Jarvis Porter Group announced a £278,000 pretax loss for the 6-months ended 31/08/05, versus a £111,000 pretax profit for the same period in 2004, as conditions worsened in the home refurbishment market. Turnover for the 6-months to 31/08/05 totalled £9.4M (£9.8M) & was entirely attributable to Darby Group, the company's principal subsidiary. This sector is feeling the effects of a slowing UK economy which has discouraged consumers from taking on financial obligations to fund home improvements. Market conditions worsened significantly in the 2H of the financial year ended 28/02/05, & continued to be challenging through 2005. In addition, the UK glass processing industry is under pressure from excess capacity, competitive pricing, & rising energy costs. As a consequence, the group recorded an operating loss of £0.2M for the 1H 2005.
