Liverpool Echo from Liverpool, Merseyside, England • 33

Liverpool Echo, Thursday, June 8, 1995 33 Contact Business Reporter: Echo Business ALEX HUNT on 0151.227 2000. Ext. 2457 FINAL STOP FOR MERSEY BUS FIRM By Neal Snowdon A MERSEYSIDE bus company has reached the end of the road afterjust one year. Birkenhead 'and District Bus Company with its famous blue and cream livery will cease trading on July 1. Its owners, GM Buses South, say the company has not earned enough to justify keeping it running.

Birkenhead and District ran 25 buses on eight routes in Wirral. GM Buses South's business manager Alan Walford said efforts were being made to find work for Birkenhead and District's 30 staff. Routes fail to earn enough cash the sort of returns on our investment we needed. "We are withdrawing reluctantly from the Wirral and concentrating our interests in Manchester. "But we cannot say we will never return to the Wirral." GM Buses is withdrawing services from other parts of Merseyside.

MTL Bus Holdings, which runs Merseybus, is retreating from routes it has run in Manchester. The Wirral withdrawal is the biggest retreat by GM Buses. Birkenhead and District buses are painted in the blue and cream the colours Birkenhead buses displayed before the Merseyside Passenger Transport Executive took control of services in the 19705. The buses will return to service in Manchester. Bus bother competition was fierce Offered Some will be offered jobs in Manchester with GM Buses South.

GM Buses South hopes to find others jobs with other Merseyside bus operators. It has told staff anyone who is not found a new job will be offered cash. GM Buses outh has not ruled out returning to the Wirral at a later date. Mr Walford said: "Despite the warm welcome we received from local people, the fierce competition has made it very difficult to make Echo Sharewatch BANKS HP 3. 366 Abbey National 493 -3', Bank Scotland 227 xd -1 Barclays 6BB -s', Harnbros 187 44 HSBC 842 -2 Ireland 354 xd 1 Lloyds 654 -9 Newest 564 Scot ..424 xd -8 Chand 356 256 -7 BREWERIES ETC Used Dornecq 548 xd -1 Bess 584 BoddrnOon 283 Grand Met 407 Greeneli 482 Greene King 533 472 -3 Scoff I 543', xr VANlbreed A 594 xd Youngs 446 xd BUILDING ETC Barran Devil 192 Bei'way 232 xd Blue Circle 306 lid Costar 11'.

