NO-HEADLINE

Armitage Brothers, the pet food manufacturer, grew profits from pounds 1.1m to pounds 1.4m in the year to June despite no real evidence of a consumer upturn, the company said.

Sales grew to pounds 26m helped by a late contribution from the recently acquired Phoenix fish foods business and the recovery of inflationary costs. The full-year dividend was increased from 6.8p to 7.2p.