DARWEN-based Wolstenholme Rink plc has announced a group pre-tax profit for the half year to June 30 of £2.633 million.

It compares with £3.705 million over the same period last year.

But management says the indications are that business will improve over the second half of the year and that profits will exceed the £3.8 million pre-tax profits earned in the last six months of 1995.

Wolstenholme Rink has declared an interim dividend of 9.5 pence a share - an increase of 5.6pc on last year's interim.

Joint Chairman Tony Rink said: "Trading in the first six months of the year has been difficult. "Demand in some international markets has been affected by de-stocking and costs have risen as a result of the Group's international expansion plans.

"In a statement we issued in July we said there were good indications that business would improve in the second half of the year and trading so far in this period gives us no reason to change that statement." The group supplies products to the international printing and printing ink industries.

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