Donlon Tyson 6 McAlpine A 164 -1 MAC 1111 Tarmac 118 Wimpey 129 CHEMICAL Croda 192 Glaxo 742 ICI .798 Laporte 764 Lent) Int 141 Wellcome 1065 Zerveca 1074 ELECTRICAL Amstrad 214', -2 BICC BT 309 4', Cable Wee 412 ad-3', Chloride GEC Thom EMI .322 -2 .378 -7 253 1280 -4 ELECTRICITY East Midlands 689 Eastern 668 -8 London 682 -2 Manweb 691 -2 Midlands 668 -5 Nail Power 481 4', Nall Power pfp 208 -I', Northern 803 -2 Northern Ireland 373 -2 Norweb 717 -1 Power Gin 1 Poomprben 209 xd Scot Hydro 332 BM A orvaris 505 414 738 NightlreicBll B7 -1 Ocean 321 PBO 823 xd7', Rohs-R 191 zd Dev 238 OIL GAS Ate se Bnt Gas 315 BP 444', ad -1 Butmah Cashl .926 xd Cakx Entiapnse 4lO -4 LASMO 166 770 -2'; PAPER PUBLISHING Acsts AIWA Bowater 483 -9 Bunzi 201 xd Lawson AA 636', News Int 3136 Pearson 614 Reed 174 Unneil News 530 xd -1 PROPERTY Pro Land 433 .6 Laing 218 Land Secs 632 xd .6 MEPC 416 .3 Mersey Docks 432 Peel 267 ORE Ashley ao 80 -1 Argos Beanie 110 -1 Body Shop l2B 0 .3 Boots 531 -3 Burton 88 colornsion 28 Dixons 244 Hse Fraser 155 xd -3 KNfisher 460 xd lAdift i Spa 420 xd Ned 327 xd 303 xd Soars ll2 Spnet 14 353 -2 Storehouse 279 .7 TEXTILES Coats WyeNs 214 ad -2 Courtaulda Tex 509 Lamont 300 ad TOBACCO BAT Ind 513 Rothment kW 612 WATER 542 .409 438', 348 372 317', 2130', 302 399 411', 364', 406 .691 .2 886 621 671 Natrona' Power 4Bl 496 421', 420 North West Water 585 618 483 520 Power Gen Sainsbury (J). 1 867 611 650 500 .1 542 457', 482 .452 456 403', 431 7 286 217 214 AN prices correct at 3pm Pakinoton Porter Cbum Rank Rexmore Srmth lachwe 591 Trafalgar 49 Un.ctiefn .277 xd -1 Unilever 1250 VSEL 2140 Walker Gback 91 xd -2 INSURANCE Bntannic 574 Comm 624 .9 Gen Ace 625 xd 9 Guardian Ex 205 xd -1 Heathgroup 240 .5 Legal Gen 50i Lon 8 Man 340 xd Prudential 344 .3 Seddevack 149 -3 Sun AU once 355 xd -3 Was Cordon 159 xd -5 TRANSPORT AB Pons 287 1 BM 490 BrN Airways 409 ERF Eurofunnel 165 -I Fisher .65 Ford Motors £l6'. EN l6O 1 LEP 3 Grynried 358 .7 320 .1 365 xd 1 LEISURE 613 .9 177 Ladbroke 180 .2 Stanley Lsure 356 -8 AB Foods Asda 683 86 ,14 I Group 332 .5 Booker 436 Cadbury Sch 172 .2, Dalipsty 151 xd FOllll 234 xd Beast 167 xd -5 kfillsdown 192 xd 1 Iceland Gp 180 Kwvk Save 605 xd 1 North Foods 196 -2 Park Foods 110 Sainsbury 452 Tate 8 Lyle 452 ad -3 Tesco 298 ad Unagate 414 United Biscuit 337 xd INDUSTRIALS BET 126 xd BOC 806 xd -5 Boots 531 -3 Br Aerospace 527 -14 Bre 51661 tel -V. BTR Cr Ade 459 xd .3 .191 413 ...39 41 .434 -6 Pilks dividend rises despite £24Bm deficit PILKINGTON'S today announced a dividend boost despite falling £24Bm into the red. Shareholders in the St Helens-based glass giant will get 4.2 per share for the year to the end of March.

This compares with 4p in the previous 12 months when it made a taxable profit of £97m. Previous earnings per share of 5.1 were this year converted into losses of 40.7 p. The drop into the red was due principally to writing off £375m goodwill for its spectacles and contact lens business Visioncare, the remainder of which Pilkington is planning to sell. By Echo mortar utions, using the group's technology to create a worldwide business," said the company. "However, recession, rapid changes in the industry and demands for the group's financial resources from the flat and safety businesses led to the decision to withdraw from Visioncare." Chairman Sir Antony Pilkington said the underlying performances of the group's businesses reflected increasing strength in all areas with profit margins on an upward trend.

"Improving demand, increasing sales of the group's advanced products, better plant efficiencies and continued concentration on cost reduction have all contributed to the results. "Strong cash flow has led to a further reduction in borrowings, which now stand at their lowest for six years." Sales rose by to and Sir Antony said the group would continue to benefit from increasing demand for its products in building and car markets around the world. Exceptional On top of this £375m, Pilkington announced exceptional costs of £3lm from the end of litigation involving PPG Industries. But the group made an exceptional profit of £l4m on the sale of other businesses. Buying Visioncare in the late 1980 proved disastrous.

