Crawshaw Group (AIM:CRAW) Stredder’s small cap star beefs up the returns
The fresh meat and food-to-go retailer whose growth potential was ‘uncovered’ by small cap specialist David Stredder in depths of the horse meat scandal several years ago has issued an encouraging trading update. The Stredd was never in doubt!
Following various initiatives undertaken by new management (an ex Lidl man is now I charge), like-for-like sales have been particularly strong in the last quarter, with the growth being realised across the entire estate. This has been accompanied by a strengthening gross margin position. Two new stores that opened recently are also trading very well and above “base case”. The Group now expects the Company to exceed market expectations for the year ended 31 January 2016. Market expectations were previously for a small loss so perhaps profitability has arrived sooner than anticipated. Encouraging news but the short term is largely…