Friday preview: Carphone Warehouse, Holidaybreak
Nov 26, 2009
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Shares in Carphone Warehouse have more or less doubled since the start of the year as the mobile phone retailer and broadband provider has ridden the wave of the phenomenally popular Apple iPhone.
The TalkTalk broadband division, which it plans to spin off, has also been going well, with the number of new customers in the second quarter topping expectations. Net additions at TalkTalk in the second quarter totalled 77,000, versus expectations of around 41,000 new subscribers.
Shareholders will be looking for progress on the integration of Tiscali, the lowly-rated Internet service provider (ISP) it bought for £236m. Tiscali shed 62,000 customers in the second quarter.
While making plans to hive off the ISP division, the company is also girding up to launch a challenge to Currys and PC World owner DSG International and Comet owner Kesa Electricals in the UK in conjunction with US consumer electronics retailer Best Buy, and the City will be keen to hear how this is progressing, especially as DSG seems to be getting its act together in a hurry.
It has been years since Holidaybreak changed its name from Eurocamp but the short break specialist is still widely regarded as a purveyor of Continental camping holidays, even though it has long since branched out into hotel breaks and adventure holidays.
Right now, the company's emphasis seems to be on expanding in the fast growing educational holiday market, as evidenced by the company's £33.2m rights issue earlier this year to fund an expansion of PGL, its education division.
Friday's full year results should reveal whether the company has benefited from the perceived trend for people to take cheaper holidays (served by Holidaybreak's camping division) or to holiday in the UK (catered for by Superbreak, the company's hotel booking and theatre show division).
INTERIMS
Carphone Warehouse, Hogg Robinson, Invista Foundation Property Trust, Omega Diagnostics Group, RPC Group, Vectura Group, VP
INTERIM DIVIDEND PAYMENT DATE
Booker Group, Harvey Nash Group, RSA Insurance Group, Scottish Mortgage Inv Trust, Ted Baker
QUARTERLY PAYMENT DATE
Equity Partnership Income Shares
QUARTERLY EX-DIVIDEND DATE
Cryptologic Ld
INTERNATIONAL ECONOMIC ANNOUNCEMENTS
Consumer Confidence (EU) (10:00)
Consumer Confidence (FRA) (10:00)
Economic Confidence (EU) (10:00)
Industrial Confidence (EU) (10:00)
Service Confidence (EU) (10:00)
FINALS
Holidaybreak
AGMS
Anglo and Overseas Trust, Aquarius Platinum Ltd., Centamin Egypt, Feedback, Helphire Group, JPMorgan Smaller Companies Inv Trust
FINAL DIVIDEND PAYMENT DATE
Abcam, Aberdeen Asian Smaller Companies Inv Trust, City Merchants High Yield Trust, CPL Resources, F&C Commercial Property Trust, Indigo Vision, ISIS Property Trust, Jourdan, JPMorgan Overseas Inv Trus, Kier Group, Manchester & London Trust, Mcbride, Ricardo Group, Swallowfield, Thorntons
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