"It was intended to build on the successful spectacle lens business with the addition of contact lenses and sol- Merger creates cable giant A MERGER to create the UK's largest cable communications operator was announced today. The deal is between between TeleWest Communications and SBC CableComms. At present Telewest is neck-and-neck in the rapidly expanding market for cable TV and phone services with Nynex CableCommns. Shareholders will be offered one share in the merged company for each TeleWest share currently held. NEWQUAY IN SEPTEMDER -th-.

th Se, Lm' Elt, ers THE STONES DON JOVI LIVE IN PARIS 3 th June-2nd ALTON TOWERS 2nd July £18.5 per pers SUMMER IN 17th -21st July Ell- per pers MYSTERY DESTINIMON WEEKEND 22n -23 July £42 er erson SUMMER lIIMEEILK IN LAAKELAN 13 11th-14th per pers FOR BOOKING OR FURTHER DETAILS PLEASE RING 0151-400 7771 "NY It'll Att Gt 41 LatassioVr. 4l llllll 1111111 .1 12 i PAGE MC, i -I 117.4. 1 SIM Scot Power 335 .1 459 ad LEP 3 Bnitol 1110 Seaboard ......402 -6 Kamm 23l', sed-I'. Lax 363 Sth Wales 731 .3 Johnson 268 Lucas Northumbrian 915 199 North West 585 ad Sth Western 701 .3 Southern 674 KEY Severn Trent 583 -2 Southern 644 Yorksh we 719 -2 dealing suspended Sth West ENGINEERING ad price ex-drvidend Thames 502 Concentric 197 ad once issue Welsh 675 Della 527 -6 sr price ex rights issue Wessex 307 .2 GKN 639 -3 xc ex capital distribution YO.ltahera 501 THE TOURIST ABROAD Austria 15 25 Belgium 44 50 France 761 ny ..2 19 Greece .362 00 Intend ON Italy 2540 00 Malta 055 Hotland 244 Portug al 230 00 Spam 187 50 USA 1.55 FT-SE 100 INDEX 3410 3395 11 1 3380 rata lot 3365 dA 3315 9 10 11 12 1 2 3 4 close wen 9 10 11 12 1 2 3 POPULAR SHARES Stock Price Var High Low Av'cie Abbey Na 493 3', 503 413 422 121ACH12001 re rai getting you there is just the beginning Newquay is the jewel of Cornwall, with something to offer everyone. Our hotel, the Bella Vista, commands the view of Tolcarne Beach.

All rooms en-suite, colour TV, radio, telephone and making facilities. The hotel's own leisure centre "Coconut has a 50 foot water flume plus gym and sauna. The 'Jolly Roger' is the hotel's own tavern. Days out to include St. Ives, Truro and Falmouth, and Padstow.

nights Half Board Only £ll9 per person Join Coach 2000 for this fabulous concert. See The Rolling Stones and Bon Jovi live at Longchamps, Paris. Includes executive coaching throughout, minimum 2-star hotel (en-suite rooms), all ferries and concert tickets. DON'T DELAY, RING NOWT 3 nights £149.00 per person New for 1995 is "The Plus Nemesis, The Beast, Corkscrew, Black Hole and rides for younger members of the family. Don't miss this fun packed day out.

Plrice includes entrance. Adults £18.50, under 14's £l6 Treat yourself to this summer break in Bude at the Strand Hotel. All rooms en-suite, super Egon Ronay restaurant. Days out to include Padstow and Mevagissey. 5 days 74 nights Half Board £ll9 per person Join Coach 2000 for the latest of these ever popular weekends.

Departing Saturday morning for a full day out before heading for our hotel and our evening meal. All rooms en-suite, evening at leisure, after breakfast on Sunday we have another day out before returning home. Where will it be this time? 2 night, Half per person This 4 day break is lust what you deserve Based in the New Westiands Hotel between Whitehaven and Cockermouth where all rooms are en-suite and the restaurant and bar are based on a golfing theme. We will be visiting Kendal, Keswick, Cockermouth and Bowness plus a coastal run to Carlisle a break to remember! 4 nights Halt Board only £B9 per person Wilson Road, Heyten, Liver of 36 6JO. Tel: 0151.480 7771 Fax: 0151-480 6313.