Marketing and print firm St Ives said half year pre-tax profit fell by two thirds but it remains confident it can reposition and make progress in the full year.
Pre-tax profit for the 27 weeks to February 1st shrank to £2.0m from £6.4m a year earlier. Revenue for the interim period fell 2.8% to £161.7m. On a like-for-like basis, not including acquisitions, revenue increased by 2.9%.
CEO Patrick Martell commented: "The group is in a strong financial position and we remain confident that we will make further progress in the full year to reposition the group, extend our propositions and drive organic and acquisition growth in our Marketing Services businesses.
MoneyWeek
Subscribe to MoneyWeek today and get your first six magazine issues absolutely FREE
Sign up to Money Morning
Don't miss the latest investment and personal finances news, market analysis, plus money-saving tips with our free twice-daily newsletter
Don't miss the latest investment and personal finances news, market analysis, plus money-saving tips with our free twice-daily newsletter
Commenting on the trading environment, he added: "The UK economy is showing only tentative signs of improvement with confidence still fragile and consumers continuing to be under financial pressure. However...we remain confident that we will make further progress in the full year."
Underlining its confidence in future trading, the interim dividend has been raised by 14.3% to 2.0p per share.
CJ
Get the latest financial news, insights and expert analysis from our award-winning MoneyWeek team, to help you understand what really matters when it comes to your finances.
MoneyWeek is written by a team of experienced and award-winning journalists, plus expert columnists. As well as daily digital news and features, MoneyWeek also publishes a weekly magazine, covering investing and personal finance. From share tips, pensions, gold to practical investment tips - we provide a round-up to help you make money and keep it.
-
UK interest rates: will the MPC lower rates?The Bank of England’s Monetary Policy Committee’s (MPC) final interest rates meeting of the year takes place tomorrow (18 December) and most experts expect a cut
-
A quarter of a million more pensioners in poverty after state pension age rises – will it go higher?When the state pension age rose to 66, the percentage of 65-year-olds in income poverty more than doubled, new research suggests
