Laura Ashley rewards investors with a £7.5m bonus dividend
LAURA Ashley said yesterday it is to reward shareholders with a £7.5m bonus dividend as a token of appreciation.
The home furnishings and fashion retailer, which is majority owned by the Malaysian conglomerate MUI, declared an interim dividend of one pence per share for the year to 25 January.
“This is to show our appreciation to the shareholders for their continued support,” the 61- year-old group said in a statement. It comes less than a week after the retailer sold its entire stake in suit-maker Moss Bros for £8m.
At the time the group said the money from the sale will be used to “enhance the financial position of Laura Ashley and for additional working capital”.
MUI, which bought Laura Ashley in 1998, holds a stake of around 34 per cent, while chairman Khoo Kay Peng’s investment vehicle Bonham Industries owns 25 per cent.