The Sunday Times - UK (2022-05-01)

(Antfer) #1

10 The Sunday Times May 1, 2022


BUSINESS


Customers are being a bit more
cautious, watching every penny... We

know just how much everyone is
feeling the impact of inflation

Sainsbury’s chief executive Simon
Roberts said customers are feeling the
pinch and spending less in the aisles

Yes

53%


No

47%


It’s the swanky Mayfair
restaurant co-owned by
former Premier League stars
Willian and David Luiz, with
celebrity patrons including
Rio Ferdinand and Cristiano
Ronaldo.
But Babbo, on Albemarle
Street, is unlikely to host any
football stars any time soon.
A sign has just popped up in
the window: the premises
had been taken back by its
landlord.
The Italian restaurant, it is
claimed, has racked up
hundreds of thousands of
pounds in rent arrears due to
Covid.
It appears that Babbo’s
owner, the football agent Kia
Joorabchian, fell out with the

wrong landlord — the
property is owned by
Howard Raymond, son of the
“King of Soho” Paul
Raymond, who called
Babbo’s actions “nonsense”.
In turn, Babbo said it had
“no choice” but to close
during most of 2020 and
2021, which had led to a
dispute with Raymond. Staff,
including its head chef,
continued to be paid in the
hope the restaurant could
reopen. “Babbo Restaurant
and its shareholders remain
committed to seeking a
resolution of this dispute
with its landlord as soon as
possible,” it said.
Both teams trying to avoid
a nil-nil draw.

HSBC boss shows


thoughtful side
Noel Quinn had a lot on his
plate last week as the HSBC
chief executive prepared for
the annual meeting. But
Quinn, 60, also found time
for a photo op for his
LinkedIn profile to promote a
72-hour online discussion
with staff. Quinn said he had
contributed his “fair share”
to the online conversation on
“everything from innovation
and what more we can do to
reduce bureaucracy”. Taken
from over his shoulder, the
photo showed him deep in
thought with his laptop
screen visible.
One former HSBC worker
commented below the post
that the pensive Quinn
looked like “a lonely and
forlorn character in this
shot”. Another wag gets in
touch to point out a key part
of HSBC’s compliance
training: never show your
laptop screen in public.

The woes of


Michelle Mone
Testing times for Baroness
(Michelle) Mone, whose
home was raided by police
from the National Crime
Agency last week. Officers

were looking for evidence
relating to a PPE company
connected to the former bra
tycoon, which secured
millions in taxpayer money
without a public tender.
It must be hard to keep on
top of paperwork with all
that going on. Prufrock notes
that WeShop Ltd, the retail
start-up where Mone, 50, sits
on the board — alongside
Nigel Mansell’s son Leo — is at
risk of being struck off the
public register, thanks to its
annual accounts being two
months overdue.
WeShop bills itself as part
shopping app and part
“social community”, and

urges shoppers to spend
through partner retailers and
earn shares in the company
in return. It came under new
ownership late last year and
Prufrock understands the
accounts for the old firm will
be filed “imminently”. A
wider launch is due later this
year — and not a moment too
soon. The Baroness could
probably do with a spot of
retail therapy after her recent
tribulations.

Rudd eyes a fresh


spin on Finsbury
PR supremo Roland Rudd is
hunting for a new name for
his company Finsbury. The
WPP-owned outfit, which
was founded in 1994 by
Rudd, the brother of former
cabinet minister Amber
Rudd, was called RLM
Finsbury and is now known
as Finsbury Glover Hering.
Following its merger with
US spinners Sard Verbinnen,
he’s after another name.
Some interesting suggestions
have crossed Prufrock’s desk.
One that is rumoured to have
been considered is Aqualine,
though Rudd denies this is on
the cards. That’s probably a
good thing as it sounds more
like a hot tub maker than a
City communications
company.

On the defence: football stars Willian and David Luiz

Tough week: Michelle Mone

Footballers’ favourite


eaterie gets red card


6 Former Inmarsat boss Rupert Pearce has swapped giant
satellites for battery storage at his new job as boss of start-up
Highview Power. But it could have been very different.
Prufrock hears the brainy businessman, 58, was tapped up for
the top job at Intelsat, the US satellite company launched by
President Kennedy in 1962 that went on to transmit TV images
of the Moon Landing in 1969 and the Live Aid concert in 1985.
Intelsat was an intergovernmental organisation until 2001
when it was privatised. But it ran into trouble during the
pandemic, and in May 2020, filed for bankruptcy protection
with more than $15 billion (£12 billion) of debt. Pearce was
scouted for the chief executive role when Steve Spengler
retired in October. Wonder why he didn’t take it?

