Lookers buys Audi dealer Lomond Motors
5th Jul 2012 09:00
New and used car dealer Lookers announced that it has bought Scottish based Lomond Motors for £15m. "The acquisition strengthens the group's presence in Scotland, where it operates as Taggarts Motor Group in Glasgow and Motherwell and represents the Land Rover," Lookers said in a company statemen
Read moreWednesday preview: Admiral, Costain, Sportech, Lookers
6th Mar 2012 17:46
Car insurance group Admiral is due to report its full-year figures on Wednesday, with the market keen to see whether the unusually high frequency and expected cost of new large personal injury claims seen in the third quarter continued into the fourth quarter. Credit Suisse recently upgraded its r
Read moreAdmiral directors rally round
26th Aug 2011 17:09
Shares in Admiral won back some recent losses after the car insurance company announced some big director purchases. Chief operating officer David Stevens and his wife Heather bought 75,450 shares at 1,324p and now have 10.3m. Non-executive director John Sussens's wife Cheryl bought 22,000 at 1,320
Read moreThursday tips round-up: Lookers, Renewable Energy, ITV...
18th Aug 2011 06:54
Car dealership Lookers wants to use the cash to give it ammunition for acquisitions, in both the parts and motors divisions. Peter Jones, chief executive, believes it is a buyer's market at present and that sellers will seek it out. Making judicious acquisitions in today's climate would leave it wel
Read moreLondon midday: Stocks stuck lower after jobs disappointment
17th Aug 2011 11:56
Stocks are still under the cosh, with some weak employment data adding to the general malaise. Dole claims rose the most since May 2009 last month as pressures on the British economy intensified. The Office for National Statistics (ONS) said that the number of people claiming unemployment rose to 3
Read moreFlat profits for Lookers as new car sales weaken
17th Aug 2011 08:08
Car dealer Lookers posted flat profits in the half year to 30 June as tough economic conditions and the removal of the government's subsidy scheme battered the new car market. Pre-tax profits slipped to £21.3m from £21.4m on revenues that edged up to £1bn from £988m. "Our motor division delivered
Read moreWednesday preview: BoE minutes, Balfour Beatty, Lookers
16th Aug 2011 16:26
The release of the minutes from the August meeting of the Bank of England's Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) will see the usual poring over the text for changes in phrasing nuances. As for the voting patterns, the general view is that the vote on interest rate policy will have remained as it was in
Read moreBroker tips: Rockhopper, Michael Page, Lookers
15th Aug 2011 12:44
Matrix recommends buying shares of North Falkland Basin-based oil and gas group Rockhopper Exploration following the positive resource update on Monday. New estimates for stock tank oil initially in place for the low, mid and high cases are 608m barrels, 1,086m barrels and 1,279m barrels, respectiv
Read moreBroker snap: Panmure upgrades Lookers to buy
15th Aug 2011 12:42
Panmure Gordon has upgraded its rating on new and used car dealer Lookers from hold to buy ahead of the group's first half results due on Wednesday. "While consumer confidence nears a 2-year low, we continue to believe that Lookers remains well positioned across all divisions, with the Group expect
Read moreFriday tips round-up: Lookers, Babcock, NCC...
8th Jul 2011 06:58
A consortium made a tentative approach for car dealer Lookers at 80p a share, sought due diligence, reckoned the company had a couple of issues that made it worth less than that and offered 70p, we learnt yesterday from Lookers. The company rejected this, and the consortium said it would not bid. Th
Read moreWeak confidence puts the brakes on Lookers' growth
7th Jul 2011 12:44
New and used car dealer Lookers faced difficult trading conditions in its motor division in the second quarter as weak consumer confidence in the UK continued to weigh on sales. Lookers said the new car retail market fell by 18.1% in the first half of the year in the UK, while group sales of new r
Read moreLookers numbers hit by poor consumer confidence
12th May 2011 16:25
New and used car dealer, Lookers, said trading in the first quarter was ahead of budget but poor consumer confidence was hitting business. It warned new car sales were well down on last year, when the scrappage scheme was in its last month. Lookers said UK new car retail market was down by 18.0% c
Read moreLookers profit almost triples
9th Mar 2011 07:52
Manchester based car dealer Lookers said annual profit motored nearly three times higher as it made a strong start to 2011. Pre-tax profit jumped to a better than expected £31.1m in the year ended 31 December 2010 from £11.5m the year before. Revenue increased by 7.7% to £1.9bn. Lookers robust ful
Read moreWednesday preview: Prudential, Lookers
8th Mar 2011 16:50
After well received results from Aviva this week it will be the turn of fellow insurerPrudential to make a splash on Wednesday. Results from the Pru could make the market wonder at the wisdom of blocking management's "bet the farm" purchase of the Asian business of fallen US insurance giant AIG, as
Read moreLondon close: Late recovery not enough
14th Jan 2011 16:39
Shares came off their lows ahead of the close, helped by an improvement on Wall Street, but still finished in the red, with miners among the fallers. The sector was hurt by speculation that commodity hungry China may raise interest rates to cool inflation. The economic powerhouse has lifted reserve
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