5 September 2014 – interim results
Solid interim figures have been released. For the 26 weeks ended 26 July 2014 total sales increased by 4.9% to £144.0m (2013: £137.3m). Total UK retail sales increased by 3.8% to £124.6m (2013: £120.0m). Like-for-like sales grew by 1.2%. Profit before taxation, excluding exceptional items, increased by 9.0% to £8.5m, (2013: £7.8m). The net cash balance at 26 July 2014 was £13.8m and there are no bank borrowings. The interim dividend was held at 1.0p per share. The shares, recently tipped at a slightly lower level, remain a BUY.