Clapham House Share Discussion Threads

[willydoctor] 19/6/2007 16:58

Positive broker note from Charles Stanley - 12 month estimate of 500. Should see some follow through tomorrow.

[gucci] 19/6/2007 10:38

quite a few what look like cross over trades today
nice

[iou1lov] 19/6/2007 09:19

you put that so eloquently maritsa

[maritsa] 19/6/2007 09:14

Lovely surprise to see this multinational food provider to overtake the big boys on performance. There is only one way to read the chart, going up where it was in May.

[iou1lov] 19/6/2007 09:09

looks like it just wants to go higher

[iou1lov] 19/6/2007 08:24

well done!! onwards and upwards!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[gucci] 19/6/2007 08:23

topped up
could't resist this beauty

[iou1lov] 19/6/2007 08:19

nice small spread

[iou1lov] 19/6/2007 08:13

thar she goes, the good ship clap

[gucci] 19/6/2007 08:13

nice start
chart heading back upwards
time to add ??????

[iou1lov] 19/6/2007 07:55

looking goodf at the open

[iou1lov] 19/6/2007 07:19

19p forecast for next year, pe 30 and gives target of 570p

very fast growth

[iou1lov] 19/6/2007 07:10

David Page, Executive Chairman, The Clapham House Group PLC, commented:
"I am delighted to report continued acceleration in both our opening programme and the growth in profits. The integration of Tootsies is complete and we are achieving positive results from our refurbishment programme and the introduction of new menus in this business. We are also seeing an excellent return from the conversions of Tootsies restaurants into GBKs. We have a very strong pipeline for organic expansion this year and have already opened 5

GBKs and 3 BBCs since 1 April 2007. I look forward to reporting on more strong progress in all areas this year."

Gourmet Burger Kitchen

GBK's financial performance continues to be very strong both from established restaurants and also from newly opened locations. Returns on capital invested continue to be excellent. The level of new opening activity amply demonstrates our confidence in this format which is led by a highly experienced and capable management team. There are currently 27 GBK restaurants in the UK and we see no reason why there cannot be a significant number of GBK restaurants across the UK. Indeed we have already identified and are actively searching out the locations where we would like to site the first 100 GBK restaurants. Accordingly we are looking to accelerate our growth plans for this business wherever possible.

[imprima2] 18/6/2007 10:37

L2 showing last MM at 374

[iou1lov] 18/6/2007 09:21

thanks but makes good reading

[liveinhope] 18/6/2007 09:16

This was posted earlier - post 158.

[iou1lov] 18/6/2007 08:58

Sunday times - long but worth a read

May 6, 2007

Fast food goes posh
Now giants such as McDonald's are jumping on the bandwagon, writes Matthew Goodman
THE restaurateur Paul Campbell took a seat a few weeks ago by the window of the newly opened branch of Gourmet Burger Kitchen (GBK) in the Festival Square shopping mall in Basingstoke.

The site, one of 24 branches of the chain owned by the company that Campbell heads, was the first to open directly opposite a Burger King outlet and the boss wanted to see how shoppers reacted.

He was pleasantly surprised. "I watched people as they wandered through the mall and were looking at both," he said. "A fair percentage came into GBK. The site is performing better than we expected."

GBK, part of Clapham House Group, which Campbell co-founded, is the market leader in a wave of upmarket burger bars that have sprung up, mainly in southeast England, in recent years.

Since opening in March 2001, it has been joined by Hamburger Union and Fine Burger Company, both of which were launched in 2003, and by Ultimate Burger and Natural Burger Co.

All of them serve better-quality food in a smarter environment than a traditional fast-food outlet. They are a far cry from the sort of restaurants featured in Fast Food Nation, the film version of Eric Schlosser's best-selling critique of the industry, which is released this weekend.

Collectively, these new eateries amount to about 50 outlets, insignificant next to the 1,800 or so operated by the sector's giants, McDonald's and Burger King, and have made barely a dent in the £11 billion UK market. But the upstarts are about to get a lot bigger – GBK hopes to get to 100 sites within three years – and the big boys are waking up to the fact that unless they respond, they could start to lose customers.

It is not just hamburger joints where staple fast-food fare is being reinvented. Basilico is a five-strong chain of gourmet pizza take-aways in London. Fish and chips has lent itself particularly well to being taken upmarket. Mini-chains such as Sea Cow are springing up while chefs such as Rick Stein and Tony Allan have launched fish-and-chip outlets, in Cornwall and Kingston, Surrey, respectively.

Business is booming, said Allan, now that customers have got their heads round the extra cost. "People don't mind paying £8 for a pizza that cost 30p to put in a box," he said. "Initially, it was a bit of a problem getting them to pay £7 for [fish and chips] that cost £3.50 to put in a box. But these days, people don't mind paying for a bit of quality."

