blur Group is a technology company reinventing how businesses do commerce at blurgroup.com. Its Global Services Exchange delivers services differently: a new way to buy, manage and pay for core services. As of July 2013, more than 30,000 businesses in 141 countries have adopted this s-commerce platform and changed the way they work. 100 projects per month from companies like Broadridge, Coral, Exceed, HCA, Momentive, Red Commerce, the Financial Times, Berlitz, Butlins, GE Healthcare and Tyco are received. Over the same time, average brief value has grown from around US$1,500 in 2010 to US$10,800 in the first quarter of 2013. By mid-2013, more than 2,200 projects had been submitted with a combined value of over US$35 million. These have come from the US, UK, Europe, Africa and Asia with over 28,000 expert service providers on eight exchanges responding to them


http://blurgroup.com/

New Appointments

RNS


RNS Number : 8462Z

Blur Group PLC

12 February 2014










RNS REACH

12th February 2014





blur Group's Exeter HQ attracts top tier talent to support stellar growth



New hires from companies such as Virgin Media demonstrates readiness to scale globally to meet $2tn s-commerce opportunity





blur Group, the company re-inventing commerce at blurgroup.com, today announced striking successes in talent acquisition and consolidation at its South West headquarters, proving the development of a UK 'Silicon Valley' to be truly achievable as momentum gathers rapidly.



Following the dramatic growth in customers, global reach and projects submitted to the exchange over the past three years blur is delighted to announce a number of new hires and internal promotions. A combination of increasing international s-commerce adoption, first-mover advantage and strategic investment has allowed blur to entice hires from the likes of Virgin Media to key roles in the global teams.



James Porter joins blur Group as Group Financial Controller from previous tenure as Finance Director with Drift Innovation and City Gateway Media, with his 15 years of commercial experience as a chartered accountant making him a clear choice for scaling development of blur Group's finance function.



Alastair Coggins arrives as Product Manager, bringing with him a diverse project-management portfolio that most recently saw him work with Virgin Media. Alastair's key role will see him coordinate tech, UX (user experiences) and businesses-related operations, maximising company efficiency and potential.



Additionally, two new internal promotions to C-Level positions further reinforce the career opportunities available within the multi-award-winning company.



Jon Hogg is promoted from Global Head of Platform to Chief Platform Officer and Dorothy Mead becomes Chief Acquisition Officer, previously Global Head of Marketing.



The new faces are clear testament to the strength of a shared vision, says company founder and CEO Philip Letts: "We are building a great global company by hiring and promoting great people. The spectacular growth in our business has made blur a destination employer. Our staff, new and current, share a vision which is generating a real excitement about working for and with blur.



"The new hires are located at our Exeter HQ. In a further strategic move, all global functions will operate from the Exeter HQ, to ensure and maintain a framework of tightly-synchronised, cross-department productivity. Members of blur based in London at its EMEA commercial hub will shortly be relocating to new offices in Paddington."



-ENDS-

LISTEN: Philip Letts, CEO of blur Group, discusses a number of new hires and internal promotions for the Group

Click here to listen

'Letts" hope these New Hires work there Magic, one need's Nerves of Steel holing this share recently!!

UPDATE - blur Group momentum builds as it lands US$3.2mln marketing project

By Ian Lyall

February 25 2014, 10:30am
The win is the latest of several large-value projects submitted across blur's exchanges..
The win is the latest of several large-value projects submitted across blur's exchanges..


---ADDS SHARE PRICE AND BROKER COMMENT---

blur Group (LON:BLUR) has notched up another significant project on its services exchange.

The fast growing group said a global LED (light emitting diode) manufacturer has kicked off a US$3.2mln marketing programme with blur for the manufacturer's 2014 pan-European product launch and roll-out.

It is the latest of several large-value projects submitted across blur's exchanges, the firm added.

Further scope for continuing this momentum is promised in the form of a partnership in Innovators International, a global association with over 50 corporate members, including 3M, Pernod Ricard, The Shekar Group (part of Tata), The Mayo Clinic and Patagonia.

Chief executive Philip Letts said: “blur's platform development and investment in our digital marketing and sales channels continues to show results in an ever-faster adoption of s-commerce globally.