Jamie Nimmo


JUST SAYING...


FUNNY BUSINESS


TWITTER POLL


Will you be seeking to cut
back on streaming
subscriptions such as
Amazon Prime as the cost
of living rises?
@ST_Business

140 Safestore Holdings 1260.0 -47.0 1418.0 842.5 1.6 7.3 2.7
57 Sage 737.4 +12.8 853.8 622.4 2.4 28.1 7.6
55 Schroders 2840.0 -172.03871.0 2817.0 4.3 12.8 7.8
39 Scottish Mortgage IT 914.0 +6.0 1543.5 834.6 0.4 2.3 12.9
30 Segro 1342.5-33.01436.5 989.4 1.5 4.0 16.5
196 Sequoia Economic I’structure 98.7 -2.3 114.6 96.0 6.3 11.1 1.8
192 Serco 152.1 +1.6 152.1 121.2 1.6 6.2 1.8
53 Severn Trent 3146.0 +98.0 3211.0 2419.0 3.2 N.A 8.0
164 Shaftesbury 598.5 -7.0 662.0 547.5 0.9 N.A 2.3
1 Shell 2173.0 -15.0 2228.0 1339.0 3.3 10.6 165.4
41 Smith & Nephew 1303.0 +11.5 1592.51179.0 2.4 27.4 11.5
78 Smiths 1477.5 +11.51635.0 1355.5 2.6 23.2 5.6
151 Smithson Investment Trust 1440.0-80.0 2025.0 1398.0 0.0 4.7 2.6
136 Softcat 1416.0 -77.0 2240.0 1397.0 1.5 28.0 2.9
125 Spectris 2950.0 +230.0 4083.0 2458.0 2.5 9.6 3.3
48 Spirax-Sarco Engineering 12150.0 -235.0 17135.0 10985.0 1.1 38.3 9.0
27 SSE 1868.5 +40.51868.5 1434.5 4.4 7.4 20.0
183 SSP 237.3 +1.9 336.0 214.3 0.0 N.A 1.9
61 St James’s Place 1298.0 -47.0 1731.5 1180.0 4.1 24.4 7.0
31 Standard Chartered 551.8 +36.4 580.8 410.0 1.8 11.4 16.5
109 Tate & Lyle 777.0 +9.0 815.8 629.4 4.0 88.6 3.6
94 Taylor Wimpey 126.9 -4.8 182.9 124.9 6.7 8.4 4.6
197 Templeton Emerging Mkts IT 147.2 +1.4 1040.0 140.6 2.6 1.4 1.7
26 Tesco 272.0 +6.4 303.4 219.9 4.0 13.9 20.9
144 Travis Perkins 1228.5 -82.0 1830.0 1219.0 3.0 12.3 2.7
92 Tritax Big Box Reit 243.8 -2.2 249.0 188.8 2.2 4.5 4.6
163 Ultra Electronics Holdings 3264.0 +74.0 3370.0 2004.0 0.5 34.4 2.3
5 Unilever 3719.0 +178.0 4360.0 3328.0 3.9 18.8 94.7
90 Unite 1135.0 -15.0 1237.0 990.2 1.1 13.6 4.7
52 United Utilities 1151.0 +23.0 1176.5 947.4 3.7 106.6 8.0
152 Virgin Money UK 174.9 +0.0 218.1 160.3 0.6 6.4 2.5
185 Vistry 836.5-59.01346.5 836.0 7.1 7.4 1.9
187 Vivo Energy 144.8 +2.2 145.2 96.4 3.1 16.6 1.9
16 Vodafone 121.5 -6.1 142.4 106.9 5.9 N.A 36.2
155 Watches of Switzerland 1021.0 -96.0 1518.0 662.0 0.0 33.2 2.5
105 Weir 1559.0 -69.5 1988.0 1429.0 1.5 26.2 4.1
178 WH Smith 1455.5-58.01902.5 1311.0 0.0 N.A 2.0
73 Whitbread 2817.0-34.0 3438.0 2436.0 1.2 N.A 5.9
103 Wise 395.0 -29.4 1150.0 389.1 N.A 183.6 4.2
118 Wizz Air Holdings 3175.0 +54.0 5398.0 2496.0 0.0 N.A 3.4
172 Worldwide Healthcare Trust 3200.0 -15.0 3910.0 2960.0 0.7 15.7 2.1
42 WPP 1005.0 -6.51224.0 909.8 3.1 18.9 11.0

