Ashley (laura) Share Discussion Threads

[clocktower] 31/3/2011 16:16

LOL - Good luck Try YELL - very positive. :-)

[philmac56] 31/3/2011 16:09

clocktower.

well done......once again!!!

Your on here with very little positive contribution from you.........like i said before............your ....anti.......negative................negative.............anti REFLEC & Laura Ashley.

Any more that i need to look out for!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Join the BB for TCG you and MARKT should do well together!!!

[cockneyrebel] 31/3/2011 16:07

you're just ADVFN's biggest deramping tw*t masturbational trader (aka trendfloor and all your other handles) but if you're slagging it it's bound to bounce.

I think you need to have a look through the last two sets of results clocktower - it's home furnishing and the internet that's doing it.

What are people moaning about anyway? The chuffingwell smashed forecast, hiked the divi, have £38m cash and because recent rading is a tad lower (after coming in nearly 50% better than broker forecasts of 2 months ago everyone is slitting their wrists.

Japan in mentdown, Lybi aat war with us - any wonder there's abit of caution in the market?

If everyone reads the whole of the results that are fantastic and just pays attention to one timy bit about the retail side (not internet either) then lille wonder they all buy high and sell low.

I've added today several times - I'll get 10%+ back in divo over 15 months on my money, tax-free. The co has a great long term brand, 20% of the mkt cap in cash and all the trader chmps will be rushing back in when it rallies - and buying back way higher on the next bullish update.

in my very humble opinion.

CR

[clocktower] 31/3/2011 15:56

They very recently opened a small frock/and small items shop in St Helier - Jersey - if this represents the way forward for them, you will have to expect losses going forward. I am told it is poorly and over staffed with assistants that only busy doing their nails. Poor location, poor design layout.

If this is an example of LA going forward it is a share to be avoided imo. They were on the right track and seem to have lost it.

[mechanical trader] 31/3/2011 15:09

Yes good point made above when it does go ex divi strap yourself in for the fall.

[mechanical trader] 31/3/2011 15:07

Most people are expecting 2 rate rises this year or more...

how many businesses, but more importantly consumers are just about above water at the moment because of the low interest payments...a doubling of this to 1% or 1.25% will kill off trade on the high street.

It isnt a case of if, its a case of when.

Throw in the number of people unemployed and hit by benefit cuts and its going to take the retail trade a very long time to recover.

No retailer is sheltered from this either this is a world wide phenomenen caused by the banking crisis and credit crunch.

If you remember the thatcher years, youl remember how all the shops were shut and boarded up and the big stores tried to use as many part timers and students to cut costs.

[cockneyrebel] 31/3/2011 14:47

who can say Freddy - but if you buy today and get that final 1p you're buying @ 21.5p an getting 1.5p next year at least - that's 7%.

And if ALY ticks down 1p when it goes xd it just looks more attractive to mister market.

The market is manically depressed by the BBC's relentless comunistic doom when reality is more like this:



"Sales boost fails to lift high street HIGH street sales picked up this month, according to the CBI.............

CR

[dhracer] 31/3/2011 13:34

I'm out, no use fighting this the dividend alone should have supported the price imo. That'll teach me not to stick with oilers!

[mechanical trader] 31/3/2011 13:29

Does anyone have any data or charts going back to when Maggie Thatcher first started in power. I remember due to her cuts, retail went through an horrendous period. I think it took a good 5 years for most companys to recover.

Call me Dave as a daft similar agenda.

History repeats itself.

[spaceparallax] 31/3/2011 13:09

sentiment will play A part, but that will depend on whether investors look at the big picture. Also, just because one or two blue chip players are not succeeding doesn't necessarily dictate a blanket pattern. One must learn to discriminate and consider inherent value in each company.

[mechanical trader] 31/3/2011 13:06

ohhhhhhhh itl wether the storm Space P no doubts on that, its just where the Sp will drift going into the summer months and i see it to at least 18p support and maybe a lot lower.

Investors are forgetting that sentiment will play a massive part with retail stocks this coming 18 months.

I see poor result after poor result in the sector gradually taking it down as the year goes by.

[cjohn] 31/3/2011 12:55

Yes it's a well-run company, with a very decent return on capital.

[spaceparallax] 31/3/2011 12:42

Chastised John, a fair response ta. As you say, the results are very good - it's simply the initial outlook for this FY(which certainly shouldn't be ignored) which is a small step backwards.

I'm here for the long term and will definitely look to grab a few more if the share price dips below 20p because I feel that the Value remains and that the Company will weather the shower.

[dick grasso] 31/3/2011 12:39

Some great points being made from both sides here this morning, it's what a good BB should be all about! For my part I remain net long a very small amount but I quite agree with some of the points mechanical trader is making regarding the retail sector.

