The FTSE Small Caps index is flat by around midday, in line with a flat blue-chip FTSE 100 (FTSE: ^FTSE - news) index but outperforming a 0.5 percent decline on the FTSE 250 (FTSE: ^FTMC - news) mid-cap index.
Electricals retailer Darty rises by 12.4 percent after announcing plans to close its loss-making operations in Spain - a move that is welcomed by many analysts.
"Spain has been a disaster for Darty since its acquisition in 2007 and it will have lost around 94 million euros ($120.77 million) by the 2013 full-year," UBS (Xetra: UB0BL6 - news) analysts write in a research note.
UBS keeps a "neutral" rating on Darty shares and says the key factor for the company will be its efforts to improve its performance in France.
Wincanton (LSE: WIN.L - news) jumps up by 17.2 percent after the transport and haulage company posts a trading update which shows a strong performance at its core contract logistics business.
"Today's interim management statement should steady some nerves, after the free fall in the share price in recent months, with what could be described as a boring statement," Investec (LSE: INVP.L - news) analyst John Lawson writes in a research note.
Asian Citrus slips 1.7 percent lower, which analysts at Cantor Fitzgerald attribute to the risks that this year might yield a poor harvest for the company. However, Cantor keeps a "buy" rating on the stock.
"A weak 2012/2013 harvest does not detract from the potential for future years," the Cantor analysts write in a research note.
Reuters messaging rm://sudip.kargupta.thomsonreuters.com@reuters.net
($1 = 0.7783 euros)