“A high value, long lifetime project kicking off on the exchange such as blur's latest US$3.2mln marketing project increases the predictable and long-term revenue stream enabled by blur's robust platform, designed to support projects of all sizes and values.

“The project news validates the exchange's mainstream potential whilst blur's major new partner is happy to extend the reach of s-commerce to some well-known names in new markets and regions - one step closer to realising blur's potential US$2tn addressable market."

Broker N+1 Singer reckons the recent weakness in the shares means now is an "attractive entry point" for investors.

It notes the shares are still up 210% in the last 12 months and blur remains well positioned to disrupt the US$2tn business services market.

The group has grown dramatically in its first years as a public company, analyst Tintin Stormont notes, from projects submitted totalling around us$18mln at its initial public offering (IPO) to around US$163mln today.

"The group continues to make investments in terms of technology, people, and infrastructure to build on its first mover advantage."

Blur shares rose 5.46% on Tuesday to stand at 482.5p.

LISTEN: Philip Letts, CEO of blur Group, provides an update on the company's s-commerce platform

Click here to listen

blur Group previews new online platform ahead of launch

By Jamie Ashcroft

February 27 2014, 9:12am
'blur is changing the way business buys and sells services,” Letts says
"blur is changing the way business buys and sells services,” Letts says


Blur Group (LON:BLUR) has provided some of its users a preview of blur 4.0, its new online services exchange platform.

The AIM quoted firm said the new platform is designed to be responsive and reactive for easy browsing on any device, and it is expected to encourage the conversion of adverts into project awards.

Tens of thousands of users have been given the opportunity to use the new platform so that they can provide blur with feedback.

"blur 4.0 is the most significant release we've made since launching the first version of the trading platform. Each year we increase robustness, usability and with 4.0 we're driving towards a scalable solution for the enterprise,” chief executive Philip Letts said.

“With nearly 40,000 businesses worldwide using the platform, allowing instant feedback means we know just how closely we've delivered

Stronger performance today to buck the recent trend.

in at 450p

Two major new categories: Video and HR Services

RNS


RNS Number : 4286C

Blur Group PLC

17 March 2014








17th March 2014

RNS Reach

blur Group plc

("blur," the "Group" or the "Company")



blur brings s-commerce to Video and HR sectors

Two major new categories are announced to further disrupt traditional players





blur Group plc (BLUR), the s-commerce company, announced today two new categories on its Global Services Exchange for Video and HR Services, moving into areas which are currently the domain of the very large service providers.



Video Services will launch for both experts and customers when blur 4.0 goes live in April: it builds on the success of video projects which currently are briefed via blur's Design and Marketing categories, with a large number of expert providers already on the Exchange. These services will now extend to include all forms of broadcast production as well as the current content videos which form an increasingly important element of companies' content and communication strategies. This move is also designed to disrupt the last bastion of the global ad agencies as TV advertising becomes available through the s-commerce platform.



HR Services will offer three main project types: Executive Search and Selection; Training and Development; and Benefits and Remuneration planning. For Search and Selection projects, companies will now be able to brief outside the traditional headhunters making the process more competitive and opening up the long tail of providers. blur will follow its established launch process for a brand new category, by building its expert crowd of HR providers globally and launching for projects when critical mass is reached. This approach has seen it rapidly build 8 successful verticals to date. HR experts can start to sign up with the launch of 4.0 and it will be open for projects later in the year.



Offering these services also extends the reach of blur Group across the enterprise, with the Chief People Officer now joining other C-level executives who see increasing value, efficiency and quality from using s-commerce. It also provides opportunities for a new set of expert service providers globally who can benefit from the new business the Exchange is already offering to nearly 40,000 service providers.



With the Video Services category globally forecast to be worth $12bn for video ad spend alone and HR Services $53.4bn in 2017, these two categories provide additional market share for s-commerce from the $2tn+ global services market, following blur's success in marketing, creative, technology and professional services.



