Yes I know Im on holiday so Ill make it quick. Just had a phone call and an e- mail from a City pal of mine and hes drooling over this company. Hes a trust worthy chap and has given me some fantastic tips over the last 10 years.
Hes going on about it being a ten bagger, but I dont like that kind of talk, best to just see how the market rates it. He says theres going to be a lot of news flow so that should provide for a momentum driven price. Have to say I have never known him quite so excited about a stock. Ive just gone in and bought a nice holding.

Heres the e-mail he sent me. It might be worth your while having a dabble. Citywire seem to think its going to be a hit.

Health minnow makes strong return to market
Published: 11:51 Wed 22 Oct 2003
By Joanne Wallen, Associate Editor
Email to a friend


The chief of Healthcare Enterprise Group sold his last business to private healthcare firm Bupa and he's now raring to go again; the business may be worth a second look.

Shares in the 24 million AIM-listed business were suspended in August pending a couple of key acquisitions, and returned to the market on Monday after the deals were announced.


Healthcare Enterprise Group (HCEG) (HCEG) paid a total of 11.5 million for the Safa Group and Industrial Pharmaceutical Service (IPS) as well as a 60.7% stake in SafaTec. The company raised a total of 10 million via a placing of shares at 1p to fund the acquisitions and also took on 3.5 million of bank debt.


Chairman Stuart Bruck, who previously founded private medical services business Barbican, which he sold to Bupa in January 1999, is hoping to build a significant business providing medical services to corporate customers. He is hoping to be a consolidator in what he told Citywire is a very fragmented market.


Both Safa and IPS provide first aid kits, training, first aid suites and a host of other medical and occupational health services to large corporate customers such as British Airways, Marks & Spencer, BT, Sainsbury and government procurement agency OGC. Both companies also have advanced 'replenishment systems,' which enable companies to maintain adequate supplies to satisfy UK health and safety legislation.


Bruck said these acquisitions would provide a 'platform' for further acquisitions.


The company had previously accrued minority stakes in a total of 14 small healthcare services companies in the UK and the US. In March it listed on AIM by reversing into a cash shell.


Bruck said the minority stakes offered it an entry into the market, but the company has now decided to focus on wholly operating and owning businesses. It has therefore identified four of its US businesses that it would like to buy the remaining stakes in. These are all within a two hour drive of the company's Los Angeles office, and would be run from there.


The company has also 'packaged up' the remaining eight businesses with a view to selling each of its minority stakes. Bruck said the pricing being talked about is already ahead of the indicative pricing given in March.


Safa and IPS apparently already have a 30% share of the corporate medical services market in the UK. They are both cash generative from operating activities. Both companies are based in the North of England and do not have a huge penetration in London, where Bruck believes the company has 'a huge opportunity.'


He reckons they have so far penetrated around 50% of the FTSE 100, and therefore have a 'great client base' to which they should be able to sell additional services.

SafaTec has interests in a number of early stage companies that have developed some innovative healthcare products and technologies, which the company is hoping to commercialise. For example, Safa has secured a sole international distribution agreement with Ebiox, a manufacturer of a unique decontaminant and cleansing product range based on a patented formula. SafaTec UK has a 35% interest in Ebiox and HCEG is negotiating to acquire a controlling interest for the enlarged Group.


Bruck does not expect to make any more major acquisitions in the next year or so, but thinks there are a lot of small players that the company might be able to mop up.


'This is very exciting, I am looking forward to digging in,' he said.


Shares are currently at 1.7p.


Citywire Verdict:


The corporate healthcare market is becoming increasingly regulated, which favours HCEG. Bruck's track record should also be worth buying into.


The corporate structure looks pretty complicated at present with all of the minority shareholdings, but Bruck now seems keen to get the point quickly where HCEG controls the majority of the businesses it operates.


This is obviously early days, but for anyone that fancies a speculative punt on a penny share, HCEG is worth a second look.ENDS.

Well it looks very good to me although its a speculative punt, what isnt in the markets today. Good chance to get on board aswell on a bad day.

Please DYOR. You are responsible for your own buying and selling actions.

GF.

In fact, there you go. I bought 22,500 shares this morning at 2.17 and it's shown up as a Sell in the trade list.

Gone quiet on HCEG.

Anyone got any news out there????

This is still a potential gem if they get their marketing and advertising strategy right for the Ebiox range of products.

This is the latest info I could find from the Times:

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,748-1043374,00.html

Stuart Bruck will be live on chat over on advfn at 3pm today so you can put your own questions to him.

Investors Chronicle suggests hceg at 2p one of 10 penny shares worth buying.

LOOKS LIKE INVESTORS CHRONICLE HAS A LARGE FOLLOWING HAVE YOU SEEN THE BUY VOLUME IN THE LAST TWO DAYS.DOES ANYONE KNOW WHAT THE OTHER NINE SHARES ARE?
HCEG PRICE SHOULD HAVE RISEN ATLEAST A PENNY WITH ALL THIS VOLUME!

I agree this should go far. The fact Ebiox can be used as a decontaminant against MRSA superbug must mean it will surely go far. There has been a lot of shrewd buying. Nigel Wray bought 20 million shares in March and Lich (formerly Mercury Asset) bought 9 million shares as a private investor. Also shares held in Marlborough UK Equity Growth and Artemis UK Alpha Trust so we are in good company!

WELL OVER 19MILLION BUYS AND ONLY UP 0.01 THE MM'S ARE REALLY SETTING MARKET FORCES TO WORK ON THIS ONE!

Programme on Radio 4 today between 12.00 - 13.00, (You & Yours), a section will be discussing MRSA.

saw i dont understand that too.i mean i see lots of shares rise on much less volume so .01 doesnt seem right to me.

Will try and listen to Radio 4 at 12.00. MRSA is obviously very serious and widespread (including in new hospitals) and from what I understand Ebiox works much faster than anything else and has been approved so you would think share price would reflect it!

May be we should e mail the mm's to listen to the programme!They may just be ignorant!

What a complete waste of time that radio programme was, as far as HCEG were concerned. Not even a mention of how to control hand washing with Ebios.
Oh well!!

Agree about the programme! At this rate, we are going to have to start our own PR programme for HCEG!

i agree jj50. why not ask suehelen to get on the case?

JJ50 BUT THEN WE'D LOOSE OUR CREDIBILITY,AND THE SHARE WOULD PROBABLY PLUNGE.

Good point SAW, you have the edge - shall go back to being patient, let the product speak for itself!!

Share price still stagnant.mm's just don't see things our way.I've topped up I am adamant.

Price dropped is this MM tactic or have I missed something!

anyone know why price dropped today....good time to top up

Read the ADVFN posts. Bioquell success.
sw