156 IWG 244.0 -26.1 380.0 232.4 0.0 N.A 2.5
80 J Sainsbury 233.3 -7.4 340.0 228.7 1.4 14.8 5.4
62 JD Sports Fashion 133.4 -11.4 1170.0 130.0 0.2 161.1 6.9
146 Jet2 1240.5 -39.5 1564.5 938.6 0.0 N.A 2.7
112 Johnson Matthey 2225.0 +323.5 3278.0 1721.0 3.8 23.6 3.5
193 Keywords Studios 2404.0-98.0 3302.0 1952.0 0.1 65.6 1.8
83 Kingfisher 253.3 -2.7 376.4 248.8 4.9 6.3 5.1
79 Land Securities 752.6 -4.0 813.2 653.2 3.3 N.A 5.6
36 Legal & General 252.1 -5.8 307.8 238.9 7.4 7.7 15.0
17 Lloyds Banking 45.9 -0.2 55.1 41.3 4.3 6.2 32.6
15 London Stock Exchange 7916.0 -100.0 8504.0 6370.0 1.2 81.3 44.3
147 Londonmetric Property 269.6 -4.4 285.2 223.0 2.6 5.8 2.7
77 M&G 214.2 -0.2 248.6 178.3 8.5 71.0 5.6
126 Man 235.0 -3.2 243.6 161.2 4.8 8.6 3.2
139 Marks and Spencer 137.8 -14.2 256.9 131.6 0.0 109.7 2.7
138 Mediclinic International 371.4 -5.4 386.6 275.8 0.0 23.6 2.8
67 Meggitt 775.0 +2.6 839.2 397.0 0.0 193.3 6.1
82 Melrose Industries 118.1 -5.5 190.8 109.4 1.5 N.A 5.1
59 Mondi 1510.0 +1.5 2068.0 1309.0 3.7 11.1 7.1
160 Monks Investment Trust 1051.0 +7.0 1472.0980.0 0.2 3.1 2.4
13 National Grid 1194.0 +21.51226.0 884.6 4.0 30.9 45.0
195 Nationwide Building Society 166.5 -6.0 191.0 164.0 0.0 N.A 1.8
23 NatWest 218.0 -4.7 253.5 189.3 4.7 9.6 23.7
54 Next 6026.0 -214.0 8426.0 5770.0 2.1 11.4 7.9
158 Ninety One 265.8 +4.4 277.4 219.2 5.2 13.0 2.4
63 Ocado 924.0 -118.0 2185.0 911.0 0.0 N.A 6.9
153 OSB 561.5 -10.5 599.0 418.8 4.6 7.5 2.5
148 Oxford Nanopore 306.5 -42.5 716.0 306.5 0.0 N.A 2.7
198 Pantheon International 316.0 +11.5 3115.0 277.0 0.0 2.9 1.7
74 Pearson 785.8 +3.0 869.4 571.8 2.736.9 5.8
133 Pennon 1112.0 +46.0 1321.0 992.0 3.1 90.4 3.0
64 Persimmon 2100.0 -115.0 3238.0 2076.0 11.2 8.5 6.7
189 Personal Assets Trust 50300.0+650.050900.046400.0 1.1 8.9 1.8
134 Petershill Partners 255.0-30.0 352.0 194.8 N.A N.A 2.9
68 Phoenix Holdings 609.0 -9.8 752.0 581.8 8.1 N.A 6.1
141 Polar Capital Tech Trust 2040.0 +20.0 2750.0 1976.0 0.0 3.5 2.7
181 Primary Health Properties 144.7 -3.1 169.6 131.1 3.4 14.9 2.0
19 Prudential 1010.0-34.0 1585.5 981.0 1.4 14.9 27.8
179 QinetiQ 342.0 -1.4 356.0 243.0 2.1 26.4 2.0
167 Quilter 131.8 -3.8 168.9 114.6 4.3 96.4 2.2
14 Reckitt Benckiser 6240.0 +102.0 6624.0 5391.0 2.8 N.A 44.7
190 Redrow 528.0 -17.0 718.8 517.0 5.5 6.5 1.8
11 Relx 2393.0 -2.0 2449.01813.0 2.1 32.0 47.1
119 Renewables Infrastructure 135.0 +0.8 139.4 123.2 5.0 13.9 3.4
129 Renishaw 4254.0 +242.0 6265.0 3704.0 1.6 23.6 3.0
45 Rentokil Initial 550.0 +15.6 636.2 444.5 1.2 38.8 10.3
81 Rightmove 618.4 -2.6 800.4 569.2 1.3 28.9 5.2
4 Rio Tinto 5706.0 +42.0 6658.0 4375.5 11.3 5.4 95.0
107 RIT Capital Partners 2530.0 +5.0 2765.0 2330.0 1.4 4.5 3.9
60 Rolls-Royce Holdings 83.3 -8.3 147.5 82.4 0.0 56.8 7.0
149 Rotork 292.8 -15.6 373.4 285.2 2.1 32.8 2.6
122 Royal Mail 344.6 -9.0 606.4 324.3 4.8 4.0 3.3
199 RWS Holdings 440.0 -5.0 687.0 342.0 2.5 39.0 1.6

