LONDON (Thomson Financial) - Water Hall Group Plc. reported a wider
first-half pretax loss even as sales increased, and said trading conditions
during the first half were difficult reflecting the impact of the credit crunch,
increasing fuel prices, poor weather conditions and the downturn in the
construction industry.
The company said trading for the first three months of the second half has
been poor and below the board\'s expectations, and added it expects asset sales
in the second half to be less than those in the first half.
Current market conditions make it difficult to predict the outcome for the
year, the company said.
The company said pretax loss for the six months to end-June widened to
302,000 pounds from 252,000 pounds last year. Revenues rose to 880,000 pounds
from 575,000 pounds, while administrative expenses edged up to 674,000 pounds
from 610,000 pounds.
The company said a number of acquisition targets are under review.
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