Member Info for hjhj

Suspension/negotiations taking rather a long time. Let us hope the outcome is beneficial?

The proposed re-opening of the ABC Whiteladies Road is an inspired move. When run by the original ABC company this was a key hall, and its weekly takes were quoted in the trade magazine. It suffered badly (like all the ABC's) from lack of investment by Cannon and Paretti's MGM. The more discerning audience, including today's students, does not want a local fleapit, and Everyman's ambience should do very well at this site. I am encouraged that Everyman has somebody on board who knows the good traditional sites.

Very interesting proposed acquisitions from Odeon/ABC. Barnet and Muswell Hill used to be solid dates on the old North London release, Gerrards Cross is an under-rated and neglected hall which would benefit from some studious tlc and careful booking, while Esher is a gem - a preserved art-deco cinema with 3 small screens incorporated and in a decent catchment area. Esher should do very well from Everyman's style. I suspect that these cinemas do not fit in with Odeon's view of the business, being "special situations" rather than bog-standard multiplexes. Some grounds for optimism here.

So pleased to read your post. This sort of management has been around for a good number of years. The Daily Telegraph canvassed opinion in New York many years ago regarding the US perception of British management. "Snobbish, lazy and incompetent" was the consensus. Mr Potts and Mr Higginson appear to be putting right the failures of Morrisons recent past.

Too many managers is a symptom of the business-school graduate type of management which Morrisons has increasingly endured since the departure of Sir Ken. The celebrity business-school graduate, like an actor who thinks he can play both giants and dwarfs, flits from company to company and tends to pack out management with clones and yes-men. Mr Potts, who like Mr Higginson seems to be a grocer rather than a city celebrity, is doing what has to be done. The city won't like it; hence the slight drop in SP.

Re. austerity, etc. I have been watching Lidl tactics in matching the matching pricing of Morrisons, Sainsburys, etc. Sardines (which were 59p now 37p, etc, etc). If this strategy continues there are three possible results. 1) Suppliers go bankrupt. 2) Suppliers refuse to supply. 3) Quality is compromised. Eventually a point is reached where it descends into farce. The winners may be the poker players who can stare down the opposition without blinking. MRW with their high ratio of freehold property now need to focus on their in-house supply chain to play the discounters at their own game. And, as a by-the-way, Lidl cabbages consistently horrible, although their other veg. usually o.k. I don't have a local MRW, so I have to use Sainsburys and Lidl, but I do use MRW when out and about (Edinburgh South Gyle, Guisborough, Camden Town, etc). Excellent Club Sandwich for £3 at Camden; £5+ in the nearby cafes/foodbars.

Apologies, mixed up CVR and PLND in reference to bottled ales, but very quiet comment applies here.

Very quiet, but perhaps that is a good sign, given that the more dodgy AIM shares tend to attract the most verbosity and vitriol. My local store carries a good range of bottled ales at the right price and seems to jog along with customers in and out all day.

Very good comment item in Tuesday's YP by Bernard Ginns who reckons Mr Potts is making the right noises.Among the plus items he lists are the scrapping of "Intelligent Queue Management" disliked by staff who are now to use their eyes, an end to the "lunatic misting" of fresh produce, and the dropping of Ant & Dec ("regionally accented nobodies"). "There is hope", concludes Bernard Ginns. As some literary chap once commented, "I'd throw my hat in the air if I had a hat".

It is the curse of an AIM listing. CVR suffering in similar fashion. Some may view it as a buying opportunity.

And down and down it goes. Drop over the past few months now around 35%, probably overdone and suffering from the curse of an AIM listing.

In the past couple of months price has dropped about 30% without comment and for no apparent reason. I hope there are no nasty surprises coming up with Interims.

Let us hope for some positive results/statements. I fear that CVR may be slightly squeezed on daytime footfall by Aldi and Lidl.

Does anyone have any thoughts on why this share has been steadily falling while others like MARS and YNGA have put on small steady rises? Can't find any news in searches.

There is a general resentment in the USA of incomers who make a success of a business, and the US establishment (especially the local politicians) will try to make life hard. They are very happy to see ventures like Tesco's Fresh 'n Easy bite the dust. I do worry that the New York operation of Stagecoach will be nobbled all along the line. I hope that they start their dirty tricks on some of the Chinese companies who have opened in the USA, when they will meet a very different response from that of British compliance.

Yes, they did buy an operator in the USA some years ago, and sold it when it failed to perform. Can't remember the exact details, but there was much negative comment at the time. The USA has always been diffiicult for British takeovers and start-ups; First Group seem to be o.k. at the moment. I believe the trick is to have Americans front an operation and let them have some leeway. I think Sir Brian will have done his homework this time.

I gather Stagecoach is buying that part of the operation based in Texas, with a view to extending this ultimately towards California. Let's hope all goes to plan. Generally the USA does not welcome interlopers and the Trojan Horse approach has to be heavily hidden behind American front managers. The one successful venture which comes to mind was EMI's purchase of Capitol Records way back; where the American managers gave top artists some artistic freedom. Flawed American ventures have included J. Arthur Rank and Tesco among many others. I hope Stagecoach may have learned something from their previous attempt.

Interesting piece in the Business section of today's Glasgow Herald www.heraldscotland.com

Is the share price fall the result of adverse comment about First Group or just part of a general downward drift? I can't see any major reason why this company should be out of favour. If a politically motivated tanker drivers' strike should occur more people will be forced to use buses and trains. I think supplies of diesel for the railways should be secure, probably moved by rail. Sir Brian has always shown great aptitude for pulling his company out of the doldrums.

Three cheers for Stagecoach. Given the role of Scottish Old Labour in the affairs of the odious state-owned Scottish Bus Group, Labour should know all about bad businesses. Small shareholders who have stuck with Stagecoach for some years have been well rewarded.