Oh dear. It looks like I'm in a bit of trouble this week, dear reader.
It appears that at least one member of the Snook family is unimpressed with me for the way I refer to one of its members. As you know, Garvis Snook is chief executive of Exeter-based contractor ROK, but in this column I have often referred to my old pal as Garv.

Apparently only his sister and occasionally his mother shorten his name in this fashion and my spies tell me that I was very nearly on the receiving end of a letter from a member of the family attacking me for my impudence. I vow no longer to refer to the gentleman by anything other than his given Christian name …

The Snookster could not have been too cheery last week. I'm afraid to say that Rok's share price dipped 2.8% last week to reach 246.5p by close of play Friday.

That other bearer of a great construction name, Cedric Scroggs of construction and property conglomerate MONTPELLIER, also had a bit of a dodgy week, slipping 8.6% to 21.25p. This is unsurprising. Last week it announced that it would probably post an operating loss in its interim results, which were due yesterday.

It was a far better week for the UK's only listed architect, AUKETT.

Its share price soared an incredible 27.3% to a rather less than awesome 3.5p. A puny figure maybe, but still a week of success following the announcement that it had appointed a new managing director of its European operations and an extra non-executive director.

Balfour Beatty’s recent corporate activity makes it a decent little number

Hunch of the week

It was also a cheery week for property services group CONNAUGHT. After announcing a rather stonking set of interim results – pre-tax profit was up 25% to £2.1m and turnover rose 37% to £105m – the chaps and chapettes in the City rewarded it with a 1.8% hike in its price to 422.5p.

I must say that I am most pleased for Connaught chief executive Mark Tincknell for he is a most jolly fellow.

He also gave me the inside track on his company last week - the firm has pretty much performed a U-turn on its previous ambition of listing on the full stock exchange. It is currently on the junior market, AIM. He reckons it could cost the firm up to £300,000 a year extra to get full listing and doesn't want the expense.

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