Shares: Taking Stock

MALLETT, one of London's oldest antique dealers, has a new and powerful investor. Lord Weinstock, creator of General Electric Co, has emerged as a 29.93 per cent shareholder. The stake was acquired from the Al-Fayeds' Harrod Holdings. But Lord Weinstock, 73, does not appear to be coming out of retirement. He regards the shareholding as a long term investment and he is well known to the company, started in Bath 130 years ago. Five years ago Mallett called off merger talks with Asprey, the jeweller. The antique dealer's shares welcomed the Weinstock arrival with a 20p gain to 122.5p, a high.

WIGGINS, the property developer which has caught the aviation bug, rose 2.25p to 14.5p after fixing up a new civil airline operation at Kent's Manston Airport which it acquired last year. The alliance is with Air Atlanta Icelandic operating 17 aircraft. The airline should land at Manston in July.