[mechanical trader] 31/3/2011 12:38

Trading deteriorates at Laura Ashley
Thu 31 Mar 2011

ALY - Ashley (Laura) Holding

Latest Prices
Name Price %
Ashley (Laura) Holding 21.25p -15.84%

FTSE All-Share 3,086 -0.11%
FTSE Small Cap 3,247 -0.40%
General Retailers 1,564 -2.08%

LONDON (SHARECAST) - Fashion and home furnishings group Laura Ashley said full year pre-tax profit more than doubled on improved demand from its stores and franchise business but warned that trading since February has deteriorated as UK consumer spending weakens.

"There has been a decline in performance since the beginning of February, which we attribute to a general weakening in the consumer economy," the group said in a company statement.

Profit before taxation increased to £24.1m for the 52 weeks to 29 January 2011 from £11m the same time a year earlier. Revenue increased to £285m during the period from £268.4m previously.

For the 8 weeks to 26 March 2011, like-for-like UK retail sales fell by 4.2%.

"We believe that our strong product offer and brand, robust balance sheet and continued operational efficiencies give us a sound base to face the tough outlook ahead," the retailer said.

A final dividend of 1p has been declared, making a total dividend of 1.5p for the year, up 50% from the previous year.

CJ

[mechanical trader] 31/3/2011 12:32

Space P if the companys already been affected by a fall off in consumer spending hows it going to fair when the real cuts start to bite going into late spring and summer, ie, when all government and council staff plus related industries have laid off staff.

The management (who i like) can put a brave face on but deep down i think people know that just not this company but retail as a whole is going to be hit very hard over the coming 18 months.

It makes it doubly worse here when you take into account most of it is discretionary buying by the public.

[madmix] 31/3/2011 12:32

Worth noting that non-retail (Licensing, Franchising and Manufacturing) is more profitable than the retail side. They generated £12.3m in this segment this year (up from £6.3m last year).

Total retail profit was £11.8m this year (up from £4.7m).

FWIW, I've just bought more.

[envirovision] 31/3/2011 12:28

CR 4.2% don't sound to bad does it, however when you take into account rising costs of goods, input costs and operational costs then it soon becomes bad.

[mechanical trader] 31/3/2011 12:26

space p ive already said Ive gone short...earlier post.

[cockneyrebel] 31/3/2011 12:20

Doesn't sound that bad to me.


LONDON (Dow Jones)--Fashion and furnishings retailer Laura Ashley Holdings PLC (ALY.LN) said Thursday that in the eight weeks to March 26 same-store sales fell by 4.2% due to general weakening in the consumer economy.
Despite a deteriorating outlook, Laura Ashley said that its product offering, strong brand, balance sheet and continued operational efficiencies give it a good base to face the challenges ahead.
In an interview with Dow Jones Newswires, Chief Executive Lillian Tan said the company has many options to combat the tougher trading environment including refitting or closing stores, expanding its e-commerce operations, adding new clothing ranges for children, introducing smaller concept stores and signing licensing agreements to boost sales.
The company will plough a lot of investment into online development as it wants to expand its presence and improve the overall customer experience, Tan said. A revamped website is expected sometime in April, she added. Online orders grew 45% in the year and in the second half saw a boost from countries such as Germany, Austria, Italy and Switzerland, she said.
The group also plans to continue its growth strategy overseas and open new franchises. Tan said the company is actively in discussions to expand into Indonesia, Russia and India. The firm currently has around 240 stores in 29 countries and has developed the brands in new countries including in South Korea and the Middle East, she added.
Laura Ashley also plans to focus on promoting its design studios. So far this year, three have been opened so far, she said, with two in London and one in Edinburgh.
In the fiscal year to Jan. 29, pretax profit more than doubled to GBP24.1 million from GBP11 million in the previous year, while revenue only improved slightly to GBP285 million from GBP268.4 million, as cost savings reduced operating expenses. Total U.K. retail sales rose 5.3% to GBP256.6 million while same-store sales increased 5.6%.
The company finished the year with GBP38.5 million cash compared with GBP17.4 million a year earlier.
Shares at 1112 GMT were down 3.75 pence, or 15%, at 21.05 pence in a slightly lower Smallcaps Market--down 0.4%

[spaceparallax] 31/3/2011 12:18

Mech Trader - you're just about the most unsubtle basher I've ever see. Your posts are so transparent that they're likely to have the opposite effect i.e. posters will question why someone is working so hard to drive the share price down.

[pip_uk] 31/3/2011 12:13

Go back to the other side "Gold Finger".

[mechanical trader] 31/3/2011 12:02

30p!!

Their is minor support at approx 19.5p but I would probably expect it to sail through this down to support at 18p.