Trading and financing update, Directorate change
Tooru plc has provided a trading and financing update, announcing progress with its flagship brands Juvela and Pulsin, including strong Tesco sales for Juvela and an expansion of Pulsin bars into 1,000 Co-op stores. The company has also refinanced its debt facility with Shawbrook Bank, increasing it to £3.9 million and extending it to 2030, with an additional £500,000 advanced to support Juvela's new OAF brand. Directorate changes include Matthew Peck stepping down from the Board to focus on streamlining the company's health and wellness brand portfolio.
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Trading and financing update
and
Directorate change
Tooru, an AIM listed company focused on the branded health and wellness sector, is pleased to provide a pre year end trading update.
Our Group has had a year of progress and platform building. Having completed our RTO in May 2025, we are now settling into our new structure and making advances with our flagship brands. We are working hard to grow and build on our great product ranges with a focus on aggressive brand building alongside defensive cost management and discipline. We have enjoyed some exceptional retailer wins including TESCO and the Co-op this year and we plan to keep pushing hard into 2026.
Juvela and OAF
The Group's leading branded gluten free producer, which recently launched its new retail brand, OAF, has continued to make excellent progress. TESCO sales remain strong and, at the same time, the Company is in advanced discussions with regard to listing these products with other major supermarket chains.
Pulsin and We Love Purely
Pulsin is the Group's leading producer of healthy snack bars and nutritional powders. Pulsin is experiencing growing demand from other groups who retail its products. Until recently Pulsin manufactured its products from a factory in Gloucester but vacated this location in August 2025 as anticipated at the end of its lease in order to co-locate with Juvela's manufacturing operation in Wales. It is therefore currently producing its products with a contract manufacturer which has had the short-term benefit of reducing Pulsin's production and overhead costs. The Group may continue with these arrangements longer term as this would help both cost and scalability as Pulsin's revenues grow, rather than incur the cost of the move to Juvela's premises. Furthermore, the operations of Pulsin and We Love Purely have now been combined which is expected to lead to a further reduction in overall costs.
Pulsin's revenue recognised in September and October was, however, negatively impacted due to the disruption to product production, although orders have continued at historic levels and this revenue is expected to be recovered going forward with positive EBITDA still being achieved notwithstanding the recognised revenue shortfall. We are continuing to build out Pulsin and are pleased to report that certain of our Pulsin bars will now be stocked in 1,000 Co-op stores, up from the current 80 stores. We believe that this and the positive EBITDA demonstrates good progress for this brand and that Pulsin has substantial growth opportunities ahead as we grow new distribution channels in 2026.
Directorate change
Matthew Peck, who currently manages Market Rocket is stepping down from the Board of Tooru with immediate effect, although he will continue in his role as a director of Market Rocket for the time being whilst we explore a possible divestment of this non-core business. We plan to streamline Tooru's focus on challenger brands in health and wellness and avoid distraction with an agency style business that is very different to building our own brands in skill sets and areas of focus. Market Rocket is continuing to trade as expected with Q4 on track to be, as usual, its busiest and most profitable trading period.
Funding
The Group has also just completed a refinancing of the debt facility that it has with Shawbrook Bank, a leading bank for established UK businesses, in relation to Juvela. This new facility has been increased to £3.9 million and has been extended out to the end of 2030. As part of this refinancing, an additional £500,000 has been advanced by Shawbrook Bank in order to provide Juvela with additional funds with which to support the development of its new OAF brand.
Scott Livingston, CEO, said:
"We continue to have confidence in the prospects for Juvela and believe that it has significant upside potential. We also believe that Pulsin too has excellent prospects going into 2026. The Co-op store count increase for Pulsin and sales growth of OAF demonstrates the progress that the Group is making. Furthermore, the refinancing of Juvela through the increased Shawbrook Bank facility provides the flexibility to invest further in this business and demonstrates confidence in it by a leading financial institution."
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