(HRO.L) H.R.Owen PLC Buy/Sell

The Times

FIRST WIMBLEDON, LATER THE WORLD, AS HMV UNVEILS ITS

BOUTIQUE CINEMA

HMV will open a three-screen cinema on the second floor of its Wimbledon store on Friday in a move designed to offset declining sales of CDs and stalled DVD growth.

The boutique cinema plan was developed in partnership with Curzon, a small cinema chain, and will target the consumer wanting "a glass of wine with their film".

The partners will share revenue created on the cinema floor, with the screens showing a mixture of Hollywood blockbusters and foreign art house movies.

PARAGON GEARS UP TO ACQUIRE LOANBOOKS FROM RIVALS LAID LOW

BY FINANCIAL CRISIS

Paragon is planning to acquire loan books from financial institutions struggling in the financial crisis.

According to chief executive Nigel Terrington, the Solihull-based lender to private landlords will consider businesses ranging from "tens of millions to hundreds of millions of pounds".

CarVal, an American specialist investor, will help Paragon fund the larger acquisitions, while Paragon will also be able to stretch the size of its purchases if they come with financing from the seller.

TOUGH TIMES DRIVE DOWN HR OWEN LUXURY CAR SALES

HR Owen confirmed on Wednesday that its sales were still falling, contrasting with an 11 per cent rise in new registration in the overall car market as a result of the car scrappage scheme.

The luxury car brand dealer's chief executive, Nicolas Lancaster, said that sales for most brands were down by around 40 per cent on last year and that some brands were down further, adding that the business had started to pick up in recent weeks but it was too early to see whether the improvement could be sustained.

TEMPUS

ARM Holdings (Offers good value)

Home Retail Group (Pass)

Burford Capital (Hold for now)

COPYRIGHT

Copyright Thomson Reuters 2009. All rights reserved. The copying, republication or redistribution of Reuters News Content, including by framing or similar means, is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of Thomson Reuters.