Boot (henry) Share Discussion Threads

[the knowing] 26/3/2004 12:39

Presents a nice buying opportunity.

[bangsi] 26/3/2004 12:25

I also think it's overdone...but watching the movement it's still one step forwards two steps back...

[bangsi] 26/3/2004 12:12

Anyone care to call a bottom on this one ?

[jules123] 26/3/2004 11:42

Have tried to 'catch falling knife' too often but this looks waaaay oversold?

[maplinrover] 26/3/2004 11:18

Better ask hopi!

[alphorn] 26/3/2004 10:58

Not for me. Fell too quickly to catch more shorts.

[thecoxwellinn] 26/3/2004 10:44

Buying opportunity on today's fall ??

[alphorn] 24/3/2004 16:00

Very quiet on here - results Friday? May then open some more shorts - Boots is badly placed IMO in the market place; lost its way.

[johnmolnar] 14/2/2004 09:18

Anyone else heard the rumour - Boots to pull out of dentistry?

[johnmolnar] 10/2/2004 07:33

Dentists have been saying it all along - corporate dentistry just cant compete with existing dentistry. Current dentistry is too streamlined and efficient.

[kjb] 06/2/2004 11:26

Merrill Lynch upgraded target price to 810p.

[banter] 19/1/2004 19:20

hopi

sorry to be thick but where can you find out what shares are being shorted

thanks

[porkpharm] 19/1/2004 12:46

I have no positions in BOOTs at the moment.
I used to work for BOOTs and am surprised that they have managed to defend their market share for so long. Baker is making costs savings, but this is not going to keep the share price going up, that will need increased sales growth.

Can Baker deliver increased sales growth? I think this is more than just about price, it is also about the way people shop. Boots has many small stores, some as small as 100m2, and for these stores they have high costs, for each you need a pharmacist( high wages) and then staff to serve at the counter, so a large % of the sales are going to be eaten up by costs. Also people now prefer one stop shopping, even the large Boots stores cannot provide this, whereas Tescos, Safeway can. I now buy all my toiletries from Sainsburys, only going to BooTs if I happen to be in the area.
Boots's prescription business will keep a few old customers returning and buying their soaps and shampoo, but they are dying out.
I think Bakers agressive price war, may reduce the chance of sales dropping off so quickly, but I don't see any long term sales growth,which is what the share price needs.
Short term, I think the price is going to depend on the FTSE/DOW and other retailers. Recent peaks of around 7.20ish I think are the top, and I am tempted to open a short unless it advances from here soon.
Has anyone got any more views from a technical viewpoint?

[jokerman] 18/1/2004 21:58

Hopi/Majic

Interesting comments - thanks

I'm edging in favour of Majic and having been 'singed' (its not only you JonC) , and then stopped out, with my recent short I'm looking to repeat it very soon.

[majic] 17/1/2004 19:57

Fairplay Hopi, I think the general view of Boots is similar to that of Marks and Spencers. They have some traditional air about them, some sort of British stamp. They are more pricy, but have stores in the middle of town rather than out of town, and many that use them are not price - oriented, but like the quality and service. If wallmart tactics are used, I can't see them coming out on top as they will need to cuts costs to compete on price and there goes the profit from those who didn't mind paying more, there goes the quality to produce goods cheaper and there goes the service as less floor staff are needed.
I like Boots, and it has its place, but I have some worries if a price war starts. Maybe thats what tescos wanted, they know they will win if the battle is labelled "price war" rather than "helpful-personal service war". Fund managers may not base their decisions on breakfast TV but lots of amatures do, Breakfast TV tipped Boots and Leeds United!!

[majic] 17/1/2004 18:23

Time to short on these. Too costly to keep this price and its only there because breakfast TV said they had done well in their results. Very tough times are coming. Thanks to Hopi every feme now has 6 months worth of makeup from xmas and wont need to shop at boots till mid summer. Down we go, unless we can stir a flu epidemic!!