Chris Slater is head of Arion Properties which until last week was part of Harmony Property Group and so

Chris Slater is head of Arion Properties, which until last week was part of Harmony Property Group and so far owns 30 flats in Edinburgh. To avoid the formalities of a full listing, dealings are initially under the restricted Stock Exchange Rule 4.2 matched-bargain basis, but Chris is looking for an official quotation when the company becomes eligible.
Arion is the name of a warhorse in Greek mythology, and Jim said: “We intend to make acquisitions.”The Slater family see the Scottish capital as one of Europe’s fastest-growing cities in the next decade, but a more prosaic reason is that Chris wed a local lass from nearby Forfar.A case of mixing business with pleasure, perhaps. Nevertheless, the Slater touch should ensure interest in the shares from the thousands who have bought Jim’s books of investment advice.At 11p, the shares are trading just above the company’s £750,000 asset value.. COURT Cavendish Group, the nursing home operator that went public last year, is changing its City advisers. Tomorrow it will announce that it is replacing UBS with Smith New Court as stockbroker and Samuel Montagu as banker. After the legendary Jim’s Slater Walker and son Mark’s more recent Slater Investments, elder son Chris has popped up at the helm of a stock market vehicle, writes William Kay.

Meanwhile, he is busily expanding output at Bullers by launching new product lines. A move into football figures in club colours may be the springboard for a sporting portfolio taking in cricketers, rugby players, racehorses and golfers. Mr Cunningham is also looking at marketing the “English look” in the United States and Japan.Last spring he made an opportunist acquisition of Wiseman’s, a London TV and video editing company. While this is profitable, it eats capital and has no synergy with the figurines business “I accept that,” said Mr Cunningham “I may demerge it next year.”.

THE Slater clan rides again. Until 2000 Ms Benjamin has the right to sell designs to Bilston, who have worldwide sales rights over products made from those designs. Bilston isheading for a profit this year, after two years of losses.Mr Foster declined to discuss the position, but Mr Cunningham is confident he can sort out the double tangle. Bullers, where Jim Slater, friends and relatives own nearly 10 per cent, is worth £11m while Bilston is priced at £3.1m.
But Mr Cunningham, a Scottish tax barrister with a stint in the Stock Exchange quotations department on his CV, said: “As the leading firms in the industry, we would make a very good fit if a deal can be worked out.”That may be easier said than done.

The Bilston board and friends, led by the Apricot Computer founder, Roger Foster, hold a controlling stake.A further complication is an agreement with Susan Benjamin, owners of two London shops called Halcyon Days. The Italian company does not feel it should be responsible for those problems.As far back as 1992, Amec filed a suit demanding £11.6m plus interest, which would by now amount to another £3m. But after seeking a summary judgment and having a judge rule against it the company dropped the case.Both sides said they expected the disagreement would be settled amicably and they are continuing to work together.. WAR is about to break out in the delicate world of enamel boxes and figurines. David Cunningham, chairman of Bullers for the past year, has rescued the company from the brink of receivership and said last week that it was in shape to think about a cquisitions. An obvious early target is fellow knick-knack maker Bilston & Battersea Enamels. Like the bits and bobs they turn out, both businesses are in the miniature class.

The launch went ahead before all the shore-side work was done, so that the platform could rendezvous at sea with barges carrying critical equipment. “Contracting is all about cash,” said one.Agip has paid Tiffany Contractors more than £500m, well above the £453m estimated price tag worked out in 1989 Only part of the contract was for a lump sum fee. The balance depended on hours worked and materials used.The costs began to spiral after the design evolved to include safety modifications and the addition of a sulphur removal plant required by Agip, Mr Bateson said That delayed the project by 20 weeks. But several remained nervous about the company’s cash flow – seen as an important indicator.