IS CARPHONE WAREHOUSE WEATHERING THE DOWNTURN?
MIKE JEREMY DANIEL STEWART & CO
I think it was a very satisfying update, with surprisingly good broadband numbers. For TalkTalk to get 77,000 net adds is very strong in a maturing market, especially with the churn figure decreasing. It bodes well for the market share. IPTV?looks like a great opportunity for them, but they are being prudent with their decision to wait.
JONATHAN GROOCOCK INVESTEC
Carphone Warehouse has reported an unexciting but solid trading update, which demonstrates that the firm has avoided any major impact from the economic slowdown. But the recent rally in the share looks unwarranted to us, and with no acceleration of the demerger timetable, we reiterate our “sell” stance on the stock.
KEITH BOWMAN HARGREAVES LANSDOWN
I don’t think that there were any great surprises. Demerger plans are still on track and I think some of the issues of valuation are being priced in ahead of that, but the company is trading quite solidly. There was maybe a lack of detail about the cost-savings realised by the Tiscali deal, which would have disappointed some people in the City.