Company News in Brief

GWR Group, the independent radio operator, said it was a part of the Inforadio consortium that had won a news and information radio licence in Warsaw, Poland. GWR will have a 33 per cent holding in the new station, which it will provide with commercial, technical and management services.

James Beattie, the department stores operator based in Wolverhampton, reported a slight fall in pre-tax profits to pounds 6.6m ( pounds 6.8m) in the year to 31 January. Sales grew 6.4 per cent to pounds 92.9m ( pounds 87.3m), helped by the opening of a store in Aylesbury late last year and the first full-year trading at Worcester. Investment income dropped from pounds 1.9m to pounds 1.2m in line with cuts in interest rates. Earnings per share are 9.3p (9.8p). Final dividend is 4.7p, making 6.2p (6p).

Dakota Group, the print and packaging group, more than halved pre- tax profits from Ir pounds 1.4m to Ir pounds 478,000 in the six months to 31 March after a 34 per cent decline in turnover from Ir pounds 14.1m to Ir pounds 9.3m. Earnings per share were slashed to Ir0.8p (Ir4.8p). No dividend was declared.

Silvermines, the electrical group that bought Molynx, the building controls group, earlier this year, swung from a Ir pounds 9.7m taxable loss to Ir pounds 1.6m pre-tax profit for the year ended 31 December. Profits were achieved on lower turnover of Ir pounds 27.2m against Ir pounds 36.8m previously. Last year it sold its Traffic Control division to Peek for pounds 1.8m. Earnings per share recovered to Ir3.09p (Loss Ir30.88p). The final and total payout is Ir0.5p (nil).