170 Dr Martens 213.0 -23.8 503.5 206.2 0.6 38.5 2.1
123 Drax 808.0 +26.5 831.5 393.8 2.3 62.7 3.3
97 DS Smith 330.9 +4.2 462.3 295.7 4.0 18.5 4.5
180 Dunelm 981.0 -39.0 1551.0 956.0 2.4 13.0 2.0
102 EasyJet 561.0 -7.4 1095.0 439.5 0.0 N.A 4.3
86 Electrocomponents 1055.0 +6.0 1255.0 868.0 1.6 26.5 4.9
171 Energean 1184.0 +5.0 1276.0620.0 0.0 N.A 2.1
49 Entain 1518.5 +21.52377.0 1392.5 0.0 33.4 8.8
20 Experian 2792.0+41.0 3667.0 2580.0 1.4 33.6 26.1
100 F&C Investment Trust 839.0 +5.0 946.0 779.0 1.5 4.8 4.4
25 Ferguson 10140.0-400.0 13305.0 9090.0 2.0 14.0 22.0
169 Fevertree Drinks 1815.0 +48.0 2812.0 1513.0 0.9 47.8 2.1
186 Finsbury Growth & Income 834.0 +9.0 930.0 756.0 2.1 9.5 1.9
37 Flutter Entertainment 8130.0 -136.0 15890.0 7922.0 0.0 N.A 14.2
121 Frasers 679.0 -11.0 813.5 512.0 0.0 N.A 3.3
75 Fresnillo 775.4 +5.4 986.8 622.4 3.5 16.7 5.7
145 Future 2218.0 -158.0 3910.0 2180.0 0.1 36.7 2.7
157 Games Workshop 7410.0 -75.0 12220.0 6365.0 2.8 20.1 2.4
6 GlaxoSmithKline 1797.0 +55.0 1810.4 1329.6 4.1 17.9 92.7
10 Glencore 497.3 +21.1 535.6 295.2 4.3 16.3 64.1
161 Grafton 979.8 -37.8 1412.0 953.0 3.1 11.4 2.4
166 Grainger 296.6 +2.6 335.0 269.8 1.7 18.8 2.3
194 Great Portland Estates 684.5 -15.5 803.5 629.0 1.5 116.1 1.8
108 Greencoat UK Wind 159.9 +6.1 159.9 126.6 4.5 8.7 3.7
159 Greggs 2350.0 +2.03416.0 2206.0 2.4 20.4 2.4
47 Halma 2475.0-26.03216.0 2217.0 0.7 35.5 9.4
91 Harbour Energy 504.2 -2.8 530.0 20.0 1.8 51.5 4.7
173 HarbourVest Global PE 2555.0 +0.0 2940.0 2015.0 0.0 2.0 2.1
98 Hargreaves Lansdown 917.2 -49.6 1772.0 917.2 4.1 16.7 4.5
174 Hays 123.2 -1.9 176.7 112.9 1.8 17.5 2.0
177 HgCapital Trust 426.0 -23.0 454.0 320.0 1.6 3.1 2.0
116 HICL Infrastructure 177.0 +2.6 183.0 161.0 4.7 18.0 3.4
93 Hikma Pharmaceuticals 1883.5 -128.5 2690.0 1825.0 2.2 14.0 4.6
200 Hilton Food 1218.0+12.0 1250.0 1004.0 2.4 27.5 1.1
124 Hiscox 946.6 +32.0 990.2 770.0 3.0 21.4 3.3
120 HomeServe 983.0 +2.5 1094.0 608.5 2.7 88.9 3.4
95 Howden Joinery 761.4 -13.6 975.6 730.8 2.5 14.6 4.6
3 HSBC Holdings 501.3-22.0 567.2 359.8 4.2 10.9 100.2
168 Hutchmed (China) 245.5 -14.8 624.0 232.0 0.0 N.A 2.1
111 IG Holdings 815.5 -2.5 945.0 717.0 5.3 8.4 3.5
110 IMI 1355.0 +36.0 1838.0 1273.0 1.8 18.4 3.5
34 Imperial Brands 1666.0 -23.5 1818.5 1470.0 8.5 5.5 15.7
143 Inchcape 714.5 +46.0 933.0 647.0 3.2 24.0 2.7
162 Indivior 313.2 -6.4 336.8 142.9 0.0 15.6 2.4
50 Informa 574.6 -10.0 624.0 464.4 0.0113.9 8.6
46 InterContinental Hotels 5172.0 +36.0 5338.0 4399.0 1.4 44.8 9.6
99 Intermediate Capital 1547.5 -84.5 2379.0 1385.0 3.8 8.8 4.5
58 International Group 144.0 -5.4 213.2 116.2 0.0 N.A 7.2
130 International Public P’ships 167.0 +6.2 174.8 156.0 4.6 50.2 3.0
51 Intertek 5008.0 -122.0 6190.0 4735.0 2.1 28.4 8.2
87 Investec 473.1 -8.3 536.8 270.5 3.9 11.8 4.8
182 ITM Power 331.4 +4.1 526.5 228.0 0.0 N.A 1.9
131 ITV 74.3 -1.2 132.5 72.6 4.5 7.9 3.0