Philip Letts, blur Group CEO, said:



"Video has always been a popular project on the Exchange; driven by an incredible array of expert providers around the globe who are able to be more competitive by working directly through the platform. However we recognized that these providers could deliver on the full gamut of production and further disrupt the older style network agencies. We saw a similar opportunity for disruption with HR Services: a huge potential market with many companies looking for outside expertise and support. And for expert search and selection, it's another segment that has been characterized by a small number of very large providers, whereas better expertise often exists outside this. So we look forward to seeing those large providers join the Exchange and compete on a level playing field for new business."



Ends

$15 million project

RNS


RNS Number : 7356C

Blur Group PLC

20 March 2014












Date 20th March 2014







blur Group plc

("blur," the "Group" or the "Company")



$15 million legal project has kicked off on the Exchange



Biggest s-commerce project to date





blur Group plc (BLUR), the s-commerce company, has kicked off the next phase of a legal project with gross revenue value of $15 million.



This is the latest and largest high-value project submitted to the Exchange. Since the threshold for newly submitted projects rose to $5m+ in August 2013 there has been an increasing number of projects of significant scale, endorsing the adoption of s-commerce for high-end, complex service delivery.



The customer is using the Exchange as the foundation for their sourcing strategy to multiple services categories and experts. The complex scope and strategy of the project reinforces the unique ability of blur Group's s-commerce model to manage and deliver large projects over longer durations. In this instance the scoping and pitching stages involved a range of service providers who then carry forward through project planning and kick-off. The project was originally submitted in 2013 and multiple delivery milestones have been identified as part of this process, with blur Group recognizing revenue at these points through the lifecycle.



Philip Letts, blur Group CEO, said,



"This project has huge significance for blur Group and for the growth of s-commerce. Our success centres around our pioneering s-commerce technology and the size and complexity of this project further endorses the enterprise strength of the platform. There's almost no limit to the size or scale of projects we can take on."





Ends

Q1 2014 Metrics Update

http://www.moneyam.com/action/news/showArticle?id=4794579

Trading Update and Notice of Results


http://www.moneyam.com/action/news/showArticle?id=4794550

like wandisco in recent weeks, blur has clearly blotted its copybook rather badly

I'm staying clear of this one.

I've sold remaining holdings too, out. Fortunately still made a profit but foolhardy not to sell more in the heady 800p days!

Just keeping the thread up to date out of interest. Happy Easter all. :-))

Happy Easter dreamcatcher and everyone. There's an article in The Times today about the contents and reaction to yesterdays RNS.

Cheers doodlebug4. :-))

The Easter eggs will not taste quite the same for entrepreneur Philip Letts after he saw a cool £26million wiped off the value of his 47.6 per cent stake in blur, the AIM-listed global technology group he founded.


The shares crashed 41 per cent before closing 172.5p down at 280p, after publication of its full-year results for 2013 were delayed until May 20, rather than in early April as analysts had expected.


That was accompanied by worrying news that the board has changed guidance on revenues and revenue recognition.





Shares: Philip Letts saw a cool £26million wiped off the value of his 47.6 per cent stake in blur.



Letts sold 900,000 shares at £4 a pop in October, trousering £3.6million. He must wish he had sold more.

Gross revenues for 2013 are now indicated at up to £3.3million, against analysts’ forecasts of around £6million.


Full-year revenue expectations have had to be lowered because of delayed revenue recognition on several project bookings in 2013, which will now be recognised in the current financial year and beyond.






Analyst Robin Speakman at Shore Capital says his core concern is that revenue recognition has not matched cash flows.


He has pulled his forecasts and recommendation from consensus for blur and expects to make major changes in due course, possibly further deferring the timing of the inflection point of profitability and cash generation to a material degree.


He believes blur still has an interesting and potentially attractive business model that may yet dominate the services procurement space.


But the hyperbole of market penetration announcements must be matched by delivery to clients and investors alike.


With technology stocks both at home and in the US in a neurotic state, blur could not have chosen a worse time to put serious doubts in analysts’ and investors’ minds.




http://www.dailymail.co.uk/money/article-2607225/MARKET-REPORT-Philip-Letts-faces-bleak-Easter-shares-Blur-Group-tumble-delayed-release-revenue.html

Continues to fall.