London pre-open: Footsie to edge higher

8th Jun 2010 07:42

Footsie is expected to edge up in early dealings after closing in the red yesterday.Demand at the World Cup and a pick-up in business elsewhere means temporary power and temperature control services firm Aggreko expects performance this year will be significantly better than previously anticipated. At the interim stage group revenue in constant currency and excluding pass-through fuel will grow by around 10%, and trading profit by about 20%, the company said.Newsagent chain WH Smith announced the retirement of chairman Robert Walker as it revealed a 4% fall in like-for-like sales in the 14 weeks to June 5. Like-for-like sales were down by 4% in both the High Street and Travel divisions, with like-for-like sales at travel outlets down by 2% excluding the impact of the volcanic ash cloud that grounded flights across Britain.Falkland Basin oil explorer Rockhopper has wasted little time in tapping shareholders after its recent discoveries in the South Atlantic. The firm is to raise £48.5m through a placing of 17.3m new shares at 280p apiece, a small discount to last night's close of 290p.Catering firm Compass Group has snapped up a North American provider of soft support services operating in the education and business and industry sectors. The company is paying $65m (£45m) in cash for Southeast Service Corporation (SSC), a company which last year had revenue of $153m (£106m).