38 3i Group 1325.0-29.01503.5 1138.5 3.1 4.6 12.9
127 3i Infrastructure 351.5 -6.5 366.5 293.5 2.9 8.4 3.1
137 Abcam 1250.0 -70.01750.0 1171.0 0.0 720.7 2.8
104 Abrdn 189.3 -4.0 299.0 179.0 7.8 4.1 4.1
56 Admiral 2524.0 -5.0 3688.0 2439.0 5.2 12.9 7.6
76 Airtel Africa 146.6 +0.7 160.0 74.2 2.4 12.2 5.6
135 Alliance Trust 973.0 +8.0 1078.0 901.0 2.0 5.7 2.9
12 Anglo American 3586.0 +125.54170.5 2470.5 6.7 6.3 46.5
35 Antofagasta 1551.0 +56.51925.0 1227.0 7.9 14.7 15.2
28 Ashtead 4179.0 -460.0 6450.0 4168.0 1.2 19.7 18.6
40 Associated British Foods 1606.5 -27.0 2369.0 1548.5 1.7 16.1 12.9
176 Assura 65.9 -0.9 79.8 59.6 3.9 13.3 2.0
2 AstraZeneca 10688.0+408.0 10930.0 7398.0 2.2 482.6 164.9
69 Auto Trader 634.8 +1.0 741.8 543.6 1.2 31.2 6.0
72 Avast 564.0 +7.2 645.4 434.5 2.2 21.3 5.9
66 Aveva 2175.0 -344.0 4220.0 1924.0 1.8 N.A 6.2
33 Aviva 433.3 -4.5 458.2 370.9 5.1 68.2 16.0
85 B&M European Value Retail 490.2-26.4 644.0 489.8 3.7 11.4 4.9
24 BAE Systems 740.0 -5.0 771.6 497.9 3.4 13.4 23.2
21 Barclays 148.2 +1.5 217.1 140.6 4.1 4.0 24.7
84 Barratt Developments 494.5 -23.9 781.2 490.6 6.7 7.7 5.1
150 Beazley 431.6+25.6 504.0 294.4 3.3 10.6 2.6
128 Bellway 2438.0 -92.0 3689.0 2432.0 5.2 7.4 3.0
96 Berkeley Holdings 4080.0 -10.0 4943.0 3670.0 0.0 9.7 4.5
142 Big Yellow 1430.0-78.0 1724.0 1194.0 2.0 5.6 2.7
9 BP 391.6 -1.6 417.2 278.5 4.4 13.0 76.3
154 Bridgepoint 306.2 -18.8 569.0 266.5 1.2 18.7 2.5
8 British American Tobacco 3352.0 +12.5 3439.0 2512.5 6.5 11.5 76.4
89 British Land Company 517.8 +1.2 556.4 463.1 2.769.6 4.8
165 Britvic 857.0+10.5 1006.0 741.0 2.8 22.2 2.3
29 BT 177.4 -9.1 205.6 135.2 1.3 17.4 17.9
44 Bunzl 3103.0+21.0 3163.0 2251.0 1.8 23.4 10.5
65 Burberry 1591.0 -43.5 2264.0 1525.5 3.4 13.5 6.3
175 Caledonia Investments 3710.0 -5.0 4100.0 2970.0 1.7 3.3 2.0
32 Carnival 1286.5-62.01865.4 1092.2 0.0 N.A 16.1
88 Centrica 79.5 +0.3 84.5 45.5 0.0 8.0 4.8
184 City of London IT 416.0 -1.0 425.0 377.0 4.6 6.3 1.9
70 Coca Cola HBC 1637.5+13.0 2784.0 1460.5 3.7 13.0 6.0
18 Compass 1702.0 -0.5 1820.5 1407.5 0.885.0 30.6
117 Computacenter 2678.0 -198.0 3030.0 2404.0 2.4 17.0 3.4
101 ConvaTec 212.0 -9.2 262.6 166.9 2.3 45.2 4.3
191 Cranswick 3178.0 -344.0 4148.0 3178.0 2.1 18.2 1.8
22 CRH 3217.5 -2.0 4002.0 2910.5 3.1 12.2 24.5
43 Croda International 7804.0 +154.0 10410.0 6490.0 1.3 33.9 10.9
132 Darktrace 434.3 +9.9 985.0 315.0 0.0 N.A 3.0
71 DCC 6078.0 +92.0 6486.0 5500.0 2.7 19.9 6.0
106 Dechra Pharmaceuticals 3638.0 -82.0 5405.0 3506.0 1.2 53.4 3.9
188 Deliveroo 110.9 +0.3 395.0 101.1 0.0 N.A 1.8
113 Derwent London 3016.0 -132.0 3802.0 2883.0 2.1 13.6 3.4
7 Diageo 4018.5 +121.54103.5 3190.0 1.9 30.7 92.5
114 Diploma 2758.0-98.0 3460.0 2420.0 1.6 48.6 3.4
115 Direct Line Insurance 253.7 -5.5 316.4 250.9 8.8 10.7 3.4

