Price24 Aug 2018 18:50
You are quite correct and reflect the situation spot on.
This was a well controlled growing business when the father was in charge, but like many family controlled businesses it passed control to the brothers who have spent the cash pile in the company they inherited, bought for an unsupportable price a competitor (the owners must have laughed all the way to the bank!) created a millstone with the pension scheme and lost sales and margins.
The only chance of getting the shares back to £3/4 is to get proper professional management into the business. Will this happen? I doubt it. The family in the company will continue to get their nice salaries, probably have enhanced pensions in place, and a nice level of expenses, so what is their incentive.
Yes, it’s a public company with legal commitments to minority shareholders, and I for one would call for an investigation by the authorities if it were to fail whilst the Directors, and former Directors, continue their mismanagement and take their remuneration etc in spite of the dire results.
Good luck to all who are still sailing with her - such a pity a great business is disappearing!