Taking Stock

Style Holdings, a men's wear retailer, made a smart market debut. The shares arrived on AIM following an introduction by stockbroker Shore Capital & Corporate; they closed at 83.5p. The company runs 124 concessions in men's wear stores but intends to spend much of its time developing its 12-strong chain of Envy shops. Mercury Asset Management, an early backer, has retained a 17 per cent interest, down from 28 per cent.

Another possible shell: Hansom, the hard-pressed taxi business, intends to sell its remaining operations, its radio taxis and its taxi fleet. It sees itself becoming a vehicle for a bigger operation seeking a quote. The shares have been a disastrous investment. Floated on AIM at 60p two years ago they managed a 0.5p ride to 6.75p.