Wednesday preview: DSG International, Hargreaves Lansdown

1st Sep 2009 15:09

Consumer electronics retailer DSG International holds its AGM on Wednesday and analysts are hoping the company will outline plans on how it intends to see off the invasion by US rival Best Buy, which is expanding into the UK in partnership with mobile phone retailer Carphone Warehouse.Indications are that the company will seek to use quality of service as a competitive advantage as it also seeks to see off the threat from box-shifters such as Tesco and Home Retail Group's Argos. Faced with the prospect of spanking new state of the art Best Buy shops sprouting up next to its own retail outlets, DSG has been busy sprucing up its own retail portfolio; around 50% to 60% of DSG's Currys and PC World stores will be refitted by Christmas 2010, the company said.Hargreaves Lansdown expects full-year results to be ahead of market expectations on Wednesday, as the stock market recovery since March boosted fourth quarter performance at the investment management firm. Revenues for the 11 months to 31 May 2009 were around 10% ahead of revenues for the same period in the previous year, leading the group to believe its full-year pre-tax profit will slightly exceed the most optimistic broker forecast of £69.1m.INTERIMS Ablon, K3 Business Technology Group INTERIM DIVIDEND PAYMENT DATE British Portfolio Trust, New Europe Property Investments, Nichols INTERIM EX-DIVIDEND DATE Alphameric, Arbuthnot Banking Group, ARM Holdings, BBA Aviation, British Smaller Technology Companies VCT 2, Capita Group, Cineworld Group, CRH, Croda International, FBD Holdings, Friends Provident Group, Greggs, Henderson Group, Hiscox, Hochschild Mining, International Personal Finance, Jardine Lloyd Thompson Group, John Wood Group, Legal & General Group, LPA Group, Morant Wright Japan Income Trust, Paddy Power, Portmeirion, REA Holdings, Robinson, Rotork, Serco Group, T Clarke, TUI Travel, UK Select Trust Ltd., XP Power QUARTERLY EX-DIVIDEND DATE M&G Equity Inv Trust Income Shares, Premier Energy & Water Trust FINALS Eaga, Hargreaves Lansdown AGMS DSG International, e-Therapeutics, Endace, Global MENA Financial Assets Ltd., Innovision Research & Technology, Invista Foundation Property Trust, Oryx International Growth Fund Ltd. FINAL DIVIDEND PAYMENT DATE Cohort FINAL EX-DIVIDEND DATE Acorn Income Fund Ltd., BHP Billiton, Electric & General Inv Trust, HMV Group, ILX Group, John Swan, JPMorgan Elect Managed Growth Shares, Maxima Holdings, Micro Focus International Plc, New Century AIM VCT, Personal Group Holdings, Umeco, VP