Island based kettle safety control company Strix has been given the thumbs-up by a respected investment column in a national newspaper.

Strix, based at Ronaldsway, floated on the AIM market in August.

Joanne Hart, who writes the Midas column in the Mail On Sunday, has tipped up the company.

She writes that brokers expect pre-tax profits to go up by 16 per cent to £26.6 million this year, rising to £29.1 million in 2018. A dividend of 2.9p is forecast for 2017.

She says: ‘The group has done well in its first few months as a listed business but the best is yet to come.

‘Investors with a long-term view should do well out of this stock - and the dividend is an extra perk.’

Business News previously reported that the island’s Lieutenant Governor Sir Richard Gozney was at the London Stock Exchange for the launch of Strix trading on the AIM market.

Strix is based at Ronaldsway with a manufacturing operation at Ramsey.

Sir Richard was joined at the launch by representatives of Strix including some from the island and from China where most manufacturing is done.

But most of the group’s work on new products takes place in the island.

Mark Bartlett,chief executive officer, told Business News on the day of the launch on the stock exchange’s junior market:‘Today marks a key milestone in the company’s successful and long history.’

Mr Bartlett told Isle of Man Newspapers the move strengthens the island as the base for the global company and ‘almost certainly’ will lead to more people being taken on as the firm grows.’

Joanne Hart says Mr Bartlett is determined to use the float as a springboard for growth.