Aga confident it is cooking with gas

COOKER company Aga Rangemaster believes new products will position it for any upturn in the economy after reporting a rise in half-year operating profits from £800,000 to £2.9 million as cost cutting and other efficiencies offset a £2m or 1.6 per cent fall in sales to £121.4m.

The company, which aims to have half its business outside the UK, said it anticipated a “difficult autumn selling season” but backed its confidence to benefit from the recovery with a 14 per cent hike in the interim dividend to 0.8p payable on 7 December.