Company News in Brief

Half-year to 30 June

ASW Holdings, the steel-making engineering group, slumped from a pounds 8.1m profit to a pounds 2.1m loss. Turnover rose to pounds 190.5m ( pounds 188.8m). Interim dividend is 3p.

Burford Holdings, the property trader and publisher, lifted pre- tax profits to pounds 1.7m ( pounds 1.6m). Interim dividend is 0.5p (0.45p).

Brammer, the industrial services group, eased from a pre-tax profit of pounds 4.5m to pounds 4.2m. Interim dividend is held at 4.5p.

Calderburn, the office furniture maker, slipped to pounds 2.2m ( pounds 2.3m) pre-tax profit. Interim dividend is held at 2.8p.

Frost Group, the petrol retailer, doubled pre-tax profits to pounds 2.6m ( pounds 1.3m). Turnover improved to pounds 51.4m ( pounds 38.9m). Interim dividend is 5.5p (nil).

Hewitt Group, refractory products maker, advanced from pounds 219,000 to pounds 411,000 pre-tax profit. Interim dividend is 1.25p (1p).

Kynoch Group, the fabrics and rugs maker, fell to pounds 380,000 ( pounds 460,000). No dividend.

WSP Holdings, the engineering services group, slumped from pounds 613,000 to pounds 352,000. Interim dividend is held at 1.1p.

Halls Homes & Gardens, suppliers of garden buildings and home improvement products, reversed pounds 2.5m losses to make a pounds 529,000 pre-tax profit. No dividend.

Others

Goodhead Group, the printing, publishing and paper trader, returned lower pre-tax profits of pounds 721,000 ( pounds 768,000) in the year to 31 May. Turnover was down 40 per cent to pounds 40.3m. Final dividend is 0.5p.

Claremont Garments, the textiles company which supplies Marks & Spencer, increased pre-tax profits from pounds 2.3m to pounds 2.8m in the half year to 27 June. Interim dividend is higher at 3.3p (3p).

British Bio-Technology, the pharmaceutical and medical research company, saw pre-tax losses deepen from pounds 2.7m to pounds 2.9m in the quarter to 31 July.