TOP 200 COMPANIES


Market cap ranking
V
PriceChange
on week


52-week
high lowYield P/E

Mkt Cap
(£bn)

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PriceChange
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52-week
high lowYield P/E

Mkt Cap
(£bn)

Market cap ranking
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PriceChange
on week

52-week
high lowYield P/E

Mkt Cap
(£bn)

Market cap ranking
V
PriceChange
on week

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high lowYield P/E

Mkt Cap
(£bn)

Price/earnings ratios are based on historic data, with yield and p/e values
calculated from most recent reported dividends and earnings per share, using
trailing 12-month figures. P/E is not calculated when last twelve months EPS is
less than or equal to zero. 52-week highs and lows are end of day. Excludes
exchange-traded funds. nc = no change. N.A. = not applicable. Source: Refinitiv

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7,724.80
V43.40 H:7,926.8
V0.56% L:7,114.5

S&P TSX
20,762.00
V424.38H:22,087.2
V2.00% L:19,107.8

The share price graph of
Marks Electrical Group is
like the performance of my
ageing oven. Both have been
on a largely downward drift
since November, when Marks
listed at £1.10 and my oven
failed to roast a chicken.
The stock is now at 91p,
while my oven is also
languishing — in a dump
somewhere. I had to invest in
a new Neff, which was when I
came across Marks Electrical
and its free, next-day
delivery. That offering has
impressed the City: FinnCap’s
Nigel Parson, for instance,
calls Marks “an outstanding
investment proposition”.
For now, the Aim-listed
firm is a tiddler in Britain’s
£5.3 billion major appliances
market, with a 1.2 per cent
share. To tip it is a risk, but
boss Mark Smithson has been
at the helm since he started
selling second-hand cookers

