Shares: Taking Stock

GBE International, the engineer known for its tobacco equipment, added 3.5p to 27.25p as a shake-up produced a new chairman and chief executive. Graham Walker, a former deputy chairman of Safeway, takes over as chairman and Michael Jenkins becomes chief executive. Roger Spry, a consultant to tobacco giant Philip Morris, will be responsible for GBE's tobacco side.

There are suggestions of corporate action at Wickes, the building materials group. The shares are riding at 290p, encouraged by some lumpy lines of stock changing hands.

Richards, suspended in July, returned at 57.5p, compared with the 55p placing which raised pounds 4.4m. The former engineer now embraces Instrument Technology and is a maker of components for vacuum container systems. It will be renamed Univac.