蓄える／店 group ponders 引き継ぎ／買収 大勝する

By This Is Money
Updated: 00:00 BST, 29 September 1999

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Department 蓄える／店s group House of Fraser is keeping its 選択s open on a possible 企て，努力，提案 for a smaller 競争相手 such as Allders or the troubled Bentalls group.

But 長，指導者 (n)役員／(a)執行力のある John Coleman made it （疑いを）晴らす that the £172 million raised from its 最近の sale and lea seback を取り引きする British Land will be spent on its own 商売／仕事 rather than on a 引き継ぎ／買収.

The group has just started a £70 million 改造する of its 蓄える／店s, 含むing a £12 million facelift for DH Evans, its 144-year-old department 蓄える／店 on Oxford Street, and Coleman 主張するd: 'There is no question of using the money from the British Land 共同の 投機・賭ける on anything else other than our own 蓄える／店s.'

Earlier this month the group 認める it had looked at several companies and said it was also 診察するing other 内部の 選択s.

He 拒絶する／低下するd to comment その上の today, other than to say the 戦略の review is still 進行中で.

Coleman 報告（する）／憶測d half-year losses in line with 分析家s' 期待s, at £4 million before 税金 and exceptionals against a loss of £2.8 million last time.

He said the results had matched the group's own 的s and that he is now '静かに 確信して' of the group showing a good 業績／成果 in the run-up to Christmas, にもかかわらず a

5.1% slide in underlying sales over the past eight weeks.

'I think things will get better. There are 調印するs that the 消費者 is spending more,' he said.

除外するing new 蓄える／店s, group sales for the six months to 31 July were 負かす／撃墜する by 2.4%, to £351 million, but Coleman said he was encouraged by a その上の 改良 in 利ざやs, by 0.2%, and a 3% 増加する in sales of 十分な-定価つきの goods for the new season 範囲s. Sales of markdown 商品／売買する have been 減ずるd by 22%.

Behind the 利ざや growth was an 増加するd 割合 of higher-利ざや 私的な-label fashion goods, 含むing lines such as Linea, Platinum, and Fraser. 私的な-label 着せる／賦与するing now accounts for 29% of sales against around 17% two years ago and Coleman sees that 人物／姿／数字 rising to perhaps 40% over the next few years. 'We have now had three years of 利ざや growth and that will continue,' he said. New and refurbished 蓄える／店s are 会合 their sales 的s and the Bluewater 蓄える／店 did 特に 井戸／弁護士席.

The 暫定的な （株主への）配当 is 持続するd at 1.7p and o n the 株式市場 today House of Fraser 株 追加するd 1p to 83p.