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Article: E-m@il to Sir Alan: profits down, shares off, City sceptical NEWS ANALYSIS: Amstrad boss facing an uphill struggle to persuade the market that his new internet phone will be a winner
- Article from:
- The Independent (London, England)
- Article date:
- February 16, 2001
- Author:
CopyrightCopyright 2001 The Independent - London. Provided by ProQuest LLC. (Hide copyright information)
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AMSTRAD, THE consumer electronic goods maker controlled by Sir
Alan Sugar, saw its stock slide 7.4 per cent yesterday as the company
unveiled a sharp fall in first-half earnings due to slowing sales of
BSkyB digital set-top boxes and the cost of subsidising its new e-
m@iler phone.
Ominously, Sir Alan warned of continuing uncertain trading
conditions for both products. Shareholders, he said in a statement,
should expect further losses on the e-m@iler, while future sales of
BSkyB set-top boxes would be "dependent" on the uptake of satellite
services, which is facing growing competition from ONdigital and the
cable companies.
Martin Bland, finance director, said: "This is a transitional year ...