Carphone Warehouse defies slowdown fears

Consumer spending still going great-guns for Dunstone and Co...

UK mobile phone retailer Carphone Warehouse has reported a sharp increase in profits, defying the trends of a market in decline. Pre-tax profits for the six month period ending 30 September were £12m - up 25 per cent on the same period last year. Revenue at Europe's largest phone retailer was up 19 per cent to £433.8m, boosted by a 21 per cent increase in the number of mobile phone connections over the period. Adding further cheer to the good news the company said it is also confident of a bumper Christmas sales period - driven in part by demand for new camera phone technology and MMS-enabled handsets.