FTSE 100

Source: Thomson Reuters Eikon

8,000

7, 5 0 0

7,000

6,500
2021 2022

THE WEEK IN THE MARKETS


out of his dad’s garage in 1987.
He has also retained a 71 per
cent stake, and that is some
incentive to excel.
While Marks’s near-
£100 million market cap is a
quarter of AO’s and a tenth of
Currys’, its USP is that its
technology and warehousing
are ready for dramatic
expansion without needing
further investment.
Unlike its better-known
rivals, it focuses on pricey
white goods instead of cheap
electricals, meaning the firm
is selling higher-margin, more
valuable stock for largely the
same outlay on petrol,
warehouse and labour costs.
Marks’s balance sheet,
meanwhile, is cushioned by
almost £4 million net cash,
and it enjoyed a 44 per cent
surge in sales to £80.5 million
for the year to March 31, 2022.
At first blush, even with the

share slide since the float,
Marks shares may seem
expensive relative to peers:
they are changing hands at
about 20 times this year’s
expected earnings, while the
ratio at Currys is about nine
times and loss-making AO has
a negative ratio.
However, Marks has far
better prospects. AO is
struggling in Europe and has
a weak balance sheet, while
Currys is vulnerable to losing
sales amid high inflation.
Marks’s appeal to wealthier
buyers should help it ride out
the cost-of-living crunch. It
also has a simpler operating
model than rivals, with a
single, 215,000 sq ft
warehouse just off the M1 in
Leicester, from where its
growing fleet of lorries make
fast, free deliveries across the
country. That will woo the
next generation of shoppers
used to getting their groceries
biked round in ten minutes.
Parson, who has a 150p target
price, said: “Marks has no
satellite depots, no overnight
trunking and no HGV drivers
to add unnecessary cost and
complexity.”
Word is getting out that
Marks is pretty hot at
delivering ovens; the shares
should rise accordingly. Buy.

Stick your


head in the


oven and


buy Marks


Marks Electrical Group

130p

110

90

Source: Thomson Reuters Eikon

2021 2022

variation 12 months
high low
UK 1.91 V0.06 2.01 0.51

US 2.90 V0.01 2.94 1.17

JAPAN 0.22 V0.03 0.25 0.00

GERMANY 0.94 V0.03 0.96 -0.50

10-YEAR BOND YIELDS %


DOLLAR
USD > GBP

$1.26
V0.02
12-month high: $1.42
low: $1.22

EURO
EUR > GBP

€1.19
0 0.00
12-month high: €1.21
low: €1.13
YEN
YEN > USD

¥129.51
U0.95
12-month high: ¥130.85
low: ¥107.24
OIL
DOLLARS/BARREL

$109.59
U2.94
12-month high: $127.98
low: $65.11
GOLD
DOLLARS/TROY OZ

$1,909.81
V19.92
12-month high: $2,052.41
low: $1,726.11

BITCOIN
DOLLARS

$38,620.62
V967.97
12-month high: $67,707.33
low: $28,957.79
Price at 7pm Friday

FTSE 100


7,544.55


U22.87 H: 7,672.4
U0.30% L: 6,844.4

FTSE 250


20,708.71


V173.09 H: 24,250.8
V0.83% L: 19,169.8

RISERS
Johnson Matthey: £22.25, U 17% on
stake sale Wood Group: 223.4p, U
16.2% on investment increase Telecoms
Plus: £16.62, U 10.5% on demand boost
Chemring: 351.5p, U 10% on sentitment
Source: AJ Bell/Sharepad

FALLERS
Trustpilot: 104.3p, V 14.8% on reduced
revenue Aveva: £21.75, V 13.7% on
profit warning Ocado: 924p, V 11.3% on
reduced customer demand Baltic
Classifieds: 132p, V 11.3% on fresh
volatility

LUCY TOBIN THE ECONOMY


Consumer prices index current rate prev. month
7% 6.2%
CPI including housing current rate prev. month
6.2% 5.5%
Retail prices index current rate prev. month
9% 8.2%
Average weekly earnings on prev. monthon last year
£598 U 0.3%U5.4%
Unemployment current rate prev. month
1.3m 3.8% 3.9%
Manufacturing output on the year on last month
U3.6% V 0.4%
Retail sales on the year on last month
U 0.9%V 1.4%
UK trade
balance (£bn)

latest 3 mths prev. 3 mths latest 12 mths
-26.16 -8.47 -45.94
Gross domestic
product

latest quarter prev. quarterannual change
U1.3% U0.9% U6.6%
Budget deficit
(PSNB) in £bn

last month prev. month year to date
V 18.1 U 10.6 V151.8
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