Morrisons maintains momentum

Morrisons' is expected to continue its sales momentum with the announcement of solid half-year results this Thursday.

After a quarter characterised by increasing competition among supermarkets analysts expect the Bradford-based group to post a 19 per cent rise in underlying profits to around £294 million in the six months to the end of July.

Morrisons is now deemed to have recovered from the initial problems encountered due to the takeover of Safeway in 2004, and has completed the roll out of its new yellow and green livery in its efforts to refresh the brand with a £450m makeover.

Royal Bank of Scotland analyst Justin Scarborough told the Press Association: "We expect the group to comment about the challenging environment both from a competitive standpoint and also from a consumer perspective.

"However these comments should not be surprising... and we think that the group will be pleased with its first-half performance and that its expectations for the full year will remain unchanged."

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