Company News in Brief

Shareholders representing 51.3 per cent of BDA Holdings, the property and investment company, are set to call for the resignation of Brian Duker, the chief executive.

The shareholders include PosTel, Fidelity, Barings and Gartmore. Mr Duker's fate will be decided at a shareholder meeting on 19 August.

Meanwhile, an option Mr Duker granted to Ayton Holdings, a private company, to buy his 24 per cent stake in BDA has lapsed. A fresh option over the stake has been granted to Alony Hetz Properties and Investments, an Israeli company. Alony is understood to be Ayton's parent.

Ascot Holdings made taxable losses of pounds 6.8m for the year to 31 March. It lost pounds 79.5m in 1993. The loss per share was 2.1p (21.8p).

Black Arrow made pre-tax profits of pounds 1.6m for the year to 31 March, compared with pounds 2.03m previously. Earnings per share are 4.16p against 5.02p and the final dividend is 2.1p, making an unchanged total of 2.6p.

Sycamore has delayed announcement of interim profits pending a review of trading at Cygnet, one of its subsidiaries. Sycamore is in discussions with its bankers, who are reviewing the situation.

The Isle of Man Steam Packet Company has bought the freight ship Belard from a subsidiary of P&O for pounds 3.2m.