Darby Increased Profits

The Darby group increased pre-tax profits by 8.4% to £1.3m in the six months to June 30 1998. The company said that sales and margins had been hit by disruption resulting from the replacement of two old furnaces at sites in Gloucester and Scunthorpe. Meanwhile, it warned that it had seen signs of a slowdown in trading activity during the thrid quarter. Sales were up 19% at £12.4m. (whole item)