DUNELM FEELING THE SQUEEZE

HOMEWARE chain Dunelm have become the latest victims of the spending squeeze.

Takings fell 0.5 per cent in the year to July, with the firm blaming a “changing pattern of customer shopping habits”. Chairman Andy Harrison said: “We expect the trading climate to remain challenging with the disposable income of UK consumers under pressure.”

Leicestershire-based Dunelm said they were committed to adding new stores, despite online sales jumping down 20.1 at 7379.7 GKN GlaxoSmithKline Halfords Hays HSBC Imperial Brands International Airlines Grp ITV Kingfisher Land Securities Legal & General Lloyds Marks & Spencer Morrison National Grid Next Old Mutual Pearson Prudential Reckitt Benckiser 327.2 1491.0 319.2 186.7 732.1 3318.0 601.0 158.3 289.6 988.5 255.9 65.0 324.5 245.0 956.1 4417.0 198.7 590.5 1790.0 7026.0 -2.9 -5.5 +5.3 -0.6 -4.1 -4.5 +2.5 -2.8 -1.3 -12.5 -2.3 +0.1 +1.7 +1.3 -2.5 +17.0 -1.9 +3.5 -15.0 -7.0 Oil = $55.11 23 per cent. They opened seven stores last year, taking the total to 160.

Profits tumbled 15 per cent to £109million because of the fall in sales and their takeover of Worldstores. The results are the first since chief executive John Browett was axed. 1677.0 303.0 3624.5 903.0 374.4 643.5 249.6 239.6 1416.0 2233.0 112.6 406.2 2192.0 932.0 1383.0 1904.0 157.1 756.8 418.8 207.4 193.6 RELX Rentokil Initial Rio Tinto Rolls-Royce Royal Mail RSA RBS J Sainsbury SSE Severn Trent Serco Sports Direct Shell Sky Smith & Nephew Smith WH Stagecoach Standard Chartered Standard Life Aberdeen TalkTalk Taylor Wimpey -2.0 -2.4 -66.0 +3.0 -2.7 -0.5 -0.1 +0.5 -12.0 -7.0 -0.5 +4.9 +14.0 -5.0 -11.0 +14.0 -0.4 +2.9 -3.2 -4.1 +0.5 Tesco Thomas Cook Unilever United Utilities Vodafone Trinity Mirror 181.7 120.0 4452.5 898.0 214.9 85.5 -3.4 0.0 +11.5 -6.5 +0.3 -0.5