Walker Greenbank Share Discussion Threads

[netcurtains] 16/9/2020 09:54

Thanks Salver2: I guess if that is the case then this bit from colefax's update is the optimistic long view:

".... Current sales trends are ahead of our initial expectations at the start of the pandemic. Sales in July and August were ahead of the prior year and we believe that this is not simply due to deferred sales but also reflects new business arising as a result of the lockdowns .

Its also worth noting that Colefax have a "decorating division" - I dont think WGB have such a division.

[salver2] 16/9/2020 09:42

Yes I would say that’s fair comment but I think wgb brands most notably Zoffany are pretty much comparable to Colefaxs.Harlequin which is a mid market Uk brand is possibly perceived as a more premium brand in the states.

[netcurtains] 16/9/2020 09:34

Salver2: Thanks for that, however my wife does say that Colefax is considerably (generally speaking) more up market then WGB so that being the case you would expect them to have higher level of professional buyers than WGB. If you look at Ebay someone in US is trying to get $3,000 for Cowtan and Tout paper).

[netcurtains] 16/9/2020 08:52

Indeed, I have no crystal ball, I dont claim to know what percentage of WGB is DIY - I would love to know - has anyone asked the company? Do they give that sort of information out to investors?

I think "arts and crafts" (William Morris) style furniture could be huge as people are pretty fed up of IKEA minimalism - houses could be so much more interesting....

So yes, I also think, their brands could be so much bigger. They do have to be careful to keep William Morris environmentally friendly so can't just slap it on the side of an oil based paint - but we do know everyone post covid wants to help the environment so big opportunity for William Morris brand.

[bookbroker] 16/9/2020 08:40

And when the tide goes out we’ll see who has been swimming naked. No problem pal, I like this company because of the brands, they are worth more than the company alone, they just have to monetise them at some point. Could be a likely candidate for a takeover as Morris itself is worth a lot in royalties outside of wallpaper.

[netcurtains] 16/9/2020 08:25

bookbroker: You ask: Does X sell Y so where is the link? So where is the link.

Its basic set theory (it is a form of maths ). Before I go on I must warn you I am hopeless with maths. But here goes:

X is Home Depot
Y is WGB
Z is DIY

If X is part of Z and Y also is either part of Z (union) or Y has some Z in it (intersection) then if X increases because Z increases then its quite possible (but not certain) that Y will increase too (due to rise in Z).

"A rising Tide raises all boats"...

I take your other point that you are of the view that WGB is not in the DIY sector. However I know for 100% certainty it is however I cannot say what percentage is DIY and what percentage is professional market. I can say that WGB have been on DIY programs (Sarah Beeny - I mentioned earlier) and DIY magazines (House and Garden) and that their head of sales was employed by B&Q for about 12 years. I would think about 50% of WGB is DIY (I think that is pretty fair estimate)
That is their paint, fabrics, wallpaper and furniture sales.

[studentinvestor13] 16/9/2020 08:17

Still dirt cheap and trading should have been improving month on month. Picture this back at 10p earnings within 18 month IMHO

[bookbroker] 16/9/2020 08:12

Does Home Depot sell WGB brands, otherwise where is the link?

[netcurtains] 16/9/2020 07:06

DIY in the USA (paints, wallpaper, fabrics, etc etc)....

Home Depot is now trading significantly higher than it did pre-covid:

(same story with Lowe's

The USA is WGBs second biggest market after UK so its good to see that
DIY is booming in USA as well as UK and EU.

None of this means WGB is booming - alas, but there is a saying "a rising tide raises all boats" - so its quite possible that WGB is doing well too.

[netcurtains] 15/9/2020 17:50

I think the future of Wallpaper is design your own. So WGB could actually allow you to produce close ups of a single William Morris flower and cover the entire wall with it.
This is the type of thing that is getting more popular:

Or perhaps this

[dan_the_epic] 15/9/2020 17:48

No surprise this is down today

[netcurtains] 14/9/2020 19:44

William Morris wallpaper on TV tonight on Renovate dont relocate. Sarah Beeny loves it.

[salver2] 14/9/2020 14:31

I’m hopeless at interior design and despite getting a degree - failed maths o level - so your one up on me - strangely though I think I have a far better grasp of the machinations of the stock market than most of my friends one of whom is a professor of maths and another an actuary and I have to explain finances to them !

[netcurtains] 14/9/2020 14:14

LOL Dan, Salver2: I wear my heart on my sleeve. I enjoy interior design, cant help it. I'm hopeless with maths though.

[salver2] 14/9/2020 14:11

I enjoy net curtains posts very much and dwelling on the present never makes you money on the stock market - walker Greenbank are doing better than expected - which is truly epic

[dan_the_epic] 14/9/2020 14:07

How many posts are you going to make in a row. I expect a big first half loss.

[netcurtains] 14/9/2020 08:18

the problem I suspect for William Morris brand is that it has to be ethical and environmentally friendly so as not to harm the brand name - so the name should not used on hydrocarbon products -

however there are quite a number of ethical paints so I could see a time when William Morris brand could be used for organic paint such that Lakeland uses:

PPG (WGBs paint partner) are nearly there but perhaps not quite (from their website): We manufacture our new SEIGNEURIE™ Phylopur interior wall paint using a 97% bio-based resin produced from plants and industrial by-products. The renewable raw materials, which are cultivated according to a sustainable management method, reduce the use of fossil fuels and contribute to the paint’s very low VOC emissions.

Wallpaper of course does not have nearly the same problems as paint.

[netcurtains] 13/9/2020 16:24

PPG (WGBs paint partner) is having "BETTER THAN EXPECTED" results:
(It specifically mentions that this increased demand is coming from Europe ).. The missing link here is WGB producing a "William Morris paint" - I can imagine this brand could take a huge slice of the middle class paint market but other WGB brands do have paints and their sales could be increasing (see PPG results). PPG became WGBs paint partner in 2017.
(PPGs share price is more or less back to its January price. WGB was in trading range 80-90 in January so still 50-60% off January price)

[salver2] 12/9/2020 15:16

Nice spots Netcurtains!

[netcurtains] 12/9/2020 09:51

Quite a big marketing campaign in "House and Garden" October Edition for William Morris wallpaper - with ACTUAL WALLPAPER SAMPLE inside the magazine.

And article in conjunction with Ben Pentreath (interior design expert) explaining details




They have tied it all up with Extinction Rebellion too ...
Festival from 12-20 September (link given in the same edition of "House and Garden"):





Its also on Twitter:

[netcurtains] 11/9/2020 14:35

Wallpaper trends for 2020:


Wallpaper now fashionable (from March 2020):
But a funny thing happened somewhere along the way: The plethora of decorating and DIY-focused TV shows began to drop wallcoverings into their projects, first just here and there, but then more and more. The designs were more modern, more in tune with prevailing taste levels, and slowly became an acceptable decorating alternative.

[netcurtains] 09/9/2020 10:48

I have been going on about Wallpaper (LOL)...
Its also worth noting that:

a) WGB sell furniture and from Wincantons (WIN) trading update (this morning) furniture sales have been particularly strong over the past few months.

b) WGB sell fabrics and I can tell you from our market stall (surrey) fabric sales have been increasing too. Its all due to DIY and Stamp Duty holiday.

[netcurtains] 09/9/2020 09:25

10 key Wallpaper trends for 2020: