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Your support makes all the difference.Nu-Swift Industries, the manufacturer of fire extinguishing equipment and office cleaning group, reported a steep decline in pre-tax profits, from pounds 11.35m to pounds 2.5m for the half-year to 30 June.
Turnover fell to to pounds 154.4m (pounds 165.6m). Operating profits showed a 25 per cent rise over the comparable period at pounds 8.5m (pounds 5.9m) as a result of a cost reduction exercise in the US and the expansion of the fire protection division in continental Europe. But it warned that its European fire protection division and the American office cleaning and maintenance division continued to operate in adverse economic conditions.
There was a change from a pounds 5.7m interest income to a pounds 4.2m charge for the interim period. It also incurred pounds 2.7m loss from its property interests and suffered pounds 1.2m foreign exchange losses. Earnings per share fell to 5.09p (17.04p). It is not proposing to pay an interim dividend until next year (10p).
Tomorrows Leisure, the hotels and leisure centres operator, announced a fall from pre-tax profits of pounds 422,000 to a pounds 110,000 taxable loss in the six months to 30 September, hit by long-term financing costs that caused a pounds 395,000 interest charge. No dividend.
Drummond Group, the property management group with subsidiaries engaged in the textiles industry, saw pre-tax profits plunge from pounds 510,000 to pounds 57,000 for the six months to 30 September. No dividend (0.75p).
Melville Group, provider of exhibition services, museum contracting and interior fitting-out, announced a sharp fall in pre-tax profits from pounds 3.1m to pounds 593,000 in the year to 30 June. There was no dividend (3.2p).
Gartmore Value Investments is paying an unchanged second interim dividend of 0.9525p, making 1.95p for the six months to 31 October. It achieved improved earnings per share of 1.57p (1.52p) on profits of pounds 1.3m (pounds 1.2m).
Northamber, the computer hardware and software supplier, halved pre-tax losses to pounds 495,000 (pounds 980,000) in the six months to 31 October. No dividend.
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