Even the lowly kebab has been transformed, thanks to chains such as The Real Greek (another Clapham House brand) and the As Greek As It Gets diner in west London.

These upmarket versions of mainstream foods have been gaining in popularity over the past two or three years. Some cite the success of chains such as Pret a Manger and Pizza Express as paving the way. But the rise of the posh burger bar is the most notable.

In part it is a symptom of the so-called "flight to quality" prevalent in much of Britain's food culture. "It's been happening in supermarkets with the success of labels such as Taste the Difference at Sainsbury and Finest at Tesco, and with Marks & Spencer and Waitrose doing well," said Jeffrey Young at Allegra, a consultancy.

Consumers have become increasingly concerned about eating more healthily and are more interested in the provenance of the food. While they still want to enjoy the odd burger or fish and chips, they want to be confident the food is good quality. "People are undoubtedly more discerning about what they put into their bodies," said Robert Tame, founder of Fine Burger Company. "But it's not just about the product, it's also the environment you are presenting the burgers in."

There is also a move away from complicated cuisine, said Campbell. "Ten years ago, everyone was interested in Michelin stars. That's less of a thing these days. Chefs like Gordon Ramsay talk about doing great food simply." The traditional burger chains have certainly sensed the change. David Kisilevsky, marketing director for Burger King northwest Europe, said: "People are now looking for products that stand up to scrutiny on their authenticity, provenance and so on."

McDonald's, for example, has been striving to improve its image by using free-range eggs and organic milk. This week, it will move into upmarket burger territory with the launch, for a limited time, of its Deluxe Burger, which will come in a ciabatta bun with batavia lettuce and have a different taste from any of its other sandwiches.

Burger King launched a premium burger last November, the Aberdeen Angus Burger, and promises at least two variations this year, such as a blue-cheese version.

Steve Easterbrook, chief executive of McDonald's UK, plays down suggestions that the company is responding to the rise of the new wave of burger bars, arguing that the Deluxe is just the latest in a series of new products. He also rebuts the notion that the sector's traditional players feel threatened. He said: "[Like some of the new burger restaurants] we also have ambitious growth plans. Given our scale, if we meet our plans, we don't have any great degree of concern about whether others meet theirs.

"Our burgers contain 100% pure beef; you can't get any more beef in a burger than that. We believe we can offer premium quality but at affordable prices."

But some of the new upstarts think it is only a matter of time before the big chains take stakes in their firms or buy them out. Hugh Fowler, the founder of Hamburger Union who was responsible for opening the first Wendy's outlet in Britain in the early 1980s, said it was "inevitable" that McDonald's or Burger King would acquire one of the new chains. Others suggest that this may be wishful thinking.

To date, the new wave of fast-food outlets has been a London phenomenon, but that is beginning to change. Fine Burger Company, for example, has opened an outlet in Swin-don, which Tame says is going "very well". The chain has recently retained Shelley Sandzer, a property agent, to find sites around Britain. GBK also has outlets in Bristol and Brighton.

Some question whether people in many parts of Britain will be prepared to pay £8 for a burger, but Young believes upmarket fast-food will prove as sustainable as coffee shops, which were once written off as a fad. "This is going to be a permanent shift," he said.

[iou1lov] 18/6/2007 08:49

really motoring now

LONDON (Thomson Financial) - Shares in Clapham House Group (CPH) have been initiated with a 'buy' recommendation at Charles Stanley, with a price target of 500 pence on valuation grounds, dealers said.

Earlier today, Charles Stanley said it believes the restaurant group, who own the Bombay Bicycle Club and the Gourmet Burger Kitchen brands, is poised to accelerate its earnings growth through site openings. The broker feels, that whilst the market recognises CPHs quality management team, it feels that investors are failing to appreciate the mix of brands and their significance on future earnings potential.

The broker added, that the groups brand diversity reduces overdependence on one culinary type, and, combined with the strong forecast earnings projections, warrants a positive recommendation and price target.

[iou1lov] 18/6/2007 08:46

7k buy at 374p, 2p premium. nice!!

[iou1lov] 18/6/2007 08:33

2x1 now...

[iou1lov] 18/6/2007 08:22

L2 firming 2x2

[iou1lov] 18/6/2007 08:13

interest is returning, 500p from charles stanley do me fine!!

[iou1lov] 18/6/2007 08:06

LONDON (Thomson Financial) - Shares in Clapham House Group (CPH) have been initiated with a 'buy' recommendation at Charles Stanley, with a price target of 500 pence on valuation grounds, dealers said.