Marchpole is one of those stocks which have had a really bad time. Boardroom battles, losses, price collapse, profit warnings up the ying yang.

Now all of those things seem to be sorted out, new management are getting to grips, new contracts and the price is on the up. So much so that Monday ought to see a 50/200 day MA golden cross.

DYOR of course, but I think I will be putting a few of these away at the open.

Socco

Rumour on the street is that the Queen has decided to go bed and breakfast this year for a change and to save money will be happy with a chunk of bread and a packet of crisp most days for lunch..........................................honest

mock if you like, but i clearly have better and more accurate ears than you in the fashion industry .... i have made money from MPH, but still reckon the management stinks, even though they got shot of Tuffnell

confess i am somewhat surprised to see sp a bit stronger here, though i dare say interest has been tickled by the imminent figures (28 June) ...... however, notwithstanding that Marchpole have a good stable of brands and have saved money (short term) by not been replacing the 5/6 design staff who have already walked (generally through feeling unappreciated and put upon - bad management!), i would be surprised if MPH's figures, even if pretty good over the last year, are forecast to be strong in the coming year ...... even if MPH is selling to the upper market, it cannot be totally immune to the grim numbers being churned out across the fashion industry.

My contact has assured me that the results will be fantastic and forward orders unbelievably good, sorry to disappoint cynic, keep trying to talk these down and perhaps you will get some cheap, but I don't think you will, regards Tesco
Ps Perfume interest kicks in from Jan 08 in the region of 1 million pounds straight to bottom line,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,Yummy

we shall see ...... i don't try to talk these down as you like to think .... i merely state things as i see them ..... i don't doubt that the past year's figures will be good (fantastic? all depends what you mean by that), but i find it very hard to believe that MPH is bucking the general market trend into 2008 ......

in any case, it is unquestionably a sign of very bad management when a company consistently and regularly loses its key personnel through disatisfaction in all its guises - in this instance, the designers ...... Michael Morris may well be a shrewd businessman, even if his ego is at least as overblown as Ozwald Boatengs's, but he clearly has his eye off the ball in this key area.

the jeans deal sounds like a cracker for entree into this very lucrative market ........ but still retain my very low opinion of the management

cynic are you holding any mph? if not come on board and join the journey north,,,,,,,,tesco

no though i have in the past and done pretty well out of them ..... perhaps knowing as much as i do about the appalling man-management at MPH is unfairly clouding my investment judgement ...... will ponder

Cynic only one day to jump back in before the results are out and it costs you a lot more to join in , good luck.................tesco

shall merely watch with interest

Any idea of analyst expectations?

http://fool.digitallook.com/?action=financials&ticker=MPH&sub_action=forecasts
check it out................................tesco

it's the projection that should be noted, not so much the (historical) figures ..... these latter certainly should begood, but it may be difficult to determine what is organic growth and what merely from new acquisitions

Thanks guys

so the figures are out ..... don't know whether or not they beat expectations, but now look for what was NOT said! ...... there is no mention at all as to how current trading is going, which implies that it's pretty horrid, not helped by the loss of YSL, even if that was already well known.

time to take profits or perhaps even short

TESCO .... why so quiet? ...... btw, also did not care for that rag-bag of non-fashion items attaching to Castelbajac ...... what expertise does mph have in those fields? - none! ...... further evidence of eye off ball or cobbler not stickking to his last

Over reaction to non disclosure of forward trading news imo, but certainly not a good couple of days. The interims will be the time to see if you are right cynic and for all holders I hope your not, we shall see............................Quiet Tesco.

tesco ...... no forward trading info is a strong indication that all is not rosy in the garden ...... though Michael Morris will certainly be working on other licences etc, he has a lot lot of running to do to make up for the very significant loss of YSL ..... in addition, as has been well documented for months, the high street is dead on its feet ...... this awful june weather (thank goodness i missed 2 weeks of it in sunny france!) will have done nothing but bad for trade.

a month further on and sp is down from 190 (closing) or 200 (intraday) to 143/147 today, having lost just 4p this morning ..... perhaps the chickens are finally coming home

ask yourself
1) exactly why did FD suddenly resign?
i think he has only been there 6 months and also there was no mention of the reason.
therefore it is reasonable to assume that there was a major boardroom row between FD and MM ..... anything to do with sailing close to the wind on (non)disclosure of trading?

2) how do mph (or you) think the large hole caused by the loss of YSL will be filled?

3) just how dire is the current trading?

4) is MM happy to see sp fall away so he can try to buy back the company at a cheap price?

Agm statement solid with new licence agreement in Columbia and trading in line with expectations. Cynic if trading was that dire they would have to inform the markets and indications are they are good, having said that you have called the share price fall correctly and good luck to you........................tesco holding and adding