Ben Hardy on EastEnders and his new LGBTQ film Unicorns: We’re all multi-faceted. Why stick to one label?
Travis Perkins profit dips after “worst year ever” February 24, 2010 BUILDERS’ merchant Travis Perkins has posted a drop in profits of 11 per cent and issued a warning of the “fragile” state of trading. Pre-tax profits for 2009 were £180m, down from £202.5m in the previous year, as revenue dropped 8 per cent to £2.9bn. The firm, which owns the Wickes chain, dubbed trading conditions [...]
Dana battles to stop £1.9bn offer by KNOC September 8, 2010 DANA PETROLEUM is braced for a £1.9bn hostile takeover by Korean National Oil Corps after investors dismissed an ambitious defence document demanding a higher price. Shares in Dana closed almost flat at £18.09, just above the level of state-owned KNOC’s £18 per share offer, indicating shareholders were unmoved by the argument. The board of the [...]
BEST OF THE BROKERS June 1, 2010 INFORMA JP Morgan Cazenove reiterates its “overweight” rating on Informa after assessing its margin upside potential. JP Morgan said the company has proved itself good at removing costs to offset revenue shortfall, the stock offers a higher equity free cash flow yield than the business-to-business and ?professional publishing sub-sectors and the stock may see technical [...]
Travis starts work on BSS May 31, 2010 BUILDERS’ merchant Travis Perkins yesterday began four weeks of due diligence on BSS, the plumbing and heating supplies firm, as prospects of a counter-bid began to fade. Travis Perkins made a £533m play for BSS on Friday in a move that would see it overtake Wolseley as Britain’s biggest building products distributor. Some of BSS’ [...]
WHAT THE OTHER PAPERS SAY THIS MORNING July 5, 2010 FINANCIAL TIMES RENMINBI BOND DEALS BEGIN TO PAY A Hong Kong-based toll road company will sell renminbi-denominated bonds to international investors this week in a little-noticed deal that marks an important change in China’s currency controls. Hopewell Highway Infrastructure, controlled by Hong Kong tycoon Gordon Wu, plans to raise at least Rmb1bn (£100m) from institutional [...]
Travis Perkins remains cautious about next year as says no signs of recovery September 30, 2009 BUILDERS’ merchant and home improvements group Travis Perkins yesterday said group nine-month turnover fell 11 per cent, as volumes showed no sustained improvement and pricing pressure persisted. However, the group, which has branches across the UK under Travis Perkins, Wickes and other brands, said trading for the past three months was ahead of its expectations. [...]
Travis Perkins warns of more sector bankruptcies July 30, 2009 TRAVIS Perkins, the builders merchants and owner of DIY chain Wickes, yesterday posted a better-than-expected 27 per cent fall in first-half profit, but warned the sector may see a further slew of bankruptcies before the year is out. The group, which raised £300m in a rights issue in May, reported a pre-tax profit of £90.4m [...]
Travis Perkins warns of more sector bankruptcies July 30, 2009 TRAVIS Perkins, the builders merchants and owner of DIY chain Wickes, yesterday posted a better-than-expected 27 per cent fall in first-half profit, but warned the sector may see a further slew of bankruptcies before the year is out. The group, which raised £300m in a rights issue in May, reported a pre-tax profit of £90.4m [...]
BEST OF THE BROKERS December 2, 2009 DUNELMAltium Securities yesterday gave Dunelm Group a “buy” rating and forecasted earnings growth of about 30 per cent for 2010, partly based on the company’s reported £24m of net cash at the end of 2009, following a £30m net cash inflow the previous year. It said that Dunelm’s financial strength and capacity for expansion position [...]
Perkins sees a boost in its DIY branch December 17, 2009 RETAIL group Travis Perkins gave a glimmer of hope to retailers yesterday, as it reported a steady improvement in its DIY arm Wickes. Perkins, which also owns chains Tile Giant and Toolstation, added that it was seeing positive moods in the builders’ merchant market. The group said earnings for the full year would be towards [...]