Bookmaker William Hill was today celebrating the news that it will join the ranks of the UK’s top 100 companies.
The company will be admitted to the FTSE 100 Index on Thursday in a shake-up sparked by the merger of healthcare group Amersham with US giant General Electric.
William Hill will become the third newcomer to the FTSE in 2004, following the promotion of Chilean mining group Antofagasta and pubs group Enterprise Inns last month.
The bookmaker, which listed on the London market in June 2002, has 1,586 branches in the UK, and telephone gambling and interactive divisions.
Pre-tax profits rose to £201.7m during the year to 30 December from £141.4m a year ago.
In other changes, shares in fashion chain New Look will be deleted from the FTSE 250 Index on Wednesday ahead of its £699.4m takeover by founder Tom Singh.
The Weymouth-based company is currently the third largest womenswear retailer with more than 500 outlets and a further 191 sites in France, it employs around 10,000 people and generated sales of £643m in its last financial year.
New Look will be replaced on the FTSE 250 Index by tile and flooring specialist Topps Tiles, based in Wilmslow, Cheshire.
And plumbing services company South Staffordshire Group will begin life on the FTSE 250 Index under its new name Homeserve UK tomorrow.
It follows the demerger of its regulated water business South Staffordshire, which will trade on the FTSE All-Share Index.
References: EGi News 05/04/04
