Member Info for TheMoss

The business model is good. People like to receive cards and people like to keep loved ones happy. The government are causing problems for this type of business by increasing minimum wages. If "Getting Personal" isn't working it should be closed. I can't say I like the name. I know what it's meant to mean but also sounds like an insult. I like the expansion in Ireland. What's wrong with the rest of Europe? There are so many stores in the UK you have to feel they are taking business from each other. It's a cash cow that could be a growth stock.

There still seems to be uncertainty over the Aberdeen project and some dilution over the rights issue. I'm sure things will work out in the end but there is still a little way to go.

What are the nature of these complaints? You would have thought skilled men carrying out maintenance would be fairly easy to organise.

I have no knowledge of a bid situation but I can see why it would be attractive. So you owe a retail business with outlets in Europe. If you buy it you pick up a valuable profitable business at a good price. However you get access to a massive range of designs and production facilities. You produce cards at low cost and market them through your existing outlets with a great profit margin. I can see why it would be attractive to the right buyer.

The price is very low and I know of no reason why it has fallen so much It should be a lot more stable than other companies in the sector. Most of the work is maintenance and repair and needs to be done to meet legal requirements. Might buy a few more.

Card is currently expanding into Ireland. There must be massive opportunities in Europe and the US. The marginal cost of producing cards is probably very low. The increase in living wage is hitting the bottom line hard. Volume is the key. There must still be massive opportunities out there.

The share price should fly once the Aberdeen project is completed on budget. Any new overrun would have the opposite effect. I suppose it depends on your risk profile. I think I'll just hold back and see what happens.

The release says there is still uncertainty over the final outcome of the Aberdeen contract. I'm sure Galliford is a good buy long term but there is still room for some minor nasty surprises.

Once the Aberdeen contract is complete without any future increase in cost the future will look healthier. Until then it is risky.

Sold Galliford to buy Bilby. Looking like a good shout.

We'll it's the council who have the problem. They are the ones with an unfinished road.. The price negotiated with Carillion might be good or bad but Galliford have said no fixed price contracts which rules them out.

It's a couple of contracts that have gone spectacularly wrong. Why they have gone so wrong we will probably never know because if you are in a joint venture it doesn't pay to **** your partner off or criticise the client. What compounds the problem is Carillion going under and as a partner being jointly and severably liable. The underlying business seems to grow profits and revenues and it does have a.plan in place to increase the size of the business substantially. It has also said no more fixed price contracts. I believe government bodies will regret taking a hard line on these contracts going forward. The only thing that is spoiling it for me is the dilution. They need to rethink and stop the dividend and I'm in.

It was only to be expected that with Carillion out of the equation there would be costs over and above their share of the overrun. You need to get people in to do the work that Carillion would have done and they have overheads and need to make a profit. making it more expensive. Galliford got it wrong with the initial contract but it's difficult to be too critical about Carillion's collapse. However �150m is a a sizeable fund raising compared to the company's value and it is going to be diluting. It would have been better to have cancelled dividends for a while. It would have hit the share price hard but long term it would have had a better outcome. Not cancelling the dividend is their biggest mistake. Long term this should be a good investment Valuable lessons will be learned. Sometimes it's expensive to honour your obligations and do the right thing. The big problem is knowing if this is the end of the bad news on this nightmare contract and when is the right time to buy.

The consultant and audit fees will be causing a problem before long. They should have questioned the revenue recognition years ago. Auditors have a lot to answer for.

All this costs are one off. There is a plan in place to boost profits substantially. Dividends could be reduced. This Aberdeen bypass is the project from hell. When all the rubbish is behind them and the profit plan is actioned the shares should be worth £20.. No more fixed price contracts will greatly improve the risk profile. Announcements re extra costs or a dividend cut could cause a downturn. The big question is when to buy Difficult call

I did have Galliford shares but sold them to buy Bilby when they announced their profit warning that proved not to be one. I am thinking of buying back into Galliford but here is my concern. They over run by 98m, which is in the price, so no problem. Carillion goes under, they are jointly and severable liable, so have to pick up half of Carillion's share. Annoying but these things happen. What is of concern is they would have drawn up a plan to complete the project as cheaply and efficiently as possible. This would have included the input of significant resources from Carillion. All these plans are out the window. It all needs replanning and resources need to be used to replace those not available from Carillion. Again not a long term problem but I can't see how they can avoid another hit. Again I would think it will be annoying rather than terminal but there could be another run on the share price in the short term. Anyone any thoughts please?

The price is down but try to buy and the spread has widened. Doesn't seem any reason for the fall.

Surely that depends on the nature of the contract. If it's not fixed price, has a low risk profile and looks profitable then why wouldn't you take it over? If there are lots of half finished projects and not too many companies who can complete them who's in the driving seat when it comes to negotiations?

Utilitywise spend most of their time cold calling potential customer and persuading them to change suppliers. They then sign them up not to the cheapest for the customer but the supplier who pays the highest fee to Utilitywise. Commercial energy contracts are alot different than domestics contracts. You need to arrange a new contract before the old one runs out or you go onto an "out of contract rate" and your bill will double. You could easily get a better rate by going direct to the supplier although getting a rate from Utilitywise is a useful negotiating tool. The only advantage of firms like Utilitywise is they should stop disorganised people going out of contract. The value of the customer database is overhyped.

Why would you take it private? You are talking Few desks and computers. As for the clients most have had a raw deal. You are better starting from scratch.