salmon.

Last week it bucked a trend that has seen a slew of big firms – including building material suppliers CRH and Kingspan – quit or threaten to quit the London stock market. Benchmark is quoted both in the UK and Norway, but had been in talks to ditch AIM in favour of a sole listing in Oslo.

Alongside results last week, the £300 million group revealed that after consulting with shareholders it is staying put.

The City needs all the help it can get – with firms such as Okyo Pharma and iEnergizer delisting last week. So, those on the fence, take note from Benchmark: you can stick around after all.

MUCH of the talk about the next FTSE reshuffle – where companies are promoted into and demoted from the big leagues of the London Stock Exchange – has focused on the potential fall from grace of online retailer Ocado.

Ocado looks likely to slide down from the bluechips to the FTSE 250.

But one firm set to be bounding happily back into the mid-cap index – contractor Capita.

Despite a high-profile cyber attack in April that will cost it £20 million, analysts and the firm say boss Jon Lewis’s turnaround is bearing fruit.

But, after being known as Cr*pita in the City for years after a string of profit warnings, will this reshuffle finally help shake off that long held nickname?